Home Improvement

[pdxgal]

Robbie, I love your tagline! Very inspirational and motivating. I also worry too much, so seeing what you wrote here has made me feel more sure about taking the ER plunge myself

 

[RobbieB]

The forms are down and the mesh is in and the cement truck will be here tomorrow morning at 7 AM. Woo-Hoo, got a lot to lay;

Hot Tub pad and walkway

Sidewalk to the backyard

Little area between house and deck walkway that used to be dirt.

Posts in, base boards in and sand in to float paver bricks. The guys were meticulous with those baseboards, took them a long time. They didn't just nail the stuff together like all the other fence guys I've used. I took a look and told them they built fences like cabinet makers;

One guy just smiled and the boss said "This gets us a lot of call backs"

I didn't mention that they will be getting a nice tip but they will -

 

[RobbieB]

What a difference a day makes;

Hot tub pad & walkway

Sidewalk

Front sidewalk

New deck and new fence and xeriscape coming -

 

[MarieIG]

I am totally enjoying this thread. Things are shaping up sooooo nicely. For some reason, I really liked those baseboards. I had no idea I would be fan of baseboards, but there you have it!.

 

[homestead]

Very nice! How did they strike off the concrete on the sidewalk along the wall
to make it level?

 

[ncbill]

Should've written your name while it was still wet.

My grandpa built a 2-bay carport with attached workshop in his late 60s and we could still see his name in the cement decades after he passed...

 

[RobbieB]

Very nice! How did they strike off the concrete on the sidewalk along the wall
to make it level?

I have no idea. It was dark outside and those guys were running around and working fast and I stayed out of their way inside the house where it was safe -

As to level, it's a little "off bubble" so that water runs away from the house. This I know by testing as I've been instructed to hose the slabs 3 times a day for a harder cure.

 

[RobbieB]

New redwood front patio fence almost done. Needs a few more framing boards and is going to get a coat of stain sprayed on tomorrow.

Then the red bricks can go down -

 

[RobbieB]

Tub up!

 

[RobbieB]

Got my new glass door with doggy door built in installed;

 

[FIREd]

That tub is fantastic!

 

[RobbieB]

I got the stove and the fence in today.

And the guys are busy with my deck -

Blow that dough!

 

[RobbieB]

Deck nearing completion.

The bench seat will have 4 hinged tops and has been sized to store all the propane and charcoal and wood chips nice and dry and out of sight.

 

[braumeister]

Great idea on the bench storage. You'll get a lot of good out of that!

 

[W2R]

Deck nearing completion.

The bench seat will have 4 hinged tops and has been sized to store all the propane and charcoal and wood chips nice and dry and out of sight.

Very nice! Sounds like a lot of work to fill up that whole bench seat with charcoal, etc., but I am sure you are up to it.

 

[RobbieB]

Thanks!

I use hardwood lump for low and slow on the egg and Mesquite lump for fast cook steaks. Regular brickets for the hibachi's and always good to have a couple bottles of propane for backups on the gas unit. Probably get another propane camp stove too.

Then there are the various wood chips, hickory for ribs and brisket, pecan for poultry and alder for fish. I can see it being two thirds full easy.

If I end up getting a Traeger, the rest will be full of pellets. Fini!

 

[RobbieB]

Signed the contract today for the kitchen redo. All new cabinets full length to the ceiling. All real solid wood or plywood, no fiber board, particle board or strand board. Full length drawers on ball bearing self closing slides, 2 lazy Susan's, 2 spice pull outs and an extension over the fridge area.

Granite countertops with full length matching back splashes all the way to the cabinets and a granite windowsill, a new sink and all the demolition and installation.

No plumbing, no floors, no appliances. Work starts May 26.

Eleven grand! Woo-hoo, one third of the previous quote -

 

[MissMolly]

WOW! That is an unbelievable quote for that work! Good job!

 

[aja8888]

Signed the contract today for the kitchen redo. All new cabinets full length to the ceiling. All real solid wood or plywood, no fiber board, particle board or strand board. Full length drawers on ball bearing self closing slides, 2 lazy Susan's, 2 spice pull outs and an extension over the fridge area.

Granite countertops with full length matching back splashes all the way to the cabinets and a granite windowsill, a new sink and all the demolition and installation.

No plumbing, no floors, no appliances. Work starts May 26.

Eleven grand! Woo-hoo, one third of the previous quote -

Nice! Did you price quartz as an alternative to granite?

 

[NW-Bound]

... Eleven grand! Woo-hoo, one third of the previous quote -

That's more like it.

See, when you said you've got money to blow, the 1st guy was just trying to help you in that endeavor.

 

[CaliKid]

That sounds way too cheap to me. I wouldn't give them a big deposit without researching carefully. Just nice cabinets could be more than $11k.

 

[RobbieB]

It's granite, not quartz, so it will need sealing. They did have quartz, but the patterns were kinda bleak. Granite is their thing. You don't get your choice of 5 different woods and 200 different stains. The back splash is not as thick as the counter tops. The sink is not molded into the counter top, it's just a SS sink.

The cabinets are good sturdy construction with solid wood fronts and doors and drawers. The rest is plywood and that's good enough for me. It's a real walk in and see and feel the product brick and mortar store with a CA contractor license and in business since 2005. 5 star Yelp helps too.

Yes, I thought the first quote was way too high and so did Kelly and her very high end friend. This does seem a bargain and since all the people there are Asian I think the stuff is all coming from China. But I have never had a problem with Chinese goods quality wise so I'm good to go. Signed on the dotted line, I'm committed.

 

[CaliKid]

It's granite, not quartz, so it will need sealing. They did have quartz, but the patterns were kinda bleak. Granite is their thing. You don't get your choice of 5 different woods and 200 different stains. The back splash is not as thick as the counter tops. The sink is not molded into the counter top, it's just a SS sink.

The cabinets are good sturdy construction with solid wood fronts and doors and drawers. The rest is plywood and that's good enough for me. It's a real walk in and see and feel the product brick and mortar store with a CA contractor license and in business since 2005. 5 star Yelp helps too.

Yes, I thought the first quote was way too high and so did Kelly and her very high end friend. This does seem a bargain and since all the people there are Asian I think the stuff is all coming from China. But I have never had a problem with Chinese goods quality wise so I'm good to go. Signed on the dotted line, I'm committed.

Good luck! We have had granite about 12 years and never sealed it once. Never had a problem and still looks great. I bought the stuff to seal it 10 years ago and I think it's still in the garage somewhere. Lol.

 

[RobbieB]

My kitchen is small, 12' x 12' U shaped so we are not talking a lot of materials. They estimate 3 days of work.

I'm pretty jazzed!

 

[RobbieB]

Ordered up a Broan BCDJ130SS range hood, 400 CFM that should allow me to blacken fish indoors w/o smoking out the house.

Also Moen Belfield faucet and matching soap dispenser.

Really nice stuff and will match the SS sink nicely. Sweet! Blew another grand -