over Remodel Will Over-Improve House For Neighborhood
P Roberts
4 years ago
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4 years agoRelated Discussions
Are we 'over improving?'
Comments (38)and following Squirrel's post, I think it is important to assess your personal situation and figure out what will work for you, and what is the best for your situation. When we decided to replace the bathroom floor, we had a height consideration. We had already put in a new subfloor and the bathroom floor was already higher than the hallway. The threshhold covered well, but still we didn't want to go any higher. DH had put in that subfloor and probably used a zillion nails (or more). He refused to take it out, which we would have had to do in order to put in a backerboard, then ceramic, which is what I wanted. That would have raised the floor to almost a step up. I did not want vinyl in any way, shape or form although we had looked at that as well. The duraceramic was absolutely the perfect solution. I chose to do it without grout, as I was going for a very plain, subtle look and did not want to see grout seams. It was about $8 /sq. ft. DIY which is a lot, but we are so happy with the results. So different things fit different situations, but I always buy the best I can afford. This is the third floor I have put in that bathroom and I think this is it for awhile :):)...See MoreI am SO over this remodeling thing....
Comments (16)When I decided to remodel my condo (I am now remodeling my first house) a couple years ago as a busy medical resident, it was a disaster. My father swore his b-i-l was a great contractor. Not so! The wood floor was not installed correctly. All of my expensive tile had to be torn out of the baths as he had used NO shower liner! This was despite me asking multiple times and even buying a book to show him! He painted half the hallway in semi gloss paint and half in flat! He painted over a dead moth which is still embalmed over the stairwell. He mis-wired a light bulb in the bathroom that was always on. I kicked him out. I found a contractor to finish and also do the kitchen. I came home from work one day to find all the sinks and toilets gone. I could not get hold of the contractor or the subcontractor. I had no showers yet either. I had to move into an extended stay with my two parrots! The contractor called me back a week later to say he wasnt on the job...the subcontractor had lied about the contractor doing the work! He had pocketed the money and tried to take the job himself. I worked so much that I was never home during the remodeling. I didnt know who was there during the day, but assumed the ctr. was working. I could not move into the house as it was unliveable. I contacted the registrar of contractors in my state who went after the guy. They got most of my money back. What they didnt get back, the subcontractor dropped off at the extended stay. But the check fell in between the counter and the wall at the hotel. The hotel couldnt get it out and had to hire someone to break down the wall! In the meantime, I had to go out of town. By the time I got back and tried to cash the mangled check, it bounced! So then I had to file with the state for the fraudulent check. I eventually got that back. Meanwhile, on my meager remaining funds, I found a handyman to finish what was left. That is until, he started sending me love notes! Then he ended up in jail! I still dont know what for, but I did have a lot of crime while he was here - burglary, $1200 in checks cashed, $500 on my macy card - but I really dont think he did these things. Meanwhile, I had concrete counters put in over my ikea cabs. The guy was licensed and did the counters for a high end store. How could I go wrong? I thought. I contacted him individually. The counters were 3 inches of solid concrete. They cracked under their own weight. The faucet leaned at a steep angle because the seam was not even across the middle of the sink. The sink was NOT CENTERED n the base cabinet! Chunks of concrete were falling out in the first day and the concrete was full of millions of holes. He also tried to do the floor. By the THIRD try, I threatened to sue. He refunded most of my money. I was so over the whole experience, that I never quite finished the project. Now I go off doing it again in a new house. But this time I think it is going a lot better. Please hang in there Melissa. I promise it will get better....See MoreOur kitchen remodel is (thankfully) over! Here's some photos!
Comments (67)Hackwriter- Lowe's was just for design and I ended up buying the glass tile, Roman blind, and overhead light, pretty much nothing else. We had to save money because the total was already WAY out there for us, before a designer. It IS overwhelming. To say I never cried, got angry, or wanted to just forget it all, I'd be lying. But the end result will be worth it. Lynn2006- I can't see your kitchen in person, so take my advice with a grain of salt. If the cabinets are truly banged up and are just horrible, replace them. Or if they're pretty much ok, I'd look into adding some interior organizers (like 2 pull outs per lower cabinet for pots and pans). You have a pretty good layout, given how mine was I would have lived with yours. I love your built-in pantry next to the fridge. I'd remove the scalloped trim over the sink, my designer said that's outdated. I'd DEFINITELY replace your floor, replace counter (maybe extend it to add bar stools), change the sink to undermount, replace the light you hate, repaint the ceiling a fresh coat, replace faucet, do something with the backsplash (Paint or tile), and look into either having the cabinets PROFESSIONALLY painted or re-faced. The reason I say professionally is that we took a solid week to clean the grease off our old cabinets, sand, prime, and paint 2 coats and in 4 years, the paint started to fall and smooch off. It was ugly, though it looks great for a few years! I really LOVE your appliances, don't change a thing there. I love them all and the range is so modern! Unless you're really short on cabinet space and you don't want to replace the cabinets, I'd leave the soffit. If you do decide to gut it all because you live in a very nice area and you're 100% sick of it and sick of the quality, do yourself a favor and look into an independent general contractor, these big box stores are a RIP OFF on labor! Make sure your upper cabinets are the right height from the bottom. There has to be someone you can put the tile boxes while deciding. If you were to do real construction, you need a lot of flex room, we discovered. I am not sure about your tile choice, I need more info. But I love the larger tiles over any smaller ones. Tiling your flooring at an angle towards your table would look nice too. Google your area for granite starting at $39/sq foot or just google the granite places. Then check out a few of their warehouses. I heard somewhere, don't quote me, that the floors and countertop should go together and the cabinet should contrast. But that was some professional person's idea, who knows. Flooring, having wood in the kitchen like I do is nice but you do worry about drips of water. I have gotten used to it and clean up quickly, but do what you think. Lay some tiles and try to live with it for 6 hours. Fill 1/4 of the room and see how you like it. But it'd be a big mistake to do the floor and then realize you want to do the cabinets too. I'd make a firm decision now if I were going to do the whole kitchen or just small fixes like the floor, toe-kick, and counters. Here's a problem with doing the floor first around your existing cabinets and then installing new cabinets. The depth of the cabinets may not line up and you could possibly have exposed subfloor between your new toe-kick and your new floor. You can barely see it, but I noticed the new cabinets expose MORE of my wood floor than the old cabinets. Meaning that if my floors were severely damaged or a different color there, you'd notice. But I'm not an expert, so get people's opinions and I wish you the best! And I really do love your arrangement, you should save BIG $ on not having to move your oven, sink, or dishwasher. BIG $$....See MoreGardening guru's suggested improvement over pumpkin pie
Comments (13)Love squash, all types. I have 8 squash sitting on my kitchen counter now, 4 different types. So much cheaper to buy at the farm stands than at a grocery store where they sell by the pound. 99 cents for a butternut squash is much better than paying over $1 a pound. A good improvement for pumpkin pie is a splash of rum or as my friend just used a splash of vodka in her pie filling. Costco was selling their huge pumpkin pies for $5.95 last week for our Thanksgiving. I bought one and shared it with the neighbours. I bake my squash most of the time cut in half in the oven with butter and brown sugar, microwave whole and mash it with cinnamon or chili powder. Spaghetti squash just butter and pepper or a sprinkle of fresh grated parm or romano cheese. Love squash soup....See MoreLyndee Lee
4 years agoP Roberts
4 years ago- PRO
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