Jack Bettridge

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My New Place To Smoke

Posted: 12:27 PM ET, October 25, 2007

I have recently stepped out of a hell that every knowing homeowner has either experienced or dreads: home renovation. Two years have passed from the day my wife first uttered the fateful term until now when my life is back to the near normality that I can probably call mild disarray.

Last night I realized it was all worth it when I sat in the newly created alcove built off the kitchen and lit up a ballsy perfecto with total comfort and impunity.

Granted it was an unseasonably warm evening, but I can see this spot is destined to serve me well in this capacity even in the coming cold months. It has three walls and a ceiling and opens on a view of the woods behind my backyard. Unless it is brain-freeze cold, my problem with smoking on a deck is not the temperature, but the wind. While I can always bundle up, I've found even a mild breeze can throw off the enjoyment of a great cigar by causing it to burn poorly. It either burns unevenly or too fast. Either way it's not the optimal condition for smoking. (Don't get me wrong. I'll smoke in a gale if I crave a cigar. It's just not the best.)

Bonus: one of the walls has a sliding glass door that peers into the family room at the big screen TV. Last night I could leave the door open a crack and hear the sound, but I realized there will have to be a Phase B of the renovation: a speaker for the alcove.

Then again, once I get the basement room finished and outfitted with an air cleaner, a full bar and a pool table, I won't need the alcove. But that would entail calling back the contractor for more renovation wars. Maybe that is Phase ZZZ.

(3 comments on this post) Submit your comments >

Reader Comments

User Name: Christian Aliperti, NY Posted: 12:34 PM ET, October 25, 2007

Good to hear Jack, enjoy it for many years to come. I have a finished basement with the big screen TV, Poker table, and 4 recliner sectional with the cleaner and it is a pleasure. Agree with the smoking outdoors when your smoke goes awry. Not fun but still a good time.

User Name: paul dunn Posted: 09:05 PM ET, October 25, 2007

Jack, Good to hear how someone else is coping with the domestic restrictions on smoking. My wife was told by her Doctor that she had to stop smoking and she souldn't inhale any second-hand smoke because the smoke causes blistering on her lungs. So it's outside for me.Problem-we live in a third floor apartment. It can get damn cold in New England. Best Regards, Paul

User Name: Joel Foreman, Newnan, GA Posted: 08:06 AM ET, October 28, 2007

We use my neighbors "Fire Level" [patio with outdoor fireplace] three - four times a week, year round...the temp record is 27 degrees (not bad in GA)... As long as it's not very windy or raining, we're using it... That is, until July 13th when his house burned down...the bad news. The good news is; he is rebuilding with a covered patio between the house and Fire Level... BTW, we already had the wiring in place for cable and electricity... For your alcove area, you might think about a chiminea... IMHO, there's nothing better than the open-air smoking experience...

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