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rooms look nice and openAfter weeks of slaving to make this place liveable, it was nice to come home after a long hard day of work to the first day of the painters being here, and this.
They uncovered some real gems, like for example this wallpaper hidden underneath a layer of sheetrock. I mean, if you don't like the wallpaper, why not just throw up a new wall over it?
an East Coast reality.
This guy and his shows have popped into my mind daily while reading this thread
nice. I need to add a gas grill to my collection
Yeah but his carpet is stained and has ripples in itrooms look nice and openAfter weeks of slaving to make this place liveable, it was nice to come home after a long hard day of work to the first day of the painters being here, and this.
They uncovered some real gems, like for example this wallpaper hidden underneath a layer of sheetrock. I mean, if you don't like the wallpaper, why not just throw up a new wall over it?
Great work. How did that 50 year old beer taste?One day I got a free wallpaper world map. Real big, National Geographic, 3 panels, etc. Here are some pictures of this project start to finish:After weeks of slaving to make this place liveable, it was nice to come home after a long hard day of work to the first day of the painters being here, and this.
They uncovered some real gems, like for example this wallpaper hidden underneath a layer of sheetrock. I mean, if you don't like the wallpaper, why not just throw up a new wall over it?
Office Remodel
No. No you're not.
WHEW!
The only slight concern is the 45 degree cut as I don't have a miter saw. Other than that, it's a joke.'Otis said:Otis and Pickles: Leading Parallel Lives'Mr. Pickles said:Stupid question -- really gonna do the crown molding yourself? I wonder if I can do this...
You gotta cope that inside corner, rookie.
I got one of these as a gift...did my whole house with it and a miter saw. Not sure it's worth the money but it made it REALLY easy.
I did this method in one room, but only on the crown molding. Baseboards and chair rail I didn't do that. For me, it was easier to find the correct angle of the corner than to take the time to coupe.
I cannot comment on that.'Tiger Fan said:What's up with the ziploc full of money in the last pic?'Britney Spears said:One day I got a free wallpaper world map. Real big, National Geographic, 3 panels, etc. I was very excited to put this map up in my office. I always thought it would be cool to have a big world map. The instructions sounded simple enough, but mentioned the wall should not have any ripples or anything. After inspection, I noticed a slight wave in the wallpaper. The wallpaper was also kinda strange, so I made the decision to pull the wallpaper down and prime the wall to give the map a nice clean surface to stick to. I've always wanted one of these big maps so I wanted to do it right.'Otis said:After weeks of slaving to make this place liveable, it was nice to come home after a long hard day of work to the first day of the painters being here, and this.
They uncovered some real gems, like for example this wallpaper hidden underneath a layer of sheetrock. I mean, if you don't like the wallpaper, why not just throw up a new wall over it?
My house was built in 1960. Oops.
From the second I started pulling back that wallpaper, things escalated. Apparently, you can just stack up wallpaper on top of old wallpaper. There were flowers, stripes, a world map (seriously, I saved a piece), and various strange patterns from the 4 decades of remodels. 6 or more layers later, I found some strange wood panel. This was nice wayerhouser paneling, stuff you don't see anymore. But I wasn't about to have one lone wood panel wall, so I pulled that down too.
Under that, was some tar paper, then, the foundation. This was when I first learned that my house doesn't have an ounce of insulation in it.
The project spun out of control from there. I ended up removing three of the walls, re-framing the walls, running new electrical (there was only one outlet before), sealing the foundation, insulating, hanging sheetrock and painting. I'm poor, so I refuse to pay people for this kind of stuff. When re-framing the walls, I moved one wall back 2 feet and eliminated some odd cavity they builder had left behind. I had never done any of this stuff before, so it was only natural that I would take on these projects and they would consume 6 months of my nights and weekends.
Since I had moved the wall, I decided that I needed to build myself a built in bookshelf to fill the space. Why? I have no idea. This cost me another 3 or so months of weekends of fumbling my way around. I read on the internet that when painting bookshelves, you need to be wary of blocking, so I put 4 thin coats of high gloss enamel on each individual piece of this giant bookshelf. Do you know how stupid this is?
It did all turn out. It's my favorite room in the house. The map is on the wall. But listen to the Drifter. Do not pull back walls in old houses unless you want to invest time or money.
Here are some pictures of this project start to finish:
Office Remodel
I love this guy. I've seriously considered subscribing to his magazine.'Mr. Pickles said:
It's really easy to point out crappy contractor's mistakes. The guy gets to come in and point out flaws in everything they did. Likely most people who had the work done would not pay the rates he charges, and I guarantee if another contractor came and looked at his work there would be plenty of mistakes.There are a lot of bad contractors out there. Which is why you apply for permits, get an insured/bonded company, and have the inspection. And read up on your own about the right way to do the job you are hiring out. Most of the homeowners on his show did not do this.
Wiring in conduit instead of Romex.It's not a requirement in many places (like Canada where he usually films IIRC) but it is better.
That seems pretty nitpicky compared to the type of shoddy work he finds and fixes on the show.
You should see him on vacation. He's like a Japanese tourist on meth
I assumed he was writing a Time Life book on home improvement.
Yea, but he always says he goes above and beyond minimum code requirement.I'm not saying he is wrong. He probably is a great GC. It's just when you've GC'ed renovations, each and every contractor complains/points out what they consider mistakes with all the other guys. It's a pissing match. And Holmes, while probably better than 95%, thinks he has the biggest pisser. It gets annoying after a while.
forgot her name, but YES, please.
Jax wouldnt have to wear a sleeping bag if he would run some heat into that room. Just sayin'
looks a little Bed and Breakfast, but I think that's what Mrs. Otis is going for.
There's your answer.
glue traps and peanut butter
We get a mouse from time to time and use those box traps that are coated in some unbelievably sticky crap that the mice can't get out of. Catch and toss in the dumpster. Problem solved.
How big is this area that needs a railing? That seems like a buttload to put up an railing unless it's like 300-400 sq ft.Guy came by to give us an estimate on installing a railing today. 2200 bucks. His comment to my wife, repeatedly:"I just can't believe you guys bought a house without a railing. The inspector should have caught this."
Boatloads.
We were expecting to spend about 60 grand with a huge kitchen renovation. Instead, we will end up spreading almost that much over all the other issues and still have a basic kitchen upgrade (stripped floors and refinished hardwood, new granite tops, new appliances). It's a much better way to spend the money given how much work the house needed. Once we are done with this initial round of work though, it will be in really nice shape. The other things and bigger things can wait, and maybe some things I can even work on in my own time.Did I mention I'm going to do a tile backsplash in the kitchen myself? Old pro... 
It's about right. I got another estimate for 2k give or take. It's around three sides of a flat roof that is about 24x15 or so).How big is this area that needs a railing? That seems like a buttload to put up an railing unless it's like 300-400 sq ft.Guy came by to give us an estimate on installing a railing today. 2200 bucks. His comment to my wife, repeatedly:"I just can't believe you guys bought a house without a railing. The inspector should have caught this."
Guess it's just the area...we are planning a 25 x 25 ft deck and doing it in a trex like product. The railings will be about $500 total for product. I'll be installing it though.It's about right. I got another estimate for 2k give or take. It's around three sides of a flat roof that is about 24x15 or so).How big is this area that needs a railing? That seems like a buttload to put up an railing unless it's like 300-400 sq ft.Guy came by to give us an estimate on installing a railing today. 2200 bucks. His comment to my wife, repeatedly:"I just can't believe you guys bought a house without a railing. The inspector should have caught this."
big fan!
