Home remodel

[iamshack]

Holy crap does it cost a lot to renovate an older home.

[LDF]

Holy crap does it cost a lot to renovate an older home.

 

yeah and can you imagine if you can't do a lot of the work yourself, sweat equality.

[bigruss]

So probably stupid questions here but hey I'm new to this:

 

1. This spring I'm going to repaint a lot of my condo, where do you all prefer to get paint from? Bigger places like Lowes or more specialty places like Sherwin williams? Or other places?

 

2. I've got hardwood flooring in most of the condo, near the living room there is a small opening between two boards. It's not really that visible but I'm wondering what I could do to fix it. It's collecting some dust/dirt in it so I'm guessing the sooner I fix it the better to avoid further separation or anything. There isn't anything visible as to why it's happening. Anyone deal with this before?

[RockRaines]

Holy crap does it cost a lot to renovate an older home.

Yep and my contractor specializes in making it look like the original architecture because anything I do to my house has to be approved by a board since i live in a historic district. Its crazy.

[RockRaines]

So probably stupid questions here but hey I'm new to this:

 

1. This spring I'm going to repaint a lot of my condo, where do you all prefer to get paint from? Bigger places like Lowes or more specialty places like Sherwin williams? Or other places?

 

2. I've got hardwood flooring in most of the condo, near the living room there is a small opening between two boards. It's not really that visible but I'm wondering what I could do to fix it. It's collecting some dust/dirt in it so I'm guessing the sooner I fix it the better to avoid further separation or anything. There isn't anything visible as to why it's happening. Anyone deal with this before?

Go to one of those paint stores, like JC Licht or Sherwin, there were two in the west loop that were good. My friend had a contractor number that gave us a discount.

 

My boards in my condo separated quite a bit more in the winter and then expanded to fill in during the summer.

[StrangeSox]

1. Home Depot or Lowes are okay for paint. I prefer Ace generally, especially their semi-gloss trim/door white paint. Most paints are "paint and primer in one!" which just means they suck at both and go on thick with poor coverage. Oil-based paints are "better" but are kind of a pain in the ass and pretty much everyone uses latex unless you have a very specific reason not to. If you are trying to cover over some darker colors on the wall, prime it with Kilz first. Sherwin Williams is going to be a little bit more expensive, but will generally be better paint. Working with the nicer paints can make the job go a lot easier. Don't cheap out on the brushes, either.

 

2. Like Rock said, it's probably just normal contraction due to low humidity in the winter.

[NorthSideSox72]

So, we're re-building our master bath. It's only about 10 years old, when the 2nd floor was added (we bought the house 5 years ago). But whomever did the work on the bathroom was a whack-job. Shower base improperly slanted leaks water on the floor, bad tile and settle work causes more leaks, lousy cheap fixtures we keep having to fix, poor design with unused spaces in weird places, walls so uneven there are big gaps where counters and surfaces meet the wall, and a light fixture simply fell from the wall. Done pouring money into it just to fix a crappy space. Time to start over.

 

Anyway, we're in the shopping and design phase. Anyone have any general advice on bathroom rebuilds? The design/contractor firms we are working with (2 right now, pre-bid) were both among the highest rated on Angie's List, so these aren't out of the blue. Doing a full-on, gut it down rebuild, since water has seeped out of the bathroom in places. We have a general layout agreed upon, starting to window shop new tub/tile/counters/fixtures/etc.

 

Any experience or stories appreciated!

 

[bigruss]

Awesome thanks guys! I used to paint back in high school as a side job but never purchased the paint myself, so wasn't sure where to go for that but it helps! There's a Sherwin Williams just a few blocks away so I'll probably start there.

[RockRaines]

1. Home Depot or Lowes are okay for paint. I prefer Ace generally, especially their semi-gloss trim/door white paint. Most paints are "paint and primer in one!" which just means they suck at both and go on thick with poor coverage. Oil-based paints are "better" but are kind of a pain in the ass and pretty much everyone uses latex unless you have a very specific reason not to. If you are trying to cover over some darker colors on the wall, prime it with Kilz first. Sherwin Williams is going to be a little bit more expensive, but will generally be better paint. Working with the nicer paints can make the job go a lot easier. Don't cheap out on the brushes, either.

 

2. Like Rock said, it's probably just normal contraction due to low humidity in the winter.

Amazing paint advice. I pay a guy to paint now because frankly it really is a skill and knowledge is half the battle.

[StrangeSox]

My father-in-law was a commercial/industrial painter for over 30 years, so he's passed on some of his tricks. I'm kinda sloppy, but my wife's gotten good enough where she doesn't need tape to cut in lines (this is where good paint and a good brush are crucial). Still, it's crazy watching him paint a room. Perfectly cut lines at the ceiling and around trim with a flick of a wrist, whole rooms painted in 1/4 of the time it'd take us.

[StrangeSox]

So, we're re-building our master bath. It's only about 10 years old, when the 2nd floor was added (we bought the house 5 years ago). But whomever did the work on the bathroom was a whack-job. Shower base improperly slanted leaks water on the floor, bad tile and settle work causes more leaks, lousy cheap fixtures we keep having to fix, poor design with unused spaces in weird places, walls so uneven there are big gaps where counters and surfaces meet the wall, and a light fixture simply fell from the wall. Done pouring money into it just to fix a crappy space. Time to start over.

 

Anyway, we're in the shopping and design phase. Anyone have any general advice on bathroom rebuilds? The design/contractor firms we are working with (2 right now, pre-bid) were both among the highest rated on Angie's List, so these aren't out of the blue. Doing a full-on, gut it down rebuild, since water has seeped out of the bathroom in places. We have a general layout agreed upon, starting to window shop new tub/tile/counters/fixtures/etc.

 

Any experience or stories appreciated!

We did a full gut of our shared master bath in our old house ourselves. Pretty standard layout so nothing fancy, but we did a full tile surround around a glass block window in the shower. Since I was doing the work myself, I spent a lot of time reading up on the best techniques, materials and tools at places like the John Bridge forums. I ended up putting in a Hydroban membrane for water sealing behind the shower. If you're going with a full tile shower stall or anything like that, something to consider. There's a similar product called Red Guard that's supposed to be good, too, and they both have pre-made shower pans you tile right over with the proper slope and water sealing properties.

 

Think about where you might possibility want additional outlets since you're going to have everything torn down to studs. This includes in adjacent rooms. Always 100x easier to run wire and cabling when there's no drywall to worry about.

 

edit: here's a picture of how it turned out

 

Edited February 11, 2016 by StrangeSox

[RockRaines]

My father-in-law was a commercial/industrial painter for over 30 years, so he's passed on some of his tricks. I'm kinda sloppy, but my wife's gotten good enough where she doesn't need tape to cut in lines (this is where good paint and a good brush are crucial). Still, it's crazy watching him paint a room. Perfectly cut lines at the ceiling and around trim with a flick of a wrist, whole rooms painted in 1/4 of the time it'd take us.

My buddy is a pro and he does all of our stuff on the cheap off the books and its really amazing. I tried painting my condo the first time and that was the last time I painted. Its incredible the skill of a pro vs someone who just thinks its rolling on paint.

[iamshack]

We did a full gut of our shared master bath in our old house ourselves. Pretty standard layout so nothing fancy, but we did a full tile surround around a glass block window in the shower. Since I was doing the work myself, I spent a lot of time reading up on the best techniques, materials and tools at places like the John Bridge forums. I ended up putting in a Hydroban membrane for water sealing behind the shower. If you're going with a full tile shower stall or anything like that, something to consider. There's a similar product called Red Guard that's supposed to be good, too, and they both have pre-made shower pans you tile right over with the proper slope and water sealing properties.

 

Think about where you might possibility want additional outlets since you're going to have everything torn down to studs. This includes in adjacent rooms. Always 100x easier to run wire and cabling when there's no drywall to worry about.

 

edit: here's a picture of how it turned out

 

Nice work, SS!

 

What is your house sitch currently, btw?

[StrangeSox]

Sold that one in the beginning of January, moved into our new one a couple of weeks ago. Just ordered a bunch of flooring for upstairs--the projects will never, ever stop.

[iamshack]

Sold that one in the beginning of January, moved into our new one a couple of weeks ago. Just ordered a bunch of flooring for upstairs--the projects will never, ever stop.

I know...my wife and I are debating whether we want to throw in the towel and get something new or put the $ into our existing home. I think if I had any faith in the school district here I would be willing to stay, but I don't.

[Kyyle23]

I know...my wife and I are debating whether we want to throw in the towel and get something new or put the $ into our existing home. I think if I had any faith in the school district here I would be willing to stay, but I don't.

 

after remodeling that gorgeous kitchen, you are ready to pack up? you crazy

[GoodAsGould]

Does anyone have any experience in owning a home with private well and private septic sewer. I will be buying my first house with my soon to be wife in the upcoming months and so far the property we have liked the most is private well/sewer and neither of us have had any experience dealing with that. Some help on the plus/minuses would help, it's in the Chicagoland area and on a half acre lot for whatever that's worth.

[iamshack]

after remodeling that gorgeous kitchen, you are ready to pack up? you crazy

There are always other kitchens...appreciate the compliment though!...the specter of remodeling 3 bathrooms, a master bedroom, closets, etc...it is imposing.

 

We'll see...I'm realizing I thought we made a lot of money until I started seeing what new houses cost.

Edited February 12, 2016 by iamshack

[iamshack]

Does anyone have any experience in owning a home with private well and private septic sewer. I will be buying my first house with my soon to be wife in the upcoming months and so far the property we have liked the most is private well/sewer and neither of us have had any experience dealing with that. Some help on the plus/minuses would help, it's in the Chicagoland area and on a half acre lot for whatever that's worth.

I am on a private well, however, the private well is not on my property, if that makes sense.

The home you are looking for has a private well located on it?

[StrangeSox]

My wife grew up on well and septic, and the house we just moved into is well and septic. There's a little bit to learn as far as maintenance goes depending on your system e.g. you'll probably need a water softener and depending on what type of septic system you have, you'll need to add chlorine tablets. My in-laws haven't had to do anything with their septic system ever and they built their house 20 years ago.

 

Definitely don't let it scare you off. If you're used to Chicago water, the water quality/taste might be a step down, but you can get all sorts of in-home water purification equipment if you really wanted to.

[StrangeSox]

We bought about 500 sq ft of "brazilian walnut" (actual wood species is Ipe) engineered wood flooring for our master, upstairs hallway and staircase this week. Let the projects begin!

 

We also went for a walk on the several-miles-long forest preserve trail that pretty much links up to our backyard last weekend, reminding us of why we fell in love with this place.

[Kyyle23]

Does anyone have any experience in owning a home with private well and private septic sewer. I will be buying my first house with my soon to be wife in the upcoming months and so far the property we have liked the most is private well/sewer and neither of us have had any experience dealing with that. Some help on the plus/minuses would help, it's in the Chicagoland area and on a half acre lot for whatever that's worth.

 

My dad lived in Johnsburg and had a private well. I lived with him for a short period of time and absolutely hated the water quality, and my dad did a lot to improve it with high cost filters. Thankfully he didnt have septic

[StrangeSox]

Alternative to that is to just get a 5 gallon water dispenser for your drinking water. Forgot to mention that that's what my in-laws do.

[RockRaines]

Does anyone have any experience in owning a home with private well and private septic sewer. I will be buying my first house with my soon to be wife in the upcoming months and so far the property we have liked the most is private well/sewer and neither of us have had any experience dealing with that. Some help on the plus/minuses would help, it's in the Chicagoland area and on a half acre lot for whatever that's worth.

Yes, I have both in Michigan, although the township made us disconnect our septic 2 years ago to hook into the sewer.

 

Wells can be great if they are properly dug, you will be able to tell by the smell. We filter it slightly for regular water and heavily through another filter and also the fridge for drinking water. Our newer well (less than 10 years old) is ALOT cleaner than our previous one and you cannot taste any difference between it and most tap water in other states (chicago obviously has the best tasting water ever). The biggest concern with wells IMO is the water used to wash clothes, if its extremely hard water and has a smell, your clothes will smell as well.

 

The septic was another animal, you DO have to be a bit careful what you flush and if the water or toilets run. Keep a strict schedule of inspection and pumping or you can have a REAL s***ty situation.

Edited February 12, 2016 by RockRaines

[NorthSideSox72]

We did a full gut of our shared master bath in our old house ourselves. Pretty standard layout so nothing fancy, but we did a full tile surround around a glass block window in the shower. Since I was doing the work myself, I spent a lot of time reading up on the best techniques, materials and tools at places like the John Bridge forums. I ended up putting in a Hydroban membrane for water sealing behind the shower. If you're going with a full tile shower stall or anything like that, something to consider. There's a similar product called Red Guard that's supposed to be good, too, and they both have pre-made shower pans you tile right over with the proper slope and water sealing properties.

 

Think about where you might possibility want additional outlets since you're going to have everything torn down to studs. This includes in adjacent rooms. Always 100x easier to run wire and cabling when there's no drywall to worry about.

 

edit: here's a picture of how it turned out

 

Thanks! I'm nowhere near good enough at these things to trust myself to re-do a bathroom. I do small household projects, but the only large project I did myself was re-doing our garage storage. Because, I mean, it's a garage. Anything like the master bath, I'll pay someone to do it. I know that's more expensive, but I also know my limits, both in skill sets and time available.

 

Good point on the outlets - we will definitely be clear on that with the design.