10 Questions for . . . Fernando Pagés Ruiz, Contractor

In this installment of 10 Questions for . . . , Senior Editor Daniel DiClerico speaks with Fernando Pagés Ruiz, contractor and author of Affordable Remodel: How to Get Custom Results on Any Budget. Here, Ruiz talks about the upside of the economic downturn, details common remodeling pitfalls, and offers tips for slashing winter heating bills.

How has the credit crunch impacted the remodeling industry?
We had been in a kind of remodeling frenzy. People could justify the expense of remodeling with the rising value of their homes and the fact that it was relatively easy to get money through a second mortgage. Now that justification is over.

Even in good times, the best returns on remodeling investments were only around 90 percent, according to Remodeling magazine's annual "Cost vs. Value" reports. How many mutual funds do you know that advertise to customers that they'll get back 90 cents on every dollar invested? So remodeling was never an investment, and it more obviously isn't now. The motivation for remodeling should simply be that you plan to live in the house and you're spending money to make it how you want it.

Should home sellers be more motivated to make improvements?
If you're selling your house, the idea of getting it into the best selling shape makes tremendous sense, given the intense competition out there. Again, you won't necessarily get the dollars back, but you'll be able to move your house, whereas the neighbor who hasn't done any updating or maintenance may not.

Can homeowners negotiate lower costs on their projects?
It's a time to find good deals because many contractors who were used to doing a job for 40 to 60 percent over cost will now do it for 20 percent over cost. But depending on the contractor, negotiating can be a good or a bad strategy. You may end up with half a project if the contractor is in distress and looking for some cash flow and agrees to do the job for half the price of what he knows it will take. Chances are he won't be able to finish that job. So it is also a time to be careful.

So how do you protect yourself against the project-half-finished outcome?
In remodeling, the advantage always goes to the one with the most information. That's usually the contractor. And contractors know more than they let on. The only way to balance that is to become educated. I tell people it should take six to nine months to develop a plan and get to know the products. By the time you talk to your contractor, you should be able to tell if he knows his stuff or not. And you should definitely know more about your project than he does. You should be a very smart consumer by that point.

What other mistakes do homeowners make?
Starting the work all over the house. This is usually a guy thing, the do-it-yourselfer who starts jumping around doing this and doing that until he finally runs out steam and the house is a mess. You need to start with an overall plan, even if you're going to complete the work in stages. With the plan in place, you can segregate the house into sections and proceed from start and finish in an organized, logical manner.

Can you offer any rules of thumb for determining when a project goes from a DIY-friendly one to pro-required job?
Anything that has to do with safety. If you need to put in new gas lines, for example, it's a good idea to call in a plumber.

Manufacturers have made some projects easier, like tiling a laminate floor or installing a ceiling fan. But leave the skilled work to the professionals, like trim carpentry. If you want your cabinets installed correctly, there are a bunch of things a trim carpenter will know that you won't.

It's Change a Light Day. Install some CFLs

A simple, inexpensive way to save money and energy at home is to replace incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs. A good day to start your bulb-swapping if you haven't already is today, national Change a Light Day.

If every American household were to replace a single incandescent bulb with an Energy Star-qualified CFL, the energy saved would light more than three million homes for a year and reduce annual energy costs by $600 million, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Don't buy just any bulb—there are performance differences among CFLs, so our experts recommend using only Energy Star-qualified bulbs. And as we reported in this story about the myths and realities associated with these bulbs, today's Energy Star CFLs are much better than earlier versions, as manufacturers have addressed the problems of harsh light, flickering, and slow warm-up times. Even the mercury content has been significantly reduced.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Proper recycling of CFLs is important. Learn about Home Depot's nationwide CFL-recycling program. And find out who invented the CFL. No, it wasn't Thomas Edison.

10 Questions for . . . Katherine Steiger, Professional Organizer

In this installment of 10 Questions for . . . , Senior Editor Daniel DiClerico talks to Katherine Steiger, a professional organizer whose company, Right Stuff Organizing, helps households in the Boston area combat clutter. Steiger shares her tricks of the trade and favorite sources and explains how to keep things organized with kids in the house.

What are the most common sources of clutter in the home?
Mail is one of the biggest causes of clutter. It's relentless, and people just don't know how to deal with it. The first thing is to get your name off the mailing lists by visiting the Direct Marketing Association Web site. That will put an end to unwanted catalogues. Also, don't subscribe to things that you don't read.

I encourage clients to deposit unwanted mail directly in the recycling bin. It can take some time to get off the mailing lists and cancel subscriptions, so this is a good stopgap. If the mail comes through a slot in the front door, keep the recycling bin right there. That might not be the most elegant solution, but if you're entertaining you can always move the bin temporarily. The important thing is to stop the pile up of papers.

In general, what does it take to live an organized life?
I often say to my clients, "Be ruthless." The general rule is if you haven't used something in a year, you're probably not going to ever use it. Maybe there's that one roasting pan you use for Thanksgiving that you do need—you don't want to spend $100 every year to buy a new one. But if you haven't touched the thing in 10 years, you're probably not the one hosting Thanksgiving. So you really need to be honest with yourself. It's the same with clothing. If you haven't worn an outfit for a whole cycle of seasons, get rid of it. Here's where charities help. People always feel better donating clothing than tossing it in the garbage. There's a charity called Dress for Success that prepares out-of-work women for job interviews, including giving them an outfit. Charities are one of the organizer's greatest tools. OnlineOrganizing.com has clearinghouse of organizations that makes it easy to donate just about anything.

There are so many products out there geared toward organization. Are they useful?
People often think if they just buy the right stuff their lives will be perfect. You can spend $200 at the Container Store or Target, but if the products don't get used they haven't helped you. So first you have to figure out what you're going to be left with. Professional organizers use the acronym SPACE:

• Sort the stuff.
• Purge those items you no longer use.
• Assign the keepers a place.
• Pick a Container.
• Equalize—if one comes in, one goes out.

So you see, products are far along in the process. When the time comes, containers should be sized relative to what you have—little things in little containers and big things in bigger containers. And it's always better to use clear containers so that you can see what's inside.

How has the green movement affected home organization?
A big challenge I find is older homes that weren't designed to cope with modern recycling needs. Just figuring out a place where clients can keep a bin or basket is tricky. But there are a lot of retractable trashcans and recycling systems that can be tucked into a cabinet, solving the spatial problem. Sometimes products are the answer.

Another great green organizing resource is Freecycle. This community-based Web site allows you to give away items to or get them from other people in the network. Often you have something that you just don't need anymore and that isn't valuable enough to sell but may not fit within your local charity's donation guidelines. For instance, most charities don't take Legos and other toys for safety reasons. Freecycle is a way to keep them out of the landfill.

The kitchen is command central in many households. What are some tips for keeping one orderly?
The biggest step is getting rid of the stuff you don't use. We all have items crammed in the back of cabinets, the ice-cream or bread maker or the special late-night-TV slicer that we got as a gift 10 years ago. These items should not be taking cabinets space away from things you use every day. If you really do make ice cream once a year for the Labor Day picnic, that's fine. But move the maker to a shelf in the basement.

Once you've purged, you need to create centers of activity. That's a concept organizers use a lot, not just in kitchens. The goal is to create zones where you do the same kinds of activities. That might mean putting all your baking stuff together in a cabinet by the oven and keeping the things that you need for food prep by an island countertop. It's also important to create a landing pad in the kitchen, since it's usually the first and last point of entry for families. A dedicated spot for keys and cell phones will keep you from hunting around for them when you leave. It will also keep the counters clear. You can't let this prime real estate get cluttered with unnecessary stuff.

Q&A: How can I identify green flooring products?

I want to replace my kitchen floor with sustainably harvested wood. I've seen all kinds different green labeling on flooring. How do I know whether a material is environmentally sound?

If you had lived during the 19th century, you wouldn't have had many flooring choices for your home. Chances are the lumber used would have been the dominant species from a nearby forest, and you likely wouldn't have had concerns about the condition of the forest.

Fast-forward to 2008. You'll now find a wide array of wood-flooring options, including many domestic choices, products that originate in exotic locales around the world, and a number of nonwood materials, as we detailed in our August 2008 report. (The same goes for decking products, as we covered in our July 2008 review.) In this time of greater environmental awareness, you can choose flooring—and hundreds of other wood products—based on how sustainably they were produced.

That's where certification enters the picture. Among the dozens of sustainable-forestry certification programs, the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative are the most recognizable in this country. Both nonprofit organizations, which date to the 1990s, aim to promote sustainable forestry.

Forest Stewardship Council
The FSC was founded by the World Wide Fund for Nature, other environmental groups, and industry representatives. The FSC's global standards for forestry management include 10 environmental, social, and economic principles and 56 criteria. All products that claim to contain FSC-certified wood must undergo an independent certification.

In part because the standards are very detailed and represent a balance of interests, leading environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club, consider the FSC to be the most credible forest-certification program.

To identify 100 percent FSC-certified products, look for the FSC logo (shown) along with "100%." The FSC also has percentage-based content labels, which indicate a blend of FSC-certified wood and other controlled sources and/or recycled material. You'll find a list of FSC products by using the search tool on the Forest Certification Resource Center Web site.

More bang for your buck: 4th of July sales at home centers

The 4th of July sales at the country's two largest home centers could inspire a feeling of déjà vu—the deals these retailers are offering through the Independence Day holiday weekend and beyond have a lot in common.

At Home Depot, you'll find 10 percent savings on appliance purchases of $399 or more, and Lowe's is taking 10 percent all appliance purchases over $397. In the paint aisle, Home Depot will knock $5 off every gallon and $20 off 5-gallon pails, while Lowe's is offering mail-in rebates of $5 for gallon purchases and $20 rebates for 5-gallon pails. Home Depot and Lowe's are also offering payment and financing deals.

But price is just one shopping criterion—quality should be key, too. Consider interior paints. In our latest tests of interior finishes, Valspar (Lowe's) paints and Behr (Home Depot) paints were both highly rated in all three sheens we tested (flat, low-luster, and semigloss). Since the Lowe's holiday sale is good only for Olympic paints, which we rated below Behr in all categories, you might want to buy your paints at Home Depot.

The shopping experience and quality of service are two other major factors in deciding where to shop. Neither big-box retailer excels in customer service and support, according to our new survey of 20,000 subscribers about shopping at home centers, independent stores, and online retailers. Lowe's outranked Home Depot for product selection and shopping ease, and the checkout lines move faster at Lowe's. (Who's otherwise pleasant shopping excursion hasn't been ruined by an interminable checkout wait?)

Learn where to buy appliances (from our August 2008 issue) and find out much more about kitchen remodeling.

If your 4th of July break don't include shopping—and we applaud you for that—use our Outdoor Living Guide to make the most of your time off and perhaps even plan a staycation.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Check out our brand-new Home Improvement Guide interactive, which offers buying advice on appliances, tools, and building materials for every area of your home.

Protect Your Investment: Buy quality paints

We recently reported that the price of exterior paints and stains is up a few dollars per gallon on average from last year. An article on the Web site ICIS, which covers the chemical industry, revealed similar findings. “Skyrocketing fuel costs have led to price hikes for many of the petrochemicals that go into paint, such as vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), which is used in much of the architectural paint produced in the US,” the story read.

But the story also noted that big-box retailers, including Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Wal-Mart, are preventing manufacturers from passing on those added costs to consumers. That’s good news if you’re about to tackle a painting project. In our latest report on interior paints, Behr (sold at Home Depot), Valspar (Lowe’s), and Kilz (Wal-Mart) rank among the top performers and are competitively priced.

The exterior finishes from the big-box stores are also less expensive than many of the other brands. But since some of these paints have been reformulated, we’re retesting them and don’t have final test results.

As we reported in our June 2008 story “Scrimping Doesn't Pay,” the Valspar Ultra Premium Satin ($24 per gallon) and the Valspar Ultra Premium Semi-gloss ($24) exterior paints are less expensive than the California 2010 ($38) and Kelly-Moore Acry-Shield ($32) finishes that we rated just above them. We have completed only one year of testing on Behr Premium Plus and Ultra exterior paints. While they are doing well so far, it’s too early to say how they will last in our long-term testing.

But remember that you should take the long view by choosing quality over price when buying paint. If you hire a contractor, then labor costs will add another reason to choose a longer-lasting finish. A finish that lasts for a decade will cost you less than a cheaper one that fails after five years. So use our advice and refer to our Ratings to find the best paints for your needs.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Ratings of full reports on interior paints and exterior paints and stains are available to subscribers. And learn how to dispose of leftover paint.

 

10 Questions for . . . Joan DesCombes, Certified Kitchen Designer

In this installment of 10 Questions for . . . , Senior Editor Daniel DiClerico speaks with Joan DesCombes, CKD, principal of Winter Park, Florida–based Architectural Artworks Incorporated. Here, DesCombes, who received the 2008 Pinnacle of Design award from the National Kitchen & Bath Association in April, talks about her winning project, where kitchen design stands today headed, and what her clients want in their new kitchens.

Q. Congratulations on winning the 2008 Pinnacle of Design award. What separates you from other designers?

A. I think I’m a little unique for a kitchen designer in that this isn’t my first career. I was trained as a designer but then I ended up working in the fashion industry for many years. So I approach a kitchen almost like I’m dressing somebody. I start by asking a lot of questions about the homeowners’ lifestyle. The more I know about them, the more I can create a room that suits their personality. Coming from the fashion industry, I strive to design rooms that are functional first but also that people look good in. If you’re a blue-eyed blond I’m going to design that room differently than if you have dark hair and dark eyes.

Q. How is that philosophy reflected in the award-winning kitchen?

A. This kitchen, in Winter Park, Florida (shown), is in keeping with who that homeowner is. He’s a creative person and he wanted a kitchen that’s innovative and uses rare materials. The combination of stainless steel and raw wood on the ceiling gives the space a loftlike feel that’s in keeping with the rest of the house. The stone floor is the same throughout, enhancing the Zen-inspired fluidity of the space. The same stone continues up the side of the island for a dramatic effect. The lighting is also very dramatic, combining cable lights with hanging pendants.

Q. What are your favorite features about the kitchen?

A. When you look at most kitchens, they tend to be traditional in look and layout. This one wasn’t traditional from any standpoint. We reused a lot of existing materials, so while it isn’t green in the conventional sense, it’s largely recycled. The purple-concrete countertop was left over from a project we worked on with designer Fu-Tung Cheng, from Berkeley, California. We also used some leftover cabinetry for the pantries that flank the refrigerator, a Sub-Zero with a paneled front that matches the cabinetry. The fully integrated refrigerator is something we do all the time. It goes along with my kitchen-as-furniture philosophy. Homeowners need to understand that furnishing a kitchen is no different than furnishing a living room. Except that they’re going to spend a lot more time in the kitchen.

Q. In general, how are people today interacting with their kitchens differently?

A. Everybody’s lifestyle is different, and so every kitchen needs to be different too. Take someone who’s big in the organic-food movement. They’re going to need more refrigerator than freezer space, and they’re going to need that refrigeration in several different places throughout the kitchen. For a recent client who’s vegetarian, we added a set of refrigerator drawers to her food prep island. That’s where she keeps the fresh vegetables for the salads she often makes. This split configuration is also popular with parents with small children. It means they can keep the juice and milk next to where the kids eat breakfast in the morning.

Q&A: Will one coat of paint cut it for interior projects?

We’re going to try to prep and paint two bedrooms in a long weekend. Any chance we can get away with only one coat of paint?

Our latest testing of interior paints reveals that some finishes deliver better one-coat coverage than others.

To determine one-coat ability, we paint a white, pastel, and medium of each paint on striped hiding charts with light-gray to jet-black bars (shown). To merit better one-coat distinction, even the white version of a paint must conceal at least the two lightest-color bars with a single coat. As you can see, the paint on the bottom offers more-complete coverage after a single coat than the one on the top.

But before we can recommend you use only one coat, we need to know the exact nature of your project because there are times when even the best one-coat paint won’t provide satisfactory coverage. For example, if you’re changing the bedroom walls from a darker color to a lighter one, say burgundy to beige, no fewer than two coats will keep the darker base from bleeding through.

That’s why you should use two coats of a top-rated paint for any decorative application—two coats are better than one. What’s more, to enhance hiding ability of a paint, manufacturers might skimp on some additives and end up diminishing other performance results of their paints. That is, a paint might cover well in one coat but might not resist scrubbing with a sponge or might start to fade a few months down the road.

If you’re intent on trying for a one-coat application, you won’t have to spend big bucks to do so: Five of the 14 paints that deliver better one-coat hiding cost $20 or less per gallon. One of those paints is the No. 1 paint in the low-luster category, which we consider to be the best paint for most applications.

Which paint is that? Check our Ratings of interior paints, available to subscribers.—Daniel DiClerico

International Builders' Show Product Preview: Kohler Express Vanities

A vanity will add style and storage to your bathroom, but getting that bulky piece home from the store, schlepping it to its location, and assembling the piece can prove challenging.

The Kohler Express installation system, available on the Alberry, Chalkstripe, Clermont, and Westmore vanities, addresses those inconveniences. This patented setup (shown partially open) uses a patented hinge design that allows you to stow the vanity relatively flat in your car, lift it more easily through a doorway, and essentially snap it into shape. Even better, there'€™s no charge for delivery and installation.

Vanities with the express system costs $450 to $700; countertop and sink are sold and installed separately. The vanities are available at Kohler showrooms and at major retailers nationwide, including Home Depot and Lowe'€™s.—€”Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Our report on bathroom makeovers includes information on countertop materials and a primer on how to avoid common remodeling blunders.

Tip of the day: Avoid common painting mistakes

You don’t have to be a pro to get high-quality results. But cutting corners will produce a sloppy job, and even the highest-rated paint will fail if you don’t apply it properly.

To make your work last, DON’T . . .

Ignore prep work. “Surface prep is 85 percent of the job,” says Debbie Zimmer, director of communications and media relations at the Paint Quality Institute, which educates consumers and pros alike about buying and using paint.

• To ensure a smooth, even, and secure finish, start by wiping dust, dirt, and grime from the surface with a damp cloth.

• Tackle stubborn stains with a solution of 3 parts water to 1 part bleach.

• Fill dings and nail holes with plaster compound and patch cracks with painter’s caulk.

• Apply a primer coat to naked wood surfaces, new drywall, walls painted a dark color, and deep-set stains, such as those caused by tobacco smoke or water damage.

Skimp on materials. A gallon of paint covers roughly 400 square feet of surface. A quart should suffice to paint the molding and trim in a 100-square-foot room. Don’t eke out the job by applying too little paint—you want to try to apply the same amount to all surfaces. You can use properly stored leftover paint for future touch-ups. Click here for guidelines on paint storage.

Use the wrong tools. Cheap brushes and rollers could leave bristles and fibers on the wall, and they won’t load and distribute paint properly. A synthetic-bristle brush is best for latex-based interior paints. (You’d use a natural-bristle brush for an oil-based, or alkyd, paint.) Choose brushes whose bristles have split ends that taper to the tip. For rollers, choose a synthetic-fiber, seamless roll with a short nap; 1⁄16 to 1⁄4 inch is recommended for smooth plaster, wood, and metal surfaces.

Overapply paint. An A+ paint job requires a steady, measured hand. Start by cutting in a 2-inch strip around windows, doors, corners, and edges. Then fill in the fields with a roller. Follow a W-shaped pattern, which will distribute paint evenly and prevent drips and lap marks from marring the surface and always blend wet edge back into previously painted section.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Read our March 2008 report on interior paints, including the latest information on one-coat finishing and details on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in paint.