House and Home projects

roni · 07-08-2005

What are ya up to?

Living in Oregon on the west side of the Cascades where the winters don't get too cold or the summers too hot, we have a house built in the 60's with baseboard heat. Our big project this year will be replacing it with central heat and air. Only about a third of the houses in Portland have central air, can you believe it?

ron

07-08-2005

I'm hoping to get our pond in the back yard finished! It's been in for a few years just need to finish putting plants and making it look natural! Have done some work but it needs more ! I'll post some pictures maybe someone has some ideas to help me!!

Ginger · 07-08-2005

We're selling. Just doing some minor fix-ups: painting, fixing walls, replacing a tub, just did the roof, then the place goes on the market at the end of the month. The way real estate is going up here it shouldn't take us long to sell.

roni · 07-08-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginger

We're selling. Just doing some minor fix-ups: painting, fixing walls, replacing a tub, just did the roof, then the place goes on the market at the end of the month. The way real estate is going up here it shouldn't take us long to sell.

Real Estate here has been going nuts - our house is up 35% in the past year. Another year or two like that and we'll be in Mexico for the duration

.

Ginger, where you gonna live when you sell?

Sol · 07-08-2005

I have justed rented my house so my projects consist of some landscaping, fixing things here and there, and some packing. My favorite project of all is starting a drought-tolerant garden at my new place.

**SunKneeMarie** · 07-08-2005

We just replaced all of our carpet downstairs (will do upstairs next year) and, of course, we're putting in the pool. Yes, we signed away our life and limbs and unborn babes (not reeeeeally) to put in a cement pond. I was going to do some "before" and "after" pictures, but they came to mark the yard for all the utilities--flags and spray paint everywhere--and we haven't been able to mow... so the first "before" picture would just be a completely embarrassing shot of overgrown lawn. I'll wait til TXU comes to dig up and move their cables--yes, of COURSE they were in the way. Heaven forbid they be IN THE EASEMENT.

That will show some sort of pool progress anyway.

Ginger · 07-08-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by roni

Ginger, where you gonna live when you sell?

In a dumpster.

J/k of course. We are going to buy a new home in a different area. Closer to our kids' school, hopefully. It will also be more expensive (about double in that neighbourhood), unfortunately, so we will probably have to go smaller if we still want to include our travelling in our lives (which we do). Fortunately, our house is about 35 to 40% equity, so we are starting off okay.

**Jesus** · 07-09-2005

Big proyect chez moi: cleaning my bedroom and packing all I need for a two months stay in another city, arghhhhhhhhhh

Pipermurphy · 07-09-2005

Our summer job is to hand brush our 3200 sq ft house with cedar lap siding. We can't spray it since it hasn't been done in 12 yrs, so we gotta brush it. Should take about 10 weekends.
Our winter project is to gut the kitchen back to the studs and totally redo it, take out a wall and open it up. All new appliances too.

MWC · 07-09-2005

We could write a book on everything we have done/need to do here! We live in an antique house that was a rental property for 20-plus years before we bought it, about 8 years ago. It and the property were such a mess -- we had it appraised when we were first bought it, then had it reappraised 6 months later for a new mortgage. Just by virtue of us cleaning the place, and trimming back the overgrown lawns & flora, the appraised value went up $150,000 (Connecticut real estate is famously over-priced)!

I am about the cheapest soul on this earth that I know, and it grates me to pay someone to do work I know we can do.
Good things as a result:
We don't jump rashly into projects without really thinking them through; and because we move slowly, we can change course midstream, if we need to, to accomodate a new concept without running up too many bills.
We have a great appreciation for contractors, as we can truly appreciate how important their specialized skills and equipment are to us.
Bad things:
Renovations move at a snail's pace

So far, we've:
Gutted a two-floor ell for a cathedral ceilinged kitchen. Gutted one bedroom/bathroom suite and refurbished it for daughter 1. Stripped wallpaper and repainted another bedroom for daughter 2. Mom and Dad's "master suite" (Ha!) hasn't been touched, yet, as that ALSO involves having to redo some structural work in the living room underneath.

Our goal right now is to at least get the first floor "pretty" enough to entertain people comfortably. SO that's mostly cosmetic stuff like painting, etc.
Also, her royal genius had the brainstorm last fall to install a d-i-y stone deck around the swimming pool, so we're plugging away on that one, too!

Okay, not a book ... but almost.

TAPPY · 07-09-2005

After our last house (a fixer upper that we bought for next to nothing and re-did and sold at a nice profit)...hubby said NO MORE....his handy man/painting/wallpapering/fixer up days are over with ....(mine too)

So we bought new 3 years ago and nothing needs to be done yet !!!
I hate carpet.... so when the carpet wears out it will be all wood or brick/tile floors...

We did acid wash stain/paint our patio and that turned out nice.....
Would like to do the same to the garage floor, but too hot to do anything much outside right now.

jsotherj · 07-09-2005

We bought some tiles last year in that little shop on 5th, but I didn't buy enough. So last month I bought enough, and now we can do our entry way. I bought all the stuff you need, the spacers, the grout, the board that goes underneath. BUT, we gotta figure out how to make it work with our current threashold. Cuz it will raise the floor. I guess I need someone that know's this stuff to come up and give me some advice. Fun stuff

roni · 07-09-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsotherj

We bought some tiles last year in that little shop on 5th, but I didn't buy enough. So last month I bought enough, and now we can do our entry way. I bought all the stuff you need, the spacers, the grout, the board that goes underneath. BUT, we gotta figure out how to make it work with our current threashold. Cuz it will raise the floor. I guess I need someone that know's this stuff to come up and give me some advice. Fun stuff

Kathy put a tile floor in the bathroom - bought a transistion piece that goes from the floor down the 1/2 inch or so to the wood hallway floor - just a wee piece of oak.

Ron

jsotherj · 07-09-2005

Thanks Roni - maybe I'll go to the lumber yard and see if they have something that will work!

Babaloo · 07-09-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsotherj

We bought some tiles last year in that little shop on 5th, but I didn't buy enough. So last month I bought enough, and now we can do our entry way. I bought all the stuff you need, the spacers, the grout, the board that goes underneath. BUT, we gotta figure out how to make it work with our current threashold. Cuz it will raise the floor. I guess I need someone that know's this stuff to come up and give me some advice. Fun stuff

js...
unless you are laying tile in a wet area you may well do without the cement backer board. If you have a strong floor (little or no sag) you can put down a modified thinset (thinset with a latex additive for flexibility) Not having this backer board will save you 1/4 to 1/2 inch in height. I don't know what you will be tiling up to (carpet or wood) but there are transitions at the home improvement stores specifically for that.

I only speak of this because I just finished my foyer last week.

good luck...

...btw....grouting sucks

07-08-2005	#1 (permalink)
roni Happy Curmudgeon Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Oregon Posts: 25,516	House and Home projects What are ya up to? Living in Oregon on the west side of the Cascades where the winters don't get too cold or the summers too hot, we have a house built in the 60's with baseboard heat. Our big project this year will be replacing it with central heat and air. Only about a third of the houses in Portland have central air, can you believe it? ron

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07-08-2005	#2 (permalink)
jflattracker Posts: n/a	I'm hoping to get our pond in the back yard finished! It's been in for a few years just need to finish putting plants and making it look natural! Have done some work but it needs more ! I'll post some pictures maybe someone has some ideas to help me!!

07-08-2005	#3 (permalink)
Ginger none Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 10,162	We're selling. Just doing some minor fix-ups: painting, fixing walls, replacing a tub, just did the roof, then the place goes on the market at the end of the month. The way real estate is going up here it shouldn't take us long to sell.

07-08-2005	#5 (permalink)
Sol Chupacabras Whisperer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Gem State Posts: 9,759	I have justed rented my house so my projects consist of some landscaping, fixing things here and there, and some packing. My favorite project of all is starting a drought-tolerant garden at my new place.

07-08-2005	#6 (permalink)
SunKneeMarie character encapsulator Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 26,325	We just replaced all of our carpet downstairs (will do upstairs next year) and, of course, we're putting in the pool. Yes, we signed away our life and limbs and unborn babes (not reeeeeally) to put in a cement pond. I was going to do some "before" and "after" pictures, but they came to mark the yard for all the utilities--flags and spray paint everywhere--and we haven't been able to mow... so the first "before" picture would just be a completely embarrassing shot of overgrown lawn. I'll wait til TXU comes to dig up and move their cables--yes, of COURSE they were in the way. Heaven forbid they be IN THE EASEMENT. That will show some sort of pool progress anyway.

07-09-2005	#8 (permalink)
Jesus Nutty Peep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Mexico City, Mexico Posts: 4,625	Big proyect chez moi: cleaning my bedroom and packing all I need for a two months stay in another city, arghhhhhhhhhh

07-09-2005	#9 (permalink)
Pipermurphy beachaholic Join Date: May 2005 Location: SW of Denver@9000ft Posts: 386	Our summer job is to hand brush our 3200 sq ft house with cedar lap siding. We can't spray it since it hasn't been done in 12 yrs, so we gotta brush it. Should take about 10 weekends. Our winter project is to gut the kitchen back to the studs and totally redo it, take out a wall and open it up. All new appliances too.

07-09-2005	#10 (permalink)
MWC añejo Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,843	We could write a book on everything we have done/need to do here! We live in an antique house that was a rental property for 20-plus years before we bought it, about 8 years ago. It and the property were such a mess -- we had it appraised when we were first bought it, then had it reappraised 6 months later for a new mortgage. Just by virtue of us cleaning the place, and trimming back the overgrown lawns & flora, the appraised value went up $150,000 (Connecticut real estate is famously over-priced)! I am about the cheapest soul on this earth that I know, and it grates me to pay someone to do work I know we can do. Good things as a result: We don't jump rashly into projects without really thinking them through; and because we move slowly, we can change course midstream, if we need to, to accomodate a new concept without running up too many bills. We have a great appreciation for contractors, as we can truly appreciate how important their specialized skills and equipment are to us. Bad things: Renovations move at a snail's pace So far, we've: Gutted a two-floor ell for a cathedral ceilinged kitchen. Gutted one bedroom/bathroom suite and refurbished it for daughter 1. Stripped wallpaper and repainted another bedroom for daughter 2. Mom and Dad's "master suite" (Ha!) hasn't been touched, yet, as that ALSO involves having to redo some structural work in the living room underneath. Our goal right now is to at least get the first floor "pretty" enough to entertain people comfortably. SO that's mostly cosmetic stuff like painting, etc. Also, her royal genius had the brainstorm last fall to install a d-i-y stone deck around the swimming pool, so we're plugging away on that one, too! Okay, not a book ... but almost.

07-09-2005	#11 (permalink)
TAPPY añejo Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Louisiana Posts: 14,942	After our last house (a fixer upper that we bought for next to nothing and re-did and sold at a nice profit)...hubby said NO MORE....his handy man/painting/wallpapering/fixer up days are over with ....(mine too) So we bought new 3 years ago and nothing needs to be done yet !!! I hate carpet.... so when the carpet wears out it will be all wood or brick/tile floors... We did acid wash stain/paint our patio and that turned out nice..... Would like to do the same to the garage floor, but too hot to do anything much outside right now.

07-09-2005	#12 (permalink)
jsotherj añejo Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Where the river meets the sea.... Posts: 1,870	We bought some tiles last year in that little shop on 5th, but I didn't buy enough. So last month I bought enough, and now we can do our entry way. I bought all the stuff you need, the spacers, the grout, the board that goes underneath. BUT, we gotta figure out how to make it work with our current threashold. Cuz it will raise the floor. I guess I need someone that know's this stuff to come up and give me some advice. Fun stuff

07-09-2005	#14 (permalink)
jsotherj añejo Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Where the river meets the sea.... Posts: 1,870	Thanks Roni - maybe I'll go to the lumber yard and see if they have something that will work!

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