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Home stuff šŸ” Home improvements

dandy_warhol said:
You have to bring everything. The water hook-ups and electrical outlets are there, the rest is up to you. Cabinets, counters, appliances, fixtures, are all the tenant's responsibility.
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That just seems bizarre. Cabinets in American kitchens are built in, and are hardly something anyone would move around. Also the cost of buying all this stuff seems like it would be rather steep and difficult to afford for people just starting out.
 
jsk1983 said:
That just seems bizarre. Cabinets in American kitchens are built in, and are hardly something anyone would move around. Also the cost of buying all this stuff seems like it would be rather steep and difficult to afford for people just starting out.
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I believe a larger percent of the population rents in Germany and many are long-term rentals, easily 10+ years. People want to be able to customize their space. When people move they even take their light fixtures and light bulbs with them. :) Also, if the tenants have to provide the kitchen etc., then the landlords aren't required to fix any of it when things go wrong or need fixing/replacing.

Ikeas are also plentiful here. You could get a decent kitchen for a modest price and have it installed in a few days, if you can figure out the instructions.
 
Maister said:
Maister's next house search:
  • does it have a minimum of 8 hours full sun in the rear yard?
  • are there many trees casting shade or draining water and nutrients from potential garden areas?
  • area available to accommodate a small greenhouse?
  • Is the soil structure generally a well drained loam?
  • do most parts of the yard have a Ph of around 6.0 - 6.5?
  • oh yeah, and that house on the lot has like a kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, and that kinda thing, right?
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Six hours sun qualifies as full sun in gardening.
 
Speaking of appliances I was in an Ace hardware recently where they had a dozen or so full size fridges with big stickers pasted on them that said $285. WTF? I did not look at them at all.
 
Didn't get too much done this weekend. At this point I'm working on the countertops and they are definitely two-man lift (at least for this man). I built a jig to hold the sink (cast iron- 100+ pounds!) and did a trial fit with my sink good enough to locate the hole and cut it in the countertop.

Before I can install the sink though I need to get the countertops joined and mounted to the cabinets. The countertops might have to wait until next weekend.

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Trial fit of the drain with the old drain parts. Kind of convoluted but it should work.

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Hard to make out but the lines for the sink are drawn in preparation for cutting the hole in the countertop.

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I wanted to get the countertops done this weekend but didn't get there. I had to work on some other stuff (mow the lawn... it was getting pretty overgrown, and start my taxes).
 
I'm getting too old to paint a small bedroom while the furniture is in there and wrassle a ladder around trying to cut walls in. Oy!
At least the hideous previous color is gone!
 
Gedunker said:
I'm getting too old to paint a small bedroom while the furniture is in there and wrassle a ladder around trying to cut walls in. Oy!
At least the hideous previous color is gone!
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I felt like that when I was redoing rt's bedroom. Cutting in the baseboards damn near killed me. Turned out great though.

Next painting project will be the faux brick siding on the front facade of the house. It is some sort of plastic type material but it is not vinyl and installed like vinyl siding. It looks crappy but to reside the whole house is $$$$$ and I don't want to paint vinyl siding. Figured this is a good spruce up. I will paint the two sets of shutters and the aluminum trim around the two boxed out windows and the trim around the garage door too. I'm just going to have someone come pressure wash the house.
 
Doohickie said:
Didn't get too much done this weekend. At this point I'm working on the countertops and they are definitely two-man lift (at least for this man). I built a jig to hold the sink (cast iron- 100+ pounds!) and did a trial fit with my sink good enough to locate the hole and cut it in the countertop.

Before I can install the sink though I need to get the countertops joined and mounted to the cabinets. The countertops might have to wait until next weekend.

View attachment 59880



Trial fit of the drain with the old drain parts. Kind of convoluted but it should work.

View attachment 59882

Hard to make out but the lines for the sink are drawn in preparation for cutting the hole in the countertop.
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If you have enough slack in the dishwasher drain line, you might want to put a loop up towards the countertop so the line isn't downhill all the way into the dishwasher if the sink fills up.
 
estromberg said:
If you have enough slack in the dishwasher drain line, you might want to put a loop up towards the countertop so the line isn't downhill all the way into the dishwasher if the sink fills up.
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Yep, I'll take care of that when the sink is in and we hook up the hose.

Today: COUNTERTOPS! They're not fully attached yet, but they're built up. It was a 12 hour day getting them cut and joined.

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I spent today fussing around the countertops, getting them bolted down and trying to minimize the seams between joints.

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The seam where the grain changes direction is pretty obvious but unavoidable. There is a seam about six inches from the wall on the sink section that is also pretty obvious. I'm going to try some oak-colored wood filler in the crack to try to minimize it but I think it's going to be pretty obvious regardless. I could have avoided that little piece if I had run the stove section all the way to the wall, but then the sink would have been too close to the edge of the piece and would have been difficult to join to the other piece.

It is what it is.

I purposely put the seam there though because I think it will be mostly covered up by things on that section of the countertop.
 
More fussing with the countertops. I gave them a coat of oil finish last night, plan another one for tonight. One or two other things to do with them and then.... this Friday the plumber comes over to connect the sink! At that point the kitchen becomes functional again.

Still to do after that on Phase I:
  • Finish putting the doors, drawers and shelves into the cabinets
  • Adjust all doors and drawer fronts so that they're straight
  • Install toe kicks and other trim items
  • Prime/seal the backsplash area
  • Put up the tile backsplash (considering hiring that out)
Phase II (replace the corner pantry cabinet at the other end of the room):
  • Remove the corner pantry cabinet
  • Repair drywall as necessary and paint
  • Extend plank floor to area where pantry cabinet sits
  • Move the electrical switch and plug
  • Put up the IKEA cabinets
Phase II should be a small fraction of the effort of Phase I
 
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So I put the doors/drawers into the cabinet to the left of the microwave..... the microwave door couldn't open. When I was putting it up I noticed the directions said something about using a "bump out bracket" with 15" deep cabinets. I ignored it. I got the cabinets up and it was no problem... until the doors/drawers were in place and they impinged on the microwave door when you tried to open it.

So I took a piece of drawer front that I wasn't using and mounted it to the wall to make my own "bump out bracket." And now everything fits.

It's actually kind of a win-win because I was thinking of putting piece of molding under the micro anyway, just in case we ever replaced it with something taller so I wouldn't have to mess with the tile. Now I have my molding.

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Doohickie said:
So I put the doors/drawers into the cabinet to the left of the microwave..... the microwave door couldn't open. When I was putting it up I noticed the directions said something about using a "bump out bracket" with 15" deep cabinets. I ignored it. I got the cabinets up and it was no problem... until the doors/drawers were in place and they impinged on the microwave door when you tried to open it.

So I took a piece of drawer front that I wasn't using and mounted it to the wall to make my own "bump out bracket." And now everything fits.

It's actually kind of a win-win because I was thinking of putting piece of molding under the micro anyway, just in case we ever replaced it with something taller so I wouldn't have to mess with the tile. Now I have my molding.

View attachment 59936
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Creativity is its own reward.
.
 
I did a fraction of Doohickie's work. I installed a new kitchen faucet. Don't buy Ikea appliances. They suck. We got a nice new Kohler.
 
DVD said:
I did a fraction of Doohickie's work. I installed a new kitchen faucet. Don't buy Ikea appliances. They suck. We got a nice new Kohler.
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Kohler sink (made in Kohler, WI), Pfister faucet. I've had good luck with Pfister.

A coupla cabinets still need work and we still need to do some trim items and the backsplash, but we're starting to move back into the kitchen.

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mendelman said:
Yeah...the 'top' drawers seem...problematic to me.
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My wife wanted them so I got them. You're right, they're a bit too tall for her. I asked if she wanted to change it and she said she would live with it. We'll see how that works out. I considered lowering those cabinets some to give her better access but then they'd be too close to the countertop. If she decides in the end it's just not workable, we can get full length doors and take the drawers out. Nice thing about IKEA: It's modular.
 
Doohickie said:
My wife wanted them so I got them. You're right, they're a bit too tall for her. I asked if she wanted to change it and she said she would live with it. We'll see how that works out. I considered lowering those cabinets some to give her better access but then they'd be too close to the countertop. If she decides in the end it's just not workable, we can get full length doors and take the drawers out. Nice thing about IKEA: It's modular.
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A flat file for parchment paper and placemats.
 
So after slight pause with little progress, I'm not focusing on the other end of the room.
Doohickie said:
Phase Two is much less involved, but at the other end of the room we're going to get rid of the clunky corner pantry unit and the bookshelf and replace them with new cabinets.
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I started Phase Two this weekend. We're replacing the clunky corner cabinet.

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I started peeling the wallpaper on the area that will be exposed (they painted over the wallpaper but you can still see seams up close). Then I will piece in the plank flooring where it's missing, cut some of the drywall away to make it easier to move the light switch closer to the room entry and move the plug up on the wall; also it will make it easier to locate the studs because there actually used to be a doorway behind that cabinet; who knows how they framed it in. Then close up the wall, prime/paint it, and hang the cabinets. Although this is far less involved than the other end of the room, there's still a lot of demolition/reconstruction to be done before I actually hang the cabinets. Replacing the old cabinet with the new ones which will run along the short wall will give us another foot and a half of space for the kitchen table, which has always been cramped.

This is the plan:
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It's IKEA so it shows Euro style light switches and plugs but basically I'm moving the switches closer to the entry way and the plugs up from floor level.
 
On the agenda this week:
1. New water heater
2. Replacing brass fitting on waterlines in basement - corrosion setting in
3. Replacing cartridge in master shower - leaking cold water while on
4. New tub and surround in boys' bathroom (signed last night but two months out)
5. Clothes washer not draining
 
SlaveToTheGrind said:
On the agenda this week:
1. New water heater
2. Replacing brass fitting on waterlines in basement - corrosion setting in
3. Replacing cartridge in master shower - leaking cold water while on
4. New tub and surround in boys' bathroom (signed last night but two months out)
5. Clothes washer not draining
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These are the times I like renting right now.

:phone:Hello? Management company?
 
The hubs installed a new toilet last weekend; it made me feel very adulty that I was excited about it. No more super short, brown porcelain in the master bath.

This week's agenda includes replacing the (matching :puke:) brown kitchen sink with a stainless one. Yep, three toilets and four sinks -- all a lovely 70s brown when we moved in.

This is what dreams are made of!
 
RandomPlanner said:
The hubs installed a new toilet last weekend; it made me feel very adulty that I was excited about it. No more super short, brown porcelain in the master bath.

This week's agenda includes replacing the (matching :puke:) brown kitchen sink with a stainless one. Yep, three toilets and four sinks -- all a lovely 70s brown when we moved in.

This is what dreams are made of!
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There was a certain issue I had with a brown toilet. Was it clean? Was there something hiding in plain sight?
 
Planit said:
There was a certain issue I had with a brown toilet. Was it clean? Was there something hiding in plain sight?
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:puke: :puke: It was clean but yes, that was part of the problem -- it just looked gross at all times. Interesting, when we brought the toilet outside and set it next to the garage for craigslist pickup (yes, someone took it!), the toilet was almost an EXACT match of the house color. So... did they buy the sinks and toilets to match the house or the other way around? :woozy:
 
Doohickie said:
The microwave is back in place and working. All of the base cabinet frames are in, most of the wall cabinet frames are in.
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I will probably get the rest the cabinets up and start putting in doors and drawers but the next big thing is getting the countertops done so I can install the sink. Once we get that point we'll have a fully functional kitchen again.
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So the inspiration for remodeling the kitchen was the double oven range my wife got in January (pictured in the quoted post above). Well..... it started acting wonky while she was baking in it on Monday. She was baking something in the upper oven at 350Ā°F; I noticed this:
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Oops. Naturally I got online and the good news was, there weren't a lot of cases of this happening to this model of oven. The bad news is that when it did, they ended up going back and forth replacing parts, then finally replacing the whole unit.

Basically the switch circuit seems to be telling the controller that the oven door is open. I tried pressing the switch in all the way and it makes no difference. When the oven is open though, the oven light is on and the touch sensitive screen stays lit (in the picture from my quoted post you can see it normally only displays the time and not all the control settings).

We have an extended warranty through Lowe's and my wife called them and set up an appointment for a tech to come out. Turns out Lowe's passed it off to the manufacturer (GE) and that's who showed up. After checking several things he made the call that the whole thing needed to be replaced, filed a case number and got the replacement approved. We should be hearing from GE next week (but if they don't call he gave us the number to call them). The tech was great; apparently they don't bother with the coming out three times and replacing different parts thing anymore, they just replace the whole thing if it's in the first year.

In an interesting twist, he said that we can go to a special GE website to look at ovens, in case the one we have is out of stock or back ordered and we decide to get a different one. He said we could buy other appliances through the site was well. The interesting bit is, with the code he provided for us we can get 20% or more off the prices of the appliances; they are purchased directly through and delivered by GE. Maybe that's their way of keeping the customers happy- give them discounts. Our fridge came with the house and it's not exactly new... I might order a new one from them at some point.
 
Big Owl said:
I am working on a HVAC replacement. I'd like to go from one unit for the whole house to having one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Or possibly zoning. Both would require some changes to the duct work. My house is 100 years old so I pretty much have to have a 100% contingency because nothing is simple and surprises are constant occurrences.
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Almost 9 months later and I am a hair closer to pulling the trigger. Having two units will require me to upgrade my electrical service to met the increased power demand. I am looking at a single unit, zoned system, and some new duct work. I currently have a single return downstairs that is undersized and need to add a return upstairs, preferable one in each of the bedrooms. The issue is figuring out how to run the duct work in a manner that is respectful to the character of my old house. Based on my post recent conversation with my contractor we have options so that shouldn't be a problem.
 
Big Owl said:
Almost 9 months later and I am a hair closer to pulling the trigger. Having two units will require me to upgrade my electrical service to met the increased power demand. I am looking at a single unit, zoned system, and some new duct work. I currently have a single return downstairs that is undersized and need to add a return upstairs, preferable one in each of the bedrooms. The issue is figuring out how to run the duct work in a manner that is respectful to the character of my old house. Based on my post recent conversation with my contractor we have options so that shouldn't be a problem.
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When we did this in our century-old Foursquare, we added a dedicated 25 amp service (IIRC, could have been 50) for the attic unit. Worked like a charm, though I hated the installation the electrical contractor did as an exterior service, which I thought was really sloppy and lazy.
 
I got my switches and plugs moved today and got the drywall back up. Now ready to finish the wall then put up the rest of the cabinets.

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Pro tip: Don't put that spray can of expanding foam in the bottom of your tool tote.

The wall pictured above has been spackled and respackled. It needs a bit of sanding and then time for paint... then cabinets. Maybe this weekend for those.
 
Doohickie said:
Pro tip: Don't put that spray can of expanding foam in the bottom of your tool tote.

The wall pictured above has been spackled and respackled. It needs a bit of sanding and then time for paint... then cabinets. Maybe this weekend for those.
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Just spackle, not mud and tape on the seams?
 
estromberg said:
Just spackle, not mud and tape on the seams?
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Yep, just spackle. The seams are backed pretty good with backer boards and most of the seams will be behind cabinets. I tried to do it "right" at the other end of the kitchen and it was a big PIA. I plan to put some backsplash tile on the new section of drywall.
 
Doohickie said:
Yep, just spackle. The seams are backed pretty good with backer boards and most of the seams will be behind cabinets. I tried to do it "right" at the other end of the kitchen and it was a big PIA. I plan to put some backsplash tile on the new section of drywall.
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The tile backsplash is the only left to do in my kitchen remodel. I was waiting for a new kitchen window to be installed so I could do the trim and butt the back splash up to the trim. Now that the window's installed I'm just trying to find the time. Summers are hard.
 
Doohickie said:
Yep, just spackle. The seams are backed pretty good with backer boards and most of the seams will be behind cabinets. I tried to do it "right" at the other end of the kitchen and it was a big PIA. I plan to put some backsplash tile on the new section of drywall.
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Drywall is a skill that takes time to master. My son in law hangs and finishes drywall for a living. I helped him on a small job once just to learn. My method used to be apply it thick and sand/screen down to you get it as smooth as possible. After helping him, I learned the following....
  • I hung my drywall too tight. You have to leave at least an 1/8 of inch between boards.
  • I always thought that ready mix drywall compound was ready to use. It's not.
  • I didn't apply my tape coat thick enough and I didn't thin the compound for bedding the compound.
  • Quick set compound should only be used for small patches. 45 or 90 minute compound is best for taping and finishing unfinished walls.
  • Most importantly, I realized that hiring a professional isn't that expensive and they can do it better and quicker than you.
 
Big Owl said:
  • Most importantly, I realized that hiring a professional isn't that expensive and they can do it better and quicker than you.
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For the limited areas that I've done in the kitchen remodel, I'm content with the job I've done, especially since 95% of it will be covered by cabinets or tile. The couple of exposed areas are not particularly noticeable.

I'm thinking about redoing the drywall in my family room. It's roughly 20 x 20 (i.e., refinished garage), with a 10 foot ceiling (because, as a garage, it's a few steps down from the rest of the house but the ceiling is at the same height). So it's big, it's odd sized (10 foot walls instead of 8) and I think it would be a real PIA to do it myself. For that I may hire someone. That's also the only room that didn't have the electric completely redone when we moved in; still some ungrounded plugs, so I'd probably hire an electrician to do that as well.
 
Big Owl said:
Drywall is a skill that takes time to master. My son in law hangs and finishes drywall for a living. I helped him on a small job once just to learn. My method used to be apply it thick and sand/screen down to you get it as smooth as possible. After helping him, I learned the following....
  • I hung my drywall too tight. You have to leave at least an 1/8 of inch between boards.
  • I always thought that ready mix drywall compound was ready to use. It's not.
  • I didn't apply my tape coat thick enough and I didn't thin the compound for bedding the compound.
  • Quick set compound should only be used for small patches. 45 or 90 minute compound is best for taping and finishing unfinished walls.
  • Most importantly, I realized that hiring a professional isn't that expensive and they can do it better and quicker than you.
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This. All of this.
 
Did y'all know that a 33' stainless sink needs a 36' cabinet in order to clip it into place? But a 33' cast iron sink can work in a 33' cabinet because it's so heavy it doesn't need the clips?

Ask me how I know!
 
I have a 33" cast iron sink in a 36" cabinet.... because IKEA does not sell a 33" cabinet.

Everything about the sink is off center. It's below a window that it doesn't line up with, and it's not centered in the cabinet. Whoever designed this kitchen was a moron. They could have moved the window over a few inches and everything could have lined up. Even though the light is lined up with the window centerline, the viewer is almost never in the proper spot to tell. It's an OCD nightmare.

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RandomPlanner said:
Did y'all know that a 33' stainless sink needs a 36' cabinet in order to clip it into place? But a 33' cast iron sink can work in a 33' cabinet because it's so heavy it doesn't need the clips?

Ask me how I know!
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This is why most all kitchen sink bases are 36" cabinets.
 
estromberg said:
This is why most all kitchen sink bases are 36" cabinets.
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And this is why we have been using the previous owners' names in vein as we've started working our way through this house. The most recent owner did almost nothing in the 22 years that they lived here. Directly before that, the owners were here at least 30 years and the husband was an engineer so he obviously felt qualified to do all of the work himself. Renovations were all done poorly, nothing is lined up, nothing is plumb, and we found a photo of a teenager with a jackhammer that may explain why I had to steel-reinforce a basement wall.

Don't get me wrong, I love this house; I'm just not sure how much I love the previous owners.
 
RandomPlanner said:
And this is why we have been using the previous owners' names in vein as we've started working our way through this house. The most recent owner did almost nothing in the 22 years that they lived here. Directly before that, the owners were here at least 30 years and the husband was an engineer so he obviously felt qualified to do all of the work himself. Renovations were all done poorly, nothing is lined up, nothing is plumb, and we found a photo of a teenager with a jackhammer that may explain why I had to steel-reinforce a basement wall.

Don't get me wrong, I love this house; I'm just not sure how much I love the previous owners.
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Completely understand. There were many nights while I was doing the demo and prep for my kitchen remodel where I just looked at things previous owners had done with utter disgust. As an example, the old kitchen had 30" cabinets with a bulkhead above. I knew that I'd likely have some vent plumbing to deal with, but wasn't expecting the electrical issues. Rather than do things properly (electric ran through the attic to kitchen) and come all the way over to the wall and go down through the top plate, they cut the corner through the bulkhead. Saving approximately 14" of wire back when wire was pennies a foot. However, this meant I had to completely rewire the entire kitchen. 12g romex is a lot more than pennies a foot these days.
 
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