Kris's Profile

If you can afford custom built, solid wood cabinet, installed by a professional, go for it! I can't however...nor could I justify it in my house. It was a choice of the mdf particle board from Lowes/Home Depot vs Ikea. I opted for ikea and couldn't be happier. I would say the quality is the same or better and the variety in finishes is much better. The one hazard that we discovered was DO NOT buy EVERYTHING from Ikea. Get your cabinets...and maybe your countertop from ikea. but you NEED to mix things up a bit. Otherwise it looks like you are living in an ikea show room---and that does get kinda of old.

We remodeled/installed the cabinets and kitchen on our own so I found everything relatively easy to install. Whether you go with Ikea or Home Depot you are always going to get nightmare contractors...Hence nearby stores advertising "we fix $98 installs" LOL

DO NOT have blind faith in your property inspector!!!! No matter how highly recommended they come. Always check things out for yourself and/or have someone that you know and trust give things a once over. That "small leak" under the kitchen...a silver dollar sized hole in the kitchen drain which had been draining into the crawlspace for decades. That "minimal settling" was where a prior owner had cut clean through the floor joists to run a drain pipe rather than buying a few extra pvc fittings. Often, you basically sign away any rights to hold the inspector accountable for not mentioning something.

Who knew my neighbors were so trendy? Granted the snazzy lamps and drawn back curtains are in their case a flickering fluorescent tube and a plastic roll up blind. Sometimes I wonder...

Works like a charm....did this a few years back during one late night picture hanging spree. I had no desire to hunt down an all night store so the pop tab was the first thing I saw. In face I am pretty sure all those picture are still hanging using those same tabs!

Take a few down to your county extension agency, they can usually tell you anything that is going on in terms of bugs and plant pests. And usually how to control them!