LED Lighting's Wild West to End

The wide variations in amount of light, color, energy efficiency and length of life, of LED light fixtures is about to end:

LED Lighting Standards Arrive

The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) published a documentary standard LM-79, which describes the methods for testing solid-state lighting products for their light output (lumens), energy efficiency (lumens per watt) and chromaticity.

In this case it's really thank goodness for regulation! And none too soon either.

The LED fixtures on the market have been all over the map in quality, and consumers have had no direction as to what was good or bad.

In the fall of 2008 you will begin to see Energy Star rated LED fixtures, which have been tested against these new standards, and you will be able to depend on the Energy Star logo to indicate products that meet the promise of LED lighting.

Peggy

Circe's Kitchen

Just had to provide a link to the Circe's Kitchen blog post on The History of the Kitchen in art.

Thanks to writer and kitchenista Kirsten!

Peggy

Marble Countertops in Your Kitchen?

I recently had a client who was enamored with some green marble countertops he had seen in a showroom display and wanted to use them in his own kitchen. I counseled him to beware because of the softness and stainability of marble.

This has been my practice throughout my 25 years as a kitchen designer. As a result I have seldom seen marble countertops installed in kitchens I have designed, except as pastry counters separated from everyday use.

Today I ran across a lengthy blog discussion on Apartment Therapy on just the subject of marble in the kitchen. Most of the posters seem to be biased toward using marble in their kitchens, so you have to read it with that understanding; but it is certainly a thorough analysis of the benefits and drawbacks.

I am a cook who likes countertops that are easy to care for and last a lifetime without great expense or drudgery. I have thoroughly loved the Corian countertops and integral sink in my own kitchen since they were installed in 1989 and I would do them again in any future kitchen (unless something better comes along).

For those of my clients who want the period look of marble I always recommend honed granite as an alternative that will be more stain and scratch resistant. There is a kitchen on my web site that shows this look.






















This particular granite is very light with some garnet crystals. Honing blurs and softens the graininess of the granite. The look isn't exactly the look of marble but the overall effect is of aged countertops.

The undermounted Corian sink also contributes to the aged look.



























So there are viable alternatives to fragile marble countertops in the kitchen for all but the most determined purists.

As a homeowner and cook you have to ask yourself how far you are willing to go in maintaining your own countertops. Answering that question will direct you toward the countertops that will serve your time constraints and aesthetic considerations as well.

Peggy

Re: Steps to Take When Your Contractor Walks Away

Yesterday's SF Chronicle Real Estate Mailbag, a column by Benny L. Kass - a Washington D.C. attorney, contained a consumer letter and advice by Benny on how to deal with a contractor who goes bust on your project.

Entitled Steps to Take When Your Contractor Walks Away, the advice Benny gives is very good for anyone who finds themselves in the position of the homeowner who wrote.

The homeowner is fortunate to have a completed job; but faces liens on his property that may force him to pay again for materials and services for which he has already paid...And the law is not on his side in this matter.

Materials suppliers and subcontractors have the right to lien property for goods or services they have provided in good faith. If they have not been paid, they have rights encoded in contract law...as long as they properly filed their liens within the period allowed by law.

Ignorant home ownership is no excuse when it comes to lien law. Here's a primer on California's Mechanic's Lien Law.

The question is: How do you avoid this problem in the first place?

First: Realize that the current environment will see more than a few bankruptcies among remodeling contractors. Those who started business since 1995, never having seen a downturn and without financial reserves, are prime targets for financial difficulties now or in the near future.

All it takes is one job going bad to sink a contractor who hasn't squirreled away reserves and who has to allow his insurances and license to lapse for lack of funds.

If that job happened to be the one before your job, it is YOU who could suffer the consequences!

Second: Before you sign a contract for remodeling services, take advantage of your state's contractor licensing bureau, if there is one. Here in California it is the Contractor's State License Board, or CSLB, that tracks adherence to the laws that govern contracting.

On the CSLB web site, you can check the contractor's license status and history. ANY sign of noncompliance is a warning you should never ignore.

That includes paying Workman's Comp insurance for employees who will be working on your home. Many contractors skirt this requirement by claiming that they do all the work themselves. If this is truly the case then Workman's Comp is not required. But, the fact is, anyone working for a contractor who is injured working on your home can file against your home owner's insurance if they are not covered by Workman's Comp. Your insurer will not look kindly on such a situation.

The CSLB urges consumers to follow these tips when dealing with a building contractor:

• Hire only licensed contractors and ask to see the license.
• Verify the contractor's license by checking online at www.cslb.ca.gov.
• Don't rush into decisions and don't hire the first contractor who comes along.
• Don't pay more than 10 percent down or $1,000 — whichever is less.
• Don't pay cash, and don't let the payments get ahead of the work.
• Get three bids, check references, and get a written contract.
• Contact the CSLB if you have a complaint against a contractor.

The Contractors State License Board operates under the umbrella of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. The CSLB licenses and regulates California's 312,000 contractors, and investigates more than 20,000 complaints against contractors, annually. In Fiscal Year 2006-2007, the CSLB obtained nearly $45 million on ordered restitution for consumers.

Remember: Ignorance of the law is no excuse. The homeowner who wrote to Benny is in BIG trouble and had better have plenty of financial reserves. He is going to need them.

Peggy