Quincy giving a thumbs-up beside a cart loaded with a stainless grill and portable power station, with a sliding driveway gate and backyard fire pit behind him at sunset

Premium home & backyard upgrades

Upgrades that matter around your home, worth putting in the cart.

I'm Quincy. I sort through the big-ticket stuff, like gate openers, dehumidifiers and backyard saunas, so you can see the specs that matter and buy with confidence. And as a trainer, I'll point you to the high-end home gym gear that's worth the investment.

Explore the picks Meet Quincy

Heads up: Putinthecart earns a commission when you buy through links on this site, at no extra cost to you. Prices and availability are set by each store.

DrivewayAutomatic Gate OpenersSlide and swing openers with remotes and keypads included. Basement & crawl spaceDehumidifiersStop musty smells and protect what's stored below. Backyard wellnessOutdoor SaunasFinnish-style saunas built for your own backyard.

Driveway

Automatic gate openers

Pull up, press the remote, and the gate opens. Both picks come from Eagle, an American-built brand, and ship with remotes, a photo-eye safety sensor and a free keypad.

Sliding or swinging? Match the opener to your gate. A sliding gate rolls sideways on a track and needs a slide opener. A gate that opens like a door needs a swing opener.

Quincy holding an Eagle gate remote in front of a horizontal-slat sliding driveway gate

Eagle · via Gate Operators Direct

Eagle 1000-FR Slide Gate Opener

Gate length: Up to 27 ft
Gate weight: Up to 600 lbs
Included: Free keypad, 2 remotes, photo eye
Warranty: 5 years

Why it made the list: a foot-release pedal lets you open the gate by hand when the power goes out, and shipping is free in the US.

Check price at Gate Operators Direct

Quincy holding an Eagle remote beside a single-panel swing driveway gate, with a close-up of the remote

Eagle · via Gate Operators Direct

Eagle II Residential Swing Gate Opener

Gate length: Up to 14 ft
Gate weight: Up to 400 lbs
Included: Free keypad ($119 value), 2 remotes, receiver, photo eye
Warranty: 5-year limited, residential

Why it made the list: a quick-release lever for power outages and an auto-close timer. One unit opens one gate panel; double gates can pair two units.

Check price at Gate Operators Direct

Basement & crawl space

Dehumidifiers that drain themselves

Damp air below the house brings musty smells and can damage what you store there. Both Argendon models have a built-in pump, so water drains out through a hose instead of filling a bucket.

Argendon

Argendon Guardian 60P

Removes: Up to 145 pints a day
Best for: Large basements & crawl spaces
Drainage: Built-in pump + drain hoses
Warranty: 5-year limited

Why it made the list: it restarts on its own after a power outage, has auto defrost, and is ETL safety certified.

Check price at Argendon

Argendon

Argendon Shield 35P

Removes: Up to 70 pints a day
Space: Up to 1,000 sq ft
Pump lift: Pushes water up to 19.6 ft
Runs down to: 33.8 °F

Why it made the list: no floor drain needed. The pump sends water up to a sink or out a window, and it keeps working in cold crawl spaces.

Check price at Argendon

Backyard wellness

A Finnish sauna in your own backyard

Heat, recovery and quiet time without leaving home. RecoSauna builds Nordic-style outdoor saunas from natural timber and ships them to the US.

Quincy relaxing on the bench of a warm wood outdoor sauna with a towel around his neck, steam rising from the heater and his backyard glowing at sunset through the glass — My kind of recovery day: heat, steam and a view of the backyard.

Quincy giving a thumbs-up beside a modern Thermowood outdoor sauna with a large glass front on a backyard deck at sunset

RecoSauna

RecoSauna Lumi Luxury Modern Sauna

Seats: 2–6 people
Footprint: 2.3 × 2.3 m (about 7.5 × 7.5 ft)
Heat: Electric or wood-burning
Build: Thermowood outside, alder inside

Why it made the list: clean modern lines, big glass windows and authentic Finnish design. The heater is chosen separately when you configure it.

Check price at RecoSauna

Quincy in a blue training shirt leaning on a loaded barbell in a power rack inside a high-end home gym with dumbbells, kettlebells and sunset windows

Home gyms

The value starts here.

Thirty years of training taught me what lasts: a solid rack, a quality bar and plates, adjustable benches and dumbbells that hold up to daily use. A well-built home gym pays for itself in saved memberships and drive time.

Coming soon: my picks for commercial-quality racks, barbells and full home gym setups.

On Quincy's list

More picks on the way

Outdoor kitchensGrills, pizza ovens and built-in cabinetry.

Backup powerPower stations for storm season.

Home wellnessInfrared saunas and recovery gear.

Illustration of Quincy Kidd in a blue polo and khakis giving a thumbs-up

About Quincy

The guy behind the cart

I'm Quincy Kidd, a certified personal trainer with more than 30 years in the business, based in Ohio. Putinthecart is where I share the big home upgrades I think are worth the money.

I've always loved helping people get the most out of their budget. With my training clients, that means real results for the time and money they put in. Here, it means helping shoppers who want quality, well-built products find the right one. I do the comparing for you, to the best of my knowledge, so you can buy with confidence.

I look for three things before a product makes the list: solid build quality, a real warranty, and features that matter once it's installed at your house. When something doesn't measure up, it doesn't go in the cart.

Certified trainer30+ yearsOhio