Home Improvement

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobbieB Premium paint cost an extra $200. No brainer on a 4 grand job eh?

Sorry, I guess my joke fell flat.

[Oz investor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover One of the advantages of getting older is that it is easier to buy lifetime paint.

did you get a discount on the reduced warranty coverage ??

[Scrapr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover sorry, i guess my joke fell flat.

i LOL'd

[RobbieB]

I think so.

They gave me the senior discount but I think that was on the whole job as it was more than the extra charge for the paint.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover Sorry, I guess my joke fell flat.

Semi-gloss...

[RobbieB]

No, the paint is flat. Who would put semi gloss on a ceiling?

[Scrapr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobbieB I think so. They gave me the senior discount but I think that was on the whole job as it was more than the extra charge for the paint.

I think travelover was referencing the lifetime paint sold to Seniors. Seems like there should be a discount for reduced life expectancy. Perhaps you show ID and they prorate it.

Pull mama from the Nursing homes and get 90% off?

Live long and prosper

[Sarpy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras Of course, all these "stylish" kitchens have huge square footage. When you are working with your 1979 footprint, the over the range microwave is a life saver. I'm thinking of a low profile version, like below, for my next one. Only problem with it is it sticks out a bit too much. It will vent outside (or inside, your choice). Because it is low profile, you have some head room above the stove for big pots.

That's the same Whirlpool Low-Profile model we installed about 3 weeks ago. So far, we're really happy with it, but ours also sticks out a ways from the cabinetry as in the photo. It's higher up for us (vs. the old monster we had in there before), so someone who's shorter may have a hard time reaching or viewing the contents.

The reason we did this is we wanted more open space above the cook top for big pots and greater visibility. No regrets for us, but now we're shopping new back splash to fill the open space.

[RobbieB]

Painter is done and all looks very nice. He sprayed and then rolled for a nice even job. Six gallons of paint used. Flooring guys are over now doing the floor. 30 yr old carpet being replaced with premium 12.3 mm waterproof laminate over 3 mm foam underlayment. Supposed to be quiet. 800 sq-ft of laminate and weighs 1700 lbs.

On the home stretch!

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover Sorry, I guess my joke fell flat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobbieB No, the paint is flat. Who would put semi gloss on a ceiling?

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR Semi-gloss...

I was cracking wise about the joke falling semi-gloss, rather than flat...

Another joke that fell flat!

[brett]

Our home improvement strategy was to move and downsize. We practiced expense avoidance. It worked in spades for us.

$75K for windows/skylights/sliders, $45K for a cedar roof, $80-$100K for a complete kitchen remodel including moving walls, $20K for each three bathrooms, and $40K for the master bedroom and walk in closets. Plus another $20K for flooring. And an additional 10 percent for cost over runs and change orders. Convinced us to flog the mausoleum and walk with the cash. We made the determination that we could not go halfway. It was all or nothing. We had completely renovated a previous so we were well aware of the effort and the costs if we decided to do some of it ourselves, or subK parts or all of it out. Plus the challenge of finding reliable, skilled trades. Istead, we cleaned it out, cut the grass, did the garden, and threw on 22 gallons of interior paint in a color with a view to selling as speced out by a decorator. That was enough of a home improvement for us.

Not to mention greatly reduced home insurance, mtce costs, and utility bills. Or trying to find reputable people to keep the driveway and sidewalks cleared of snow while we are away in the winter.

[RobbieB]

So far we have;

Kitchen - 11K, flooring - 7K, paint - 2K, landscaping - 12K, ceiling (popcorn removal & paint) 4K. More coming but me thinks less than what we've already paid. Should be under 80K total which is 20% of home value, so not bad. And I went for premium materials everywhere.

My house is only 1400 sq-ft, so already "rightsized" -

[brett]

I am a firm believer in top quality materials. Never could understand why anyone would buy cheap paint unless it was for a rental or prior to a move. Same in spades for flooring. We have done lots of renos. If we were putting our sweat and capital into the project the last thing we wanted was materials that looked cheap or did not stand the test of time.

The challenge that we often had was finding good wood. Most of the prime product produced in our area goes to export. Many of the home improvement type stores here end up with grade 3 product. Lots of knots, scores, and not even properly kiln dried.

During my working career I dealt extensively with the forest industry. I toured many lumber operations and got to see what went for export, what went direct to some wholesalers, and then the grade 3 product that was snapped up by some of the home improvement stores. Huge differences, in quality as well as price. The product that went to Japan was primo product-all of from dimensional to sheet products.

[HI Bill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett I am a firm believer in top quality materials. Never could understand why anyone would buy cheap paint unless it was for a rental or prior to a move. Same in spades for flooring....we wanted the last thing we wanted was materials that looked cheap or did not stand the test of time.

Exactly! I moved into a condo with beautiful new tiles in the kitchen and entryway. After 5 years, the pattern on the tiles started to wear off....waste of time and money! I also ripped out the cheapest carpet available (brand new) and installed solid bamboo flooring instead.

Of course, the seller saved a few $ before he sold to me!

[pb4uski]

+1 the incremental cost of better materials is usually insignificant in relation to the value that they add... and the installation cost is typically the same.

[RobbieB]

Ah, forgot about the 4K sliding Milgard double pane with the built in dog door. That was one of the first upgrades.

[RobbieB]

Flooring going in, looks good!

[Ronstar]

Nice floor Robbie! Very similar to ours. Just starting to move furniture back in. I still have several rooms of baseboard to paint, some plumbing, paint stairway and install a stainless steel railing. It never ends.

[RobbieB]

Nice room!

[ncbill]

So, anyone got tips on prepping a smoker's home for sale?

Online it's recommended to wash down every hard surface with a TSP solution, then paint with oil primer (maybe two coats) before top coat.

Don't have much money to spend, so right now I'm thinking rip out everything fabric (e.g. drapes/carpet) & rent an ozone generator for a few weeks. Maybe duct cleaning as well?