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Dumb question--our new house doesn't have ceiling lights in the bedrooms--which, don't get me started on how stupid that is--and we were planning on installing smart lights from Philips Hue along with Nest thermostats. I assume they have to be wired into the existing wiring system? What kind of holes in the walls are we talking here? Obviously I would hire an electrician to handle it, but I'm curious if anyone has any experience installing smarthome systems? Are they worth it? What do you love/hate about it?
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Mar 25, 2021 03:17
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StormDrain posted:Since all the smart home poo poo is made to replace regular stuff, installing it is the same as installing regular electrics. This is a good point. We're living in a cave lit by two nightstand lamps, and I want the new house to have additional lighting. I think bedside table lamps + sconces might be overkill for that wall, but you're right, if we're paying for an electrician, might as well get what we want. The can lighting is a good idea, though, and we were thinking of a couple of recessed lights along one or two walls. Thanks for the info!
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Mar 25, 2021 04:37
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StormDrain posted:Awesome! I'm working on a high end home right now and there's about 6 can lights per bedroom just as general light, plus some that are aimable. My kitchen at home has five and the first time I turned it on after installing them was "Holy poo poo this is bordering on too bright and I love it". We were hoping to avoid cutting holes in our ceilings but it seems the Hue version of traditional recessed lights are installed the same way, they're just smarter. I'm not sure why but I thought they were like, stick-ons. The house we almost bought had a massive ceiling fan in the guest bed, which looked pretty but I find ceiling fans utterly useless and it'd have interfered with the Murphy bed we're going to need in there to save space. We'd have had to pull that out, so either way we were (are) looking at some minor-ish electrical work and light fixtures. We were thinking two can lights per each of two walls in each bedroom, standard size bedrooms, with bedside lamps as well. I do think 6 is too much (although Hue lights are dimmable). Is four too little?
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Mar 25, 2021 16:06
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Thank you all for the info! I have a feeling this is going to be unpleasant. But it needs to be done. After a year of no overhead lighting anywhere but the kitchen, and looking like I'm in witness protection during Zoom calls (even the ring light doesn't help, it just creates more shadows, blinds me, and you can see it reflected in my glasses), relying on floor lamps in the new place is not going to work for us. I'll find a local contractor and see what our options are. I don't mind shelling out the money but I want it done right and I want it to last a long time. We're not DIYing anything in the new place--even if we were to do something as simple as painting, I'd pay to have it done--and since we're buying well below what we can afford, we've got a little extra cash to do the upgrades we want. I'll probably come back here and ask more questions as we go through the process (and there will be a bathroom remodel a few months down the road, too), and I really appreciate all the input!
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Mar 25, 2021 17:35
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skipdogg posted:Off topic, but the fix for the zoom issue is to get 2 lights, and put them about 45 to 60 degrees off to the side of you, not facing directly at you. It'll help with the shadows and the reflection on the glasses. Thank you!
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Mar 25, 2021 18:01
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I only mentioned Hue as it was the only smart bulb I knew of at the time (we are only just starting to plan). The color change is not a draw for me and I don't think we'd ever use it. Really I just want to be able to control everything from afar. I want to be able to turn on a light from a different room, or from a different country. Same with Nest--we have cats and we actually (finally!) live in a place where it gets legitimately chilly, and we want to be able to turn on the thermostat when we're traveling without necessarily having to rely on programming it. I'm open to anything, although I did do a compare of Nest versus Ecobees and I think Nest will fit our needs better. I am open to any and all suggestions. I would be happy with eco-friendly, power-saving bulbs that are controllable by my phone.
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Mar 26, 2021 00:45
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Thank you for the info! This is a lot of help. I'm down for almost anything as long as it's somewhat intuitive and can be controlled remotely.
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Mar 26, 2021 03:51
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Sundae posted:Which brings us to the thread's second favorite topic: This is how I know I'm getting old, I had to talk myself down from the $5,000 Toto bidet to the $2,000 one.
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Mar 27, 2021 17:59
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Residency Evil posted:What could the $5k model possibly do? Probably massage your genitals gently while drying?
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Mar 27, 2021 18:46
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Real talk, I can't tell the difference between most of the models. Some of the toilets are close to $20k. But their washlet bidets are between $1-2k. For me it's worth it to have the lady parts setting. It never made sense to me to spray from the back.
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Mar 27, 2021 19:04
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devmd01 posted:
That's gorgeous. We're thinking about doing a tankless in our townhouse, which is in the kitchen, and using the leftover space to store...whatever random poo poo will fit. How much space does it save, roughly (if any)? Looks...not insignificant.
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Apr 2, 2021 21:25
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I have a big hole in my wall. I mean, it's a closet, but there's no door and only two shelves and one bar. I had initially planned to have a custom closet builder construct a really nice reach-in for me, but I'm considering instead having them just install the doors and I can build out the inside with stuff from Container Store or wherever. I'm fairly handy and can organize a space pretty well, but initially planned to have pros do it so I didn't have to bother with it, but I'm wondering now if I can save a few thousand bucks by DIYing the inside and using the cash on a different project I can't DIY. Stupid idea, or REALLY stupid idea?
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Apr 8, 2021 15:04
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Thanks for the votes of confidence! I had dreams of building out a beautiful cedar-lined closet, but it seems like a waste of money (my clothes are just normal, not designer or anything) that could be better spent on other improvements we'll need sooner than later. I can install some cedar shelving in the weird 18"x18" nook on the end for sweaters, and just install some drawers and shelves in the main part of the closet, have them hang the sliding doors and call it good. At the end of the day it's a place that holds our stuff, and the doors will be shut 99% of the time anyway. Better to spend that money on something I can't do myself.
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Apr 8, 2021 15:54
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NomNomNom posted:My two cents would be to have container store make a design for you. They can be really good at it and are more likely to come up with an optimized design that's better than what you could do on your own. A little scummy, but you could ways take their design and diy it on your own. We were looking at CS and their custom closets were upwards of $5k, which is fine if it includes installation, but if not, it seems a bit pricey for a design and materials. That said, we haven't even started getting quotes so for all I know a closet could cost $10k. If that's the case, LOL--we'll install some shelving and nice doors and a shoe rack and call it a day because ew. Also, IKEA has closet designers on their website for ~free, so I can at least get some ideas there. Edit: when we were looking for a house, we saw one with the same footprint as ours that had exactly the closet I want. Once I find the right size shelving (may have to have it cut myself), I can definitely install the same closet, except the door, which I'll have someone else install. Maggie Fletcher fucked around with this message at 16:56 on Apr 8, 2021 |
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Apr 8, 2021 16:50
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ChineseBuffet posted:If you do go the Container Store route, do a quick Google and see when their closet sale typically falls. Good thinking! They also have a free online planner. This looks promising! Closet World just ended their "free installation and 40% off" promotion the day after we closed. 
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Apr 8, 2021 23:28
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Motronic posted:I really agree with the "modular closet" approach here (I'm looking at much of the same) but I'd suggest measuring that door opening you've got. See if some pre-hung door may fit in there and sort that out first if you're set on having a door. Yes I am 100% set on having a door. The door opening, end to end, is about 112", but the closet itself has a weird nook on the side that's 18" wide, where I'm planning to put floating shelves. This is what I'm hoping to copy, with the weird nook behind the door on the right side (in my house it's on the left): https://imgur.com/a/hGz8dLO It doesn't have to be *this* fancy but I would like the lighting, even if it's stick-on button lights. I was willing to shell out for the best version of this, but after upgrading all our furniture and stuff I'm finding other things I'd like to spend the money on. And, after all, if the doors are nice enough it doesn't matter as much if the mounting hardware on the shelves is visible or whatever. But it does need doors.
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Apr 8, 2021 23:45
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Motronic posted:Oh.....you have so many options, okay. I would still narrow them down to what you want to install (french doors, you have room for pocket doors if if you've got outside space constraints, etc) and figure out how and where those go in concert with your plans. Then actually get the door(s) in there (like installed) to make sure there aren't any surprises before ordering the modular stuff. Then you're working with a known quantity and measurements. Yah, there are lots of options. That's one reason why we were going to let the pros loose on our belongings and recommend a system that would work, but if it costs an insane amount we'll just DIY it. I have no problem doing it but I just get overwhelmed by all the options, which is why this thread is so helpful. I found a photo of our *actual* closet before we filled it up. For reference it does fit everything we have, which was nice compared to our old place, which had us spreading our stuff across three smaller closets. https://imgur.com/a/KSkX9qr
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Apr 9, 2021 00:44
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Remember the closet I was thinking about DIYing? With the weird nook? We're so tired of spending money and dealing with house stuff, we decided to just go "gently caress it" and add some interior storage to the rod and shelves that are already in there. They're kind of ugly, but they're very sturdy and already installed. So we decided to keep our Closet World appointment and get a quote for the full closet and also just to add a door (which is absolutely must have, but not right this second). We contemplated cancelling the Closet World appointment and just living without a door for now until our finances recover a bit. Closet World guy is now half an hour late. This non-problem may have solved itself. Edit: it did, called them and said they couldn't find my appointment. Problem solved, except I'll eventually need to find someone who can install a very large, possibly custom closet door, but that's a problem for future Maggie. Maggie Fletcher fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Apr 14, 2021 |
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Apr 14, 2021 18:29
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Motronic posted:Honestly, if you're willing to live with it as it is or with some storage you can hang off the bars (they've got "shelves", shoe racks etc) that you can pick up at target or whatever for cheap for the time being you'll be a lot better off than trying to get any sort of construction work done at the moment. The supply chain is screwed, labor rates are through he roof, tons of projects are getting delayed or outright stalled in the middle due to lack of supplies. Yeah we're just going to get some interior drawers and shelf units from Container Store or whatever. We've installed something similar in our old place, and it's pretty easy. We have all the tools and skills to do some basic installation. And if by chance, the space for the doors is standard enough that we can just buy a door and have someone install it, there are tons of local handypeople who moonlight and can hang it for us. For now, though, the door can wait, because it'll require a track to be installed over a handsome bamboo floor that we don't want to ruin, so we can wait for a really solid handyperson. If the door must be custom, eh, we will deal with that once we've organized the inside. Next up is the Murphy bed. Hopefully we can get that without too much trouble; it will save a ton of space in our multipurpose room and we don't have guests over enough to have the bed out all the time. I just hope it can fit the mattress we have, which is pretty soft and squishy. That's something we can't DIY but is sorely needed.
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Apr 14, 2021 22:14
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We just ordered a bunch of shelving/drawer units from The Container Store. It's not the solution I wanted, but I want it more than spending 5-6k on a custom closet, and at the end of the day we need a place to put our poo poo, and it needs to be organized. I'll be fine with it once we get a door on it. Another, longer-term project we plan on is going to a tankless water heater. A buddy recommended that we get one that back-flushes (I can't remember the term but basically it allows you to change the water direction so you can flush out the tank once a year or so). Can anyone remind me what that is called?
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Apr 15, 2021 16:48
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devicenull posted:Back flushing is an aspect of the install, not the heater itself. Your plumber should be able to set that up so you can easily flush it (but it'll be a manual process) devmd01 posted:My tankless has bypass valves/hose connectors right on the bottom so you can hook it up to a pump and run vinegar through it. Rinnai even gives you a full blown video on how to do it. I’ll let the installers do it next year since the first service is free but I already have a pump and hoses sitting in a bucket on top of it ready for use. Thank you both!
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Apr 16, 2021 20:42
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In the interest of actually having usable space in our spare bedroom (which is now serving as a guest bedroom-music studio-art studio-workout room-office), we pulled the trigger on a wallbed yesterday. The one we wanted was $7,500 for a full size! More than any other piece of furniture we bought, and most of what we bought we considered a splurge. We want to save space and make the place look nice, but that was a bit rich for a spare bed, so we went with a different model for $5,000. But the mattress is super plush and we're getting professional installation because imagine trying to DIY that poo poo--I'm handy but no way am I trusting myself with a wallbed installation. At least that room will be usable soon! I am bummed that our spare mattress, which wasn't super expensive but is in absolutely perfect shape, is too fat for the wallbed. It's a few years old but is hardly used, and our guests always comment on how comfortable it is. I hate to let it go but the only other option is to let it sit there and take up space in the spare room. Hopefully we can give it away; it's too nice to go to landfill. And I'm getting a quote for a closet door. The space is too large to buy something non-custom and have it installed, so we're going custom. I'm speaking with a sliding door company today, and hopefully the quote will be in budget. I organized the closet with stuff from Container Store and it's highly functional, but not having doors on it is really bugging me. This is something we're willing to wait on but it's stressing me out so I'm hoping we can get it done sooner than later. This house is so small and we have so much stuff that organization is key, and the more time we spend not having it done, the more antsy I'm getting. Edit: the closet door is going to run us $3,000. That's not terribly surprising but it's still more than what we wanted. The good news is lead time is 10-12 weeks so we won't have to pay it off immediately. Yippee! And we still have to figure out our budget for lighting installation. The bedrooms are terribly gloomy on overcast or foggy days. Lamps only do so much. We did get sconces in the mistress bedroom (there is no master in our house, only mistresses), which look amazing, but still need some overhead lighting. Maggie Fletcher fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Apr 23, 2021 |
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Apr 23, 2021 18:05
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MiamiKid posted:What brand/model did you end up going with? Interested to hear what you think after it's installed! I'm shopping for one as well. I'll post pics when it's installed, which could be soon, hopefully! We went with a local place called Wallbeds N More. They have some great stuff, but it's definitely pricey. This is what we got, in caramel finish: https://wallbedsnmore.com/product/arlington-wallbed/ We also got one pier of shelving. We'd like two, but I don't think we have space for both.
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Apr 25, 2021 17:51
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Qwijib0 posted:Yeah, Murphy beds are pricey. I ended up getting a hardware kit from rockler and building one. It wasn't too awful, so if you have access to a table saw and want a project, you can also go that route. That sounds like a lot of fun, and I love building stuff, but I don't feel confident that my handiwork can support an actual person, nor keep from falling down. My handiness tends to end around carving spoons and hanging up poo poo. If you wouldn't mind posting a photo, I'd love to see yours!
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Apr 25, 2021 18:37
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Nice! Yeah my confidence level is far below that, but it's a cool project! Looks like a true space-saver, too. Interesting that it doesn't interfere with the ceiling fan. The other house we looked at had one and it seemed so low that I thought the murphy bed wouldn't fit with it in it, but I guess I was wrong. I have a hard time judging the roominess of a space when it's empty, honestly. I feel much better about fitting the wallbed into our guest room, looks like it's going to actually help a lot. Thanks!
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Apr 26, 2021 15:45
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Inner Light posted:Looking for recommendations on a few things, not sure if there is a furniture thread? But here goes: We got our bed from Article and mattress from Mattress Firm. We love both. We splurge because we like extra squishy poofy mattresses and it seems like everyone wants to sleep on a board these days. In fact for the guest room I bought a squishy one from Brooklyn Bedding because Purple's mattresses are only firm. It was great, came in a small box and was only $600. We have to give it up because it's too tall for our Murphy bed, but the Murphy includes a very plush mattress, so that's nice. Couch from Lovesac. A total splurge, but holy crap, it's the comfiest thing I've ever sat on. If you go for the Article couch I'm guessing it's very good. I love their style, but all we have from them is a bed frame so I can't attest to its comfort. Ikea has latex mattresses that are supposedly very cooling and comfortable but I don't have any personal experience with those mattresses. I have spent my entire adult life having the same stuff everyone else has from Ikea/Bed bath beyond/World Market/whatever chain crap, so we have bought a few custom pieces from woodworkers (either local or on Etsy), or from antique places. We still have some average stuff like our secretary desk from World Market, but we are splurging on some unique pieces. Since we're not house-poor we decided to be furnishings-slightly-above-average.
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Apr 28, 2021 00:40
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:Seconding love sac couches as being awesome as hell, and totally worth the money. Fortunately I don't have kids, but we are wine drinkers and the washable covers were a big draw. An even bigger one was the fact that we can buy all different covers and for a fraction of the cost, bam, totally different couch for a few hundred bucks. We're planning on having spring/summer covers and fall/winter covers.
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Apr 28, 2021 21:49
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I had the same questions (also it's a bit blocky for my taste), but the draw for a lot of people is the durability and (if you have kids) the washable covers. Comfort is only one part of it. We paid about $5k for ours and it seats four comfortably, and has some storage. For us it's the portability (you just take it apart if you need to move it, and you can configure it however you want) and the ability to swap out the covers. Chaise attachment on the right side not working for you? Swap it out, put it on the left side, separate it altogether and put a top on it for a coffee table. The storage is surprisingly roomy. Essentially for us it's an investment and we plan on having it for years, possibly a decade or more. The price tag is boggling, especially for something I wasn't totally sold on aesthetically, but once I got in the showroom and sat down, it was a no brainer.
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Apr 28, 2021 22:54
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BlackMK4 posted:If you own a condo where the HOA is responsible for the exterior walls who is generally responsible if bees find an opening in the exterior stucco and begin building a hive? Not sure where you're at, but I rented a townhouse in California a few years back that had rodents inside the walls. My understanding is that the HOA took care of it. But I would check your HOA bylaws before you go calling an exterminator. Also, if they're honeybees, call a beekeeper, not an exterminator. Honeybees are friends.
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May 2, 2021 18:35
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BlackMK4 posted:Yeah, I have a 3 story unit with 10ft ceilings so this is roughly 30ft up. I suspect that they were displaced by a storm last week as I'm pretty observant and just noticed them a few days ago. If they're honeybees, then they probably are cheap to remove, they are after all a significant source of income for beekeepers. Some hobbyists/NPOs may even do it for a donation. The keepers are experts and they will also be very gentle in their collection and rehoming of the swarm. You're doing a good thing.
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May 2, 2021 19:12
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Douchebag posted:Kitchen cabinet question. Want to "upgrade" mine by just replacing the doors/drawers. Frame of the cabinet is a natural wood color, the doors and drawer fronts are builder grade poo poo from the mid-90's that appear to be press board or something with a "paper" type poo poo on the front. Yes. I want to do the same thing because the cabinets are in great shape, but the doors are a bit haggard although perfectly functional, just a bit dated. I'm going here: https://www.cabinetdoorworld.com/ No idea if they're any good, but they're reasonably priced and have an assortment of doors and finishes. Floor chat: Our new house has gorgeous bamboo floors throughout, although the top floor is a bit darker than the bottom and it makes me wonder if that's a laminate or composite of some sort. The bamboo downstairs has a few scratches, much like Inner Light's, not enough to replace but enough to bug me. I haven't polished the floor yet--the cleaners start coming next week and I can't be hosed to do it before then--but I don't think that will be enough to fix it. You can't really refinish bamboo since it's not wood, and I'm not sure if I have any options. I'm okay with letting it go if I have to, but if there is a possible fix, my OCD won't let me let it go unless I've tried everything. Edit: tried the first thing I found on a blog: rub a walnut over the scratch. It worked! Such an easy (and delicious) solution--you can't even tell they were there! I don't know if the walnut oils will survive the cleaners or whatnot but it's a perfectly good solution even if I have to do it periodically. So of course I am waiting for a guy to come measure my closet with a nut in my hand, diligently inspecting every scratch on my floors. Supposedly it works on a number of wood floors, so maybe try that if you have scratches? Maggie Fletcher fucked around with this message at 16:14 on May 5, 2021 |
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May 5, 2021 15:51
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Omne posted:Yeah I spoke to the serviced, they said the insurance company originally sent the info to the wrong company, and they had to request it, which meant they got it late and paid it right away. They gave me the check number in case I needed it. It was due 4/30, the serviced got the info on 5/1, paid it 5/3 Wasn't this a King of the Hill episode? My one bummer about buying a townhouse is I can't make "my lawn" jokes. But we do have a propane grill and fire pit, so I get the very important "propane and propane accessories" jokes. Sirotan posted:TIL those coupons you get when you do your change of address with USPS? They are very good and if you don't use them, you can sell them on eBay. I discovered this because I thought about buying one on eBay to get 15% off at Crate and Barrel as I am searching for a media console and they have a couple that look nice. Yeah, we bought a bunch of kitchen stuff at C&B when we moved in, upgraded all our small appliances. That 15% off came to something like $200 by the time we were done. BB&B is pretty generous with their 20% off stuff too, last I checked.
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May 6, 2021 17:23
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Since we're on furnishing recommendations, my wife and I have almost everything we need in our new house, except linens. We want to splurge on really nice ones and were thinking of Parachute (not for the duvet cover, though, we didn't realize we have an EU King comforter, not US, so we have to get a different duvet cover). They're pricey so I figured I'd ask if anyone here has them: Are they comfortable enough to justify the price tag? Can they be bleached? (we want white ones) Are they durable? Linen vs. percale? Do they actually fit a 16" mattress? Every sheet place says they do, but I can still see a bit of mattress on even the deepest pocket ones, and our mattress is only 14".
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May 6, 2021 22:00
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Just shelled out $3,700 for a closet door. Still think I dodged a bullet on the other house though.
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May 7, 2021 17:23
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Sundae posted:
It's custom built. I love having a large closet, it's great to be able to hold every shoe, coat, and piece of clothing I have, but it's not cheap.
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May 7, 2021 17:40
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Motronic posted:You just moved in. This is the time to make it how you want. Enjoy it. Means a lot to get an approval from you. We are excited to get this place the way we want, and the closet and murphy bed are top priorities. Once that's done we'll tackle lighting upstairs, a bathroom remodel, and a water heater upgrade (not necessarily in that order), but other than that not much is needed. I showed my wife the trick of erasing floor scratches with a walnut, and she thinks I am some kind of magician now.
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May 7, 2021 19:15
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OK, but what is the point of advertising your security system? Like, have it, sure, but a sign? Does that deter anyone?
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May 8, 2021 05:10
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gwrtheyrn posted:I'd imagine it has more utility as a deterrent effect than actually catching anyone who breaks in, and to be a deterrent, the would-be burglar has to know it's there either from a sign, visible cameras, or an audible alarm. At least this is how I've heard it explained, but I have never bothered looking up anything to back that claim up The Dave posted:Some people like to scream “you’re only as secure as your weakest link!” but there are levels of people looking to gently caress around and I can speak from experience that a kid looking to do some petty property damage might stop if they see signage. Actually, you guys are probably right. I have seen Ring videos where the guy visually sees the camera and runs away, so yeah, I could see the point of signage. Most property crimes are ones of opportunity, right?
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May 8, 2021 15:21
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I don't think we can answer this question until we see a picture of the kitten.
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May 14, 2021 00:15
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We're not planning a bathroom reno for awhile, because it's a small job and we want to pay cash for it, but question for anyone who has used them: have you ever installed a wall mount towel warmer? We have a bucket warmer and we love it (and works better than open-air ones), but the space is tiny and we'd like the real estate back. 1. Do they work OK? 2. Do they actually save space, or are you just banging your head on jutting aluminum bars all the time?
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May 19, 2021 21:37
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