I had office type carpet in a room that was both a spare bedroom and home office. It look pristine ten years later. I also had a client who used vinyl slate tiles in a kitchen that was in a very high end neighborhood. She wanted something easier on the feet than real slate. It looked great. (To my surprise.)
2 Likes
Nope, no ReStore. Not even a Goodwill. One crappy Salvation Army.
No Sams Club, no Costco, no Trader Joes, no spiffy luxe boutiques. One movie theater in an almost-empty mall that used to be anchored by Sears. Weāre getting a Tractor Suppy this winter, though!
1 Like
Are you thinking about DIY? Tile then might be an easier project than sheet.
oh god no
I do have a contractor I trust now. It took a couple decades.
He will put down whatever I pick. Itās just likely to be from a big-box store; the local flooring stores canāt compete with their prices, and donāt offer anything more, tbh.
1 Like
Phew! 
Maybe you need to do a field trip to an area with a Floor and Decor. Also, see if the big boxes can order samples of stuff they have online. Speaking of online shopping at HD, my husband does that all the time. Ships to the local store and picks up from there (and can return on the spot if the item does not work for him).
BTW, Tractor Supply is 
. Your garden will love shopping there. 
1 Like
Yep, canāt wait for Tractor Supply; we currently drive 40 minutes to one in another state. Love that store!
Floor & Decor: nearest is an hour-twenty. Really worth it? I like road trips (kind of have to, where we liveā¦)
2 Likes
Our F&D is about 30-45 min drive depending on traffic, and it was sooo worth visiting it when we were looking for wall tile. Got a lot of pieces as samples (you can return pieces you donāt want).
1 Like
Yes. Floor and Decor is probably worth the field trip (sounds like you need one anyways.)
I personally decided I wasnāt ever moving anywhere I couldnāt hit a big box store very easily.
2 Likes
Another vote to go to Floor and Decor.
2 Likes
Greetings again, everyone.
Havenāt made it to Floor and Decor yet. But I will!
Meanwhile, has anyone done solar panel installations on their roof? Looking for tips, what to do/avoid. Recommendations on installers probably wouldnāt be useful as I think itās all regional, yes?
And is this something that can be done this late in the year, with freezing temps? Or would it need to be in the spring?
We have had panels since 2013. Our were installed in November or December and we live in NJ, so I donāt think temp is an issue.
1 Like
Solar was a criteria when we purchased our āretirementā home in 2015. We have in-tile panels that eliminate the issues of wind damage and bird nesting. They are low-profile and blend nicely into the roof.
1 Like
One thing to consider - not sure where you live and whether snow is an issue or not, but if I could do one thing differently, it would have been to have our panels pitched at more of an angle. We have a hip roof, so our panels are relatively flat. When it snows, it can take days for the melted snow to fully clear off, as it doesnāt have much angle to slide down. The snow melts, but has no where to go. If any portion of the panel is obscured by snow, it wonāt generate useable power. So you know how the day after a big snow storm is often bright and sunny? Those are wasted generation days for us. Perhaps the technology has improved in the years since we got ours, but if not, it is worth considering.
1 Like
Hereās an older CC thread on solar that I saved (also considering at the time, but didnāt pursue): Anyone Have Solar Panels on Your House?
2 Likes
Thanks, all.
We have a ranch house that faces south, with a decent peak (including a cathedral ceiling prow segment in the middle thatās very high, but also tilted e/w). Profile is something like this from the front: --^ā
So half of the roof gets blinding sun all day and the other half gets mostly no sun in winter with the lower angle of the sun; Iām assuming panels on that side wouldnāt be useful.
If you are going with conventional panels like we did, and if your roof also needs replacement, consider standing seam metal roof. Conventional panels are installed on a system of rails, and on standing seam metal, they simply clip onto the seams. With other types of roofs, the installation of the rails requires drilling through the roof, which creates multiple points for potential water leaks.
Our project just got installed and will be connected to the grid shortly. We researched local solar companies and went with a reputable company that does electric projects and solar installation exclusively. We briefly considered solar shingles but it turns out that the local codes require substantial setbacks so in our case, only less than 20% of the roof surface would have been solar.
1 Like
Thanks, yeah, would love a metal roof but unfortunately we replaced half the roof in 2018 after a tree fell on it. Iām thinking it makes no sense to replace it again.
Although! The half we replaced was the north-facing side. The south-facing side is due, shingles are approaching max life. But insurance didnāt cover a whole roof-replacement 4 years ago, so here we are.
Even if itās possible, a half-metal roof would be pretty stupid. As would ripping out a 4-year-old roof. Ugh.
No, it would not make sense to rip out a perfectly fine roof, and it would not make sense to go with a half and half roofing project.
1 Like
Our giant PV system is now operational! 
We will be sending some free (to the power co) electricity to the grid until net metering is turned on, but we are not greedy. 
The app can show power consumption and production in real time, apparently. It is sunny today, and the system is producing some ājuiceā:
Nowā¦ what the bleep is currently consuming 1.5 kW?! Must be the fridges and the freezer stuffed with holiday food.
3 Likes
@BunsenBurner What company did you use for the PV system & installation? (Sorry if mentioned above).