My Friend Robs' House

My friend Rob runs a hockey school in Walpole, and lives nearby. He was actually the guy in the famed Chuck Liddell spots we ran in 2005.

His house is a study in home improvement....Lets look at a couple of his rooms.

Chandelier

I actually like the fixture yet hate the light. Rob is smart enough to place compact fluorescent lights in most of his fixtures. However, the light would not be as harsh if he chose a fluorescent with a Kelvin temperature of 2700-3500 rather than the 5000 degree units in place.

As I have posted before, buying a fluorescent with lower Kelvin temperatures will provide a softer light.

Outside

This is truly awesome. Rob is a popular guy, but his outside cooking area is the reason behind the popularity of his summer parties. Have a look (went last night, sorry for the bad pics).

Unbelievable...Outside Marvel refrigerator (you should buy these units manufactured for the outside, because they are weather resistant).

53 inch Lynx grill with access doors

Outside keg refrigerator

Sink and faucet...If you place "wet" appliances outside, you have to shut off the water so the pipes don't crack during winter.

Great house...

Tax Free Weekend

Our best month for the last four years has been August, because of the tax free holiday. Now the Tax Weekend becomes the first month of a tax increase...Just because our state government doesn't want to, doesn't mean we can't

So this weekend select GE, Frigidaire, Whirlpool, Maytag, Kitchenaid, Franke, Bosch, Schonbek Crystal, Hinkley, Rohl, Hansgrohe, Bertazzoni, Marvel, Uline and Blomberg will have full tax rebates of the 6.25%

August 15, 16 and 17

Draw it

There seems to be tons of appliance related drawers in the market these days. This seems to be novelty worth a post.

Have a look:



Refrigerator (as well as freezer and in some cases wine) drawers are currently manufacturered by SubZero, Electrolux, Marvel and Uline. I actually see the value in an island especially for children. The prices are $1500-3400, so you will be paying more.

Dishwasher drawers are produced by Fisher-Paykel, who in turn manufacturers the product for KitchenAid. The product is worthwhile ergometrically. You do not have to bend for smaller loads, but at $1400, Miele and Bosch are better products.

Vineyard Part 2...The Bar

Our last post was about affordable luxury. This one is about luxury period.

Typically when you plan a bar refrigerator, the space is either 15 or 24 inches. Appliances follow cabinets, and this is the standard or almost universal size. In this space, the choices could be refrigerator, refrigerator and freezer, freezer alone, icemaker, wine cooler or refrigerator and wine cooler.

Buying a decent brand is my only guideline. The case is produced with metal instead of plastic. The compressor also breathes from the front instead of the back, so the product can be enclosed in cabinets.

There are plenty of decent brands: SubZero, Uline, Marvel, Viking, Scotsman and Monogram. Rick (from our last post) does not seem to be satisfied with one. He did create a magnificent bar and game room.

Have a look:

Under Counter Refrigeration

Under Counter refrigerators are the toughest products to consider when purchasing appliances. Why would anyone buy an under counter refrigerator for $11O0 or higher from Marvel, Uline, Electrolux or SubZero, when they can buy a dorm refrigerator for $199 anywhere.

The answer is simple. The compressor breathes from the front rather than the back, so it can be built into a cabinet. The dormer has the compressor in the back, so it is only stand alone.

There are other differences: Metal cabinet versus plastic and temperature control...

Whats in the Name?

There are four major appliance companies in the industry plus a few aspirants. Often times, a manufacturer will produce the identical product under several different labels. With rebates, it is possible for a $200-400 price disparity on the same product. This information can save money when purchasing new appliances...Take a look

Bottom Mount Refrigeration:
Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana andWhirlpool
LG and GE

Top Mount refrigeration
Amana and Maytag
GE and Hotpoint

Dishwashers
Siemens and Bosch
Thermador and Bosch
Uppper Maytag models and JennAir

Gas Stoves
Siemens and Bosch
Amana, JennAir and Maytag

Electric Stoves
JennAir, Maytag and Amana
GE and Hotpoint(basic models only)

Wine coolers
Marvel and Viking

Wall ovens
Monogram, Profile and GE...A few features different, but inherently the same

Pro Refrigeration
Thermador(not freedom) and KitchenAid
Thermador Freedom and Gaggenau

Sundries-Appliances

These are few of my favorite appliances. Without question, this is a totally biased column.

KitchenAid compactor: This unit compacts 4 bags of trash into 1. If your chore is to carry trash outside on a freezing cold night, hitting a button is a viable option.


Miele Nespresso: I almost became readdicted to coffee after we had one operational in the store. The coffee is fantastic, and it allows up to six different blends as options.


SubZero wine storage. For about the price of an upscale cabinet, try this instead. SubZero is the only product designed for proper wine storage with two distinct temperature zones, a low E glass door that refracts light and safeguards for proper humidity and vibration control.


Steam oven/module: By adding moisture(steam), none of the nutrients are lost like conventional ovens. The food just tastes better as well. You can even bake brownies in these ovens.


TurboChef Oven: Easy interface and a product with a hip retro design that cooks 3-15 times faster than a regular oven. It is new, so lets see if it works.


Marvel Icemaker: 35 pounds of clear ice in 24 hours...After all, you can never have too much ice.


Miele full size washer and dryer: It is larger(4.0 cubic) and uses only about 10 gallons of water versus 42 for a top loader. Miele also has a great control and a honeycomb drum that is the most gentle on clothes of any brand. Last year only 10 out of 19,000 service visits from our repair department were for Miele products.