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Home-owners...What are your current projects? (5 Viewers)

Bought the house in the fall of 2012. Did the usual redoing the floors, painting, etc in year 1. Spent big on renovating the two rooms downstairs into one large family room in year 2. Needed to put up a steel beam that ran the length of the room (~24'), also paid for tiling, refinished that bathroom, new windows, slider, crown molding, all that. That migrated over to the staircase where I sanded and refinished/painted the side of the staircase (bi-level house so the sides are exposed), new tiling in the foyer, etc. So from the first floor down was 90% done. Only piece missing was the bar. Contractor is coming by to measure it all out in about an hour and get started. OHBOYOHBOYOHBOYOHBOY! THIS is the part that I'm psyched for.

The next few projects? Not as much. We gotta do the main and master baths, refinish the entire kitchen that was last done circa 1967, new deck since the one we have is an actual danger to people's lives, all new windows, and siding the house. Jesus that's a lot, and probably forgetting a few other things. Maybe we should just tear the whole place down and rebuild it. I'm paying for the majority of the work, not doing much myself.

 
matttyl said:
My advice, turn off the water to that bathroom if you can. The problem comes when it thaws, not when it freezes. Turn off the water and turn on the sink.
Click to expand...
What I remember from physics is that freezing water expands 10% while turning to ice. That means that if the pipe was going to burst, it already has.

But you are right that you won't know until it thaws, and your suggestions will limit the water damage to only what is able to escape the pipe in any fracture, so it's good advice

 
msommer said:
matttyl said:
My advice, turn off the water to that bathroom if you can. The problem comes when it thaws, not when it freezes. Turn off the water and turn on the sink.
Click to expand...
What I remember from physics is that freezing water expands 10% while turning to ice. That means that if the pipe was going to burst, it already has.

But you are right that you won't know until it thaws, and your suggestions will limit the water damage to only what is able to escape the pipe in any fracture, so it's good advice
Click to expand...
I agree 100% with your assessment in concept.

It's over my garage...just over an empty bay. To fix it, I need to tear the drywall out anyway to get to the pipe. I'm honestly fine with just leaving it for now. If it thaws out and is fine, then I'll fix it when it warms up some outside. If it thaws out and starts leaking, I'll let the water leaking on the drywall pinpoint me as to where the leak is and start my demo. I'm going to have to tear drywall out either way.

If it was over a finished room in the house or something, I'd be WAY more concerned.

 
So last night when I got home, I went up to check that tub. Nothing. I ran the hot water in the sink for about 10 minutes. Logic was that it shared a common feed line, and the hot water would heat up the copper, and maybe I could get the hot side to thaw. After 10 minutes, I turned the tub on...I got a DRIP! Success! That's all I needed. I let it drip hot water, which eventually melted that ice block. I ran the hot for about 10 minutes, then got the cold dripping, and eventually got that free as well.

As of this AM, no leaks that I saw. [knock on wood] I'm still going to have to identify and insulate the pipe from the garage ceiling at some point, but it looks like I may have dodged a bullet. I left the tub dripping slightly hoping that will help. It's supposed get really cold Friday, and warm up some Sunday.

 
Fat Nick said:
So last night when I got home, I went up to check that tub. Nothing. I ran the hot water in the sink for about 10 minutes. Logic was that it shared a common feed line, and the hot water would heat up the copper, and maybe I could get the hot side to thaw. After 10 minutes, I turned the tub on...I got a DRIP! Success! That's all I needed. I let it drip hot water, which eventually melted that ice block. I ran the hot for about 10 minutes, then got the cold dripping, and eventually got that free as well.

As of this AM, no leaks that I saw. [knock on wood] I'm still going to have to identify and insulate the pipe from the garage ceiling at some point, but it looks like I may have dodged a bullet. I left the tub dripping slightly hoping that will help. It's supposed get really cold Friday, and warm up some Sunday.
Click to expand...
I wonder if spraying some of that "great stuff" expanding insulation directly on the pipe (when it's a normal temperature) would do anything to help insulate it? Coat the heck out of it, let the stuff expand and you're golden?

 
matttyl said:
Fat Nick said:
So last night when I got home, I went up to check that tub. Nothing. I ran the hot water in the sink for about 10 minutes. Logic was that it shared a common feed line, and the hot water would heat up the copper, and maybe I could get the hot side to thaw. After 10 minutes, I turned the tub on...I got a DRIP! Success! That's all I needed. I let it drip hot water, which eventually melted that ice block. I ran the hot for about 10 minutes, then got the cold dripping, and eventually got that free as well.

As of this AM, no leaks that I saw. [knock on wood] I'm still going to have to identify and insulate the pipe from the garage ceiling at some point, but it looks like I may have dodged a bullet. I left the tub dripping slightly hoping that will help. It's supposed get really cold Friday, and warm up some Sunday.
Click to expand...
I wonder if spraying some of that "great stuff" expanding insulation directly on the pipe (when it's a normal temperature) would do anything to help insulate it? Coat the heck out of it, let the stuff expand and you're golden?
Click to expand...
So I actually pondered this. I see some possible causes for concern having used this stuff a decent bit...

-If it didn't work, and the pipe cracked in the future, it'd be a real PITA to get at the pipe.

-If it didn't work and the pipe developed a slow leak, I'd have a giant ball of damp foam in my floor, a prime space for mold or other grossness.

-As you probably know, that stuff expands A LOT. It can start to cause issues when it's against a flexible surface, like duct work. I know I have some ducting in the same area as this pipe...I would be slightly concerned about what it could do. Side-story - I used this stuff ~10-years ago in the trunk lid of my old G35 to dampen the bass rattle from my subwoofer. It expanded so much in one spot that it started to bow up the trunk lid. I had to get a vacuum and suck some of the still-damp stuff out ASAP (and ruin the vacuum) to save my trunk lid.

I think an ideal fix for me would be the following:

1) Cut out some of the garage drywall and be able to access the pipe from below. Foam pipe insulation, a layer of tape, and another round of pipe insulation.

2) Install some foam blocking IN the floor/ceiling joists to block the large channel of air in the open joist. This will cut down on a) the contact area with the cold garage ceiling, and b) the amount of draft that can blow from the outer garage wall into the inner areas of the garage ceiling via these channels. Basically trying to isolate the pipe as much as possible from the rest of the garage.

3) Assuming the ductwork is in the same joist, I'd consider putting some sort of damper piped off the main HVAC line. When it got REALLY cold, I could pull a rod on the garage ceiling and actually vent a little bit of the warm HVAC air into the space to keep the pipe warm. Most of the time, it would remain closed. Just an emergency measure.

I guess it just depends on what I find when I open up the ceiling.

 
:blackdot:

I'm in the process of adding a 4th bedroom in the loft upstairs. We had a 24ftx12ft loft, but decided to shrink it down to a smaller loft with a 4th bedroom. Will post more details/pics later. It's easily my biggest project to date.

 
Spin said:
:blackdot:

I'm in the process of adding a 4th bedroom in the loft upstairs. We had a 24ftx12ft loft, but decided to shrink it down to a smaller loft with a 4th bedroom. Will post more details/pics later. It's easily my biggest project to date.
Click to expand...
We bought a 1 story with a 500 sq ft loft. Want to convert loft into master suite. Will follow this with great interest.
 
mr roboto said:
Spin said:
:blackdot:

I'm in the process of adding a 4th bedroom in the loft upstairs. We had a 24ftx12ft loft, but decided to shrink it down to a smaller loft with a 4th bedroom. Will post more details/pics later. It's easily my biggest project to date.
Click to expand...
We bought a 1 story with a 500 sq ft loft. Want to convert loft into master suite. Will follow this with great interest.
Click to expand...
Is a 1 story the same as a ranch?

 
Annyong said:
mr roboto said:
Spin said:
:blackdot:

I'm in the process of adding a 4th bedroom in the loft upstairs. We had a 24ftx12ft loft, but decided to shrink it down to a smaller loft with a 4th bedroom. Will post more details/pics later. It's easily my biggest project to date.
Click to expand...
We bought a 1 story with a 500 sq ft loft. Want to convert loft into master suite. Will follow this with great interest.
Click to expand...
Is a 1 story the same as a ranch?
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. A ranch-style home is one of the more popular styles of single-story homes but there are other styles as well. This one in particular is more of a contemporary style that has a loft above the kitchen and family room.
 
mr roboto said:
Why can't you just insulate the garage ceiling better (instead of the pipe)?
Click to expand...
Insulate the WHOLE garage ceiling? Because I don't feel like tearing down all that dry wall. I have a 3-bay garage with finished walls and ceiling. Literally, if you consider the garage to be, say, 25' deep x 35' wide, the pipes in question reside in maybe an area that is in the first 4 feet off the inside wall. It's nowhere near the center of the garage, so I think insulating the whole thing is overkill. I just need to concentrate where I insulate.

I'm hoping to get by with insulating just the area where the pipe is, and isolating that from the rest of the garage. Truthfully, I may find that the whole ceiling is already adequately insulated. That's actually one of my fears. If it's already got a decent layer of insulation, the issue might be that it's just too cold in the garage to do anything about it sometimes. That would basically leave me with the option to re-route the pipe (and tear up my house and newly remodeled bathroom), heat the garage ($$$) or try something else.

 
Yeah I guess I thought if you insulated the ceiling in the garage better the entire room above the garage would lose a lot less heat. But that's a large project if you don't use that room very often.

They sell a product that I think is called heat tape which is basically a tape wrap for pipes that has a small copper heating element that will keep the pipes warm enough to not freeze in the winter.

 
mr roboto said:
Yeah I guess I thought if you insulated the ceiling in the garage better the entire room above the garage would lose a lot less heat. But that's a large project if you don't use that room very often.

They sell a product that I think is called heat tape which is basically a tape wrap for pipes that has a small copper heating element that will keep the pipes warm enough to not freeze in the winter.
Click to expand...
It's definately a project that would be beneficial...just not one I'm ready to undertake. The in-laws are the main ones who stay there, so who cares.

Re. the heat tape - I'm almost positive it's not rated for in-wall use, or I'd be all over it. If you know of something that says that it's OK for in-wall use, let me know. I can easily run another outlet up to the spot where I need it and install that. They make something similar that runs in the pipe I think, but it requires cutting the pipe, and putting a "T" on it to insert the heating element.

 
Spin said:
:blackdot:

I'm in the process of adding a 4th bedroom in the loft upstairs. We had a 24ftx12ft loft, but decided to shrink it down to a smaller loft with a 4th bedroom. Will post more details/pics later. It's easily my biggest project to date.
Click to expand...
So here we go with pics. When my wife and I first bought this house, our original plan was to use the upstairs loft as kind of a gaming/gathering room. Planned on putting a dartboard, a bar and a sectional couch with a TV for games up stairs. Once we had our 2nd kid, we decided to shorten the loft and convert it into kind of the 4th bedroom so we didn't have to lose the office. On top of that, we didn't do anything with the loft. We put a futon and tv up there then it became just a giant storage area. We decided we wanted more storage so we took more space from the loft (original thought was to do a 12 ft room and a 12 ft loft) and added a walk in closet into the bedroom. We ended up shrinking the loft to 8.5 ft and used the rest of the space for bedroom/closet. The loft area is still perfect at that size. Enough for a futon/couch a chair and a tv. Ultimately we'll put the playstation there and it will be the area the boys hang out in more often when they're playing video games.

First is the floorplan of the loft area upstairs with the new room added:

http://i61.tinypic.com/24y7pqg.png

Here's a few of the pictures I took of the progress along the way. We just finished the 3rd coat of mud, and plan on sanding/painting this weekend. Then we'll hang the doors and finish the trim. Last step will be moving a pre-wired fan box from the newly created room into the loft.

Framing from steps:
http://i62.tinypic.com/dgm1px.jpg

Framing from bedroom:
http://i57.tinypic.com/333bjfs.jpg

Framing - Closet:
http://i58.tinypic.com/34in0n7.jpg

Drywall from Bedroom:
http://i59.tinypic.com/24fae11.jpg

Drywall from steps:
http://i61.tinypic.com/21bnpxl.jpg

Loft size now:
http://i60.tinypic.com/xla4wm.jpg

Inside room - half drywall hung:
http://i62.tinypic.com/1zf31oi.jpg

Closet entrance - half drywall hung:
http://i61.tinypic.com/w2zkh.jpg

Inside Closet - Drywall hung:
http://i58.tinypic.com/21exap3.jpg

Inside closet - full view:
http://i57.tinypic.com/aw6b89.jpg

View from stairs - 3rd coat of mud:
http://i57.tinypic.com/15qbvja.jpg

Inside room - closet entrance - 3rd coat of mud:
http://i58.tinypic.com/15wzeoz.jpg

View from Bedroom - 3rd coat of mud:
http://i61.tinypic.com/4q3ev8.jpg

And of course, couldn't get this done without the help of my 2 yr old son:
http://i61.tinypic.com/2njm2bm.jpg

 
Fat Nick said:
mr roboto said:
Why can't you just insulate the garage ceiling better (instead of the pipe)?
Click to expand...
Insulate the WHOLE garage ceiling? Because I don't feel like tearing down all that dry wall. I have a 3-bay garage with finished walls and ceiling. Literally, if you consider the garage to be, say, 25' deep x 35' wide, the pipes in question reside in maybe an area that is in the first 4 feet off the inside wall. It's nowhere near the center of the garage, so I think insulating the whole thing is overkill. I just need to concentrate where I insulate.

I'm hoping to get by with insulating just the area where the pipe is, and isolating that from the rest of the garage. Truthfully, I may find that the whole ceiling is already adequately insulated. That's actually one of my fears. If it's already got a decent layer of insulation, the issue might be that it's just too cold in the garage to do anything about it sometimes. That would basically leave me with the option to re-route the pipe (and tear up my house and newly remodeled bathroom), heat the garage ($$$) or try something else.
Click to expand...
Can't you just blow in paper or bits of styrofoam, In DK, that's dirt cheap (maybe not as cheap as just insulating the pipe and changing the drywall)

 
msommer said:
Fat Nick said:
mr roboto said:
Why can't you just insulate the garage ceiling better (instead of the pipe)?
Click to expand...
Insulate the WHOLE garage ceiling? Because I don't feel like tearing down all that dry wall. I have a 3-bay garage with finished walls and ceiling. Literally, if you consider the garage to be, say, 25' deep x 35' wide, the pipes in question reside in maybe an area that is in the first 4 feet off the inside wall. It's nowhere near the center of the garage, so I think insulating the whole thing is overkill. I just need to concentrate where I insulate.

I'm hoping to get by with insulating just the area where the pipe is, and isolating that from the rest of the garage. Truthfully, I may find that the whole ceiling is already adequately insulated. That's actually one of my fears. If it's already got a decent layer of insulation, the issue might be that it's just too cold in the garage to do anything about it sometimes. That would basically leave me with the option to re-route the pipe (and tear up my house and newly remodeled bathroom), heat the garage ($$$) or try something else.
Click to expand...
Can't you just blow in paper or bits of styrofoam, In DK, that's dirt cheap (maybe not as cheap as just insulating the pipe and changing the drywall)
Click to expand...
Probably could...or rather I could probably pay someone to do it. I almost automatically think of how I could DIY because I don't pay people to do things very often, but yeah, this would be one of those times where it would make a lot more sense to have someone cut some smaller holes and shoot insulation up there. I guess step 1 is to cut a few test spots and just see what's even there to begin with.

 
Not sure this is the place to ask, but why not with all the talk about frozen pipes and garages....

I (as I assume many people do) use my non heated garage for storage of a lot of things. My concern is about liquids that can freeze and maybe shouldn't be stored there where it can get down to nearly 0 degrees F. I know not to store paint there (so I do under the basement stairs in the only non-finished part of my home. But what about things like sodas (pregnant wife loves ginger ale), gatorade (which I buy in huge quantity when my favorite flavor is on sale), laundry detergent, dish soap, bleach, car cleaning supplies, household cleaning stuff, ect. Any issues with it freezing/busting the container it's in and causing a huge mess? Thanks....

 
matttyl said:
Not sure this is the place to ask, but why not with all the talk about frozen pipes and garages....

I (as I assume many people do) use my non heated garage for storage of a lot of things. My concern is about liquids that can freeze and maybe shouldn't be stored there where it can get down to nearly 0 degrees F. I know not to store paint there (so I do under the basement stairs in the only non-finished part of my home. But what about things like sodas (pregnant wife loves ginger ale), gatorade (which I buy in huge quantity when my favorite flavor is on sale), laundry detergent, dish soap, bleach, car cleaning supplies, household cleaning stuff, ect. Any issues with it freezing/busting the container it's in and causing a huge mess? Thanks....
Click to expand...
Only issue i see is the cavities and enamel degradation that ginger ale and especially gatorade cause.

 
What temp is your garage getting to? Even at 1 degree outside, my garage is staying above 32.

You could always put the drinks in a cooler which would help.

 
avoiding injuries said:
What temp is your garage getting to? Even at 1 degree outside, my garage is staying above 32.

You could always put the drinks in a cooler which would help.
Click to expand...
This. Even with all my pipe issues, my garage is rarely below freezing. (part of the reason why I think it's odd that this pipe keeps freezing, which indicates that the joist area is somehow colder than the garage) I keep tons of things in the garage...all types of cleaners, etc. I even keep paint in there without issue. Try and get a temp reading in there if you can. Very few things freeze at temps above water. If you stay above freezing, you're probably fine.

 
avoiding injuries said:
What temp is your garage getting to? Even at 1 degree outside, my garage is staying above 32.

You could always put the drinks in a cooler which would help.
Click to expand...
Don't have a thermometer there, but I did leave a half filled coffee cup on my workbench a few days ago while shoveling snow - found it yesterday afternoon and the coffee was frozen solid.

 
matttyl said:
avoiding injuries said:
What temp is your garage getting to? Even at 1 degree outside, my garage is staying above 32.

You could always put the drinks in a cooler which would help.
Click to expand...
Don't have a thermometer there, but I did leave a half filled coffee cup on my workbench a few days ago while shoveling snow - found it yesterday afternoon and the coffee was frozen solid.
Click to expand...
Put your soda and Gatorade in a cooler. It will keep it from freezing. And don't be leaving your coffee laying around. Did you happen to leave your garage door open while shoveling?
 
avoiding injuries said:
matttyl said:
avoiding injuries said:
What temp is your garage getting to? Even at 1 degree outside, my garage is staying above 32.

You could always put the drinks in a cooler which would help.
Click to expand...
Don't have a thermometer there, but I did leave a half filled coffee cup on my workbench a few days ago while shoveling snow - found it yesterday afternoon and the coffee was frozen solid.
Click to expand...
Put your soda and Gatorade in a cooler. It will keep it from freezing. And don't be leaving your coffee laying around. Did you happen to leave your garage door open while shoveling?
Click to expand...
Never mind. I see you left the coffee out for days.
 
avoiding injuries said:
avoiding injuries said:
matttyl said:
avoiding injuries said:
What temp is your garage getting to? Even at 1 degree outside, my garage is staying above 32.

You could always put the drinks in a cooler which would help.
Click to expand...
Don't have a thermometer there, but I did leave a half filled coffee cup on my workbench a few days ago while shoveling snow - found it yesterday afternoon and the coffee was frozen solid.
Click to expand...
Put your soda and Gatorade in a cooler. It will keep it from freezing. And don't be leaving your coffee laying around. Did you happen to leave your garage door open while shoveling?
Click to expand...
Never mind. I see you left the coffee out for days.
Click to expand...
yeah, for a few days sitting on my workbench (forgot I took a mug out with me), was just happy to be done shoveling and to get inside where it's warm. I've always heard not to leave paint in a place where it can freeze and thaw (more than 2 or 3 of those freeze-thaw cycles really degrade it). Didn't know if other things should be the same.

 
2015 spring/summer:

1) Remove a few misplaced trees (previous owner).

2) Remove bender board, kill existing lawn/weeds.

3) Seed a new lawn and surround with pavers

4) Build patio with matching pavers.

5) Clear, repair, and reroute outdoor drainage.

6) Install sprinkler irrigation system for new lawn.

7) Lay weedblock and river rock on garden side (I have a large outdoor garden with 10+ raised beds, surrounded by mud right now).

8) Plant 3-4 more trees (fruit trees on orchard side).

2016:

1) Paint exterior

2) Refinish hardwood floors.

3) Build some storage in garage.

Late 2016:

1) Sit down and enjoy a beer.

 
slackjawedyokel said:
2015 spring/summer:

1) Remove a few misplaced trees (previous owner).

2) Remove bender board, kill existing lawn/weeds.

3) Seed a new lawn and surround with pavers

4) Build patio with matching pavers.

5) Clear, repair, and reroute outdoor drainage.

6) Install sprinkler irrigation system for new lawn.

7) Lay weedblock and river rock on garden side (I have a large outdoor garden with 10+ raised beds, surrounded by mud right now).

8) Plant 3-4 more trees (fruit trees on orchard side).

2016:

1) Paint exterior

2) Refinish hardwood floors.

3) Build some storage in garage.

Late 2016:

1) Sit down and enjoy a beer.
Click to expand...
Bought our house in 2011...thought I'd be to this phase by now. Not even close. It never ends man...Especially when dealing with landscaping. Something always needs weeding, mulching, planting, fertilizing, etc.

 
Fat Nick said:
slackjawedyokel said:
2015 spring/summer:

1) Remove a few misplaced trees (previous owner).

2) Remove bender board, kill existing lawn/weeds.

3) Seed a new lawn and surround with pavers

4) Build patio with matching pavers.

5) Clear, repair, and reroute outdoor drainage.

6) Install sprinkler irrigation system for new lawn.

7) Lay weedblock and river rock on garden side (I have a large outdoor garden with 10+ raised beds, surrounded by mud right now).

8) Plant 3-4 more trees (fruit trees on orchard side).

2016:

1) Paint exterior

2) Refinish hardwood floors.

3) Build some storage in garage.

Late 2016:

1) Sit down and enjoy a beer.
Click to expand...
Bought our house in 2011...thought I'd be to this phase by now. Not even close. It never ends man...Especially when dealing with landscaping. Something always needs weeding, mulching, planting, fertilizing, etc.
Click to expand...
If you can add an element to the outdoors that you truly enjoy, it helps overwrite the crap like plucking weeds. I love to be out at the grill or gardening. I'm a hot pepper guy and try new ones every year.

 
slackjawedyokel said:
Fat Nick said:
slackjawedyokel said:
2015 spring/summer:

1) Remove a few misplaced trees (previous owner).

2) Remove bender board, kill existing lawn/weeds.

3) Seed a new lawn and surround with pavers

4) Build patio with matching pavers.

5) Clear, repair, and reroute outdoor drainage.

6) Install sprinkler irrigation system for new lawn.

7) Lay weedblock and river rock on garden side (I have a large outdoor garden with 10+ raised beds, surrounded by mud right now).

8) Plant 3-4 more trees (fruit trees on orchard side).

2016:

1) Paint exterior

2) Refinish hardwood floors.

3) Build some storage in garage.

Late 2016:

1) Sit down and enjoy a beer.
Click to expand...
Bought our house in 2011...thought I'd be to this phase by now. Not even close. It never ends man...Especially when dealing with landscaping. Something always needs weeding, mulching, planting, fertilizing, etc.
Click to expand...
If you can add an element to the outdoors that you truly enjoy, it helps overwrite the crap like plucking weeds. I love to be out at the grill or gardening. I'm a hot pepper guy and try new ones every year.
Click to expand...
I agree with you...It's a lot of work, but I enjoy yard work more than just about any other kind of work around the house. Always have. I can't wait for spring. The wife has to hold me back in the fall when the nurseries start their 50% off sales. I want to buy every tree they have.

 
We just had an offer accepted on a house (1950 sq.feet Townhouse 4BR/3BA built in 2007) that we'll be moving into in April.

We'll be on our rental lease through the end of May so I have some time to do a few projects in the "new" house before we move in.

- Replacing upstairs carpet in Bedrooms and Loft/Bonus Area with a hard surface floor. Leaning towards the wood-like tiles out there now. (sample)

- Backsplash in Kitchen

- Built-in Storage in Garage.

- Bike/Kayak winches in Garage (sample)

- Run a 20-Amp circuit to the downstairs 4th BR/DEN/OFFICE which essentially just means 12 ga. instead of the 14 ga. that is run for the existing 15-Amp

- Maybe replacing the existing electric tank water heater with a tankless if I can get some subsidies from the power company (heard a rumor I can get a few hundred credit towards power bills.)

 
slackjawedyokel said:
2015 spring/summer:

1) Remove a few misplaced trees (previous owner).

2) Remove bender board, kill existing lawn/weeds.

3) Seed a new lawn and surround with pavers

4) Build patio with matching pavers.

5) Clear, repair, and reroute outdoor drainage.

6) Install sprinkler irrigation system for new lawn.

7) Lay weedblock and river rock on garden side (I have a large outdoor garden with 10+ raised beds, surrounded by mud right now).

8) Plant 3-4 more trees (fruit trees on orchard side).

2016:

1) Paint exterior

2) Refinish hardwood floors.

3) Build some storage in garage.

Late 2016:

1) Sit down and enjoy a beer.
Click to expand...
If you're digging up half the garden anyway, wouldn't it make sense to install a drip irrigation system or something similar, just to save the water a bit?

 
Gator Shawn said:
We just had an offer accepted on a house (1950 sq.feet Townhouse 4BR/3BA built in 2007) that we'll be moving into in April.

We'll be on our rental lease through the end of May so I have some time to do a few projects in the "new" house before we move in.

- Replacing upstairs carpet in Bedrooms and Loft/Bonus Area with a hard surface floor. Leaning towards the wood-like tiles out there now. (sample)

- Backsplash in Kitchen

- Built-in Storage in Garage.

- Bike/Kayak winches in Garage (sample)

- Run a 20-Amp circuit to the downstairs 4th BR/DEN/OFFICE which essentially just means 12 ga. instead of the 14 ga. that is run for the existing 15-Amp

- Maybe replacing the existing electric tank water heater with a tankless if I can get some subsidies from the power company (heard a rumor I can get a few hundred credit towards power bills.)
Click to expand...
Re. the Bike/Kayak winches - I have a few set up in our garage for our 2 kayaks. Built them using simple angle-iron, some lag bolts, and pulleys from the store in a block and tackle configuration to reduce the weight. Great space saver. If you're looking for ideas here, let me know and I'll try and take some pictures.

 
Has anyone heard of seeding over the snow in mid-March or so? Theory being that as snow melts, seed will get deeper into grass and give a head start on the year. My FIL insists this works but I would think there would be frost issues doing it so early.

Other projects lined up for next 24 months:

- glass door to replace curtain on walk in shower.

- expand or rebuild back deck (only 10×10 now)

- install fireplace in downstairs living area (gas line run/vent installed when house was built).

- possible hot tub.

We bought the house new 5 years ago. I probably could have had all this done at the time (less the hot tub) for 8k or so from builder, I will pay less but should have had it done then and included in intital mortgage.

 
Flower bed extending down the fence on the side of the house. 3 ft wide and about 30 ft long. Weed barrier, edging, and backing along the fence. Yay.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
msommer said:
slackjawedyokel said:
2015 spring/summer:

1) Remove a few misplaced trees (previous owner).

2) Remove bender board, kill existing lawn/weeds.

3) Seed a new lawn and surround with pavers

4) Build patio with matching pavers.

5) Clear, repair, and reroute outdoor drainage.

6) Install sprinkler irrigation system for new lawn.

7) Lay weedblock and river rock on garden side (I have a large outdoor garden with 10+ raised beds, surrounded by mud right now).

8) Plant 3-4 more trees (fruit trees on orchard side).

2016:

1) Paint exterior

2) Refinish hardwood floors.

3) Build some storage in garage.

Late 2016:

1) Sit down and enjoy a beer.
Click to expand...
If you're digging up half the garden anyway, wouldn't it make sense to install a drip irrigation system or something similar, just to save the water a bit?
Click to expand...
Yes. In the garden I actually have a complete drip system already installed. Saves a ton of water and $$$ in the summer.

 
Last year

Perimeter fence, executive and split rail

Retaining wall with 13 cy backfill to level a garden area

Greenhouse

Sunsetter shade over hot tub

Garden

Remove a lot of junipers

Cut down one large hemlock

Plant trees

2cy landscape rock and 3cy bark

Replaced dishwasher

Replaced kitchen faucet

Planed this year so far

Attic insulation

Stump removal 4ea

3cy garden soil

Knock down wall between kitchen and dining room and install bay Windows to backyard

Cut the cable

Stain deck

 
Spent all weekend building a picnic table to go outside on the patio. It has two built in icebuckets to hold beer/ice, with removable lids, so I don't lose the table top space when not using the ice buckets.. I have one lid in, one lid off in the second picture.

Picture without the lids in, buckets not in either.

Picture with one lid in, one lid off and buckets inserted.

Just finished the first coat of staining. We have patio chairs right now, but I think I'm going to build some benches tonight to go with it. Overall was a fun weekend project.

 
Major renovation going on, started on Saturday:

  • add a wall, converting joint formal living room/dining room into office and music room
  • rip out pantry and desk in kitchen, replace with cabinets and butlers pantry
  • new cabinets
  • new stove, including converting from electric to gas, also relocate stove
  • new dishwasher
  • new countertops
  • new backsplash in kitchen
  • new stove vent hood
  • convert closet near garage entry to mud-room type storage
  • replace carpet with hard wood
  • revise lighting
  • paint
We bought this house last year. It has everything we were looking for, but the finishes were just terrible...that's really he only reason we could afford the house in the first place. so now it's upgrade time.

 
Odd question - but to those it may apply to.....

What did you wish you had completed before you had a child (or children)? My first is due in August.....

 
matttyl said:
Odd question - but to those it may apply to.....

What did you wish you had completed before you had a child (or children)? My first is due in August.....
Click to expand...
Any interior projects. Building the table, and such isn't too bad because I can work in the garage and keep the boys inside with the wife. But we split our loft into a smaller loft + bedroom/closet. That was a pain for awhile because of the time it took and making sure we get everything cleaned up/out of the way at night since we still had to walk past the area to put the boys down. It won't be that big of deal initially, it's my 2 year old that we have to watch the most. He's into everything and for some reason anything he finds he immediately decides it's a good idea to chew on it.

 
matttyl said:
Odd question - but to those it may apply to.....

What did you wish you had completed before you had a child (or children)? My first is due in August.....
Click to expand...
Everything possible. Time is unbelievably limited after. Especially inside. You'll feel the wrath of an angry, post-partum women if you wake a sleeping baby.

 
Cliff Clavin said:
matttyl said:
Odd question - but to those it may apply to.....

What did you wish you had completed before you had a child (or children)? My first is due in August.....
Click to expand...
Everything possible. Time is unbelievably limited after. Especially inside. You'll feel the wrath of an angry, post-partum women if you wake a sleeping baby.
Click to expand...
Yeah, trying to get everything inside done. Finished off the painting in the nursery yesterday, hope to get the hall bathroom finished off this week. Also the nursery room is where the only attic access is, so making sure everything up there is the way it's going to remain for the next few years (no storage up there, but there is an air handler and all the ducting for the 3rd floor).

 
Cool thread.

I have an extremely long list, but the two at the top are:

-Paying landscapers to re-do our back yard

-Replacing all (most?) of the boards on our deck

Our lot is long and skinny, dividing pretty much into thirds. The front third has our front yard and house. Middle third is pool on one side, and long skinny yard on the other. Way back yard is overgrown trees/weeds. We moved in four years ago and intended on doing the way back ourselves. My FIL came in and cut down a bunch of small trees, and we hacked away at the rest. When we got that all gone, we could see that it was 99% weeds, and 1% grass. Too big of a job for us at the time. Four years later it is in worse shape, so we had someone come in and give us a bid on removing all the brush/weeds, getting rid of all the trash (previous owners had a fire pit made of broken up concrete, and left the old pool water filter, as well as extra shingles and other trash from the poo house), leveling the ground, adding dirt, and sodding the whole thing. $6 grand was the bid. no idea if that is a good price, but I know it would be a every weekend of the summer, 10 hour days, of doing that myself and that doesn't interest me. I hate to pay for stuff like that but if I want it done before all my kids go to college, I see no other choice.

The deck is in bad shape. A lot of the boards are soft and need replacing. It needs to be repainted as well. That I can handle myself.

 
Everything outside. New white vinyl exterior fence. Pool fence. Remove 10-12 trees. Open pool. Re-pave driveway. Backyard playground for 5 year old.

I might wait a year on the driveway.

 
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