Otis in the Suburbs (3 Viewers)

[Otis]

The money shtick is funny. You're spending a lot of money trying to get your place perfect in a very short time. Being a homeowner is like running a marathon, not a sprint. Slow and steady wins the race. Unless you have tons of

Somewhere in the last dozen or so pages, Oat mentioned that this was the dream... find a place and spend a few years making it what he and wifey wanted.I still don't know why he's throwing so much cash at apparently getting the whole thing done in the next two weekends.

Very good question.

I feel like I'm on another planet. Why is this a "very good question"?The question is "Otis, why are you doing so many improvements to your home right now, and not waiting to do them until some unknown point in the future?" ??

If you have the money, great. Here is one problem that you have either already ran into, or will. This amount of renovations to a home, without a very specific plan or a GC, usually results in doing something out of order, or one thing being ruined by another contractor, or making a decision in haste only to regret it etc. Huge renos like this need to be done intentionally, and in a specific order. I have a friend who bought a cool old stone house on the North Shore (Chicago equivalent of your hood - old-money area). He went nuts. But I had remodeled several homes recently, and almost acted as his GC via phone (never got paid though, good buddy of mine). Several times he and the wife were all gung-ho about adding heated floors, outside lighting, cans etc. I had to convince him he had to upgrade the electric panel to do all this. He fought me till I sent an electrician over who confirmed it. If I hadn't told him, he would have been in some trouble. Go at it. Just don't be surprised when one of the 5k jobs you have had done gets redone because of another 5k job you had done that messed it up/made it look ugly/caused problems with the original job.

Planning makes sense and we are generally doing that. The big things we have done thus far -- siding, masonry -- are independent and don't affect other things. The under cheap kitchen and bathroom Reno/fix is done with the expectation that we will do a manor renov of those 5 years or so down the line. We absolutely will need an electrical upgrade at some point. Otis is generally an idiot but we're not doing all of this completely haphazardly.

 

[Ned]

Sounds like some jealousy oozing out in this thread. Good job gettin'er done, Otis.

 

[Reaper]

Otis, how much was the house per square foot?

Around $ 380. We got a little more value though in that the plot is a little bigger than most in the area.

I don't understand how normal people can make ends meet in the NYC area. My house is only 5 years old, is energy star from everything from windows, appliances and insulation. It's in a really nice neighborhood and has so many upgrades and is in really great shape. I hunted for over a year and leaped on it before it even hit the MLS. It was only $85/square foot. But even if I paid market value, it would only be around $125/square foot. If I taught in New York, I'd probably have to rent a bedroom.

My aunt teaches near Otis' district...

She pulls in about 125k plus the best benefits known to man, a pension and summers off. Of course she's been at it a while.

I know a lot of business owners, who's wife teaches on LI and together they do incredibly well using the benefits from the one job and always knowing that fat pension is at the end of the rainbow.

I know 2 income teaching families as well around here who aren't crying while traveling Europe all summer - No they don't live in Otis' nabe but, they are doing quite well.

Put it this way, School Superintendents around here pull in over 300k.

Granted, the county is bankrupt and people are going to have to wake up and realize the system doesn't work and these pensions are unsustainable.

 

[pricklypete]

Sounds like some jealousy oozing out in this thread. Good job gettin'er done, Otis.

I don't think so. I think most think what Otis is doing is great. He is making his house LOOK a lot better than it did. But, like Mr. Roboto said, he should have maybe taken a step back and planned out what he wanted to accomplish first. It's an old house with old electrical that Otis said will need to be looked at sooner rather than later. If it was me, my first call would have been to an electrician. Expand the circuits, upgrade wiring (if needed), add more outlets, cable jacks, etc. AFTER that is done is when you repair the dry wall and paint. Yeah, it's not 'fun' to spend money on that sort of thing, but it is essential to making things go smoothly down the road.Otis has been getting good advice throughout this thread. Like the poster who said to run electrical under the patio before it gets laid. You gotta look to the future with all of these projects even if you don't have an immediate use for it.

 

[lumpy19]

Oh and, regarding basic math principles, who cares if you pour 55k into an old house in disrepair if you can sell it for 100-150k more than you paid for it after the fact? (Not that I'm in this to sell it, but the point is I think every cent we've put in thus far has gone directly into the value of the house).On that note, our mortgage has PMI attached. Maybe if all of this work will increase the value enough, we could get it re-assessed and perhaps be above the 22% threshold to get the PMI removed? Anyone have experience with that?

You won't get re-assessed and get PMI removed, but I think you did the right thing keeping your cash and making improvements. Keep track of your mortgage and make sure you know when you hit that 22%, some lenders squeak out extra PMI payments and it's completely legal, it's on you to make sure you know when you hit that 22% threshold.

 

[Otis]

Sounds like some jealousy oozing out in this thread. Good job gettin'er done, Otis.

I don't think so. I think most think what Otis is doing is great. He is making his house LOOK a lot better than it did. But, like Mr. Roboto said, he should have maybe taken a step back and planned out what he wanted to accomplish first. It's an old house with old electrical that Otis said will need to be looked at sooner rather than later. If it was me, my first call would have been to an electrician. Expand the circuits, upgrade wiring (if needed), add more outlets, cable jacks, etc. AFTER that is done is when you repair the dry wall and paint. Yeah, it's not 'fun' to spend money on that sort of thing, but it is essential to making things go smoothly down the road.Otis has been getting good advice throughout this thread. Like the poster who said to run electrical under the patio before it gets laid. You gotta look to the future with all of these projects even if you don't have an immediate use for it.

The current electrical will sustain our uses for now just fine. That didn't strike me as an area of dire need at all. When we do an extension and high end kitchen, that to me is the right time for the full on electrical upgrade. We'll do lots of new outlets and lighting and will need it then. But now? I guess I just don't see the point. I'd rather live in a place that is cleaner and newer and more pleasant to live in during the next five years. We could still have an eyesore with fancy new world in the walls with power enough to light up Citi Field, but I don't get the point of that. If the place burns down maybe I'll feel differently, although that's why we have insurance, and who is to say that everything isn't perfectly fine now and an electrician won't come in and install some faulty somesuch that lights the whole place up?If it ain't broke, why fix it?

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Sounds like some jealousy oozing out in this thread. Good job gettin'er done, Otis.

#### em oat. I hope you decide to change half this #### in 18 months. Why? Because you can.

 

[Otis]

Sounds like some jealousy oozing out in this thread. Good job gettin'er done, Otis.

#### em oat. I hope you decide to change half this #### in 18 months. Why? Because you can.

 

[Otis]

Otis, you're making things too awesome too fast! It's freaking us out111!!!!

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

update on the weekend itinerary?

 

[Otis]

update on the weekend itinerary?

Time off. And reading my first issue of The Family Handyman Magazine (thanks shuke!) Great timely segment on the kitchen remodel.

 

[squidrope]

Otis, you're making things too awesome too fast! It's freaking us out111!!!!

Yeah. That's it...

 

[mr roboto]

The money shtick is funny. You're spending a lot of money trying to get your place perfect in a very short time. Being a homeowner is like running a marathon, not a sprint. Slow and steady wins the race. Unless you have tons of

Somewhere in the last dozen or so pages, Oat mentioned that this was the dream... find a place and spend a few years making it what he and wifey wanted.I still don't know why he's throwing so much cash at apparently getting the whole thing done in the next two weekends.

Very good question.

I feel like I'm on another planet. Why is this a "very good question"?The question is "Otis, why are you doing so many improvements to your home right now, and not waiting to do them until some unknown point in the future?" ??

If you have the money, great. Here is one problem that you have either already ran into, or will. This amount of renovations to a home, without a very specific plan or a GC, usually results in doing something out of order, or one thing being ruined by another contractor, or making a decision in haste only to regret it etc. Huge renos like this need to be done intentionally, and in a specific order. I have a friend who bought a cool old stone house on the North Shore (Chicago equivalent of your hood - old-money area). He went nuts. But I had remodeled several homes recently, and almost acted as his GC via phone (never got paid though, good buddy of mine). Several times he and the wife were all gung-ho about adding heated floors, outside lighting, cans etc. I had to convince him he had to upgrade the electric panel to do all this. He fought me till I sent an electrician over who confirmed it. If I hadn't told him, he would have been in some trouble. Go at it. Just don't be surprised when one of the 5k jobs you have had done gets redone because of another 5k job you had done that messed it up/made it look ugly/caused problems with the original job.

Planning makes sense and we are generally doing that. The big things we have done thus far -- siding, masonry -- are independent and don't affect other things. The under cheap kitchen and bathroom Reno/fix is done with the expectation that we will do a manor renov of those 5 years or so down the line. We absolutely will need an electrical upgrade at some point. Otis is generally an idiot but we're not doing all of this completely haphazardly.

Tell contractors what you are planning in the future. They will help you order priorities and tell you if what they want to do will be a problem down the road. Most tradesmen know a lot about the other trades as well.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Otis, you're making things too awesome too fast! It's freaking us out111!!!!

Yeah. That's it...

 

[Otis]

Do NOT get a bug zapper. Totally trashy and all they really do is attract more bugs to your yard.

I highly recommend a subscription to Family Handyman

This magazine is totally awesome. I'm only like 30 pages into the first issue and already have a dozen ideas for thing I want to do around the house. This issue also has a segment on cheap kitchen renovations -- exactly what we are looking at right now. Some good idea regarding over cabinet shelving and, instead of spending 2-3k on a slab of granite and install costs, I can pretty easily do a granite tile countertop myself. Looks like lots of other great stuff later in the issue re outdoor projects, Including a retaining wall doable in a single day...

Great call shuke. This will easily be worth the 20 bucks or whatever I spent I the subscription.

 

[gianmarco]

Do NOT get a bug zapper. Totally trashy and all they really do is attract more bugs to your yard.

I highly recommend a subscription to Family Handyman

This magazine is totally awesome. I'm only like 30 pages into the first issue and already have a dozen ideas for thing I want to do around the house. This issue also has a segment on cheap kitchen renovations -- exactly what we are looking at right now. Some good idea regarding over cabinet shelving and, instead of spending 2-3k on a slab of granite and install costs, I can pretty easily do a granite tile countertop myself. Looks like lots of other great stuff later in the issue re outdoor projects, Including a retaining wall doable in a single day...

Great call shuke. This will easily be worth the 20 bucks or whatever I spent I the subscription.

 

[Otis]

The website is great too. Here is some DIY stuff for a sloping yard.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Outdoor-Projects/Garden/Building-A-Garden-Path/how-to-build-a-stone-path-and-steps/Step-By-Step

 

[The Commish]

Do NOT get a bug zapper. Totally trashy and all they really do is attract more bugs to your yard.

I highly recommend a subscription to Family Handyman

This magazine is totally awesome. I'm only like 30 pages into the first issue and already have a dozen ideas for thing I want to do around the house. This issue also has a segment on cheap kitchen renovations -- exactly what we are looking at right now. Some good idea regarding over cabinet shelving and, instead of spending 2-3k on a slab of granite and install costs, I can pretty easily do a granite tile countertop myself. Looks like lots of other great stuff later in the issue re outdoor projects, Including a retaining wall doable in a single day...

Great call shuke. This will easily be worth the 20 bucks or whatever I spent I the subscription.

If you go the granite tile route, make a conscious effort to keep the grout lines as small as you can handle. If it looks right, I'd recommend butting them right up against each other. You'll have to seal them every so often, which you don't have to do with one big slab, but it does save a good chunk of money. If you are comfortable with doing the carpentry work to support the counter tops, go for it.

 

[mr roboto]

Do NOT get a bug zapper. Totally trashy and all they really do is attract more bugs to your yard.

I highly recommend a subscription to Family Handyman

This magazine is totally awesome. I'm only like 30 pages into the first issue and already have a dozen ideas for thing I want to do around the house. This issue also has a segment on cheap kitchen renovations -- exactly what we are looking at right now. Some good idea regarding over cabinet shelving and, instead of spending 2-3k on a slab of granite and install costs, I can pretty easily do a granite tile countertop myself. Looks like lots of other great stuff later in the issue re outdoor projects, Including a retaining wall doable in a single day...

Great call shuke. This will easily be worth the 20 bucks or whatever I spent I the subscription.

If you go the granite tile route, make a conscious effort to keep the grout lines as small as you can handle. If it looks right, I'd recommend butting them right up against each other. You'll have to seal them every so often, which you don't have to do with one big slab, but it does save a good chunk of money. If you are comfortable with doing the carpentry work to support the counter tops, go for it.

DO NOT DO THE GRANITE TILE!!!ESPECIALLY YOURSELF!!!

Trust me.

 

[The Commish]

Do NOT get a bug zapper. Totally trashy and all they really do is attract more bugs to your yard.

I highly recommend a subscription to Family Handyman

This magazine is totally awesome. I'm only like 30 pages into the first issue and already have a dozen ideas for thing I want to do around the house. This issue also has a segment on cheap kitchen renovations -- exactly what we are looking at right now. Some good idea regarding over cabinet shelving and, instead of spending 2-3k on a slab of granite and install costs, I can pretty easily do a granite tile countertop myself. Looks like lots of other great stuff later in the issue re outdoor projects, Including a retaining wall doable in a single day...

Great call shuke. This will easily be worth the 20 bucks or whatever I spent I the subscription.

If you go the granite tile route, make a conscious effort to keep the grout lines as small as you can handle. If it looks right, I'd recommend butting them right up against each other. You'll have to seal them every so often, which you don't have to do with one big slab, but it does save a good chunk of money. If you are comfortable with doing the carpentry work to support the counter tops, go for it.

DO NOT DO THE GRANITE TILE!!!ESPECIALLY YOURSELF!!!

Trust me.

We did it in a guest bathroom and it looks I'm not a big fan of the maintenance of the grout etc and I don't think I'd ever put it in my kitchen for that reason, but it can look very good if you do it correctly. What's your issue with it?

 

[mr roboto]

Do NOT get a bug zapper. Totally trashy and all they really do is attract more bugs to your yard.

I highly recommend a subscription to Family Handyman

This magazine is totally awesome. I'm only like 30 pages into the first issue and already have a dozen ideas for thing I want to do around the house. This issue also has a segment on cheap kitchen renovations -- exactly what we are looking at right now. Some good idea regarding over cabinet shelving and, instead of spending 2-3k on a slab of granite and install costs, I can pretty easily do a granite tile countertop myself. Looks like lots of other great stuff later in the issue re outdoor projects, Including a retaining wall doable in a single day...

Great call shuke. This will easily be worth the 20 bucks or whatever I spent I the subscription.

If you go the granite tile route, make a conscious effort to keep the grout lines as small as you can handle. If it looks right, I'd recommend butting them right up against each other. You'll have to seal them every so often, which you don't have to do with one big slab, but it does save a good chunk of money. If you are comfortable with doing the carpentry work to support the counter tops, go for it.

DO NOT DO THE GRANITE TILE!!!ESPECIALLY YOURSELF!!!

Trust me.

We did it in a guest bathroom and it looks I'm not a big fan of the maintenance of the grout etc and I don't think I'd ever put it in my kitchen for that reason, but it can look very good if you do it correctly. What's your issue with it?

In a kitchen remodel, pony up and get the slab. It's considered the cheap alternative to real granite tops. Plus the unevenness, edges, etc. Just doesn't look or feel good IMO.Grout maintenance, water issues, plus most homeowners don't do tile well. They have bought into the Homw Depot 'You Can Do It.' line. Which is usually less true than the DIYer thinks.

 

[The Commish]

Do NOT get a bug zapper. Totally trashy and all they really do is attract more bugs to your yard.

I highly recommend a subscription to Family Handyman

This magazine is totally awesome. I'm only like 30 pages into the first issue and already have a dozen ideas for thing I want to do around the house. This issue also has a segment on cheap kitchen renovations -- exactly what we are looking at right now. Some good idea regarding over cabinet shelving and, instead of spending 2-3k on a slab of granite and install costs, I can pretty easily do a granite tile countertop myself. Looks like lots of other great stuff later in the issue re outdoor projects, Including a retaining wall doable in a single day...

Great call shuke. This will easily be worth the 20 bucks or whatever I spent I the subscription.

If you go the granite tile route, make a conscious effort to keep the grout lines as small as you can handle. If it looks right, I'd recommend butting them right up against each other. You'll have to seal them every so often, which you don't have to do with one big slab, but it does save a good chunk of money. If you are comfortable with doing the carpentry work to support the counter tops, go for it.

DO NOT DO THE GRANITE TILE!!!ESPECIALLY YOURSELF!!!

Trust me.

We did it in a guest bathroom and it looks I'm not a big fan of the maintenance of the grout etc and I don't think I'd ever put it in my kitchen for that reason, but it can look very good if you do it correctly. What's your issue with it?

In a kitchen remodel, pony up and get the slab. It's considered the cheap alternative to real granite tops. Plus the unevenness, edges, etc. Just doesn't look or feel good IMO.Grout maintenance, water issues, plus most homeowners don't do tile well. They have bought into the Homw Depot 'You Can Do It.' line. Which is usually less true than the DIYer thinks.

Gotcha. Yeah, to do it correctly it will be time consuming. There really is no way of steering clear of the "uneven" problem. The carpentry prep work is key in help battle that. We used "border" granite on the edges that were the same size as the tile to cover it up on the edges. If you put the tiles together with no grout spacing at all it can be pulled off.

 

[Chaos Commish]

Regardless, slabs on the big kitchen counters a look a million times better. Stone tile, granite, marble, limestone, slate, whatever, all looks great in tub surrounds, fireplaces, entries, bathrooms, any floors, but the slab kitchen countertops rule.

Here's a secret the counter guys don't want you to know. Installing the slab counter is about 500 times faster and easier than installing the tile. You just have to give the wholesale slab guys dead nuts perfect measurements, demo and prep the top of your counters, have it delivered when you are ready for them and have one or two guys there to help carry that thing into place. I've done it with a Messican migrant worker. The prep was easier than it would have been for tile. The countertops with backsplashes were installed within an hour of being delivered. Hey no wet saw screaming for three days! Getting the sink hooked up to everything took longer than installing the counters and backsplashes. The demolition was the biggest part of the job (and the reason I did it myself). You do the demolition with tile or slab anyway. Home Depot wanted 1400 to do my demolition and prep. They then wanted another 1200 for the installation. So in the paperwork I had was the name of the company that cut, polishd and delivered the slabs. I saved three grand cutting out Home Depot. Demolition was an all day dirty job two days before delivery. It's also a lot of fun. Prep was just cutting and nailing down new ply on top of the counters, maybe two hours of steady work. The next morning the slab arrived and the job was done before lunch.

The equity increase of a slab over the tile is pretty serious. O is doing a nice job and that's a nice place he has (this desert rat's jealous of that park like little plot of his). I will mock him if he puts granite tile in for kitchen counters. Anywhere else, I don't have a strong opinion.

 

[Otis]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

 

[Drifter]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

If I were doing a high end kitchen, I'd strongly consider soapstone over granite.

 

[Chaos Commish]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

Well that's just idiotic.

 

[Rohn Jambo]

Sorry for falling behind on this thread.

YTD status update:

Number of projects completed by Otis so far: zero

 

[Otis]

Sorry for falling behind on this thread.

YTD status update:

Number of projects completed by Otis so far: zero

-cut down trees-pulled up shrubs

-pulled put old fence

-swap out electrical switches/outlets

-replace ceiling fan

-replace broken toilet seat

-plant tons of flowers in yard

-coordinate farming out several major projects either not doable or below my pay grade

SUCK IT JR

 

[mr roboto]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

Well that's just idiotic.

Agree. Spend money on something I will rip out soon???You won't care as much as you think. You've got HGTV fever. Remember VALUE added to the house, not just what looks better to your dinner guests until you overspend on your cabinets.

 

[Otis]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

Well that's just idiotic.

Agree. Spend money on something I will rip out soon???You won't care as much as you think. You've got HGTV fever. Remember VALUE added to the house, not just what looks better to your dinner guests until you overspend on your cabinets.

Our planned major renovation is like 5 years down the road. Maybe more. How is doing an interim improvement "idiotic"?

 

[mr roboto]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

Well that's just idiotic.

Agree. Spend money on something I will rip out soon???You won't care as much as you think. You've got HGTV fever. Remember VALUE added to the house, not just what looks better to your dinner guests until you overspend on your cabinets.

Our planned major renovation is like 5 years down the road. Maybe more. How is doing an interim improvement "idiotic"?

Waste of money. Only for the ego. And the neighbors and your friends.

 

[squidrope]

Sorry for falling behind on this thread.

YTD status update:

Number of projects completed by Otis so far: zero

-cut down trees (cut down tree you should have left standing, didn't remove mess) INCOMPLETE-pulled up shrubs (didn't remove mess) INCOMPLETE

-pulled put old fence (didn't remove mess) INCOMPLETE

-swap out electrical switches/outlets COMPLETED?

-replace ceiling fan COMPLETED

-replace broken toilet seat ( ) COMPLETED

-plant tons of flowers in yard (will be torn out due to other projects) INCOMPLETE

-coordinate farming out several major projects either not doable or below my pay grade (work in progress) INCOMPLETE

SUCK IT JR

Well done

 

[Otis]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

Well that's just idiotic.

Agree. Spend money on something I will rip out soon???You won't care as much as you think. You've got HGTV fever. Remember VALUE added to the house, not just what looks better to your dinner guests until you overspend on your cabinets.

Our planned major renovation is like 5 years down the road. Maybe more. How is doing an interim improvement "idiotic"?

Waste of money. Only for the ego. And the neighbors and your friends.

Lol at if you want to clean up a dump of a kitchen, it is "only for the ego." You're bizarre.

 

[Otis]

Sorry for falling behind on this thread.

YTD status update:

Number of projects completed by Otis so far: zero

-cut down trees (cut down tree you should have left standing, didn't remove mess) INCOMPLETE-pulled up shrubs (didn't remove mess) INCOMPLETE

-pulled put old fence (didn't remove mess) INCOMPLETE

-swap out electrical switches/outlets COMPLETED?

-replace ceiling fan COMPLETED

-replace broken toilet seat ( ) COMPLETED

-plant tons of flowers in yard (will be torn out due to other projects) INCOMPLETE

-coordinate farming out several major projects either not doable or below my pay grade (work in progress) INCOMPLETE

SUCK IT JR

Well done

I've lived here a month and have a 2 month old. I suppose you'd have the house rebuilt from the foundation by now??Are you guys just upset by the fact that I pay professionals to do some work around my house? I'm sure over in your biosphere you built your own car from trees and flagstone. I like to have some things done right.

 

[Otis]

Off to perform open heart surgery on myself. BBL

 

[James Daulton]

Off to perform open heart surgery on myself. BBL

Don't get the hate in here. Dude probably works a ****load of hours, has an infant kid, and you cats expect him to be all Tim Taylor-like. Life's to short, this dude gets it.

 

[Uwe Blab]

Yeah, I really like this thread. Truly I think the only project I wouldn't have paid someone was the landscape stuff, but I love outside work, personally. Time is money too. I just put in a 22' x 14' paver patio last week and have a HUGE deal of satisfaction from DIY, but I had to take the entire freaking week off to do it. I pretty much worked from 9am to 9pm every day with barely enough time to eat. Oh, and I peed only once I think since it was so unbelievably hot. Still it looks awesome, but people are whipping out projects here like they are on meth.

 

[NutterButter]

Off to perform open heart surgery on myself. BBL

Don't get the hate in here. Dude probably works a ****load of hours, has an infant kid, and you cats expect him to be all Tim Taylor-like. Life's to short, this dude gets it.

Everyone's life and skills are different. Having young children changes everything. If you're kids are say over 5, it doesn't matter, but if you have an infant, that's going to suck up a huge amount of your time. Then there's the skills factor. When you first buy a house and have no background in home improvement, you contract out everything. After 5 years of owning my house, there's very little I contract out now. I've pretty much acquired the skills over 5 years where I would never hire a plumber or electrician again.

 

[YSR]

We have personally been doing the renovation on our house for almost a year now, mostly because Mr. YSR is a DIYer and has the skill set to do almost everything (save major plumbing and major electrical). I will say, though, that if we had the cash, we may have farmed some of this stuff out just so we can get the renovation done and the house listed (end goal).

If the house sells for what we think hope, we will get a tremendous amount of sweat equity out of it, and that will feel great. There is a great deal of satisfaction in doing the work yourselves if you have the time.

And Family Handyman just got another subscription.

 

[Chaos Commish]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

What's the current countertop? Sorry I missed any kitchen pics if you posted them. I guess five years is an interesting over/under for what you're thinking so I'll retract the idiotic comment.

 

[Chaos Commish]

Yeah, I really like this thread. Truly I think the only project I wouldn't have paid someone was the landscape stuff, but I love outside work, personally. Time is money too. I just put in a 22' x 14' paver patio last week and have a HUGE deal of satisfaction from DIY, but I had to take the entire freaking week off to do it. I pretty much worked from 9am to 9pm every day with barely enough time to eat. Oh, and I peed only once I think since it was so unbelievably hot. Still it looks awesome, but people are whipping out projects here like they are on meth.

Agree with all of the above. I mentioned earlier in the thread a job that might take me months diy-ing can be banged out in a week by the pros. It is much harder for someone with a wife and newborn to be screwing around under construction than it is for others. Good job on the patio. I made the mistake of linking to the granite slab wholesale guys yesterday and saw 8x2' prefabbed slabs that match my granite for $299. Man, that seemed cheap and I could pretty easily design some outdoor kitchen stuff around three or four of those slabs. I am really having to restrain myself from getting two and making an 8x4 foot granite and cinder block outdoor dining/picnic table. It would be huge and very handy!

We have personally been doing the renovation on our house for almost a year now, mostly because Mr. YSR is a DIYer and has the skill set to do almost everything (save major plumbing and major electrical). I will say, though, that if we had the cash, we may have farmed some of this stuff out just so we can get the renovation done and the house listed (end goal).

If the house sells for what we think hope, we will get a tremendous amount of sweat equity out of it, and that will feel great. There is a great deal of satisfaction in doing the work yourselves if you have the time.

Agree again. And sometimes it's not just having the time but deciding how you want to spend your time. Newly married with a newborn covered in sweat and dust or feeling lazy for not being covered in sweat and dust is no way to enjoy a new home. I have regretted several project because they took way too long.

 

[ODoyleRules]

Off to perform open heart surgery on myself. BBL

Don't get the hate in here. Dude probably works a ****load of hours, has an infant kid, and you cats expect him to be all Tim Taylor-like. Life's to short, this dude gets it.

yep. I was hoping that out-sourcing this stuff would've led to more Mr. Ham rebuttal videos though.

 

[Premier]

Off to perform open heart surgery on myself. BBL

Don't get the hate in here. Dude probably works a ****load of hours, has an infant kid, and you cats expect him to be all Tim Taylor-like. Life's to short, this dude gets it.

Yup. But to be fair, the people here knocking him probably work 25 hours a week at $10 per.

 

[Otis]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

What's the current countertop? Sorry I missed any kitchen pics if you posted them. I guess five years is an interesting over/under for what you're thinking so I'll retract the idiotic comment.

Some shots of awful kitchen and awful countertop here.I also added a couple shots of the marble mantle on the fireplace that looks like it comes out of an 80's flick. On my neverending list of things to do is pull out those marble slabs, throw them in the trunk of a Delorean, and replace them with a nice slab of wood with some interesting molding around the edge.

 

[NutterButter]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

What's the current countertop? Sorry I missed any kitchen pics if you posted them. I guess five years is an interesting over/under for what you're thinking so I'll retract the idiotic comment.

Some shots of awful kitchen and awful countertop here.I also added a couple shots of the marble mantle on the fireplace that looks like it comes out of an 80's flick. On my neverending list of things to do is pull out those marble slabs, throw them in the trunk of a Delorean, and replace them with a nice slab of wood with some interesting molding around the edge.

Might be the first time I've seen stained wainscoting; always see it painted white.

 

[Otis]

This is a temporary kitchen fix. In our actual full on renovation we will do everything right, including full top end granite everywhere. I'm just looking for a cheap short term improvement to the crappy countertop in there now.

What's the current countertop? Sorry I missed any kitchen pics if you posted them. I guess five years is an interesting over/under for what you're thinking so I'll retract the idiotic comment.

Some shots of awful kitchen and awful countertop here.I also added a couple shots of the marble mantle on the fireplace that looks like it comes out of an 80's flick. On my neverending list of things to do is pull out those marble slabs, throw them in the trunk of a Delorean, and replace them with a nice slab of wood with some interesting molding around the edge.

Might be the first time I've seen stained wainscoting; always see it painted white.

Painter will get to the kitchen this week -- we're actually having him paint that white along with the cabinets. We'll be throwing down some new laminate flooring on top of that awful linoleum. The appliances are new. Once he paints, the last item we can improve is that terrible countertop. I'd love to swap in a slab of granite or some other stone. Even if it costs 1-2k, if we get 5+ years use out of it before doing a major upgrade, I'd be OK with that. Throw up an OBacksplash and it could look halfway decent.It's presently quite a crapfest though.

 

[Otis]

I mean, why WOULDN'T you live with walls like this in your kitchen???

And by all means, don't waste your time to fix the dimmer switch hanging by a thread off the plate.

 

[Chaos Commish]

Yep. O was right. I was wrong. I take back what I said about liking his place. It's a dive. No way I would live with that kitchen floor and counter for five weeks let alone five years.

Does the handyman magazine suggest tiling over the laminate counters or removing them?

I would tile over that counter, but use a couple shortcuts not in this link.

Have you ever run a wet saw?

And wth is that trim piece just right of the coffee maker?

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I have the same craptastic cabinets. I mean identical. Weird. I have white 2"x2" tile as counter tops. I'd love to redo the whole thing, blow out the wall behind the stove and open up the room. But I don't have the cash

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Currently looking for a new fridge. Of course the one we want is $2900. Oof. I'm checking lowes, hd, etc almost daily looking for an open box deal. They are 800+ off usually. Just trying to find the right one.