Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with home

Recommendation for a home elliptical machine.

damn dirty ape — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:33:27 -0800

Recommendation for a home elliptical machine. Im looking to buy a used home elliptical machine. I see a lot of Proform 800's out on the used market for well under 200 dollars, but am skeptical of their build quality. Is Norditrak any good? Can someone recommend some models or brands I should be searching for? Id like to buy used and spend less than $400 if possible. Thanks.

Also, will a fold-down model fit in a small suv?

need help picking appliances!

femmme — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:47:37 -0800

I'm redoing my kitchen. Looking to buy an oven and dishwasher and not sure what to look for & what is good...ideas? Im looking at doing my kitchen over. I'm going to buy one appliance at a time. I have read that you need to pick a brand(ie. Frigidaire etc) and buy all three appliances in the same brand or the stainless won't match. Can anyone give me pointers on good ovens? Im not sure what to look for and my research hasn't uncovered much thus far. Oh Hive Mind I need appliance help!

Best way to store framed pictures?

gottabefunky — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:24:57 -0800

What's an easy, convenient way to store framed pictures temporarily? (Especially when they're different sizes.) We have lots of framed photos, maps, etc. that we like to switch out every 6-12 months. We want to protect the glass and frames, of course, but ideally we'd also be able to access the pictures and switch them out relatively easily, without having to unwrap some hellish Christmas present of tape and cardboard and padding every time.

What's the matter with Georgia?

El_Marto — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:13:07 -0800

Even after living 2+ years in Georgia (the state, not the country) I find it strange that most people answer the question "Where are you from" with their home county. Coming from the west coast, it seems weird to refer to anything but hometown or general region (so. cal, bay area, etc..) I know GA has like 150 counties (the second most of any state, after Texas), so counties aren't that big. Is this just a Georgia thing? Southern thing? Descendents of convicts thing? What?

How soon is my house going to burn down?

jacquilynne — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:40:08 -0800

When my living room lights are off, touching the screws on the faceplate for the electrical switch gives me a tiny little frisson of electricity. When my living room lights are on, I get a fairly painful shock from touching the screws on the faceplate. How dangerous is this? The wiring in my apartment was done by the people who own the house and it leaves a lot to be desired in general, but I've lived here for 7 years and I've never noticed this problem before now. Either it's new, or it hasn't burned down the house in 7 years.

It could be new because:

I just changed some lightbulbs (the house has recessed pot lamps) in the living room. I think they're the right ones, but I bought inexpensive ones from Superstore rather than brand name from Costco. Is there any way that the lightbulbs could be causing this? I'm going to go take them out again and see if that makes a difference, but it's an epic pain in the ass (it took me half an hour to change them in the first place) so I thought I'd get a head start on posting the question.

A contractor's been doing some renovations on the house including some electrical work. None of that was in my apartment but if they did something somewhere else on the circuit could that be causing this?

I can't fix it and right now there isn't anyone else here who can, either. I guess my main question is not so much what might have caused this (though I'd like to know that) but how likely is it to be a major, dangerous problem. And would it be safer to have the lights on or off under the circumstances?

As a wrinkling factor, I have guests coming in an hour and a half to play board games in the room with those lights so I'd really like them to be on if that's safe (it certainly decreases the level of shock).

Help me create my Wall of Maps!

pollex — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 10:20:16 -0800

I need ideas for creating my wall of maps. I have a collection of maps (the bulk are tourist-type maps from my travels, but many kinds are represented in my collection). I'd like to make a big wall of maps. When I was in college, I made one just using pushpins and it was OK, but I'm interested in finding a method or design that might be a bit more elegant before I put 100 pin holes in the wall in my new apartment.

Here's a picture of the beginnings of the dorm wall, for reference.

Shade-tolerant plant that will prevent bank erosion?

jeffmshaw — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:51:28 -0800

Looking for a shade-tolerant plant that will prevent bank erosion that I can grow in North Carolina's triangle region. I've recently moved to Durham, and my new place has exciting garden possibilities. One fix I want to make quickly involves the bank underneath my deck.

Elsewhere, the bank is covered by English ivy, which stabilizes the soil. But under the deck, there's not enough light for it to grow, meaning rain causes erosion and water flow toward my house.

I'm going to put in a french drain to try to catch much of this flow, but I'd also like to plant a shade-loving ground cover to help stabilize the bank. Any ideas for native plants?

Feeling overwhelmed by new house

feathermeat — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:11:21 -0800

My husband and I just bought our first house and moved in a couple of days ago. I am feeling completely overwhelmed and I am crying every night, just thinking about all the things we have to do now that we never had to do before (mowing lawn, cleaning gutters, etc., etc.). I am also shocked at all the money we are having to spend, and it kills me to see our savings dwindle. Is all this normal? Can I expect these feelings to pass? I just can't help thinking that we are not ready for a house, and that this was all a terrible, costly mistake. Has anyone else felt this way and gotten over it?

How do I get my work POP3 account at home to have the same content (emails) as my work computer in Outlook?

Mr_Crazyhorse — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:09:28 -0800

How do I get my work POP3 account at home to have the same content (emails) as my work computer in Outlook? Here is the situation. I have a POP3 account that I use for work. I am using Outlook for all purposes.

At work I use my POP3 account from my webhost. After I read messages, I delete those I no longer have any use for. For example, at work I have 43 emails in my Inbox and folders called "Followup" and "Important". When I SEND/RECEIVE, all the deleted messages disappear from Outlook when I use it at work.

At home, it appears that no message has ever been deleted. At home I have 973 emails in my Outlook Inbox and no folders called "Followup" and "Important".

How can I make my Outlook at home look like my Outlook at work?

Here are my Outlook settings... they are the same at work as they are at home:

Account Type: POP 3
Logon with SPA: OFF
Outgoing SMTP: Same settings as incoming mail server
Leave a copy of messages on the server: YES
Remove from server after X days: OFF
Remove from server when deleted from "Deleted Items": YES

I will be standing by to provide any additional information.

Thanks in advance.

Can I protect myself from a potential Money Pit?

joemax — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:03:16 -0800

I'm buying my first home and there are potential special assessments looming. Am I truly protecting myself from future repair and legal fee costs by setting up an escrow account? I'm buying my first condo and am clueless. Help me make this protection ironclad or tell me to run away! I'm considering purchasing a condo unit in Chicago's Lincoln Park. My purchase price represents a very good value - the unit is in short sale and it appears the mortgage-holding bank is ready to cut their losses and make this deal. Unfortunately, the building's disclosure report is bad. There is a problem with the roof, but the HOA hasn't committed to fixing it. Also, there are two other owners going through foreclosure, so there are legal fees for the HOA to pay, as it is apparently named as a party in the lawsuits filed by the defaulted-upon banks. Further, if these owners are no longer paying their HOA fees there may be a shortage coming. Currently their reserves are only $9000.

While this all scared me very much, I had my attorney write an agreement so $20,000 would be placed into escrow. It would cover repair to the roof, and repair to any damage caused by not fixing the roof right away. It would cover any legal fees incurred by the ongoing foreclosures. It would cover any increases in HOA fees for any reason. All this for 2 years. How safe is this agreement in protecting me from having to pay for these issues? What more info do you need to answer this question? What questions should I be asking? My offer hasn't officially been accepted by the seller's bank, so I still have an inspection to complete. I may be able to learn more about these issues at that time.

So what is your advice? Is this contract strong? I know YANML, etc. Or should I run screaming into the hills and find a safer deal?

Does homeowner's insurance cover porch settling due to drought?

schleppo — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:05:19 -0800

InsuranceFilter: Would homeowners insurance generally cover a large concrete porch that has pulled away from the house due to a summer drought? The porch is settling and pulling away from the foundation due to a summer drought in our area (and because it wasn't tied in well enough with the rest of the foundation) I know I don't have drought insurance, because that usually covers agricultural assets (crops, etc.) and I don't plant anything but my butt on the couch for football.

Help me not burn my house down.

missuswayne — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:29:50 -0800

Can I put a piece of furniture - sofa? bookcase? - in front of a 5 foot installed electric baseboard heater without burning my house down? The guy who did our renovations, who we like and trust a lot, insisted when he installed it that it would be perfectly safe to put a sofa right in front of the heater, which would prevent our kids from sticking their hands in it and possibly burning themselves. But now that I see how hot it gets, I'm afraid our house will go up in flames. That would not be good. What say you, electric-baseboard-heater-owning-Mefites?

Video card issues

Student of Man — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:14:09 -0800

I bought the ATI Sapphire HD 3870 a couple of months ago. I was especially stoked about the HDMI out feature that would allow me to play audio from my DVD receiver (Samsung HTQ80T/XAA). Well it does that but, the resolution is blurry. Changing the display quality on the pc doesn't help. My PC is connected to the HDMI IN on the receiver and the HDMI OUT on the receiver is connected to my monitor. DVD's look fine but the PC looks horrid. Not sure if it's the Home theater, or the card. Any Ideas as to what I can do about this? thanks.

Is it better to buy a house or rent a place, considering the current economy?

photomusic86 — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:50:44 -0800

Is it better to buy a house or rent a place, considering the current economy? With house prices falling, maybe it's smart to buy a house. But several sites and reports are coming out now that suggest it's wiser to rent.
More personally, I've just started looking at moving out of the parents house, so this would be my first foray into being on my own. I'm looking for places in or around Brunswick OH. Help please!

This coffee tastes positively Parman!

parmanparman — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:36:48 -0800

I need to be famous for other things. So I would like to make my own blend of coffee. At home and cheaply how can I get started? In terms of style, I would like to do something like a French Roast with the aroma of tilled farmland after a rainstorm.

I have heard you can use a popcorn popper to roast beans, but what else should I consider getting or trying in terms of tech and beans/spices/additives?

What to do about an old doorbell?

gleuschk — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:54:29 -0800

What can I do about my doorbell? The button part of the doorbell is rotted away, so people don't like to use it for fear of getting shocked or whatever. I've asked around at Lowe's and Home Depot, and nobody knew anything about buying just the button part of a doorbell. Replacing the whole doorbell plate is tricky, since it's that funny shape (for which whoever installed it had to take a chip out of the molding next to it to make it fit). Any ideas most welcome.

Seattle style in an NYC Apartment?

lorrer — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:38:34 -0800

Help my NYC apartment feel more like a Seattle home. I'm still in the process of furnishing my apartment - a year after moving in. I don't have a whole lot of time to spend, and I've realized after many attempts at decorating that I like a natural/outdoorsy/relaxed feel, but not particularly rustic and not at all "country." Naturally, I'm from the Pacific Northwest. I feel in tune with homes along the lines of the ones pictured here. But, I left the Seattle area well before furnishing a home was remotely a consideration, and have no idea where to look for ideas on how to make a space that I can feel connected with (other than the magazine I linked to, which I just found via random google searching). I'm living in Brooklyn and have trees outside all of my windows, which helps, but I still miss the misty days, miss the theme of oversized (by comparison) windows and nature-grounded art, and miss the constant nice smell of greenery and fresh rain that I enjoyed growing up.

I'd like any resources on home decor or design that will help give my NYC apartment the natural feel of a home in the San Juans, or, failing that, the East Side :). Any tips for magazines, websites, or promising stores in NYC or non-time-intensive projects I could do would be fantastic. I'd also love any recommendations for indoor plants that are easy maintenance and would give off a pleasant evergreen smell, or otherwise help make the apartment smell earthy/plantlike (not like flowers or cooking herbs).

Good label maker to buy?

izatchu — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:43:12 -0800

I'd like to organize some boxes on shelves and would like a good, basic label maker to make it neat and tidy. What's a good home label maker to buy? I've looked on Amazon and a lot of the complaints about label makers under $30 or so is that the tape has wide print margins and is wasteful and expensive, and the batteries wear out quickly, so you have to buy the A/C adapter, which is often another $20. If you have one that you love using, please let me know!

How can I work for myself?

Hellafiles — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:16:42 -0800

Help me build my sales empire! So I've been in sales for the majority of my working life. I've been mostly involved in selling to customers via the telephone, calling on "C-level" individuals and selling software etc. I've had about every good job in town, and currently work in the telesales department of a software company where I've made between $100-134K per year since 2004.

I have come to the realization that I would like to work for myself somehow. I would really like to get my own small office space, or even work from home and sell my "own" products. I figure that I'm currently selling millions of dollars of someone else's product a month, and if I could somehow find a service or product that I own or offer I could make a nice business for myself. I just have no idea what it would be.

I know the economy is in shitter right now, and I should probably just be glad that I'm making good money. But I'm reaching out to you guys for suggestions on what types of products or services I could sell for myself and make bigger bucks.

I don't want to sell insurance, or become a real estate agent / mortgage broker etc. I want to find some niche where I can become my own reseller or agent and take my sales skills to the next level with my own operation. Can anyone recommend any suggestions to me?

What's the best option these days for building a home theater PC (HTPC)?

twiggy — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:09:48 -0800

HD-capable HTPC advice / help? I'm overwhelmed here... XBMC, Boxee, MythTV, Windows Media Center, CableCARDS, Popcorn Hour, Apple TV -- too many options! What should I build to fit my needs within a reasonable cost? I should start by saying I'm plenty tech savvy. I'm not overwhelmed by the terminology. However, I've been putting off building an HTPC for a long time now and the longer I do, the more crazy software/boxes show up that muddy my idea of what I should do!

So, in my ideal world, here's my needs:
- Absolutely HAS to decode 1080p video without dropping frames -- from what I've heard a Mac Mini can't handle 1080p. I'm guessing then that a hacked AppleTV (which I see you can now install XBMC or Boxee on) is also not an option?
- I'd like it to serve as a DVR - I have Comcast Digital Cable, so I may need CableCARDS for this, right? I do have a Comcast DVR, and could live with using that instead, but I can't "copy off" my programming and archive it which sucks.
- I'd like it to also serve as a great media player -- I use XBMC on an original Xbox and I love that...
- Assuming I build something myself - I have no idea what a good video card is that has HDMI output and is reasonably priced. I don't really have much interest in playing games on it, so I don't need the craziest card out there...
- While looks aren't super important (it'll be in a cabinet behind frosted glass), it should at least have a case that will keep it running quietly (unlike Xboxes, which are loud as crap!)
- Future expandability is a big plus, but not 100% necessary as long as it fits today's needs. I love that XBMC is continually updated, has cool plugins, etc, but I'm not 100% married to it.
- I have a Logitech Harmony 890 remote that I love. I've got to at least be able to hack something together to control it with that.

Basically, a machine that runs XBMC and can decode 1080p, combined with a DVR, would be perfect. I just don't know what the ideal way is to build that for a reasonable price.

Then the HTPC world gets more confusing -- there are boxes out there like Popcorn Hour, AppleTV, etc that look like they either do a lot of this, or are hackable to do this stuff.. am I better off going with one of these? I see Popcorn Hour will even act as a NAS and a BitTorrent downloader, which is fantastic, but it doesn't seem to have any recording capabilities.

Any help would be sincerely appreciated - the vast array of options has become too much for even the finest google-fu given my lack of available free time.

Negotiating a home purchase

jclovebrew — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:55:33 -0800

When buying a house is it better to have the seller pay the closing costs or to reduce the sale price of the home? I'm buying a house (yay!). The inspection turned up some issues so I've gotten some concessions from the seller. So far we've left it open-ended as to whether they should reduce the price of the house or pay the closing costs. Which one should I push for? There seem to be pros and cons to each. I'm favoring the price to get reduced because it means my monthly payment will be a bit less and I will also be able to cancel the PMI sooner. Is this a case of six of one, half a dozen of the other, or is one scenario clearly better than the other?

When do I go solar?

atchafalaya — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:42:18 -0800

Is now the time use solar power for my house? Is there some big breakthrough right around the corner I should wait for, or should I stop waiting and get solar power for my home now?

I want a grid-tied system, but mostly so I can still have power after a hurricane.

Power where I am is really cheap, (my bill rarely exceeds $100 a month) so I'm not really in it for the money. On the other hand, Louisiana has a great state-tax incentive program this year, so it would be cheaper to get.

Would it be safe to get it now, and then upgrade with new panels as they come on the market?

Sell now, or sell later? Barbie's Malibu Dream House has got to go.

Unicorn on the cob — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:49:11 -0800

I've been getting my house ready to sell and am wondering if I'm crazy. Should I go ahead with it now, or wait until spring? Of course, there are mitigating factors involved. I own a house in Texas (Dallas) and have been working on getting it ready to sell... fixing things up, paint, polishing floors and the like. However, it literally feels like the end of the financial world right now. So my question is, am I doing all this in vain? Different people tell me the housing market's going to rebound at some point next year. Others tell me to get out now before the dollar turns into the peso.

The following factors are important in my decision for selling:

1. I make a decent living, but I do live paycheck to paycheck because of the house. I literally am unable to contribute to my 401k or do anything beyond make token payments against my credit card debt, which is pretty high. Basic subsistence living is it. Please don't suggest roommates, turning off services, etc. I did all that the past two years just to get by and have exhausted those options; I genuinely have tried everything and cannot get financial traction.

2. Originally I had planned to pay down that debt and wait until next year, hoping the market would improve and the value of my house would demand a better return on the investment. Traditionally, fall/holiday season isn't that great for selling a home, correct? Or am I wrong about that?

3. I have yet to pay house taxes for 2008. That means in January, the tax bill will be due. How will that affect me if I decide to sell now vs. waiting until after the first of the year?

4. My house was built in 2003, so it's still pretty new, in great shape, and on nearly an acre of land inside the city limits. Therefore, I believe I should be able to get a good asking price... but my city is also apparently flooded with foreclosures. How do I compete with that?

All of this is stressful and difficult for me to deal with, obviously, and I am totally alone in dealing with the home and yard maintenance, financial responsibilities and finding a realtor/new place to live if it sells quickly.

I feel a bit lost and overwhelmed. I'm trying to make the best decision for myself financially. I realize that jobs go away, illnesses and accidents happen, and were the scale to tip even a little, I'd be in a lot of trouble.

Any advice or anecdotes from people who have recently sold homes or know more about the real estate market than I do would be welcome. I already know to make the place immaculate/remove everything I own/allow anyone access at any time; I'm trying to work out getting a storage unit and all that jazz. I just wonder if I'm doing it at the wrong time.

No air blowing out of the vents in my house! Is my HVAC unit hosed?

pleuroma — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:42:44 -0800

My heat pump / air conditioning unit (HVAC?) is not blowing in my house. I have a programmable thermostat. When I walked past it this morning it said 80 degrees. I bumped it down a couple of degrees and waited to see if it would kick on. No such luck. The unit outside ( the condenser I think.... large box with a fan on top) did turn on but nothing is coming out of the vents. Anyone have any idea what could be wrong? I am getting ready to have to spend some serious money on a replacement? Thanks!

Can you have two mortgages on the same apartment?

mjao — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:14:20 -0800

Can I go halves in an apartment with my brother? i.e., can we each have separate loans for the same apartment? No one I've asked seems to know. We are in Queensland, Australia. He would be paying his share off a lot more quickly than I would be able to pay my share. The plan then is that he would continue living in the apartment with me (or rent out his room) and buy a second house elsewhere.

I know this probably seems like a really simple question, but I know absolutely nothing about home loans :)