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Home-owners...What are your current projects? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter wilked
- Start date
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Ok guys that know stuff...
I am looking to get epoxy done in our basement. Obviously the metallic looks better but is more expensive. I have had several quotes and they all seem high to me. I am getting $6-8 per square foot range. They all seem to be very busy with start dates like in Oct or further out. It seems because of COVID, some very heavy rains we had and overall busy time that they are slammed busy. I am wondering if they are jacking their prices up because they can afford to lose some deals. Is that fair or no?
I am not sure I want to throw down $5K for this. If that is the amount then I will consider doing it myself. So... how hard is it?
I have got previous feedback about the stuff you can get DIY it poo and the good stuff is through the professionals? Truth to that or sales pitch by the pro's?
We also may consider doing flake instead of metallic. The last guy I just talked to said that most clients actually regret the metallic and he was pitching layered? Sounded like Epoxy's version of stamped concrete to me.
Any feedback at all about Expoxy... pro vs DIY... metallic vs flake or whatever else... materials to use or avoid... or anything else helpful is appreciated.
Thanks
I am looking to get epoxy done in our basement. Obviously the metallic looks better but is more expensive. I have had several quotes and they all seem high to me. I am getting $6-8 per square foot range. They all seem to be very busy with start dates like in Oct or further out. It seems because of COVID, some very heavy rains we had and overall busy time that they are slammed busy. I am wondering if they are jacking their prices up because they can afford to lose some deals. Is that fair or no?
I am not sure I want to throw down $5K for this. If that is the amount then I will consider doing it myself. So... how hard is it?
I have got previous feedback about the stuff you can get DIY it poo and the good stuff is through the professionals? Truth to that or sales pitch by the pro's?
We also may consider doing flake instead of metallic. The last guy I just talked to said that most clients actually regret the metallic and he was pitching layered? Sounded like Epoxy's version of stamped concrete to me.
Any feedback at all about Expoxy... pro vs DIY... metallic vs flake or whatever else... materials to use or avoid... or anything else helpful is appreciated.
Thanks
Chadstroma
Footballguy
No but you likely just need to stir it real good since when you buy at a store they have that shaker thing. It would be like opening paint that has been sitting a while. Scrape the sides and bottom with a wood stick thing... throughly mixing for a good 5 min. Then you should be good.
Just had epoxy floors (with flakes) installed in our garage, and it didn't look like fun or anything I’d want to do myself in a million years. I’m not a big DIY person though.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Punxsutawney Phil
Footballguy
I assume everything is marked up right now due to demand. People have been sitting home for months thinking about all they don't like about their home. Wait until everyone has spent all their stimulus money and the recession kicks in.
Oh and 17k for a pergola actually seems about right. The concrete slab alone can run up to 10k.
Lol at buying house paint online
Cold Dead Hands
Footballguy
I am building a 10x12 Shed to store our outdoor things (bikes, paddle boards, cornhole boards, etc. The comparable kit was $2500 not including shingles and paint. Prebuilt and delivered sheds of that size ranged up to 6k. I am $1500 in on materials and my own labor.
this winter we are going to turn unfinished area under our mud room into a bathroom. It is a 16x10 through a door in our finished basement. Still has gravel floor and is where our sewer line runs beneath the foundation. Will cost me around 5-6k with my labor.
this winter we are going to turn unfinished area under our mud room into a bathroom. It is a 16x10 through a door in our finished basement. Still has gravel floor and is where our sewer line runs beneath the foundation. Will cost me around 5-6k with my labor.
offdee
Footballguy
Anybody ever added windows to their existing garage bay door?
We'd like to add in more light to the garage when door closed and also just like the look of some windows on a garage door. Rather than spend thousands on a brand new garage door, wondering if we could spend hundreds on just adding windows to existing door?
Some initial research seems like it can be done, but have to be careful as the difference in weight can throw off the settings or something for it to work properly.
Visual idea of what we'd like...
https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/e6a18d6b05ad78af_4-1997/modern-garage.jpg
We'd like to add in more light to the garage when door closed and also just like the look of some windows on a garage door. Rather than spend thousands on a brand new garage door, wondering if we could spend hundreds on just adding windows to existing door?
Some initial research seems like it can be done, but have to be careful as the difference in weight can throw off the settings or something for it to work properly.
Visual idea of what we'd like...
https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/e6a18d6b05ad78af_4-1997/modern-garage.jpg
Fat Nick
Footballguy
We are looking at repaving or driveway - here's the current status:
Existing slab is 20 years old. Heavy cracking due to water undercutting the pavement. Roughly 2,500 square feet in total. Water flows down from the back yard, hits the driveway/house, and then is going sub-surface and eroding under the asphalt as well as causing a crack in my garage floor slab.
My initial thought was to 1) rip up the entire driveway. 2) Install french drain through the back yard and ultimately under the driveway to move water from the back yard, down the grade, and safely past the driveway 3) repave.
I just had a paving company come and make the following recommendation - They said that the undercutting was caused by the grade of the back yard. It had a low spot right before the driveway edge. They said this low spot forced water under the driveway. Their recommendation was to add some back-fill dirt and re-grade the driveway so that it lied slightly above the driveway surface - this would cause excess back-yard water to run ON TOP of the driveway and not undercut. They recommended NOT ripping up the old driveway, and just resurfacing with 2.5" of asphault, compressed to 2".
Now - the caveat - this company said they DO NOT do drainage/french drains, etc...so I feel like there is some bias in this response that I didn't need drainage, I needed grading. I have 2 more estimates coming, but I wanted to get thoughts from anyone who has dealt with drainage before. It feels almost too simple...but maybe that's all it is.
Existing slab is 20 years old. Heavy cracking due to water undercutting the pavement. Roughly 2,500 square feet in total. Water flows down from the back yard, hits the driveway/house, and then is going sub-surface and eroding under the asphalt as well as causing a crack in my garage floor slab.
My initial thought was to 1) rip up the entire driveway. 2) Install french drain through the back yard and ultimately under the driveway to move water from the back yard, down the grade, and safely past the driveway 3) repave.
I just had a paving company come and make the following recommendation - They said that the undercutting was caused by the grade of the back yard. It had a low spot right before the driveway edge. They said this low spot forced water under the driveway. Their recommendation was to add some back-fill dirt and re-grade the driveway so that it lied slightly above the driveway surface - this would cause excess back-yard water to run ON TOP of the driveway and not undercut. They recommended NOT ripping up the old driveway, and just resurfacing with 2.5" of asphault, compressed to 2".
Now - the caveat - this company said they DO NOT do drainage/french drains, etc...so I feel like there is some bias in this response that I didn't need drainage, I needed grading. I have 2 more estimates coming, but I wanted to get thoughts from anyone who has dealt with drainage before. It feels almost too simple...but maybe that's all it is.
berndog
Footballguy
You could fill in the low spot and watch how the water flows. If it really flows on rather than under your driveway it would seem to be a viable fix.
Wingnut
Footballguy
Dude. Same here. I do pest control for a living and I've thrown everything I have at them, spraying the outside perimeter every week with something different and baiting inside wherever I find them (and even where I DONT find them). Pain in the ###, big time. They seem to always come from under the baseboards, and we have crappy laminate flooring throughout the house...Im thinking they could be under the floor, which makes it hard to get a handle on it. Theyre not everywhere inside but every few days I'll see 5-6 in a different place, but always coming from under the baseboards.
Were planning on getting new tile floors next year, I hope I dont have to battle these damn ants til then.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
Yeah. I also realized I have one of my downspout drains in that corner. I might be able to add a surface drain and tap into that downspout drain to get some of the water across the driveway as well. I've got two more estimates still to listen to.
The 1st company got back to me with their estimate, which had no drainage, but was to retop the existing 2,500 sq ft with 2.5", and also a small expansion I asked for (~400 sq ft.) and the quote was $4,500...A LOT lower than what I expected. At that price I'm almost inclined to just do that and the regrading and take my chances beyond that.
Osaurus
Footballguy
We think we have some inside the walls. Seems like we take a bunch of them out with bait/killer and then they reappear weeks/months later somewhere else. The rain brings them in too. Our house is very clean too. Stupid little buggers.
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
Any suggestions for how to get rid of cicada killer wasps that have infested our backyard since Saturday? I'm reading that they're impossible to get rid of and we just have to wait out the season. But now there are dirt holes all over our backyard.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
F that man. Those things are HUGE. I had one somehow get INSIDE our house shortly after we moved in. I was about to pack up and leave. I've only ever seen one or two besides that one fortunately. I didn't realize they could infest yards. I'd be inclined to just stay inside the rest of the summer. That or bulldoze my whole yard and start again.Any suggestions for how to get rid of cicada killer wasps that have infested our backyard since Saturday? I'm reading that they're impossible to get rid of and we just have to wait out the season. But now there are dirt holes all over our backyard.
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
For all intents and purposes, they’re harmless to humans. The females have stingers (males don’t) but unlike hornets and other wasps, it would take a lot of effort to get them to sting you. My kids and wife are always running around in the yard and they haven’t been stung yet. But they are huge and creep me out. I’m just nervous about the damage they’re causing to the yard.
sho nuff
Footballguy
Free aeration?
Probably better for your overall yard (trees/etc) than cicadas.
Finished remodeling the half bath to install granite, remove wallpaper, paint, new light fixture, new faucet.
Next time I'll just remove the damn drywall and start fresh instead of removing the wallpaper. I hate that stuff.
I'll redo the floor when we redo the entire downstairs.
Next time I'll just remove the damn drywall and start fresh instead of removing the wallpaper. I hate that stuff.
I'll redo the floor when we redo the entire downstairs.
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GAlmgren
Footballguy
In my experience, if the water is starting from above ground (rain) you are better off keeping it on the surface through grading and if necessary dropping it into an inlet with a solid pipe (not a perforated pipe/french drain). If the grading is simple to get it over the pavement that is going to be the cheapest. If not, an inlet isn't a terrible way to go. If you do do an inlet, make sure that the water has a way to get out if the inlet or pipe clogs that is lower than your garage/house elevation.
If you do have an issue with groundwater and need a french drain under the pavement, put it below frost depth if that is a problem in your climate. Otherwise you may see heaving in the winter.
A 2" overlay is pretty beefy for a residential driveway, may be able to trim that down some depending on the condition of your current asphalt. 2" might also be the right number to slow or reduce the chances of your current cracks reflecting up through the new pavement. Without throwing in the grading, you are paying about $126 per ton. From where I am use to, this is a pretty good deal for a residential job..
Wingnut
Footballguy
No idea. I only do restaurants and Ive never even heard of cicada wasps.Any suggestions for how to get rid of cicada killer wasps that have infested our backyard since Saturday? I'm reading that they're impossible to get rid of and we just have to wait out the season. But now there are dirt holes all over our backyard.
belljr
Footballguy
They are cicada killing wasps
They are huge and burrow. Harmless to humans for the most part, they still look scary and a pia
belljr
Footballguy
You can buy insecticide dust and out around the holesAny suggestions for how to get rid of cicada killer wasps that have infested our backyard since Saturday? I'm reading that they're impossible to get rid of and we just have to wait out the season. But now there are dirt holes all over our backyard.
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
Thanks. The last couple evenings, my wife has been dumping soapy water down the holes and spraying some type of insecticide. She's brave and goes right in the middle of where they're all flying (even when she believed they were actually hornets). I, on the other hand, am a wuss (at least when it comes to these things).belljr said:
UOFI_316
Footballguy
Give the kids spray bottles of soapy water and tell them each dead one they bring you is worth a dollar. Or drop M-80s down each hole.
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
sho nuff
Footballguy
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
I don't know why but the funniest part of all of that is that the guy is wearing flip flops.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
Thanks for the insight. I'm leaning strongly towards going with the resurface and grading. I can probably even do the grading myself with my neighbor's tractor if I can get some topsoil delivered.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I kind of agree with @sho nuff - If they are at a population density that is high enough that they're actually damaging your lawn, I'd revert back to my original statement. Just bulldoze. If not, free aeration. I think we may need some pictures...and a xanax so I can sleep after seeing them.
Sand
Footballguy
I love this guy.
I'd recommend molten aluminum. If it's good enough for termite mounds it's good enough for cicada killers.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
Making some progress on some big outdoor improvements.
Hired someone to put 2.5" of fresh asphalt on the driveway and expand it some
Hired someone to grind down, repair, and put Polyaspartic on our aging epoxied garage floors.
Cleaned out behind the shed - This one is a DIY. My next step is probably to level the thing as it's crooked as ****. It's a big shed (20 x 12), but I think I can get under it with a floor jack and get it up enough to put some deck blocks under it to level it out. I'd ideally like to get all the corners up and get some fresh rock under there, but honestly probably more of a project than I feel like taking on.
Once I get it level, I'm going to build a lean-to off the back, about 10' span, so I can put some stuff in that and make the shed more organized and usable. It's tot he point where I can't get to half the stuff I have.
Hired someone to put 2.5" of fresh asphalt on the driveway and expand it some
Hired someone to grind down, repair, and put Polyaspartic on our aging epoxied garage floors.
Cleaned out behind the shed - This one is a DIY. My next step is probably to level the thing as it's crooked as ****. It's a big shed (20 x 12), but I think I can get under it with a floor jack and get it up enough to put some deck blocks under it to level it out. I'd ideally like to get all the corners up and get some fresh rock under there, but honestly probably more of a project than I feel like taking on.
Once I get it level, I'm going to build a lean-to off the back, about 10' span, so I can put some stuff in that and make the shed more organized and usable. It's tot he point where I can't get to half the stuff I have.
mr. furley
Footballguy
anyone else have hardened dirt ant mounds all over their yard?
my backyard is essentially ant mounds spaced out every few inches, but hidden under the grass. walking on it barefoot is a mistake. it's pretty damned irritating. how do i deal with this without killing the ants?
my backyard is essentially ant mounds spaced out every few inches, but hidden under the grass. walking on it barefoot is a mistake. it's pretty damned irritating. how do i deal with this without killing the ants?
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I don't think enacting zoning for the ant mounds or chartering an HOA for them is going to work. If you want the mounds gone, you're probably going to have to kill some ants.
sho nuff
Footballguy
Find the biggest one...the leader, and punch him in the face in front of his friends.
mr. furley
Footballguy
well, i'll be talking to their manager later today. i've got some stern words and a can of pepper spray in case they don't comply.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
wilked
Footballguy
I may have mentioned it, but I'm turning two attached three season porches (one above the other) into 4 season 'finished' space. I put it in quotes as I am not pulling a permit. I am not pulling a permit as I am pretty certain they would make me pour a foundation for it (today it sits on steel columns on poured footings). I am pretty sure they are original and thus 100+ years old, all made with old timber, full dimension lumber. They are solid. Photos here:
https://imgur.com/gallery/uKhphzG
The rooms are mostly windows, so that's the biggest expense. Existing is aluminum crank-out windows. Replacing with 14 new windows (Harvey replacement), about $5K for them. Having a carpenter install them at $100/window.
The rest of the job is me. This is my biggest electrical effort so far...adding 5 new circuits (one for elec baseboard, two dedicated 20 amp outlets for A/C window units, and two general use outlets). All the rough is done. The panel work my father in law (licensed electrician) is doing, but I got to do all the grunt work running the wire.
I insulated everything, blown in cellulose above the ceiling on the upper unit, rockwool everywhere else. That is done. New subfloors (all the structural wood is solid, no rot anywhere which is nice). Will end up with cork floors in the end.
Windows should be in any day, so hoping to have this 'done done' in a month or so. All in will be ~$10K to add ~300 sq ft of usable space. I won't claim it as finished space when I sell the house (I imagine the realtor will use some fancy term like 'bonus space') but we'll definitely get our money's worth of it, especially with the kids likely schooling at home this year
https://imgur.com/gallery/uKhphzG
The rooms are mostly windows, so that's the biggest expense. Existing is aluminum crank-out windows. Replacing with 14 new windows (Harvey replacement), about $5K for them. Having a carpenter install them at $100/window.
The rest of the job is me. This is my biggest electrical effort so far...adding 5 new circuits (one for elec baseboard, two dedicated 20 amp outlets for A/C window units, and two general use outlets). All the rough is done. The panel work my father in law (licensed electrician) is doing, but I got to do all the grunt work running the wire.
I insulated everything, blown in cellulose above the ceiling on the upper unit, rockwool everywhere else. That is done. New subfloors (all the structural wood is solid, no rot anywhere which is nice). Will end up with cork floors in the end.
Windows should be in any day, so hoping to have this 'done done' in a month or so. All in will be ~$10K to add ~300 sq ft of usable space. I won't claim it as finished space when I sell the house (I imagine the realtor will use some fancy term like 'bonus space') but we'll definitely get our money's worth of it, especially with the kids likely schooling at home this year
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mr. furley
Footballguy
mr. furley
Footballguy
wtf!
we got quoted 14k for 6 windows! (we didn't go that route because it felt like... theft)
Osaurus
Footballguy
Fat Nick
Footballguy
So I leveled the shed on Saturday. It's pretty amazing how strong a good floor jack is. I pulled my mower out, but left the rest of the stuff in there. That jack raised it right up without issue. I ended up needing to raise it a solid 3" or so, so I used deck blocks instead of just more gravel. It looks great now. I can literally SEE how level it is now. I looked at the before/after from my Ring cam to give a fixed comparison and it's pretty telling.
Hammering the block into place and getting it all squared up was a real work-out in swinging a 4-lb hand-sledge, but the end result is super rewarding.
wilked
Footballguy
Ok got a tricky one:
laying a floating floor on a converted 3 season porch. There are columns which preset a challenge, but me and my jig saw were up for it. Or so I thought.
...the N-1 course has interference with the columns. It comes up 1 5/8” short of the wall board. I’d have to cut both this course and the next course to shape to the columns, something I doubt I can do without going through a bunch of scrap or looking like crap. I didn’t buy much extra and don’t have that to spare.
The opposite wall already has cuts around the columns As seen in the photo, so changing that side is not a great option. I thought about cutting a narrow 1.5” strip for the N-1 (so that the final course could be shaped entirely around the columns) but then I’d have to cut the T&G out and they wouldn’t interlock.
I thought I’d see if you have any ideas. Best one I can come up with is to do a 2-stage baseboard (so 1.5” thick) with a quarter round finish. But even if I do that, all of that needs to be shaped around the columns, so that’s shifting the problem.
half of that wall will be baseboard heat, if it matters
thoughts?
https://imgur.com/gallery/1odHgFm
laying a floating floor on a converted 3 season porch. There are columns which preset a challenge, but me and my jig saw were up for it. Or so I thought.
...the N-1 course has interference with the columns. It comes up 1 5/8” short of the wall board. I’d have to cut both this course and the next course to shape to the columns, something I doubt I can do without going through a bunch of scrap or looking like crap. I didn’t buy much extra and don’t have that to spare.
The opposite wall already has cuts around the columns As seen in the photo, so changing that side is not a great option. I thought about cutting a narrow 1.5” strip for the N-1 (so that the final course could be shaped entirely around the columns) but then I’d have to cut the T&G out and they wouldn’t interlock.
I thought I’d see if you have any ideas. Best one I can come up with is to do a 2-stage baseboard (so 1.5” thick) with a quarter round finish. But even if I do that, all of that needs to be shaped around the columns, so that’s shifting the problem.
half of that wall will be baseboard heat, if it matters
thoughts?
https://imgur.com/gallery/1odHgFm
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I like the 2-stage baseboard idea if it doesn't look bad. That IS a really thick baseboard, so I struggle to visualize it, but I think it'd work. To your point you still have to cut around the columns, but I don't see any way you avoid this. When I have to do tricky cuts like that, I always template with posterboard or carstock to get the shape right. Then you lay the uncut board and come out square from the edge of the column to know where to lay your template, then cut. Shouldn't be that hard and should come out spot on every time. With cardstock templates, you can screw it up all you want and not waste material.
berndog
Footballguy
I second the template idea and if you’re still worried, rip a piece of plywood to mimic your cork board and do a test cut Using your template on that.
Im not sold on the double baseboard. It will definitely be harder having to cut both rows to fit the column but I believe that is the best solution. It will look the best and every time you walk in the room you will have the satisfaction of knowing you didn’t cut any corners
Im not sold on the double baseboard. It will definitely be harder having to cut both rows to fit the column but I believe that is the best solution. It will look the best and every time you walk in the room you will have the satisfaction of knowing you didn’t cut any corners
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