Pet Peeves: The Holy Trinity and Beyond

[deirdra]

My pet peeve is TVs mounted too high on the wall.  The center of the TV should be at viewing height or slightly below so that your neck is not bent like you are in the first row of a movie theatre.  Unless you live in a sports bar and always watch TV from a bar stool or standing position, putting the TV on the stand/cabinet that holds the stuff that works with the TV and hides the cords is ideal.

[topanga]

On 6/15/2014 at 7:07 PM, OSM Mom said:

Not to mention the radiation that those granite counters give off. Not good.

Really? Never knew that. What about marble and quartz? Do they give off radiation as well?

[CrazyInAlabama]

It depends on the granite.      Heat sealed supposedly doesn't.    However, in China, where there is zero care about exposure to carcinogens, there are three types of granite, and two can't be used indoors.     The radon amount in the granite really varies by where it was mined. 

 Quartz is a ground granite with an epoxy, or other material (I'm not sure how they do it exactly), formed and molded to look like granite, and that is a sealed product.    Everything in the quartz surface is not going to emit anything.   I'm not sure about marble products.   

I don't like the granite tile either, since they look cheesy, and I wonder if they're made from a cheaper type of granite. and I wonder if they're made out of thinner granite?   They also don't seem to be sealed either.   

Modern Quartz products are really looking like granite or marble, with the entire slab looking like real granite, but needing zero care or sealing.  

I would never put a microwave low enough for a little kid to reach it, or you have to worry about things getting shoved in there that shouldn't be.   Or the microwave dings, and a kid pulls out something boiling hot with awful results.  

Edited May 13, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[SunnyBeBe]

Do you believe that all of the house hunters are really used to large bedrooms?  I just don't believe it.  I know that some older houses have larger bedrooms, but, I don't think large bedrooms are the norm, to the point that all of those the bedrooms these house hunters check out are so very different.  Maybe, they are told to say it or they don't know what else to say.  And, then they will comment that one house's bedroom had small rooms, but, the other house's bedrooms were just as small.  Very inaccurate comparisons.  It's like we were looking at different houses.  

[chessiegal]

Oh, these people are definitely prompted on things to say.

[doodlebug]

17 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Oh, these people are definitely prompted on things to say.

Absolutely, there are certain stock phrases that are said again and again.  Someone in production is feeding the homebuyers lines.

[topanga]

This applies more to HH Renovations, but why are designers so into floating shelves in the kitchen? Most homeowners don’t suggest it and have to be convinced to have them. 

And I think they make a kitchen look cluttered. Not to mention, you lose a cabinet that could hold more dishes. And what about dust and other kitchen grime on those exposed dishes?

[Kohola3]

9 hours ago, topanga said:

And what about dust and other kitchen grime on those exposed dishes?

That's the first thing I always think about.  I don't want to have to rewash dishes before I use them because they've been sitting out in the open like that.  Plus everything has to be neatly stacked and matching. I don't know about anybody else's cupboards but I have a million mismatched dishes, especially mugs.  I wouldn't even want glass front cupboards for that reason.

[CruiseDiva]

10 hours ago, topanga said:

And what about dust and other kitchen grime on those exposed dishes?

There is a small decorative shelf built into the cabinetry in my kitchen where I have a few knick-knacks. I have to clean that shelf and wash the things on it quite often. I'd hate "floating" shelves for dishes, glasses, etc.

[auntjess]

16 hours ago, topanga said:

This applies more to HH Renovations, but why are designers so into floating shelves in the kitchen? Most homeowners don’t suggest it and have to be convinced to have them. 

And I think they make a kitchen look cluttered. Not to mention, you lose a cabinet that could hold more dishes. And what about dust and other kitchen grime on those exposed dishes?

Nothing like having to wash dishes before you use them.
I think designers like using the dishes, etc. to get colors into the kitchen.

[Homily]

We don't have floating shelves but we do have space at the top of our cabinets that we can put stuff on.  Visually it looks really nice but every now and then (way so not as often as I should) I have to get up there (precariously) and haul everything down, clean them and wipe down the tops of the cupboards.  Next house I want cabinets built up to the ceiling!

[SunnyBeBe]

On 5/30/2019 at 9:04 AM, Kohola3 said:

That's the first thing I always think about.  I don't want to have to rewash dishes before I use them because they've been sitting out in the open like that.  Plus everything has to be neatly stacked and matching. I don't know about anybody else's cupboards but I have a million mismatched dishes, especially mugs.  I wouldn't even want glass front cupboards for that reason.

This has given me pause to convert some of my regular cabinets to open shelves. I have been thinking about doing it for a pending renovation, but, now.......maybe, I should reconsider.  It's just a small section though.  Most of the stuff stored in that section are spices, condiments, etc.  I could move that to the pantry.  Hmmm......I'll have to reconsider.  I just think it looks so nice.  But, may not be worth the constant cleaning. 

[Kohola3]

40 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

But, may not be worth the constant cleaning. 

I think it deserves some thought.  Even inside cupboards things get dusty but out in the open with all of the stuff that flies around in the kitchen.....just take a moment to think how often you need to wipe down your vent hood. 

Spices shouldn't be out in the open exposed to temperatures and light anyway.  And it's not an easy task to wipe down every spice bottle!

[SunnyBeBe]

13 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

I think it deserves some thought.  Even inside cupboards things get dusty but out in the open with all of the stuff that flies around in the kitchen.....just take a moment to think how often you need to wipe down your vent hood. 

Spices shouldn't be out in the open exposed to temperatures and light anyway.  And it's not an easy task to wipe down every spice bottle!

Yeah, well, I was going to move the spices to the pantry and use the open shelves for pretty glasses and mugs.  lol  But, having the spices away from the stove might not be too convenient. But, I can't imagine wiping down my glasses and cups so much.  Oh well, I may have to conduct an experiment. lol

[Kohola3]

2 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Oh well, I may have to conduct an experiment. lol

Yep, sounds like a good idea.  Leave things out on the counter near the stove for a month, hold them up to the light and then decide!

[laredhead]

When I had my kitchen remodeled a couple of years ago, I told the kitchen planner I wanted as many cabinets as possible and they complied with that request.  There is a small corner that was wasted space, and the designer suggested some floating shelves for that space.  I wasn't sure about it, but went along with the suggestion and now I'm glad that I did.  I would never use the shelves to store things I use all the time because things do get dusty.  I clean these items every couple of months.  

[topanga]

On 5/31/2019 at 10:49 PM, laredhead said:

When I had my kitchen remodeled a couple of years ago, I told the kitchen planner I wanted as many cabinets as possible and they complied with that request.  There is a small corner that was wasted space, and the designer suggested some floating shelves for that space.  I wasn't sure about it, but went along with the suggestion and now I'm glad that I did.  I would never use the shelves to store things I use all the time because things do get dusty.  I clean these items every couple of months.  

Looks great, but you must be very graceful. My clumsy behind would have knocked over every one of those glass vases by now. 

[chessiegal]

I thought y'all would get a kick out of this. We have friends who have been talking about moving for years because there are things about their current house they don't like. Now they've hired a designer and are going to renovate. They are going to knock out a wall so they have open concept and an all white kitchen with stainless steel appliances.

[topanga]

12 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I thought y'all would get a kick out of this. We have friends who have been talking about moving for years because there are things about their current house they don't like. Now they've hired a designer and are going to renovate. They are going to knock out a wall so they have open concept and an all white kitchen with stainless steel appliances.

No offense to your friends, but I hope they do something even slightly unique to their home. And they must live in a nice neighborhood since they've decided to "love it" and not "list it."

[chessiegal]

They live in a VERY nice neighborhood. She has an older sister in assisted living, and will probably come to live with them at some point. They're going to make a half bath a full bath, and renovate a bedroom attached to it with the idea it will be her sister's space.

[AngelaHunter]

On 5/2/2019 at 12:15 AM, auntjess said:

Mike Holmes' kitchens are like that.  I love him, but he thought a microwave in the bottom part of the island, "so the kids can reach it,"

I don't get that since I don't want to bend down to get something out of the microwave. I got my kitchen cabinets refaced and the countertops changed (I passed on granite since my lazy ass wants less work, not more and my manufactured counters are lovely and carefree) but I didn't want my microwave hogging counter space anymore. I bought an awesome pine kitchen cart from Ikea and put the microwave on it. Next to it, I put a leftover kitchen floor ceramic tile so when I take something hot out of the oven I have a place to set it down. 

As for bathrooms, another home I visited had a bathroom with enough floor space to hold a dance. That was okay I guess, but it also had two toilets facing each other, not enclosed in any way. That one left me scratching my head. I called that place "The Dueling Toilets House".

[topanga]

The wife on tonight’s episode hated the idea of sitting on the front porch and being able to look ‘directly across the street’ at the neighbor’s house. But they also wanted to live in a neighborhood. Isn’t that the definition of a neighborhood—having neighbors?