Sly Bald Guys Forum
Various Non-Bald Discussions => Autos,Toys and Hobbies => Topic started by: buuckkweet on December 01, 2010, 07:08:47 PM
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Today marks 6 weeks on my living room remodeling project. I work at my day job 6 days a week so my progress is painfully slow. :-[
By tomorrow night I'll be finished with all of the mudding. Then things will pick up quickly, sanding, caulking, priming, painting, and trim work. :D
Yes it's a monotonous process, but still a necessary evil if you like doing things yourself. ^-^
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I'm not big on doing huge projects as I just don't make the time. Though, I love fixing things. I have a knack for being able to fix things, like when our washer broke. I took it apart and found out that I could fix it with a $5 part and about 45 min. When I called to get an estimate over the phone they said that it would be $150 to fix.
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I hear you loud and clear!
In my profession, I have many friends in the home improvement industry and the average quote to remodel my living room was well over $1500. Tools and materials cost me around $120.
I'm very fortunate to have many skilled friends who are only too happy to share their knowledge and tricks of the trade with me. O:O
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I make Tim Taylor look like Bob Vila
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Well I live with my grandma so if there is ever anything the house needs done I'm the one to do it
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I do some things around the house here and there, but I'm gonna have to step it up after the holidays. The wife and I are tired of living in a tiny condo, and we really want a house. However, since it's anything but a seller's market right now, we're gonna try all we can to spruce it up and add value. Like, putting actual tile over the laminated crap in the kitchen; painting; adding more storage space (wherever possible); switching out a dying toilet for a new one; etc. Should be quite an adventure. Luckily, I know a guy who's practically a home improvement guru, so I won't be totally in the dark. ;D
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I don't pay anyone to do something that I can do safely myself. I fixed a dryer about a year ago for the grand total of $12. Everyone I knew told me to trash it..... that it would be too expensive to fix. HA!
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Sadly the handy gene was not passed along to me although once in a while I venture out of my comfort zone.
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Not a real handy person, but I have quite a few co-workers who specialize in different areas of home improvement!
After Hurricane Katrina, I was approved for home elevation. After the house was raised (which was a nightmare of a process within itself), the garage door was useless since it was about 3 ft above the ground. I should mention that it is extremely common among many of the houses here in the New Orleans and surrounding areas to close in the garage of a home and turn it into a home office, playroom for the kids, extra bedroom, den extension, etc...
So the decision was made to attempt to remove the old garage door, frame the opening, throw in a window (or two), and match the brick and brick the opening to make it seem as if it was part of the original construction. Ran into a few "bumps" along the way, which "threatened" to halt progress once or twice, but it all seem to come together at the end... somehow!!!
Funny part about it was that after closing the garage in, I then needed a place to put all the junk that USED to be in the "old" garage.
The extra little 8x10 storage shed I had on the side of the house was already filled to capacity, so I had to then build a 10x12 garage (with a storage loft) that would hold all the junk from the two garages combined!
Quite a challenge, but, as I said, it all came together in the end for the better!! O0
- Cap'n Noodles -
BEFORE (https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi716.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fww167%2Foregonmedia%2Farrow-down.png&hash=0c8df60b40055a52fd9ccac0125fd51cb183217f)
(https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi486.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr224%2Fdmarrione%2FIMG_3644.jpg&hash=96e92836325714a676457d191581bd3f804bd0f4)
GARAGE OPENING FRAMED, WINDOWS ADDED IN, BRICKING IN PROGRESS (https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi716.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fww167%2Foregonmedia%2Farrow-down.png&hash=0c8df60b40055a52fd9ccac0125fd51cb183217f)
(https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi486.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr224%2Fdmarrione%2FIMG_5838.jpg&hash=19775b02e5b9ff7c5dd31adc50afa072a0838b75)
DONE (TA-DAAH!!) (https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi716.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fww167%2Foregonmedia%2Farrow-down.png&hash=0c8df60b40055a52fd9ccac0125fd51cb183217f)
(https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi486.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr224%2Fdmarrione%2FIMG_6013.jpg&hash=a0e7385614bb145f833239e6faad2a9286e50fdb)
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Our previous home was a "handyman special", which was all we could afford at the time. The previous owners were a family of ten, and with eight kids, there was never enough money for routine maintenance and repair, much less upgrades. It turned out to be a seven year project just to get it to the point that we felt it was comfortable enough to live in.
The first thing we had to do was "fix" the bathroom. We started pulling up floor tile, and found that the floor was rotted out. We ended up tearing the walls down to the studs, and the floor down to the joists. To get all the bad flooring out, we had to remove the old 280 lb cast iron tub.
Unfortunately, we had moved 400 miles away from any family that could help. Fortunately, I am an engineer, and I can read plans, prints and instructions. I also thank my dad for giving me, what I refer to as "the Attitude". He used to say, "Sometimes you just have to look at a thing and say to yourself, 'How hard can it possibly be?'."
My wife and I did all the work evenings and weekends, with breaks between projects. At times we surprised ourselves with what we could do.
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do almost all of the work around the house. not too fond of heights though. find i'm too busy hanging on to be able to do anything else. so i will pay for outside second story stuff
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Nothing like Noodles, but although taken with Katrina I completely remodeled our camp in Waveland in three years, one bedroom for each of the first two winters--when we didn't stay there much, then in the third winter opened up the rest of the place into a large open area with a fireplace at one end and a kitchen at the other. The people we bought it from repaired the damage from Hurricane Camille in 69, but the force of the water took the place off the foundation and nearly crushed it flat. Now vacant land.
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I run a door & window installation company . I have done alot of different kinds of home remodeling . If you have any questions let me know
Good Luck
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customdoors1, I have a question or two for you. As a homeowner, I am the quintessential ??? do it yourselfer :/O. (I didn't say I was good, just that I try to do most everything O0). I need to replace a couple of windows this year. The old wood frames are starting to rot. I was thinking about replacing with vinyl windows. Can you recommend a brand of window, and/or a place to get them e.g. Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Also, what is the best way to seal around the windows. The last time "I" changed out a couple of windows, I ended up enlisting ($$$) the aid of a former window installer, who used this super sticky tape like stuff around the outer edge of the window frame, and it held up just fine. So what's good vs. "cheap"? ???
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Nonick the best windows you can get are called ViWinco Vinyl Windows the model is the Cambridge
Go to their website and find a manufacturer near you www.ViWinco.com
They are the best only vinyl window I will install. Lifetime warranty also
As far as sealing the window I don't use the tape because eventually it loses its stickiness. I use a caulking product called Quad sold at lowes or home depot. Run a nice bead down the stops it wood and then push the window into it. After I set it I then use R-13 insulation and fill in any spaces. I then put stops or trim up inside and caulk and then cap any wood outside and then seal with Quad also. Airtight! Quad also has a lifetime warranty it wont crack shrink or turn yellow.
Good Luck
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Hey - I do most of my "stuff" myself. Ranging from refinishing work to new windows, etc.
Though I will agree with Joe - the roof and I don;t get along. This is only a one floor ranch but I still freeze up on the roof - can force myself to get some things done up there but it's a good way to get hurt so big roof projects get somebody called in.
Also can not manage to do plasterwork so the den will get a pro to put in the new ceiling. Floor, walls, windows, electric I'll take care of but the overhead sheet work-- that I'll pay for.
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Yes, I do everything around the house and garden. Love woodwork/carpentry. I'll have a go at anything.
Have a mate who is absolutely useless - he admits it. According to him DIY stands for "Don't Involve Yourself".
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diy - dont interfere yourself ;D
The house would fall down if I tried anything
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As a Physicist I'm not expected to be able to be clever about the house. However, should you want to vastly cut down on your electric bills, and ,actually, be able to sell power to the neighbors I'll be happy to build you a garden size thermonuclear reactor. Your choice of delivery modes, UPS or ICBM . Be the first in your neighborhood to be considered part of the Brotherhood of Nuclear Nations. And don't worry about those pesky folks from the Atomic Energy Commission. Just threaten to drain the cooling pool and they'll leave right away. The slight radioactive emissions can be used to irradiate fruits and vegetables and with only a little work, the whole thing can be made to look like an attractive garden water feature.
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I did a remodel on the dining room of my house. Ripped out all the old outdated carpet which revealed that the whomever did the wall paper job got that white crap all over the floor which had to be removed before I could work on the concrete floor. We went the concrete staining route which saved us a few bucks and we really like the finshed look. Removed all the old crown molding, base boardds and door trim and replaced it with a natural oak look. Stripped the paint off the wall, applied a primer and then finally repainted the walls. It took me about 4 months but it was worth it.
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I do all my own renovations.
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I like to play with electricity so I add/change lighting, outlets, ceiling fans... In the 2 houses I've owned, I added whole house audio/video systems, alarms, and remote repeaters. I have a full stereo setup in the basement and speakers/volume controls in every room. Universal touchscreen remotes in each room and control the system in the basement with IR repeaters. The cable box and DVD/Blu-ray players in the basement also play in every room with full remote controllability.
I do lot's of other little things like fix dry wall, paint, caulk, tinted the windows, plumbing when necessary (I hate that :Xo!) and many various other things. If I had the time, I'd do a lot more. I hate living in the remodel mess so it is in effort to get motivated to start something.
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I am always a DIY guy ever since I was a kid and we had projects around the house. We go and see how something is done and do it here on the farmstead. A good example is when I was living with my brother who is an electrician. He wanted a larger living room but didnt want to loose a room. I was sitting in the hot tub one night and it came to me-use the garage. He never used it for anything since it was so small anyway so I suggested turning it into a bedroom and knocking down the wall between the living room and spare room to enlarge the living room. One day while his wife was away on vacation we knocked down the wall and got it mostly done much to his wife's dismay. She loves it now which is a good thing.
Something we're getting ready to do here is rip up the carpet and put down some of the floating wood floor, the kind that just snaps together. Here on the farm carpet is a bad idea since we have livestock. Everything gets tracked in and we are always cleaning the carpet
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I've always done about every fix up or dyi around the homestead. I'd like to replace my roof with a metal roof. I've built many tin roofs on barns, but this may be trickier.