Home-owners...What are your current projects? (1 Viewer)

[wilked]

I am curious to hear what projects others are going after (assume medium-large style projects, not hanging a picture). Also, ask questions if you have them and we can try and help each other.

I have a second boy on the way in a couple months, and am planning to build this

https://www.rhbabyandchild.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=rhbc_prod261023&categoryId=rhbc_cat223001

Found a decent write-up on it here

http://www.thedesignconfidential.com/2012/02/free-woodworking-plans-build-rh-inspired-kenwood-twin-over-full-bunk

Seems to indicate it can be done for about 10-15% of the list price, which is nice. I just bought a Kreg pocket jig so am anxious to use it. I plan to use select pine for the wood, and will stain it ultimately. Staining will probably take half the time overall.

My main question - how confident would you be in having only the four 7/8" dowels holding the top bunk onto the lower? I know boys can get pretty rough, kicking the bed from below, etc.

 

[KCitons]

After last summers debacle of residing my house. (it only took 4 times longer than planned and a few stitches) This year we are looking at updating our kitchen. (new flooring, counter top, backsplash and sink.

Luckily, it's open season on our insurance coverage at work. You can never have too much.

 

[avoiding injuries]

I put in a patio last year outside of my walkout basement. This year I want to cover it. Either a pergola or a roof. I have windows on the main level above the patio that limit the types of roofs I can do.

I need to replace the railings on my deck and I'd like to put stairs in from the deck to the patio.

 

[rascal]

Refinishing cabinets and built-in and reconfiguring built in to fit a 65" TV.

 

[mr roboto]

Re-tile guest bath

Re-paint office

Gotta get a new blacktop driveway - not DIY

 

[The Duff Man]

Recently completed:

10x12 Elevated playhouse - two summers ago

4x5 Oak kitchen island - last summer

Regrouted shower - last month

In progress:

Installing laminate in basement rec room (about 430 sq ft)

Upcoming:

Apron sink and oak counters to match island

Moulding in the dining room

Variety of built-in shelving projects and probably a built in window seat also (see Girl Meets World for those with young kids)

 

[Dentist]

I'm also having a boy in a few months #2.. so I have to get a nursery going as well.

But this summer i have to do the whole exterior painting, new boards to replace some rotting ones, and a new garage door.

Every year or two i pick something to refurbish.... i've had a kitchen project, a carpet project, a bathroom project, interior paint, changing all my gold door hardware to rubbed bronze...

I hate home projects.. really i hate home ownership because the only person who gets owned is the homeowner.

Someone is going to get a pretty nicely refurbed house someday when i sell... and there's no way what i've i'll get out anywhere near what i've put into it.

I don't do any of this stuff myself though... i hate these types of projects.

 

[belljr]

None thank god. New roof but I'm not doing it

 

[wilked]

Refinishing cabinets and built-in and reconfiguring built in to fit a 65" TV.

refinishing yourself? You sand by hand, orbital, something else?

 

[gianmarco]

I'm also having a boy in a few months #2.. so I have to get a nursery going as well.

But this summer i have to do the whole exterior painting, new boards to replace some rotting ones, and a new garage door.

Every year or two i pick something to refurbish.... i've had a kitchen project, a carpet project, a bathroom project, interior paint, changing all my gold door hardware to rubbed bronze...

I hate home projects.. really i hate home ownership because the only person who gets owned is the homeowner.

Someone is going to get a pretty nicely refurbed house someday when i sell... and there's no way what i've i'll get out anywhere near what i've put into it.

I don't do any of this stuff myself though... i hate these types of projects.

How can you stand the -EV involved with this?

 

[wilked]

I put in a patio last year outside of my walkout basement. This year I want to cover it. Either a pergola or a roof. I have windows on the main level above the patio that limit the types of roofs I can do.

I need to replace the railings on my deck and I'd like to put stairs in from the deck to the patio.

how tough was the patio? I need to do one this summer also, any advice / resources you suggest?

 

[wilked]

I'm also having a boy in a few months #2.. so I have to get a nursery going as well.

But this summer i have to do the whole exterior painting, new boards to replace some rotting ones, and a new garage door.

Every year or two i pick something to refurbish.... i've had a kitchen project, a carpet project, a bathroom project, interior paint, changing all my gold door hardware to rubbed bronze...

I hate home projects.. really i hate home ownership because the only person who gets owned is the homeowner.

Someone is going to get a pretty nicely refurbed house someday when i sell... and there's no way what i've i'll get out anywhere near what i've put into it.

I don't do any of this stuff myself though... i hate these types of projects.

you might consider not picking a fixer upper next time...

 

[Nugget]

Looking to install can lights in the front room. Currently there is no overhead lights. I have the popcorn ceiling scraped and it seems like I should add these now before I mud the ceiling. Only previous experience with electrical is new chandelier/outside lighting. Never ran wire before. 50/50 chance my wife calls 911 at some point.

 

[rascal]

Refinishing cabinets and built-in and reconfiguring built in to fit a 65" TV.

refinishing yourself? You sand by hand, orbital, something else?

Not a chance I do that by myself. I'm still trying to finish projects from 9 months ago.

 

[Annyong]

Stupid stuff like repurposing a dresser thing into a cubby type thing for my 2 year old. Trying to refurbish an old pirate chest trunk thing. Paint the whole interior of the house. Redesign my art studio/office. Get a Rex Grossman autographed picture. Replace brass hardware and light fixtures. Find FDAS and kick him in the shins.

 

[Annyong]

What am I doing currently? Putting all those things off/wait for the gf to decide on paint/hardware/Rex Grossman photo etc

 

[ragincajun]

House is 2 months old:

New Fence

New Blinds

Networking

Seal fence

Epoxy garage floor

Build rolling multi purpose workbench

Level backyard

Install shruberies in front

Slowly swap out LED bulbs

Etc

Learn how to Beat Shuke in chess.

 

[Dentist]

I'm also having a boy in a few months #2.. so I have to get a nursery going as well.

But this summer i have to do the whole exterior painting, new boards to replace some rotting ones, and a new garage door.

Every year or two i pick something to refurbish.... i've had a kitchen project, a carpet project, a bathroom project, interior paint, changing all my gold door hardware to rubbed bronze...

I hate home projects.. really i hate home ownership because the only person who gets owned is the homeowner.

Someone is going to get a pretty nicely refurbed house someday when i sell... and there's no way what i've i'll get out anywhere near what i've put into it.

I don't do any of this stuff myself though... i hate these types of projects.

you might consider not picking a fixer upper next time...

it wasn't, i've been there 11 years.. stuff breaks down. Carpet needs re-done, paint (second time on this), water heater, dishwasher, etc.

Stay somewhere long enough and stuff just has to be fixed and re-done.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Not doing them all right now, just lining them up

Not DIY

- getting trash compactor fixed

- new A/C unit

- window shutters in the living room

- new valance in kitchen

- new shower set up in master bath

DIY

- full garage shelving and storage

- hang a ton of pictures

- new faucets in master bathroom

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Finish some trim work from our complete kitchen remodel

Redo bathroom (tile floor, paint, whatever crazy scheme wife adds to the mix)

 

[Dentist]

I'm also having a boy in a few months #2.. so I have to get a nursery going as well.

But this summer i have to do the whole exterior painting, new boards to replace some rotting ones, and a new garage door.

Every year or two i pick something to refurbish.... i've had a kitchen project, a carpet project, a bathroom project, interior paint, changing all my gold door hardware to rubbed bronze...

I hate home projects.. really i hate home ownership because the only person who gets owned is the homeowner.

Someone is going to get a pretty nicely refurbed house someday when i sell... and there's no way what i've i'll get out anywhere near what i've put into it.

I don't do any of this stuff myself though... i hate these types of projects.

How can you stand the -EV involved with this?

I've accepted that it costs money to live. That life itself is essentially -EV. The only +EV move is death.

Given that I'm not ready to die yet, I'll continue to spend money to live.

It would apply to any home or place you could possibly live in.. over time stuff just has to get re-done.. furniture wears out or goes out of style, garbage disposals break, roof needs redone...

People don't really factor all of that into whether their real estate transaction was +EV or not... they look at what they bought it for and sold it for... never factoring in their time, all the little repairs and maintenance things, etc.

I've accepted that unless you let your place go to crap that you're going to have to spend at least 1-2% of it's value every year maintaining it.

I've been there 11 years and about 22% of the homes value is about right on par with what i've spent to maintain it.

 

[squidrope]

I'm finally getting around to finishing the mud room. Framing is done. Very happy to be putting the tiles down next weekend. My wife and the tiles have been waiting 18 years for this day.

 

[avoiding injuries]

I put in a patio last year outside of my walkout basement. This year I want to cover it. Either a pergola or a roof. I have windows on the main level above the patio that limit the types of roofs I can do.

I need to replace the railings on my deck and I'd like to put stairs in from the deck to the patio.

how tough was the patio? I need to do one this summer also, any advice / resources you suggest?

I did a paver at my last house. It turned out ok, but I'd probably pay a professional if I were to do it again. This patio I did stamped concrete. It was close to 600sqft so more than a DIY.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I'm also having a boy in a few months #2.. so I have to get a nursery going as well.

But this summer i have to do the whole exterior painting, new boards to replace some rotting ones, and a new garage door.

Every year or two i pick something to refurbish.... i've had a kitchen project, a carpet project, a bathroom project, interior paint, changing all my gold door hardware to rubbed bronze...

I hate home projects.. really i hate home ownership because the only person who gets owned is the homeowner.

Someone is going to get a pretty nicely refurbed house someday when i sell... and there's no way what i've i'll get out anywhere near what i've put into it.

I don't do any of this stuff myself though... i hate these types of projects.

How can you stand the -EV involved with this?

I've accepted that it costs money to live. That life itself is essentially -EV. The only +EV move is death.

Given that I'm not ready to die yet, I'll continue to spend money to live.

It would apply to any home or place you could possibly live in.. over time stuff just has to get re-done.. furniture wears out or goes out of style, garbage disposals break, roof needs redone...

People don't really factor all of that into whether their real estate transaction was +EV or not... they look at what they bought it for and sold it for... never factoring in their time, all the little repairs and maintenance things, etc.

I've accepted that unless you let your place go to crap that you're going to have to spend at least 1-2% of it's value every year maintaining it.

I've been there 11 years and about 22% of the homes value is about right on par with what i've spent to maintain it.

We decided to stay where we are quite a few years ago. As a result, the EV part went out the window.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I have a large deck that runs the entire length of my house. It faces West and, in the summer, it gets too hot too enjoy. I'm putting a roof over the middle third of it with a ceiling fan. Also replacing all of the railing (almost 120 feet) with vinyl posts, rail, and pickets. AND replacing 6' double door in the basement. It was hung wrong, is racked, out of plumb, the glass is busted. I'm going to piddle with getting my homebrew operation set up in the (unfinished) basement, too - just some rudimentary stuff like double sink, fridge, fermenting chambers.

 

[Shadowfax]

What aren't we going to do?

• Adding about 200sf - bigger foyer and powder room
• Adding front porch
• Re-wiring the entire house
• Insulation-walls and attic
• New windows
• Kitchen remodel - refinish cabinets, granite/quartz counter, backsplash and flooring
• Minor master bathroom remodel
• Refinish hardwood floors
• Add a couple skylights
• New siding on front of house
• Paint exterior
• Replace gutters
• New driveway - haven't decided on concrete or pavers
• Some other minor/misc crap

Some things need to be done -- rewiring, painting, new windows. Other stuff is fine as is (like the kitchen and bathroom) but we're updating it to our style. Was not a fixer -- bought it 4 years ago and haven't really done anything to it...basically move-in ready. We won't get the money out of it that we'll put in but we don't plan on selling and we'll have the exactly the house we want...within a L.A. budget.

And then maybe in a year or 2, we'll tackle the garage, backyard and landscaping.

 

[wilked]

Shadowfax...anytime you need to do a full rewire and reinsulation, it is a fixer...

 

[eoMMan]

None thank god. New roof but I'm not doing it

 

[bushdocda]

Moved to a new home in the summer. Planning on working a series of slack lines, slides and swings through the bank and trees in the yard. Spent the fall and winter hammering into the brush and ground covering and vines to reclaim. Mother Nature is a most formidible foe.

Need to redo a stretch of fence about 8 sections long in the spring. Ripped one jacked up section out when removing a tree stump.

Spent most the summer and fall paying people to address water and foundation issues.

This house is digging into me, thankfully we love it here.

 

[whiskey7]

I put in a patio last year outside of my walkout basement. This year I want to cover it. Either a pergola or a roof. I have windows on the main level above the patio that limit the types of roofs I can do.

I need to replace the railings on my deck and I'd like to put stairs in from the deck to the patio.

how tough was the patio? I need to do one this summer also, any advice / resources you suggest?

I did a paver at my last house. It turned out ok, but I'd probably pay a professional if I were to do it again. This patio I did stamped concrete. It was close to 600sqft so more than a DIY.

Put in a paver patio summer of 2012. Goes out from the LL walkout under elevated deck off the main level. Did most of the work myself but did get help from a friend of a friend who used to do hardscapes for a living. Lot of work but it turned out nice.Next big project is finishing the basement. Will do some myself, buddies will help with some, and then some will get hired-out.

 

[Quez]

I am in the process of renovating a master bathroom with the help of my dad. I'm pretty handy, but he is like Bob Villa. The only problem with the DIY with pops, is I'm on his schedule, and it will take months. Averaging 6hrs of work every 2 weeks so far lol. It's gutted so far.

 

[belljr]

I am in the process of renovating a master bathroom with the help of my dad. I'm pretty handy, but he is like Bob Villa. The only problem with the DIY with pops, is I'm on his schedule, and it will take months. Averaging 6hrs of work every 2 weeks so far lol. It's gutted so far.

that's what happens with me

 

[SWC]

I am in the process of renovating a master bathroom with the help of my dad. I'm pretty handy, but he is like Bob Villa. The only problem with the DIY with pops, is I'm on his schedule, and it will take months. Averaging 6hrs of work every 2 weeks so far lol. It's gutted so far.

yeah brohan but i bet it is done right those old guys well they know there stuff and hey you will get to remember doing that job with your dad the rest of your life and that is good stuff that is all i will say about that take that to the bank

 

[The Duff Man]

I learned everything off youtube and did it all myself. Pick a project, nothing is that difficult.

 

[Chaos Commish]

I have a large deck that runs the entire length of my house. It faces West and, in the summer, it gets too hot too enjoy. I'm putting a roof over the middle third of it with a ceiling fan. Also replacing all of the railing (almost 120 feet) with vinyl posts, rail, and pickets. AND replacing 6' double door in the basement. It was hung wrong, is racked, out of plumb, the glass is busted. I'm going to piddle with getting my homebrew operation set up in the (unfinished) basement, too - just some rudimentary stuff like double sink, fridge, fermenting chambers.

Similar job, but it's a concrete patio and it's covered. The problem is it's only 12' wide by 42' long with 24' of west facing windows. The 12 foot roof isn't wide enough to block the sun on 110 degree summer sunsets. It bounces off the concrete and cooks the windows. So I'm extending the width by 8'. Still in design phase as matching the existing roof is a big job and attaching a pergola has aesthetic issues. The lumber is stacked and waiting though.

 

[tommyboy]

Building an attached garage w/second story above that ties into existing house. Gonna pick up 3 bedrooms and at least one bathroom, plus a huge garage

 

[IC FBGCav]

My project is what breaks next.

 

[Osaurus]

Redoing office. Painted it again and having tile installed. Finally getting an L-shaped desk with wrap around cabinets and some new solid shelves for the closet. Custom master closet is the next project, but I need to re-sod the entire yard ASAP.

 

[bucksoh]

In process of finishing off my basement, been two years in making. I'm doing trim work right now then all I have to do is tile the shower and put up crown molding then I will be done. Did all the work my self except for I hired out drywallers to do the mudding. Burnt out so might take a break before I tile the shower. When I am done I'll have to post some pics.

 

[Krankie]

After last summers debacle of residing my house. (it only took 4 times longer than planned and a few stitches) This year we are looking at updating our kitchen. (new flooring, counter top, backsplash and sink.

Luckily, it's open season on our insurance coverage at work. You can never have too much.

This... Minus the stitches

 

[msommer]

And then maybe in a year or 2, we'll tackle the garage, backyard and landscaping.

One of the first things we did when we bought my current house (after living in apartments for fifteen years) was to fix the back yard, so on a summer's day we could sit with a col drink after work and just enjoy. Hard work if you do it yourself (we did) but totally worth it.

 

[Fat Nick]

I've always got something going on. Unfortunately with the baby, I don't get nearly as much time as I want.

Just finished-

Powder room renovation

New front porch lights

Built a Toy Box for the new kid

On the list-

Demo and re-build our deck...bigger and composite decking, lights, etc.

Need to figure out what happened to my back-yard flood light, but that probably will entail ripping out part of the nursery wall as I think the issue is with the wire at this point.

Drywell for our sump pit discharge so I can also plumb in a water softener (Don't want it dumping in my sump, and don't want salt in my yard)

At some point, I'll start finishing our basement

Install a transfer switch for the generator (not sure I'm doing this myself)

 

[Fat Nick]

Redoing office. Painted it again and having tile installed. Finally getting an L-shaped desk with wrap around cabinets and some new solid shelves for the closet. Custom master closet is the next project, but I need to re-sod the entire yard ASAP.

If you're not dead-set on wood custom closets like California Closets, etc, the Rubbermaid/Closetmaid metal shelving has come a long way. I did our walk-in with it shortly after we moved. It's a fraction of the cost of the wood stuff, and IMO fits a lot more stuff. You can even get drawers and shoe racks, etc. Very flexible, and if you have a basic bolt cutter ($20), you can cut it yourself as you go.

 

[SWC]

good for you brohans you are doing it the right way build up that sweat equity and improve where you are that is some good stuff right there and the old swcer is proud of you take that to the bank fellow bromericans

 

[pantagrapher]

We just bought our house last October. Right now I have my eye on spring and am working on large garden boxes for the backyard along with an enclosed compost area. Once it warms up, I'm going to stain the deck and aerate the soil out back and level it off in a few spots (previous owner had a dog, so there are a few rough spots where he used to dig). We have old Sears chain link fencing and the support poles are unsteady in a few places, so I'll reinforce those. Also need to replace or reinforce awning over front door.

 

[MAC_32]

Thankfully, not painting. First year since moving in.

This year, building a gate. We had a fence panel get knocked out by a downed tree last fall, so we took out the fence panel in the middle of the fence on the back border of our lot and put it there. I'm doing a custom gate to put in the new void. House backs up to the church/kids school, so it'll serve as a nice shortcut.

Rest of home improvement budget is going to a bunk bed and a freezer for the garage, so I'm getting off kinda easy this year.

 

[avoiding injuries]

Ugh. I was just told that there isn't enough light in the living room. The recessed lights and lamp aren't doing enough, so I'll be changing out the perfectly good ceiling fan with one that has better lighting.

 

[lumpy19]

Just finishing a mud room expansion with custom lockers for the kids(easily the biggest project I've done so far)

Next is re-doing the nursery for #3

Then tankless water heater

After that I'd like to move laundry to the basement

 

[avoiding injuries]

Just finishing a mud room expansion with custom lockers for the kids(easily the biggest project I've done so far)

Next is re-doing the nursery for #3

Then tankless water heater

After that I'd like to move laundry to the basement

I would like to see pics of the lockers, even if it is the picture that inspired you. Sounds cool.Interesting, most people I know want laundry as high as possible. Space issue?

 

[Wrigley]

We're getting ready for a new tv,(65-75 incher) it's going above the fireplace. I'll be adding wainscoting above the fp to run/hide all of the electrical