Home stuff 🏡 Home Improvement

[michaelskis]

I am going to finish all the plaster repairs this weekend, and maybe build a bunch of cabinet doors.

Time to shift things into overdrive, get the house done, get the house sold.

 

[WSU MUP Student]

Since I doesn't look like I can convince my wife to move (even though I found a great 1920s Tudor in our price range right in town), I do have her at least considering some significant improvements to our house including a demolition and then rebuilding and expanding one end of our house to give us a bigger den, a mud room with full bathroom, large pantry, three car garage, and much much more storage. It will probably be a year before we do anything, but at least the seed is planted.

 

[DVD]

At least you have a plan. I still have paint to slap on in a couple rooms and a lot of flooring, not to mention the upgrades for the kitchen like lighting and counters. We all want it done, we just don't want to spend the money on it. We're focusing on paying down the credit card.

 

[WSU MUP Student]

At least you have a plan. I still have paint to slap on in a couple rooms and a lot of flooring, not to mention the upgrades for the kitchen like lighting and counters. We all want it done, we just don't want to spend the money on it. We're focusing on paying down the credit card.

I actually sent my wife a "punch list" of projects, the the demolition and rebuild being the biggest portion of it. We also want a new kitchen (our layout and size are awesome but the materials are crap from top to bottom) and are going to try to do that at the same time.

Other things on the list:
New wood floors throughout
New interior doors
Rebuild two fireplaces to be one where you can see through between the two rooms
Add built-ins to the living room
Skylights in dining room
Fresh paint throughout
New front and back patios

We are actually on agreement on most everything we want to do and have some money set aside for improvements but our hold-up is time and motivation. We just hate the process of planning it out, finding contractors who never call back, getting estimates, etc. etc.

 

[DVD]

My quick punch list for the house:
New wood flooring, tile for the kitchen, and carpet downstairs and bedrooms
Paint
Still have to fix up the trim where I took the walls out, but that's after flooring
Counters, and back splash for the kitchen (it'd be nice for the bathrooms to, but that's too much)
Lighting for the kitchen
Replace the windows
Interior doors, at least half of them.
Replace the door knobs
Fix up the lawn

I could go on forever, but it's a lot of little things that have been neglected over time and need some work. In my case I have the time and motivation, I just don't have the money. I'd trade problems, but it still doesn't get the work done. At least I don't have to find contractors, the work I'm doing I can do myself. Yours needs a little extra help than what I could do.

 

[Salmissra]

My house to-do list just got whacked off. We talked with a realtor about getting the house ready for market, and all the little things we thought we needed to do, don't have to be done. So our list is pretty short now:

Landscaping clean up including bush removal (curb appeal!)
Paint refresh (keeping same two-tone scheme)
New screen doors

Since the list is a lot shorter (because we would rather sell at a lower price than pay for all the work and not get it all back at sale), we have more time to call around and get estimates on the work. Totally doable!

 

[michaelskis]

My house to-do list just got whacked off. We talked with a realtor about getting the house ready for market, and all the little things we thought we needed to do, don't have to be done. So our list is pretty short now:

Landscaping clean up including bush removal (curb appeal!)
Paint refresh (keeping same two-tone scheme)
New screen doors

Since the list is a lot shorter (because we would rather sell at a lower price than pay for all the work and not get it all back at sale), we have more time to call around and get estimates on the work. Totally doable!

Congratulations! That is awesome news. I wish my realtor would give me that kind of news. *Going to play with drywall dust tonight. :-@

 

[WSU MUP Student]

My house to-do list just got whacked off. We talked with a realtor about getting the house ready for market, and all the little things we thought we needed to do, don't have to be done. So our list is pretty short now:

Landscaping clean up including bush removal (curb appeal!)
Paint refresh (keeping same two-tone scheme)
New screen doors

Since the list is a lot shorter (because we would rather sell at a lower price than pay for all the work and not get it all back at sale), we have more time to call around and get estimates on the work. Totally doable!

A couple summers ago I learned how simple (and cheap) it is to install new screens into an old door. I think it cost me about $25 and an hour of time (including driving to and from Home Depot). Of course, if the frames are all rusted or bent out of shape, that's a different story...

 

[Salmissra]

A couple summers ago I learned how simple (and cheap) it is to install new screens into an old door. I think it cost me about $25 and an hour of time (including driving to and from Home Depot). Of course, if the frames are all rusted or bent out of shape, that's a different story...

We are not that handy. We'll just get new doors and have them installed. And then finally, at time of sale, we'll have screen doors that work!

 

[DVD]

We are not that handy. We'll just get new doors and have them installed. And then finally, at time of sale, we'll have screen doors that work!

If it's just a torn screen a lot of Ace Hardware stores and maybe Lowe's or Home Depot will replace screens. Cheaper than a new door, but it sounds like yours might be broken.

 

[kjel]

Now that we own the house....

After living with hardwood floors in the kitchen for the past year, we're going to replace them with some nice slate look tiles. Although the wood floors look nice, between the level of cooking we do, the back door comes directly into the kitchen, and we have two cats it's not the best material for the long term. This change will be implemented into the next set of houses that I build.

Our pantry isn't the biggest but part of the issue is the spacing of the shelves which cause a lot of wasted space. I was at the Container Store last week and they have a modular shelving system called Elfa that will work wonderfully in the pantry. I am also seriously considering an Elfa system for our master bedroom closet since we need more efficient use of the closet, don't have a linen closet in the hallway, and I don't want any more furniture in the bedroom.

Outdoors, I want to build at least one, if not two, of the raised garden beds that I posted about in the gardening thread.

 

[Richmond Jake]

Home maintenance

Now we need to replace the water heater. The damn thing is only about 7-1/2 years old. It had a 5-year warranty. :not:

 

[Planit]

Now we need to replace the water heater. The damn thing is only about 7-1/2 years old. It had a 5-year warranty. :not:

Companies have really gotten smart about their engineering so that items fail soon after the warranty expires.

 

[DVD]

Now we need to replace the water heater. The damn thing is only about 7-1/2 years old. It had a 5-year warranty. :not:

Don't forget to get a permit for that! Dumbest code ever.

 

[Richmond Jake]

Ha!!

I just finished replacing two of our toilet seats without uttering a single curse word, breaking any skin, displaying any plumber's crack, or having any leftover parts. And you people think I'm useless.


EDIT: The toilet seats are really cool, too. They have a no slam down feature.

 

[DVD]

I replaced 520 square feet of nasty carpet that the drunk ex owner apparently peed on. I have several scrapes and a sore wrist. I still have to paint and install the trim, but I'm happy to have good flooring. I will drag my house kicking and screaming into the 20th century!

And I still plan on sending out samples of the white tile backsplash when I'm ready for that project. Who wants white tile?

 

[michaelskis]

As I mentioned in another thread, my to-do list is a bit long and we need to get our house on the market. We already realized that there is about half the list that will simply not get done. Tonight I am going to the store to hopefully get the last of the wood to complete my cabinets and 5 gallons of gloss white and 5 gallons of flat white.

One of the biggest things is the amount of painting that needs to be done. I am pondering the idea of a painting party. Has anyone done one of these? Have they been successful? Has anyone attended one? Was it just beer and pizza offered or was there more involved?

 

[mendelman]

As I mentioned in another thread, my to-do list is a bit long and we need to get our house on the market. We already realized that there is about half the list that will simply not get done. Tonight I am going to the store to hopefully get the last of the wood to complete my cabinets and 5 gallons of gloss white and 5 gallons of flat white.

One of the biggest things is the amount of painting that needs to be done. I am pondering the idea of a painting party. Has anyone done one of these? Have they been successful? Has anyone attended one? Was it just beer and pizza offered or was there more involved?

If I was closer, I'd be willing to come help even though I really dislike painting. But I like free pizza more, though.

 

[DVD]

As I mentioned in another thread, my to-do list is a bit long and we need to get our house on the market. We already realized that there is about half the list that will simply not get done. Tonight I am going to the store to hopefully get the last of the wood to complete my cabinets and 5 gallons of gloss white and 5 gallons of flat white.

One of the biggest things is the amount of painting that needs to be done. I am pondering the idea of a painting party. Has anyone done one of these? Have they been successful? Has anyone attended one? Was it just beer and pizza offered or was there more involved?

The only time I did it was to help out a friend's brother. It was 3 rooms and about 6 of us painting. Lots of beer because that's what we demanded and everyone had pretty good knowledge about how to paint. We had most focusing on the prep work - tape, a couple doing the cutting in with brushes, and one person rolling. It went pretty quick, but if someone doesn't know how to paint you'll end up with splatters, runs, brush lines, and worse.

 

[kjel]

As I mentioned in another thread, my to-do list is a bit long and we need to get our house on the market. We already realized that there is about half the list that will simply not get done. Tonight I am going to the store to hopefully get the last of the wood to complete my cabinets and 5 gallons of gloss white and 5 gallons of flat white.

One of the biggest things is the amount of painting that needs to be done. I am pondering the idea of a painting party. Has anyone done one of these? Have they been successful? Has anyone attended one? Was it just beer and pizza offered or was there more involved?

It might be worthwhile to hire some painters and just get it over with. Also, with the laundry list of to-dos....will you get out what you put into the house in terms of sales price?

 

[michaelskis]

It might be worthwhile to hire some painters and just get it over with. Also, with the laundry list of to-dos....will you get out what you put into the house in terms of sales price?

Not if I have to hire painters... We had one estimate a few years ago. $14,000 to paint the exterior of the house.


I checked around with several different realtors and they all seem to say the same thing. We will make a profit if we finish the exterior repairs and interior projects, the only variable is time.

Also every one of the realtors said that my neighborhood is quickly becoming the most desirable in the City and if we price it at a sweet spot having offers within 7 days and a bidding war could happen. The sweet spot just happens to be what the City says the market value is.

 

[mendelman]

Maybe you need to take a "to do list" vacation. Take a good week off work (if possible) and finish everything and simply make it a priority.

Good luck!

 

[DVD]

Not if I have to hire painters... We had one estimate a few years ago. $14,000 to paint the exterior of the house.


I checked around with several different realtors and they all seem to say the same thing. We will make a profit if we finish the exterior repairs and interior projects, the only variable is time.

Also every one of the realtors said that my neighborhood is quickly becoming the most desirable in the City and if we price it at a sweet spot having offers within 7 days and a bidding war could happen. The sweet spot just happens to be what the City says the market value is.

If it's exterior painting than forget what I said about knowing how to paint. Just get a bunch of people, get a few doing trim work and the rest rolling and go to town. Make sure beer and pizza is involved. Hell, invite your neighbors.

 

[michaelskis]

Maybe you need to take a "to do list" vacation. Take a good week off work (if possible) and finish everything and simply make it a priority.

Good luck!

What? No list? I can't operate without a list! THERE NEEDS TO BE A LIST!


Depending on things, my wife and I decided to rent an apartment for a while with our next place, wait a few years, and then have a house built. While we are in the apartment, my wife agrees that if its broken, call the maintenance people. When we go to build a house, we will have someone else build and finish it.

 

[kjel]

Not if I have to hire painters... We had one estimate a few years ago. $14,000 to paint the exterior of the house.


I checked around with several different realtors and they all seem to say the same thing. We will make a profit if we finish the exterior repairs and interior projects, the only variable is time.

Also every one of the realtors said that my neighborhood is quickly becoming the most desirable in the City and if we price it at a sweet spot having offers within 7 days and a bidding war could happen. The sweet spot just happens to be what the City says the market value is.

That's really high, might shop that around a little.

Good to know that you will get your money out. A lot of folks just get hung up on doing all the work and don't come near recouping what it cost.

 

[michaelskis]

That's really high, might shop that around a little.

Good to know that you will get your money out. A lot of folks just get hung up on doing all the work and don't come near recouping what it cost.

I did shop around a lot when I was looking. But then again, my house is a bit on the big side and they needed to rent lifts and stuff because the peak is about 40 feet off the ground.

 

[WSU MUP Student]

I did shop around a lot when I was looking. But then again, my house is a bit on the big side and they needed to rent lifts and stuff because the peak is about 40 feet off the ground.

My parents have a big old farm house with some very tall peaks and a lot of intricate exterior woodwork. They had gotten some estimates to get it painted a few years ago and my dad said they all came in a few thousand more than they expected and every crew mentioned the height of the peaks as a big contributor to the price.

 

[michaelskis]

I replaced some window trim today and installed missing siding. The Onyx acid stain for my concrete counters is not coming out black... But more of an earthy leather brown. Might result in a total change in our kitchen color scheme.

I am going to try to finish the siding tomorrow and maybe start in on the last of the cabinet doors.


April 15th is the deadline to have the house done.

 

[Big Owl]

I replaced some window trim today and installed missing siding. The Onyx acid stain for my concrete counters is not coming out black... But more of an earthy leather brown. Might result in a total change in our kitchen color scheme.

I am going to try to finish the siding tomorrow and maybe start in on the last of the cabinet doors.


April 15th is the deadline to have the house done.

Did you pour them in place or cast them in forms with the intent to be placed later? I have wanted to do that but I don't like my current kitchen enough to commit to that right now. I am hoping to do a major remodel at some point in the future.

 

[michaelskis]

Did you pour them in place or cast them in forms with the intent to be placed later? I have wanted to do that but I don't like my current kitchen enough to commit to that right now. I am hoping to do a major remodel at some point in the future.

I did a pour in place and instead of using the custom mixes, I used Quikrete 5000 and just made sure not to overdo the water. We wanted to see the aggregate to give it a similar took to granite, so we waited until they were cured and then ground them smooth. Then we polished them up to a 3200 grit. Once we get the epoxy gloss coat on, they will be perfect. Just the wrong color.

 

[Richmond Jake]

I replaced two sets of blinds in the dining area this morning. When I was finished, I reflected back on a phrase my mom used about my dad: "The job is not complete until the cussing is over."

 

[michaelskis]

We looked more into housing option number 2 from another thread.

I have come to realize that I am not going to pay stupid inflated prices for some of the contractor options when I can do it myself.

On the other hand, option 2 might require an addition to make the floor plan perfect for us.

 

[Dan]

I hate toggle switches. Okay, "hate" is too strong of a word, but they seem kind of old fashioned. I've been gradually swapping out all toggle switches and duplex outlets throughout the house. For the switches, it's all Decora style, a few with built-in nightlights. For the outlets, it's mostly commercial grade (Leviton Decora Plus), with one or two hybrid NEMA 5-15/USB outlets in every room.

 

[DVD]

I'm slowly switching all the switches over to rockers as I go through the house. I'm also replacing the worn out outlets and putting the ground plug on the bottom. I hate upside down outlets.

 

[AG74683]

I'm slowly switching all the switches over to rockers as I go through the house. I'm also replacing the worn out outlets and putting the ground plug on the bottom. I hate upside down outlets.

I need to start doing this. I've got no real problem with standard light switches though. I actually don't care for the rocker ones. Almost all my outlets are 15A even though the circuit can support up to 20a. I might switch everything to 20's just because. Biggest thing now though is replacing the outlets where I need GFCI's. I have like 10 of those, and GFCI's are expensive!

 

[WSU MUP Student]

After years of telling my wife I hate interior painting and am not doing it anymore, she finally decided I wasn't lying to her so she called a painting company to come fix some walls in our hose that had been patched after a burst pipe and a few leaks a couple of years ago as well as repainting one of the bathrooms.

The amount of prep work they do and the speed at which they work is astonishing. There is a night and day difference between how the rooms they painted look compared to the ones I did when we moved in. And the price was about half of what we were imaging it would be. I think my wife has finally wised up and realized that interior painting is something we will leave to the professionals from now on for most spots - she's already called their estimator so he can come back out and give us a price on doing a few more rooms.

 

[DVD]

Sadly I've learned enough to be a professional painter working in the Navy and as labor for a contractor. My wife on the other hand is not allowed to paint anymore. There's more to it than just rolling over the same spot a couple times.

 

[kjel]

Sadly I've learned enough to be a professional painter working in the Navy and as labor for a contractor. My wife on the other hand is not allowed to paint anymore. There's more to it than just rolling over the same spot a couple times.

My husband is also not allowed to paint. I have an excellent paint crew so if it's more than a room, I call them because my sanity is worth it.

Replaced the light fixture out front with an LED one that is more appropriate to the character of the house (built 1882), now you can really see it at night. Also replaced the ones at the rear of the house.

 

[AG74683]

I got a Wi-Fi enabled thermostat for Christmas. Should be an easy enough install, but everything "easy" project I've done on this house so far has been much more than that. I did not ask for a Nest thermostat. I got the Honeywell one. I felt the Nest was almost too simple. I need more information than what the Nest offers.

 

[Hink]

I got a Wi-Fi enabled thermostat for Christmas. Should be an easy enough install, but everything "easy" project I've done on this house so far has been much more than that. I did not ask for a Nest thermostat. I got the Honeywell one. I felt the Nest was almost too simple. I need more information than what the Nest offers.

Let me know how it goes. Our builder has suggested the Honeywell instead of the Nest. I am interested to hear how it works in real life.

 

[AG74683]

Should be an easy enough install, but everything "easy" project I've done on this house so far has been much more than that.

Son of a bi*ch. I knew it! Have the old thermostat off already, wires labeled, everything good. I have a W2 wire and an E wire. W2 appears to be aux. heat, E is emergency heat. The instructions say to wire nut the two together to a separate wire and run that to the same terminal. I suspect this means my emergency heat might be on all the damn time. I don't have any wires that I can even use anyways. Always something.

EDIT* Eh, I just jammed the W2 and E into the aux slot together, seems to be okay. They were connected on the old thermostat with a jumper anyways. Emergency heat is a manual option that I have to physically select to operate it anyways. It's up and running now. Hink, make sure your installer is gentle with those wire connections if you opt to go whit this one. A few of my cable ends were a little long and basically punched right through the back of the plastic "holder". Seems to be working fine though so I'm not tremendously worried. It looks pretty good. The mounting system is kinda crappy though, doesn't feel like it really locked on to the back plate.

 

[kjel]

Let me know how it goes. Our builder has suggested the Honeywell instead of the Nest. I am interested to hear how it works in real life.

I have a Nest which was super easy to install. I got it back in the summer and while I didn't save any $ during the a/c season the temperature inside the house was more consistent and comfortable. I love the auto-away feature. Looks like the savings will come during heating season.

 

[AG74683]

I'm really liking the thermostat so far. I am definitely seeing a more consistent temperature in the house. I do need to fix one issue though. There is no blocking between the return air vent (below) and the thermostat (above). Whenever the heat kicks on, the air in the room blows up through the return air vent and drastically lowers the thermostat temperature reading (I'm talking like 5 degrees!!). This almost always boots on auxiliary heat which is a money pit. Should be simple enough to place a piece of 2x4 up there. I'll probably fire caulk it too, because why not.

I got a $50.00 gift card to Lowes, so I bought some new goodies on Saturday. New toilet seat and handle. I cannot stand the regular toilet seats. I switched everything over to assisted close (if you have kids, this is critical because they'll slam that seat all night). Also switched out my under sink trays, the single one that was on that panel was too small to be of any real use. I think I'll paint the guest bathroom vanity someday soon. It's a pale blue which just looks outdated, not to mention it has crayon and pen marks all over it from the PO's kids.

I have decided to begin the change over to rockers. I'm no electrician so I figured I'd ask here, are there any particular needs to install dimmer switches? I always assumed a dimmer works by limiting the voltage coming through the switch, thereby limiting the brightness of the bulb. I would't see any reason any switch couldn't be a dimmer...

 

[Habanero]

What is the level of DIY one can do to their home without hitting the resale value too hard? For example - we need to redo the office floor. I'd love to do it myself again, but in a pattern similar to this:

And then this on a wall in the living room:

Not purple, but at the same time, if we needed to sell our house I don't want to have to undo everything.

 

[DVD]

I'd talk to a couple realtors to figure out what sells and what doesn't. Good floors are a selling point (I should point out the flooring you showed is a biatch to do, but have fun anyway). Accent walls are usually a selling point as long as it's tasteful. The house across the street with the solid wall of 1' mirror panels, not tasteful. I think the new owner pulled those out. Something simple like that pattern should be okay.

 

[WSU MUP Student]

What is the level of DIY one can do to their home without hitting the resale value too hard? For example - we need to redo the office floor. I'd love to do it myself again, but in a pattern similar to this...

...Not purple, but at the same time, if we needed to sell our house I don't want to have to undo everything.

You also need to take into account how much longer you are planning to be in the house. IMO, if you are going to be there at least another 6 or 7 years, resale value becomes less of a concern and your enjoyment is the primary concern. If you are planning to be there at least another decade, short of fully deleting a bathroom or something else drastic like that, I probably would not consider resale value at all.

Regarding the paneling on the living room wall, I love the one that you posted up. If it's mounted on brackets instead of directly onto the wall, it probably wouldn't be too much of a pain to take down and patch any holes left by the brackets. Our dining room is large and very plain and lately I've been thinking of putting a unique paneling up on one of the walls.

 

[DVD]

You also need to take into account how much longer you are planning to be in the house. IMO, if you are going to be there at least another 6 or 7 years, resale value becomes less of a concern and your enjoyment is the primary concern. If you are planning to be there at least another decade, short of fully deleting a bathroom or something else drastic like that, I probably would not consider resale value at all.

Regarding the paneling on the living room wall, I love the one that you posted up. If it's mounted on brackets instead of directly onto the wall, it probably wouldn't be too much of a pain to take down and patch any holes left by the brackets. Our dining room is large and very plain and lately I've been thinking of putting a unique paneling up on one of the walls.

I watched This Old House do a similar paneling project to make the lower portion of a wall look like fancy wainscoting. In fact, looking for a picture to use as a sample of the simple square pattern they did I found the article that tells you how.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20252367,00.html

Basically just cut up some trim from the hard ware store and nail it up. Of course they had fancy brad nailers, but a little patience and a hammer can do the trick. That's all the purple wall is in the end. Plus it's easy to tear out and patch the holes.

 

[Veloise]

What is the level of DIY one can do to their home without hitting the resale value too hard? For example - we need to redo the office floor. I'd love to do it myself again, but in a pattern similar to this:

... if we needed to sell our house I don't want to have to undo everything.

Go for it. The patterned floor** would add unique value.

The house I recently sold had royal blue glass tiles as a kitchen accent, along with the entire floor in the mini-half-bath. Kitchen countertops were a matching blue Formica. And guess what color I had the exterior done in...this was all five years ago. The second buyer potentiate came through. In a world of neutral tones (which, frankly, look like someone's designing around pet accidents), a feature like your floor would add value.


**please post a finished pic for me to drool over

 

[Suburb Repairman]

What is the level of DIY one can do to their home without hitting the resale value too hard? For example - we need to redo the office floor. I'd love to do it myself again, but in a pattern similar to this:

And then this on a wall in the living room:

Not purple, but at the same time, if we needed to sell our house I don't want to have to undo everything.

I'd go for the floor, although what you show is 1) very labor intensive and 2) requires a really good, stable cutting rig to hit those angles consistently & precisely.

On the wall, I would recommend bracket mounting it rather than directly attaching to the wall. I think it looks great, but my thought is also that such an accent piece might be something you'd be interested in taking with you when/if you ever move. It also has the benefit that you could do your finishing work on each panel separately and on a horizontal surface.

 

[AG74683]

Installed new seals on my front door last night. What a pain! I had to redo the deadbolt location in the door frame because it was too far forward to allow the bolt to close with the seals on. After that, I had to tighten up everything on the outside, which required me to relocate some of the holes I'd already put in the frame outside.

It's done now though, and from what I can tell has made a big difference. It got down into the low 20's last night and I saw no condensation on the inside of the storm door.

I found some really sweet antique lamps over the weekend too. They are really weird. They have a cool wooden base to them which is connected to this brass box. Inside the box are two smaller lights (like candle type) behind two etched glass portals. Above the brass box is a standard lamp light and shade. You can turn either light on by itself, or both. I really want to replace the interior lights with those Edison type bulbs.