this is for labor only.

I have a 20' x 13' kitchen with the counters around the outside of the room. (I am renovating.) I will be putting task lights above the counters in a sofit that runs above the cabinets and the lights can shine down directly onto the counter tops. I was looking at Home Depot (before I go to a more specialized lighting store) and saw some 3" cans that have adjustable optics with 50 watt GU10 bulbs. We were thinking that we could replace them with equivilent LED bulbs when they burned out,. The brand name is Lithonia Lighting, 3" Nickel Gimball recessed lights. My questions are 1) has anybody heard of this product? 2)Do you think 10 cans around the perimeter of the room will give enough task lighting? and 3)Can you get respectable quality at HD or should I go look at a specific lighting store? Thank you for any suggestions. Ailsa

Hello, All. Somewhere in my reading process it was said facia (is it fascia - sorry about that) and soffiting vinyl are manufacturered thicker than normal vinyl siding. I did considered it a non-issue but thanks to you I've written it down to ask the contractor. If I can get thicker I'll get it. Going back a long ways a roof's overhang wasn't often enclosed except maybe for some guttering on the edge. The exposed rafters sure were a good place for wasp and hornet nests. In the 50's or 60's contractors began covering the area. I doubt if the words facia and soffit had come into being before then. Facia board covers the edge of the roof rafters and runs the entire perimeter of one's house. Where needed guttering is nailed over the facia. Soffiting covers the area beneath the roof rafters from the facia edge to the house. A few years ago I built a house that was left open between the overhanging rafters. This allowed air to flow from the outside, into the attic, and on out the ridge vent. Air flow was primarily to retard hot weather damage to the roof, and it kept the house a little cooler. Being the rafters were open the soffiting was preforated to allowed air to flow but kept out bees. Where I now live was built in the mid 60's. It does not have opening between the rafters. My current soffiting is unpreforated plywood, so the vinyl soffiting without preforations will be okay. My guttering will be seamless and I highly suggest it. I've had and heard too many stories about seam problems with the 10' section stuff. But I suppose it may have depended on how well it was installed. I talked to a couple of my kids (I'm widowed) about colors. I told them I wanted a color "standard" that would be acceptable for a number of years. Please rememeber, this is for me and not a recommendation. I have white vinyl windows. They said the facia, soffit, window trim, and door trim should be close to the same color as the windows. They said from their observations of new developments that's generally the case. So, I chose that color a little off white, called linen. My downspouts will be the same color as the vinyl siding -almond. My guttering will be the same as the trim - linen. I know what you mean about getting away from the colors you have. At my age my vision is probably a little shorter than most of you readers. I'm doing more what might be acceptable to others whereas if I were younger I may or may not have other thoughts. Screw in bolt brackets for guttering is typical, I think. Sure is better than nail in. The brackets expand the width of the gutter with a screw going through them, through the vinyl facia, through the facia board, and into a rafter. I'm not familar with any other type of supports. I'll keep reading this topic for a while, Folks. I'm trying to gain enough knowledge to ask the contractor the right questions. Regards, Gene

In our current home, our framers put in the windows. In our next home, of which we currently are in the planning stages, I want good windows and I want them installed correctly, which means probably not by framers. I've heard that framers often cut off tabs, etc which totally voids your window warranty, which is usually worthless anyway, but ultra worthless from the start if installed wrong or mutilated prior to installation.