Kitchen Faucet Repair

So I return from my business trip to Kronberg and London to a leaky kitchen faucet.  The leak was a slow leak that only drips when the faucet is in use.  Fortunately Linda noticed the damp rag in the cabinet -- otherwise, the cabinet could have been ruined which would result in some serious $$$ to repair.    The faucet is a Grohe Ladylux Plus which was brand new with the house (installed ~2005) and has a lifetime warranty.  Since the leak only happens when in use, I figure it had to be something in the mixer.  I took the handle off and then removed the housing that covers the cartridge.  The mixer plating flaked off resulting in a poor seal with the o-rings on the ceramic mixer cartridge.   I called Grohe customer and tech support and they refused to send a replacement.  In fact the guy in tech support was a jerk about the whole thing.  I argued with him that since the faucet has a lifetime warranty, why do i need a proof of purchase since having the faucet should be proof.  He did not agree.  It got to the point where Linda and I decided to go buy a different faucet brand.

Fortunately, Linda and I went shopping for a new faucet at Ferguson who is also a Grohe dealer.  After explaining the situation(that it is not good to be drinking and cooking with water from a faucet that has flaking internal plumbing parts) to a saleslady, I sent pictures of the defective mixer to her, and she worked it with Grohe to replace the entire faucet.  This saved us $700+ !

So I highly recommend Ferguson for your next kitchen or bath remodel.  They have really nice stuff and their salespeople are top notch.

Since I spent a big chunk of Monday taking the old faucet apart and removing it from the sink, installing the new faucet was a snap (completed in under 30 minutes !).

Professional Tree Cutting Service vs. Thinh the lumberjack

So, we had a few really large trees that have died or are dying. I was told that if the bark is coming off the tree, it is a good sign of a dead/dying tree. In total, 6 trees had to be cut down with the biggest one carrying a hefty 3 feet diameter and about 60+ feet height. The guys had to climb this one to cut it down in section. Like any other home repair service, the range is cost varies like crazy. I had one guy quote me $2000 to cut down the trees, while the guy I went with charged $1000 to cut down the trees and chop them up into fire log size sections. I will still have to split the thicker pieces. Anyway, his name is Ray Schuckman and his company is Custom Cut Tree Service. Nice guy, shows up on time and does a good job. Highly recommended.

Their stack of wood is a wee bit bigger than the stack I chopped up a few weeks ago.

Chop chop

My handiwork so far ... Still got a lotta chopping to do.

thinh the lumberjack

Thinh the lumberjack! Gearing up to chop up some fallen branches.

Mitsubishi HC4900 1080p Projector

Finally, a really good 1080 PJ for under $2000. This mitsubishi is currently $1400 after a big sale and a big rebate. It will replace the Panasonic AE900 that developed a darkspot on the display. The panny is a 720p projector. 1080p (1920x1080) is about 2.5 times more pixel than 720p. As expected the mitsubishi throws a very very sharp picture when feed with HD-DVD or Blu Ray.

Christmas Tree

Christmas tree decorated by linda.

Flying Tree Spears !!

On Monday, extremely high winds caused a branch to shear off and launch into our roof. I heard a THUD and went outside to check it out. At first I thought the branch was just sitting on the roof. Upon closing inspection, I realized that half of it had penetrated the roof ! Fortunately, we know a roof repairman who came out and fixed it on wednesday morning.

Kitchen Update Part 7 - Progress on the left wall

The left wall is where the new fridge, freezer and pantry will go.

Kitchen Update part 5

Progress being made on the upgrade. Framed out the wall, added support for the hood, and the drywaller is working his magic.

Kitchen Upgrade - Part 4

Here are some drawings of the kitchen upgrade. Compare them to this post for the before look.
Before pictures

Kitchen Upgrade Part 3

Prepping the house for the construction. We put up plastic sheets to enclose the work area and covered the furniture to help minimize dusting. We also covered the hardwood floors with thick paper to help protect them.

Kitchen Upgrade Part 2

We removed the fridge and some cabinets on Friday.

Kitchen Upgrade Project Part 1

We are in the process of upgrading the kitchen. Here are some pictures of the current kitchen.

Resealed Driveway

Asphalt driveways are nice in that they are cheaper to construct vs. a concrete driveway. However, they do require more maintenance to fill in cracks and to reseal. Our driveway is till in very good shape, but I have spend several weekends filling in cracks. I was ready to seal the driveway myself when Linda convinced me to hire it out. This was a good move cause the total area to be sealed is over 6000 sq ft.

The before picture shows the gray surface of the asphalt -- a sure sign that it needs to be sealed. The after picture is the nice black surface.

No more DWR birdfeeder

With much sadness, Linda and I had to temporarily remove our birdfeeders. Apparently the bird who ate there told his friend about it. Well the friend told another friend and the next thing you know a racoon shows up. I have heard stories from peeps that racoons are quite dextrous and can get into lots of things (garbage cans, coolers etc).

This racoon climbs on our deck from the vertical trelles and then with it's hind legs on the deckrail it reaches for the birdfeeder and pulls it to him. This releases a bunch of seeds to the ground and he then goes eat.

I tried to take pictures of this scene but it was too dark (see sample below) . So, I re-enacted the scene with Linda's Teddybear playing the role of the bad racoon.

First Customer !!

The first bird to eat out of the feeder. Customer #1 leaves happy.

Algae Attack II: Thinh Strikes Back

After 2 weeks of use, AlgaeFix is starting to show some results. Note how the Shubunken is readily visible now.

DWR Birdfeeder

Wanting to add a bit of color to our backyard, Linda and I got 3 of these birdfeeders at the last Design Within Reach warehouse sale. I am not sure who would pay regular price for these things but at the warehouse sale prices, they were a good deal. Like other DWR stuff, it is very well made and well designed. There are only 5 pieces (the ceramic egg, the aluminum plate, 2 aluminum bars and a pin that holds everything together.

We got these things up yesterday and so far no birds have fed yet. I must need a "Free Food" sign.