New House Stuff Discussion

[orionz06]

After quite some time the wife and I finally found a place that's gonna be the almost-forever home. We saved for a little longer and wound up skipping the middle step, and now we enter the realm of having money to buy any furniture, TV, appliances, and so on that we want. What's puzzling to us is if this stuff is worth it. We've had great $500 couches and crappy $1500 couches. What's a good guideline for furniture? We've got an Ashley Furniture store locally that could set us up pretty nicely for a decent price, or we can spend 2-3X that for what appears to be the same. Where's the knee in the cost:value curve?

[blues]

After quite some time the wife and I finally found a place that's gonna be the almost-forever home. We saved for a little longer and wound up skipping the middle step, and now we enter the realm of having money to buy any furniture, TV, appliances, and so on that we want. What's puzzling to us is if this stuff is worth it. We've had great $500 couches and crappy $1500 couches. What's a good guideline for furniture? We've got an Ashley Furniture store locally that could set us up pretty nicely for a decent price, or we can spend 2-3X that for what appears to be the same. Where's the knee in the cost:value curve?

I have some old crap that's lasted over 30 years and good stuff we've had for the 18 years in the house. I prefer to buy the good (not best) stuff.

I think it will tell in more than just looks...but comfort and stability. I haven't really kept up with electronics because I haven't replaced stereo, speakers, receivers in a while and it changes fast. I love my floor standing speakers but I only have them in one room.


Where's it gonna be, Tom? Same area or moving some distance?

[orionz06]

So a brand we looked at for patio furniture was Tropitone. We'd be into around $4200 for powder coated extruded aluminum that by all accounts will last forever. Quick Googling shows folks with 18 year old, and older, furniture they claim to look brand new. That's great, but am I better off buying a few $1000 sets over the next decade? Really tough call. I'm inclined to just buy once, but the price is up there...

[Willard]

You're thinking right. Don't waste money on junk furniture on last move. Get Amish Oak or similar quality. Might be better, but in my income range that is adequate. Ashley is not what you want I think.

[breakingtime91]

Watching with interest. I am no where near that yet with four little kids who destroy stuff but someday...

[LOKNLOD]

So a brand we looked at for patio furniture was Tropitone. We'd be into around $4200 for powder coated extruded aluminum that by all accounts will last forever. Quick Googling shows folks with 18 year old, and older, furniture they claim to look brand new. That's great, but am I better off buying a few $1000 sets over the next decade? Really tough call. I'm inclined to just buy once, but the price is up there...

I think outdoor furniture is a bit different. Will you even want the same stuff in 15 years? Do people pay a severe premium for that brand of used patio furniture? Is there a chance you'll rework your outdoor setup over years (adding space, kitchens, hot tubs, pergolas, pools, etc)?

PV that stuff back to day one, outdoor stuff may be where you're better off paying $1500 every 5 years rather than $4500 right now...


Indoor stuff, we've benefited from well-off grandparents s on wife's side downsizing once or twice and have some older but good quality stuff mixed with kid-friendly cheaper stuff and even some "nicer" things we got second sales. Nice stuff is nice but my wife also likes to re-arrange and we've had kids and dogs and it's a lot less sickitating when a kid dumps grape juice on a couch you didn't pay $3500 for... We're getting to the point we'll be ready to buy our own nicer items as we replace what we've got.

[luckyman]

My wife and I are Having the same discussion/dilemma. Need to buy pretty much entire room worth of stuff for living, dining, family, master bedroom, and patio. All our old stuff is 20+ years old and worn out, not worth the money to cart it 500 miles. Plus the new place is 50% bigger than the old place. I’m feeling clueless figuring out what brands and how much money to spend.

PS: wife is looking for more modern style furniture, if anyone has brand suggestions.

[UNK]

Teak deck or patio furniture is nice, relatively inexpensive and holds up well to the weather. I guess it all depends on your taste.

[Blades]

My wife and I ended up at Laz-a-boy after looking at 5-6 different furniture stores. They have a massive selection of fabrics which was good because my wife was looking for a specific color. I think we found the color and type of fabric first then found a love seat we liked. A few months later I called the salesman back and ordered the matching couch.

[vcdgrips]

Outside my lane.

Wirecutter ( used to be independent, now owed by NYT) is as good a starting point for anything that Consumer Reports does not review. Go from there.

Given the fruits of your labor, I would be closer to the buy quality cry once v the intersection of quality and value camo on any furniture purchase.

Hardwood framing made in the USA would likely be my default position absent compelling info to the contrary.

Re the outside stuff, heavier the better? A real warranty? 15 years ago, I spent 1500 ish on some outside stuff at Costco.
We covered it in the off season. When we moved 5 or 6 years later. We sold it for 650 to the neighbors’s brother and probably left 100 on the table.

Let us know what you do and why you did it.

[BN]

My wife just bought a Flex-Steel couch and chair at Ferguson's at the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville. I guess it has a steel frame. Should be delivered Tuesday.

They told her if she ordered a Lazy Boy in a color they didn't have in stock, it would take 44 months.

[rd62]

My wife and I bought new living room furniture last fall from Rooms to Go maybe? I know its inexpensive based on what we paid but are happy with it and paid a little extra for the three year warranty where they will repair or replace any stains, rips, tears, etc during that time. I figure that should help keep the boys from ruining it and making it look unacceptable for about as long as the wife will be happy with it from a fashion/decorating stand point.

My parents and grandparents made significant investments in furniture as adults and ended up furniture that lasted them the rest of their lives. In the end though, there were a couple of pieces heirs wanted but mainly it was a bunch of borderline worn out furniture that was a couple of decades (at least) out of style and it went to Goodwill.

I'm sure there is a balance of quality/price out there but it does seem harder to sort out.

[blues]

Most of our stuff came through furniture wholesalers in the Hickory area, and Tyson Furniture in Black Mountain, which reps most of the same lines and delivers to our area.

I think I dropped 11K the first time in there. But the stuff was good. Lane, Thomasville, LA-Z-Boy and some of their subsidiary (all wood) companies for tables, chairs, sideboards etc. Has held up and met the test of time.

[littlejerry]

We furnished our first home with cheap stuff from Macy's, Havertys, etc. Most of it looked pretty tired after ~5 years. When we bought a new place we used Basset. Much higher quality and we were able to spec the furniture (couch is xx inches long, this fabric, armrests, extra firm cushion, style of back cushion, etc.)

7 years later and the Basset furniture still looks great. No flat cushions, fabric isn't worn. Wasn't cheap, but it was definitely worth it considering how it's held up.

A few years later we also purchased our king bed frame, bookshelf and side tables for our master. Those are similarly in great shape.

[luckyman]

…..

My parents and grandparents made significant investments in furniture as adults and ended up furniture that lasted them the rest of their lives. In the end though, there were a couple of pieces heirs wanted but mainly it was a bunch of borderline worn out furniture that was a couple of decades (at least) out of style and it went to Goodwill.

I'm sure there is a balance of quality/price out there but it does seem harder to sort out.

Ah yeah, the “style” thing…

My wife and I were super in sync on the house we wanted, and in our taste in flooring, which is a relief. Re: furniture, while we each have input I’m ultimately pretty much in charge of the budget, and she is pretty much in charge of the actual piece selection. So far the only thing I’ve had to push back on was a “that piece is too cheap for the master bedroom, you need to pick something nicer” situation, which from my viewpoint is the nice direction to be in.
I’m sure I’m going to prefer a more timeless choice of furniture, and she’s going to prefer something more currently in style, and I’m going to ultimately cave and go with what she wants. That’s actually fine for the furniture. The only source of potential friction is the kitchen cabinets; from the 2006 era. I think they are gorgeous timeless wood, my wife thinks they are outdated. I hope I don’t end up spending a bunch of money on something I feel is lower quality than what we currently have.

[Jim Watson]

The Incident of 2010 pretty well wiped me out. Recovered my Mother's cedar chest to have refinished and an iron porch table.
A friend provided a lot of style support... like everything but the Stressless easy chair.
Thomasville in LR- DR, Haverty in BR 1, Costco in BR 2 (and probably better made), local outfit iron/glass in breakfast nook.

Ashley looks ok from the doorway, but seems kind of light duty.

Mostly, if I am sitting on it or sleeping on it, I want good quality. Otherwise, I'd just get stuff that looked ok..
But I don't have a wife.

[LittleLebowski]

Milwaukee M18 all the things. What?

[okie john]

For Ms. Okie, the house is her nest. For me, it’s a patrol base. I let her make the most important decisions, which she backs up with her not-inconsiderable income (and a chunk of mine.) From the long-term view, you will spend a lot more time with your home furnishings than with anything else so it makes a lot of sense to do it right the first time.

We’ve already replaced some things that were bought in haste and we’re not making those mistakes again.

Also, add a zero to whatever you thought your budget was.



Okie John

[oregon45]

My wife and I bought our first house five years ago and for the "soft" furniture (couches and padded chairs) we went cheap from a local discount store. Where we spent serious money was on our dining room table. We went with an Amish-built solid quartersawn oak table, 12 chairs, and an expandable, matching oak, bench that can seat an additional five people. I consider that a "forever" purchase because not only is it very solidly constructed, I also can repair it with readily available oak and basic furniture making tools, all of which I have for my hobby wood-working. I can't stand the thought of paying real money for furniture that can't be repaired with tools I have to hand.

My advice would be to consider what furniture you want to have forever, and what can be disposable, and budget accordingly.

[orionz06]

I'm sure there is a balance of quality/price out there but it does seem harder to sort out.


Yeah, this is the tough thing. I've got a dresser from 1989 that I've used in six houses that was by no means stellar. We've got some Ikea pieces parts that have been almost as many places and look just fine. I can't seem to determine the knee in the curve though and it's making me not wanna spend anything at all. The bedroom set we're eyeing is more or less timeless, not fraught with veneer and particle board, and I've got a hard time wanting to spend what some of the "amish" stuff would cost, as well as going without for 6-10 months that some places are quoting.

[AKDoug]

Purchasing furniture for our newly remodeled house 15 years ago was the least satisfying expenditure of money I've ever done. When it was all said and done, we could have bought a pretty nice new car outfitting that house AND I still didn't get the quality I wanted. We had to cut corners in areas I now regret. We paid top dollar for a complete cherry Amish bedroom set and it looks brand new to this day. We went cheaper on the dining room table, chairs and buffet. I should have flipped that around as the bedroom furniture is rarely seen and the dining room is used more heavily. I guess the good thing is that the dining room stuff is still working and I now can afford the top of the line stuff I wanted for the next house.

I am lucky in that the wife and I very much like the timelessness and simplicity of Amish and Shaker style furniture in natural wood. That type of furniture is easy to find in good quality. Once you head down the modern or ultra-modern paths, it is more difficult to find stuff in the same level of quality that isn't twice the price of the Amish stuff.

[D-der]

I'm in complete agreement on the Shaker / Amish manufacture,
18 years ago we bought an oak dining room set with an oiled finish,
built like a brick shit house, wheat back Windsor chairs, hand fit, no
hardware, I'm impressed every time I oil it, keep it oiled and any wear
adds character, still is beautiful and if taken care of will be in a hundred years.

[Poconnor]

When we bought our “fancy” house I did not know that a new house meant new furniture. We went high quality. It was expensive. Hancock & Moore leather sofa and love seat. I am lucky that I live near Amish. I really like their wood furniture. Stick to oak; other woods get expensive fast. A word of advice when buying from the Amish. Don’t buy from “Amish” tourist shops. Buy where the Amish themselves buy. The price difference is significant. I was surprised to learn that sensenig’s furniture in new Holland pa is one of Hancock and Moore’s biggest dealers but it makes sense. The Amish & Mennonite see the value of quality. In regards to kids and nice furniture; we didn’t let the kids on the new furniture. My mom was the same way. Growing up if I watched TV in the living room I sat on the floor. We did have a rumpus room that had my toys and a swing.

[SD]

It may be worth a trip to; https://www.hickoryfurniture.com/sherrill/brand-type.aspx . We have purchased some Amish furniture in the past directly from them no complaints but we had a friend who ordered a complete oak dining room set and the table warped and the maker did not feel obligated to correct the problem. For good wood furniture we have purchased from a Canadian company Durham, movers have mentioned about the stuff is heavy. Patio furniture is from Costco, plastic wicker with cushions covered with Sunbrella material 5+ years used and abused but holding up good. Best wishes settling into the new home.

[UNK]

I read this thread and not two days later the wife says Lets go look at furniture I was well prepared. Doing a bit of research I ran across this store. This page I think is worth the read.

https://furniturefair.net/blogs/lc/top-american-furniture-companies

[rob_s]

Wife and I merged our houses when we bought this one. I brought a good quality sofa/love seat combo for the family room that was a bad color choice for our new life together, in hindsight (too light, shows stains). She brought the master bed (a metal frame and box springs supporting a phenomenal, and presumably expensive, mattress). I brought the nightstands (ikea, but top of their line, such as that is)). She brought the kid’s furniture. She brought a dining table & chairs, since replaced. We bought a (too?) large living room sofa and coffee table from Macy’s furniture that appears to be (6 years later) good quality and we are generally happy with both.

Since then…

We bought a second coffee table, dining room set, and sideboard from https://scandinaviandesigns.com/ and we are quite happy with that stuff too. Her lineage is Norwegian, and I’m a failed architect, so that design style is perfect for us.

We bought new kid’s furniture, and I wish I could tell you where from. We basically waited until both kids were able to get rid of the kiddie shit and work with adult-sized stuff, with the idea that they could keep using this furniture until they move out, and maybe beyond. It’s good-ish quality. I’m honestly just hoping for “until they move out” as I don’t want to be the one dealing with moving it later.

Right now we’re hunting a patio sectional for under the tiki hut. Like some have said in this thread, patio furniture is a bit of a sticking point. Hard to find places to go look at it in person, and I can’t decide if I care about quality (the outdoors here are harsh on things) but I know I care about comfort, otherwise we won’t use it. I’d really, really like to build it but the wife doesn’t want anything that “looks homemade” and also doesn’t want it built in. So there will be an alcohol-fueled patio-furniture shopping outting in our near future.

Lest anyone think the alcohol-fueled bit weird, we have discovered that we enjoy chores and “boring” spending much more when we spruce things up. Have to go visit the financial planner? Go out for dinner and drinks after. Parent/teacher night? Dinner and drinks before! Furniture shopping? Drinks between stops, and dinner after!

[RJ]

Assuming this is ok with the OP, I’m going to broaden the thread slightly to include new home options for networked devices in the age of ‘the Internet of Things (IoT). If not, I can start a different thread.

We just moved into a new construction ‘smart’ home. I’d like to outline my experience as I try and put some of these systems online. As some of you know I’m retired out of the Aerospace biz, so I’ve got a smattering of knowledge and a lot of spare time. :)

I have 500Mbps service to the house via fiber/ONT. My network router is a 3 year old Netgear Nighthawk r7900p tri-band. My house is small (1,693’) so I don’t see needing a mesh. I currently implement WPA2 via a strong password, with SPI and firewall on. I use MAC address filtering and reduce router signal power where possible.

My existing devices include the usual stuff; smart phones, tablets, laptops, an audio system, streaming TVs, and a printer. The home also features WiFI-enabled devices such as a thermostat and garage door opener. Mrs RJ wants to have her washer/dryer, and fridge, online as well. Plus a Roomba (sadly no Claymore, which would be useful). I’m also leveraging some old iPhones to provide a networked surveillance video / monitoring capability.

I’ve had some initial success. My ‘home’ screen with the icons that represent the Apps for all this is below. As I get these online I’ll post back with a quick synopsis of each and how it went.

74442

[orionz06]

Assuming this is ok with the OP

It's all new house stuff! Anyone can chime in, it's all stuff all of us have some level of need or experience with.

[MickAK]

I can speak highly of the Sonos sound system and speakers. My neighbors might not.

Depending on your level of handiness a custom platform bed with the storage options you desire and a custom foam mattress is a lot better than many off the shelf options.

I need cameras next.

[luckyman]

Assuming this is ok with the OP, I’m going to broaden the thread slightly to include new home options for networked devices in the age of ‘the Internet of Things (IoT). If not, I can start a different thread.

We just moved into a new construction ‘smart’ home. I’d like to outline my experience as I try and put some of these systems online. As some of you know I’m retired out of the Aerospace biz, so I’ve got a smattering of knowledge and a lot of spare time. :)

I have 500Mbps service to the house via fiber/ONT. My network router is a 3 year old Netgear Nighthawk r7900p tri-band. My house is small (1,693’) so I don’t see needing a mesh. I currently implement WPA2 via a strong password, with SPI and firewall on. I use MAC address filtering and reduce router signal power where possible.

My existing devices include the usual stuff; smart phones, tablets, laptops, an audio system, streaming TVs, and a printer. The home also features WiFI-enabled devices such as a thermostat and garage door opener. Mrs RJ wants to have her washer/dryer, and fridge, online as well. Plus a Roomba (sadly no Claymore, which would be useful). I’m also leveraging some old iPhones to provide a networked surveillance video / monitoring capability.

I’ve had some initial success. My ‘home’ screen with the icons that represent the Apps for all this is below. As I get these online I’ll post back with a quick synopsis of each and how it went.

74442

Man I hate my Samsung fridge; the thought of buying something more complex than what I have no has no appeal.

I’m assuming washer and dryer are mainly to get notifications when the cycle is done? Why the fridge?

[RJ]

Ok so here are some comments, focusing on the existing systems, and add one:

TV Provider: Sling

I forgot about this one, but it's a big part of a house. We've been limping along in the apartment with Spectrum on a limited package (10 channels) plus internet. We tried Disney+, up until the Gina Carano shenanigans. We joined Hulu on a special $1.99 a month; that promo ends this December.

I happened to be looking at my Verizon account and noticed they had a special on SlingTV; free Orange or Blue or $35 off Blue+Orange for two months. I checked for comparison of basic cable at our new place, and found it started at $89 plus $5 for a cable box.

So I ordered Sling. I'm very happy a day in. It offers around 50 channels, including some of our favorites (hint: HGTV). Plus some sports networks (I see the British GP is on this weekend) as well as 50 hours of cloud-based DVR. I think this will work out very well for us.

Whole House Audio: Sonos

We've had our Sonos system for about three years. I really like it; we have an older Playbar as well as a Sub, and a couple Play:1's. The system auto-detects various inputs including if we get a movie from Redbox to generate decent 5.1 sound. I'm sure you can spend a lot more money for less distortion but "to me" it sounds great.

I've also setup Pandora as one of the services, so it's typical for us I set up Chris Botti collection to run free playing tracks for The Boss (she likes that guy).

I'll probably get a couple more speakers, or at least one more, and set it out pool side.

One thing about Sonos I don't like is that it does not seem to have the ability to split the speakers into logical "rooms", which would be incredibly useful.

[RJ]

Man I hate my Samsung fridge; the thought of buying something more complex than what I have no has no appeal.

I’m assuming washer and dryer are mainly to get notifications when the cycle is done? Why the fridge?

She did her research and picked LG. I'll let you know on the washer/dryer. They do pair up apparently. No Jetson's robot arm to lift the wet clothes from the washer to the dryer apparently; now *that* would be cool.

I have no idea why a fridge needs to be on the internet, but it's a thing. I did see some when we were shopping that had cameras inside so you could see what was in there when you were at the store (I guess).

[orionz06]

So far I went with a local chain that sells "resort grade" outdoor stuff for a 11.5' cantilever umbrella. We will order a powder coated aluminum table and chairs from Lowe's, or somewhere else that carries the brand, once we move in. Umbrella is in now. Went to a place advertised as Amish, though I suspect most of it is not. Moot though, all solid oak bedroom set on order. Wasn't awful, just over 5k for two night stands, dresser, chest of drawers, and a queen bed. Difference was well worth it. Got some Ashely Furniture stuff for the living room, which is cheap enough to not feel bad if we shit can it in a few years. Will be heading back to the "Amish" place for a dining table, chairs, eat in countertop height or bar height table, and stools. Even with the current delays, their timing will suit our timing.

For the outdoors, a grill gazebo from Wayfair will work short term. At some point we're going to add a garage stall 45° off of the driveway and house, with the top of it being roughly the height of the current deck, so gazebo/sunroom will be in question at that point.

[AKDoug]

It's funny, we are buying semi-commercial appliances to get away from all the wi-fi B.S. My Speed Queen washer and dryers with old fashioned knobs are a pleasure compared to the crap I have to go through with our fancy assed washer and dryer. My new refrigerator will be a commercial model as well. I'm building my next house to be as low tech as possible. The only tech will be security cameras. In the entry way there will be a basket hanging there where all my family members will have to deposit their cell phones upon entry.

[Andy T]

I will be in the same boat in a few months - needing to furnish/equip a new construction house. My plan is to get furniture off of Costco.
Do NOT purchase any major appliances (except TVs) from Samsung. They sell refrigerators with a known design defect that causes them to stop cooling. I had to fight them tooth and nail and was able to get a refund for a 2.5 year old refrigerator that froze from the inside out and stopped cooling (this was around 4 years ago).

When possible I like buying appliances online. Last time I had to get a fridge in Lowes along with their credit card, was a terrible 1.5 hour experience of running around the store.
After that, I bought my current fridge and dish washer from Costco online. A few clicks and voila. The only downside is their "white glove" delivery service. It's anything but white glove.
The refrigerator delivery people had difficulty getting it in and didn't know how to remove doors. They actually asked about leaving it on the porch - which I refused. They figured out a way to bring it in.
The dishwasher installers are running a nice scam too. The Costco price includes delivery and installation. However, in order to do the install, the house must be up to code. That will be $150 for a small dohickey, please...

[peterb]

If it’s going to be your “age in place” home, make the aging-friendly modifications now before you “need” them. Bathroom grab bars, handrails on both sides of all stairs, wheelchair-capable bathroom, etc.

Roll-out drawers for every kitchen cabinet below counter height.

Lighting. We found that putting motion sensor switches in the entryways made coming home nicer. Under-cabinet lighting. LEDs have made it much easier to put light where it is needed.

[orionz06]

However, in order to do the install, the house must be up to code.

Eh, there are potential issues if things are worked that aren't up to code. It's shit because so much of it is stuff you and I both know doesn't amount to anything, and off the clock, the installer would tell you the same, but it's their ass and potentially contracts if they goof.

[RJ]

Garage Door Opener

Got the garage door opener online.

74502

The GDO is a Chamberlain Liftmaster Elite Series belt drive. (I paid for belt drive vs chain for longer term reliability.) My garage door is 16'.

Pairing the GDO to my network was fairly straightforward. This system (like most of the appliances as well, it turns out) only runs on 2.4 Ghz, 802.11 b/g/n, so it sits on the low speed side of my net (I have one 2.4 GHz band and two 5 GHz band nets that I assign different things to).

You setup PROGRAM mode on the GDO remote opener, which sits next to the entry/exit door to the house. Then you download the "MyQ" App. You initiate the App, and connect (temporarily) your phone the GDO to the WAP that the GDO initiates (this seems to be the WiFi equivalent to the old 'learn' mode where you could pair another remote. The App does it's thing, and as part of that process you connect it to your home network, which then becomes permanent. (I had to pause and 'allow' the GDO on my network with my Netgear admin panel on the router, using the GDO MAC address.)

All mine does is open and close the GDO, remotely. It can email notices every time that happens, but I just have it notify my phone. It allows you to set a "close" schedule in case you forget to close the GDO every night, for example (I've done that.) This schedule will close the GDO at 11pm if it is left open. I suppose a helpful security thing is if we are both out of the house and the GDO opens, clearly something is up.

The remote on the wall for the opener shows the temperature in the garage, which doesn't get communicated to the GDO. It's a shame this isn't passed through to the app.

There are other options (e.g. camera) that can be added to the GDO, but I don't have those.

Next up is the Honeywell Thermostat, then washer/dryer and fridge, then security cameras.

[orionz06]

Why Honeywell over Nest or others?

Our next venture will be determining which mesh network equipment to go with, which doorbell, thermostat, and cameras. Part of me wants some automated stuff for outside, and then some hard wired, old school stuff for indoors where we can afford to be luddites. I've had a chance to purchase some cheap stuff through work to treat as disposable and the setup to functioning is pretty quick, and the recorders are rather nifty.

[RJ]

Why Honeywell over Nest or others?


The T-stat was part of the package that came with the house; as was the range and uWave (GE; not my choice), & GDO.

Ours is a small 3/2; and I had an existing router. So far I don't see a need to extend range with a mesh as the coverage we get seems adequate.

Mrs. RJ mentioned getting some more speakers for the pool deck, and I will also likely want connectivity in the garage for a TBD set of equipment, so I'll have to look at the latency/throughput at those points eventually. My router is located centrally via a Cat 6 off the ONT that enters in the garage, so it's the best I can do. It has a set of six reflectors that fold up, and is a MU-MIMO design. We'll see how that works out in practice.

I should probably mention I'm not a fan of Alexa or Google Assistant etc. Obviously I'm skating close to the edge as it is with potential exposure on packets routed outside my firewall. I'll need to give some thought to whether or not remote monitoring is worth the risk, and also to re-check my FW settings. I've set up Wireshark on my network and tail'd the ping log. I get hit literally 5x a second by gropers and other DoS attacks, 24/7. Amazing just now active bots are in terms of looking for exposed systems.

[orionz06]

Yeah, I'm very much not into inviting too much else into my house. I'd love to have my cake and eat it too though, so there's that. The thing that scares me the most is the Texas/CA stuff where folks were saying that their thermostats were overridden. I dunno if that's true, but I know the potential is there, so I'll be prepared to disconnect at some point.

[MistWolf]

The only good advice I can give is this-

Never buy a couch that's not comfortable to sleep on.

[Shoresy]

Yeah, I'm very much not into inviting too much else into my house. I'd love to have my cake and eat it too though, so there's that. The thing that scares me the most is the Texas/CA stuff where folks were saying that their thermostats were overridden. I dunno if that's true, but I know the potential is there, so I'll be prepared to disconnect at some point.

Ars has a pretty detailed breakdown (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/06/texans-regret-opting-into-power-plan-that-remotely-raises-thermostat-temps/). I take some of their stuff with a heavy grain of salt but they usually get facts and technical descriptions correct, and usually cite as many sources as they can in their reporting.

[orionz06]

Ars has a pretty detailed breakdown (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/06/texans-regret-opting-into-power-plan-that-remotely-raises-thermostat-temps/). I take some of their stuff with a heavy grain of salt but they usually get facts and technical descriptions correct, and usually cite as many sources as they can in their reporting.

Hmm. Do we know for certain that anyone who was opted out had their stuff tampered with? I'm not dumb enough to accept the one time credit, there are always strings with that stuff.

[scw2]

Hmm. Do we know for certain that anyone who was opted out had their stuff tampered with? I'm not dumb enough to accept the one time credit, there are always strings with that stuff.

I've signed up for a similar program here and the utility used it once so far this summer. Got a text or some other notification from Nest (don't remember specifics) notifying me of the planned change on thermostats that opted in, as well as the time range. We manually overrode the temperature once it was starting to get uncomfortable. I can see this being an issue if you fell asleep or otherwise didn't get a notification, but at least for us it's not like we're locked out of changing the temperatures during the time the utility is trying to cut down on usage.

[RJ]

Thermostat - Honeywell T6

This is the unit that came with the house. Setup was similar to the GDO. You download their app, then at the T-stat, you enable it's own little WAP network. You connect the phone to that WAP temporarily, then the T-stat communicates with the app to complete the setup. As part of that, you setup your Honeywell account logon, and connect the T-stat to your home network.

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Like the rest of these IoT things, it works on the low band side (2.4 GHz) network.

This is a fairly low-end unit; it's typical in operation, with things like scheduling, vacation hold, filter reminder, and so on. All of this can be controlled from the app or via the front panel. Otherwise, it's pretty unremarkable.

If you enable the app to be always location aware and run in background, the T-stat has a Geofence feature, meaning it is aware of the user's entering and leaving the geofence. So for example you could set it up to change schedule from "away" to "home" just by walking in the door. I don't need that, and would prefer the app not to suck in data while it's not in use, so I haven't enabled that.

It is part of the Honeywell ecosystem, but in order to add a device, you have to give permission for the app to have Location Access to be "always on". Meh on that.

Also, so far as I can tell, the app does not communicate with the power company, as regards Demand Response Events (remote signals to lower/raise the house temperature). We are with Florida Power and Light, and that doesn't appear to be part of their service implementation, anyway.

[rob_s]

Why Honeywell over Nest or others?

Our next venture will be determining which mesh network equipment to go with, which doorbell, thermostat, and cameras. Part of me wants some automated stuff for outside, and then some hard wired, old school stuff for indoors where we can afford to be luddites. I've had a chance to purchase some cheap stuff through work to treat as disposable and the setup to functioning is pretty quick, and the recorders are rather nifty.

FWIW….

RE: mesh
We use Eero. Could not be happier, although also don’t know what I’m missing. Parental controls, timeouts by device, guest passwords, coverage across my entire 1.25 acres including my workshop…. Zero complaints AND the customer support when I screw things up has been awesome.

Re: t-stats
We use Ecobee (yes sometimes I can’t remember the difference between ecobee and eero :p ). I have had Honeywell and nest in the past, so I do kinda know what I’m missing. Which isn’t much. Went with ecobee because, at the time, they were the only one with remote sensors that include motion and temp. If installed correctly you can literally have the temp controlled by which room(s) have motion. There’s also the usual schedules (which can also be by sensor) etc.

Re: Cameras/doorbell
We have Ring, and at this point I’m too invested to switch. It’s ok, leaves some things to be desired, some stuff may be better, etc. again, don’t know what I’m missing with other devices but generally I’m happy enough with the Ring stuff. The newer your house, the easier any ca era system is going to be to deal with.

Re: smart locks (you didn’t ask but…)
I recent.y went with August. Have used Schlage and Kwikset. Love, love, love the August. Even has an Apple Watch complication. Can also add keypads that aren’t attached to the lock so you can mount them more discretely such that from the outside you don’t see a smart lock.

RE: smart home in general (again, you didn’t ask)
I am balls deep into SmarThings. We have a love/hate. One hate is that there’s not Apple Watch app. Another is that it’s been changing hands over the years. If I was starting from scratch today, given that we’re also balls deep in iOS, I’d like,yo just get HomeKit enabled devices and skip a hub-based system (zig bee or z-wave) altogether. When Alexa wants to work right, it’s very nice to say “Alexa, turn off the workshop lights” or “Alexa turn off the patio lights”.

I realize that there’s a certain level of comfort with this kind of tech for many here that I’ve wandered beyond. Feel free to not bother telling me I’ve invited the man into my house or whatever. I get it. Understand the risks. It should be pretty clear by now that, while I understand the risks, my tolerance therein for many things is a bit higher than the collective here.

[RJ]

Appliances

The Boss ordered LG appliances, and they each have the ability to connect to WiFi.

LG uses their "Thinq" app, which like the others, operates on 2.4 GHz band only. After downloading and registering for an account, setup is fairly straightforward. The appliance has a button to press and hold (e.g. "WiFi") to initiate the appliance local WAP. You connect your smart phone to that temporary local network, and enter the pass code, which is based on the Appliance S/N. After that, the app takes over, adds that appliance to your collection, sets up the actual house WiFi, then disables the temporary setup WAP.

LG allows you to group appliances into rooms. I only have a Kitchen and Utility room. The summary panel provides a quick status on each.

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Our fridge is pretty basic, but you can set the temperature and a few other things via the app.

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The fridge does react to Demand Response controls, but you have to opt in.

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In practice, the most bang for the buck for the WiFi is the washer/dryer combo. The setup is the same as the fridge; establish a local WAP, connect it to the app via S/N. The dryer can "pair" to the washer, meaning LG provides for comms between them. This is used to tell the dryer what load to expect, based on what the washer just did.

In practice, what happens is that me (as the helper) gets told "put the clothes in the dryer". What's good about this system is that the dryer has already figured out what settings (perm press, HD, speed dry, etc.) to use, and all I have to do is press the "start" button. Mrs. RJ calls this system "husband proof" lol.

The other thing the app does is let you get notified when cycles are done, how long the dryer has to go, etc. This also seems more useful than you might think, once you start getting used to it. I like it so far.

[rob_s]

My workshop window AC units are on ThinQ. I specifically was looking for units I could control remotely.

Currently they come on every Saturday and Sunday and run from 5am to 10am. The theory here is that even just as a storage unit, the contents will benefit from an occasional de-humidifying, and staring the units during the coolest part of the day means less overall load (turn them on at 3 and you’ll never get them down to below 80, start them at 5 and you can hold it at a max of about 77 all day long). If I’m going into the shop but haven’t gotten there by ten I can redstart them, and if I’m already in the shop before ten then I hear them shut off and can re-start them from my phone if I’m far enough away that I don’t want to walk over to both of them. Haven’t looked for an Apple Watch app yet…

I do wish that they integrated into SmartThings. Maybe they do and I’m just not trying hard enough.

[RJ]

I wanted some decent shelving for my hobby room off the office, so I ordered a set of these from Costco online:

"Alera 4-Shelf Wire Shelving Rack | 48" x 18" 72" | NSF | Dark Gray (Black Anthracite)", $149.99 shipped. It arrived in about a week. I'm happy with the color I picked (dark gray = black anthracite) over the silver or black. I think it looks good.

https://www.costco.com/alera-4-tier-48%22-x-18%22-x-72%22-nsf-wire-rack.product.11316772.html

I opted to assemble it into two sections, which fit nicely where I wanted it:

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I'm still pondering garage options. I might leave the floor as is (plain concrete) or opt to try some of those gridded squares you see, not sure yet, but I can see ordering some more of these shelves for storage in the garage as well.

[orionz06]

I realize that there’s a certain level of comfort with this kind of tech for many here that I’ve wandered beyond. Feel free to not bother telling me I’ve invited the man into my house or whatever. I get it. Understand the risks. It should be pretty clear by now that, while I understand the risks, my tolerance therein for many things is a bit higher than the collective here.

Sometimes things working well is just worth it. Appreciate the input on all of the devices, certainly leaning towards LG for washer/dryer just to get the notice that things are done.


We might wind up with a Jenn-Air refrigerator, so that's cool, but if not, we'd likely see what the smart stuff could do for us.


Still trying to figure out cameras and doorbells. We have a front door, basement door on the garage, sliding glass door in living room, and a back door on the porch (to the same deck as the slider). I figure garage and front door 100%, perhaps just a camera on the back doors as the geography to get there should preclude most of the honest people from being there.

[Erik]

I went with skybell for the doorbell based on reviews at the time and have been satisfied. I don't know how well it plays with other systems though as I haven't done that.

I have blink cameras and don't love them. I find them to be not 100% on activation and I think they are expensive for the quality of the service.

[RJ]

I think the last of my connected devices/capabilities is the camera system. I say "camera" with a pinch of salt, because I'm just leveraging a couple older iPhone 6's we have knocking about with the Presence app:

https://www.presencepro.com/

This app allows you to associate one or more iPhones in a network, using their built-in camera as a recording device. The app's operational concept is much like a traditional "alarm" system, with "home" and "away" modes.

After downloading the app on each device, you create an account. I have only opted to use the "free" service, which band limits the video (i.e. smaller res, I'm not sure what it is but it isn't fantastic) and offers small storage allowance. I'll include a couple screens, but it is fairly straightforward.

This is the main control screen. I've added an older phone, renamed "Watchcam_1" in the General Settings. You can see it's "available" and on the menu of remote cameras. Adding more cameras just adds another line. In this setting, I am "at home" or in the green.

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Leaving the home, you switch to "Away", which triggers a 30 second countdown on the remote cameras. After this, they have a simple edge detection algorithm (movement) which will trigger a recording. You'll also get a notification (I get an email) with a link to a clip. It's also possible to remotely talk back and forth to the camera.

I set Watchcam_1 up facing the pool. This is what you see on the main app, from that remote camera:

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So I'm going to try this out and see how it works. It's free, and I have a use for some older phones I had laying around.

[XXXsilverXXX]

Actually nvm to late she bought something completely different…

[RJ]

Insulation question: My attic above the two-car garage has like zip for insulation. Plus it's open to the rest of the house, i.e. the insulated part to the garage is open for air to flow. I have whatever is code for attic vents, but no powered vent or turbine.

The garage has a passive 6" circular vent to a upside down U in the roof, presumably for CO and exhaust gas outlet. And I have a gas water heater, with a ducted flue out of galvanized sheet.

So with all that, is there any major problem if I shoot some loose-fill insulation up in there? I've never done that, but as a yute I helped my dad on all sorts of renos, and have spent many a unhappy summer putting down fiberglass insulation rolls in between joists in houses, sweating my you know whats off.

Lowe's has this "Attic Cat" concept, which is a rentable machine plus loose fill Owens Corning. It is R19.

Anybody use this stuff?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Owens-Corning-AttiCat-R-19-Blown-In-Insulation-Sound-Barrier/50370322

[RJ]

I wanted to come back around to the house camera topic.

I've tried the "Presence" app, as well as another free option, but concluded these hobbiest level solutions aren't up to what I wanted.

After looking over the market, I found this option by "Arlo" pretty appealing.

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/doorbell/video/arlo-wired-video-doorbell.html

I would plus up this doorbell with a couple more cameras, one on the lanai and one in the garage. So overall I'm looking at mid three figures. I will do the install, since it looks pretty straightforward.

Pros I can see seem to be battery powered, meaning I don't have to run cables, or Cat 5 to each camera; the system seems to have a notify feature with two-way comms (Mrs. RJ likes this) and the video is advertised as 2K (I'd be happy with 1080p to be honest.)

I'm not after a whole house DVR type situation, it's more for motion detection ("hey there is someone on the Lanai. Oh, ok, it's the pool guy") than playback.

Anyone use Arlo, and have any experiences you can share, positive or negative?

[Tensaw]

Arlo (Pro) is legit. Have used it for two years to monitor a residence that is 10 hours from me in SW Virginia. Using the free five camera set-up. Battery life and transmission range of cameras is great. If it gets really cold, that sucks battery life, but they can be plugged in as well. Software and system is easy to use. Alerts hit my phone in almost real time. I have Hughes Net at the house there and is works okay for the Arlo. There have been some software glitches along the way, but overall, a great set up for the cost.

ETA: The audio part of Arlo has been little used by me and is just okay. There is a lag, but that may be due to slow internet.

[luckyman]

Quick update on house related stuff….
Under encouragement from my wife to get rid of my “outdated looking” home theater audio equipment (I personally would have never thought of judging audio equipment by its looks) I just gave my bass, 3 speakers, and Denon amp/receiver to my gardener who has been charging us way below market rates for years. Got a Sonos Arc. No extra speakers or bass to begin with, just the sound bar.

Installation was trivially easy. Turned on the Game of Thrones into to test. Initial reaction was somewhat disappointing, was maybe not quite as good sounding as my old system. Then I remembered there was an “auto-tune” feature utilizing my iPhone. Holy cow, this thing is awesome!
Side benefit is for whatever reason the Logitech Harmony smart remote control is now much more reliable, no longer have the issue where it would sometimes get out of phase on the on/off toggle.

Other quick notes:

Still haven’t made any decisions on furniture, other than tentatively deciding to go up to a king bed. Which isn’t trivial, we just bought a nice queen mattress a couple of years ago.

Goggle Nest for thermostat, front door camera/bell, and an extra camera mounted above the garage door was kinda expensive, but just works and the cameras have good auto-detection systems, so I’m mostly happy. Only current weakness is when I try to talk to the front door via my iPhone my voice comes out a little garbled; haven’t bothered to try and troubleshoot it yet.

And I can continue to confirm that Samsung appliances suck. Especially the refrigerator.

[rob_s]

So I saw this in a link and clicked on it thinking “this’ll be a stupid/funny thing to post in the house stuff thread on PF” based on the “bespoke” in the product name.

But now I really want one. :eek:

https://custom.homedepot.com/custom-doors/p/Samsung-Bespoke-Refrigerator/317168928/60693-Standard/60654-White-Glass/60661-Navy-Steel


https://youtu.be/brW4xFtQCzA

[RJ]

One thing about Sonos I don't like is that it does not seem to have the ability to split the speakers into logical "rooms", which would be incredibly useful.



Coming back to the Sonos, I confirmed the new App has the ability to group by "Room", so we picked up another pair of Sonos One SL bookshelf speakers at Costco yesterday. I put them in the back bedroom and Master, and attached them to the existing network.

Install was easy, you have to enable BT on your install device (iPad in my case) as the speaker emits tones to the install device as part of the setup/confirmation. The new speakers run on the high speed (5GHz) side of my network, interestingly. After a brief update of the firmware, they appear as "rooms".

So it was pretty easy to set up a group including these two and the original Sonos (2018) unit we have in the Living room. I noticed when the TV comes on, the Toslink activates and the LR detaches from the group to play whatever's on the TV, but the two other speakers in the bedrooms continue to play whatever channel was assigned (Pandora in my case), which I quite like.

Sound is pretty good for mono, the Sonos products are well put together.

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[RJ]

Arlo (Pro) is legit. Have used it for two years to monitor a residence that is 10 hours from me in SW Virginia. Using the free five camera set-up. Battery life and transmission range of cameras is great. If it gets really cold, that sucks battery life, but they can be plugged in as well. Software and system is easy to use. Alerts hit my phone in almost real time. I have Hughes Net at the house there and is works okay for the Arlo. There have been some software glitches along the way, but overall, a great set up for the cost.

ETA: The audio part of Arlo has been little used by me and is just okay. There is a lag, but that may be due to slow internet.

Thanks, I'm about to order their wired doorbell camera and maybe another couple of their battery-powered cameras. Appreciate the input.

[RJ]

Still working out the honey-do list this week. I am nearing the end of the electrical; two dimmers, a bathroom night light, two master bath fixtures, one guest bath fixture, a fan/light for the office, and today completed a pair of hanging lamps for the kitchen California top / bar stool area. Have to say the bar stool lights look cool, she picked an interesting vintage bulb for the clear globe lights. I have the DR light (a big one) to put up, and she now wants a dimmer switch on the bar stools. So far so good.

I was at Home Depot and spotted a flooring option for the garage to try out. These are 12mm 25" x 25" interlocking "gym" flooring. Pretty easy, they just come out of the box and get laid in place. I just made a 2 block x 3 block "rug" of sorts out of this package ($20) to see if I liked it. I do. It's in front of my kinda sorta workbench in the garage. I may get some more of this stuff.

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[HeavyDuty]

Back to furniture… I am in the process of a split, and since I dumped the vast majority of my furniture before I moved here I need a full bedroom plus living room incidentals. I ended up going IKEA wood (no particle board) with a Casper mattress. The stuff is good enough for a few years, and I prefer the clean style since I grew up all Scandinavian modern.

[RJ]

Back to furniture… I am in the process of a split, and since I dumped the vast majority of my furniture before I moved here I need a full bedroom plus living room incidentals. I ended up going IKEA wood (no particle board) with a Casper mattress. The stuff is good enough for a few years, and I prefer the clean style since I grew up all Scandinavian modern.

We bought a Casper for the guest BR and a T&N Mint for the Master, and I have to say I prefer the Casper.

Our BR furniture (Riverside) suite is now delayed till “late September”, so we are continuing to use plastic moving crates. :cool:

[Darth_Uno]

Insulation question: My attic above the two-car garage has like zip for insulation. Plus it's open to the rest of the house, i.e. the insulated part to the garage is open for air to flow. I have whatever is code for attic vents, but no powered vent or turbine.

The garage has a passive 6" circular vent to a upside down U in the roof, presumably for CO and exhaust gas outlet. And I have a gas water heater, with a ducted flue out of galvanized sheet.

So with all that, is there any major problem if I shoot some loose-fill insulation up in there? I've never done that, but as a yute I helped my dad on all sorts of renos, and have spent many a unhappy summer putting down fiberglass insulation rolls in between joists in houses, sweating my you know whats off.

Lowe's has this "Attic Cat" concept, which is a rentable machine plus loose fill Owens Corning. It is R19.

Anybody use this stuff?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Owens-Corning-AttiCat-R-19-Blown-In-Insulation-Sound-Barrier/50370322

Unless you're determined to nickel and dime the house, we insulate our new home garages with R11 walls and R19 blown ceilings. Remodel projects get R15 batts laid between the trusses. Blown is better, but it's "just a garage" and R15 batts are miles better than nothing at all. Unless you have a dedicated garage heating/cooling unit, no need to partition off the garage from the home - the ceiling itself (not attic space) is where most of the heat is both lost and absorbed.

[RJ]

Unless you're determined to nickel and dime the house, we insulate our new home garages with R11 walls and R19 blown ceilings. Remodel projects get R15 batts laid between the trusses. Blown is better, but it's "just a garage" and R15 batts are miles better than nothing at all. Unless you have a dedicated garage heating/cooling unit, no need to partition off the garage from the home - the ceiling itself (not attic space) is where most of the heat is both lost and absorbed.

Thanks, I think you described this new home builder accurately.

I plan to have a look up there soon; basically can I get safely into and out of the attic, in orde to get access to the joists. I read more on the blown in stuff, but got concerned about having to put in fences for the soffit vents, and hats for the hockey puck LEDs I have, so I started looking into the rolls/batts.

Appreciate the info.

[scw2]

I was at Home Depot and spotted a flooring option for the garage to try out. These are 12mm 25" x 25" interlocking "gym" flooring. Pretty easy, they just come out of the box and get laid in place. I just made a 2 block x 3 block "rug" of sorts out of this package ($20) to see if I liked it. I do. It's in front of my kinda sorta workbench in the garage. I may get some more of this stuff.

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Would that flooring work well for an upright exercise bike indoors, and if so how many packages do you think one would need?

[RJ]

Would that flooring work well for an upright exercise bike indoors, and if so how many packages do you think one would need?

Sure, I don't see why not? It's that same stuff you find in gyms, for absorbing weights and such like.

The one package of 6 tiles you see in the picture was about $20 at Home Depot. Each tile is about 2', so that area is about 4'x6'; so maybe one package would work for a bike?

Pretty sure it's this stuff:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMaster-Gray-24-in-W-x-24-in-L-x-0-47-in-T-Foam-Interlocking-Gym-Garage-Flooring-24-sq-ft-6-Pack-24228DPHD/312491726

[frank]

Still working out the honey-do list this week. I am nearing the end of the electrical; two dimmers, a bathroom night light, two master bath fixtures, one guest bath fixture, a fan/light for the office, and today completed a pair of hanging lamps for the kitchen California top / bar stool area. Have to say the bar stool lights look cool, she picked an interesting vintage bulb for the clear globe lights. I have the DR light (a big one) to put up, and she now wants a dimmer switch on the bar stools. So far so good.

I was at Home Depot and spotted a flooring option for the garage to try out. These are 12mm 25" x 25" interlocking "gym" flooring. Pretty easy, they just come out of the box and get laid in place. I just made a 2 block x 3 block "rug" of sorts out of this package ($20) to see if I liked it. I do. It's in front of my kinda sorta workbench in the garage. I may get some more of this stuff.

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FWIW, I had that flooring and tore it up pretty quickly. If you have a farm and home supply nearby, horse stall mats are cheaper and much more durable.

[Andy T]

Costco has a sale on Arlo wired doorbell/2 wifi cameras for $300. Mine will arrive tomorrow, although I won't be testing the doorbell for quite some time.

[RJ]

Thanks, I'm about to order their wired doorbell camera and maybe another couple of their battery-powered cameras. Appreciate the input.

Got the Arlo Wired Doorbell Camera installed ($116 on Amazon) today. Fairly routine; there is a small unit that is wired across the xformer in the chime box, then the camera unit itself has two leads that replace your existing doorbell switch.

The setup is guided by the App, which I have to say is pretty thorough (my house has one doorbell and a simple chime box so fairly simple). The doorbell will only run on the 2.4 Ghz side of the network. I had to temporarily disable access control on my Netgear router (which I seem to have to do everytime I add a new device for MAC address filtering) to let it do it's thing.

We are still playing with the settings but it certainly does go off whenever someone walks up to the door. Chime still works too, obviously.

We are not sure if we are going to sign up for their cloud service just yet, we will see how this goes before we order more cameras. Video resolution is pretty impressive, tho.

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[RJ]

Costco has a sale on Arlo wired doorbell/2 wifi cameras for $300. Mine will arrive tomorrow, although I won't be testing the doorbell for quite some time.

Rats. Missed that.

[Andy T]

Apparently my builder is also not insulating the roof above the garage. Since the house is in FL and I would like to use garage working on projects, etc..., what are some options besides portable AC (floor ACs - can't put them in windows due to HOA) ?
Would it make sense to look into getting an insulated garage door?

[rob_s]

Apparently my builder is also not insulating the roof above the garage. Since the house is in FL and I would like to use garage working on projects, etc..., what are some options besides portable AC (floor ACs - can't put them in windows due to HOA) ?
Would it make sense to look into getting an insulated garage door?

I have a workshop, so I’ve been going down a similar road…

First off, yes you’ll take on a ton of heat from the garage door. Depending on orientation It may be more than other Orientations (door facing north should be the least hot, I think). Depending on the door type, and frequency of opening, it may be a pain in the ass to insulate. So much so that you just accept the heat gain and the associated electric bill.

As for non-window and non-floor ac, about all you’re left with for options at that point is a mini split.

[rob_s]

We had been hearing that none of the furniture stores have anything in stock to look at anyway, so we canceled our planned “outing” to look at furniture and instead laid in bed and airplayed the iPad to the tv and shopped online.

Found this guy on Ashley Furniture, with a ship date of 8-12 weeks out. More than we (I) wanted to spend but the cushions match the expensive custom cushions we had made so $1k sofa trumps $600 sofa plus $600 cushions. But that lead time doh….
https://www.ashleyfurniture.com/p/grasson_lane_sofa_with_cushion/P783-838.html



Copy/paste the title into Amazon, and lo and behold they claim a delivery date of 8/27. So now we have one on the way. If we like it, there’ll likely be a second in the future. I’m not 100% confident in the delivery date, especially seeing as the listing says “Ashley” right in the Amazon title, and there’s a link to “Visit the Signature Design by Ashley Store”, but we shall see.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084ZV6G87/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_M20P88FZ4HGGGK5ZCZMF

[HeavyDuty]

Apparently my builder is also not insulating the roof above the garage. Since the house is in FL and I would like to use garage working on projects, etc..., what are some options besides portable AC (floor ACs - can't put them in windows due to HOA) ?
Would it make sense to look into getting an insulated garage door?

Be sure the door is wind rated, too.

[rob_s]

Be sure the door is wind rated, too.

Depending on what part of Florida, it can’t not be and pass inspection.

Our current house was a flip, and the flipper replaced the 10ft tall roll up doors in the workshop, so the inspector called him on it. The public record is full of a 6 month back and forth between them before the flipper finally just replaced the first set of doors with a known good one.

In Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade counties (where I operate) you pretty much can’t build a new house with non-impact-rated doors and windows (to include the garage door) nor even replace old ones with new non-impact (presuming you go plan to get the work permitted).

[Andy T]

Depending on what part of Florida, it can’t not be and pass inspection.

Our current house was a flip, and the flipper replaced the 10ft tall roll up doors in the workshop, so the inspector called him on it. The public record is full of a 6 month back and forth between them before the flipper finally just replaced the first set of doors with a known good one.

In Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade counties (where I operate) you pretty much can’t build a new house with non-impact-rated doors and windows (to include the garage door) nor even replace old ones with new non-impact (presuming you go plan to get the work permitted).

This is for Hillsborough county.

[Andy T]

Since I had a "tax free day" I decided to get a jump on furniture and ended up getting a bedroom set with a Cali-King bed (https://www.costco.com/east-ridge-4-piece-cal-king-storage-bedroom-set.product.100500891.html). This size wasn't planned. However, it was on sale at Costco. I will keep it disassembled and stuff it into my pod when the "move comes".

[HeavyDuty]

Depending on what part of Florida, it can’t not be and pass inspection.

Our current house was a flip, and the flipper replaced the 10ft tall roll up doors in the workshop, so the inspector called him on it. The public record is full of a 6 month back and forth between them before the flipper finally just replaced the first set of doors with a known good one.

In Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade counties (where I operate) you pretty much can’t build a new house with non-impact-rated doors and windows (to include the garage door) nor even replace old ones with new non-impact (presuming you go plan to get the work permitted).

Back when I had an agency, I strongly recommended wind rated doors for many of my clients. Straight line winds in the Midwest can easily fold a double wide door. When I bought a new one for my place, the people at Home Depot looked at me like I was an alien for wanting wind rated, but I got it.

[rob_s]

Back when I had an agency, I strongly recommended wind rated doors for many of my clients. Straight line winds in the Midwest can easily fold a double wide door. When I bought a new one for my place, the people at Home Depot looked at me like I was an alien for wanting wind rated, but I got it.

yep, that happens even within Florida. You go to the central/north part of the state, away from the coast, and tell someone you want impact windows and/or doors and they'll look at you like you have three heads.

[SD]

a small item that is sometimes overlooked when building or remodeling is, before the sheetrock/drywall is up blocking around the windows for future window treatments may save aggravation down the road.

[peterb]

Back when I had an agency, I strongly recommended wind rated doors for many of my clients. Straight line winds in the Midwest can easily fold a double wide door. When I bought a new one for my place, the people at Home Depot looked at me like I was an alien for wanting wind rated, but I got it.

Don’t know what the supply chain is like where you are, but we just ordered a new garage door through a local installer and were quoted 12-18 weeks for delivery.

[HeavyDuty]

Don’t know what the supply chain is like where you are, but we just ordered a new garage door through a local installer and were quoted 12-18 weeks for delivery.

This was seven or so years ago, and it was that long then because of the finish, window pattern and wind rating.

[orionz06]

Ordered the new Google Nest Doorbell, two of the new cameras, and the Nest learning thermostat with two remote sensors. Nest Wifi is what we're gonna run when we get internet hooked up. I'll probably grab some cheaper cameras for oddball locations, and then supplement with a few more Google cameras once we're moved in. The Nest Floodlight with camera seems appealing, but I need to see what a good LED floodlight would be first before I go and presumably limit myself with the camera attached.

[Andy T]

When it comes to house automation/smart switches - what is a good way to go? I am reading up on Z-Wave vs Zigbee vs WiFi but still haven't decided which is a clear winner.
My use case is to have smart light switches and a few cameras/motion sensors.

[Darth_Uno]

When it comes to house automation/smart switches - what is a good way to go? I am reading up on Z-Wave vs Zigbee vs WiFi but still haven't decided which is a clear winner.
My use case is to have smart light switches and a few cameras/motion sensors.

We use Leviton Smart wi-fi. Although this is a fairly recent development, and I hadn’t done any myself when I was wiring our homes (which was just a few years ago). Our electrician knows more about it than I do, but at any rate we haven’t had any issues or complaints.

[rob_s]

When it comes to house automation/smart switches - what is a good way to go? I am reading up on Z-Wave vs Zigbee vs WiFi but still haven't decided which is a clear winner.
My use case is to have smart light switches and a few cameras/motion sensors.

I got on SmartThings a couple of years ago so Amy now pretty well “stuck” for the time being. There is some drama as Samsung bought SmartThings, and is now stopping support, or selling it to someone else… I’m square I have ll of that wrong. Lots of drama on the SmartThings owners page on FB, but my stuff continues to work relatively well. There’s a hiccup from time to time, but generally everything works as it’s supposed to.

I use ours to do things like automate when the patio and tiki and pool lights go on and off, turn off the kids’ bathroom light after they’ve been out of there for X minutes, turn off the kids’ bedroom lights when it’s bedtime, turn off the fan after 15 minutes that the older one keeps turning on…. I guess I use them to regulate the kids a lot haha. We also have it integrated with our Alexa so we can ask her to turn on/off individual lights. There’s supposed to be a way to have her act on groups of lights (“Alexa, turn on the patio group” or something like that) but I have t figured that out yet.

If I was starting over today, I *might* be inclined to just to with Alexa compatible devices that are WiFi based and don’t require a hub (smartthings requires a hub. We actually have two.). But I also don’t know the “cons” of that setup.

One other thing I like about SmartThings, and again maybe other systems do the same, is that I can control a whole group of things, from different manufacturers, but all z-wave, to do something like lick all the doors and turn off all the lights at 10pm sun-thurs nights, which is kinda nice.

[rob_s]

We had been hearing that none of the furniture stores have anything in stock to look at anyway, so we canceled our planned “outing” to look at furniture and instead laid in bed and airplayed the iPad to the tv and shopped online.

Found this guy on Ashley Furniture, with a ship date of 8-12 weeks out. More than we (I) wanted to spend but the cushions match the expensive custom cushions we had made so $1k sofa trumps $600 sofa plus $600 cushions. But that lead time doh….
https://www.ashleyfurniture.com/p/grasson_lane_sofa_with_cushion/P783-838.html



Copy/paste the title into Amazon, and lo and behold they claim a delivery date of 8/27. So now we have one on the way. If we like it, there’ll likely be a second in the future. I’m not 100% confident in the delivery date, especially seeing as the listing says “Ashley” right in the Amazon title, and there’s a link to “Visit the Signature Design by Ashley Store”, but we shall see.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084ZV6G87/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_M20P88FZ4HGGGK5ZCZMF


We got the first one in and got it assembled pretty easily and it fit really well so we now have #2 on the way. Pretty stoked about the idea of two, full-size, sofas that both the wife and can lay on once the weather turns (provided we stay home on weekends often enough to do so…)

[orionz06]

Xfinity installed Saturday, Nest Doorbell Battery installed, but not wired yet. Two Google Nest Cameras, battery, also set up, but not mounted yet. Doorbell zones set, alerts set, etc. Google Nest Wifi three pack set up as well, with a guest network for the lady doing our wallpaper removal because my wife and I are working ~60 hours a week at our jobs, with other work as well. All in all, save for the thermostat not being charged, it was painless. Thermostat was set up as well, just not to our Google Home app, yet.

Also built my Uplift desk for my office and calibrated that. Super simple.

Amish oak stuff delivered on Monday, just after the carpet was installed. Master bedroom almost done.

Formal living room, soon to be the puppy crate room, is all painted, just awaiting flooring. Need to get a quote for the fancy vinyl plank flooring before determining how our time is best spent.

Living room wallpaper is down, walls to be painted this week. Furniture might be this week, not 100%. Won't be making a stink or asking about delivery until we're ready for it. TV size will be a question, our 55" is likely to land in my office with a 75" for the living room.

Dining room table is here, but it's an old one from my wife's great great grandfather. He saved the tabletop in the Johnstown Flood (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnstown_Flood) and it's been passed around for years. I still want something that's a little different, but we can worry later.

Eat in kitchen table will be January we suspect, but we will ask once we move in. We've got options there.

[RJ]

I finally got my garage cabinets installed; I went with hobby grade New Age Bold.

Floor is builder-concrete, and needs a good cleaning since they used it as a work area, but I covered most of the worst of it with Harbor Freight Gym interlocking 2x2 foam flooring. Not bad, pretty comfy to walk on, not sure how long it will last.

I've never had slatwall, and I haven't bought any brackets or hooks just yet, but I like it.

Still some work to do to put up brackets for the ladder etc., but it's nice to be able to put stuff away after having most of my things in an apartment or small condo for a few years.

77647

[rob_s]

If you think you need any appliances, start shopping last month.

If you want a Bosch dishwasher, plan to wash by hand for the balance of 2021

:mad:

[orionz06]

Google Floodlight Camera is here, but I've been up to my ears in work, travel, and making DSG run in a new shop with demands out the ass.

Current cameras are decent though, and the ecosystem works.

Hopefully we can move before Thanksgiving.

[luckyman]

If you think you need any appliances, start shopping last month.

If you want a Bosch dishwasher, plan to wash by hand for the balance of 2021

:mad:

Yeah this is turning out to be a pain. We can’t move in until January. Shopping for couches so far the only 2 answers are “not available until Feb or later” or “available right now, you have to take the shipment in a week”.

Thus my first official home purchase was a Zanotti safe because they publicize their backlog times and anyway they will let me give them my money and then ship when I want it [emoji4]

2nd purchase is very likely to be a couple of leather couches today from Macy’s, that are supposed to arrive in February.

[HeavyDuty]

I finally managed to build all the new IKEA bedroom furniture I bought after the breakup in August and September. (I had new carpet installed upstairs Tuesday, and thought it best to wait.) What a pain in the ass, and complete with a two and a half hour round trip yesterday to replace a nightstand that had hidden damage. But it’s done, and it looks pretty good. It’s all Hemnes which is made out of solid softwood. The bed is a different line but is comparable, just fabric covered instead of stained.

Thanks again to RevolverRob for the comments on Casper mattresses. I’m extremely happy with the Hybrid Original I picked up, it’s just about perfect.

[orionz06]

77" LG C1 OLED ordered.
Lighting has been swapped in most rooms with regular screw in bulbs, went all LED, but all brighter LED's. The master and my wife's office have 2160 lumen Phillips bulbs that get warmer as they dim. Quick check last night and they play very well with the wall dimmer and should work great for their intended purpose. The other rooms got two 1600 lumen bulbs, along with the closets. Everything is more fluid on color from room to room and room to closet, as well as you can now see in the closets.

Next step will be my office that has 16 can lights. They've got incan bulbs now, but I'd like to swap out the entire can for an LED unit. Bulk pricing on 500-850 lumen units isn't terrible, and there are RGB color options and other things that might be pretty cool to look into. Since it will serve as an office for work work and DSG work it'll do video for both, and the latter might work with some color, so we'll dig into that once we move in.

[Skinner Precision, LLC]

If you are considering a new stove and like to cook, look hard at Blue Star RCS...I cook 2-3 meals a day often from scratch and had gotten tired of running $1500 stoves into the ground in a couple of years. The blue star is made in America, electrically,it has piezo electric starters, a convection fan and a light, not even a timer /clock-the rest is simple mechanical stuff that is easy to maintain...does a decent job with a wok, takes cater size sheet pans, 6 burners...all the stuff that mattered (to me) and not a lot of "frills"

[RJ]

77" LG C1 OLED ordered.
Lighting has been swapped in most rooms with regular screw in bulbs, went all LED, but all brighter LED's. The master and my wife's office have 2160 lumen Phillips bulbs that get warmer as they dim. Quick check last night and they play very well with the wall dimmer and should work great for their intended purpose. The other rooms got two 1600 lumen bulbs, along with the closets. Everything is more fluid on color from room to room and room to closet, as well as you can now see in the closets.

Next step will be my office that has 16 can lights. They've got incan bulbs now, but I'd like to swap out the entire can for an LED unit. Bulk pricing on 500-850 lumen units isn't terrible, and there are RGB color options and other things that might be pretty cool to look into. Since it will serve as an office for work work and DSG work it'll do video for both, and the latter might work with some color, so we'll dig into that once we move in.

We’ve been pretty happy with our non-OLED LG.

On lighting, I picked up 8 “FEIT” electric WiFi LED bulbs at Costco. I put them in the outside lights (2 walkway and 2 garage), as well as 2 in the LR lamps and 2 in my office.

They have pretty teeny antennas, so I persuaded The Boss to let me get a Netgear MR73 Mesh with a base and 2 satellites for extended range. Programming the lights with the FEIT app is useful, I have some on a schedule. My office ones I just set to ‘daylight’. For Halloween night I set them blinking green and orange lol.

I think I’m up to 38 MAC addresses in my router table. I guess it is an IoT like they say.

[Flamingo]

If you are considering a new stove and like to cook, look hard at Blue Star RCS...I cook 2-3 meals a day often from scratch and had gotten tired of running $1500 stoves into the ground in a couple of years. The blue star is made in America, electrically,it has piezo electric starters, a convection fan and a light, not even a timer /clock-the rest is simple mechanical stuff that is easy to maintain...does a decent job with a wok, takes cater size sheet pans, 6 burners...all the stuff that mattered (to me) and not a lot of "frills"


I took a look at the webpage for them. That system looks awesome! I don't have gas in my current home, but when we relocate I am going to make sure we have it.

[BN]

If you are considering a new stove and like to cook, look hard at Blue Star RCS...

You've got my wife looking for when she replaces the kitchen island. :) There are no real close dealers.