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WithoutTheFezOn posted:I’m just at planning stage, do those systems also have a conventional heater downstream like Motronic said? I assume so.
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Jul 16, 2019 12:35
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So, I'm a first-time homeowner, and my wife and I want to put in a half-bath. Like, we have a small spare room, one window, roughly bathroom-sized, which the people we bought the house from just kinda put a bunch of open shelving in (these people fuckin LOVED shelves) and we figured that putting another sink and toilet in there instead would not only make our lives easier but would also help the resale value of the house (currently a 2bed 1bath). I'm not gonna DIY this because I have no idea how to do that, but this is the home ownership thread so it still seemed like the best place to talk about it  My question is, how do I get started on this project? As I understand it, we'll need to call two separate guys: a plumber, to get all the pipes hooked up and whatnot, and a general contractor, to install the sink and toilet and mirror and whatever else we decide to put in there. Is that an accurate assessment? What's the best way to find these guys, and what questions do I ask them? Thanks for any help!
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Jul 16, 2019 18:52
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A general contractor can just sub out the plumbing work. You'll need to call 4-5 GCs so when 3 show up and 2 bid you can pick the best option. Make sure they have licensing, insurance and will handle all the permit pulling and costs.
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Jul 16, 2019 19:19
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It may help to think of things in terms of "first fix" and "second fix", which are terms the trades use here. They're slightly amorphous concepts but can help understand the steps that happen. First fix involves what in the UK is called "pre-wet trades", i.e. stuff that happens before plastering. In the US you could translate that to stuff that happens before mudding the joints on drywall, I suppose. The "wet" part doesn't have anything to do with bathroom stuff, it refers to a "point of no return" where significant changes would mean redoing all the drywall because you've slapped a bunch of plaster on it. So, first fix for a bathroom would involve tearing out anything that either doesn't belong in the new room or is in the way of the rest of first fix, like your shelves. Depending on how hardcore you're going and what's necessary for the bathroom you want, they're going to have to cut into and/or rip out a certain amount of the existing drywall. After that your contractor or plumber needs to do the first fix plumbing. This involves getting hot and cold water feeds into the room and in the walls to wherever is needed for the bathroom fittings you want (e.g. cold water for the toilet, hot/cold for the sink, shower, whatever). Same for waste; you'll need a soil stack for the toilet and various pipe runs for waste from the sink drain etc. I personally wouldn't trust a general contractor with the waste water part just because it's more complicated than clean water feeds, on account of gravity and venting etc, but that's up to you. Worth having a ponder now about where your nearest room is with feeds and drains, it may be that you can't run them without tearing up half the house, or maybe you need to run the soil stack across the wall outside, or whatever. First fix electrics also need to go in at this point, similar to the plumbing, you need junction boxes and socket boxes and cabling in the walls for your lights and air vents and whatever else. They may also need some rudimentary carpentry for things like holding up wall-mounted sinks or toilets or whatever. This is where you transition from first to second fix, as the GC gets the new drywall on, sealing in all the first fix work. Once that's done you move on to second fix work, which is a lot of "finishing off". You bring back the plumber and electrician and bring in a tiler too, and all work together to fit actual sockets, faceplates, sinks, toilets, hooking everything up, while the tiler makes it look nice while hopefully not getting too much in their way. After that, you'll need a decorator (or DIY) for (probably) painting the ceiling (since the floors and walls probably being all tiled) and you're done. Really fitting a bathroom is a mesh of two trades, the general contractor and the plumber, with appearances from an electrician and tiler. You can have a GC that will do bits of plumbing and you can have a plumber who will do bits of GC but in my experience they don't like stepping out of their core competencies, so it's best to provide nice boundaries between their responsibilities. To that end if you don't want to deal with that yourself you can as someone suggested get a GC to bring in everyone else or get the plumber to do the same, I wouldn't personally put that on either of the other two trades. I'd manage this myself but that's having gone through this once and seen the process first hand. Expect it to cost upwards of £10k. Jaded Burnout fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Jul 16, 2019 |
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Jul 16, 2019 19:54
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Thanks for the info! If it helps, the room in question is already set up with lighting, outlets, and even a tile floor that would be ideal for a half-bath, and we can take down the shelving ourselves (we've already had to do this elsewhere in the house; again, the sellers had some kind of shelf fetish), so I think I'd be comfortable just hiring the plumber and GC. What would be the best way to figure out which plumbers and contractors (or just contractors, if they can subcontract the plumbing themselves) I should get quotes from? There are probably any number of them in my area, and probably at least some of them are garbage and/or overpriced, and I would classify myself as a "rube" in this particular area.
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Jul 16, 2019 20:31
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loquacius posted:So, I'm a first-time homeowner, and my wife and I want to put in a half-bath. I'm doing this too, but on the second floor in an area of the house with no existing plumbing. Actually my contractor is coming to visit in an hour and a half to discuss finer details (I have told him has has the job). I first did all my googling for bathroom renovation places, but most of those were dedicated to taking an existing bathroom, tearing out the existing stuff and putting new stuff in. They were not confident laying pipes to a new area of the house and up to the second floor from the basement. Most declined to quote it out. So then I went to renovation companies with this job and they were much more open to doing this sort of work. Basically the guy I'm working with gave me a straight quote (22k) and a managed plan quote (roughly 17k and up) where I pay as the bathroom gets built, basically he gives me receipts and billable hours and such. I'd like to manage the project myself but I just don't have time, so I think I'm going with the manage construction plan. I'm basically asking for some modern tiled bathroom fit into a very small space 6'x8' in a L shape in a 110 year old home. (e:sp) extravadanza fucked around with this message at 20:50 on Jul 16, 2019 |
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Jul 16, 2019 20:40
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It depends partly on how much you want to spend. I'm not an expert, but I would just call plumbers to get the pipes routed where they need to be, and talk to them about installing the sink/toilet. Tbh if everything is in place, putting in a new sink/toilet isn't that challenging -- you can watch some YouTube videos. I also would not call a contractor to hang a mirror so ymmv.
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Jul 16, 2019 21:44
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i like nice words
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Hi, having remodel planning experience I can tell you what needs to happen. What state are you in? the regulations will depend on that and code will be enforced based on the city/state, but the first part of your decision is to answer the following question: (1) Do you want your bathroom remodel to be permitted? If you do not know what a permit is, you probably want to assume the answer is yes, because not getting permits can lead to very costly mistakes in the future. There are situations where the answer is a definitive no (depends on city/jurisdiction), but permitting is around to ensure code is legally followed and your plumbing isnt going to kill you. If the answer is yes, then you need to research permit requirements. Sometimes, a remodel is extremely simple to acquire the permits for over the counter, and the process can be simple. In some cases, you will have to provide dimensional site plans, and those can take longer, depending on city. Each city is different, so you need to look into this yourself. There are also some general contractors who can also complete the permitting process entirely. (2) Hire a general contractor unless you have the experience to do it DIY; structural changes are very difficult to do sometimes. Minor framing changes (to accommodate a door) are possible with minimal effort, but changing beams can be difficult. Plumbing and mechanical are a complicated part as well. Electrical can be easy or hard depending on your experience and code requirements, but dont kill yourself. Your general contractor needs to be able to communicate well, and this is a very difficult part of the remodel process (a good contractor will do wonders, a bad one will give you hell). (3) Construction phases: a) Permitting b) Demolition - tear out things to their baseboards. Sometimes, a subfloor may also need to be removed. Demolition will expose the wall, plumbing, ducts, and electric. For minor work, sometimes a wall may not need to be opened, and fishing can be used (use a hook to grab wire) instead. c) Rough In of Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical, Building. This involves fitting pipes to where you need them, rewiring/fixing wiring up in the room up to the circuit breaker, installing vents as necessary, and structural changes to walls. If permitted, an inspection is done after each of these is done (may be combined into one visit) d) Subfloor, Insulation, tiling, flooring, special work e) Special Inspection, eg: shower pan, bathtub. This varies by jurisdiction f) vanities, everything else g) Final Inspection: after everything is put back together, but can be done before you have floors done (depends on jurisdiction), or other work not requiring a permit is all that is left. h) Post-final-inspection fuckery: after the permit is legalized, make unpermitted minor changes to work already done. You're not supposed to do this. Good luck and enjoy.
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Jul 16, 2019 23:18
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I vote that you buy a $20 pickaxe and make a hole for shittin'
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Jul 17, 2019 13:58
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Toilet: achieved Ended up using a wax ring and it went together fine. A little wobbly due to the floor but some shims fixed that! 
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Jul 21, 2019 02:34
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Looks good! The tank lid looks pretty close to the top of your wainscoting, it isn't going to interfere with your chair rail, is it?
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Jul 22, 2019 15:17
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City inspector just came by to do "rough electrical" inspection and is making us add 2 ground spikes to my workshop, despite the previous ground going back to the house being signed by the city. I don't think they actually inspected anything when my house was re-wired. Also apparently I overdid it with my breaker layout and now I need a main disconnect inside my subpanel. Oops. 
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Jul 22, 2019 19:03
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Quick update. Contractors are making good progress on this project (gently caress DIY tiling). Drywall is in the process of being done - the bathroom was tiled yesterday - it needs about 36 hours to set minimum followed by grout work. Inspection passed today. Now all that is left is final inspection, which requires the building inspector checking that all outlets are GFCI, that there is a humidity sensor and motion sensor (lmao California Green Code), and that there are fire alarms installed in the house.   Dumpster was hauled off by the city today:  This sticker is on the garage door (we'll eventually replace it in a couple of months): 
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Jul 22, 2019 19:04
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Hey! It's way too soon to get a quote from a contractor (more to save, still,) but could anyone give me a really, really rough ballpark on how this project could range in price? Our kitchen is small and shares a wall with a front room we never really use. We'd like to move the wall back a ways into the front room (7 or 8 feet?) and with the new space, redo the kitchen. New appliances, flooring, counters, cabinetry. Maybe add an island. Sink might have to move, not sure yet. My wife and I are poo poo at handyman stuff, so we'd be relying entirely on a contractor with MAYBE some smaller stuff done by my father in law. Does this sound like a $10,000 project? $40,000? I have no idea. We live in the suburbs outside Seattle, if it matters. It's a one story house.
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Jul 22, 2019 21:17
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LiterallyATomato posted:Hey! It's way too soon to get a quote from a contractor (more to save, still,) but could anyone give me a really, really rough ballpark on how this project could range in price? This is going to hinge entirely on if that wall is load bearing or not. If it is, get your checkbook ready assuming you can't just move the load through new framing. You would need to have a architect or engineer draw plans for the beams you're looking at adding. Talk to a contractor and get a free estimate from them. If it's just reframing a 2x4 wall and using stock cabinets etc it's unlikely going to be over $40k. If you need an engineered beam and want all custom cabinets it can definitely jump past $40k. H110Hawk fucked around with this message at 05:11 on Jul 23, 2019 |
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Jul 22, 2019 21:25
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As Hawk says it's quite situational. There are shortcuts you can take if it turns out to be structural, but that depends how seamless you want it to be. Get some quotes, but I'd budget $20k not including the kitchen.
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Jul 22, 2019 21:36
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What sort of cabinets are you trying to install? What sort of quality? What is your permitting process (what city do you live in)? Minimum $50,000 for those changes. ntan1 fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Jul 22, 2019 |
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Jul 22, 2019 22:40
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The Wonder Weapon posted:Earlier while it was still light out, after some fudging, I was able to separate the soffit from the vertical face. That's where I saw the board behind the face, but nothing above the soffit. I can try and grab a photo tomorrow. Those vines growing into your house are going to cause bigger issues then some water getting around an eye bolt.
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Jul 22, 2019 23:16
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Nevets posted:Looks good! The tank lid looks pretty close to the top of your wainscoting, it isn't going to interfere with your chair rail, is it? Nah, there’s like a two inch gap behind the tank lid so it’s good. I really wanted it higher but the wife wanted to keep it at 32in.
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Jul 23, 2019 00:54
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LiterallyATomato posted:Hey! It's way too soon to get a quote from a contractor (more to save, still,) but could anyone give me a really, really rough ballpark on how this project could range in price? A lot of this will depend on your square footage (beyond the already mentioned load bearing or not wall). Appliances - $what so you want and how fancy? 500 per unit or 3K per Flooring - do you want tile or vinyl planks or hardwood? Counters - butcher block or granite? Cabinetry - non-custom builder grade cabinets or custom mahogany? So even ignoring the wall you could go from $6K+labor to 25K+labor just as a completely off the cuff estimate.
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Jul 23, 2019 03:33
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LiterallyATomato posted:Hey! It's way too soon to get a quote from a contractor (more to save, still,) but could anyone give me a really, really rough ballpark on how this project could range in price? devicenull posted:Those vines growing into your house are going to cause bigger issues then some water getting around an eye bolt.
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Jul 23, 2019 15:02
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LiterallyATomato posted:Does this sound like a $10,000 project? $40,000? I have no idea. We live in the suburbs outside Seattle, if it matters. It's a one story house. You're almost definitely looking at the high side of that range or above. Kitchens are one of the most expensive things to remodel in a house, and it doesn't help that you live in one of the most expensive areas of the country. I'm going to assume that any Seattle-based contractor that isn't a total meth-head is probably booked solid and only willing to throw out quotes that will make your eyes water.
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Jul 23, 2019 15:11
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B-Nasty posted:You're almost definitely looking at the high side of that range or above. Kitchens are one of the most expensive things to remodel in a house, and it doesn't help that you live in one of the most expensive areas of the country. I'm going to assume that any Seattle-based contractor that isn't a total meth-head is probably booked solid and only willing to throw out quotes that will make your eyes water. Probably not since the market is likely steady at the moment (so this year the remodels are not as crazy as the past two years), but the prices will be on the high side for remodeling. That's why 50k seems like a decent baseline. There is no such thing as a super cheap install, since the work required will be the same one way or another. A super cheap quoted price is a contractor telling you they may not have experience to judge how much work there actually is. * * There is but if it's your first time you will be paying the experience/contractor/idiot tax. There's also the white person tax of paying MSRP for materials  .
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Jul 23, 2019 17:35
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I want a sofa. I've been told that if I'm gonna get a sofa, I should get a sofa in one entire piece, rather than a sectional. But I want a sectional cause it'll be easier to transport when I move. Are sectionals really that much worse than a one-piece sofa? And what's a good place to buy sofas, anyway? I know West Elm, IKEA, and Wayfair, but I'm not gonna do Wayfair.
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Jul 24, 2019 02:06
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You sure whoever gave you that advice wasn’t saying “buy a couch or couches you can rearrange, rather than a whole room-consuming sectional “Couch System?”
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Jul 24, 2019 02:32
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Pollyanna posted:I want a sofa. I've been told that if I'm gonna get a sofa, I should get a sofa in one entire piece, rather than a sectional. But I want a sectional cause it'll be easier to transport when I move. Are sectionals really that much worse than a one-piece sofa? And what's a good place to buy sofas, anyway? I know West Elm, IKEA, and Wayfair, but I'm not gonna do Wayfair. Movers are the key to moving.
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Jul 24, 2019 03:03
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Every sectional I can remember being involved with, each little section was very heavy. On places, personally I don’t think I’d ever buy a couch without sitting on it (or another of the same model) first.
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Jul 24, 2019 03:37
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That makes sense. I’m gonna take some time to go shopping IRL instead of the net.
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Jul 24, 2019 03:50
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I have a sectional and I dislike it. But if you want a L couch you probably don't have much choice. I will probably try to buy say a 2 and a 3 seater couch in the same style when I replace it.
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Jul 24, 2019 09:18
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We have a very large sectional from LaZBoy. It is a fantastic build and incredibly comfortable and we are very happy with it. We basically configured our living room around it, though. I suggest planning out the foot print of a sectional very well with either some painters tape on the ground or pieces of cardboard and see if that's the right plan for you.
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Jul 24, 2019 13:38
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ntan1 posted:Probably not since the market is likely steady at the moment (so this year the remodels are not as crazy as the past two years), but the prices will be on the high side for remodeling. That's why 50k seems like a decent baseline. To add, I had a full kitchen remodel of similar scope (wall removed, but it was not load bearing) in my 50s house 2 years ago and the custom cabinets alone were like $25k. It was another $50kish for the work and materials (not including appliances). We had 1” t&g maple floor installed to match to the rest of the house so that was like $10k of that cost, though. Renovation costs are very dependent on specs and geographic location. I’d get at least 3 quotes. If they’re all too expensive just wait until you can save more, as needed.
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Jul 24, 2019 16:54
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Anyone have a brand recommendation for a ceiling fan that may be on 24/7 (or close to it) for years? I mean are there any particularly known for longevity?
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Jul 24, 2019 18:15
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Anyone have a brand recommendation for a ceiling fan that may be on 24/7 (or close to it) for years? I mean are there any particularly known for longevity? We’ve been really happy with our Hunter fans, which are on 24/7 for 4 months a year. Not a direct comparison since they’re off during the cooler months, but they seem like good quality for home use. They’re nice and quiet. Depending on the space/your needs, you may want to look into something more commercial-grade if they really won’t be getting any breaks.
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Jul 24, 2019 18:21
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Anyone have a brand recommendation for a ceiling fan that may be on 24/7 (or close to it) for years? I mean are there any particularly known for longevity? We use Hunter. Make sure you pay close attention to balance and they will run forever.
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Jul 24, 2019 18:34
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stupid puma posted:To add, I had a full kitchen remodel of similar scope (wall removed, but it was not load bearing) in my 50s house 2 years ago and the custom cabinets alone were like $25k. It was another $50kish for the work and materials (not including appliances). We had 1” t&g maple floor installed to match to the rest of the house so that was like $10k of that cost, though. Renovation costs are very dependent on specs and geographic location. In comparison, we spent $5k (including shipping!) for solid wood cabinets from cabinets.com. They're not custom, but I can't really see that being worth 20k more
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Jul 25, 2019 02:04
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devicenull posted:In comparison, we spent $5k (including shipping!) for solid wood cabinets from cabinets.com. They're not custom, but I can't really see that being worth 20k more I don’t disagree that $25k is an insane amount to spend on cabinets. I mean, they’ll last forever I guess (aka until the next owner decides they’re ugly).
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Jul 25, 2019 03:13
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I want to hardwire my home with cat6, mainly so I can put all my networking equipment in a cabinet in my laundry room and mount an access point centrally in the home. I believe the coax runs in the walls are newer than the home, and they are located pretty much in the same spots that I would want to have a few cat6 ports. How feasible would it be to follow the coax cable in the attic and fish some cat6 cable down to the low voltage boxes that the coax comes out of? Also, the electrical outlet for the dryer is right below the cabinet, so if I wanted to power the equipment does it make sense to use one of those plug relocation kits to hide the power outlet in the cabinet?
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Jul 25, 2019 05:35
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I installed a storm door last evening. I still need to install the handle/latch hardware, but need to pick up a chisel on my way home. 
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Jul 25, 2019 13:20
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kimcicle posted:I want to hardwire my home with cat6, mainly so I can put all my networking equipment in a cabinet in my laundry room and mount an access point centrally in the home. I believe the coax runs in the walls are newer than the home, and they are located pretty much in the same spots that I would want to have a few cat6 ports. How feasible would it be to follow the coax cable in the attic and fish some cat6 cable down to the low voltage boxes that the coax comes out of? When I wanted to put cat 6 in place of some coax that I have, I found out that the coax was tacked to the walls and beams making it much harder to fish the cat 6 through, so be aware of that I guess.
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Jul 25, 2019 15:31
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cinnamon rollout posted:When I wanted to put cat 6 in place of some coax that I have, I found out that the coax was tacked to the walls and beams making it much harder to fish the cat 6 through, so be aware of that I guess. Understood. I don't plan to pull the coax, so I'm hoping that there are holes in the top plate that I can feed the cat6 through alongside the existing coax.
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Jul 25, 2019 16:01
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