How to create a style appropriate to a 1990s builder's house
juliekcmo
10 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (48)
awm03
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoallison0704
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Appropriate to ask for a sample of a builder's contract?
Comments (29)Amen imwonderwoman! When we got hit with the first $54K lien from a supplier that our builder had taken a draw pay months earlier, our banker suggested that we pay off the lien using additional funds from our loan so long as builder agreed that he would forego his next draw (for a similar amount) and pay those subs and suppliers out of his pocket. We did - but then, for over three months builder NEVER finished the work for that next draw and the part that was finished he never paid for. We wound up paying that part too - after we fired out builder. Even having your architect act as "contract administrator" won't protect you if you get an unscrupulous builder who is willing to present bogus lien waivers from subs (ones he filled out himself and ones he got by giving his subs rubber checks) in order to collect his draws for "finished work". Nor will having your architect act as your contract administrator protect you if your builder skimps on things like tyvek and insulation and then covers over those things with the next layer of materials. It won't protect you when your builder purchases stuff for a spec house he is building for himself and has the materials delivered to your house so that when the supplier doesn't get paid, the leins get placed on your property instead of his! Typically the architect who is acting as contract administrator will make a certain (limited) number of trips to check on the build progress. They don't go out every day and watch everything like a hawk... which is the only thing that would even possibly have stopped my builder from pulling his shenanigans! A contract administator will also intervene to clarify what the specs and plans MEAN if there is a disagreement between builder and owner. IF the builder doesn't care what the specs say, then having the architect insist that the plans be followed won't do the homeowner any more good than the homeowner insisting that the plans be followed. I chose not to hire my architect as the contract administrator b/c, in fact, I had designed the house myself and then taken it to the architect to vet it and get the engineering done. I like my architect but I KNOW the design better than he ever did. After discussing the option of having him administer the contract, I felt that I could do at least as good a job as he would. And I still believe that. IF our builder had had an ethical bone in his body, administering the contract would have been a breeze. As it was, no one could have reined him in. He was robbing Peter to pay Paul and I was the last one in line. He was desperate to build my house as cheaply as he possibly could while getting as much money out of me as fast as he possibly could so he could try to pay off his lawyers who were attempting to protect him from two other lawsuits by aggreived homeowners. He declined to tell me about those when I asked, before we ever signed our contract with him, whether he had ever been sued! Two weeks into our build, I had already become convinced that we had made a mistake. I talked to my husband about firing our builder before things went any further. DH wasn't convinced. Two months into the build, DH had become convinced we needed to fire him. We talked to our banker to find out what we needed to do. Our banker insisted that we could not fire the builder b/c then our house woud never get built. As imwonderwoman discovered, in a certain sense the bank OWNS the house so they are in the driver's seat and they don't really care so long as it gets "finished". The homeowner is then on the hook to pay the bank for the house regardless of how badly built it is. After I realized what a scum-bag we had hired, I did my very best to go to the build site at least every other day. It was amazing to me just how much stuff my builder could screw up in 48 hours...when he was working at all. After our banker told us we could not fire him, I basically quit my 60+ hour per week job so I could be at the build site nearly every day. Once I started watching every single thing that was done - and documenting it all with a video camera, my builder QUIT work. Then the liens started coming in. It took another six months with almost no progress and lie piled on lie piled on lie - and my banker continuously telling me that we HAD to find a way to work with the builder to get the house finished - before I got fed up enough that I decided that I no longer CARED what my banker said. I was going to fire the builder and then figure out how to work things out with the bank. So I sent the builder a certified letter telling him he was fired, then notified the bank that I had done so. It then took me several more months before I could convince the bank that it was in the bank's best interests to allow me to take down the rest of the loan and finish the build as my own contractor. By that point tho, I was so broke I had to go back to work full time. So now, almost a year after firing my builder, we are finally getting close to getting the house finished. It will NEVER be the house we contracted for. We've downgraded almost every finish level since taking over in order to save money and try to bring it in within our budget. For example, I found tile for 99 cents/sq ft and hardwood flooring for $4.49/sq ft. And, DH and I have done a lot of the work ourselves on weekends instead of hiring it out. Still, between attorney fees, paying off liens that should never have been filed against us, and paying to fix some of the blunders builder made that we simply could not live with, the house will wind up costing us about 25% over the fixed bid price. And no, we did not accept the "lowest bidder." We got three bids, the two higher ones were within $10K of each other. We accepted the HIGHER one because we thought the builder would do a better job. HAH!...See MoreDesign advice on 1990's oak kitchen?
Comments (37)I'm going to start posting here soon - my journey of renovations here and there in my home; so this is my FIRST post! I've received tons of inspiration reading other people's posts, and stayed up waaaaay into the wee hours to do so some nights. I had to reply though, because no one else has suggested it. Here's a pic of my kitchen in progress (note the "bombed out" look of the walls). We got this super easy to install thinner granite from muranocollection.com The cheapest one is $10 s/f, the "Modena". I really wanted that, but it'd look better in a white/black kitchen so I went with the next step up which was $12 s/f "Milano". I have a HUGE kitchen, plus added an island, and spent about $1,600 total, including the slide-in sink. I'd really been eyeballing the formica fx180, but because of my island it would've been MORE than this cheaper granite! That being said, Lowes carries the Formica FX180 in a bigger variety of in-stock stuff, and it looks like you could do a straight run of that in-stock stuff for pretty cheap. Honestly that's what I'd do AND do an inexpensive glass tile backsplash. I just saw some at Home Depot that called out to me - that they'd look great with these cabinets. I really like the pics I've seen of the gel treatments to the cabinets; I think you could honestly do the gel treatments, buy some hardware off of ebay (I DID!), murano countertop and cheap glass backsplash for way under $1K. I included a link to them - not exactly what I saw today but at this price it'd make a beautiful and cheap upgrade! Here is a link that might be useful: Home Depot glass tile...See MoreWhat would you do with this kitchen? 1990s Golden Oak
Comments (45)I've been lurking these forums for some time. The kitchen by julieboulangerie is almost identical to my own. My layout is adequate for my smaller space and the cabinets function fine. I hate my countertop, sink and stove so plan on an upgrade there. I have a hard time ripping out perfectly good cabinets simply because I don't like the style, even though they are 15 years old. I had decided on granite (a black pearl) until I read these last few posts about laminate. Now I wonder if I should just settle for a nice laminate, new stainless sink (apron?) and range since the cabinets are dated?? Or should I choose granite now and paint the cabinets if we want a new look later? Can a wood/butcher block counter (would have to paint cabinets now) be re-used on new cabinets later? My quandary is about "settling", resale value (no immediate plans to sell), and knowing a total redo is long in coming, especially if we partially upgrade now. We have a lot of home improvement dreams so would like to stretch every dollar! I hope this is not simply repeating others' questions, but I guess I'm just looking for some clarity of thought from those with a lot of experience. I've never done this before and feel it's an enormous decision!...See MoreSo what's appropriate to a house?
Comments (28)Beverly, thanks for your input on the color! DH would probably freak of I did that as he thinks everything should be painted white. I actually felt like my choice was pretty bold for him lol. But I absolutely see your point! I have a handyman coming this week for another project so I'll ask him about the mirror coming down. Because of sink placement the widest mirror I could do is about 28". The current one is 24" wide. Any suggestions? Also if I stick with the RH light, what is the best metal finish to go with it? This is brushed bronze Or ORB Or something else?...See Morepalimpsest
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agojuliekcmo
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopalimpsest
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agokswl2
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoVertise
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agojmc01
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agojuliekcmo
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopalimpsest
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agojuliekcmo
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopalimpsest
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopalimpsest
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopalimpsest
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agorosie
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoTmnca
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agojuliekcmo
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopalimpsest
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoVertise
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoallison0704
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agonosoccermom
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agojoaniepoanie
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoVertise
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agohhireno
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agomjlb
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agogmp3
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agolala girl
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopalimpsest
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agomadeyna
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agonosoccermom
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoawm03
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agojoaniepoanie
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopalimpsest
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoTexasJen
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agolizzie_nh
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agolizzie_nh
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agojuliekcmo
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopalimpsest
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agodeegw
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agojuliekcmo
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoOakley
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agohtnspz
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agojuliekcmo
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoHappyladi
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoOakley
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoegbar
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agorosie
10 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
Related Stories
KITCHEN MAKEOVERSRoom of the Day: A Period-Appropriate Kitchen for a Tricky Style
Restoring a kitchen in a Minnesota Foursquare uncovers secrets and captures the spirit of the original
Full StoryLIFEThe Polite House: What’s an Appropriate Gift to Welcome a New Neighbor?
Etiquette expert Lizzie Post suggests the right time and best presents to introduce a new neighbor to your area
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNKitchen of the Week: Classic Style Creates Calm for a Busy Family
Fresh take on traditional lightens up a kitchen in a large, open space
Full StoryVINTAGE STYLEKitchen of the Week: Preservation Instincts Create Vintage Modern Style
Original features in this 1908 kitchen join new custom accents for a look that bridges the years
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESSo You Want to Build: 7 Steps to Creating a New Home
Get the house you envision — and even enjoy the process — by following this architect's guide to building a new home
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNHow to Create a Cottage-Style Garden
If you like an abundance of plants — and visits from birds, bees and butterflies — this may be the style of yard for you
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDES9 Ways to Create Comforting Farmhouse Style Anywhere
So you don't have 12 acres, a cow and a porch that sleeps a crowd. You can still get the warmth and coziness of a farmhouse at home
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETS8 Cabinetry Details to Create Custom Kitchen Style
Take a basic kitchen up a notch with decorative add-ons that give cabinets a high-end look
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: Diverse Styles Create an Eclectic Family Home
Bohemian, industrial, midcentury modern and Victorian designs are at home in a remodeled San Francisco house
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: A Decorator and a Builder Bring Work Home
An interior decorator and her builder husband create the ideal contemporary family home for their needs
Full Story
annie1971