Yes, I used the "R" word! Recession!
The recession is happening to everyone; not just Southern California, not just the United States, everyone! Jobs are being lost, stocks are losing value, people are losing their homes and so much more.
In the last year, I have noticed the trend. Some of our customers started holding off on small repairs, or having their own "maintenance" personnel make them. Then the questions about the bills started - from customers who had never questioned a bill!
Now, we get the bargain shoppers; the ones who call ten different plumbing companies trying to find the cheapest. In many ways, this is a good idea, but I think there are times when it can come back to haunt you.
About 14 months ago, my boss and I sat down and went through every line item in our price book. Since we have well over 1,000 items in our price book, this took quite a bit of time. What we were trying to do was find places where we could cut our prices, without cutting our throats financially. I mean, you have to make enough money to stay in business!
We managed to cut almost every price in the book and, when we were done, we felt pretty good about it. We have always believed that we charged a fair price for a good job, but now we can say that we have cut our prices even further to help get us through the recession.
I am rambling a little bit here, but I wanted to give you some background in order to pose a question.
Is the lowest price always the best price?
I am sure that most of you know that the answer to this is a resounding "NO!"
You have probably heard the expression, "Buy cheap, buy twice". If you buy the cheapest dishwasher (for example), it will probably not last as long as the more expensive models, and you will probably have to pay for repairs more often. You may end up paying more for the cheap one (with all the repairs, etc.) than you would have it you bought the more expensive model.
Another example is tires. I recently bought a set of 4 tires for $300.00, including mounting, balancing and disposal of the old tires. I thought this was a great deal and was very excited to get it. Well, the tires run very rough and make a lot more noise on the road than my old tires. They don't seem to hold the road as well (this could just be my imagination). I have to add air to them a lot more frequently than I have ever had to add air in the past. One of them blew out while I was on the 55 the other day and completely shredded, and it only had about 8000 miles on it. I think I will buy better tires next time.
The same holds true for services. You can hire the cheapest electrician, auto mechanic, or plumber. You may get lucky and find someone who is both good and cheap. It is much more likely that you will find someone who is cheap because they are not very good. Either they won't be on time, they will take too long, they will have to go find parts (for which they will charge you more for the extra time) or something will probably come up. I have heard horror stories about people being ripped off by service people who come to their home. Here are a couple of ides to help keep this from happening to you.
1) Make sure they have a license. All plumbers, electricians, carpenters, etc, anyone who does work on your home, has to be licensed by the state. Ask them for their contractor's license, then you can go to the Contractor's State License Board website and check them out. If they do not have a license, you have basically hired an employee! This sets you up for a whole different set of problems.
2) Make sure they have insurance. All licensed contractor's in California are required to have insurance. Ask to see proof of both General Liability and Workman's Comp. insurance. Don't take the risk that if they get hurt on your property, they will sue you!
3) Get a written estimate or contract up front. I will grant you that I do not know everything there is to know about every contractor's business, but I do know that - in most cases - they should be able to give you a price before they start. If nothing else, they should be able to give you a "Not To Exceed" (NTE) price. An NTE price says, we will do this exact work and we will not charge you more then this amount. If we find anything that will cause our price to go up, we will stop and inform you. At AB&R Plumbing, we always give a written price up front.
4) Ask questions. This sounds like a no-brainer, right? Of course you will ask questions! The problem is, many people do not ask. They think they will offend the guy or that he will end up charging them more if they ask! (I am guessing, I really don't know why people don't ask questions, it's your money!) You don't have to be antagonistic and get in the guy's face! Just ask! "What is this charge for?", "Are you offering any sort of discount right now?", "Is there a way we can get this done for less money?", "I can't be home before 4:00PM, can you come then?" ASK!
There are other things to look for, but you get the idea.
Good luck and, if you need a plumber, we have already cut our prices to allow for the recession. We didn't cut our service, the quality of our work or our concern for our customers, just our prices.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
A Toast to Particleboard Cabinets!
There is a spirited discussion about particleboard cabinetry going on right now on LinkedIn among kitchen designers. I thought I would share my perspective on the subject with you:
I have had particleboard cabinets (65 lb. industrial board is the proper designation and what all better manufacturers use) in my own kitchen for 20 years. They were made by Fieldstone back in 1989 when the Leuwerke Brothers owned the company and Fieldstone was a top brand.
One would never know they are particleboard boxes because every exposed surface is covered with veneer...But they are.
They have held up just the way I tell my clients they will. Absolutely no difference between 65 lb. industrial board and plywood, except weight. They are heavier, but once installed they perform the same. Plywood shelves are actually more likely to warp than 65 lb. industrial board and, if they are 3/4" thick, they won't sag either (as long as the shelves are not wider than 42", or up to 48" with a center stile for support).
Interiors and shelves may be covered with vinyl or veneer - no difference in performance.
I was sold when I went to the Wood-Mode factory in 1983 (when Wood-Mode sold nothing but particleboard boxes) and they told me that the entire showroom had been flooded for days the previous year when the Susquehanna River overflowed its banks. They replaced the base moldings (solid wood) and put the showroom back in operation. The 65 lb. industrial board is so dense with solids that it doesn't absorb water like the cheap particleboard used in furniture.
Formaldehyde is also a dead issue. All US cabinet manufacturers stopped using any products that contain more than a minuscule amount of formaldehyde years ago after consumers kicked up a fuss back in the 80's. California outlawed all cabinet (changed from "building" which I used in error) materials containing more than a smidgen of formaldehyde last year (2009).
I see absolutely no reason to pay 15-20% premium for plywood and counsel my clients to save the money and spend it elsewhere in the kitchen. Most listen and some don't. Either way they have no complaints.
Particleboard cabinets are greener too, because the material is made from waste wood.
For further details on my criteria for judging cabinet quality see the CABINETRY page on my web site.
Peggy
P.S.
Dear readers,
I have been ROUNDLY corrected in one of my statements by "Richard" in 'comments'. Unfortunately he included his email address in his comment so I couldn't (in good conscience) post it.
I made the correction in my text above and emailed Richard asking him to re-post his comment without the email address. He has not responded, so I am posting his comment below.
Thank you for pointing out my error Richard.
I DO, however, stand by my statements that particleboard in cabinets made in the USA now has very minimal formaldehyde content and off-gassing.
Peggy
Ms. Deras,
I doubt this will be posted, but I didn't see an email to communicate privately with you. If you have questions, you can reach me at xxxxxxxxx.
Remove this paragraph should you decide to post. You do owe your readers a correction after doing your research.
I would request that you do just a little homework prior to writing things like:
"California outlawed all building materials containing more than a smidgen of formaldehyde last year (2009)."
Being a Californian, I assure you this statement is incorrect in many aspects. I assume you are referring to the CARB regulation. If not, I'd love to learn what regulation/law you are discussing.
CARB only addresses wood products. This leaves items like wall insulation unregulated. This is one of the biggest sources of formaldehyde in residential homes.
CARB also fails to address items like bamboo because it is a grass and not a wood.
CARB also specifies a temperature of 73 degrees. Formaldehyde off gassing doubles for every 10 degree increase in temperature. So a cool 83 summer day yields twice as much formaldehyde. For the folks that live in Indio, Palm Springs, etc., they can see 103 degrees regularly. That means they get 8 times as much formaldehyde.
Then there is the air exchange rate. CARB requires one air exchange every two hours in their testing. This is 50% more ventilation than required starting in 2010 and three times more than the typical California home based on CARB funded research released December 15, 2009. The lower ventilation rates allow formaldehyde to concentrate.
CARB is also designed for each individual building component. There are many different building components in a typical home allowing formaldehyde to be several times higher than the standard.
Since CARB formaldehyde regulation was written, California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessments evaluated the health effects of formaldehyde and reduced the recommended amount of formaldehyde by a factor of 4 in November 2008.
The CARB standard was designed for commercial, office and school settings. CARB advises against using the standard for residential settings until they develop a residential standard. This still has not happened. Homes are designed to have 1/3 the ventilation of commercial settings.
The phase-in periods of CARB's formaldehyde regulation continue to be extended. Phase 1 was established based on what the industry was then producing. Phase 2 which is at least 2 years away from having any effect simply cut those level in half.
Industry supported CARB because it was in reality no change to how they were doing business and many people incorrectly think they are protected.
Richard.
Update 05/30/11
Here's a link to a great comparison Cabinets: Plywood or Particle Board? Which is better?
Peggy
I have had particleboard cabinets (65 lb. industrial board is the proper designation and what all better manufacturers use) in my own kitchen for 20 years. They were made by Fieldstone back in 1989 when the Leuwerke Brothers owned the company and Fieldstone was a top brand.
One would never know they are particleboard boxes because every exposed surface is covered with veneer...But they are.
They have held up just the way I tell my clients they will. Absolutely no difference between 65 lb. industrial board and plywood, except weight. They are heavier, but once installed they perform the same. Plywood shelves are actually more likely to warp than 65 lb. industrial board and, if they are 3/4" thick, they won't sag either (as long as the shelves are not wider than 42", or up to 48" with a center stile for support).
Interiors and shelves may be covered with vinyl or veneer - no difference in performance.
I was sold when I went to the Wood-Mode factory in 1983 (when Wood-Mode sold nothing but particleboard boxes) and they told me that the entire showroom had been flooded for days the previous year when the Susquehanna River overflowed its banks. They replaced the base moldings (solid wood) and put the showroom back in operation. The 65 lb. industrial board is so dense with solids that it doesn't absorb water like the cheap particleboard used in furniture.
Formaldehyde is also a dead issue. All US cabinet manufacturers stopped using any products that contain more than a minuscule amount of formaldehyde years ago after consumers kicked up a fuss back in the 80's. California outlawed all cabinet (changed from "building" which I used in error) materials containing more than a smidgen of formaldehyde last year (2009).
I see absolutely no reason to pay 15-20% premium for plywood and counsel my clients to save the money and spend it elsewhere in the kitchen. Most listen and some don't. Either way they have no complaints.
Particleboard cabinets are greener too, because the material is made from waste wood.
For further details on my criteria for judging cabinet quality see the CABINETRY page on my web site.
Peggy
P.S.
Dear readers,
I have been ROUNDLY corrected in one of my statements by "Richard" in 'comments'. Unfortunately he included his email address in his comment so I couldn't (in good conscience) post it.
I made the correction in my text above and emailed Richard asking him to re-post his comment without the email address. He has not responded, so I am posting his comment below.
Thank you for pointing out my error Richard.
I DO, however, stand by my statements that particleboard in cabinets made in the USA now has very minimal formaldehyde content and off-gassing.
Peggy
Ms. Deras,
I doubt this will be posted, but I didn't see an email to communicate privately with you. If you have questions, you can reach me at xxxxxxxxx.
Remove this paragraph should you decide to post. You do owe your readers a correction after doing your research.
I would request that you do just a little homework prior to writing things like:
"California outlawed all building materials containing more than a smidgen of formaldehyde last year (2009)."
Being a Californian, I assure you this statement is incorrect in many aspects. I assume you are referring to the CARB regulation. If not, I'd love to learn what regulation/law you are discussing.
CARB only addresses wood products. This leaves items like wall insulation unregulated. This is one of the biggest sources of formaldehyde in residential homes.
CARB also fails to address items like bamboo because it is a grass and not a wood.
CARB also specifies a temperature of 73 degrees. Formaldehyde off gassing doubles for every 10 degree increase in temperature. So a cool 83 summer day yields twice as much formaldehyde. For the folks that live in Indio, Palm Springs, etc., they can see 103 degrees regularly. That means they get 8 times as much formaldehyde.
Then there is the air exchange rate. CARB requires one air exchange every two hours in their testing. This is 50% more ventilation than required starting in 2010 and three times more than the typical California home based on CARB funded research released December 15, 2009. The lower ventilation rates allow formaldehyde to concentrate.
CARB is also designed for each individual building component. There are many different building components in a typical home allowing formaldehyde to be several times higher than the standard.
Since CARB formaldehyde regulation was written, California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessments evaluated the health effects of formaldehyde and reduced the recommended amount of formaldehyde by a factor of 4 in November 2008.
The CARB standard was designed for commercial, office and school settings. CARB advises against using the standard for residential settings until they develop a residential standard. This still has not happened. Homes are designed to have 1/3 the ventilation of commercial settings.
The phase-in periods of CARB's formaldehyde regulation continue to be extended. Phase 1 was established based on what the industry was then producing. Phase 2 which is at least 2 years away from having any effect simply cut those level in half.
Industry supported CARB because it was in reality no change to how they were doing business and many people incorrectly think they are protected.
Richard.
Update 05/30/11
Here's a link to a great comparison Cabinets: Plywood or Particle Board? Which is better?
Peggy
PARANGIKAI PULI KOZHAMBU - PUMPKIN TAMARIND GRAVY
PARANGIKAI PULI KOZHAMBU
We have all settled down far far away from farms and fields. But the custom of thankfully offering the bountiful farm produce to the Sun God during the harvest festival is still retained. It takes at least a whole week, and three to four dishes to finish off the entire pumpkin bought for the festival. Pumpkin tastes delicious whether in sambar, raitha or tovvaey. But it tastes most delicious in puli kozhambu, especially after gorging all the special dishes prepared for the feast.
Relish the luscious pumpkin puli kozhambu with hot rice topped with ghee. It is the best accompaniment for Ven Pongal.
We have all settled down far far away from farms and fields. But the custom of thankfully offering the bountiful farm produce to the Sun God during the harvest festival is still retained. It takes at least a whole week, and three to four dishes to finish off the entire pumpkin bought for the festival. Pumpkin tastes delicious whether in sambar, raitha or tovvaey. But it tastes most delicious in puli kozhambu, especially after gorging all the special dishes prepared for the feast.
INGREDIENTS
Pumpkin - ¼
Tamarind - 1 big lemon size
Chillie powder - 2 heaped tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Salt - 2 ½ tsp
Jaggery ( grated) - 2 tbsp
Sesame (til) oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
Split bengal gram dal (Channa dal)- 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - 1 twig
Chopped or slit green chillies - 2
Freshly grated ginger - 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
Rice flour - 1 tsp
METHOD
1. Peel and cut the pumpkin into big cubes.
2. Soak and extract the tamarind juice and keep it aside.
3. Dry roast the sesame seeds till light pink in colour, and then grind the seeds into a coarse powder.
4. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add mustard seeds.
5. When the mustard seeds splutter, add fenugreek seeds and bengal gram dal, and fry till golden in colour.
6. Next add the broken red chillies and asafoetida.
7. Throw in the green chillies, ginger and the curry leaves.
8. Now add turmeric powder, corriander powder, cumin powder and the chilly powder. Take care not to burn these powders, by immediately adding the tamarind juice before the powders get over fried.
10. Add salt , jaggery and the pumpkin pieces.
11. Add a little more water to cover the vegetable, and cover with a lid and cook.
12. After the pumpkin is cooked and soft (but not mashed), add a paste of rice flour mixed with water and boil for three minutes. This is done to thicken the kozhambu.
13. Lastly add the coarsely ground sesame seeds and switch off flame.
Tamarind - 1 big lemon size
Chillie powder - 2 heaped tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Salt - 2 ½ tsp
Jaggery ( grated) - 2 tbsp
Sesame (til) oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
Split bengal gram dal (Channa dal)- 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - 1 twig
Chopped or slit green chillies - 2
Freshly grated ginger - 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
Rice flour - 1 tsp
METHOD
1. Peel and cut the pumpkin into big cubes.
2. Soak and extract the tamarind juice and keep it aside.
3. Dry roast the sesame seeds till light pink in colour, and then grind the seeds into a coarse powder.
4. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add mustard seeds.
5. When the mustard seeds splutter, add fenugreek seeds and bengal gram dal, and fry till golden in colour.
6. Next add the broken red chillies and asafoetida.
7. Throw in the green chillies, ginger and the curry leaves.
8. Now add turmeric powder, corriander powder, cumin powder and the chilly powder. Take care not to burn these powders, by immediately adding the tamarind juice before the powders get over fried.
10. Add salt , jaggery and the pumpkin pieces.
11. Add a little more water to cover the vegetable, and cover with a lid and cook.
12. After the pumpkin is cooked and soft (but not mashed), add a paste of rice flour mixed with water and boil for three minutes. This is done to thicken the kozhambu.
13. Lastly add the coarsely ground sesame seeds and switch off flame.
Relish the luscious pumpkin puli kozhambu with hot rice topped with ghee. It is the best accompaniment for Ven Pongal.TIPS
- I also use coarsely powdered Yellu Bella ( prepared during the festival to exchange greetings with friends) for garnishing. It lends an awesome unique flavour to the kozhambu.
- I also use coarsely powdered Yellu Bella ( prepared during the festival to exchange greetings with friends) for garnishing. It lends an awesome unique flavour to the kozhambu.
- If the pumpkin skin is too hard to cut through, then just halve or quarter the pumkin, and cook it in a pressure cooker, by adding one and a half inches of water at the bottom. Cook for three whistles and cool. Cut into pieces and then remove the skin. Add these pieces when the raw smell in the kozhambu has gone, just before adding the rice flour paste.
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