Let's Talk Remodeling

[shovan]

Yeah, higher is an understatement! I mean my cabinet guy was going to charge us $300 for demo and the contractor has $1,200 for it!

The estimate includes the granite and the frameless shower doors, but other than that, it's labor. And of course, I'm busy and DH is swamped with work, so we can't sit down to figure it out.

If I only knew where to have the stuff hauled off to, I'd tear it all out!

Don't say that! Positive thoughts coming your way!

Have you worked with this contractor before? On our kitchen remodel, even though the contractor cost more, we ended feeling it was worth it. He hauled off everything each day! Had the electricians sceduled right when he needed them, etc. those kinds of things that made our life so much easier.

But then again, not all contractors handle trash hauling that well. My neighbor right next door was having her bathroom redone at the same time. She had recommended her contractor to me & thank goodness we found our guy before that one. The people she used piled up so much junk & crap it spilled over into my yard. While my contractor was hauling all of our stuff away. Really ticked me off. Then her people dumped a ton of tiles broken into a billion pieces in the grass. Not in a bucket, box or anything! and of course it was almost in my yard again. I can't say I was sad seeing my neighbor have to shovel it up herself.


On our scheduling, no one with the state can tell us how long it will be for the final go. They keep saying it could be a day, a week or a month! And that month goes on & on. So giving the contractor a sure date is impossible. So if he's tied up, we'll just have to wait again. We were really hoping to get this going before it gets cold. We are actually going to have to set up some kind of shower in our garage for DH to use. I can't get him into the tub in the other bathroom at all. Thank goodness I have a laundry sink out there with hot & cold water, so we should be able to make that work for a little while! But it ain't gonna be fun!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Have you worked with this contractor before? On our kitchen remodel, even though the contractor cost more, we ended feeling it was worth it. He hauled off everything each day! Had the electricians sceduled right when he needed them, etc. those kinds of things that made our life so much easier.

She's the same one who did the tile work and granite for me. I've never had her contract anything out for us though. I've always done it myself. I've seen a lot of her work, and she does do good remodels

On our scheduling, no one with the state can tell us how long it will be for the final go. They keep saying it could be a day, a week or a month! And that month goes on & on. So giving the contractor a sure date is impossible. So if he's tied up, we'll just have to wait again. We were really hoping to get this going before it gets cold. We are actually going to have to set up some kind of shower in our garage for DH to use. I can't get him into the tub in the other bathroom at all. Thank goodness I have a laundry sink out there with hot & cold water, so we should be able to make that work for a little while! But it ain't gonna be fun!

Maybe you can get some sort of shower from a camping place?

 

[blanq]

After seeing my estimate, I'm thinking of going doorless!

Isn't the cost of remodeling obscene?! I can relate to your reaction about the cost!

 

[blanq]

Have any of you who have dealt with a major remodel, or are dealing with one, decided to move out during the renovations? I would be interested in the pros/cons from those who have opted to live through a mess and from those who opted for moving out altogether.

We are waiting for our 4th, and final proposal/bid for our project. The last general contractor I interviewed (who I am very impressed with so far and am leaning toward if the proposal and reference checks work out) was the first to suggest we move out. He stated that in the long run it would save time and money. If we aren't here, they can work on all of the projects at one time, instead of staggering them which would allow a much bigger crew to be here. Also, they could knock if off in two months, rather than dragging it out over many months. They wouldn't need to use manpower to clean up every day, and that would save money too.

Any thoughts?

 

[mickeysgal]

Yeah, higher is an understatement! I mean my cabinet guy was going to charge us $300 for demo and the contractor has $1,200 for it!

The estimate includes the granite and the frameless shower doors, but other than that, it's labor. And of course, I'm busy and DH is swamped with work, so we can't sit down to figure it out.

If I only knew where to have the stuff hauled off to, I'd tear it all out!

Oh my! And I thought our landscaping estimate was out of this world!

What will your garbage collectors take and what won't they? Do you have once a week or twice a week pick up? Can you put enough broken tile in a can so that they can lift it and keep doing this until they've taken it all? They should be able to take the cabinets right off the bat.

Or - can you look into renting a dumpster and doing the tear out yourself? It's really not that hard. Messy and dusty but not hard. The hardest thing is lifting a garbage can full of tile. (Get one with wheels.)

Are you going with their fabricator or your own? Sometimes I think when they insist on using their own connections, that somehow they all have their hand in the till.

The frameless shower can run anywhere from $3500 to $5000 depending on the size. Its frightening.

 

[mickeysgal]

We were really hoping to get this going before it gets cold. We are actually going to have to set up some kind of shower in our garage for DH to use. I can't get him into the tub in the other bathroom at all. Thank goodness I have a laundry sink out there with hot & cold water, so we should be able to make that work for a little while! But it ain't gonna be fun!

No, that doesn't sound like fun at all. Especially when the weather turns colder. I hope you get this project done in a jiffy.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Oh my! And I thought our landscaping estimate was out of this world!

What will your garbage collectors take and what won't they? Do you have once a week or twice a week pick up? Can you put enough broken tile in a can so that they can lift it and keep doing this until they've taken it all? They should be able to take the cabinets right off the bat.

Or - can you look into renting a dumpster and doing the tear out yourself? It's really not that hard. Messy and dusty but not hard. The hardest thing is lifting a garbage can full of tile. (Get one with wheels.)

Are you going with their fabricator or your own? Sometimes I think when they insist on using their own connections, that somehow they all have their hand in the till.

The frameless shower can run anywhere from $3500 to $5000 depending on the size. Its frightening.

We did demo the kitchen and hall bathroom ourselves, but this time we have a tub, a shower stall, two mirrored doors, a 7' long marble vanity top, the cabinets, and a 7' long mirror to dispose of.

I am going to call the trash pickup people first, because I know they do a heavy trash pickup, I just don't know what the limits are. I know they get water heaters and fridges.

I mean, $1,200... come on!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Have any of you who have dealt with a major remodel, or are dealing with one, decided to move out during the renovations? I would be interested in the pros/cons from those who have opted to live through a mess and from those who opted for moving out altogether.

We are waiting for our 4th, and final proposal/bid for our project. The last general contractor I interviewed (who I am very impressed with so far and am leaning toward if the proposal and reference checks work out) was the first to suggest we move out. He stated that in the long run it would save time and money. If we aren't here, they can work on all of the projects at one time, instead of staggering them which would allow a much bigger crew to be here. Also, they could knock if off in two months, rather than dragging it out over many months. They wouldn't need to use manpower to clean up every day, and that would save money too.

Any thoughts?

No, but I did want my husband to move out many times. Does that count?

 

[blanq]

No, but I did want my husband to move out many times. Does that count?

Hey...now there's an idea I hadn't thought of! I will add that to my list of options.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Hey...now there's an idea I hadn't thought of! I will add that to my list of options.

Just think of the money you'd save!

 

[mickeysgal]

No, but I did want my husband to move out many times. Does that count?

 

[jipsy]

We are about to take on a major remodel. We just excavated around 1/2 of our house and put in new drainage and a driveway. We are in the middle of having our remodel house plans done right now.

Luckily, my fiance is a contractor, so alot of this he can do himself or find the right people. We live in Massachusetts, so if any of you have any questions about pricing, feasibility, etc. let me know and I'll try to pick his brain for you. He's done it all - both residential and commercial.

 

[mickeysgal]

We are about to take on a major remodel. We just excavated around 1/2 of our house and put in new drainage and a driveway. We are in the middle of having our remodel house plans done right now.

Luckily, my fiance is a contractor, so alot of this he can do himself or find the right people. We live in Massachusetts, so if any of you have any questions about pricing, feasibility, etc. let me know and I'll try to pick his brain for you. He's done it all - both residential and commercial.

Welcome!!! We're a fun bunch. Really.

 

[jipsy]

Have any of you who have dealt with a major remodel, or are dealing with one, decided to move out during the renovations? I would be interested in the pros/cons from those who have opted to live through a mess and from those who opted for moving out altogether.

We are waiting for our 4th, and final proposal/bid for our project. The last general contractor I interviewed (who I am very impressed with so far and am leaning toward if the proposal and reference checks work out) was the first to suggest we move out. He stated that in the long run it would save time and money. If we aren't here, they can work on all of the projects at one time, instead of staggering them which would allow a much bigger crew to be here. Also, they could knock if off in two months, rather than dragging it out over many months. They wouldn't need to use manpower to clean up every day, and that would save money too.

Any thoughts?

Moving out makes it much easier for them and quicker for you. They don't have to worry about cleaning up all the time. If you are living there during the remodel, any good contractor will try to keep things pretty neat because they know you have to try and eat and sleep there.

I remodeled once before when I was in my 20's and didn't know any better. My upstairs bathtub had a leak and was dripping into my kitchen. The contractor was supposed to fix it.

I came home to find a huge hole in my kitchen ceiling, and water and drywall all over my kitchen cabinets and floors. I had to clean it all up before I could even attempt to pour a glass of wine, much less fix something for dinner.

Although, if you choose to live there, and your contractor does have a conscious and cleans, sometimes it can look like he didn't do much all day. My fiance is doing a major remodel right now for someone. She wanted a tile backsplash across an entire kitchen wall. Since here cabinets are old and were never hung quite right, plus she wanted a tile border of a different color; needless to say it took all day for two of them to do it. Measure the tile, cut it, check to see if it fits, if not cut it again, check again, spread some thinset on the one piece, fit it in the right place on the wall. He said there were more cuts than there were full tiles. Two people, 8 hours later on a Friday and they debated if they should clean or not. Realize they had a wet tile saw, which spews slurry, so they had covered the entire kitchen in plastic, plus plastic through the doorway into the dining room and over the furniture. My fiance, being the conscious person that he is, decided they should clean up so that this couple could have their coffee in the morning on their new granite countertop. They spent another hour cleaning up.

That night about 7:30 she calls and leaves a voice mail screaming about how she just can't see paying two people for a full day, seeing what little work they did.

I was laughing, my fiance was FUMING. He was close to calling her and telling her to shove it up her ***.

Thank goodness her husband came home and told her she knew nothing about what she was seeing or talking about and made her apologize.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We are about to take on a major remodel. We just excavated around 1/2 of our house and put in new drainage and a driveway. We are in the middle of having our remodel house plans done right now.

Luckily, my fiance is a contractor, so alot of this he can do himself or find the right people. We live in Massachusetts, so if any of you have any questions about pricing, feasibility, etc. let me know and I'll try to pick his brain for you. He's done it all - both residential and commercial.

Man, you're lucky. My ex was a master plumber, but he could pretty much do anything. I can't even begin to tell you the things he did to our last house. It saved us $$$$.

My new husband is not so handy. But he's faithful, so I consider that a pretty good tradeoff.

Oh, and welcome!

 

[jipsy]

Well you say that, but of course, our house is the last one that gets any work done to it

And thanks for welcoming me.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Moving out makes it much easier for them and quicker for you. They don't have to worry about cleaning up all the time. If you are living there during the remodel, any good contractor will try to keep things pretty neat because they know you have to try and eat and sleep there.

I remodeled once before when I was in my 20's and didn't know any better. My upstairs bathtub had a leak and was dripping into my kitchen. The contractor was supposed to fix it.

I came home to find a huge hole in my kitchen ceiling, and water and drywall all over my kitchen cabinets and floors. I had to clean it all up before I could even attempt to pour a glass of wine, much less fix something for dinner.

Although, if you choose to live there, and your contractor does have a conscious and cleans, sometimes it can look like he didn't do much all day. My fiance is doing a major remodel right now for someone. She wanted a tile backsplash across an entire kitchen wall. Since here cabinets are old and were never hung quite right, plus she wanted a tile border of a different color; needless to say it took all day for two of them to do it. Measure the tile, cut it, check to see if it fits, if not cut it again, check again, spread some thinset on the one piece, fit it in the right place on the wall. He said there were more cuts than there were full tiles. Two people, 8 hours later on a Friday and they debated if they should clean or not. Realize they had a wet tile saw, which spews slurry, so they had covered the entire kitchen in plastic, plus plastic through the doorway into the dining room and over the furniture. My fiance, being the conscious person that he is, decided they should clean up so that this couple could have their coffee in the morning on their new granite countertop. They spent another hour cleaning up.

That night about 7:30 she calls and leaves a voice mail screaming about how she just can't see paying two people for a full day, seeing what little work they did.

I was laughing, my fiance was FUMING. He was close to calling her and telling her to shove it up her ***.

Thank goodness her husband came home and told her she knew nothing about what she was seeing or talking about and made her apologize.

Whatever you do, don't post ***. I got my first points this morning for a "filter violation". Apparently there are bored people looking for little things like that.

Of all the times I've bitten my tongue on threads, I get points for that! I could have racked them up for something far more fun and satisfying than that!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Well you say that, but of course, our house is the last one that gets any work done to it

And thanks for welcoming me.

Isn't that the way it always is? I just have to hope that if my house catches on fire, that my husband will put it out.

 

[jipsy]

well I didn't use the *, I said the word and let the filter take it out. Was always my understanding that's what keeps you from getting in trouble. Bu, I've been here for 7 years, if Alex doesn't know my potty mouth by now

Putting out fires - before we moved here, we rented the second and third story apt in a two family. My landlord's sister lived downstairs and she was a smoker. He didn't allow smoking in the apartments, so she alway smoked on the huge front porch.

One sunny summer morning, we wake up to smell smoke coming through our window on the 3rd floor. My fiance's oldest son was spending the summer with us, and at first we thought maybe he was outside smoking? My fiance goes downstairs and the front door is wide open. He races down the next set of stairs to the front porch, to find his son with a hatchet chopping off part of the porch, and the paperman with a garden hose.

The paperman saw smoke coming off the side of the porch and rang the doorbells to wake people up. We couldn't hear it on the 3rd floor. I went to call the landlord, and his sister actually had the nerve to ask me not to, because he would be "mad". ***? I also called the fire department. When they came they said if the paperman had been 5 minutes later, that fire would have ran all the way up the side of the house to the 3rd floor and our apartment probably would have been burnt before they got there.

My fiance offered to reshingle the porch for our landlord. We lived there for 6 more months before we moved, and he never painted the shingles!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

well I didn't use the *, I said the word and let the filter take it out. Was always my understanding that's what keeps you from getting in trouble. Bu, I've been here for 7 years, if Alex doesn't know my potty mouth by now

Maybe that's where I went wrong. I messed up the spelling of the word. I'm such a rebel.

The paperman saw smoke coming off the side of the porch and rang the doorbells to wake people up. We couldn't hear it on the 3rd floor. I went to call the landlord, and his sister actually had the nerve to ask me not to, because he would be "mad". ***? I also called the fire department. When they came they said if the paperman had been 5 minutes later, that fire would have ran all the way up the side of the house to the 3rd floor and our apartment probably would have been burnt before they got there.