Mary Anne Carter
Mary Anne has her own blog now
Category Archives: Home Improvement
Mar 21 2012

Having work done around the house

by Mary Anne

I want to have some renovation work done here at the house.  I haven’t lived here very long, so I don’t know which contractors are the most reliable and provide the best value.  So I need some help to find local builders that will do the best job without charging me outrageous prices.

My British cousin tells me that she uses a website at workbidder.co.uk to help her find the kinds of services that she needs.  From Handymen, Au Pairs, Beauticians, Gardeners, Artists, Teachers, and Typists, the website helps the homeowners find the people that provides the services.

I looked at the website, and it looks like a great service!  I’ll have to see if there is a similar one for the USA! Hmmm… maybe Angie’s list?

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Mar 21 2012

We bought some peach trees

by Mary Anne

I never thought that I would want fruit trees in my yard.  When I was a child, my parents had apple trees, pear trees, and a cherry tree in their yard.  Although they were very pretty when they bloomed, we did not put the fruit to use, and in the fall the yard was littered with rotting fruit that attracted bees.  I liked to run around barefoot, and therefore did not like having to look carefully to avoid stepping on the rotting fruit or the bees!  

So, I never wanted fruit trees in my yard.  That was before we saw some peach trees in bloom at our local Wal-Mart.  They were on display at the front door, and they are gorgeous!  We bought two of them.  I hope we can put the fruit to use!  I DO like peaches, but I don’t know if we are going to have to spray them or anything to do with caring for them!  I just know that the flowers were breathtaking to look at! 

Categories: Around the House, Family and friends, Garden, Home Improvement, Life, Shopping | Comments Off

Mar 17 2012

Hoarder or collector

by Mary Anne

Sometimes I have to wonder if we are a family of hoarders, or if we are a family of collectors. When we first moved into this house, there were two storage sheds in the back yard. One looked as if it could have been used as a one-horse barn, but the other looked like one of those pref-fab steel sheds that you can buy as a kit online or at one of the big warehouse discount stores.

I was looking at some of the Arrow sheds sold online as kits and was thinking that the next time that we have to replace one of our sheds that I’d like to get one with an attic. I like the idea of a little bit of extra storage space up above.

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Mar 17 2012

Sears appliance repair services

by Mary Anne

I wanted to share with you my experiences with using Sears for appliance repairs.  I have purchased many household appliances through Sears, and bought their extended warranty/maintenance contracts because I thought that would be a good thing to do.

And yes, I have called them often to come repair things, and the repairs ended up being free because of the contracts.  The drawback has been, however, that usually when the appliance breaks down and I call Sears I have to wait a week or more before they will send a technician out to the house to see what the problem is.  And as often as not, the technician is not prepared to actually repair the appliance, only diagnose it.  And then he/she has to order parts, which take a week or more to come in.  The part is supposedly shipped to me, and when the part arrives I am supposed to call them and schedule an appointment for the repairman to come back to actually fix the appliance.  That appointment is also at least a one to two week wait.

That particular incident that I’m describing above resulted in my having no clothes washing machine to use at home for over two months because for some reason the order for the replacement part did not get sent in, and after waiting three weeks for the part to arrive I called Sears to ask them for a progress report.  So they had to order the part again, which was a delay.  I do not enjoy doing laundramat duty, and I had a household that generated ten loads of laundry every week.

So, I have mixed reviews for their appliance repair service.  It did save money, but they are very slow in coming out to fix the appliances.  If I used a local appliance repair service, I am sure they could have come out and repair the appliance within a day or so.

Also, they have advertised that they repair/service all makes and models of appliances, whether purchased at Sears or not and that is not true.  I did call them once to repair my water softener system that was NOT purchased at Sears, and they refused to service it.

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Mar 17 2012

Wallpaper paint or tile

by Mary Anne

When we were thinking about redecorating/remodeling our kitchen, one of the things that we needed to decide upon was the wall treatment. For the most part, the only exposed wall space in the kitchen is the wall space between the counter tops and the wall-mounted cabinets.

My husband, being a big fan of shiny metal things, was lobbying for using only stainless steel tiles for the wall treatment. Although I agree that placing stainless steel tile behind the stove top would probably be the smartest choice in respect to being the easiest to keep clean, I am reluctant to continue that treatment all the way around the kitchen.

When I think of having a stainless steel look on the walls, in addition to the stainless steel appliances we already have, I feel that having that much stainless steel would make the kitchen look too much like the kitchen area of a diner. Too much stainless steel would make the place feel cold and industrial; a look that I do not care for.

Although I would love the look of wallpaper on the walls, I know that the wallpapering skills available in this family are slim to none, so I’m thinking that a semi-gloss paint would be the next best choice because that should be relatively easy to keep clean.

Categories: Around the House, Family and friends, Home Improvement, Life, Opinion, Shopping | Comments Off

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