I store extra vases in our over the refrig cupboard. Also a collection of cookie cutters that only get used once a year (depending on the holiday!) and other seasonal paper products extras.
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I probably posted here before that I now have a shorter fridge than I used to have (71-72 inches vs 84). I need to fill in the space above the fridge. Most likely option, which I still havenāt ordered, is a new cabinet that costs close to $400, then $350 for installation. I really kind of like the @mathmom shelf. Iām going to see if I can find anything similar in 12x12x36.
Another option is to keep the existing cabinet but get longer doors made. Thatās what we did.
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Thanks for the suggestion, but we currently have no cabinet above fridge.
Iām not a wine drinker so someone else would probably have more knowledge, but I thought it was supposed to be bad to store wine above a refrigerator because that space might be a little hotter and would cause the wine to spoil quicker.
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The poster wanted to store wine glasses, I think. Kinda like this (photo of the page because it looks like a blog so no links!):
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Gotcha. Thanks for the correction.
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Yes, itās bad to store wine over the fridge. I was thinking of wine glasses, similar to the photo @BunsenBurner posted.
@mathmom - I found a DIY site with instructions on adding the vertical dividers to the cabinet above the fridge. Relatively easy. More important - not $$$. Now to see if I can convince H that we should do this. Would be a fun weekend project.
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If you already have a cabinet there, I highly recommend it. Thereās no reason they canāt hide behind a cabinet door either.
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Iām usually behind everyone else with installing anything that relates to home security, but I decided to take advantage of this yearās Black Friday deals by purchasing everything I needed to establish my āhome security system.ā My wife and I often go on lengthy trips leaving our house totally unattended, so this installment of our home security system is really long overdue.
In searching for the devices, I settled on the Ring system for video cameras. For smart lightings, I chose Philips Hue Energy Efficient Bluetooth Led Light Bulbs.
My Ring home security camera ecosystem so far consists of:
- Indoor Cam in Livingroom
- Indoor Cam in Family Room and Kitchen
- Indoor Cam in Basement
- Indoor Cam in Garage
- Floodlight and Cam in Backyard Deck
- Indoor/Outdoor Stick Up Cam in Front Porch
- Indoor Cam through Window to Garden
- Currently out of stock, but as soon as itās available, Doorbell Pro 2
I also got an Indoor/Outdoor Stick Up Cam Battery version that I named āFloaterā as this will be used to place wherever as needed, particularly for catching close up backyard bird/wildlife in action.
The Philips Hue ecosystem, as a starter, consists of:
- Front door light
- Left and Right Driveway lights
- Master Bedroom lights
- Livingroom and Family Room lights
All outdoor lights are programmed to turn on and off by timer. I opted for all white bulbs as opposed to multicolor as I have no need to play with colored lights. BestBuy, however, offered a free multicolor Sengled smart bulb when I purchased a set of four Philips Hue bulbs.
Both videos and lights are working very well as they should with their respective phone apps. However, I found that the app for Philips doesnāt work well unless Iām near the lights, so I placed an order for the Bridge that should solve the connectivity issue. Until the video cams are widely available in 4K as a standard and at affordable pricing, the current 1080p HD quality will have to do for now.
Anyone else has done something similar? Whatās the good and the bad with your security ecosystem?
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The cornerstone of our security system is the location of our internet cable. Even the Comcast dude had problems with finding it! 
If you have cable internet, make sure your cable canāt be cut easily without the bad guys getting on camera.
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When we had to find a new security service in a hurry we went with SimpliSafe. We have wireless contacts on all doors and windows, but no inside cameras. Using their monitoring service saves money on our HOIns. Regular monitoring is about $15/mo. They offer an enhanced service (you can turn off/on remotely) for $25 that we used on the old house when we were away a lot.
We also have an exterior Lorex camera system that H installed. At the temp house itās only eight cameras. We had 13 - 15 at our old house (it was long and rambling.) A DVR records according to however we set the sensitivity to trigger it and the length of time. This time of year, the DVR writes over old captures every few days because the lights outside trigger some of the cameras. Some cameras are fixed while others are PTZ.
Weāll probably do the same at the new house, but I want to add a video doorbell as well. Iāve looked at Ring, Eufy and some others. I donāt think weāll add glass break sensors there because all doors and windows are impact rated. Also, at previous homes, Iāve triggered glass break sensors by dropping things in the kitchen.
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I was seriously considering SimpliSafe before Ring as itās ranked #1 as the best home security system in various magazine outlets, but I went with Ring for personal preferential reasons, one of which was their latest Doorbell Pro 2 with enhanced head-to-toe 1536p HD video, first of its kind 3D Motion Detection, Birdās Eye View, and built-in Alexa Greetings that answer the door for you. Ringās subscription is also pretty cheap, $3/month for one camera recording or $10/month or $100/year for limitless recording on all of my cameras regardless of how many and 60-days of archival storage.
I opted not to get any motion detection and alerts that are not tied to video recording. Thereās nothing like a video footage as proof and evidence.
Iām going to call my home insurance agent tomorrow and see whether my new security system can qualify for a discount. If so, an accumulative discount amount can easily pay for my system expenses.
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More than you asked for, but making our house āsmartā was my project a few years back!
We have an ancient wired alarm system that still works well, but is not monitored. I have a little Arlo with a sound sensor that I plug in when weāre out of town so Iāll get an alert if itās triggered. Have a Ring peephole door bell camera. If I had it to do again, I would put in the Doorbell Pro.
Just redid landscaping and went heavy on outdoor lighting (connected to a smart adaptor). Really happy with how it looks and get compliments from the neighbors. Converted all the irrigation to drip ā¦ still need to figure out the Hunter app.
Smart lights (not sure what brand, Smart Life is the app) in several places inside.
Other things I added: SmartThings Hub connected to a Nexx smart garage door opener (I always second guess if I closed the gararge door); smart locks on the front door and between the garage & house; leak sensors under fridge, washing machine & kitchen sink. I have a Flume monitor strapped to my water meter that alerts me to unusual water usage and an EcoNet valve robot that can shut off water to the house if a leak is detected and weāre not home. (Can you tell weāve had leak problems in the past?)
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Are you comfortable putting 1/3 down payment on a large project when the start date is 2-3 months out?
We put 1/3 down on a new roof for our cabin in May. They started the installation yesterday. At least it will be finished before the serious snow comes, but we are only seeing the progress in pictures sent from the project foreman. Even if we were there, weād have no idea how to evaluate the job, so I guess it doesnāt matter that we arenāt there.
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This is what we did when we replaced our roof. I paid with my Costco card just in case things would go south within 60 days. It was this or paying a bit more for the project and having to deal with a lien on the house.
1/3 generally covers materials that must be ordered before the project can start.
We were burned by a contractor once and hence donāt like to hand over a lot of money months ahead. I offered $500 now and the rest on day 1. This is what I did this summer when we had the house painted and they were fine with it. This projectās company said they would accept 25% instead of 30%, but he and his wife use that 5% for food and bills, (!) and they also would knock 600 off if I give them 5 google stars now for the estimate. I think I need to move on from this company.
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I would not give my business to any company that would try to buy a 5-star review with a discount! 
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The google review thing would be a big red flag to me too.
That said, the deposit seems standard in my neck of the woods.
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