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Home-owners...What are your current projects? (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter wilked
- Start date
glvsav37
Footballguy
Had to dig out a 6 ft deep hole (5 1/2 feet wide x 4 ft away from foundation) to install an egress well.
pix
that sucked.
pix
that sucked.
the moops
Footballguy
You should be able to remove the solder by heating it up and prying it away. But then what? Get a piece of glass cut and resolder it yourself and hope not to #### it up?
I would just remove the whole panel and take it to someone who knows what the hell they are doing
KCitons
Footballguy
That's an option. If it was true leaded glass I would tackle it myself. This is a little different. No solder holding the glass in place.
El Floppo
Footballguy
otb_lifer
Footballguy
finally finished the upstairs bathroom trick out for my Princesses (gf & daughter) - new tub/shower (old fashioned claw, with mobile capable nozzle), new tiling, paint, ceiling, new vanity build, dual wash basins, a couple more outlets -
/fin
will begin reno on my downstairs space come September. i dig the aesthetic of my current setup, but a freshening is desperately needed - will totally finish the basement office/suite i currently kirk around in.
full wet bar is top priority
/fin
will begin reno on my downstairs space come September. i dig the aesthetic of my current setup, but a freshening is desperately needed - will totally finish the basement office/suite i currently kirk around in.
full wet bar is top priority
berndog
Footballguy
I will redo my bathroom this fall. I'm a little hesitant to do the mud pan because of the problems if you don't do it right. How hard was it to do?
=Smackdown=
Footballguy
Have bats in my backyard eating my tomatoes . . . 2 of them. Creepy as they walk around using their wings.
Wife called pest/animal control and they quoted her a price of $185 to get rid of them.
Eff that! Gearing up when I get home from work tonight and will catch them myself.
Going in.
Wife called pest/animal control and they quoted her a price of $185 to get rid of them.
Eff that! Gearing up when I get home from work tonight and will catch them myself.
Going in.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
This is something I had done once, and pondered doing myself after seeing the seal coat at CostCo. Thanks for talking me out of it.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
It wasnt so bad. I had the luxury of a lot of time though since it was an addition. I did a ton of research and have a friend that is a former tilesetter. I also used to sell tile installation tools and did countless demos at trade shows as well as done three bathrooms (never a shower bed before) so my experience level is a little higher. One thing i learned is that pretty much every tilesetter does it differently.
There are two basic schools of thought though. Pre pitch and pvc liner or no liner and waterproof on top of mud bed. I went with the latter. This seemed way more logical to me. My wife takes long showers and i often shower twice a day so i didnt like the idea of my mud pan always being wet and draining.
I set my pan and let it cure the full 28 days. I cant reco enough having a spray bottle handy when putting in your bed. Mixing the mortar is crucial too. You want to be able to pack it into snowballs. I used a pre cut to wall length 2x4 and a mini sledge to really pack down the edges. Minor depressions arent as big of a problem as high spots when waterproofing on top so make sure you get rid of all of those. Dont worry too much about little pock marks. Obviously you want none, but with dry pack you can throw good money after bad.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
Haha. Me too. I ended up having to use the tacks. It was on the ground when i woke up the next morning after all the velcro fell off the door frame.I hung up one of these over the weekend.
berndog
Footballguy
Thanks for the info
I am remodeling our master bath so a 28 day cure is not reasonable. I have enough experience to be comfortable tiling the walls but it looks like I will buy a pan.
wilked
Footballguy
I am a big proponent of a cast pan. Costs more, but there is no comparison on feel / finish. Esp if it's for the master. Kohler makes nice ones, I installed one last year. Heavy as #### (ours was third floor bathroom - that was a fun day for the back)Thanks for the info
I am remodeling our master bath so a 28 day cure is not reasonable. I have enough experience to be comfortable tiling the walls but it looks like I will buy a pan.
RedmondLonghorn
Footballguy
We are in the final stages of a whole home remodel that started around the first of the year. It is, unsurprisingly, way over budget and way behind schedule.
We bought all of the cabinetry that is going in our kitchen and laundry room and in several other places (master vanity, for instance) from IKEA. We love their design and look and the IKEA kitchen cabinets have been pretty well-reviewed in general. We also managed to purchase it all this spring during a 20% off sale.
Unfortunately, the subcontractor who installs for IKEA has an insane backlog and is really overpriced. So our general contractor is going to do the install instead. He has no problem installing them, but he told us right up front he hated dealing with IKEA cabinets because of the assembly required. So my wife and I are going to assemble all of the cabinet boxes ourselves. Between uppers and lowers, we think it is about 40-50 boxes.
We did the first five a couple weeks back, just to get the process down. The first one took us about 30-40 minutes. The second one, about 15 minutes. The third through fifth were done in about 5 minutes each.
So we have probably a full day of work assembling the remainder in the near future. We are just waiting for the floors to be put down inside so we have somewhere to put the finished cabinets.
We bought all of the cabinetry that is going in our kitchen and laundry room and in several other places (master vanity, for instance) from IKEA. We love their design and look and the IKEA kitchen cabinets have been pretty well-reviewed in general. We also managed to purchase it all this spring during a 20% off sale.
Unfortunately, the subcontractor who installs for IKEA has an insane backlog and is really overpriced. So our general contractor is going to do the install instead. He has no problem installing them, but he told us right up front he hated dealing with IKEA cabinets because of the assembly required. So my wife and I are going to assemble all of the cabinet boxes ourselves. Between uppers and lowers, we think it is about 40-50 boxes.
We did the first five a couple weeks back, just to get the process down. The first one took us about 30-40 minutes. The second one, about 15 minutes. The third through fifth were done in about 5 minutes each.
So we have probably a full day of work assembling the remainder in the near future. We are just waiting for the floors to be put down inside so we have somewhere to put the finished cabinets.
Caesar
Footballguy
Been in the new construction home for 8 months. Just finished painting out the garage and now I want to put down the epoxy flooring. Been doing research, and I feel pretty confident I can do it well. Right now, just waiting on the available funds since the system I like will run about $1000. In the meantime, putting some rocks and a small plant in between the new walkway in the back yard and the side of the "morning room"
I have so many projects planned, and so little time and money. I still have two ceiling fans to install that I've had for a few weeks.
I think I need to join the lottery thread.
I have so many projects planned, and so little time and money. I still have two ceiling fans to install that I've had for a few weeks.
I think I need to join the lottery thread.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I got a battery-powered chainsaw a few weeks ago. I have no idea why it took me so long to get one. I'll literally never use my gas one again unless I have a BIG job (unlikely as I don't have many big trees on-property). It cuts just like my gas one, only without the hassle of pull-starting, mixing fuel, etc.
I've been working to trim up 80 or so white pines that run along my back property line. The deer ate the needles and the bottom 3' of branches are dead and need trimmed. The thing is like a light sabre with an on-off switch. Unless you're regularly felling and cutting up 30'+ trees in one session and need infinite run time, gas just doesn't make sense anymore.
I've been working to trim up 80 or so white pines that run along my back property line. The deer ate the needles and the bottom 3' of branches are dead and need trimmed. The thing is like a light sabre with an on-off switch. Unless you're regularly felling and cutting up 30'+ trees in one session and need infinite run time, gas just doesn't make sense anymore.
The Hank
Footballguy
Just bought a new house a few weeks ago so I am sure I will be a frequent guest of this thread
Just installed Nest 3rd Gen last week - going to install some floating shelving this weekend. Going to try and do some home automation as well, but need a good SmartHub. Anyone have any suggestions? I was leaning towards Samsung SmartThing or Wink.
Basement is decent size (we have a split-level home) and is partially finished (already has a finished bathroom which is nice), will be dry walling in next 24 months
Backyard has a massive landscape feature that is overgrown w/ weeds, going to get that back into shape likely next spring, plant some dwarf trees, shrubs and other hardy vegetation. Also will be doing a modest outdoor garden as well in Spring, but not a priority.
Just installed Nest 3rd Gen last week - going to install some floating shelving this weekend. Going to try and do some home automation as well, but need a good SmartHub. Anyone have any suggestions? I was leaning towards Samsung SmartThing or Wink.
Basement is decent size (we have a split-level home) and is partially finished (already has a finished bathroom which is nice), will be dry walling in next 24 months
Backyard has a massive landscape feature that is overgrown w/ weeds, going to get that back into shape likely next spring, plant some dwarf trees, shrubs and other hardy vegetation. Also will be doing a modest outdoor garden as well in Spring, but not a priority.
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glvsav37
Footballguy
Thankfully this was on a new basement so I didn't have to cut the hole. I really recommend the well sections I linked. They stack together so you only buy what you need. Saved a bunch on money vs the big 1 piece wells bc I didn'tneed to go down that deep.
Dan Lambskin
Footballguy
Finally finished staircase (well it still needs stain and Trim but almost done)
After initial demo
Mostly Finished
After initial demo
Mostly Finished
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I've got a Vera Edge. It's not the most widely talked about unit, but i've had several different Vera units since 2011 or so. They started out only working with Z-wave, but now control several other protocols in the latest units. What drew me to them initially was the cost - It's like $100 for the hub, and no monthly fees or anything. At the time I started down the home automation route, there weren't many choices that didn't require a monthly fee.The Hank said:
It's very developer friendly, and just recently launched a beta skill for Amazon Echo - works great. I like the range of switches and devices that work with it. App from my phone, etc.
El Floppo
Footballguy
mine was on the ground the second time I went through it.parasaurolophus said:
been working great now though... nice to be able to keep our patio door open and not get swarms of bugs coming in.
do you have any animals? one cat has figured it out- she sprints at the thing, crouching low. the other cat just sits there, looking longingly at the patio... or back in to the apartment until somebody opens it for him. he's a moron... or maybe a genius (and I'm the moron for opening it every time.
Interseptopus
Footballguy
Thinking of re-doing our bathrooms. Had a guy come in for a free quote and gave me a 22,000 quote on my master bath. He wanted to completely gut the room including replacing the insulation (the insulation is not a problem...????) and tear out my linen closet to put a linen closet in (???). Needless to say, I am not going to be doing that.
I had the idea to do this partly myself, partly with a contractor. If possible I'd like to redo both the master bath and my "kids" bathroom (replace the vanity and flooring to match the master, replace the toilet, I'd consider a new tub shower but I'm not so sure I really need one).
I can replace a toilet. I can install a vanity and sinks. I can even tile the floor but I figured I'd have someone tiling the shower so why not just throw them a bone and have them do the floor (Or do I just tile everything myself... seems easy enough)
My issue is in my master bath I have an oversized tub that I want to convert into a walk in shower only (depending on cost, even making it a steam shower). Anyone ever done this? I have no idea how to frame out the new shower, or should I just have someone do this for me? I'm not exactly sure what type of laborer I would contact to do the framing. Included in the master shower renovation would be to flip the drain/shower head to the opposite side, and I certainly don't feel too great about doing that, so definitely need a plumber.
I'd be fine tackling this process mostly myself, but framing the shower certainly makes me a bit nervous. Seems hard to find a contractor that will do half of a bathroom and leave the other half to me.
I had the idea to do this partly myself, partly with a contractor. If possible I'd like to redo both the master bath and my "kids" bathroom (replace the vanity and flooring to match the master, replace the toilet, I'd consider a new tub shower but I'm not so sure I really need one).
I can replace a toilet. I can install a vanity and sinks. I can even tile the floor but I figured I'd have someone tiling the shower so why not just throw them a bone and have them do the floor (Or do I just tile everything myself... seems easy enough)
My issue is in my master bath I have an oversized tub that I want to convert into a walk in shower only (depending on cost, even making it a steam shower). Anyone ever done this? I have no idea how to frame out the new shower, or should I just have someone do this for me? I'm not exactly sure what type of laborer I would contact to do the framing. Included in the master shower renovation would be to flip the drain/shower head to the opposite side, and I certainly don't feel too great about doing that, so definitely need a plumber.
I'd be fine tackling this process mostly myself, but framing the shower certainly makes me a bit nervous. Seems hard to find a contractor that will do half of a bathroom and leave the other half to me.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
No animals. I got it on a whim at target. It was 7 bucks. We have a second story deck off of our master suite. It is not very big and due to the stone and old roof line we could only fit a standard door. We didnt want a screen door since it would have to open out and we thought that would cause issues for the furniture on the deck. We like to sit out there in the evening but the bugs have just been brutal seeing with it raining literally every night. Definitely took a while to fine tune, but it does work pretty great now. I love hearing the magnets click together behind me.
El Floppo
Footballguy
yeah- the clicking sound somehow feels good to hear. strange.
we have a metal security gate on the outside of our patio door... so the magnets often grab on to it at the bottom instead of closing shut. but easy to make right- and at least allows the moron cat to get in and out.
Interseptopus
Footballguy
LOL if that's the case then I have no qualms about doing this myself... Just thought it'd be complicated with getting the draining angle and so forth correct... Again, I haven't really looked too much into this in general. Glad to hear that this is an easy DYI...
matttyl
Footballguy
So the bead board (planks, not sheets) ceiling has been installed under the Trex deck I installed last year (with rain water system). The covered area below totals 32'x16', though only about 30'x14' are fully "water proofed" (the rest has vented soffit material for the ceiling. Should get all nail holes puttied and the entire thing painted in the next week or two. Had 8 can lights installed, as well as two spots for ceiling fans.
Anyway, I also had an electrical outlet installed in the ceiling for a projector. Will ceiling mount the projector with one of these. I have a wiring channel from the projector location to a closet indoors (though a now unused dryer vent location), which is where I plan to keep most of the electronics if possible. Still wrapping my head about wiring stuff - think that two runs of cat5e or cat6, along with at least one HDMI run between the two should be fine - and then two speaker line runs to the two outdoor speakers.
Anyway, I also had an electrical outlet installed in the ceiling for a projector. Will ceiling mount the projector with one of these. I have a wiring channel from the projector location to a closet indoors (though a now unused dryer vent location), which is where I plan to keep most of the electronics if possible. Still wrapping my head about wiring stuff - think that two runs of cat5e or cat6, along with at least one HDMI run between the two should be fine - and then two speaker line runs to the two outdoor speakers.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
The framing shouldnt have much to do with the drainage unless you are moving the drain like clear across the room. I dont even think the framing would be difficult to slope the ceiling. To be clear though, what you are talking about is a very difficult project. I dont think I would be comfortable doing a steam shower myself. So much involved. That is probably why the guy told you to get new insulation. The specs call for foam, not fiberglass. Throw in kerdi wrap, epoxy grout(although there is much debate between epoxy and regular), etc and no thanks.
Interseptopus
Footballguy
wilked
Footballguy
To be clear, you will have a 'pipe run' with rope or something in it to pull wires through in the future, yes? If you have something like that no need to future proof it, can always add wiring as you need it.
Caesar
Footballguy
I was looking into doing this in my old house when I made the decision to buy the new construction. I'm glad I had done the reasearch on it already because I added that to the build contract, and it saved quite a bit of money for them to install it while building as opposed to later. I think the cost to add to construction was about $1000 financed, but the cost to do it after the fact could be up to $3000, and obviously cheaper if you DIY it.
Still, not a project I would want to tackle on my own if I didn't have to. Cutting into my foundation makes me nervous.
matttyl
Footballguy
Yes, "something similar". It will just be a bit harder once some additional ceiling stuff is installed. I've just never installed an AV system where the AV stuff and the primary picture location are going to be separated by about 40 feet of wiring.
The thing I'm trying to figure out now - lets say I have a little raspberry pi like device at the projector location (can run kodi and also steam content from my NAS or even watch "TV" from my streaming TV tuner). So video will go right to the projector with a short HDMI, and I can control it from the porch area with a USB dongle wireless keyboard. But what about audio? I'd have to have a 3.5mm audio line run from there all the way back inside to connect to the stereo, which amplifies it and send it back out via speaker wires to the two outdoor speakers. Or I put the raspberry pi device inside and have a really long HDMI, but then I'd have to go back inside to control it most likely. How about an XBOX 360? The controllers wont work if the unit itself it 25" away through two walls (including one exterior) - but if it's outside how do I get the audio over the speakers?
I know, I know...first world problems.
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FatMax
Member
With the addition of a new A/C a few months ago, my inside projects are pretty much done. There's some small stuff here and there, but the big money-sucking projects have been completed.
But my yard is a different story. If I could just waive my magic wand and get a sprinkler system that works well, I'd do that and be done. But doing that will require tearing out and replacing a bunch of concrete around the pool. And if I have to dig up the yard, I want to do some landscaping work, as what we have now is just grass and bushes. So instead of just putting in a sprinkler system of a few Ks, what I would really end up doing is something that has four zeros attached to the end of it. So what I do is .... nothing. Year after year. The scope of work outside is daunting, and I can't figure out how to chunk it up without having a trashed yard for years on end. That, and I know as soon as it gets done, my wife will probably want to move.
But my yard is a different story. If I could just waive my magic wand and get a sprinkler system that works well, I'd do that and be done. But doing that will require tearing out and replacing a bunch of concrete around the pool. And if I have to dig up the yard, I want to do some landscaping work, as what we have now is just grass and bushes. So instead of just putting in a sprinkler system of a few Ks, what I would really end up doing is something that has four zeros attached to the end of it. So what I do is .... nothing. Year after year. The scope of work outside is daunting, and I can't figure out how to chunk it up without having a trashed yard for years on end. That, and I know as soon as it gets done, my wife will probably want to move.
El Floppo
Footballguy
good choice. para was dead on steering you away from this... also considerations for: access panel to steam unit, shower door needs a hopper or openable transom, no a/c or heat in the room and definitely need an exhaust fan (likely already there).eh, in that case no steam shower for me. Just a regular shower is just fine
RedmondLonghorn
Footballguy
That sounds horribly complicated and expensive.
I can't believe we didn't have two of them installed during our project.
El Floppo
Footballguy
a guy like you? I'm surprised they're not just waiting on the parts to install in the new year- so they can also open up the bathrooms and redo.
wilked
Footballguy
Basically you want to do this:
Keep all your audio / visual equip close together. This would include your receiver and things like your PI computer. All audio and video feeds into the receiver. The receiver then has an HDMI output, which you feed to your projector. Make sense? If your current rig doesn't allow that you need a new receiver
matttyl
Footballguy
Yes, that's what I'm likely going to end up with - with this extra receiver I have. My potential issues of doing it that way - I can't see the AV closet from the porch area. Thus I can't use a (line of sight) remote for any of it - which likely will include a controller for the PI as well as if we used the Xbox360 out there. That receiver, though, does have an app - so I likely can switch inputs and adjust volume, but that's about it.
Tune in a football game to watch, or put on a movie for the family - ok! Play xbox 360 without controller lag or simply not connecting, or have to scroll through menus on kodi to get the next episode of something to watch - likely won't work.
wilked
Footballguy
I still think you're fine.
I have this remote (recently bought as part of my home theater renovation). This is the one you need. No line of sight issues...it has IR repeaters
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Companion-Control-Entertainment/dp/B00N3RFC4G
(I think you can do better than that price)
As for playing XBox, just run a HDMI wire from the receiver to wherever you might connect your XBox.
It shouldn't be a big deal - lots of people run systems like this. There should be no lag, no issues
wilked
Footballguy
You have your receiver in a cabinet somewhere remotely. Into that receiver you have 6 inputs:
1. Cable
2. DVD
3. Roku
4. Xbox (which feeds a remote HDMI over to your outdoor space)
5. PI
6. Spare
You feed one HDMI output to your projector, which throws the image onto your projector screen.
Over at your cabinet, you have your Harmony hub plugged in. Your remote (or app) sends the signal to the hub via IR or WIFI, and then your hub sends the IR signals to the components. The unit comes with a second IR blaster that you can set up remotely, and it will be that one you use to turn on your projector. Worst case, if it is not easy to get that remote IR blaster in the right spot, is to manually turn projector on / off (or even have the outlet it is plugged into controlled by a light switch)
Make sense?
1. Cable
2. DVD
3. Roku
4. Xbox (which feeds a remote HDMI over to your outdoor space)
5. PI
6. Spare
You feed one HDMI output to your projector, which throws the image onto your projector screen.
Over at your cabinet, you have your Harmony hub plugged in. Your remote (or app) sends the signal to the hub via IR or WIFI, and then your hub sends the IR signals to the components. The unit comes with a second IR blaster that you can set up remotely, and it will be that one you use to turn on your projector. Worst case, if it is not easy to get that remote IR blaster in the right spot, is to manually turn projector on / off (or even have the outlet it is plugged into controlled by a light switch)
Make sense?
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
matttyl
Footballguy
Your post just made me realize one thing.....I'll want 2 HDMI cables between the AV closet and the projector - one going "each way". That way I also have a backup in case one craps out I'll still have an "out" from the receiver to the projector. Thanks for your thoughts. Doing some rough work with the projector tonight to check angles, screen sizes, and such. Hoping it's not to hot to do so with this heatwave! Those things get so damn hot as it is anyway.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I did basically what was described above - AV Cabinet, projector AND a TV...some key points -
For any HDMI run over 25', you run the risk of signal issues. Modern stuff has lots of DLNA compatibility issues once the signal starts to get weaker. Both of my outputs were right around 25' from my AV cabinet. I worked to mitigate this 3 ways...
1) Buy a Redmere Active HDMI cable. It has a booster for the signal. They tend to work well...BUT...the can fail after a while. I installed one of these.
2) Buy a bigger gauge cable. I put in a REALLY big one of these too...
3) Run a ton of extra CAT6 and just stuff it in the wall. You can buy Cat6 Baluns to transfer lots of things over Cat6, and it's cheap. I ran 4 pair of Cat6 to each of my sources.
I'm glad I ran multiple options, because my TV Redmere started crapping out - I'd be watching something, and the picture would jsut go out. I switched to the bigger gauge, and it's been fine.
Moral is that it's a lot cheaper to buy a ton of cable and run it now than it is to buy one cable, and need to tear things up down the road.
Mr. Ected
Footballguy
I wonder how much $$$ it would add to my home value to go from 4 to 5 br (I know I can check, but it's fun to wonder...Caesar said:
) Bet it would be more than $3k. I'd have to do a little bit more to make it 'officially' a bedroom, like move the door so the room would enclose a closet.
