Springing Back to Life
Our patio has gone through many iterations over the past 29 years. When we first moved in, we were poor. Our budget was tight so we had to be content with the grass and shadowbox fences with the neighbors. We knew we always wanted a patio and saved up for it. I want to say we paid $1200 for a paver patio. We picked out the huge 18"x18" slate look pavers from Lowe's and got a patio set that was an ambitious size. It was nice to have a space to relax outside and have a little flower bed where our pooch would happily walk up to smell the flowers. After a year or two of constantly having people catch our eye as they walked their dogs or themselves, we said it was time for a fence with a gate. I think it was around $700 back then. Damn those prices make me nostalgic! Over the years, we had various outdoor area rugs, curtains on the fences to cover gaps, tropical hibiscus trees during our Hawaii years to remind us of our second home. ...
So glad you're asking this. There's nothing like getting word of mouth from people who are livin' the dream!
ReplyDeleteI bought my house from an appliance sales & repairman. One of the things I had written into the contract was that the appliances he chose and purchased stay with the house. I've been here going on 17 years so I know the appliances are older than that and the Whirlpool dishwasher and KitchenAid fridge are still pretty reliable. I've had work done on the fridge, and DIY work done on the dishwasher, but both are still going. I joke about them being in a race to quit (the washing machine is currently winning - also 20+ years old but a cheap Sears model) and I do worry about them quitting, but... so far so good and really my only reason for worrying is the past problems (now fixed) and their age. The dishwasher isn't super quiet, but it's not loud enough to bother me - depending on the acoustics of your kitchen though you might not be happy with it.
ReplyDeleteI rarely use my dishwasher but it does a decent job, although not great. I find there is occasionally soap film on my glasses and silverware and that's when I decided I'd just use the thing for my stove grates and garbage can lids -- works great for those types of things. I'll have to look at work to see what kind they have because that thing works like a charm and is pretty quiet. I'll post back when I see it.
ReplyDeleteMine is a Maytag (meh), and the one at work is a GE QuietPower 3 (I'm impressed with that one...no streaks on glasses).
DeleteThe last 2 or 3 I have purchased have been Bosch. German engineering, made in the US. Super quiet, long lasting, work great, reasonably priced. What's not to love?
ReplyDeleteWe bought a Bosch a few years ago and are thrilled with it. We had crap luck with dishwashers in the past, replacing them before they broke because they weren't getting the job done. I think we've had both GE and Whirlpool brands, probably the cheaper models. We bought the 2nd most expensive Bosch and it's been so worth it. Our water is a little hard but not enough to make a whole house softener worth the cost. Having one just for the dish washer has been awesome. Like any dish washer it gets gunked up with use but the trap is pretty easy to access and as long as I remember to clean it periodically, our dishes come out clean and sparkly.
ReplyDeleteWe bought a Kitchenaid a year-ish ago and I LOVE it. Our old dishwasher (Amana, came with the house) was so freaking loud and didn't clean very well, but I have no complaints about the one we have now.
ReplyDeleteMy dishwasher came with the house, so it is at least four years old. It is a Kenmore and I use it for everything. I absolutely hate washing dishes by hand and don't pre-rinse anything. It seems to do a good job. When the dishes don't come out clean it is usually my fault for overloading it and restricting water flow. My only issue with it was when the tub wouldn't drain and it would end a wash cycle prematurely. A little investigation and I determined it was my fault for not cleaning the traps often enough and I blocked the drain. Once the drain was cleared it has run without issue. It is also the most quiet dishwasher I have ever used and I've been using them my entire life. My mother got her first dishwasher in 1979 for the house I grew up in because she hated washing dishes.
ReplyDeleteWe bought our house 6 years ago and the dishwasher came with it. It's a Bosch, and I love it. Just like you said, it's so quiet you don't even know it's running (which makes that little red light so helpful!). It does a great job of cleaning and I really like the way the racks are laid out, if that makes sense. When it eventually goes - and hopefully I didn't just jinx myself there - I definitely plan to buy another Bosch.
ReplyDeleteCan't add input, I have a small kitchen and can't afford giving up cabinets to put one in. My first dishwasher named Tyler moved out 13 years ago and then my second one Connor moved out 5 years ago. So I have Dawn using dawn soap handwashing š
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