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The Daily Fix

The House that FedEX Built

FHB_WEB, member

12 users recommend

Customize your designs with orders from online retailers

Customized mosaic

Customize your designs with orders from online retailers

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by Jill Bouratoglou

After teaching classes at New York City College of Technology, updating and revising the
drawings for the house, making site visits, and being a mom, I found myself with 10 hours
left in the day for material selections and purchases: from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Because local
distributors weren’t open during those hours, I turned to online retailers, where I purchased everything from the flooring to the fans. I found great prices, tracked the shipping online, and had everything delivered directly to the job site without ever leaving home.

Online sources
Carpeting www.interfaceflor.com Cement board www.cbf11.com Central vacuum www.centralvacuumstores.com Fans www.farreys.com Fireplace www.stovesdirect.com		Front doors www.upstatedoor.com House numbers www.customhousenumbers.com Glass shower door www.abcshowerdoor.com Kitchen and bathroom faucets www.irawoods.com Kitchen cabinets www.newformkitchens.com		Children’s cabinets www.ikea.com Mailbox www.chiasso.com Window and door reveals www.gordongrid.com Windows www.marvin.com Wood flooring www.lumberliquidators.com

Read the complete article... A Duplex Grows in Brooklyn Juggling setbacks and ceiling heights gains a garage, and an apartment to help with the mortgage by Jill Bouratoglou

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Comments (4)

CF75 writes: cLs: I accept that my proposition is idealistic -- when, indeed, do we all agree to spend more to save a community? But, maybe that's the point. Despite agreeing with you, I stubbornly hold my ideal as valid. I do my best to support my local economy. Am I naive to think that my local hardware can coexist with the buying power of the big boxes? Perhaps, but I hope not. It remains to be seen, I suppose.
Posted: 12:13 pm on March 31st

coastroad writes: I applaud the "hybrid" approach to design using the best the internet has to offer to improve the quality of the finished product. I wish we had the online support we have now when I moved to relatively rural N.C. from the San Francisco Bay Area twenty years ago and had to remodel using "what was available", which was provisional at best.

Being in the fireplace business, I have one caution to add. Any product that requires a special license to install - heating systems, plumbing fixtures, etc. - should also get professional installation advice on the front end, a service largely lacking in the online experience.

I know inspectors are supposed to catch mistakes in installation, but there is no inspection for bad design. Your future happiness with any purchase will be largely due to the fulfillment of expectations, which may be quite unrealistic without professional help at the front end.
Posted: 12:45 pm on March 30th

cLs writes: While I agree with CF75's comments, when ever did people bond together to buy more expensive goods to save a community? I notice it in the loss of small bookstores. Not only that issue, but the control often is in the hands of the suppliers of the retail stores. Smaller businesses can't buy the quantity to offer the better prices. For instance PetMeds is taking a substantial portion of veterinarian income. Newspapers are going to be a thing of the past in the not too distant future. Who knows, maybe online shopping will give us the time to socialize in a different manner. As a working women, I can relate to Jill's position, not withstanding that I like to go to the orange and blue at least once a weekend. CLS
Posted: 11:06 am on March 30th

CF75 writes: First, let me congratulate the Bouratoglous on a clever design. Further, let me commend them for their resourcefulness. I imagine that, even without their time constraints, a trip to the lumber yard or hardware store in NYC is a bit less than convenient. That being said, I am concerned by a message that this article sends. It seems to be condoning and encouraging the already-growing trend in this country to sit at home and order online from a company of unknown origin, when, unlike folks like the Bouratoglous, most of us can get into our cars and go to the local purveyor of home supplies (and I don't mean the large blue or orange kind) and acquire most of the products we need to complete our projects. At a premium? Often, a slight one. Your pocket might feel a little sting, but as locally owned businesses (and now I could just as well be referring to all local businesses that are being routed by online retailers) in your town begin to drop off the map, as they are in mine, you will feel a greater sting for sure. History shows us time and again that when commercial enterprise leaves a community, the community eventually dies, or at the least, stagnates. Without a doubt, the internet is an unbeatable source for the obscure and the locally-unavailable. And, yes, I do shop online when I have to, but, in this economy especially, we need to be mindful of how our shopping decisions effect our communities, and ultimately our nation, in the long run. If nothing else, it can be very rewarding to spend enough time in a local business that they get to know you, at which point, by the way, the service you receive will likely improve with subsequent visits. And, simply put, confirmation emails just don't give me the same welcomed feeling that a smile and a handshake do.
Posted: 8:56 pm on March 27th

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