Q. My family owns a business that sells kitchen and bath cabinets. Any ideas on way's to advertise and make it grow effectively? It's not that we are small, but obviously you always want more? any suggestions will me read. thanks for the help. If you are in the kitchen/bath business please let me know what did or did not work for you. Thanks for the help!

A. You are kidding right? Have ya heard? We are in the worse depression since 1928 and the economy still continues to deteriorate. I can promise you that the last thing on peoples minds now is spending a wad of money on a new kitchen. They dont know when they too will be layed off. Besides everyone knows homes are depreaciating at a rapid pace. Why dump $20 grand into an asset that is losing value faster then this country is losing jobs. Any child knows better then that. Even the wealthy stopped spending money on their homes but this is the only market worth going after because some still are spending, just being more careful. The economy is choosing what cabinet to buy, not the customer. Those who walk into my showroom make a beeline for the pretty cherry but end up buying the less costly oak. As little as 3 years ago I had 3 to 5 people per week coming in with a $25,000 kitchen budget. Today once a month some one walks in with a broken drawer box they need replaced. The best part is when they walk in with a stack of bids 5" thick and ask you for another one. New home starts across America stands just about at zero. Now to answer your question with a wish and a prayer. Advertising in newpapers or magazines is a waste of money. The consumer is numb from ads that bombard them every day. Most saying the same old crap. Lowest prices of the year. Best sale yet. Compare and save. Free installation...and on and on. Another waste of money are those contractor referral services. You pay for so called qualified leads. But only one in 100 ever call you back. Most of us honestly believe the Bob Vila and Service Master referral services have hundreds of fake phone numbers to sell leads with. Out of about 40 leads so far that we paid $25 each for, we got 2 small jobs from them. The one thing that does work is very expensive. It's called google optimization. It cost us $1500. What it does is anyone searching key words will get YOUR business web site as the very first listing on google. Google already knows where the searcher lives. If they simply type "cabinets" into the google search bar, YOUR company will come up because google knows the searcher lives in Anytown,USA so it will find Anytown Cabinet company. My friend all you can do is sit and wait. I just hope you are living off the fat from the good days. But for most of us, the fat is decomposing quickly. I been in in this biz for 29 years and I still stand. But perhaps 70% of everyone I knew in the cabinet biz has moved on to something else. It is not good out there and I see little hope of any improvement in the housing market as well as the economy for a very very long time. Of course that is not what this govt says when they try to pull the wool over we the peasants heads. They are liars, criminals and crooks. I am honest and truthful with nothing to gain by being honest and truthful. I wish you luck. I really do.

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Q. I am thinking about remodeling my 2 bathrooms, both of which currently have 72"-wide double vanities. The new vanities I am thinking of buying would need some of the water lines moved a few inches. For example, I would like to install 2, 24"-wide vanities (one at each end of where the 72"-wide unit is now) and put a piece of furniture in the now-open 24" space in between. The problem is that the 24" vanity has a drawer on the bottom and when I look at the current water pipes/connections, one pipe is coming in only a few inches from the bottom of the current cabinet - right where the drawer would be on the new cabinet. In the other bath, one of the water lines is probably 27-28" in from the left end of the 72"-wide cabinet, which means it is in what would be the space BETWEEN the new 24"-wide cabinets. (I hope all this makes sense!) So my question is, how difficult a job is it to move water lines a few inches up, down, to the right, to the left? And what might be a ballpark cost of this kind of job? FYI, my house is on a concrete slab (very unusual in New Hampshire) but the pipes are coming in through the wall, and all the plumbing currently works well. Anyway I hope I don't have to give up on remodeling my bathrooms! Thanks!!

A. That's not very difficult, just remove the drywall, expose the piping, then re-cut and solder the pipe where you want it. If you had the piping entirely exposed and the water shut off and drained from the system, a plumber could do it in about an hour and charge you maybe $150, or you can DIY

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Q. The current bathroom is very small and has an adjacent room that could be used. What is the best way to go about starting a home remodeling project? Who to contact, etc?

A. Designers have much more knowledge and experience in remodeling than the average person. They can introduce you to things you never though possible; as well as, ensure your vision is created. BUT...an interior designer is very expensive. I work for a cabinet company in San Diego CA: www.citycabinetcenter.com. We have many customers that were in the same position as you. Our designers have helped create many beautiful rooms for customers while saving them the cost of an interior decorator. Maybe I am biased but a trip to a cabinet company seems worth your time. Have fun!

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Q. I'm looking for tile ideas (floor, wall, shower/tub area), countertop/sink type (granite? ceramic?), sink cabinet (wood colors and styles). Am thinking modern colors with good resale value. No doors on tub area, just shower curtain. Your input please. Not quite interested in pedestal sinks, though that's the trend these days.

A. All I know is electric, put a big enough fan in to move air quietly, separate switch, good lighting separate switch, don't buy a fixture light from a box that has been opened before u got there u don't know whats missing and it could cost u more to replace what is missing, consider in floor heat under the tile with a thermostat and or a timer so it dosn'tstay on longer than it needs tobe. And look at al the types of switches, maybe decora type (rockerstyle), and dont forget outlets if u have two (2) sinks you need one adjacent each sink not 1 in the middle. And if u can help it dont put a light in the shower I have seen last long there, usually a good bare type lite over the sink throws alot of light to get into the shower area good luck

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Q. We are remodelling my Grandparents bathroom. Their house was built in 1961. Our problem is finding a vanity top The vanity top measures 36" x 20". It has to be a precise fit. Where in the world do you find one this size without blowing the budget? We are looking at the cultured.

A. I depends on the type of top you want...e.g. laminate, cultured marble, granite... You can checkout places like Home Depot, or Lowe's and see what you can find, or look in the yellow pages for custom cabinet shops. A simple vanity top shouldn't be a budget buster. Hope this helps.

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Q. Speed bumps, and I need some advice. Here's the short of it: I hired a company to do my remodel job, siding, windows, new roof, new heat and air unit, remodel kitchen, bath, refinish hardwood floors, and lay new tile throughout. I do not have to sign anything or pay anything until all work is complete. The hardwood floors looked like kids finger painted them, literally, and the kitchen cabinets looked almost as bad. The only thing I was happy with was the siding, windows, roof, and the central h/a unit. So, they agreed to redo the floors, and said the kitchen cabinets would have to be painted instead of stained and varnished for some reason. I really didn't want to paint the cabinets but finally agreed, and picked a color. I had already chosen my tile floors, and couldn't change that, my walls were already painted and didn't want to change that, and the new countertops were in place and I was happy with them. So I was just hoping the color I chose for the cabinets would blend. Luckily, it did, but they hung some of the cabinet doors wrong, to open the wrong way, and a corner door especially won't open because of the handle on it. It should open from the other side. When they were redoing the wood floors, the sander was parked in a corner and must have been hot because in the night, a fire started and burnt through the wood floor. Now, the floor had to be replaced. The wood floors look beautiful this time around. They had to hire another crew to redo them. The tile floors look great. But, they still have so much to do. A few kitchen cabinets are missing. Pulls on some of them are missing. Some are still hung crooked. They need to finish placing the sinks and toilet in the bath. The kitchen sink is yet to be installed. They haven't even wiped the walls down from the soot from the fire, and the walls that the sander was parked by when it burned need to be sanded and repainted. The contractor is pushing me to sign and saying, "These are minor details, and we can finish them after you move in." On top of all this, I was told we would be in the house by Dec 1, and told it was safe to give my notice at my apartment. I gave a tentative notice, which my apt. mgr. interpreted as a final notice. The fire happened on Nov. 28, and when I went to tell them I needed to stay at least another month, I was told I had two days to move. So my kids and I moved our belongings into a rental storage and moved into a motel. The remodel company is paying for this. My legal question is: If I move into the house unfinished, am I in a way saying I accept it as it is? and if they do not finish it, can I do anything? OR Should I refuse to move in until it is complete, and demand that they continue to pay for our present accomodations, which are really pathetic, considering it is Christmas? Should I contact my attorney, and let them know we will do what we have to do to get the job done? We are having to eat out every meal, and the room is getting smaller every day!! HELP! What should I do?!

A.

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Q. I have a SLIGHT problem but first a little background. My husband owns a very sucessful construction and remodeling company.Any work I want done around the house he does it without complaining and puts as much pride in the work he does himself here as he does in the work that people pay his company to do. From building an E85 plant to remodeling kitchens.Here is the problem. We started to remodel our home, every color, fabric and so forth I picked out and yes I asked him did he like it before I made the final choices.Recently after 2 1/2 months of remodeling our upstairs bathroom gutting it to the bones ripping up the floor and even instaling custom made cabinets it is complete. And.......I HATE IT! I hate everything about it, I hate the color, I hate the new heated floor, I hate the windows I hate the cabinets I even hate the shower curtain! How do I tell him? As I type this I am sitting in our computer room it is 1/3 painted something I told him I'd do before he got back on the 3rd of Feb. The upstairs doors are supposed to be getting new hardware, again something simple I said I could do, but I havent! I have no motivation at all and I dont know where I can find my motivation or infact why it was lost I use to be so thrilled that we were redoing our home. I put off everything these last 3 weeks from doing dishs, laundry and I even for the first time EVER have dust above my door frames. How do I tell him I hate the bathroom without him freaking out, and how do I remotivate myself to complete the things Ive been putting off before he returns home?! ha ha buzz or is it bizz anyhow like I said I picked everything out and I was taking care of our speical needs terminally ill daughter and now 8 month old son. I'd go upstairs to ask did he need help but he usually refused it. As for what I hate about it, I hate EVERYTHING I dont like the color of the cabinet or even the design.Before he ordered them he told me to make sure it was what I wanted because it could not be returned. The bathroom isnt the only problem, we have a new bamboo floor in our kitchen that are you ready for this: It just pisses me off looking at it. Soon our living and entry way are scheduled for remodel I had THOUGH I wanted tile or marble heated flooring but I am changing my mind. Maybe all these projects are overwhelming to me thank god Ive not made any choices on our "flip" house yet. I just dont know what Im going to do he did work hard and it was expensive even w his "discounts" and I dont want him angry

A. I think you are suffering from "project fatigue". We've experienced it ourselves and have seen it with clients. Here is what I suggest. Live with the bathroom remodel for a little while. Try to introduce new elements, like color, with towels, throw rugs and accessories in what you think you would like to change the color to. Ask yourself whether it is the design of the new cabinets or the wood tone/color that is bothering you. What would you change about them to like them more? Are there window coverings (i.e. cornices, shutters, draperies, shades, blinds, etc.) that you could use to change the way the windows look? Is there a theme that you are particularly fond of that you can implement to take the ambiance of the bathroom in a different direction? (ie. French country, Tuscan, spa, mid-century modern) In other words, what can you change to change your perception of the room? Admittedly, my hubby (a well respected interior designer and architect) has implemented some of my designs in our own home that I found myself not happy with upon completion. (Yeah, I know what you mean about being just pissed off looking at something you hate. But, you are really just angry with yourself.) We have corrected what I was unhappy with by additions or subtractions that took the project in a different direction. You are not motivated to do anything further until you resolve the anguish you feel about the bathroom. I have always found that telling my hubby straight out that I am not thrilled with the results of a project relieves my anxieties while setting the creative wheels in his brain rolling. (He doesn't get angry, he gets quiet and withdrawn for awhile.) For example, he came up with the brilliant idea of putting wallpaper inside of a molding on a wainscotting he installed on half the walls in our bedroom. I simply hated the look of the wainscotting plain, the wallpaper helped but I added a wooden relief in the middle of the molding boxes and the hole thing came together. Explain to him that you are not motivated to continue the other projects until these issues are resolved. Unless there is schedules involving subs, you are free to stop and start progress on other projects while this is being resolved. Also, admitting mistakes and changing your mind are not crimes, they are opportunities!

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Q. My husband and I would like to demolish our only bathroom and replace everything, do you think we can do a majority of it in a couple of weekends? My husband has little faith or is it just plain lazy. I Wanna tear down ugly wall tile and replace with half drywall and half new wall tile, put in a smaller whirlpool tub and replace wall tile around tub, rip up the tile floor and replace with some ceramic. Eventually, get a new toilet and vanity and cabinet. HGTV has me pumped up! I think we can do it without hiring contractors.

A. No way you'll get this done in six days (I'm giving you fridays) No way in the world.

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