Commish's Six Month...No Ten Month House REBUILD....and Now We're Moving (1 Viewer)

[The Commish]

We have a roof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got done just in time for the monsoon. Today I met with the electrician for all his rough-in work and things we want to change. Hopefully, we begin picking up the pace pretty quickly. All the framing is complete!!!!

Incidently, we decided on these doors. We are going to keep the paladin look of the window, but make the middle window an arch instead of a full half circle. That will give us a larger center window. Baby steps!

 

[Binky The Doormat]

We have a roof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got done just in time for the monsoon. Today I met with the electrician for all his rough-in work and things we want to change. Hopefully, we begin picking up the pace pretty quickly. All the framing is complete!!!!

Incidently, we decided on these doors. We are going to keep the paladin look of the window, but make the middle window an arch instead of a full half circle. That will give us a larger center window. Baby steps!

Really sweet front doors.

 

[The Commish]

We have a roof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got done just in time for the monsoon. Today I met with the electrician for all his rough-in work and things we want to change. Hopefully, we begin picking up the pace pretty quickly. All the framing is complete!!!!

Incidently, we decided on these doors. We are going to keep the paladin look of the window, but make the middle window an arch instead of a full half circle. That will give us a larger center window. Baby steps!

Really sweet front doors.

Oddly enough....it was the first set she looked at. It only took looking at a dozen more options for her to decide that her initial instinct was correct

 

[The Commish]

Opinions desired. We have to completely redo three bathrooms. Previously, they had three of those heavy duty fiberglass shower/tub inserts and we don't want those to go back in. Is it a positive value add to the house to have really large showers in a couple of them in lieu of a tub? Interested in thoughts.

 

[Chadstroma]

Opinions desired. We have to completely redo three bathrooms. Previously, they had three of those heavy duty fiberglass shower/tub inserts and we don't want those to go back in. Is it a positive value add to the house to have really large showers in a couple of them in lieu of a tub? Interested in thoughts.

In general, big showers are the trend however if I was doing it I would go two showers and one tub. When we were house hunting- if a house did not have one tub it was automatically withdrawn from consideration. My wife's thinking was in having young kids and doing bathtime- you just need a tub. I think variety helps too in terms of appealing to potential home buyers.

 

[The Commish]

Opinions desired. We have to completely redo three bathrooms. Previously, they had three of those heavy duty fiberglass shower/tub inserts and we don't want those to go back in. Is it a positive value add to the house to have really large showers in a couple of them in lieu of a tub? Interested in thoughts.

In general, big showers are the trend however if I was doing it I would go two showers and one tub. When we were house hunting- if a house did not have one tub it was automatically withdrawn from consideration. My wife's thinking was in having young kids and doing bathtime- you just need a tub. I think variety helps too in terms of appealing to potential home buyers.

this is my wife's thought as well.

 

[El Floppo]

Opinions desired. We have to completely redo three bathrooms. Previously, they had three of those heavy duty fiberglass shower/tub inserts and we don't want those to go back in. Is it a positive value add to the house to have really large showers in a couple of them in lieu of a tub? Interested in thoughts.

In general, big showers are the trend however if I was doing it I would go two showers and one tub. When we were house hunting- if a house did not have one tub it was automatically withdrawn from consideration. My wife's thinking was in having young kids and doing bathtime- you just need a tub. I think variety helps too in terms of appealing to potential home buyers.

this is my wife's thought as well.

absolutely- you need at least one tub for little kids.

whether the master bath gets a tub and/or shower is always a completely personal decision.

I would recommend at least two tubs... but that's not from a resale perspective, only a functional one- you can always shower in a tub, but not so much the other way around.

 

[Chadstroma]

Opinions desired. We have to completely redo three bathrooms. Previously, they had three of those heavy duty fiberglass shower/tub inserts and we don't want those to go back in. Is it a positive value add to the house to have really large showers in a couple of them in lieu of a tub? Interested in thoughts.

In general, big showers are the trend however if I was doing it I would go two showers and one tub. When we were house hunting- if a house did not have one tub it was automatically withdrawn from consideration. My wife's thinking was in having young kids and doing bathtime- you just need a tub. I think variety helps too in terms of appealing to potential home buyers.

this is my wife's thought as well.

Master bath = Absolutely a nice big walk in shower with a built in sitting area and the more the facets the better. That was always a "wow" factor in the house hunt. Common bath that would most likely be the "kids" bath, I would have a tub. The third one that would most likely be used as a guest or extra then another walk in shower though no need to go all out like the masters.

That is what I would do now. However, if not for my wife pointing that out and being adamant about it, I don't think I would have ever thought about it.

 

[Chadstroma]

Opinions desired. We have to completely redo three bathrooms. Previously, they had three of those heavy duty fiberglass shower/tub inserts and we don't want those to go back in. Is it a positive value add to the house to have really large showers in a couple of them in lieu of a tub? Interested in thoughts.

In general, big showers are the trend however if I was doing it I would go two showers and one tub. When we were house hunting- if a house did not have one tub it was automatically withdrawn from consideration. My wife's thinking was in having young kids and doing bathtime- you just need a tub. I think variety helps too in terms of appealing to potential home buyers.

this is my wife's thought as well.

I would also add that my wife did not have a whole lot of "automatically withdrawn from consideration" things. Beyond the tub, the only others ones was being near high voltage wires and no master bath. Beyond those she was pretty flexible though she had more +/-'s. So, the tub thing was actually a "big" thing.

 

[El Floppo]

for master bath, I always prefer both tub AND w-in shower. wife likes to take baths. I like to shower. best of both worlds. harder to make happen in NYC with space constraints, but I can often squeeze them in for clients (bad pic of recent project)

 

[The Commish]

Opinions desired. We have to completely redo three bathrooms. Previously, they had three of those heavy duty fiberglass shower/tub inserts and we don't want those to go back in. Is it a positive value add to the house to have really large showers in a couple of them in lieu of a tub? Interested in thoughts.

In general, big showers are the trend however if I was doing it I would go two showers and one tub. When we were house hunting- if a house did not have one tub it was automatically withdrawn from consideration. My wife's thinking was in having young kids and doing bathtime- you just need a tub. I think variety helps too in terms of appealing to potential home buyers.

this is my wife's thought as well.

absolutely- you need at least one tub for little kids.

whether the master bath gets a tub and/or shower is always a completely personal decision.

I would recommend at least two tubs... but that's not from a resale perspective, only a functional one- you can always shower in a tub, but not so much the other way around.

These are three bathrooms in three bedrooms for kids and guests....not master. Here's where I struggle. I feel like it's extra work for no added value. Is resale going to be all that different for a house with 3 tubs vs 1/2? To put in the showers the drain plumbing will have to be moved. That impacts the can lights on the first floor as well as a couple pieces of problematic structure. I meet with the contractor tomorrow to see what the cost is going to be, so maybe he can help me see the light, but right now, it looks like extra work for nothing.

 

[The Commish]

By the way...you guys are providing a significant service for me. It's much appreciated. My wife wants to be the boss, but can't make decisions. It's driving me bat#### crazy at the moment, but I'm trying to remain as calm as possible. This "request" was just sprung on me yesterday after the plumbing rough in has been done for weeks.

 

[El Floppo]

By the way...you guys are providing a significant service for me. It's much appreciated. My wife wants to be the boss, but can't make decisions. It's driving me bat#### crazy at the moment, but I'm trying to remain as calm as possible. This "request" was just sprung on me yesterday after the plumbing rough in has been done for weeks.

get a price/change-order for doing everything... that will help her decide.

 

[The Commish]

By the way...you guys are providing a significant service for me. It's much appreciated. My wife wants to be the boss, but can't make decisions. It's driving me bat#### crazy at the moment, but I'm trying to remain as calm as possible. This "request" was just sprung on me yesterday after the plumbing rough in has been done for weeks.

get a price/change-order for doing everything... that will help her decide.

It really won't. She doesn't give a crap how much it costs. She just wants what she wants, which is part of the problem. IT WILL, however, help me make the decision and deal with the silent treatment (which would be welcomed at this point) should that be the choice.

 

[Chadstroma]

Opinions desired. We have to completely redo three bathrooms. Previously, they had three of those heavy duty fiberglass shower/tub inserts and we don't want those to go back in. Is it a positive value add to the house to have really large showers in a couple of them in lieu of a tub? Interested in thoughts.

In general, big showers are the trend however if I was doing it I would go two showers and one tub. When we were house hunting- if a house did not have one tub it was automatically withdrawn from consideration. My wife's thinking was in having young kids and doing bathtime- you just need a tub. I think variety helps too in terms of appealing to potential home buyers.

this is my wife's thought as well.

absolutely- you need at least one tub for little kids.

whether the master bath gets a tub and/or shower is always a completely personal decision.

I would recommend at least two tubs... but that's not from a resale perspective, only a functional one- you can always shower in a tub, but not so much the other way around.

These are three bathrooms in three bedrooms for kids and guests....not master. Here's where I struggle. I feel like it's extra work for no added value. Is resale going to be all that different for a house with 3 tubs vs 1/2? To put in the showers the drain plumbing will have to be moved. That impacts the can lights on the first floor as well as a couple pieces of problematic structure. I meet with the contractor tomorrow to see what the cost is going to be, so maybe he can help me see the light, but right now, it looks like extra work for nothing.

I am sure you did not mean it by this but 1/2 denotes a bathroom without a shower/tub at all just a toilet/sink.

I don't know if resale value will be impacted directly but you could very well limit your possible buyers by not getting a tub. I can't tell you how common it is for women to be adamant that at least one bath have a tub but that was my wife. I would guess most women think about these things and if you have a young family looking at your house- they could very well not buy because of that. I doubt it would be a factor for a family that has kids pre-teen and up but for those with or planning on having young kids- it is a big factor.

 

[Chadstroma]

By the way...you guys are providing a significant service for me. It's much appreciated. My wife wants to be the boss, but can't make decisions. It's driving me bat#### crazy at the moment, but I'm trying to remain as calm as possible. This "request" was just sprung on me yesterday after the plumbing rough in has been done for weeks.

Isn't that all women?!

My wife as well. If I give her options- nothing will happen. If I go and make a decision it is very often the wrong decision.

The painting the kids rooms just turned into doing the flooring too. I said "ok" and looked around. I found a sale told her that there was a good sale that was expiring soon. Wait for it. Wait for it. Waiting still. And the sale expired.

 

[The Commish]

Opinions desired. We have to completely redo three bathrooms. Previously, they had three of those heavy duty fiberglass shower/tub inserts and we don't want those to go back in. Is it a positive value add to the house to have really large showers in a couple of them in lieu of a tub? Interested in thoughts.

In general, big showers are the trend however if I was doing it I would go two showers and one tub. When we were house hunting- if a house did not have one tub it was automatically withdrawn from consideration. My wife's thinking was in having young kids and doing bathtime- you just need a tub. I think variety helps too in terms of appealing to potential home buyers.

this is my wife's thought as well.

absolutely- you need at least one tub for little kids.

whether the master bath gets a tub and/or shower is always a completely personal decision.

I would recommend at least two tubs... but that's not from a resale perspective, only a functional one- you can always shower in a tub, but not so much the other way around.

These are three bathrooms in three bedrooms for kids and guests....not master. Here's where I struggle. I feel like it's extra work for no added value. Is resale going to be all that different for a house with 3 tubs vs 1/2? To put in the showers the drain plumbing will have to be moved. That impacts the can lights on the first floor as well as a couple pieces of problematic structure. I meet with the contractor tomorrow to see what the cost is going to be, so maybe he can help me see the light, but right now, it looks like extra work for nothing.

I am sure you did not mean it by this but 1/2 denotes a bathroom without a shower/tub at all just a toilet/sink.

I don't know if resale value will be impacted directly but you could very well limit your possible buyers by not getting a tub. I can't tell you how common it is for women to be adamant that at least one bath have a tub but that was my wife. I would guess most women think about these things and if you have a young family looking at your house- they could very well not buy because of that. I doubt it would be a factor for a family that has kids pre-teen and up but for those with or planning on having young kids- it is a big factor.

you know....I saw that and was going to put a - instead but said screw it I'd demand at least one tub stay that's for sure. So we'd still have two. The one upstairs and our master.

 

[Chadstroma]

If you got the rough in and they are all kids/guest rooms for the baths- I would find which one was the cheapest/easiest etc with the rough already in to have one tub. One tub and I think you are good. One tub allows the young family to do the bathtime with the small kids. Beyond that, I don't see a "need" to get more tubs in terms of resale.

 

[The Commish]

BTW...this house has 5 freakin bathrooms. Three of them were affected by the damage. The other is the master and a bathroom that's already shower only just off our "mud room" where I hose down after doing yard work. There's also a half bath that was suppose to be my summer remodel project. Scope grew significantly in June though.

 

[El Floppo]

If you got the rough in and they are all kids/guest rooms for the baths- I would find which one was the cheapest/easiest etc with the rough already in to have one tub. One tub and I think you are good. One tub allows the young family to do the bathtime with the small kids. Beyond that, I don't see a "need" to get more tubs in terms of resale.

totally agree.

but two tubs is kinda money.

- how many tubs are you guys putting in?

three.

 

[Chadstroma]

Opinions desired. We have to completely redo three bathrooms. Previously, they had three of those heavy duty fiberglass shower/tub inserts and we don't want those to go back in. Is it a positive value add to the house to have really large showers in a couple of them in lieu of a tub? Interested in thoughts.

In general, big showers are the trend however if I was doing it I would go two showers and one tub. When we were house hunting- if a house did not have one tub it was automatically withdrawn from consideration. My wife's thinking was in having young kids and doing bathtime- you just need a tub. I think variety helps too in terms of appealing to potential home buyers.

this is my wife's thought as well.

absolutely- you need at least one tub for little kids.

whether the master bath gets a tub and/or shower is always a completely personal decision.

I would recommend at least two tubs... but that's not from a resale perspective, only a functional one- you can always shower in a tub, but not so much the other way around.

These are three bathrooms in three bedrooms for kids and guests....not master. Here's where I struggle. I feel like it's extra work for no added value. Is resale going to be all that different for a house with 3 tubs vs 1/2? To put in the showers the drain plumbing will have to be moved. That impacts the can lights on the first floor as well as a couple pieces of problematic structure. I meet with the contractor tomorrow to see what the cost is going to be, so maybe he can help me see the light, but right now, it looks like extra work for nothing.

I am sure you did not mean it by this but 1/2 denotes a bathroom without a shower/tub at all just a toilet/sink.

I don't know if resale value will be impacted directly but you could very well limit your possible buyers by not getting a tub. I can't tell you how common it is for women to be adamant that at least one bath have a tub but that was my wife. I would guess most women think about these things and if you have a young family looking at your house- they could very well not buy because of that. I doubt it would be a factor for a family that has kids pre-teen and up but for those with or planning on having young kids- it is a big factor.

you know....I saw that and was going to put a - instead but said screw it I'd demand at least one tub stay that's for sure. So we'd still have two. The one upstairs and our master.

As long as you have one beyond the master then you are good. I wouldn't want to do the nightly kids bathtime we do now in our master. But as long as one bath has a tub then you just haul the kids in there and get the business done. Beyond that- I think as long as you do the bathrooms with good taste etc then it would not be a factor for most people in looking at houses. So, then go with whatever your preference, least cost, etc.

 

[Chadstroma]

BTW...this house has 5 freakin bathrooms. Three of them were affected by the damage. The other is the master and a bathroom that's already shower only just off our "mud room" where I hose down after doing yard work. There's also a half bath that was suppose to be my summer remodel project. Scope grew significantly in June though.

Dude, once you got beyond 4 bathrooms- you are just showing off.

 

[The Commish]

So I have a dumb question. I just assumed that putting in a shower in the footprint of our old bathtubs would be MORE than putting in a bathtub just in materials alone. Then the shower solution would also have to have plumbing etc. Is that incorrect?

 

[The Commish]

BTW...this house has 5 freakin bathrooms. Three of them were affected by the damage. The other is the master and a bathroom that's already shower only just off our "mud room" where I hose down after doing yard work. There's also a half bath that was suppose to be my summer remodel project. Scope grew significantly in June though.

Dude, once you got beyond 4 bathrooms- you are just showing off.

This house was built in the early 90s so every bedroom has a bathroom and then there's the one in our mudroom, so yeah....I have more ####ters than I have time to clean for no real reason.

 

[El Floppo]

So I have a dumb question. I just assumed that putting in a shower in the footprint of our old bathtubs would be MORE than putting in a bathtub just in materials alone. Then the shower solution would also have to have plumbing etc. Is that incorrect?

shower pan, water-proofing at walls, shower-body (plumbing fixture- valves, trims, shower head, etc if not already in place), tile/stone surround, shower door and/or curb, shift drain (maybe)

 

[The Commish]

So I have a dumb question. I just assumed that putting in a shower in the footprint of our old bathtubs would be MORE than putting in a bathtub just in materials alone. Then the shower solution would also have to have plumbing etc. Is that incorrect?

shower pan, water-proofing at walls, shower-body (plumbing fixture- valves, trims, shower head, etc if not already in place), tile/stone surround, shower door and/or curb, shift drain (maybe)

water proofing already has to be done so do the fixtures. I don't know what a "shower body" is though She'll want a "seamless" shower door, so that alone will cost more than a $300-$400 tub (I'd think).

ETA: So I guess the question is does a tub cost more than a glass shower door, tile where the tub would be and a shower pan? Also the cost of plumbing to move the shower drain and impacted electrical on the first floor.

 

[El Floppo]

So I have a dumb question. I just assumed that putting in a shower in the footprint of our old bathtubs would be MORE than putting in a bathtub just in materials alone. Then the shower solution would also have to have plumbing etc. Is that incorrect?

shower pan, water-proofing at walls, shower-body (plumbing fixture- valves, trims, shower head, etc if not already in place), tile/stone surround, shower door and/or curb, shift drain (maybe)

water proofing already has to be done so do the fixtures. I don't know what a "shower body" is though She'll want a "seamless" shower door, so that alone will cost more than a $300-$400 tub (I'd think).

ETA: So I guess the question is does a tub cost more than a glass shower door, tile where the tub would be and a shower pan? Also the cost of plumbing to move the shower drain and impacted electrical on the first floor.

depends on the tub.

but probably not.

 

[The Commish]

So I have a dumb question. I just assumed that putting in a shower in the footprint of our old bathtubs would be MORE than putting in a bathtub just in materials alone. Then the shower solution would also have to have plumbing etc. Is that incorrect?

shower pan, water-proofing at walls, shower-body (plumbing fixture- valves, trims, shower head, etc if not already in place), tile/stone surround, shower door and/or curb, shift drain (maybe)

water proofing already has to be done so do the fixtures. I don't know what a "shower body" is though She'll want a "seamless" shower door, so that alone will cost more than a $300-$400 tub (I'd think).

ETA: So I guess the question is does a tub cost more than a glass shower door, tile where the tub would be and a shower pan? Also the cost of plumbing to move the shower drain and impacted electrical on the first floor.

depends on the tub.

but probably not.

I can't see paying more than $300-$400 for a tub. Hell that's something I haven't even introduced into this fiasco. The tub. There's only a billion. I'm pretty sure she'll want the $5000 one that looks just like the $300 one.

 

[El Floppo]

So I have a dumb question. I just assumed that putting in a shower in the footprint of our old bathtubs would be MORE than putting in a bathtub just in materials alone. Then the shower solution would also have to have plumbing etc. Is that incorrect?

shower pan, water-proofing at walls, shower-body (plumbing fixture- valves, trims, shower head, etc if not already in place), tile/stone surround, shower door and/or curb, shift drain (maybe)

water proofing already has to be done so do the fixtures. I don't know what a "shower body" is though She'll want a "seamless" shower door, so that alone will cost more than a $300-$400 tub (I'd think).

ETA: So I guess the question is does a tub cost more than a glass shower door, tile where the tub would be and a shower pan? Also the cost of plumbing to move the shower drain and impacted electrical on the first floor.

depends on the tub.

but probably not.

I can't see paying more than $300-$400 for a tub. Hell that's something I haven't even introduced into this fiasco. The tub. There's only a billion. I'm pretty sure she'll want the $5000 one that looks just like the $300 one.

and is it a drop-in, or are you putting a deck on it? apron?

we've been using the Kohler bellweather for secondary/kids' baths. I'm not a fan (because of the apron and tile-flange)- but it's cheapish, and low (good for kids).

 

[The Commish]

So I have a dumb question. I just assumed that putting in a shower in the footprint of our old bathtubs would be MORE than putting in a bathtub just in materials alone. Then the shower solution would also have to have plumbing etc. Is that incorrect?

shower pan, water-proofing at walls, shower-body (plumbing fixture- valves, trims, shower head, etc if not already in place), tile/stone surround, shower door and/or curb, shift drain (maybe)

water proofing already has to be done so do the fixtures. I don't know what a "shower body" is though She'll want a "seamless" shower door, so that alone will cost more than a $300-$400 tub (I'd think).

ETA: So I guess the question is does a tub cost more than a glass shower door, tile where the tub would be and a shower pan? Also the cost of plumbing to move the shower drain and impacted electrical on the first floor.

depends on the tub.

but probably not.

I can't see paying more than $300-$400 for a tub. Hell that's something I haven't even introduced into this fiasco. The tub. There's only a billion. I'm pretty sure she'll want the $5000 one that looks just like the $300 one.

and is it a drop-in, or are you putting a deck on it? apron?

we've been using the Kohler bellweather for secondary/kids' baths. I'm not a fan (because of the apron and tile-flange)- but it's cheapish, and low (good for kids).

no deck, no apron....looking for something to just slide into place. like this (I am hoping)

 

[The Commish]

So, it's been slow going with all the freakin' rain, but things are starting to move now. We have our windows and doors

Inside we decided to stay with tubs throughout. We have a bunch of cast iron piping that runs through the ceiling of downstairs (floor of upstairs) and we didn't want to spend the dough to reconfigure that. So, we stayed with tubs instead of hearing crap flow through our house every time someone flushed upstairs. We've picked out our flooring as well. Right now they are in the process of rebricking "the box" of the house and I have to say, it might look better than I thought it was going to. Still, the endgame is to white wash. If we have to do that afterwards, so be it.

 

[El Floppo]

still amazing about that tree... and that nobody got hurt.

really glad it's... slowly, but surely... working out. looks good.

 

[The Commish]

still amazing about that tree... and that nobody got hurt.

really glad it's... slowly, but surely... working out. looks good.

The other one is coming down this week or next. We'll be taking part of it to make a mantle and then a matching tabletop for the builtin under where the TV is going to go. The rest I'll be giving to a friend who wants it for firewood. I'm very thankful and blessed that it wasn't worse.

 

[The Commish]

BTW, my wife is VERY happy with her window design. I forget who suggested to keep the palladian (probably El Floppo??) but she took to it and had the guy do that particular combo. Thanks guys

 

[Chadstroma]

Yikes. Didn't realize the work was involved in a tree coming down on the house.

I have a very tall pine tree in our backyard that I wonder about it's health (other trees on our property recently obviously died due to either the extreme winter and/or disease). Also, when we had some heavy snow a big branch came down. Not sure if that might suggest health issues or it was just a lot of heavy snow on it at the time. It is also close to our retaining wall which is not in the best of health along the wall though where the tree is actually is holding up well. But the way wind seems to normally come direction wise- it could easily come down on the house and would strike the master bedroom area.

Makes me even more nervous now.

 

[The Commish]

Yikes. Didn't realize the work was involved in a tree coming down on the house.

I have a very tall pine tree in our backyard that I wonder about it's health (other trees on our property recently obviously died due to either the extreme winter and/or disease). Also, when we had some heavy snow a big branch came down. Not sure if that might suggest health issues or it was just a lot of heavy snow on it at the time. It is also close to our retaining wall which is not in the best of health along the wall though where the tree is actually is holding up well. But the way wind seems to normally come direction wise- it could easily come down on the house and would strike the master bedroom area.

Makes me even more nervous now.

I think it's pretty rare for a pine to uproot like this one did. They have tap roots that go straight down, BUT after this happened, my parents had all their long needle white pine trees cut down. Snow/ice snap the limbs out of those things all the time. I have never seen one uprooted before though. Do you see it's roots close to the surface? If so, I'd consider it if it's not too costly.

 

[Chadstroma]

Yikes. Didn't realize the work was involved in a tree coming down on the house.

I have a very tall pine tree in our backyard that I wonder about it's health (other trees on our property recently obviously died due to either the extreme winter and/or disease). Also, when we had some heavy snow a big branch came down. Not sure if that might suggest health issues or it was just a lot of heavy snow on it at the time. It is also close to our retaining wall which is not in the best of health along the wall though where the tree is actually is holding up well. But the way wind seems to normally come direction wise- it could easily come down on the house and would strike the master bedroom area.

Makes me even more nervous now.

I think it's pretty rare for a pine to uproot like this one did. They have tap roots that go straight down, BUT after this happened, my parents had all their long needle white pine trees cut down. Snow/ice snap the limbs out of those things all the time. I have never seen one uprooted before though. Do you see it's roots close to the surface? If so, I'd consider it if it's not too costly.

No roots. And if the retaining wall failed and caused it to fall, it would fall away from the house. It is too far from the house for the branches to fall on the house (though the branch that came down before would have caused serious injury if someone- most likely my dog- happened to be under it when it came down.)

 

[The Commish]

So, it's been a while since I updated, but things are moving along. The brick has been reapplied and isn't really close to matching so that's our next issue to address with insurance. My wife has long talked about whitewashing the house (and our house prior too) we just never did it. The idea's grown on me and so we'll pitch that to insurance and see if they bite. We had a minor problem (our first real hiccup actually) where the roofline had to be redone on the front. Prior to this picture, the small oval window at the top was out of line with the doors and window below it. (oh yeah....these are the doors and window design we came up with BTW) It took a lot of measuring and analysis of old photos to realize the peak on the top of the house was put back with too steep of a pitch. Now it's fixed and we're moving on.

Drywall is almost done and crown goes in next along with the trim around doors and windows. Then they'll paint, then put down floors. We've picked all the tile materials for the bathrooms as well. We stayed with three tubs. It was going to be too expensive to move the plumbing around to convert one of them to a shower only.

 

[James Daulton]

So, it's been a while since I updated, but things are moving along. The brick has been reapplied and isn't really close to matching so that's our next issue to address with insurance. My wife has long talked about whitewashing the house (and our house prior too) we just never did it. The idea's grown on me and so we'll pitch that to insurance and see if they bite. We had a minor problem (our first real hiccup actually) where the roofline had to be redone on the front. Prior to this picture, the small oval window at the top was out of line with the doors and window below it. (oh yeah....these are the doors and window design we came up with BTW) It took a lot of measuring and analysis of old photos to realize the peak on the top of the house was put back with too steep of a pitch. Now it's fixed and we're moving on.

Drywall is almost done and crown goes in next along with the trim around doors and windows. Then they'll paint, then put down floors. We've picked all the tile materials for the bathrooms as well. We stayed with three tubs. It was going to be too expensive to move the plumbing around to convert one of them to a shower only.

That's a nice looking house Commish. I love all brick houses. Mine is an all brick rancher roughly 1/2 the size of yours'. I still like it.

 

[The Commish]

It's getting there JD. We really liked it to begin with, now it will be better on the inside and hopefully safer on the outside now that both the trees in the front yard are gone.

 

[The Commish]

I need to get a picture of the outside, but the brick (specifically the mortar) isn't close to matching so we are thinking of having the house white washed. It's either that or tear down the rest of the brick on the front and having it redone too. I thought it would be close but it isn't close (and I'm not really that picky). Needless to say, it's driving my wife nuts. Anyway here are some pictures of the things we've changed on the inside. Nothing huge, but they make a big difference.

1. We arched the door going from our foyer into the living room / kitchen area.

2. There's a pic of the new doors and window (from the inside). Need a better pic from outside. We are really pleased with the way they turned out.

3. My office will now house the wet bar

4. We had a wall that was full of cabinets. We are taking the top part off those cabinets to create room to hang the TV on the wall.

5. All the openings to/from the living room have been raised about a foot opening things up nicely.

 

[stbugs]

Hadn't followed this in a while, glad to see things are going well. I think you will be happy with the tubs. I'll be honest, I always liked tiled showers, but man, the maintenance is such a pain. My last house had tile surround with a fiberglass tub in all rooms and we had the separate shower/jacuzzi tub in the master. Just keeping the tile clean sometimes was a PIA, as was making sure the caulking was all good, especially after years in the house. Now, we have 5 full bathrooms and 4 are the full fiberglass tub/shower and our master is full tile shower and jacuzzi tub. The only one that is a pain is the tiled shower. I really want to tear it out, but it looks nice. Maybe marble with a seamless glass door would work better or a full walk out, but I've tried sealing it, etc. and the caulk/cleaning is annoying. It was the kids' shower as well when they were young (oldest two use their's now), so it always got a ton of use. I know the full fiberglass tub/showers aren't the most appealing, but we have corian counterops and nice cabinets in all of the other bathrooms, so they are nice. They are just so gosh darn easy to clean and always look clean without much effort.

 

[ChiefD]

I need to get a picture of the outside, but the brick (specifically the mortar) isn't close to matching so we are thinking of having the house white washed. It's either that or tear down the rest of the brick on the front and having it redone too. I thought it would be close but it isn't close (and I'm not really that picky). Needless to say, it's driving my wife nuts. Anyway here are some pictures of the things we've changed on the inside. Nothing huge, but they make a big difference.

1. We arched the door going from our foyer into the living room / kitchen area.

2. There's a pic of the new doors and window (from the inside). Need a better pic from outside. We are really pleased with the way they turned out.

3. My office will now house the wet bar

4. We had a wall that was full of cabinets. We are taking the top part off those cabinets to create room to hang the TV on the wall.

5. All the openings to/from the living room have been raised about a foot opening things up nicely.

Just a thought:

Is it possible to remove brick from the back of the house to use up front? Then you could patch in the back where it wouldn't be as obvious.

I just hate to see beautiful brick homes like that painted over. But that's just me. Your house is awesome.

 

[The Commish]

I need to get a picture of the outside, but the brick (specifically the mortar) isn't close to matching so we are thinking of having the house white washed. It's either that or tear down the rest of the brick on the front and having it redone too. I thought it would be close but it isn't close (and I'm not really that picky). Needless to say, it's driving my wife nuts. Anyway here are some pictures of the things we've changed on the inside. Nothing huge, but they make a big difference.

1. We arched the door going from our foyer into the living room / kitchen area.

2. There's a pic of the new doors and window (from the inside). Need a better pic from outside. We are really pleased with the way they turned out.

3. My office will now house the wet bar

4. We had a wall that was full of cabinets. We are taking the top part off those cabinets to create room to hang the TV on the wall.

5. All the openings to/from the living room have been raised about a foot opening things up nicely.

Just a thought:

Is it possible to remove brick from the back of the house to use up front? Then you could patch in the back where it wouldn't be as obvious.

I just hate to see beautiful brick homes like that painted over. But that's just me. Your house is awesome.

For the expense, no and it's really not the brick that's the problem. It's the mortar. It's way darker than the original. The old brick is a lighter color than the new brick, but it's relatively close given the brick on the house is 20+ years old. I don't want painted brick either. Defeats the purpose in having brick from a maintenance perspective IMO. However, I have warmed to white washing. We can still have the brick look show through. This is as far as I'm willing to go with it though. I don't want it painted a solid color. Something like this. I'd be ok with even slightly more brick covered too, but not much.

 

[ChiefD]

I need to get a picture of the outside, but the brick (specifically the mortar) isn't close to matching so we are thinking of having the house white washed. It's either that or tear down the rest of the brick on the front and having it redone too. I thought it would be close but it isn't close (and I'm not really that picky). Needless to say, it's driving my wife nuts. Anyway here are some pictures of the things we've changed on the inside. Nothing huge, but they make a big difference.

1. We arched the door going from our foyer into the living room / kitchen area.

2. There's a pic of the new doors and window (from the inside). Need a better pic from outside. We are really pleased with the way they turned out.

3. My office will now house the wet bar

4. We had a wall that was full of cabinets. We are taking the top part off those cabinets to create room to hang the TV on the wall.

5. All the openings to/from the living room have been raised about a foot opening things up nicely.

Just a thought:

Is it possible to remove brick from the back of the house to use up front? Then you could patch in the back where it wouldn't be as obvious.

I just hate to see beautiful brick homes like that painted over. But that's just me. Your house is awesome.

For the expense, no and it's really not the brick that's the problem. It's the mortar. It's way darker than the original. The old brick is a lighter color than the new brick, but it's relatively close given the brick on the house is 20+ years old. I don't want painted brick either. Defeats the purpose in having brick from a maintenance perspective IMO. However, I have warmed to white washing. We can still have the brick look show through. This is as far as I'm willing to go with it though. I don't want it painted a solid color. Something like this. I'd be ok with even slightly more brick covered too, but not much.

Yeah, that looks pretty good.

 

[El Floppo]

I need to get a picture of the outside, but the brick (specifically the mortar) isn't close to matching so we are thinking of having the house white washed. It's either that or tear down the rest of the brick on the front and having it redone too. I thought it would be close but it isn't close (and I'm not really that picky). Needless to say, it's driving my wife nuts. Anyway here are some pictures of the things we've changed on the inside. Nothing huge, but they make a big difference.

1. We arched the door going from our foyer into the living room / kitchen area.

2. There's a pic of the new doors and window (from the inside). Need a better pic from outside. We are really pleased with the way they turned out.

3. My office will now house the wet bar

4. We had a wall that was full of cabinets. We are taking the top part off those cabinets to create room to hang the TV on the wall.

5. All the openings to/from the living room have been raised about a foot opening things up nicely.

I really like the primitive polka-dot paintjob on the interior.

 

[The Commish]

I need to get a picture of the outside, but the brick (specifically the mortar) isn't close to matching so we are thinking of having the house white washed. It's either that or tear down the rest of the brick on the front and having it redone too. I thought it would be close but it isn't close (and I'm not really that picky). Needless to say, it's driving my wife nuts. Anyway here are some pictures of the things we've changed on the inside. Nothing huge, but they make a big difference.

1. We arched the door going from our foyer into the living room / kitchen area.

2. There's a pic of the new doors and window (from the inside). Need a better pic from outside. We are really pleased with the way they turned out.

3. My office will now house the wet bar

4. We had a wall that was full of cabinets. We are taking the top part off those cabinets to create room to hang the TV on the wall.

5. All the openings to/from the living room have been raised about a foot opening things up nicely.

I really like the primitive polka-dot paintjob on the interior.

The funny thing is.....my wife has picked a color gray that is pretty freakin close to the color of drywall. I was making fun of her for it.

ETA: Anyone else from the peanut gallery have any opinion on the white washing process?

 

[El Floppo]

white washing the brick is fine. it's a known, established look- won't hurt you.

do you know why you guys are so off with the mortar color? bricks are tough- you can even use the exact same brand/color/model brick, but because the others have been aging/weathering the new ones will look off. usually easier to replace when there's a range of color tones in the existing. but mortar color should be a bit easier to get right.

 

[ChiefD]

I need to get a picture of the outside, but the brick (specifically the mortar) isn't close to matching so we are thinking of having the house white washed. It's either that or tear down the rest of the brick on the front and having it redone too. I thought it would be close but it isn't close (and I'm not really that picky). Needless to say, it's driving my wife nuts. Anyway here are some pictures of the things we've changed on the inside. Nothing huge, but they make a big difference.

1. We arched the door going from our foyer into the living room / kitchen area.

2. There's a pic of the new doors and window (from the inside). Need a better pic from outside. We are really pleased with the way they turned out.

3. My office will now house the wet bar

4. We had a wall that was full of cabinets. We are taking the top part off those cabinets to create room to hang the TV on the wall.

5. All the openings to/from the living room have been raised about a foot opening things up nicely.

I really like the primitive polka-dot paintjob on the interior.

The funny thing is.....my wife has picked a color gray that is pretty freakin close to the color of drywall. I was making fun of her for it.

ETA: Anyone else from the peanut gallery have any opinion on the white washing process?

If it's me, I may wait a bit until whitewashing. As the mortar cures over time, it may get closer to the other.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I need to get a picture of the outside, but the brick (specifically the mortar) isn't close to matching so we are thinking of having the house white washed. It's either that or tear down the rest of the brick on the front and having it redone too. I thought it would be close but it isn't close (and I'm not really that picky). Needless to say, it's driving my wife nuts. Anyway here are some pictures of the things we've changed on the inside. Nothing huge, but they make a big difference.

1. We arched the door going from our foyer into the living room / kitchen area.

2. There's a pic of the new doors and window (from the inside). Need a better pic from outside. We are really pleased with the way they turned out.

3. My office will now house the wet bar

4. We had a wall that was full of cabinets. We are taking the top part off those cabinets to create room to hang the TV on the wall.

5. All the openings to/from the living room have been raised about a foot opening things up nicely.

Just a thought:

Is it possible to remove brick from the back of the house to use up front? Then you could patch in the back where it wouldn't be as obvious.

I just hate to see beautiful brick homes like that painted over. But that's just me. Your house is awesome.

For the expense, no and it's really not the brick that's the problem. It's the mortar. It's way darker than the original. The old brick is a lighter color than the new brick, but it's relatively close given the brick on the house is 20+ years old. I don't want painted brick either. Defeats the purpose in having brick from a maintenance perspective IMO. However, I have warmed to white washing. We can still have the brick look show through. This is as far as I'm willing to go with it though. I don't want it painted a solid color. Something like this. I'd be ok with even slightly more brick covered too, but not much.

Love the white washing - classy as hell. Years ago we did the larger brick that looked aged - almost pink in color. Looked awesome.