DIY or die? Building bust forces toolmaker to target homeowners

There's been some good news of late for the  housing industry, including a 7.2 percent  increase in existing-home sales for July, the fourth consecutive month of positive sales. But manufacturers that support the construction industry are still feeling pinched.

Bobcat Company, which makes light-construction equipment, announced this week that it will be closing its Bismarck, North Dakota plant; 475 jobs hang in the balance as the company juggles positions at a neighboring plant. "We are facing a huge economic challenge and we need to adapt,"  said Rich Goldsbury, president of Bobcat Americas.

To avoid downsizing, other companies are highlighting existing models or developing new ones that appeal to a wider market. That can be a boon for you. In our ongoing tests of cordless drills, we're seeing some major brands emphasize products for the homeowner market. Porter-Cable, for example, has been known for heavy-duty—and often hefty-priced—power tools. But its new 18-volt PC180DK-2 drill costs just $100. Better yet, it's holding its own in our drilling-speed and torque tests.

While Porter-Cable is not abandoning the contractor market, Frank Andrew, director of marketing, wrote in an e-mail that "the Porter-Cable line is designed to serve [a] crossover segment: pro users or DIYers who want performance for tough jobs, but cannot justify the expense of industrial-grade tools."

Whatever you call it, a power tool that delivers pro performance at consumer-friendly prices is a good thing in our book. Watch the video above to learn about drills that provide heavy-duty performance at  lower prices (ratings available to subscribers).—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Look for our latest report on cordless drills in the November 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, online and on newsstands in October.

Tiny Greenwich Village home makes the most of minimal space

This 9.5-foot-wide home for sale on Bedford Street in New York City's Greenwich Village could be a most appropriate buy for this era of downsizing.

The three-story, 42-foot-long town house was built in 1873 and counts actors Cary Grant and John Barrymore, anthropologist Margaret Mead, and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay among its former owners. If not averse to the space, a buyer might pause at the asking price of $2.75 million. The home actually has 1,500 square feet of living space, in line with a trend toward "rightsizing" homes that saw average floor area of newly built home shrink from 2,629 to 2,438 square feet in the last quarter of 2008.

Inside the home, open floor plans and extended balconies give the illusion of roominess, reflecting a move toward better use of existing interior space, as described in our  10 Questions for interviews with The Not So Big House author Sarah Susanka and architect Marianne Cusato.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Our newly updated Kitchen-Planning Guide has dozens of tips to maximize your space and budget.

Forum Friday: Consumer Reports readers debate the best paint types

Painting’s a hot project, based on projections for recession-defying sales and an ever-expanding proliferation of new colors. It’s also a hot topic, as evidenced by the many discussions in our paints and stains forum.

Our ratings of interior and exterior paints and deck stains (available to subscribers) always spark discussions over the best brand of paint (Behr has its share of backers and detractors) or a debate over two specific brands (in this case, Valspar vs. Benjamin Moore).

Whichever brand you use, follow this pro painter’s surface-preparation tips (we’ve got more of our own here and in the video at right). Keep in mind this mixing trick from forums moderator Angelo Mannino, and don’t miss his warning on painting over stain.

Other posters have added valuable warnings on VOCs paints (unfortunately, one mentioned brand did badly in our tests—see our report on safer paints here) and the need to check whether paint is suitable for spraying. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Appliance sales lagging amid signs of recovery, according to new Consumer Reports Index

While there are signs that the economy is starting to recover, the appliance industry may be among the last sectors to see any green shoots. That’s according to the Consumer Reports Retail Index, one of several indices used to create the newly minted Consumer Report Index.

As reported in “Consumers Aren’t So Upbeat, New Consumer Reports Index Shows," retail data from the last 30 days shows that consumer purchases declined, and small appliances and large appliances posted the largest percentage drops out of the surveyed product categories comprising the index.

Over the next 30 days, appliance purchases are expected to dip again relative to the prior month. The Consumer Reports Index findings reinforce dismal shipping numbers for the appliance industry in June, when year-over-year shipments of major appliances fell 30 percent.

Appliance purchases relate to another figure from the Consumer Reports Index: the percentage of homeowners who have postponed a home-improvement project. That figure peaked in July, when 27 percent of respondents said they put a project on hold. For August, the percentage decreased to 26 percent.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Make the most of a limited budget with appliance-buying advice from more than 25,000 Consumer Reports readers and this list of five crucial home repairs that you shouldn’t ignore.

August 2009 Showerhead Report: In test results, not all flows are a go

The recession has put a pinch on bathroom remodels, but you can still get an attractive makeover on a budget with these sub-$1,000 makeovers. (Some reports below are available to subscribers.)

Our "Top Kitchen & Bath Values" special adds another trick: Switch out your old showerhead for a new, water-efficient model. (Find out whether you should take a bath or a shower to maximize water savings.)

Ten of the 18 models in our latest report on showerheads use less than the federal maximum flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute; all meet the federal limit. But our panel of eight male and female testers, who together logged 269 showers between them, found only one model that could produce an invigorating spray. That’s an important point, as too weak a stream might result in longer, water-wasting showers.

Some tested showerheads aerate the spray to make it feel more substantial, but we found water temperatures dropped from 5° to 15°F from the time the water left the showerhead to the time it hit our bathers’ backs.

Our tested showerheads ranged from $20 to $190 in price; most are a DIY installation. We also tested three shower towers whose fixed sprays and handheld showerhead can turn a basic bath into a spa-ike retreat.

Before you buy a new showerhead, check your local ordinances for any water-use restrictions. You can also use our water-heater calculator to make sure your current heater, be it a conventional storage-tank or a tankless model, can handle the new flow requirements.

Another way to cut your water bill is to install a water-saving toilet. But as with showerheads, our latest report on toilets revealed only a few models that can save water without compromising performance.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Share your own experiences with your showerhead, shower tower, or toilet in the bathroom-fixtures topic of our newly redesigned forums. It’s worth a visit just to read these water-saving tips from a poster who claims to be an alien from a much greener planet.

Consumer Reports' 2009 Kitchen Special: Leaner, greener kitchen remodels are on tap

Gone are the days when cash-out refinancing fueled kitchen renovations with glitzy granite countertops and state-of-the-art appliances. (This also seems to be the era of "phasing" projects.) As covered in our brand-new "Top Kitchen and Bath Values" report, part of the August 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, two-thirds of homeowners surveyed said they'll be spending less, doing more of the work themselves, and buying more-efficient appliances.

Below you'll find a listing of the product reports and other stories in this special section. And don't forget to use our revamped Kitchen-Planning Guide, which can help you save thousands of dollars on your kitchen remodel.

Buying appliances: Learn about money-saving tactics and find the best retailers.

Refrigerators: Lower-cost top-freezer models are making a comeback. Our ratings (available to subscribers) also include top performers in other styles. As with all our appliance coverage, we show the most reliable brands and ways to decide whether your existing refrigerator can be saved.

Cooking appliances: Find the best-performing ranges, wall ovens, cooktops and microwaves. We'll also help you decide between a range and a cooktop/wall-oven combo or between an over-the range microwave and a range hood.

Dishwashers: A $400 recommended model and $550 Best Buy lead the latest ratings. The story also includes advice on the pros, cons, and costs of turbo sprayers, stainless-steel interiors, half-load options, and filters.

Countertops: We rated quartz, granite, tile, laminate, steel, concrete, butcher block and more materials for strength and cost.

Flooring: Bamboo and plastic laminates have improved, but some brands resist wear better than others. We also found difference in performance within the same brands.

Garbage disposers: After pushing hundreds of pounds of beef bones and vegetables through 15 continuous-feed and s batch-mode models, we found a pair of sub-$165 top performers. Watch the video above to see how we test garbage disposers.

Appliances forums: We've revamped our always-busy forums with a new format that will let you quickly find info on particular types and models of large and small kitchen appliances.

Stay tuned to this blog and the Kitchen-Planning Guide over the coming weeks for a additional articles and videos with additional information from our reports and tests on all of the above products.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Esential information: Find 15 top-rated products for summer projects that will save you time and money.

By the Numbers: Paint sales defy the downturn, says Home Improvement Research Institute

$12.5 billion

Amount of paint that Americans will be buy in 2010, according to a report
commissioned by the Home Improvement Research Institute and covered in
Home Channel News. The figure represents a 12.9 percent gain from 2008, when
sales of paints and preservatives totaled $11 billion. Sales in 2009 sales are pegged to rise by 2.9 percent, says HIRI. Based on these numbers, paint is showing signs of bucking the recession trend.

Retailers are reporting a shift from neutral off-white colors and earth tones that won't put off prospective home buyers to more active, vibrant colors for homeowners who want to personalize their living spaces. Perhaps that's why Pantone, the Carlstadt, New Jersey-based company that provides color standards for design industries, named Mimosa (swatch shown) its color of the year for 2009, succeeding Blue Iris and Chili Pepper.

Essential information: See our March 2009 report on interior paints.

Sears' ServiceLive intends to take the hassle out of hiring pros

Hoping to simplify the often arduous task of finding qualified, reputable pros for your home projects and repairs, Sears Holding Company announced the beta launch of ServiceLive.com today. "We have created a marketplace that puts the homeowner back in the driver's seat by allowing them to name the terms and manage the process completely online," said George Coll, president of ServiceLive. "It benefits service providers as well by creating job opportunities and enabling speedy payment."

Here's how it works: After you enter your ZIP code on the ServiceLive home page, you select the category and type of work, choose from a list of rated and unrated contractors you're willing to work with, and provide a detailed description of the project; you can even include pictures and other documents to help describe the job.

You also indicate how much you're willing to spend on labor and materials and when you want the job done. If you have no clue how much it costs to do a certain job, you can get pricing guidelines from the site. (ServiceLive makes its money from your $10 per-job posting fee, waived until the end of this month, and the 10 percent commission it gets from contractors for completed work.)

The first contractor to accept your conditions gets the job. Instead of the customary one-third payment schedule—with payments made at contract signing and at the start and completion of the work—you deposit funds into your ServiceLive account with a credit card or through an electronic-payment system. The contractor gets paid when the you're satisfied with the job. At the end of the work, you fill out a user review, which should help others find the good pros and avoid the bad ones.

ServiceLive said that it has spent the last year recruiting and conducting background checks on service providers. So far, 9,000 pros have been vetted, and another 23,000 have registered. Searches for roofers, painters, and contractors near our Yonkers, New York, headquarters produced lists of pros, but few had user reviews. That should change as more people use the site.—Gian Trotta

Essential information: Use our tools for hiring a handyman and read our scam alerts for chimney sweeps, duct-cleaning services, and alarm companies. And check the Better Business Bureau's new report on the complaint rates of more than 5,000 different service businesses.

Properly plan your kitchen or bath remodel

If the current economic doldrums have caused you to put your kitchen or bathroom remodel on hold, take the time you now have to review your project plans—you could save yourself some money and aggravation. October is National Kitchen & Bath Month, and the National Kitchen & Bath Association offers some useful tools to help you do the job right.

Our experts can also help you save money on a kitchen project. Learn the secrets of a successful remodel in "€œTop Kitchen Values"€ and avoid common kitchen-design goofs. And use our Web site to find countertops, flooring, refrigerators, dishwashers, ranges, and other essential appliances. And don'€™t forget to take a pass on extended warranties.

Some other easy ways to save include undertaking a green demolition and buying used and surplus-building materials at Habitat for Humanity's ReStores.

To save on a bathroom makeover, avoid remodeling blunders so you get a relaxing retreat for less. And create a space with universal design in mind. Building a space that'€™s suitable for everybody is a smart move.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Learn about toilets and whirlpool tubs.

10 Questions for . . . Steve Feldman, President of Green Demolitions

In this installment of 10 Questions for . . . , Senior Editor Daniel DiClerico talks to Steve Feldman (shown below), founder of Green Demolitions, a nonprofit organization that recycles and then sells appliances and materials from kitchens, raising money for a 12-step-program charity. Feldman discusses the origin of the operation and the many people it benefits.

Where did you get the idea for Green Demolitions?
I was fund-raising in Greenwich, Connecticut, in March 2001. One of my donors lived next door to Farah Pahlavi, the last empress of Iran. She had lived for 10 years in a beautiful 10,000-square-foot estate. I'd seen the home from the street in the past, but on this day a sign in the driveway said a demolition was in progress. I walked up the driveway and the house was a pile of rubble and brick. I stood there staring at the pile and thought to myself, Why not start a demolition donation program for the outreach projects I was fund-raising? I started talking to contractors and real-estate agents in the area, and they thought the idea had merit.

How does the process work?
A prospective donor contacts our office, where one of our coordinators gets the details of the job--what items are available, what condition they're in, etc. We'll often request pictures to get a sense of how much time would be required for the removal. We can't accept all donations. As an entrepreneurial charity, we have to operate like a business, meaning there has to be a resale value to the items or we won't make a profit. If we accept the project, an inspector visits the site, takes more photos, and fills out a detailed report. Then we issue a donation agreement, order the insurance, and send in a crew for the dismantling. Most jobs are done in a day. The items are inventoried and we leave behind a hand-written receipt, which is followed up with a typed receipt indicating the fair-market value of all contributions so that donors can claim the proper deduction.

What do people gain by donating their kitchens?
The biggest financial gain is definitely the deduction—we've sold a single kitchen for as much as $36,000. But another big incentive is the savings in labor costs. Our crew handles all the dismantling, and if they don't have the knowledge and skills required, we'll bring in a specialty crew. We did a Park Avenue apartment in New York City recently where I hired a marble specialist to remove the antique fireplaces. "Restoration removal" we call it. A third benefit for donors is reduced disposal cost. Each Dumpster on a job costs $600 or $700, even more in cities.

Besides homeowners, where else do the donations come from?
We also have retail donors, for example kitchen companies that have in-store displays of discontinued inventory. Another source is wholesale distributors. I recently worked out an arrangement with the exclusive American distributor of a major European appliance line. We'll be receiving a truckload of top-quality discontinued or display models. Donations also come straight from manufacturers, whether returns, discontinued models, or overstock. We're also the national charity of the National Kitchen & Bath Association's annual trade show, the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show. At the end of every show, exhibitors can load their wares straight from the floor onto our Green Demolition trucks. The companies save a bundle on warehouse space and disposal cost. I've heard of entire exhibits getting demolished and thrown in the Dumpster, product and all. Green Demolition is a cheaper way to go and keeps the product out of landfills.

Essential information: Learn how to properly dispose of household items when you're remodeling and read about Home Depot's new recycling program for compact fluorescent lightbulbs.