Starting New House Finally!

[mjarrels]

Some advice... don't finance your appliances in with a mortgage. In ten years the appliances will be taking up space in the landfill and you will still be paying (with interest) for them.

mark

 

[Bird]

Bill, Whirlpool has been making most of the Kenmore appliances for many years. Whirlpool also owns KitchenAid and Roper, and more recently bought Maytag.

 

[jinman]

Bill, Whirlpool has been making most of the Kenmore appliances for many years. Whirlpool also owns KitchenAid and Roper, and more recently bought Maytag.

I had a Whirlpool gas dryer that refused to quit. I replaced the ignitor once on it in the 16 years I owned it (bough it used), and finally gave it away to someone who is still using the thing. It must be well over 20 years old.

 

[gsganzer]

Alan,
Go to the Sears scatch and dent store at Beltline and Josey lane in Carrollton ( i think its Carrollton).

You'll save hundreds if not thousands!! My FIL just bought a high end refrigerator there. He said they saved about $700. They still haven't found the flaw and all factory warrantys still apply.

 

[Bird]

Alan,
Go to the Sears scatch and dent store at Beltline and Josey lane in Carrollton ( i think its Carrollton).

You'll save hundreds if not thousands!! My FIL just bought a high end refrigerator there. He said they saved about $700. They still haven't found the flaw and all factory warrantys still apply.

I didn't know they still had the place at Beltline & Josey (yes, that's Carrollton), but I do know they have one in the Grapevine Mills Mall. Our daughter bought her clothes dryer there, and we went there when we bought this house, but they didn't have the kind of refrigerator we wanted.

 

[Alan L.]

Well that doesn't sound good for GE. I think the biggest reason Mrs. Alan L. wants the GE Profile is the appearance. The double oven is a very nice looking unit. The stainless steel fridge is about $2250 for a 25.5 side by side and has shelves that pull out and baskets in the freezer that pull out. The freezer and refridgerator are separate compressors. She basically does not want any other refrigerator.

The Frigidaire oven looks OK but does not have true convection oven element, just a fan. The Maytag oven is about $500 cheaper but looks it. The GE looks good and has glass buttons (plastic membranes that crap out).

We have not seen a Whirlpool or Kenmore oven that she feels she can live with.

Ideally we'd like to spend $3500 with tax but looks like its leaning more toward $5000 without the fridge.

I agree you shouldn't finance 10 yr appliances over 15 years, but I have worked to pay the land down to the point where we could afford to build, plus I'm going to run out of loan money anyway and will be spending $20K or so for furniture, new TV, TV tower, fridge, etc., so the built-ins will be part of construction costs for now.

Foam insulators are supposed to show up tomorrow (Thursday) and hopefully we'll get the sheetrocking done next week!

 

[Alan L.]

The foam constractor has been in the house for 2 days now. This is some of the handiwork so far. Sure is quiet and alot warmer in there. Still need to cut it off flush with the studs.

 

[EddieWalker]

That foam sure looks cool!!!!! What is the R rating?

Do you put sheetrock over it after it's been trimmed, or do you put on a vapor barrier?

Eddie

 

[Alan L.]

Eddie:

Sheetrock goes right over the foam. Demilec says no vapor barrier needed in this area. The wall is 1/2" foam board on the outside with a breathable Tyvek-like membrane on it, and all the joints are taped. Under that is OSB, then the foam.

This is an open cell foam with an R-value of 3.84 per inch, but its not the R value that is the value of this foam, but other factors: 1) The 3.84 per inch is real world R value at any temperature (other products achieve their rated R values only in the lab under perfect conditions), 2) The foam stops pretty much all air flow, fits the contours of every irregular space such as around outlets, between narrow stud openings, etc. 3) the foam seals cracks and openings where wires and pipes go. 4) the foam does not settle or decline in insulation value over time.

I hope it is really as good as what I've read. The closed cell foams acheive as much as R7 per inch, but are much more expensive and aren't as flexible and might pull loose from the studs as the temperture changes, introducing cracks in the envelope. Local contractors that use that stuff deny this, and I don't know what the real story is, but I couldn't afford it anyway.

Looks like sheetrockers will be here this week and hopefully the bricklayers too.

 

[jinman]

Alan, with that foam insulation, it will be like living in a styrofoam cooler. If you leave the fridge open or a cold beer sitting on the counter, it will stay cold for hours.

Very nice! I'm looking at things on your house and saying, "Darn! I wish I had thought of that on my house."