March 1, 2009 AsktheBuilder News And Tips
What’s in This Issue?
AFTER I HIT SEND
ZAPPOS STORY
OUTDOOR SHED IDEAS
WINTER IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
ROTOZIP SPIRAL SAWS
VACATION PLANS
THE CABINET FOLKS
LATEST COLUMNS
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
After I Hit Send
Each time I click the button that sends this newsletter to you, I sit back and roll up my sleeves. Why? It's simple. You often reply with positive suggestions, ideas and a Thank You. It can take hours to respond to each message I get, and I always try to answer each one. It's so rewarding to get your response as it tells me the effort I invest in each issue is making a difference. I'm grateful that you respond to me.
Zappos Story
About six months ago, I purchased some Ugg slippers from Zappos.com. I discovered here in New Hampshire that you simply don't wear your outside shoes in the house. The sandy soil tracks everywhere, and can ruin hardwood floors. I have the slippers by the door from the garage, switching into them each time I get home. The sheepskin lining in one of the slippers delaminated from the inner sole of the slipper causing the lining to move around and be uncomfortable. That shouldn't happen in my opinion.
I called Zappos and talked with Bobby Colbert. He was a great young man that took care of my problem, even though I didn't have the original box and packing to send the slippers back. I tell this story not so much to toot the horn of Bobby and Zappos, but to show you an example of extraordinary customer service.
This one event has made me a customer for life of Zappos. They didn't have to give me new slippers as I didn't follow their return policy, but the bottom line is that I was unhappy and had a valid claim. Bobby wasted no time in making the right call and putting a smile on my face for the entire weekend.
Perhaps Zappos knows this, but even the phone experience is pleasant. When I was on hold, I was listening to some fantastic acoustical guitar happy music. That kept me very upbeat while I waited. The last thing I wanted to hear was a sales pitch. It only took Bobby a few minutes to complete the return, and he emailed me all the documents and the return shipping label while I was still talking to him. Wow! The only other company I've dealt with in the past that has exceeded my expectations like this is L.L. Bean.
If you're in the market for shoes, clothes and outdoor gear, take a serious look at these two companies as well as their warranties. They're tough to beat.
Outdoor Shed Ideas
A month ago, I was in Florida attending the Sears Editors Conference that featured all of their new lawn and garden tools. One of the editors I met was Ms. Debra Prinzing. She is the author of a great coffee-table book titled: Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways.
I need a shed up here at my New Hampshire lake house to house all of my tools and kayaks. After reading just a little bit of Debra's book, I've seen some great ideas that I plan to use in my new shed. The color photos in this book will make you drool. Some of the sheds in the book are really miniature houses where people go to get away from daily stress and strain. Sheds become a touchstone for peace and tranquility as I believe they take us back to the time when we would play in a clubhouse. Those were carefree times indeed. I have to admit that when I'm in my Queen Anne Victorian shed back at my Cincinnati house, it's a place to hangout and surround myself with tools and things I love.
If you're planning to build a nice shed this year, you should really consider getting a copy of Debra's book. Go here to discover more.
Winter in New Hampshire
I haven't talked too much about my first winter here in New Hampshire. It's almost over, even though a major storm is bearing down on us in less than 24 hours. It's absolutely gorgeous up here. The snow stays white for weeks, and the lake just outside my door is frozen 18-inches thick. I know as I went out on the ice and drilled it. It only got really cold for a short period of time. When a storm happens, it moves out quickly and each day after is usually a brilliant blue sky with calm winds. I've been warned that the bad seasons - mud and black fly - are just around the corner.
If you've never been to New Hampshire in the winter, I urge you to come. Not every year has abundant snow, but you can always check with the innkeepers - see just below for two GREAT ones!. They'll tell you the conditions.
I'll post some photos to a Picasa album and share those next week. After tonight's snow, you'll have a great idea of the snow piles next to my driveway.
If you live near me, please email me if you're interested in meeting at a restaurant or some other place to sit back and chat. Let's get together soon.
RotoZip Spiral Saws
The economy is going downhill faster than me in my wagon down Straight Street years ago in Cincinnati, OH. This means you'll probably be trying more home repair tasks than ever before. I'll be helping you with new columns starting this week, and you can get help with tool reviews here in the newsletter.
One tool I just tried was a robust version of the RotoZip tool that that started its life years ago as a humble drywall-cutting tool. This tool, over time, has since morphed into a multi-purpose hand-held cutting tool that can do many things.
The RotoZip comes with all sorts of accessories, one of them being the X-SHIELD.
You need this precision attachment when you attach some of the new XWHEELS. These are special discs that allow you to cut just about anything.
Vacation Plans
Vacation season is just around the corner. Perhaps you're planning to stay closer to home to conserve cash. If you live in the Northeast, you have to read this. What if I told you that I know of an amazing bed and breakfast inn that's within a two-hour drive of the ocean, 90 minutes from the heart of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and less than an hour from great hiking, fishing, golf and boating? You can stay at The Maria Atwood Inn using it as your home base for your daily trips as you explore New Hampshire's beauty.
The Maria Atwood Inn is historic, and the food is to die for. Visit their website now, slide to the bottom of the home page, and watch a video of me eating one of Sandi's scones. This Inn was the first and only place I stayed as I hunted for my land and when I made other trips up here to visit the property once I closed on it.
Fred and Sandi Hoffmeister, the innkeepers, have become dear friends. If you live near NH, you should come and spend a restful weekend. If you do come, try to let me know and I'll do my best to stop by and eat breakfast with you. When you book your reservation, make sure you ask Sandi to make the scones for you!
The Cabinet Folks
You might not think that you could successfully purchase kitchen cabinets online. Realize that I'm not talking about kits where you bang them together yourself. I'm talking about precision cabinets that are completely assembled and finished.
You can get high-quality cabinets online with minimal hassle. What's more, a Maine-based company is spearheading this effort. It doesn't matter how many or how few you need, you can get custom cabinets delivered to your door. The wood species you can chose from are plentiful, such as Pine, Maple, Oak, Cherry, Hickory, Alder, Birch and laminates.
My daughter Meghan is using The Cabinet Folks to supply her with the cabinets she's using for her video studio set. They've been ordered, and are just a few weeks away from being delivered right here to our front door. I've been really impressed with how Craig communicates with Meghan to ensure the cabinets will be perfect.
If you're contemplating remodeling your kitchen, a bathroom, adding a basement wet bar, installing cabinets in a laundry room, etc., you should visit The Cabinet Folks and get in touch with Craig. Be sure you ask him about how he consistently beats the prices you'll get quoted at the big box stores, and Craig's cabinets will be far higher quality!
Latest Columns
I'll bet you didn't know you can mix and match cabinet doors for a great look.
Have you ever wondered how a dry-stack stone wall can last for hundreds of years?
Glass windows - is there any other type - were ripped off and shipped to Colorado and California. Read this little bit of history. You may have stolen goods in your home!
Everyone can use an extra storage cabinet. Here's where you can get one or more for free.
The real estate market is in the toilet, actually it's farther than that, it's headed to the sewage plant. But when it comes back, you better remember everything in this column about your real estate inspection.
Click here to read past copies of my newsletters.
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