"If seer efficeny rateing doesn't reflect cost of operation,why in the world would anyone invest up to twice the money?? The statment someone above made about requiring the same # of BTUs to heat a given space wherther it comes form an energy hog or energy miser is misleading at best and would be laughable were it not so obsured. The electric KWs required to produce those BTUs is signifinantly different. You best deffer to somone local you can trust." --------------------------------------------------------- The Btu/Hr required to heat or cool the conditioned space of a home or building remains the same regardless of the SEER or AFUE of the equipment; I did NOT say anything about the electrical or energy efficiency of the equipment; except that the only thing that counts is How much of a units Btu/Hr is "Delivered to the conditioned space. SEER is a small factor compared to all the other factors that can trash "delivered Btu/Hr" & actual efficiency. Extensive tests were conducted which included new High SEER equipment; the average Btu/Hr delivered was 63% of the mfg'ers Btu/Hr Rating & half the required airflow. Selling equipment based on so-called SEER savings should not be allowed without "delivered verified testing" with the results left with the HVAC Consumer! I have worked HVAC since before the mid-1970's & have witnessed those horrendous inefficiencies regardless of the Mfg'ers Ratings...other factors can easily render those mfg'ers Ratings meaningless for the consumer/user. They paid for those Ratings "but never got them due to lack of following 'all' of the necessary steps in order to get those Ratings." Here is a link that might be useful: Sizing of Residential HVAC Air Conditioning Systems & Ductwork Systems

1. Do professional painters typically leave some unpainted spots on the undersides of the siding after just one coat, even a heavy coat? No one can paint in one coat. No one. IMO, there is no acceptable circumstance where one coat of paint is a proper paint job -- especially exterior. And applying it *heavy* is meaningless. There is only so much you can apply on a vertical surface without it dripping and sagging. Then there's the classic debate of what is more efficient, one labor intensive *heavy* coat that pushes suggested application methods, or two comprenhsive full coats at the recommended and appropriate spread rate or thickness. 2. Am I being unreasonable in expecting my painter to touch up all the unpainted spots (there are a lot)? I would say you each share equal blame on this one. You were being unreasonable to expect that exterior areas could be painted with one coat to save on budget. That is not a realistic expectation. He gets an equal amount of accountability 'cuz he told you he could do one coat and he accepted the job under those terms. You expected too much and he promised too much. He tried to make it work within your budget. It just didn't work out due to certain circumstances. He shouldn't have to pony up all of the labor/paint at no cost to you to fix it. To be fair, you'll need to reach a compromise to correct an agreement that never should have been made. 3. Can Duration be easily touched up in spots, or will it have to be completely brushed on again to look good? Maybe. Depends on the sheen and the color and the orientation the spots have to direct light. Depends on the expertise and method used to touch up. My guess is you should be doing a second coat because it sounds like there are so many spots, you're just about to a second coat any way. Besides that, it's the right thing to do for your house. 4. What should I be able to expect from my painter after two coats of paint in terms of COMPLETE coverage when I stand directly up against and under the siding? Depends on the color. Depends on the exposure of light. Depends on the substrate, can depend on lots of things. Two full coats is standard to get to full and even color resolution and coverage - especially with Duration - but the standard isn't a guarantee. Painter should be able to call that one easily. One coat looks like crap, no one should be surpised including him. If he says two coats will do it, he should know what he's talking about, but he also said one coat would work. If he says one more coat will do it, you need to be clear that you aren't paying for the third if necessary and he can't walk away if he's wrong and after two it's still not right. Proceed with extremely clear and precise communication. If he's smart, he'll be after the same clarity of understanding from you for his behalf. 5. My painter says Duration is hard to work with and sets quickly in summer temperatures, which may be why his crew were unable to paint as completely as I would've expected. Do you professional painters feel it is hard to work with, or is my painter just making excuses? Duration is harder to work with than say a Super Paint or a MoorGard. It is physically taxing i.e. the rotator area of the shoulder. You don't paint with Duration you *apply* it. It is different. Weather conditions could very well be adding to the efforts of application. Wouldn't ding him for his comments on working with Duration. Doubt that's an excuse. More like that's his commentary on how Duration fits with the painting skills and conditions he has to work with. There's my third-party input FWIW.

You might want to pose this in the Terry Love plumbing forum where a bunch of professionals answer such questions. The best approach is probably the one that involves butchering the fewest joists. There should be no problem with running a waste line vertically in an exterior wall. Terry Love Forum

We've DIY'd cabinets twice and been glad we did. I will say that age is a factor. It was easier the first time in 2011, less easy last fall, and I don't know that I'd be up for it in another couple of years, so it's a good thing we have no plans to move. You know in HGTV shows where they're doing a kitchen and some guy swings the upper cabinet into place like it was fairly light? I don't know what kind of cheap cabinets those are, but the ones we used took two of us to move - they're heavy! (No, the shelves were not in when we put them up.) The first time we did it, we found this piece of equipment at a rental place and it helped enormously. I think it was intended to hold up hold up large, old-syle TVs while they were attached to a wall. It was invaluable in getting the cabinets in place and aligned in three planes before attaching to the wall. The second time around we searched all over two counties for something that would do the job, but no luck. For these newer cabinets we had to use a ledger board nailed to the wall plus me standing on a ladder balancing it to get everything aligned. It works, but it's a lot more work. For the short cabinet over the refrigerator we conscripted the tile guy who was working on the fireplace to help hold it up while DH screwed because that was beyond my height and strength - I helped lift and hold, but I couldn't do it by myself. I like the lifter. Another big issue with DIY is knowing that despite what some "professionals" tell homeowners, walls, floors, and ceilings are rarely level, at 90º or otherwise ready to use as is. In the first house there was one wall stud with the crown towards the kitchen while all the others on that wall faced away from the kitchen. It was located right behind where the drill is in the photo above. This means that to get the cabinets level as you continue down the wall, there need to be shims. In this case lots of shims. The new house has better (not perfect) walls, but the floors are wonky. In this case we had to shim under the lowers, which was tricky ("lift a little, more, OK now a bit up in the back"). In both houses the cabinets were level in three planes by the time we were done and the granite went on without a hitch. Tall pantries are also a challenge just because they weigh so much and it's difficult to get them upright in the room and slid back against the wall.