WHAT IS THE ADA AND WHY DO WE NEED IT?

In an effort to give you folks what you want, I have continued to watch my “sitemeter” as to the questions that are being asked or “Googled” that lead them to my blog. As I have mentioned before, for the first few weeks after joining the sitemeter the most frequently asked question was someone seeking complaints or experience ratings on doing business with National Builders Supply. In an effort to answer this question I wrote at least two blogs citing letters furnished to me from my friend Fran Byrd as well as discussing Marcus Morgan’s customer service philosophy. Those blogs seemed to have done the trick because now the trend has turned in a new direction, one which I have addressed before but feel obligated to discuss again.The one nearest to my own needs, the ADA compliant bathroom.
First I guess we should discuss what ADA means. It stands for “Americans with Disabilities Act”. This governmental regulation was enacted a few years back with much celebration and aggravation by the public and especially by business folks. It is a broad sweeping set of regulations which require retail businesses and offices to maintain certain standards as to accessibility for those of us who are handicapped. This means everything from handicapped marked parking spaces, to curb ramps, extra wide entrance doors and exits, and the ubiquitous ADA height toilet (God’s and the government’s gift to us old folks). Honestly as a business man I originally was as against the governments forcing us to put these changes into effect as anyone could be. I saw it as a forced expense as well as an inconvenience to everyone until a few years back I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Syndrome. As my condition worsened I found it more and more difficult to walk from a far parking space and became thankful for the disabled placard my doctor got for me which allows me to park in a handicapped marked space. I began to appreciate the fact that supermarkets provided the motorized shopping carts that I had once disdained. With every passing day as my disability worsens and I grow less and less able to live on my own I realize that there are a world of people out there who are not as lucky as me. Those folks are still having to find jobs, having to ride buses to get to those jobs, having to negotiate wheelchairs onto sidewalks and into buildings and are having to manage the most personal of daily activities, such as going to the restroom, without any assistance except for the fact that the ADA requires toilet stalls with extra wide doors. higher than normal toilets, sinks that are accessible from a sitting position with faucets that can be easily reached from a wheel chair or while trying to stand on crutches. I say lucky because at this stage of my life I do not have to go to an office every day although I wish I could, but I do still have to live alone and manage most of my day to day activities by myself. I am blessed with a small monthly disability check from Social Security, medicare to help pay some of my medical expenses and of course as I mention all the time I have Mike and Dianne Hennecy, my best friends for 42 years, and Bill and Shirley Whiteside, my neighbors across the street, whose daily help keeps me able to live alone and not have to be in assisted living or a nursing home. Although I try not to drive, I do occasionally have to venture out to the grocery or drug store, or to a doctor visit and that disabled parking spot and the little motorized cart makes it possible. At home I have the advantage of an ADA height toilet, which I brag about constantly and most recently acquired a TOTO Washlet to make my toilet functions easier. I still have to have safety bars in my bathroom and tub, a seat to sit on in the tub and live in fear of a fall every time I go to bathe. My previous blogs about ADA compliant bathrooms in the home called out the easy and the more expensive changes that can be made to the home bathroom to make it easier on disabled and elderly people and if you have not had a chance to read up on those 2 blogs please reference back to them for more specifics. For the time being I am having to take it one step at a time to get mine into the more expensive sort. I still have to deal with a narrow door opening, a step over tub and sometimes awkward faucets but I am getting there. If you have someone in your home or family that is disabled or approaching older age, now is the time to take these things into consideration. If you are planning a remodel or building a new home consider going ahead with the ADA recommendations and lastly if you are a business person who has had to endure the inconvenience of restructuring your place of business to comply with the ADA, know that it is not for naught. Know that it is needed daily by so many people and know that I for one thank you.

Why Do I Need Plumbing Vents?

I have seen a lot of activity on the forums and discussion groups of late about plumbing ventilation or “waste stacks” and although I have written on it before it seems that maybe a better explanation is needed to help people understand the need for vents. To start with let me begin by answering the basic question that I answered for a reader on Saturday morning, yes if you install a new sink it must have a vent. Can it be connected to an existing vent stack? Maybe but that really depends on how close the existing stack is to the new sink and how much you are already venting with the existing system.
Now let’s back up and briefly discuss what a vent does. Vents really are necessary for two reasons. The first reason is to vent captured methane or sewer gas up, out and away from the house. Every fixture has a “P” trap or device to keep sewer gas from coming back up through the sink or toilet but that doesn’t allow for the gas to escape from your pipes. The vent stacks are attached in line with all of your drain lines and run vertically up and out of the house to a prescribed height above your roof line. This height varies by code from each venue, but usually is at least 18” or higher from the roof line. These vent stacks are normally clearly visible protruding from your roof usually directly above plumbing fixture locations in your home. This allows the sewer gas to escape up and away from the area of windows and doors in the house and up into air circulation. The second purpose for vents is to allow for better drainage. The best way to demonstrate the need for this is to take a bottle of water and turn it upside down. You will notice that the water does not pour out evenly but instead gurgles out or may become trapped completely if the liquid is thicker than water. Likewise water or sewage that is draining from your house gets air pockets trapped in the drain line and without vents these air pockets keep the fluids from escaping easily and will cause drains to operate slowly or will cause them to loudly gurgle when trying to drain. Many new home owners will experience this when moving into a newly built home and discover that the plumber, in order to cut some corners, may have shorted the number of vents needed. This is especially true in rural areas where building codes are not enforced with inspections before the walls are closed up. To increase vents and have them hidden in walls can be a very awkward and messy retro fit requiring walls to be removed and new punctures to be made up through ceilings, plates and the roof. The potential for future leaks and other problems is high. Vents can be run on the outside of a house and in fact in older homes, that were retro fitted with plumbing when indoor bathrooms became the vogue, vent pipes many times could be seen running up the outside walls of the house and sticking up above the roof. Obviously the process of adding vents must be a prime consideration any time you decide to add a plumbing fixture of any kind to an existing system or plan to expand your home. This decision will become just as important as how will the plumbing drain and where will the water source come from.
Finally the gurgling I discussed earlier when water is draining can be caused by something other that a lack of original vents. If you have been living in your home for a while and the drains start gurgling then there can be other problems. The vents themselves can become clogged. This usually occurs with an accumulation of leaves and trash in the vents from where they stick out of the roof and small animals and birds have been known to used these vent pipes as ideal nesting locations. A plumbers snake or auger inserted from the roof down will usually unclog the vent and force the debris down and out through your drain lines. Gurgling can also occur when your drain lines themselves begin to clog and the water can not escape fast enough. As addressed in other blogs of mine, this too can be cleared with the use of a snake.
More and more it seems that a 25' plumbers auger begins to become one of those necessary additions to your DIY tool box or if not the phone number for your local plumber should be tattooed on a convenient apendage.

HOME DEPOT CARPET INSTALLATION DEAL

While out shopping for flooring for the previously blogged about contractor fiasco, I was at my local Home Depot. Many times they have end cap specials or weekend markdowns. As it turned out the best deal on laminate flooring I could find was at Lumber Liquidators for 6mm maple finish for $.78 per square foot but 40+ miles away. The local flooring contractor supply house agreed to match the price for the same merchandise so the deal was made locally eliminating the need for a trip and keeping the business local. As a rule you should use the internet to seek out the best in pricing and then don't be shy about asking the competition to match or beat the price.
Although I didn't find the laminate I wanted at HD I did run across a carpet special that was hard to beat. I don't know whether it was local or a chainwide event but they were offering whole house carpet installation no matter how large your house, for $139 total as long as you purchased the carpet there. I felt this was hard to beat and as long as the house was going to already be in turmoil I would also replace the long suffering carpet in my house. They had some great deals on in stock carpet so I made the deal. As opposed to the lying, cheating and shoddy work of the laminate installer, HD was the epitome of professionalism. They made an appointment to come measure for the carpet, showed up on time. They made an appointment for the installation and made 3 phone calls for verification and time coordination and the installation crew showed up right on time and much to my pleasure they did a great job. Nice guys, thorough in all of their work and at the completion presented me with their boss's business card and an unexpected 1 year installation warranty. FOLKS I CAN NOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE. About 3 hours after they left the boss called to verify my satisfaction and the performance of his crew. What a way to do business!

To complete my contractor experiences on a high note I want to mention one more important operative in this otherwise trying scenario. I am proud to say that I am a father and a grandfather. I have 3 sons, John 45, Donovan 40, and Joseph 28. The youngest is the father of my only grandchild, Tristen William Warren who is now 5 and has exemplifies the old adage that “if I had known how much fun a grandbaby could be I would have had him first”. Along with my sons I have also been something of a surrogate father to several young men along the way. These kids were contemporaries of my kids, friends who were usually the ones that my sons brought home and for various reasons they stayed or seemed to be there at the dinner table or asleep on the sofa on Saturday or Sunday morning when I would get up. Many because their home lives weren’t good, one from a broken home that was forced to live with grandparents who just weren’t ready to raise another child and didn’t understand him. Another whose step father was twice the age of his mother and just wasn’t interested in being a dad to him. Then there was Alan, or Erik as he is known these days. A brainy little kid that I thought would surely be a rocket scientist, but because of a pretty much dysfunctional family became lost and suffered many difficulties. It is Erik who came to my rescue this week. He lives about 100 miles away from me but when I communicated how upset I had become over the contractor situation and the mess that my little home had become last week, showed up on my doorstep on Monday morning to try to make things right for me. He came fully equipped with every tool and piece of power equipment is little car could carry and in 3 days he has managed to get me back on my feet. He repaired screw ups left by the unscrupulous contractor, moved the furniture for the carpet crew and got it back in place, trimmed off the bottom of all my doors, put my safety railing back up, cleaned out my closets and spare room piling a vast mountain of trash on the street just in time for the trash truck to pick it all up this morning and most importantly spent time with me to get my nerves and emotional side back in balance. He even got “Nate” back his sofa to hold down. Nate was just about as lost as I was with the mess and spent most of our first night back in the house just wandering around all night looking for a comfortable place to lie. His charge? First he wanted me to make him chicken and yellow rice like I used to make, and asked for $25 to pay for his gas and a new circular saw blade. Now I’m not much of a cook, always claiming that the best thing I made for dinner was reservations, but I did make the requested dish and I must say it was wonderful and even made enough for Erik to take home to his wife and mother and some to share with the Whitesides across the street from me. They are the kind folks that I have written about who are always checking in on me and sharing dinners with me. I also managed to come up with a little more than the cash ge requested. Enough that his wife will not object to him coming back another time to effect some more minor repairs and projects that I just can’t get done.
Just what an ole Dad needs, a good friend, an honest, reasonably priced contractor and most importantly a much adored member of my extended family.
See Erik I told you Id make you an internet star!!!

Hell Hath No Fury Like Faucetman Scorned!

Here’s some further info for those of you that read my blog from last Friday, “Multiple System Failures…”. I have to tell you that every time I walked through the house this past weekend , I saw more and more of the damage that the ill chosen handyman had inflicted on my home and my emotional state of mind. I have been just sick about it. Sick that I let someone take advantage of me as badly as this guy did, sick over the mess he left for me to have to try to have friends, family and additional hired folks to correct and, I guess, finally sick and worried about the other folks that this shyster has or will take advantage of. I live in a senior citizens community and this guy makes his living here on this property. You can’t ride through the area a single day without seeing his truck somewhere in the area and to me that means the potential of other friends and neighbors being taken advantage of. But you know no one had spread the word. No one had posted a notice on the community bulletin board about their problems with him, no one had gotten up at the monthly breakfasts and told their story. Why? embarrassment, shame, and /or fear of his intimidation. These neighbors and friends are like me, most unable to do major things for themselves anymore. Some are widowed ladies who have never been able to do DIY projects and always had a loving husband to take care of the little projects. Some disabled, like me, and know what to do but just can’t pull it off any more. But as I write this blog I tell you the one thing that I am not disabled about, too ashamed of, afraid of or intimidated by, is this guy. As I set out to spread the word about my experience with friends close by I began to see a pattern of his operation. I began to hear of the many horror stories of his misconduct that have gone unreported. I heard that he recently was hired to build a $6000 screen porch and he failed to pull a permit for the construction and when the county discovered the construction the entre porch had to be torn down and the customer is still trying to get their damages back from the guy. He comes in with promises of a great price and instills confidence. As he gets into the job he attempts to change his estimate to get more money. With my job, as an example, he told me he had misfigured how much material he needed and would need more money than the agreed upon price. Fortunately for me I told him a contract was a contract and he would do what he said for the money paid. I am 6’4” and weigh way in excess of 300 pounds and have been known to intimidate folks just by entering a room. Then he tried to change the terms by changing the job, why not use ceramic tile instead of laminate flooring, he just so happened to have a deal on some tile. I found out over the weekend that tile would have come from another neighbors job he was also working on while on my job. Probably got that customer to order more tile than needed and was then going to sell me the ill gotten tile and raise his installation price. I didn’t want tile so that part of his plan didn’t work. Then he tried to charge me for what he called “extra work” that was not in the contract but was tacitly implied like taking the doors down and trimming off the bottoms, having to move the appliances, having to disconnect the icemaker line on the refrigerator. The list went on and on. He tried to make me feel ingratiated to him for all the things he did for “free” for me. Ultimately though what he did to get what he deemed fairness when I wouldn’t give in to him was to just plain perform shoddy work and cause damage wherever he could. As I related on Friday, he damaged the toilets, ruined the prefinished moldings, sprung at least one door by bending a hinge so that the door would not close, took down a safety railing on one of my entrance steps and failed to replace it and last but not least abandoned the job without replacing moved furniture leaving my house disheveled and causing me to have to remain out of my home for six days instead of the promised three while friends and hired professionals helped put things right. My form of fairness returned for the many problems he left for me is to make sure I can tell as many people in the area about him and by telling YOU what to look for and what not to do in the future when dealing with this type of business man. I am posting notices, going to speak to the monthly community meeting, and I am posting a complaint about him on “Angie’s List”. For those of you that may not be familiar with “Angie’s List”, it is an internet site that allows for postings of complaints and recommendations of local business, medical professionals, contractors etc in the hopes that other folks can be spared the heartache and monetary loss a culprit like my guy can inflict.
Paybacks are hell!! I feel better already.

Multiple Systems Failure or Murphy's Law at Work!

Well there was a day in my DIY life where I would have attacked the project myself after all it was going to be simple, just replace old sheet vinyl floors in both of my bathrooms with new laminate wood floors. More and more these days I find it difficult to walk, have to use a cane, difficult time getting up and down, have to use one of those electric lift chairs, have to have an ADA height toilet, grab bars in the shower and the list goes on and on. Hell, it’s time to admit that with my infirmities it easy to say “my get up and go done got up and went” ! With all this in mind I hired a local handyman service to do the job for me and the nightmare began. Thus began what I refer to as MULTIPLE SYSTEMS FAILURES or Murphy’s law in effect. For those of you that may not know of Murphy’s law, it’s a 10 tenet list of all the things that can go wrong with a project but the 2 most frequently in action and especially for me this past week were:
1. IF ANYTHING CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG IT WILL
2. IF MORE THAN ONE THING CAN GO WRONG THE ONE THAT WILL CAUSE THE MOST DAMAGE WILL OCCUR FIRST AND EACH IN SUCCESSION IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE.
Meanwhile back to the project. I made the contract with the handyman for a fixed amount of money and for that he would remove the toilets and replace them and as would be expected include new wax rings, replace the sub floor using stainless steel screws, float the seams so as to provide a even surface for the new floor, install the new laminate floor and trim out with matching molding. Additionally I decided to change the vanity out in one bathroom with a newer style with drawers replacing the old one that had only doors and had always annoyed me. The handyman said no problem he would do that as part of the same money because to do the job properly and more easily he was going to remove the old one anyway. Because both bathrooms were going to be useless for the 2 day repair and refurbish my trusty dog, “Nate” (see previous blogs for a pic), and I moved to my best friend’s home to wait it out. What was estimated to be a 2 day job turned into 3 days and even then nothing but problems and a real possibility at small claims court or a local handyman with multiple fractures of the knee caps.
The problems began simply enough. I bought the vanity and found it still sitting in its box on the carport after the handyman called to say he was done. His explanation, the plumbing came in from the side and the vanity was only cut out in the back and so it wouldn’t fit. A simple cut out of the side which was against the wall and unseen made that a simple fix along with a verbal attitude adjustment delivered by my trusty friend “Crash and burn Hennecy” who is not known for his tactful way of dealing with people who get on his bad side. I don’t think the handyman now believes that Mike has a good side at all.
Again we get a call that the vanity is in and the job is done….well except that we have a small leak that the handyman has been unable to repair and he had left the job with the water turned off. Small leak? Both toilets were leaking from the tanks, the shut off valves and from underneath and had flooded the new subfloor and laminate and my newly purchased and much loved TOTO Washlet was also leaking. A licensed plumber and $240 later I had new shut off valves, one badly corroded and in need of replacement because it would no longer work, the other badly damaged by the handyman, 2 new flanges , under one toilet where the old one was rusted out under other where the handyman had damaged it while installing the sub floor, replacement of a lost gasket in the Washlet , lost when he took it apart when removing the toilets and 2 sets of double wax rings to compensate for the new floor height. Along with all this he had installed the faucet back on the new sink top and used no thread teflon tape or pipe dope and no plumbers putty thus when you turn on the faucet you get about as much water from under the faucet as out of the faucet. We didn’t discover this latter fact until after the plumber had left. “Crash and Burn” will attempt to fix this which will probably start a whole new cycle of Murphy’s law. Thankfully there is nothing electrical involved because Mike’s history of new electrocutions is legend.
Additionally we found that in installing the vanity he had ripped large sections of wallpaper away, cut out several pieces of molding that had disappeared with the trash and hadn’t bother to mitre any corners of the moldings in either bathroom having wasted $80 worth of custom pre-stained molding that matched the new laminate flooring. The handyman has promised for 3 days to return and repair some of his problems but I think the fact that I have been watching the door with a shotgun in hand has deterred his efforts.
The lessons to be learned? Know your handyman better and get all in writing. My own rule that I violated because the handyman was slick talking and the job so simple which is also why Mike paid him in full before the job was finished (sob story on his part...big heart on Mike's heart). Know that things can go wrong that aren’t anyone’s fault such as my old corroded shut off valve and flange. Of course finally know that nothing in DIY is ever easy so have the ultimate respect for Murphy’s law and know that it will prevail. I long for the days when I could do it myself and didn’t have to depend on others.

WHAT'S THE LATEST IDEA IN URINALS?

Recently I wrote a blog entitled “From bidets to urinals…something for everyone” in which I discussed current new trends in bathroom fixtures and all of the options available to us these days. In this same vain I ran across an interesting discussion thread on one of my favorite forums, Gardenweb/Bathrooms, the other day where the question was pondered…” Any ideas for an unobtrusive urinal?” As the father of 3 sons and a nearly lifetime user of urinals myself I believe I can speak with some authority on the subject but oddly enough what came to mind first was not to find an unobtrusive urinal but one that would stand out instead. I recalled an article from the N.Y.Times a couple of years back about an artist named Clark Sorenson and his many artistic urinal and bathroom creations, reference http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/garden/25urin.html?_r=2 and the pictures above. These are not only obtrusive, but beautiful and useful. I’d have one if I could afford one. But most of us have to settle for a more simple solution and from this same thread on Garden Web came ideas such as a PVC pipe mounted on the wall, messy and crude in my opinion, various pictures of commercial varieties of urinals including one that looks like an egg mounted on the wall and one with a lid on it which I am sure my sons would have, unlike the toilet seat they never put down , would have never lifted. Another writer suggested a clapping device be attached to a standard urinal to encourage better aim…applause delivered with a successful aim would make the “shooter” take better aim and possibly improve his self esteem. The very best idea and admittedly probably the most expensive was to install a waterfall in the bathroom to be used as a urinal but the downfall would be that unlike most waterfall that simply recycle the water, used as a urinal would be using water constantly so that the urine could be disposed of. In these days of drought and bad economy we can’t afford a waterfall. In the mountains of North Ga. Where I’m from, a convenient tree as always served as a good urinal, maybe not so good for the tree but we have plenty of them to spare and after all it is the answer to where a bear goes! So maybe a very “green” bathroom would work with a tree conveniently planted in the bathroom for those of us mountain men.
In summation, urinals can be a great idea especially in a home with lots of boys/men but probably regardless of which option you might choose the urinal or its substitute from this list of many alternatives is still likely to cause a stir with your guests and folks in the neighborhood. This is almost as noteworthy as my recently purchased TOTO Washlet which has caused a major stir and talk in my neighborhood as well as a string of visitors marching through my house to see it and to get in line to have a chance to sit on it. How do you think the neighbors would react to the pink urinal pictured above? Wait until they see I have a solid bronze casket stored in the spare bedroom! More on that in a later blog, in the meantime that will give you something to ponder.

PRICE MATCHING AND OTHER THOUGHTS

A few months ago I did a study, for my own edification, of several different online plumbing sales websites to both familiarize myself with what people were offering and to also see who was offering the best prices, what brands and to see what features stood out as to price matching, shipping costs, return goods policies and general customer service. Needless to say I was shocked to see the variations and still, til this day wonder how some do any business if the consumer just shopped around and clearly read and compared sites. Since that time one major site (Homeclick) with 8 different divisions selling everything from plumbing to door knobs has filed chapter 7 bankruptcy leaving customers stranded without their money or their merchandise. I learned late last week that someone is trying to now resurrect that brand and website and only time will tell as to whether they are successful or will the customer again fall victim. The lesson that we all see repeatedly, regardless of who you buy from or what you buy online from widgets to around the world cruises, pay with a credit card or through a reputable payment service like “Paypal” where if you don’t get what you were promised then you have a chance to get your money back.

The first time I remember ever hearing of a price matching guarantee was when Circuit City, now completely out of business, was first opened. They promised to match or beat anyone’s price. The first time I had the chance to see if they really meant it was when I went out to buy a new fangled device called a cordless telephone. Now today I don’t even have a land line anymore but then the cordless was a miracle of modern technology. I went first to where everyone went, Sears, and found a SONY brand I liked priced at $89.95 and at the urging of my oldest son then trekked to the new Circuit City to check them out. Sure enough they had the same phone but priced at $129.95 with a young sales rep who was anxious to point out the guarantee that it was the best price in town. When I pointed out to him the error of his ways and that meager Sears had him beaten on price and by $40 you would have thought I had shot him. He went to his floor supervisor who then went to the store manager who then called the district manager who then called the home office. The concensus of their opinions was that I was lying and they promptly suggested I take my business to Sears, buy the phone and bring it and the receipt back and prove it to them. So as angry as I was I still managed to drive back to Sears, buy the phone and then back to Circuit City where I proceeded to collect my price plus 10% difference that their ad and sales man had promised, a princely sum of $44. No wonder they finally went out of business. Today price guarantees are easier to enforce. Yesterday I was shopping for some new laminated flooring for my kitchen and bathrooms. I went online and priced it at several big retailers including HD, Lowes, Lumber Liquidators and Floor and Décor, The best price was from Lumber Liquidators but a 40 mile drive away from me. At the urging of my contractor I went to his “shopping club” nearby where he assured me they would meet or beat any price I had found. They wanted $1.99 per square foot and proudly guaranteed their price for what I had already found for a low of $.78 per square. Unlike the old Circuit City episode the sales lady simply said OK lets look at the competitors website, verified what I said was true and promptly, in accordance to her promise, she met the price and saved me a 40 mile drive, It pays to shop around know who your best vendors are and don’t be afraid to take them up on the challenge to meet or beat a price.
As always, good for words of wisdom and encouragement from her position squarely on the firing line of commerce at National Builder Supply. here is Fran Byrd’s take on price matching and little tricks of the trade to watch out for from some less than honest online dealers.

“From time to time we are asked to price match with other websites. So I just wanted to let you know the guidelines that we follow when we are ask ed to do that. Trust me we are all in favor of a cheaper price. I bargain shop all the time. At no point am I willing to give up quality to save a dollar or two. So what we look at is does the other site have this item/items in stock and can they ship them from their warehouse today? A lot of people don't realize that the face of some of the websites are nothing more than a few people sitting in a room answering the phones, as soon as you place your order with them they then fax a purchase order over to "some other warehouse" and that is who actually ships your order. Here at National Builder Supply we are all sitting about 20 feet from all the toilets and faucets you see on our site. They are here and WE ship your order. Then is it the same quality items? Let’s just use a Price Pfister item #T43-YP0Y (Ashfield Bathroom sink faucet) for example. On our site this is a 4 inch Lavatory faucet with a metal pop-up drain. Another website has this same faucet for about $40-$50 cheaper. But the one they sell has plastic parts. You will know this by the description, it says 50/50. Well if I did not work here, I would say 50/50 what? Then order it because it is cheaper. But now that I know you want the all metal one because it will hold up better over time.Then we ask, do they charge shipping? We have free shipping on ALL orders over $100. No exceptions. We will ship you one or 20 toilets for free. You WILL NOT see the little bitty printed exception to their free shipping promise on our website. Lots of websites have that huge banner at the top of the screen FREE SHIPPING and then underneath it says in little type *excludes large packages, which obviously includes toilets.”
The moral of the story is Apples to Apples….dont get hung up just on price alone. Is it truly the same merchandise? Do they have it in stock and can meet your deadline? Is their promise of free shipping truly free? Last but not least, from Richard’s (that’s me) book of wisdom, can they demonstrate with their history that they do what they say? I’ve spent the last 3 blogs answering that question about NBS because I have found a lot of people seeking the answer and finding out that they are VERY REAL and there is only pride to be found in the way they do business. Call Fran and talk to her about your needs you will find that she really exists and isn’t a figment of my imagination.

THE LAST WORD ON COMPLAINTS AND COMPLIMENTS

I have written 2 blogs of late about experience ratios from customers of National Builder Supply and I intend this to be the last in hopes that those of you who are seeking comfort in purchasing online will see the transparency that the good folks at NBS and the H.M.Wallace companies offer. No matter which of the online entities you happen across they all represent solid , thoughtful and honest customer service and great value. They also have a presence on EBAY listed as National Builder Supply with feedback and “Power Seller” history in which you can deal with confidence if EBAY is your choice of business venue.
In seeking a history of complaints I found the only one to be an EBAY feedback complaint from a toilet pictured with a toilet seat and the seat was not included. The site clearly shows that the customer must choose their option of a seat and color. To avoid this problem, as I mentioned in the previous blog, Marcus Morgan, the owner, asked me to undetake a complete review of the manufacturers catalogs comparing the websites for picture, price and inclusion of every catalog item. This is how serious they are about trying to make your purchasing experience as pperfect as possible.

I asked Fran to dig deep and relate to me the most frequent problem that arises that causes customer concern. After all no one is perfect but I believe the folks ay NBS certainly try. Fran had related an actual episode in which this example of problem had arisen and I wrote about it in my previous blog. In her own words here is how it happens:

“I'd say that the one major problem we have goes a little something like this:

A customer comes to one of our website and orders a toilet, or 5 toilets. They don't really read the policies section. The price is great, so all is well. In a few minutes they get a email confirming the order. They check out the address and maybe the total. Everything looks good. A day or so later they get another email, we are shipping their order. They see the tracking number, maybe they even track the package. But not one time on the site or in any of our emails do they read any of the very important information printed.
When you order one toilet we ship that via Fedex ground. They will leave it at your door with no signature required. You have 48 hours to inspect it and report any damages back to us. This is not because we want to be mean, its because we are only given a certain amount of time to file a claim with Fedex. The toilets are NOT broken when they leave here, so this means Fedex broke the toilet along the way. Keep in mind we are not asking you to make sure the toilet works, we only want you to check it for shipping damages.
So the customer waits two weeks until the plumber or contractor comes to install it to open the box and guess what?? Its broken.
They call us to tell us, but really there is nothing we can do. We have relayed through the site and every email that we send them the instructions on receiving the toilets, but they still find some way to make this our fault. We work very hard to hold up our end of the deal by offering great prices on INSTOCK items with excellent customer service. At some point the customer has to be held accountable for not holding up theirs.
Really to be honest this is not a typical story when you are ordering more than one toilet, because the freight truck drivers know that those have to be inspected at the time of delivery. This is more common in single toilet orders. If we could eliminate this issue, I feel like we would have no issues at all.”

Seems simple enough doesn’t it? Take a moment to read the policies but more importantly than that, no matter who you buy from or what you buy it makes sense to immediately check for damages and report it so that the replacement or refund can be made in a seamless and painless way.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM FRAN BYRD....MORE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BUY FROM NATIONAL BUILDER SUPPLY

A few days back I wrote a blog about “why people should buy from NBS” because my “Sitemeter” was showing a world of people ending up here on my site in response to that question. I had also written back in February and included a few of the many letters complimenting NBS on their customer service and pricing, something, I’m convinced, that the entire staff works very hard at every day. Well the questions are still coming in so this morning I called my friend, Fran Byrd, at NBS and asked for some more letters either good or bad so I could give readers as much info as possible because although there is a world of info online about National Builder Supply there is NO BAD NEWS but also lacking in letters of praise. I have always been of the opinion that Americans will take the time to write when they are unhappy about something but rarely to compliment and a company needs both. Fran is also on the firing line at NBS and is always good for a quote so I asked for that also and will add it here later in this blog.
First I have mentioned many times that the driving force behind NBS and the associated companies of H.M.Wallace, is Marcus Morgan. Marcus’s family has been in the brick and mortar plumbing supply business for many years but it was Marcus who conceptualized the idea of selling those products online back in 2002. He gathered his 2 best friends from high school and Fran, also a high school friend, and started H.M.Wallace and the rest is history. The main thrust of the business is customer service and my experience both as a customer and friend has shown this to be the very best anyone could hope for. As an example most of you know I am retired and write this blog as a favor to Marcus but to also keep myself busy with the many discussion groups and forums in which I participate daily. In addition to those things Marcus recently asked me to embark on a new project to enhance the customer service experience and to assure there is no problem with their website. I am comparing the catalogs of every manufacturer against the NBS website for any variance of product picture, description, and price to make sure that when a customer shops online with them they get the right information to make their decision as easy as possible and lower the chance of any problem arising.
Recently an online competitor named “Homeclick” filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy and then last week their website reappeared trying to sell items. I discussed this with Fran as to whether she had heard about it and garnered the following quote about one of her experiences trying to help a Homeclick customer…
“With Homeclick, I had one lady who called me crying asking me if I had a number to Toto corp. because she ordered a black toilet from Homeclick and when she got it, it was broken. She called them and they said they could not help her. So I called them and asked for a supervisor, I explained the situation to him. She had got the toilet the same day. He said they did not have any more of the toilets in stock and I ask him to file a claim and give her a credit. He said “we don't do that”, he said they should have more toilets in about 4-6 weeks. She could not wait because the house was set to close before then. He said she will just have to wait. I did not tell him who I was or who I was with. He was really rude and just refused to help the poor lady. I have had tons of people call me with similar stories. I just know I would NEVER order from them.”
And this from Fran about a recent customer service problem at NBS…”We just had this one lady buy a toilet from us on Ebay, in the policies section it clearly says the toilet has to be inspected and any damages reported back to us in 48 hours. She waited A MONTH to open it and what do you know, it was broken. Normally we could have told her, sorry there is nothing we can do. But to keep our Ebay rating at 100% and to emphasize our willingness to keep the customer happy, we sent her a new toilet. We can't always do that, but I asked her to make sure she would not give a negative feedback for the exchange of the new toilet. That kind of stuff hurts you so bad because we don't always get the chance to go on and explain the details of the situation.”

HERE ARE SOME RECENT LETTERS FROM SATISFIED CUSTOMERS:
Just wanted to let everyone know what a great job everyone is doing. Especially Fran, There was a slight issue with the shipping address but she handled it without any problems. THANKS FOR A GREAT JOB and at a great price. I will be glad to continue doing business with a company that goes above and beyond to do a GREAT JOB........ Thanks again from a loyal customer for life.............. Bruce S.

Just a note to say I am glad I found your website and very happy with you service, also your packaging is awesome my unit came in excellent condition. I will be ordering all my Toto toilets from you.
Thanks, Jack


Thank you for taking care of my order. Not many companies are as easy to work with. Your Customer Service is excellent, starting with the nice woman who answered the phone this morning.


I want to thank Fran for her stellar response to my order request. I learned my order had not been shipped even though I had been told four days earlier it had shipped. After speaking with Fran, she immediately expedited shipping and it arrived just two days after I spoke with her. Super woman to the rescue!!! Thanks Fran.


I want to tell you what a pleasure it has been doing business with you. The entire process was a refreshing reminder that people can still get ahead by doing business the old fashion way-great service, great products, good value. From order to delivery, your staff was courteous and helpful and the process was seamless. Thanks again.Fred B.
Hi: I want to thank you for giving me the number for Moen, that was so kind of you to write. I contacted them and a very nice gentleman like yourself asked me lots of questions on the tap and he is sending me a new one and the rings and whatever I need to install it.
Thanks again,
Janet L.

Just wanted to thank you for everything. Our order arrived today in perfect shape. Your packing--with free shipping-- is the best I have ever seen and we received our order very quickly. It's been a pleasure dealing with you.Bob H.

Thank you so very much. It is rare today to find a business that trulycares about customer service. As soon as I receive the new faucet, Iwill call my plumber and have him install it and send the defective oneback to you. Again, I can't thank you enough. If there is a placeonline that I can share the encouraging and positive experience that Ihave had with your company, I would be pleased to do that.Thank you!!!! Sincerely, Marla M.
I just wanted to let you know that we are so pleased with our new TOTO toilet that I ordered from your company. It was so nice not to have to wait weeks for the delivery. Your turn around time is fantastic! Our shipment arrived undamaged and installation was a breeze. (According to my husband). Thank you for your great service.

Thanks Fran for the help today. Now you see her pic at the top here’s some other important info on her:
MY ROLE AT NATIONAL BUILDER SUPPLY: Customer Service
THE THING I LIKE BEST ABOUT NATIONAL BUILDER SUPPLY: Working with a great group of people in a relaxed atmosphere
A FAVORITE MOMENT AT NATIONAL BUILDER SUPPLY: Every time we get a phone call or an email letting us know we did a great job
ESSENTIAL DVDs: Save the Last Dance, The Notebook, Weeds, Without a Paddle, Finding Nemo, Dexter, Toy Story 1&2, P.S. I love You, The Lion King
ESSENTIAL CDs: Prince, Tribe Called Quest, Mary J. Blige, Maroon 5, Beastie Boys, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Daughtry, TI, Kanye West, Kenny Chesney, Kellie Pickler
MY HOBBIES, PASSIONS & INTERESTS: I enjoy spending time with my family, watching my son play soccer, watching movies, and going to the beach..
MY MOTTO:This too shall pass

Whirlpool tubs....not just for the sleazy motel

With the economy in the state that it’s in, most folks are not as involved in planning a new home as much as they are in trying to save the one they have or fix it up to avoid that desire for a new one. For those of us that are bold enough, and maybe smart enough, there are still people taking advantage of the depressed real estate market and fixing up homes that they are buying. In any case whether you’re thinking building a new home, remodeling the one you have or fixing up a bargain buy, money invested in bathrooms and kitchens still remains the safest investment and an expense that can make your days better and more comfortable. One of the most frequently requested bathroom features and the one that certainly returns the investment in comfort and health benefits is a whirlpool or trade name “Jacuzzi” tub. Whirlpool tubs are an efficient treatment for physical ailments and can help relieve the effects of stress, help to lower blood pressure and just outright feel wonderful at the end of a long and trying day. A whirlpool tub can be the ultimate addition to the new or remodeled bathroom and come with many options and variations. As an example National Builder Supply offers approximately 60 different brands, types, shapes and features at prices as low as $850 to as much as $3000. The one pictured is only a little over $1200 with free freight. In most cases a whirlpool is one of those options that will return a high percentage if it’s cost in resale value.
Prior to choosing a whirlpool bath you should learn about the various systems and options available to help you to select the best for yourself that will suit your requirements. In a whirlpool bath tub, jets of water and air create bubbles that ripple their way around the body providing a massage effect. These water jets are positioned along the inner sides, the back and the foot of the tub and usually come with the option of 6, 8 or 11 jets to cater to personal preferences. The jets can be of both a water and air configuration with water jets on the sides and air jets on the bottom of the unit.
OK, I’ve sold you on the idea to have a whirlpool tub. While not impossible, it is easier to have a whirlpool tub installed in a new home under construction than it is to retrofit one while remodeling. Bathtubs are large and cumbersome and are installed in a home during the framing process and are then difficult to remove in a remodel. Take a look at your existing bathroom and tub and imagine how would you remove it from the house? Will it fit through your doors, down any steps, around furniture and fixtures? Inversely the new tub will have to retrace these steps to get it in place for installation. If you can see the path easily then your home free, if not can you use a nearby window? Can a wall be easily removed and replaced? Can a doorway be widened? Another thing to consider is if your old tub is fiberglass or acrylic you may me able to just cut it up into small pieces with a reciprocating saw and will only have to worry about how to get the new tub in. Many of the new tubs come in pieces for easier installation. Make sure you have this in mind when choosing the new tub and know the dimensions you will need to get it into the bathroom. Without an easy method to accomplish the removal and installation then maybe the idea will just not work. The good news is that if you can get the old tub out and the new one in with minimal home disruption usually the plumbing will need no changes and you will just need an electrical circuit to power the new tub.
Sounds like a lot of work and effort? Sure it is but it will only take a few minutes in a whirlpool tub, if you have never experienced one, to make you forget the trouble. How about a date night at the local “no tell motel” with a whirlpool in the “bridal suite” to try one out? Make sure it’s your wife you take on the date!

What can I do my water pressure?

As with many of my blogs, the thought comes from problems that I see and help answer on the many discussion groups and forums that I read daily. Of late there have been many questions about water pressure or lack thereof and most folk’s immediate thought is that it’s a delivery problem, i.e. the water source is not pumping hard enough. I wrote a recent blog on this subject alone “How much pressure is too much pressure?” If you asked most people what they think their water pressure should be, most would answer “they don’t know” or something in excess of 100psi (pounds per square inch). In reality the pressure from the water main should not exceed 60psi and should never venture near the 100psi mark at any device in the house. High water pressure can cause early failure of pipe joints, valves and machines such as washers and dishwashers. Inversely low water pressure can make your life miserable from taking a shower to washing the dishes and cause faucets and toilets to not operate properly. Localized low pressure can be caused by clogs or trash in aerators at faucets and corrosion build up in pipes and devices and not from the supply source at all. Thus before you can decide what your problem is check and see of it is primarily at a single faucet in an individual area or is it the entire house. If it is localized you can probably fix it yourself. Remove the aerator from your slow running faucet and clear it of debris. If it’s a toilet check your fill mechanism to make sure the valves are working correctly. Sometimes the source can be a stuck shut off valve at a sink or fixture especially if you have recently utilized it to turn the water off. These shut off valves are easily jammed with debris which will keep it from opening or closing fully. If the problem has been long term as opposed to sudden you can have a system problem with the supply lines feeding a branch being too small. In this instance you will need to increase the pipe size feeding the affected area. This will probably be best done by a qualified plumber. If the problem is inadequate flow to the entire house then you need to analyze any recent changes that you may have made in your system. Have you added or removed a fixture? If so you may have to increase the size of the main supply pipe from the water meter to the house. Again this will require a plumber. Lastly if the problem is inadequate pressure throughout your entire system then it is time to look at the source. Check with neighbors and see if they are having a similar problem, walk the area in your yard where the main line feeds to the house and check for the presence of standing water or soggy soil that would indicate a leak and call your water utility and ask for a pressure reading. You can also have a plumber install a pressure gauge, inline, on your main and this will allow you to take incoming pressure readings for yourself and some can allow for adjustments to the limits of the pressure from your main.
Whatever your pressure problem happens to be do not jump to the immediate idea of increasing the pressure. You can add a pressure tank to your system to boost and better control your home if the service provider can do nothing to increase your pressure. Examples could be that your home may be at the end of the main water line, uphill or you may be the victim of over growth in your area in which the provider has not been able to keep up with demand. As with many of the above issues a qualified licensed plumber can be your best source of advice and assistance in the solving of your problem.

The Sitemeter results...."WHY BUY FROM NBS?"

I published my blog for some 6 months without any indicator of how many folks and who were tuning in to read my musings. I depended on the publishing of my blogs on some “ezine” sites, DIY forums and counts on Google and Yahoo hits to show me the numbers and they remain amazingly high. I published some of these numbers recently to give some extra credence to my site and frankly to give me the impetus to keep writing. It isn’t easy coming up with topics, researching and writing the blogs that I think people both need and are willing to take the time to read. Recently I ran across a great service called “SITEMETER” which not only gives me an up to the minute count on every person that logs onto the blog site (average 17 per day), but even more importantly as I found since, the “Sitemeter” site also provides me with info on the basic location of each visitor (Pakistan was the farthest, Great Britain the most frequent foreign country), how they found the blog (Google search mostly), how long they stayed ( the longest 29 minutes), how many pages they looked (the most..17) at and if they were searching for something in particular what that was they were searching for. The latter thing is what has me really surprised. What leads people to me the most? Is it my witting writings about clogged toilets? NOPE. My musings on how to select countertops, flooring, backsplashes, faucets, sinks? NOT a chance. Was it my expert advice on how to repair simple the around the house? NO WAY. The primary thing that people were searching for that led them to me was “The buying experience with National Builder Supply”, people were looking for complaints and/or reasons that they should buy from NBS. To this end I guess I am lucky that I felt strongly enough, about my friends at NBS, that a few months ago I wrote and entire blog about NBS, the buying experience and what to look for or ito avoid when buying online from any one. Because of these findings from “SItemeter” I am going to reprint some of the highlights of this blog, again, today.
HERE GOES:
“ I admit a certain amount of prejudice towards NBS but it is based on personal experience not by a paycheck and by the feedback that I have received and that I am privy too from the customer service department. I think if someone has a good experience with ANY online vendor of ANY product then they should share it. There are websites that do nothing but allow a forum for complaints and praises on various merchants and professionals and this allows for a real opportunity for us all to learn who the good and bad are but these opinions should be honest and not because of any compensation or ulterior motive. If I didn’t believe in my friends at NBS I wouldn’t promote them. There is one particular online plumbing vendor which I have run across on MANY forums and the bad references outweigh the good 10 to 1 so when I see a reference to this vendor I warn CAVEAT EMPTOR (buyer beware) and caution that they research that vendor. I can honestly say that in reading some 30+ forums per day I have yet to see a negative mention of NBS. Are there other vendor s with good reputations ? Yes, and this allows that with some research you should be able to make an educated decision on from whom to buy from the viewpoint of a personal recommendation. These endorsements are probably the primary source of buying decisions in most people.There are other things to consider. Price is always a factor but pricing can be misleading and you can buy something at a good price and never get the product or not get it on time. So you must add to your criteria some sense of how dependable the vendor is at on time shipping and whether or not they actually have the product you want in stock. Another factor of pricing is the old apples to apples analogy. Are you receiving the same product and service with the lower priced item? Many online dealers will lure you in with low pricing but you have to pay the freight or you find that what they are selling is a trimmed down version that is missing certain parts that you will have to buy separately.Finally how do you feel about how you were treated in the transaction? Did you get answers promptly and in a friendly manner? Did you feel that you are indeed going to get what you ordered when promised? Why is that important? If something does go wrong you will be dealing with the same people and the same corporate philosophy. If you were treated badly or haphazardly during the sale how do you think you will be treated if you have a problem?In summation and in preference to National Builder Supply you can expect the following:
1. Fair pricing with a price matching guarantee.
2. Pricing which offers free freight if the order is over $100 and a reasonable flat rate freight charge otherwise.
3. Pricing which includes a guarantee that you will get all that you need with the product. No short cuts. No side trips to the local "Big Box Store" for parts and pieces.
4. NBS maintains a large inventory of the merchandise its sells and rarely depends on second party to ship your purchase. This allows that if you are told the product is in stock and that it will ship tomorrow you can bank on it. This is not the cheapest way to do business. Most vendors don’t stock anything. They depend on secondary distribution sources to fulfill their orders thus losing control of your order the moment it’s placed. They have to depend on someone else to enforce their promises.
5. Fast, friendly customer service whether you are buying, inquiring or, in the unlikely event that there is a problem.6. Lastly study the forums and the internet, “google” dealers and look for problems and compliments.I am certain you will be satisfied with your experience with my friends at NBS.I’m confident that if you compare these items to any other online vendor of building supplies you will see that NBS is at least one to consider. I would not be conceited enough, nor would they, to say they are the only one and I know my friends well enough to know that they don’t think for a minute that you don’t have a choice…you do and that’s why they try so hard to never let you down.”
In closing I hope that folks will keep searching for reasons to buy from NBS and in the process will come across me and read some of the helpful information that I try to disseminate along the way. As always I welcome your comments, questions and complaints.

WHEN TO PUMP A SEPTIC TANK?

I wrote a blog a few weeks ago “The care and feeding of the family septic tank”, but while pretty thorough, a thread I ran across over the weekend has triggered a thought about the need for more info on how often and how to tell that your septic system needs to be drained and how it’s done. The writer was concerned because he had lived in the house for 10 years, mostly alone, and had never had his tank drained and was worried that some big truck was going to have to make its way into his back yard and ruin the grass. In short as I had said in my original blog, depending on the size of the family, house and number of fixtures and appliances, should normally be drained every 3 to 5 years. A large family with a large home could require it done annually. A lot of variance also depends on how well your drain field is working, the health of your tank based on the bacterial content and the amount of localized rain (that can cause a drain field not to drain well).
Let’s address the ways you can tell if your system needs attention because no septic system has a fill gauge although it might be a useful invention for some of you like minded home inventors out there. There are 2 simple ways to tell, first your drains start draining slowly, as an example you’re standing in the shower and the tub is filling up instead of draining, or a toilet seems difficult to flush with a slow swirl. This can also be caused by a clog in the main drain but if after a simple auguring of the cleanout hasn’t improved the situation you can be pretty sure the tank is full. Secondly and much more unpleasant, is you find standing smelly water over and/or soggy ground in the area of your yard where the septic tank is. This is a sure bet that the tank is full and the drain field isn’t able to handle the load.
Now what do you do? You call a septic professional. They are equipped with the knowledge of how to locate your tank and the access lid to drain it. Most drain trucks (Honey wagons) are equipped with long piping which will reach from the truck parked in your driveway or on the street to the tank so it’s not necessary to drive into your yard, take down fences, or ruin your grass. The access lid is usually shovel deep so there is no need for heavy equipment. That’s the good news, the bad news is if the total system is failing because of obstructed lines and drain field you can be in for a second mortgage and complete re-landscaping of your yard. Of course prices vary from state to state but you can expect to pay as little as $150 for a simple drain to no more than $500. If you have to replace the entire system it can be in the thousands of dollars. Because of this last fact you should pay careful attention to the care and feeding of your tank. Don’t flush any degradable materials such as heavy paper products, plastics and damaging chemicals. You should use a bacteria boosting product such as “Rid-x” to keep your tank healthy with the correct bacteria especially if your house goes unused for a long period of time, like a second home or a home that has sat empty while on the market for sale. If you are purchasing a house that has sat empty for a while have your building inspector check the septic system, possibly request that the seller have the tank drained as a pre-emptory strike and be prepared to start the use of the tank slowly by adding bacteria.
Millions of homes exist with septic systems all over the US with rarely a problem and your home can be one also, just take some care to pay attention to how the system is working and what you flush into it.