Here's a link to a great, easy to read article that that tells you what to look for and why. It really helped me make a decision when it came time to choose a faucet. Here's an excerpt regarding Lowe's Moen vs. Faucet Depot's Moen: "Most major faucet manufacturers will make special models just for the large retailers. . . in some cases the faucet can be sold at a lower price because the materials used are lower quality - plastic spouts rather than brass, for example. . . . If the model number or name is exactly the same, most likely you have a regular-line faucet. If it is not the same (usually by the addition of a suffix such as M1045-HD rather than M1045), then it is probably a store model. . . . If still in doubt, call the manufacturer's customer service and ask. " HTH! Here is a link that might be useful: http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.htm

Interesting - I'm already full of self-recrimination about how this job was handled, both on my end and that of others, so it's hard to hear from third parties how I've bungled it. As a newbie it's hard to know how to make it happen. I guess the better approach would have been to let someone else run the job, soup to nuts, and just pay more for their services. I thought I could handle it, and learn quickly, and I was wrong. I'm an attorney (write contracts, so am leery of contracts, I realize how little they are worth and the people behind them are more important), and a lot of people think what I do is hard to understand - well, compared to the contracting business it's easy! When I say I'll be there at 2 - I mean 2 not 4. At least in NYC 2 is just a ballpark time and it really means, whenever I can get there, maybe 2 maybe 2:45. And I've found that most contractors follow that approach here. Most contractor candidates just bid out a door, maybe a type of door, but not a specific product. Not one person said to pick out a door ahead of time, and had they done that I would have had no idea what type of door to pick anyway. I'm relying on professionals for that. This is a temporary kitchen job; I've got appliances either delivered or being delivered. I just have to buy cabinets and countertop and backsplash but that doesn't have to be part of the GC's job and in fact it wasn't part of his bid. My goal has been to get the basics done, so I can get a tenant on our lower floor and apply for a loan so I can finish the job with the proceeds. If we don't get approved for a loan we can still finish, just on a tighter budget. I guess my original question comes back to, what to do when you have lost confidence in your GC, do you try to get it back, do you muddle through, do you fire them. I don't want to fire this guy, he's in the thick of it, I just don't want to use him for anything someone else can do that doesn't require a permit - and he's almost done with the part that required a permit. We'll close out the job (he has to do the floors, install the appliances, and turn a window into a door and he's mostly done; all but the window-door conversion should be done in a week and then we wait for the door to come; he's also putting together a laundry area and that's an add-on and since we really could use a working washer/dryer we're not pulling that from him) I guess the harder part is, once we're done with this guy we're not really done. Then I have to get cabinets and sink ordered and installed, and then get a countertop ordered and backsplash installed. I guess there's an end in sight. But with filthy floors, dust all over, no washer/dryer it's hard to see the end game. So yes I messed up thinking I was up to the challenge of being on the front line with the contractor. Perhaps some contractors, yes, but mine no, so yes he's getting the blame, perhaps unfairly. In the end, perhaps we needed an architect to just run the job, and yes an architect getting paid by the project not the hour. The architect I liked best is hourly, and a number of people have had problems with him for that reason, he ended up overcharging them and they either couldn't finish their job or complained to him about his fees and got them reduced. I took the tack of, using him less and adding stress on myself. Not a good approach.

It's what you feel is a good deal that counts when buying. Selling is a different issue, and it takes time. We sold vintage for years, and Ebay was the WORST resource EVER for uninformed buyers and sellers. What seems like a minor difference can be a major one when it comes to price (well, it looks *almost* like mine). Additionally, it seems that people assume everyone else listing the widget knows what they're doing, when they might just be flying blind too. The only good comparisions on Ebay are exactly the same as your item with BIDS-buy it nows and listings with 0 bids mean ziltch. And archived listings from more than even a few months ago might or might not be a good resource, as certain items ebb and flow like the tide (for a while, you couldn't touch a Duaflex camera, they were HOT for TTV photography, I think that's died down now-we don't sell vintage anymore-no space-so I haven't kept up on the trends). Then you've got sellers that inheritated something they were always told was "worth a lot of money". Well, maybe it was, once. And now...you can give it away, maybe (like those console radio/record players or sets of china, except certain patterns). Also, it depends on your location. We live in NYS. Where we live, I could sell something...say...an old wooden crate for $10, whereas it might sell for $30 in NYC. Vintage prices here are WAYY lower than there.

Consult your owner's manual. It'll state a recommendation for the engine or engines when the car may be equipped with alternate engines. The grade of fuel needed is related to compression ratio and super/turbo charging. High compression engines need treated fuels to prevent self detonation. A lower compression engine with super charging also needs help for the same reason. At sea level, self ignition begins at compression of 14 to 1, the fuel will self ignite without a spark because at that compression, the compressed air rises above the ignition temperature and the entire charge goes BANG instead of a smooth spreading flame front. As you go up in altitude, the air thins out, there less of it to cram into the cylinder and the self detonation potential decreases. Typical pinging happens when during the first instant of ignition the cylinder pressure rises and the remainder of the charge explodes all at once instead of a smooth spreading flame front. An engine at sea level needs more anti-knock help than one at 10,000 ft altitude. However, a really active supercharger changes the picture. The compression ratio may increase if deposits accumulate within the head. Also, deposits can get hot and continue to glow enough to cause ignition. Catalytic converters oxidizes unburned fuel and tries to complete the combustion of CO (carbon monoxide) to CO2 (Carbon dioxide). Converters fail by overheating or reduced operation. Overheating is caused by too much unburned fuel dumped in to the converter or sitting still for long periods of time with the engine above idle. The usual death of a converter is from contamination of the catalyst rendering it ineffective. Also, the converter can become clogged with deposits. Its passages are small compared to other components of the exhaust system. Never pour any additive into the gas tank unless it specifically states it is safe for the catalytic converter. Some are not. A number of converters were killed back when filling stations were switching from leaded gasoline to unleaded. (From before WW2, a lead compound had been used for anti-knock, but lead is one of the things that will coat a catalytic surface and render it useless. Once this happens in an automotive converter, its begins to plug up.) During the change over in fuels, due diligence was not always applied or understood and the fresh fuel was contaminated with the older fuel that remained in the partially emptied tanks. Mix-ups continued either accidentally or by intent until leaded fuel was completely phased out.