Looking for a Fixer-Upper to Remodel! Where do I start?
Steve
6 years ago
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driveway/hardscape materials suggestions for a fixer-upper?
Comments (38)I've never understood why some people love their roses, but think of other thorny plants such as bougainvilla as a completely difficult plant. I find that bougies trained flat against a wall or fence don't require much actual pruning, but do avoid the purple form which is a much more rampant grower more akin to Wisteria or Kiwi vine growth rates. I'm not a fan of single brick bands across such a wide driveway, it is too little detail for the scale. Grasscrete as a driveway material or banding can also be planted out to no-mow ground covers such as Dymondia or Ophiopogon. I would still recommend eliminating that additional concrete around the lawn, and if not fencing to create a courtyard feel, at least some cobination of mounds, screen hedges or raised planters to repeat the long low horizontal lines of the house. The house elevation is just a bit bland, and could really benefit from updated landscape treatment in combination with new driveway treatment. I would understand if this doesn't appeal style wise because it departs from the neighborhood norm, but it would be the approach I'd propose. It just seems like this front space could be greatly improved by designing outside the box....See MoreWhere do i start? Bathroom remodel
Comments (5)Our bathrooms are about the size of yours, maybe a bit less than the 9'10". Here are pictures of the downstairs bath, which we designed and had remodelled a few years ago (scroll down from the kitchen pictures to see the bath). For storage, we bought the David Marsh cabinet that you see. It provides adequate storage. Practically speaking, there's no counter in this bathroom, so it's not really full service, even through one daughter uses it and has no complaints. I redid our upstairs bath, which has the same size and layout expect for a shower rather than a tub, so there's more wall space opposite the sink (large wall mirror there). For that one, we went with more conventional cabinets, but have a similar configuration for storage; tall linen cabinet in the corner with small drawer cabinet to the right, with small counter top. Sorry, no pictures of that one. Of course your decision about whether or not to knock out the wall is an economic one, can't help with that! Hope this helps, Steve Here is a link that might be useful: Stephen & Jottes's Kitchen & Bath...See MoreTract Home 'Cleaner Upper' & 'Fixer Upper'
Comments (13)Hi "mary md7", Please read my blog post and my intent and what I'm asking of Ryland Homes will come crystal clear. I'm not looking to make money, but something needs to be done to protect consumers from a lot of stress and aggravation when they are looking to enjoy their new home. Ryland Homes response to my BBB complaint made me say: "I take that to mean that Ryland Homes believes that what happened to my wife and I was "normal", and that all homebuyers should expect that 100 plus problems can happen during their first year warranty!" Hi rockmanor, Please read my blog post and my intent and what I'm asking will come crystal clear. Rather than getting angry, or asking for selfish compensation from my builder, I want to help them. To answer your question: "Does this mean there was not a full blown, multi-hour thorough inspection by a certified inspector hired by the OP?", that is correct. I could not have put off COE anyway, unless I wanted to spend a lot of money on motels and storage fees. Many people are caught in that same dilema, and the builders know it. The initial "Punch List" was about 60 problems, and the rest were discovered as we lived in the house. Many new home buyers, IMO, are caught between a "rock and a hard place" when it comes to a decision of putting off COE until all known(at the time) problems are fixed. Finally, the real point of the post is what I asked to begin with = "Was it OK for Ryland Homes to fix 100 + things wrong with my new home over a stressful year that wasted a lot of my time?" I'm curious how the professionals here feel about the tract home building industry's attitude about sometimes delivering "Cleaner Upper' & 'Fixer Upper" new homes at COE? I personally don't think it is good for the building industry, Realtors (I used to be one), lenders, escrow agents, or anyone associated with the buying and selling of homes. The bottom line is that the more new home buyers, especially Baby Boomers, are afraid to buy a new tract home (at any price), the more they'll stay put where they are, or buy a resale home. In both cases, the overall buying and selling activity could be reduced. Customer service standards for tract home builders need to be raised like the National Association of Home Builders is trying to do with its "NHQ Certified Builder Program" (See Link Below). Here is a link that might be useful: NHQ Certified Builder Program...See MoreWhere to start? Tips? Looking back on your remodel....
Comments (13)>>> Where should we spend the money and where can we scrimp? Before fixating on a material, think about the look and feel you want. Look at the full range of materials that can give you that look and feel and evaluate them. If you want dark counters, they don't have to be dark granite or black walnut. They could be dark-stained alder at a far lower price point. If you want a glittery white backsplash, it doesn't have to be mother of pearl tiles. It could be glass or an iridescent ceramic. Give priority to spending the money on things that increase comfort, convenience and/or usability AND that can't be inexpensively/easily changed later. Appliances (free standing) - If you have to buy a used refrigerator from Craigslist to make room in the budget for in-floor heating ... that frig can be rolled out the door later, but installing radiant heat under tiles requires ripping out the tiles. Lighting FIXTURES - Don't skimp on the lighting installation and locations because that's hard to change, and swapping can lights is tricky ... but cheap pendants and chandeliers are a budget saver. Faucets - Beyond a certain point, the cost of a faucet increases more because of styling than function or quality of materials. A low-priced faucet from a good manufacturer has the same innards as the high priced ones. The cost difference is in the styling and outer shell. ========== Learn specification writing and "satisficing" ... it saves a lot of time and stress because it limits your need to make decisions. You start by figuring out your functional requirements and budget and only look at things that fulfill them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing When the need has been filled, you STOP LOOKING for that item. For example, I needed a kitchen faucet. So I noted the requirements: The stainless steel sink only had room for a 1-hole deck-mounted faucet. The SO's non-negotiable requirements were "single lever" and "pull-out spray". My requirement was for a faucet where the water outlet was far enough off the surface that I could fill my tamale pot. We had a vague preference for sleek and modern styling. So before looking at the 1572 kitchen faucets listed by Lowes I clicked the boxes for 1-hole, single lever, high arc and pull-out spray ... and the boxes for all the silvery finishes. That got the list down to under 50 faucets. Then I sorted by price from low to high and started looking for a style I liked. There were five or six in the moderate price range, so I pulled their specifications and checked the distance from outlet to deck ... that narrowed it down to two where the high arc also ended high off the sink. So I sent the two links to the SO and said "choose". Decision was done, faucet got ordered. I wasn't going to check Home Depot and 6 on-line sources to see if there was a faucet that was a teensy bit closer to the faucet of my dreams. I had requirements, not a vague idea of perfection, guiding the search. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing#Relationship_with_happiness...See MoreKristin Petro Interiors, Inc.
6 years agoSteve
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6 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
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6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
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6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoSteve
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
6 years ago
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Kristin Petro Interiors, Inc.