Cost difference in above grade sq ft vs below grade?
kelhuck
12 years ago
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Comments (13)
DickRNH
12 years agodavid_cary
12 years agoRelated Discussions
confused about kitchen cabinet grades / price levels
Comments (15)You want to compare Apples to Apples - this means you need to know what you want. Specifically, what cabinet construction you want. For example, if you go to Home Depot and see a cabinet you like, the salesperson will start going blah...blah...blah. So, you need to know some specific parameters to ask about. For example, you like door style A, that's nice - Home Depot's standard is particle board, there is a "partial" plywood upgrade and then the full plywood construction upgrade. What do YOU want? Note, 1/2" plywood is not the same as 3/4" plywood. So, you need to know what you want and take those SPECIFIC details to different cabinet showrooms and even a few custom cabinets makers to find out who has the best price on the exact same cabinets. If you want to get an apples to apples price comparison, try laying out a small pretend kitchen with standard size cabinets and bring that in to the various places and have it priced out - that will tell you what the best deal is. So, a 36" sink base with tip-out drawers, a 30" 3-drawer pot and pan base, a 42" blind corner cab. A 24" (or 27" if you want 15" deep uppers) corner upper, and a few standard uppers. ALL cabinet manufacturers offer these cabs, so this is a way to get an idea on different pricing. Make sure you compare particle board to particle board, or all 1/2" plywood to all 1/2" plywood, or all 3/4" plywood (mostly custom, rarely semi-custom) to all 3/4" plywood. And make sure you compare equivalent drawer slides as well - here I suggest you do not accept anything less than Blum Blumotion undermount soft-close glides - you'll be miserable otherwise. Don't go in with a complicated layout to get a lot of different prices to compare apples to apples - the more complicated it is the more the salespeople talk and throw you off your goal. Keep it simple for now. As for pull-outs: Yes, there is a HUGE upcharge on ordering cabinets with them already installed. It is MUCH cheaper to order the pull-outs separately online yourself (Rev-a-Shelf, Hafele) and install them yourself or have your cabinet installer put them into empty cabinets BEFORE they are installed on the walls. This, unfortunately, is the only way to ACCURATELY compare prices among the gazillions of cabinet manufacturers out there. After that you can do a real layout and compare the pricing on exactly what YOU need amongst the 2-3 cabinetmakers you know already offer the best value for the money....See MoreMaterial choices--continuity vs builder grade
Comments (16)I think it's a personal preference, whether you use the same materials or different. I like the overall "feel" of the house to flow, and maybe see some flow or continuity of color. I like consistency of style, but not necessarily all the same choices per se. We have done gut remodels of the kitchen and master bathroom, and are in-progress on the main bathroom. Nothing in the rooms is the same, but I think the styles are all "transitional" and fairly neutral: The kitchen has natural cabs/mid-tone tile greyish-tan floor (hard to describe, it's tile that is supposed to look like some kind of stone and it has both warm and cool tones)/white glossy tile backsplash behind the range/Livingstone "Volcanic Ash" solid surface counters. The master bath has glossy white tile shower/white Swanstone pan/light yellowish-beige stone-like tile floor (this tile is bigger than that from the kitchen, and it has a very "tumbled/distressed" look, DH picked it from off-the-shelf HD), white ceramic counter/sink combo (from Ikea) along w/matching drawer-vanity, oak-ish. The main bath, though, has a medium-dark vanity, dark charcoal grey floor tile (not stone-like at all), and white glossy tiles on walls/shower but the tiles have a wavy surface. I hope to choose a vanity top that is lighter in color, to tie in with the light tops in the kitchen and master. None of these rooms are exposed to each other, so I figure why not have fun? :-) Our home is small, 1200 sqf, but we've lived here for 13 years and may not have a chance to move for another 5+ years. If everything was identical I think it would be too boring. Next year we are going to re-do the carpet (to hardwood I hope hope hope) and the living room, and I'm hoping that the living room will tie in better with the main bath. But otherwise I've been able to sort of evolve and figure out what I like over the years. One thing I've learned is that I really like blue and green! I did not realize this before, which sounds silly....See MoreJacuzzi wiring; outdoor EMT, THHN vs Romex, distance above grade
Comments (19)"On the building" is precisely where Joey's electricians are proposing putting the conduit. That is the only thing pertinent to this conversation. The circuit is not going to a hot tub in the middle of the yard, but a bathtub on the second floor. In my experience, the reason EMT is not allowed between the disconnect ON the house and a hot tub in the middle of the yard is that it is only allowed on or above grade....so the electrician puts it on top of the ground, and someone trips on it and bends it. Then the homeowner buries it in 2" of dirt, etc, violating codes. Any other conduit is either stronger, or able to be buried, so EMT is just the wrong/worst choice if it can't be attached to and supported by the building. MC would have to be a type rated for wet locations where applicable. Probably not the same stuff you are thinking of....See MoreCost difference impact vs nonimpact ?
Comments (48)@Ron. Once again you have missed the mark, Ron. The hurricane testing standards were developed to reduce property losses only with no regard as to human safety. The insurance companies said that if something wasn't done, insurance costs would skyrocket in Florida or not be available at all. So structural engineers and the window industry got together and the testing standards that we have today are the result - far from perfect but somewhat satisfactory to the insurance companies. They hoped that by stopping the pressurization of the structure they could stop the roof from being blown off and thus reduce the amount of total structure losses. That is why it doesn't matter that the window is destroyed by the large missile impact. As long as it stays within the window frame and stops air from entering the building, it is considered an acceptable product. The fact that it is sacrificial and will no longer function as a window makes no difference. You might be better off understanding the topic than trying to psychoanalyze me. As I said previously, I'm not here to promote my product but rather to educate and inform the reader that impact windows are not the safe, ideal form of hurricane protection that they may have been led to believe. @Pensacola You totally understand my point. Thank you. I'm going to let this thread die before someone has it devolve into name calling and personal attacks that achieve nothing and only give good, informative forums like this one a bad rap....See Morekelhuck
12 years agowestiegirl
12 years agolive_wire_oak
12 years agodavid_cary
12 years agolannie59
12 years agokymike
12 years agoLinda Gomez
11 years agokelhuck
11 years agowestiegirl
11 years agokelhuck
11 years ago
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