Ranch House Resources:
Products & Services
Companies of Interest • Directories & Other Resources • Product Oriented Blogs • Products We Love
Companies of Interest›
- Blindsgalore.com ~ It's nice to
have options beyond your local home center. Blindsgalore offers blinds,
shades, and shutters in a variety of styles by name-brand manufacturers.
We like the site's useful planning tools: a photo gallery so you can visualize
the styles they offer in a real setting; product overviews so you can
quickly assess characteristics like temperature control,
light control, and privacy; and a window treatment glossary.
- BuildDirect.com ~ Competitively
priced products (including "green" products) for building and
remodeling. The site features the BuildDirect University™ with easy-to-follow
"courses" for DIYers, and the "Room Designer," where
you can match flooring
types with wall and furniture colors to find the best match before you buy.
- Crestview Doors ~ Entry doors inspired by 1950s designs. All doors feature a solid wood core and high efficiency windows. Several available styles. Our favorite happens to be "The Pasadena," but you should check 'em all out! They also do custom work. We're thrilled to hear they're coming out with a line of screen doors, too! http://www.crestviewdoors.com/
- Design Within Reach retails "distinctive
modern design furnishings and accessories." The company was founded
on the premise of getting the best in modern design out of the hidden
depths of designer studios and out to the public. They sell hundreds of
innovative products to residential
and commercial customers through their DWR catalog, studios, website and direct sales force.
- Gardens Alive ~ Earth-friendly and
effective home care products for your indoor and outdoor spaces: fertilizers
for lawn and garden; weed, insect and pest control; they even have a product
that controls the moss that can damage on shingles, siding and decks.
We've been using their products since the early 1990s and are pleased to list them here.
- Modwalls® Tile ~ A collection of architectural surfaces "inspired by modern architecture and design," from The Mosaic Tile Market. They carry over 30 glass tile blends which they describe as "colorful, a bit funky and a bit retro in style." You can create your own customized 3/4" glass tile blends with their unique ModWalls® tile blender. The line also features cork and pebble tile collections. http://www.mosaictilemarket.com/
- Northern Tool + Equipment ~ A great
source for contractors and serious DIYers who know their way around tools,
and for you green remodelers, check out
their alternative energyproducts, like their way cool solar attic fans. E-mail deals, useful buyer's guides, and more.
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Retro Fabrics, Wallpaper and Accessories by Melinamade at http://www.melinamade.com/ An absolutely gorgeous collection of inspired retro designs in fabrics, wallpapers, glassware and accessories that include handbags, coasters and throw pillows. Be sure to visit the "About" page for fascinating bits about Barkcloth, "the original home furnishing fabric of the '40s - 60s," and the process of hand-screened flatbed textile printing.
- Revival Fabrics ~ You can find a wealth of vintage fabrics from the 1920s - 1970s for your home decorating projects. Those looking for those classic '50s retro fabrics like barkcloth, toile and organza will be thrilled with the choices they find. There's even a sale room! http://www.revivalfabrics.com/
- Saniflo USA ~ One of the most exciting suites of products we've seen in terms of their ability to help homeowners make full use of all their square footage (an issue owners of smaller ranch houses could definitely use help with), allowing the placement of extra showers, tubs, sinks and toilets in basements, garages, closets and other spaces where the installation of conventional plumbing would be too expensive or otherwise undesireable (including spaces up to 12-feet below and as far as 150 feet away from the sewer or septic line). Saniflo's suite of products utilizes above-ground plumbing known as "macerating"technology. It's discrete, quiet, dependable and affordable. Their website explains it all: http://www.saniflo.com
- Smith & Hawken ~ We've been
following this company since it was founded in 1979 (in part by "green"
entrepreneur Paul Hawken) and are pleased to list them here for their
continuing devotion to
quality and craftsmanship. They focus on furniture and accessories for your outdoor spaces, as well as gardening tools and supplies.
- Vintage Wallpaper offered by Secondhand Rose, http://www.secondhandrose.com/paper/wallpaper.htm Searching for retro style designs in wallpaper? Based in New York City, they claim to have the largest collection of vintage wallcoverings in the world, and they have them in designs and materials suitable for every room in the house. Their website makes it easy to review their collection, with both thumbnail and slideshow (closeup) formats. For the retro look, two of our favorite collections are their Geometrics and the Mylar pages.
Directories & Other Resources›
- CalFinder.com ~ In the San Francisco Bay Area, CalFinder is a free service connecting homeowners with qualified, pre-screened contractors for a variety of home improvement projects such as window replacement, interior and exterior painting, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, and more. CalFinder provides design guidance throughout the project and follow-up. http://www.calfinder.com/ They also have an excellent home improvement blog at http://www.calfinder.com/blog/
- HandyAmerican.com at http://www.handyamerican.com/ An online resource where you can post your home improvement project for free and receive bids from qualified contractors competing for your business. The no-obligation service requires free membership registration, and you retain full control over the screening process.
- Old House Journal
Online: Restoration Directory ~ A comprehensive source of "products
and services for homes built before 1950, as well as newer homes built
in the traditional manner." Indexed by type of product. Search on
line or order a print version. See oldhousejournal.com
- Ranch House Plans at About.com's Architecture site. A listing of sponsored links leading to companies that offer Ranch Style house plans. See architecture.about.com
Product Oriented Blogs›
- Home Improvement Ideas at http://www.luxuryhousingtrends.com/ The daily entries in this useful blog feature illustrated new product ideas coming out of the home improvement arena. The blog features an extensive array of categories, a handy search tool, and home improvement articles. You can also sign up for their RSS feed.
Products We Love›
- Saniplus System ~ From Saniflo USA,
a toilet system
for
use in basements, garages, closets and other spaces where the installation
of conventional plumbing would be too expensive or otherwise undesireable.
The Saniplus system utilizes above-ground plumbing known as "macerating"
technology. The macerating unit (see photo, above) can be concealed behind
a wall. It's discrete, quiet, dependable and affordable. See their full
product line at http://www.saniflo.com
- Walker Zanger Glass Tile Collection
~ In deep, rich, stimulating
colors,
like the backsplash show here,in Cinnamon, Persimmon, Ginger & Clove.
They have an abundance of tiles in glass, as well as ceramic, metal, and
stone. See the rest of the collection at http://www.walkerzanger.com/
- Zip-It Unclogs Drains in Seconds ~
It's fast and cheap. Remind you of anyone? No, seriously, this little
tool is so clever, we wish we'd invented it. It's a long, thin strip of
flexible plastic with barbs on either edge. Push it down a clogged drain,
pull it back out, and the clog comes with it. It's sold just about everywhere,
and retails for about $2.50. The website has a 10 second demo: http://www.zipitclean.com/
- We'll be right back with more!