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Jaded Burnout posted:How do you handle counters and floor cabinets in this situation? I'm already doing the others (except the sink). This isn't yet a reality, so I don't quite know - all I know is that I don't like fitted kitchens and I want to find a way to make it work. Butchers block (the kind on wheels) for counter space, and actual cupboards for a pantry. This kind of thing:  I've got poo poo loads of counter space but it's almost all used as a dumping ground for poo poo (post, keys, parcels, plant pots, etc.)
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Apr 5, 2018 21:30
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Kanish posted:Any good ideas of what to do for my driveway here? The narrow entrance and the angle of the driveway means that this corner of the ground is constantly being run over. I contemplated putting in some decorative stone but I would appreciate any input on how to make it a) not look terrible and b) withstand driving over it Try a search for "turfstone" or "permeable pavers". It will require a little digging and putting down some aggragate to make a solid foundation but would be an easy weekend project.
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Apr 5, 2018 22:51
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Jaded Burnout posted:How do you handle counters and floor cabinets in this situation? I'm already doing the others (except the sink). While fixing the wall up for this kitchen I removed the single remaining Belfast sink bracket (the other one was removed in 1973 judging from the newspaper filling the hole!). I wish they had left the Belfast sink in and I would have bought a freestanding oven and then just built my own units to go with them. Bought some b&q units today. Their literature and ‘showroom’ is loving terrible compared to how ikea do it. The brochure is a mess, nothing on display is labelled with names or prices and they managed to have 10-12 mock up kitchens in there yet still didn’t manage to include all their base unit options and had repeated styles of worktop and doors across demo units!
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Apr 6, 2018 01:01
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Southern Heel posted:Exactly. I'm going to try to convince the wife to go with a non-fitted kitchen next time so I don't have to give money to those blood sucking leeches again - free-standing oven, a big belfast sink, butcher's block and proper cabinets for plates, etc. and a farmhouse table. This but stainless steel everything and a commercial dishwasher.
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Apr 6, 2018 08:00
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I just got back from two weeks in California. This might just be my friends and family lol (my brother's flip air bnb was much nicer) - the floors and carpets are dirty (shoes and pets) - American bathtubs/showers are bad - massive, heavy vacuums - rooms are dark because there's little overhead lighting and the trees around the house are too tall and shade the windows - round doorknobs - floor vents + in-sink garbage disposals + high countertops + those strong stretchy trashbags + garages
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Apr 6, 2018 08:19
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Jaded Burnout posted:Having had direct experience with Howdens they have both "contract" (in their words) kitchens and "make up a number", with the added bonus that they added 25% as a kickback to my builder. I refuse to even talk to them after I found that out. Nice, my current kitchen is a Howdens, it came with the new house. It's not bad but it's beige as hell. Maybe a bigass CNC router and a pile of chipboard sheets are the way to go when it needs replacing? Jaded Burnout posted:How do you handle counters and floor cabinets in this situation? I'm already doing the others (except the sink). Welsh cabinet + farmhouse-style kitchen table?
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Apr 6, 2018 08:52
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I really envy Japan’s shower/bathtub fixtures. The general setup that I ran into in hotels over there is really nice- sprayer hose at faucet/control height, with either an additional one at shower height or a holder for it. The changeover and mixing controls were straightforward and had more than a hair’s width of comfortable temperature range. It seems like you get way more tub utility (for washing up and child/pet bathing), and as a short American, switching between the sprayer locations was easier. But I can’t find similar fixtures on US sites 
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Apr 6, 2018 15:21
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BadSamaritan posted:I really envy Japan’s shower/bathtub fixtures. The general setup that I ran into in hotels over there is really nice- sprayer hose at faucet/control height, with either an additional one at shower height or a holder for it. The changeover and mixing controls were straightforward and had more than a hair’s width of comfortable temperature range. They absolutely make those or something similar here. Maybe not at home despot but check out a dedicated fixture shop. Bring a picture.
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Apr 6, 2018 15:29
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OK Broskis, I've finally got all the poo poo out of my garage and it's looking halfway decent - but the issue of the sagging tie beams - about 4" across a 14' span. They consist of a pair of 4x2's bolted together, with some kind of fake collar tie sandwiched between. The Queen posts (pictured centre-top of this photo) are screwed in on both sides, but the King posts are just floating (and as such not supporting anything): It seems the most expedient way to resovle this is to swap out the tie beams with single C24 timber 8" x 2"s. Due to the nature of the roof I'll have to notch the bottom out to fit into the space provided in the eaves, but I think I can get a more consistent, snug fit.  After that, using carriage bolts to secure the ties to the rafters, and the queen/kingposts to the ties. Once the immediate structural issues are resolved, then would get someone in to fit cladding rather than worry about boards and felt again. Does that sound like a good plan?
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Apr 8, 2018 09:54
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Asperity posted:I just installed a room of Trafficmaster Allure Ultra (not regular Allure, that stuff is the source of all the bad reviews I've seen) and it went pretty well. I really appreciated being able to make cuts with a utility knife and heavy shears rather than a miter saw, since it was cold out and sawing outside would have been supremely unpleasant (and sawing inside would have been a dust disaster.) Looks like we're going with the Smartcore Ultra from Lowes, bought a few boxes to get a better feel for it than the tiny sample and it looks like it will work out well for us.  Doggo approved. Gonna feel SO SO GOOD to get rid of this lovely white carpet and linoleum in the kitchen. edit: also this is finally the project I've been waiting on to justify buying a table saw! Enos Cabell fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Apr 13, 2018 |
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Apr 10, 2018 15:55
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Enos Cabell posted:Looks like we're going with the Smartcore Ultra from Lowes, bought a few boxes to get a better feel for it than the tiny sample and it looks like it will work out well for us. You probably already know this, but don't checkerboard your layout like that. It should be staggered to look more natural.
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Apr 13, 2018 02:15
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SouthShoreSamurai posted:You probably already know this, but don't checkerboard your layout like that. It should be staggered to look more natural. Yeah, this was just a real quick throw it down to get a feel for the look thing.
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Apr 13, 2018 02:53
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A room in my new place has an electrical box in the ceiling that's currently covered with a decorative cap. It does have power, but there is no switch on the wall. I'd like to install a ceiling light without getting a new switch wired or having to use a pull chain fixture. My best bet seems to be a wireless switch/remote, but there are lots out there, functioning in various different ways, and I don't really know where to begin. Anyone in a similar situation who's found something that worked well? I'm not looking to create a smart home; I just want something I can stick on the wall that will reliably turn that one ceiling light on and off. I've been looking at a couple of devices that screw into the socket and hold the bulb (brands: Dewenwils, LoraTap), as well as some switch kits with receivers you wire in (weird price range here: $113/each from Sthenic, $30/each from acegoo.) I might just get the cheapest of these four and go through the other options if it fails, but wanted to ask around a little first.
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Apr 16, 2018 19:25
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I’ve recently tested out ikea’s smart bulbs and remotes and they work fine.
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Apr 17, 2018 08:18
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so if a contractor sent an estimate, which includes a new storm door, and the charge listed for the door itself is $1500 do I just run away screaming, or do I actually set myself on fire first? I am curious what is special about the $1500 door. If, for instance, it always opens to a world of whimsey and magical delight, that could be worth it? (edit: note that the estimate included a grand for overhead, so this is not "the price is being inflated to reflect insurance costs" or something) Cabbages and VHS fucked around with this message at 17:10 on Apr 17, 2018 |
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Apr 17, 2018 17:06
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Tim Raines IRL posted:so if a contractor sent an estimate, which includes a new storm door, and the charge listed for the door itself is $1500 Even basic external doors are expensive, that doesn't sound unreasonable for a storm door. I'd treat this like any other job: get at least one other quote, and if that's the market price in your area, just bite the bullet and pay it. If one contractor is mysteriously half the cost of the other guys and can't explain why, be suspicious.
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Apr 17, 2018 17:15
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Seems high to me, we had a storm door replaced last year for $500 including all labor and painting.
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Apr 17, 2018 17:19
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Twerk from Home posted:Even basic external doors are expensive, that doesn't sound unreasonable for a storm door. I'd treat this like any other job: get at least one other quote, and if that's the market price in your area, just bite the bullet and pay it. If one contractor is mysteriously half the cost of the other guys and can't explain why, be suspicious. I will admit that I haven't bought a door in a decade, but looking around at Lowe's and Home Depot, I see lots of doors similar to the one I've got for $2-400, and basically nothing that's more than $500. What am I missing? So far I've spoken to three people; the most promising so far had a similar estimate for the actual work, but suggested that the door would be "a few hundred bucks, I can get one or you can just go pick out whatever you want from the hardware store". So, so far, the difference in quotes is around $1000, which is down to the cost of the door. I am waiting to hear back from the higher estimator about the door charge.
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Apr 17, 2018 17:22
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Maybe a dumb question, but this isn’t a custom storm door right? I can’t remember what I paid but maybe 1200ish for a custom sized storm door and install.
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Apr 17, 2018 17:24
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The Dave posted:Maybe a dumb question, but this isn’t a custom storm door right? I can’t remember what I paid but maybe 1200ish for a custom sized storm door and install. it is not. It's also a door that will basically never be opened outside of a very peculiar home evacuation situation. I would be fine with just having a plate glass window there, with a button next to it that will detonate tiny bombs around it and a sign that says "do not press this button, except in an emergency" but homeowner's insurance claims that's not a reasonable idea.
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Apr 17, 2018 18:22
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Tim Raines IRL posted:so if a contractor sent an estimate, which includes a new storm door, and the charge listed for the door itself is $1500 Installing a storm door is pretty straightforward, if you have any sort of motivation to do it yourself. They just screw to the outside of the door frame, nothing too complicated.
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Apr 17, 2018 23:40
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Ask to see a catalog. It might be fancy gorgeous with an insulated frame and key-pin lock. Or it might be the completely wrong thing.
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Apr 18, 2018 00:27
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Twerk from Home posted:If one contractor is mysteriously half the cost of the other guys and can't explain why, be suspicious. I assume this cuts both ways? I've talked to three different people who said this was a $3000ish deal, and one person who said $7000. So, the high estimate, in this case, is the outlier. peanut posted:Ask to see a catalog. It might be fancy gorgeous with an insulated frame and key-pin lock.
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Apr 18, 2018 01:28
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Tim Raines IRL posted:I assume this cuts both ways? I've talked to three different people who said this was a $3000ish deal, and one person who said $7000. So, the high estimate, in this case, is the outlier. The $7k quote is the "gently caress you I don't want to do this" quote if it's double the other ones.
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Apr 19, 2018 03:05
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How are the outlandish quotes not counter productive? If some guy told me he’d charge me $10k to hammer a nail I’d tell everyone I know to stay away from that scumbag. Isn’t it better to just say “I’m too busy right now to take on that kind of job”? I guess maybe it works sometimes when you find a sap who just says “ok”.
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Apr 19, 2018 03:35
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Fallom posted:How are the outlandish quotes not counter productive? If some guy told me he’d charge me $10k to hammer a nail I’d tell everyone I know to stay away from that scumbag. There’s such a thing as “I would really rather have some time off, but I still have a price” The “I’m missing my wife’s birthday for this” rate.
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Apr 19, 2018 05:53
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eddiewalker posted:There’s such a thing as “I would really rather have some time off, but I still have a price” Yeah this is exactly what I did with a client that I no longer wanted to work with. I kept quietly doubling my rate when writing quotes in the hope he'd decline. He kept loving paying.
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Apr 19, 2018 10:04
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House goons, I have this brick wall in front of/round my front garden, it's as old as the house, about 3 years and as you can see the top facing bricks aren't taking it well   It's actually got visibly worse in the few days since I took the photos. Combined with the kids walking/sitting on it something need to be done but I don't know what. Any suggestions long term? I'm not averse to putting something over the top bricks but again, what would last and look good?
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Apr 27, 2018 07:59
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That wall should have had a sloped top instead of a flat one, so water can run off. A top of concrete tile would probably hold up better, and likely not need to be sloped.
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Apr 27, 2018 08:11
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Perhaps walk your neighbourhood and pick out something you like the look of that also doesn't look like it got hit by a sledge.
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Apr 27, 2018 08:23
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you could just fit some concrete coping blocks on top of it. Something like these. Different styles are also available and you could also just go flat top with normal flat concrete slabs. I used pavers which were intended as edging to do the top of my block retaining wall. Not hard to cut them with a big angle grinder so you can easily do the sloped angles by the steps.
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Apr 27, 2018 12:02
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Just bought a century home with awkward floorplan and we don't take possession til June 9th. Figuring out the living room/dining room will be a real treat. What's recommended for floor plan/design software? Preferably something that let's me punch in the room dimensions in feet to create rooms, as well as click & drag.
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May 1, 2018 19:02
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My go to is sketchup, their free version is web based now. It’s pretty straightforward with the added bonus of the 3D warehouse when you want to start adding furniture / fixtures
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May 2, 2018 04:44
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Does anyone have experience with changing to a whole new heating system? We currently have an old oil/steam system and are considering moving to something more efficient, like natural gas/forced hot water. Our state and energy company have some rebates and 0% financing available, but we're concerned that we might not actually see a ton of cost savings for the scale and hassle of the project. Oil to gas/steam conversion numbers weren't quite favorable because there were no rebates or incentives available, and improved fuel costs weren't quite cutting it. Any heating conversion trip reports or things to keep in mind/questions to ask that we might have otherwise overlooked?
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May 9, 2018 16:21
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I've switched from gas boiler + tank + radiators to demand-based gas boiler + underfloor, but that's about it. Generally speaking I've not found any to conversions to be worth the money in terms of fuel savings if you're not currently using something wacky like all electric.
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May 9, 2018 17:16
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BadSamaritan posted:Does anyone have experience with changing to a whole new heating system? Is this like the old fuel-oil systems where you have to call the EPA (or whatever) if/when the tank leaks? If so, demo'ing that out might save you more headache in the future as well, especially if/when you sell it. I don't know what your climate is, but new split system heat pumps are extremely efficient assuming you aren't using the backup heating (electric, propane) for several months of the year.
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May 9, 2018 17:28
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H110Hawk posted:Is this like the old fuel-oil systems where you have to call the EPA (or whatever) if/when the tank leaks? If so, demo'ing that out might save you more headache in the future as well, especially if/when you sell it. I don't know what your climate is, but new split system heat pumps are extremely efficient assuming you aren't using the backup heating (electric, propane) for several months of the year. It’s a basement tank, not an underground one at least, although it would still be a hazmat cleanup (or whatever it’s called). We’re in Massachusetts, so we get Weather and heat entirely with oil. We’re not hankering to also get an AC/cooling system added in, which people always tout as a benefit to getting the system modernized. I don’t know anyone with a split system, so all the positive things I’ve heard about them have been from contractors. Hm.. it sounds like the efficiency/fuel savings might not be big enough to make a full system conversion either.
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May 9, 2018 17:44
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BadSamaritan posted:It’s a basement tank, not an underground one at least, although it would still be a hazmat cleanup (or whatever it’s called). We’re in Massachusetts, so we get Weather and heat entirely with oil. We’re not hankering to also get an AC/cooling system added in, which people always tout as a benefit to getting the system modernized. I don’t know anyone with a split system, so all the positive things I’ve heard about them have been from contractors. With pretty much every system in your house, don't upgrade until the old unit no longer works. The break even almost never works out even with significant monthly cost savings.
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May 9, 2018 23:58
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ElCondemn posted:With pretty much every system in your house, don't upgrade until the old unit no longer works. The break even almost never works out even with significant monthly cost savings. I would agree with the caveat that quality of life changes are a different consideration.
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May 10, 2018 10:42
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Jaded Burnout posted:I would agree with the caveat that quality of life changes are a different consideration. Agreed, I upgraded to a tankless water heater and it’s one of the best upgrades I’ve ever made. However, even though there were rebates and tax deductions it hasn’t paid for itself yet, but totally worth it.
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May 10, 2018 15:47
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