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zynga dot com posted:That leaves 2 bedrooms, and right now the fiancee thinks she'll resent it later if we have to give up a guest room to turn it into a baby room. Don't prioritize a room that will likely be a dumping ground for miscellaneous junk 99.999% of the time. Like H110Hawk said, paying for a guest to stay in a nearby hotel occasionally will be much cheaper in the long run. Let me tell you, once you have kid(s), you won't really want overnight guests to be down the hall. They can come back over in the morning.
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Jan 7, 2020 15:18
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Part of our kitchen renovation is going to take our peninsula countertop out, instead we'll extend the countertop to the edge of our windows. This leaves us with space under the windows on that wall, which in turn touch the windows on the other wall right at the corner. We were thinking about putting some shorter cabinetry under that... is it a good idea to do so? It'd give a little more kitchen storage. Maybe we'd top it off as a bench or something.
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Jan 7, 2020 16:39
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Picture always helps.
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Jan 7, 2020 17:12
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B-Nasty posted:Don't prioritize a room that will likely be a dumping ground for miscellaneous junk 99.999% of the time. Like H110Hawk said, paying for a guest to stay in a nearby hotel occasionally will be much cheaper in the long run. Let me tell you, once you have kid(s), you won't really want overnight guests to be down the hall. They can come back over in the morning. Speaking from experience I've found that having a guest room means that your parents will want to stay there during the holidays and there is no peace
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Jan 7, 2020 21:33
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B-Nasty posted:Don't prioritize a room that will likely be a dumping ground for miscellaneous junk 99.999% of the time. Like H110Hawk said, paying for a guest to stay in a nearby hotel occasionally will be much cheaper in the long run. Let me tell you, once you have kid(s), you won't really want overnight guests to be down the hall. They can come back over in the morning. This. We used to use one of our 3 bedrooms as a yoga room and baby play room (e.g. no furniture). But then family members insisted that we need to buy a bed and turn it into a proper guest room, and they wouldn't shut the gently caress up about it so we relented. Now it's a room with a bed in it that goes unused 95% of the year. This was definitely a mistake, and it's going to get undone when we have our second kid
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Jan 7, 2020 21:47
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My dad stayed in our guest room over christmas, it was great. He accidentally had the front desk put the charge on his personal card instead of just incidentals. Some idiot also backed their mini-van into his truck in the parking lot, thankfully no real damage and he got plenty of pictures.
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Jan 7, 2020 21:49
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I bought a house with 2 guest rooms, but that's what we wanted. We encourage family to come stay with us, but we bought a big rear end house so we could comfortably do that.
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Jan 7, 2020 22:01
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Get yourself a futon or a folding bed or murphy bed or pull-out sofa bed or anything that will let you use your "guest room" as an office or library or hobby room or some other thing for the rest of the time. Even if it takes half an hour to convert back to guest room before your guests come, it's worth it to not just have a dusty unused space in your house. If your parents complain, you can suggest that if they want you to dedicate 15% of your home to them, they can pay 15% of your mortgage.
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Jan 7, 2020 22:08
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Leperflesh posted:Get yourself a futon or a folding bed or murphy bed or pull-out sofa bed or anything that will let you use your "guest room" as an office or library or hobby room or some other thing for the rest of the time. Extremely good advice. My home office has a nice futon for taking breaks, and it can convert into an uncomfortable Full Size Bed which allows friends and family to crash when needed, without the risk of them wanting to stay a second night!
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Jan 7, 2020 22:13
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If you are going to resent your kid because your guest room changes into a nursery, don't have kids, because that is literally the best thing they will do to you in the first 10 years.
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Jan 8, 2020 22:41
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Ashcans posted:If you are going to resent your kid because your guest room changes into a nursery, don't have kids, because that is literally the best thing they will do to you in the first 10 years. What about the tax break?
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Jan 8, 2020 22:42
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Residency Evil posted:What about the tax break? Doesn't come anywhere close to making up for the costs.
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Jan 8, 2020 23:19
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skipdogg posted:Just something to think about, older people often have mobility issues, so a basement MIL suite might make sense now, but would it make sense farther down the line? I’ll keep an eye out for a house with a guest room at the bottom of a steep, winding staircase.
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Jan 9, 2020 06:44
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Fallom posted:I’ll keep an eye out for a house with a guest room at the bottom of a steep, winding staircase. Make sure the staircase is hardwood and you wax that thing every 48 hours to keep it nice and clean. Probably better oil the banisters while you're at it.
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Jan 9, 2020 14:49
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In all seriousness, what is the least treacherous stair covering? My girlfriend wants me to rip the thick pile carpet off the stairs in my house but as a kid I remember wood stairs being way worse. Is wood stairs + ugly grip pads really the only safe choice?
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Jan 9, 2020 16:24
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MJP posted:Part of our kitchen renovation is going to take our peninsula countertop out, instead we'll extend the countertop to the edge of our windows. This leaves us with space under the windows on that wall, which in turn touch the windows on the other wall right at the corner. We were thinking about putting some shorter cabinetry under that... is it a good idea to do so? It'd give a little more kitchen storage. Maybe we'd top it off as a bench or something. Pictures, finally. Here's what we have now.  Here's the floor plan for the renovation. Ignore my awful handwriting.  Here's a rendering of the space as it'll look. Ignore the tile, paint, and cabinet hardware. We might go with that color stain or it may be a shade or two lighter.  So yeah, open to thoughts on whether it'd be good or not to put more cabinets under that window, maybe coming right up to it or lower. I don't know if we'd use the same countertop material or not, open to thoughts on this.
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Jan 9, 2020 18:31
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MJP posted:Pictures, finally. FWIW, it probably depends upon your cooking style and current/expected family needs (which I'm sure you already knew and is why you're getting opinions). Myself, I'd love to keep that open space for flexibility when I had guests over (they always seem to want to be in the kitchen to see what's going on). I might put a comfy chair in the corner. But if I used a lot of specialized cooking equipment, appliances, or serveware, I'd probably put a premium on having extra cabinet space to store it all and use it (and to have space to add to the collection). If I had small kids or entertained a lot, I might think in terms of a breakfast-bar kind of thing where kids could do homework while I cooked, or where I could set dishes and drinks buffet-style for casual parties without taking up the table or having traffic obstructing the other counters while I tried to finish preparing the food. At other times it could hold pots of fresh basil and mint. Another option might be a long rolling cabinet that could be pulled out to use as an island, or tucked back into the area below the windows. You might have to custom-build it to get one that long, but it would give you maximum flexibility, and as life changed, you could keep, move, or remove it as your needs changed. That's probably the option I'd use. Just some thoughts.
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Jan 9, 2020 19:31
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I wouldn't put cabinetry there, but that's my opinion. I'd leave the space open so it can be used flexibly. It's a good place for a pet feeding area, or a small desk for doing household paperwork, kids doing homework, crafting, etc. I like all those windows there. The kitchen is definitely hurting for cabinet space though so I see the desire for more cabinet space.
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Jan 9, 2020 20:02
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MJP posted:Pictures, finally. Issue you have with "extending" the cabinets is that the windows look to be below the counter level, so whatever you put there won't look right. It'll either be a different height from the counters, or you'll have a weird cut-out for the windows. One possibility would be a breakfast nook sort of thing by the windows. For some reason in my head you can get them as enclosed benches so they can double as storage, but I dunno. Is this the only room a dining table can fit? If you have a proper dining room, consider ditching the big table plan for the kitchen. If you do any amount of cooking, a counter-height island would be a better option I think. You have a serious lack of counter space there... Without the table, you could put in a big enough island that includes seating for 2-3 and storage.
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Jan 9, 2020 20:14
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You have two really major issues: 1) Counter space for preparing food 2) storage space for pots/pans/supplies/cabinet space. (2) you can solve by having like temporary storage racks, but (1) will probably remain a problem.
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Jan 9, 2020 22:32
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More cabinets under those windows would look weirdly short if it was the same material and color. That said, you need more counter space imo
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Jan 9, 2020 23:50
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Had an electrician come in and do an estimate for some minor electrical work but he was upselling on a new panel pretty hard. It is an old panel (original to construction in 82) but we haven't had any specific panel problems. Think it's worth replacing?
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Jan 10, 2020 00:07
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FuzzySlippers posted:Had an electrician come in and do an estimate for some minor electrical work but he was upselling on a new panel pretty hard. It is an old panel (original to construction in 82) but we haven't had any specific panel problems. Think it's worth replacing? Post a picture, get another estimate. They should be able to get specific technical reasons why you need a new panel.
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Jan 10, 2020 00:09
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FuzzySlippers posted:Had an electrician come in and do an estimate for some minor electrical work but he was upselling on a new panel pretty hard. It is an old panel (original to construction in 82) but we haven't had any specific panel problems. Think it's worth replacing? Why did the electrician say you needed a new panel? Like, specifics.
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Jan 10, 2020 00:11
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H110Hawk posted:Post a picture, get another estimate. They should be able to get specific technical reasons why you need a new panel. Why should he even bother doing that if he has no expansion plans, no issues, and the panel isn’t one of those explodey ones? I think an electrician would probably be able to come up with a genuine-sounding reason to waste money on a new panel. The guy I hire a lot pitches them to everyone.
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Jan 10, 2020 00:17
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Fallom posted:Why should he even bother doing that if he has no expansion plans, no issues, and the panel isn’t one of those explodey ones? This is why they need specific information. Otherwise the answer is basically "I can charge $2500 extra dollars for a day of work where the wires are almost right to begin with."
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Jan 10, 2020 00:25
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 I'm still waiting on his quote, but his pitch was that it was a fire hazard from being so old. He wanted to replace it with a copper panel with a whole house surge protector. He'd move the tandem breakers into each being a normal breaker and bring a few seemingly minor things up to code (like supposed to have 2 grounding rods instead of 1). Part of the pitch was that it was cheaper to do it along with some other stuff we were considering doing. Like one of the few problems we have is that using any of the other minor kitchen appliances (coffee maker, toaster, pressure cooker, etc) + microwave causes a breaker to flip. Not a big deal, but since we need some outlets added I was checking what that would cost to fix as well. He's giving an estimate for taking that outlet to its own breaker but he pitched rather than do that in an old panel that is at the end of its life why not wire it into a new panel for a mild discount and get ahead of problems. This is a house we are never planning on moving from so I'm amenable to long term planning, but not eager to burn a few thousand pointlessly early either. I have other electricians coming in a few days for estimates so I'll see what they say. I was just curious of the general feeling on these things.
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Jan 10, 2020 02:15
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Unless you need a service upgrade I don't see why you would upgrade that panel. The tandems are fine if they aren't overloaded. You still have space for more breakers for the new outlet run. Yes, get a couple of grounding rods and change the ground. But that has little to do with the panel. My opinion may change if I could see under the cover of the panel. If it's a mess back there that requires a bunch a clean up then maybe........
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Jan 10, 2020 02:26
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FuzzySlippers posted:
Without seeing inside that panel, I'm dubious from the start if this salesman starts talking about 'copper panels'. One of the most popular, trusted, and still widely used panels of all time (Square D Homeline series) uses aluminum bus bars, and houses aren't exploding. There is zero reason to upgrade your panel if this is the reasoning. 1982 is a pretty good spot to be for electrical, unless a DIY homeowner came in and started doing dangerous work. It looks like a permit was pulled in 2018 for HVAC work, and that the panel was looked at. If there was anything horribly dangerous in that panel, they wouldn't pass the inspection.
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Jan 10, 2020 03:41
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I can see clearly that each breaker does not have a dedicated Wi-Fi connection to Huawei If you’re comfortable with that then so be it.
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Jan 10, 2020 03:43
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Sounds like he's got a boat payment coming up. Pass on the panel, pass on the whole electrician if you've got another to use.
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Jan 10, 2020 04:23
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What's the load on the panel? If you start adding a lot of appliances, then the rationale reason for upgrading the panel will be to support those new appliances (as most panels of that age will likely be 100A). But do that when you add those appliances. Otherwise, there is no reason to upgrade the panel. The brand is GE, which is generally trustworthy. It's not my personal choice of panel brand, but it isn't a danger.
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Jan 10, 2020 04:26
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That panel is rated to 200A and its smallest is 125A according to the stickers. If the dude wanted to add afci or gfci to it fine. Did he take the cover off when he proposed this mysterious new panel? (The cover is what is held on by screws and the door is hinged on.) If you are comfortable opening the cover you can show us 100% how full of poo poo this person is, if you are not then do not. The main breaker does not remove all power from the box as the input wires on it will be live still. Take a picture when you get a second bid. Ask the electrician to take it off for you if they don't out of habit. "Always wanted to see inside one of those." A normal electrician could see the open slots and say "yup I can add 4 breakers to that don't need to know anything else to start."
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Jan 10, 2020 04:46
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Thanks guys! Sounds like I can avoid buying one. I actually did open it up with the electrician and it didn't look unorganized or anything bad. That HVAC electrician also didn't say anything when he installed those extra breakers for it. I'll wait to get my other bids.
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Jan 10, 2020 06:11
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ntan1 posted:You have two really major issues: Yeah, the designer had suggested we could remove the windows, raise them to above counter level, and replace the windows. That way we can have a full counter to work with, along with cabinetry. I'm not sure how keen we are on that - my wife isn't a fan of adding further cost and complexity, but I might ask our designer to give a rough quote on it. We had those windows replaced I think 5ish years ago so it's more like "ugh, paying twice" but it would deffo solve the problem. The part of the kitchen to the right of where the plan puts the stove is a peninsula, so the plan item itself represents a blind corner which isn't great for prep. I do see prep space being a bit tight in this, though, worth some thoughts. DaveSauce posted:Issue you have with "extending" the cabinets is that the windows look to be below the counter level, so whatever you put there won't look right. It'll either be a different height from the counters, or you'll have a weird cut-out for the windows. This is the only room a dining table could go - we have no Actual Dining Room, which is fairly standard for this type of house in our town and area. TofuDiva posted:FWIW, it probably depends upon your cooking style and current/expected family needs (which I'm sure you already knew and is why you're getting opinions). Myself, I'd love to keep that open space for flexibility when I had guests over (they always seem to want to be in the kitchen to see what's going on). I might put a comfy chair in the corner. But if I used a lot of specialized cooking equipment, appliances, or serveware, I'd probably put a premium on having extra cabinet space to store it all and use it (and to have space to add to the collection). No kids, not going to have any, and while we occasionally have friends over, we aren't hardcore entertainers. Right now, the countertop is a peninsula that cuts the dining area from the kitchen area, and we use the peninsula as a sorta buffet, but inevitably snacks on the table get eaten more frequently. I do like the option of more space to store things - it'd take a giant post to go into the present issues in detail, and that'd get a bit e/n to hijack the thread. The thought of a long rolling cabinet is kinda interesting, I was thinking of some kind of freestanding unit. Worth a thought. I'd use a buffet or server if I could find one that fit in the space. MJP fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Jan 10, 2020 |
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Jan 10, 2020 15:37
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Counters are going to make that corner cramped and claustrophobic. They will be easy to do later if you decide to do it as it will be no extra work. I agree you have almost no counterspace in the remodel though, so if you cook a lot you might be disappointed.
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Jan 10, 2020 15:46
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DaveSauce posted:One possibility would be a breakfast nook sort of thing by the windows. For some reason in my head you can get them as enclosed benches so they can double as storage, but I dunno. This is actually a really good idea. I'd build a banquette in that space. It would be a good use of space I think. The seating area can usually be lifted up for extra storage of bulky stuff you only use once in a while, and all that light right there would be a cool place to sit. A general idea of what I'm talking about https://photos.hgtv.com/photo/beautiful-wood-banquette-in-country-dining-nook Then on the wall where your table would go, you could do a row of cabinets with a counter top as well like a built in buffet, or just leave it open and put your own furniture there.
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Jan 10, 2020 15:51
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H110Hawk posted:Counters are going to make that corner cramped and claustrophobic. They will be easy to do later if you decide to do it as it will be no extra work. I agree you have almost no counterspace in the remodel though, so if you cook a lot you might be disappointed. The alternative here was to keep the peninsula we currently have, but it seems a lot nicer to have the more open feel to the kitchen. skipdogg posted:This is actually a really good idea. I'd build a banquette in that space. It would be a good use of space I think. The seating area can usually be lifted up for extra storage of bulky stuff you only use once in a while, and all that light right there would be a cool place to sit. The thing is that our dining table is a rectangle, and its chairs are normal dining table chair height. Wouldn't that be weird to have a bench wide enough for one but long enough for three in the far corner? Ugh, now I'm all indecisive. We went to a designer because we didn't have the slightest clue about how to redo things and it just keeps on piling up into more things, and since she takes her time replying to emails, there's so much silence in the process that gets filled with more problems. I knew we were going to be in a dusty hell with expensive unforeseen consequences once things started but all this leadup is killing me. MJP fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Jan 10, 2020 |
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Jan 10, 2020 16:18
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skipdogg posted:
This was actually my thought as well though I was hesitant to suggest it because: - How well does it work with the counter that will be RIGHT THERE? - If MJP entertains often, is this what you would really want? - Storage issues but you mentioned those - Is there enough room to have one, make getting in/out comfortable without having to move the table?
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Jan 10, 2020 18:03
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So we think we're gonna go with a storage bench rather than extend the countertop or make a banquette, and my wife mentioned while we were talking with a contractor that we definitely will be losing countertop space - but maybe we can get a wheeled island. I found a few with cabinet styles that would match our cabinetry, or maybe my carpenter friend could retrofit something. We could get a butcher block countertop for it, industrial lockable casters, and have an extra 36x36 countertop space that can be repositioned. Or we could do a normal island but I think our kitchen is a bit too small for a permanent island. Does that sound sane?
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Jan 11, 2020 20:03
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