Let's Talk Remodeling

[binny]

omgosh we just got a bid for our new countertiops. Its the high def Formica sparkle finish that I posted earlier, To go over what we have now would only be $600!!! That is so cool. So they are coming in Friday to double check measurements then we will go ahead. For $600 I can be rid of my horrible blue countertops!

We will be doing all of the moving and disconnecting of the sink and such but for that price it is worth it!

 

[shovan]

Rescuing our thread from page 10!

binny, that is great price! Good for you!

 

[binny]

I know! I was thinking about this thread this afternoon wondering if I had killed it (Sorry!!)

I cant wait to be done with the kitchen I keep trying to clean these counters and they just dont clean well at all.

 

[shovan]

binny, have you started the work yet? If not when will it start?

bengalbelle, We have a Louisiana Board at Metro Nola Diser's on the community board. It's not just New Orleanians, we have several B.R. people and others who have spread out all over, since the you know what!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I was going to save the poor thread today too. Page 10! That's horrible! There are far too many of us in contractor hell to let it slip away!

I was expecting my bathroom quote on the granite/tile yesterday and still haven't received it. I know they had plans for Spring Break, so I'm being as patient as I can be. Which isn't too patient.

We're going to start looking at tile tomorrow, so we'll have that nice little piece of the financial puzzle. I so want to use travertine again, and she told me not to.

 

[shovan]

Am I There Yet,

I know I don't want this thread to die! I can see that I'm going to be in desperate need of a Support Group!

I have a couple of questions, that you may have answered already. But I been having serious problems with my CRS lately! (Can't Remember Sh**!)

The shower cost you quoted was that for the whole shower or just the frameless doors?

And are your cabinets being totally custom built?

We still haven't heard anything back from the designer yet. I did get a good referral for a bathroom contractor, I'm going to check into today.

Good luck on the tile shopping!

 

[binny]

nope work hasnt started yet. I have a guy coming in a 1 today to discus when we can get the countertops done and then we plan on doing the floors ourselves over Easter weekend.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Am I There Yet,

I know I don't want this thread to die! I can see that I'm going to be in desperate need of a Support Group!

I have a couple of questions, that you may have answered already. But I been having serious problems with my CRS lately! (Can't Remember Sh**!)

I have CRS big-time. I can sympathize!

The shower cost you quoted was that for the whole shower or just the frameless doors?

The doors alone. I still don't have the quote for the tile installation, the shower pan, or the tile itself.

You'll probably hear me screaming all the way in New Orleans, when I hear the amount.

And are your cabinets being totally custom built?

Yes, totally custom-built. I don't know I managed it, but I managed to find a cabinet maker who charges the same thing as Home Depot, but they're custom.

We still haven't heard anything back from the designer yet. I did get a good referral for a bathroom contractor, I'm going to check into today.

Good luck on the tile shopping!

Good luck!

I don't think we're going to get around to tile shopping this weekend. I purchased a lot of shrubs for the backyard and have that lovely job to do.

Too bad I won't have a nice soaking tub tomorrow night, because I'm sure my 40 year old bones will be needing it!

 

[ElizaB39]

hey I found more of my people!

We have an amazing master suite that was here when we bought the house last year. A friend of mine says that htey must have been doing "movies" *wink wink* up there or something because the rest of the house wasnt really updated LOL
Anyway, here are some shots of different room in our house now. http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2104265628


I am in the middle of my kitchen "do-over" Im going to copy and paste from my other thread ok?


I painted a long time ago and now the rest is going to be done in a few weeks!

This what it looked like when we moved in. The blue cabinets were really bad and the hardware was definately original 60's and smack dab in the of the doors
The floors are in bad shape and the countertops are stained and cut.

I painted the cabinets and the walls so right now it looks like this:

This is the countertop that we chose

this is the new floor that is waiting to be installed!

We are also changing the the backsplash to a faux tin tile like the one on the upper right here:

So my question is what colour should I paint the rest of the walls now. the yellow is not going to work obviously. So what should I go with? I am thinking it needs to be bright still but maybe a light beige? What do you think?

Binny,

Can you tell me where you are going to get your countertop for $600? We have literally the same layout as you, but with the sink and stove switched. Also, we don't have an overhang right now on our peninsula but we have asked for one. Also we are going to extend the end of the peninsula about 12 inches. We were quoted $1500. I am guessing because of the overhang we are adding and we want the end of the peninsula extended and it will be what is called a "radius".

Anyone have any comments?

 

[ElizaB39]

omgosh we just got a bid for our new countertiops. Its the high def Formica sparkle finish that I posted earlier, To go over what we have now would only be $600!!! That is so cool. So they are coming in Friday to double check measurements then we will go ahead. For $600 I can be rid of my horrible blue countertops!

We will be doing all of the moving and disconnecting of the sink and such but for that price it is worth it!

Okay I should have quoted this post instead. How are you getting the countertop for 600? I am looking at a Wilsonart laminate and got quoted 1500, see post below.

Thanks.

 

[binny]

they are just going over what I have now. I have a good deck under the crappy old lino so they are just going to do it that way. We are doing the demo part ( what little there is) by taking the stove out and the the sink. There is also no backsplash as we are going with the tin-like tiles and doing that ourselves.

So I guess taht is why it is so much less. He was out today and confirmed that quote so I guess we are good to go!

 

[Hixski]

I have another project (small one) that I just sprung on DH. We have an open stairwell to the basement. Nice oak banister and spindles. When we put in the oak laminate floor it now looks very woody. I told DH I either want to paint the spindles white and keep the rest oak or put in wrought iron spindles. He just looked at me with the evil eye and asked if we could at least get done with the other project first.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I have another project (small one) that I just sprung on DH. We have an open stairwell to the basement. Nice oak banister and spindles. When we put in the oak laminate floor it now looks very woody. I told DH I either want to paint the spindles white and keep the rest oak or put in wrought iron spindles. He just looked at me with the evil eye and asked if we could at least get done with the other project first.

I cast my vote for the iron!!!!!

Of course I'm not paying for it either...

Seriously - they're hot right now! I love that look!

 

[binny]

see? and I want to replace the old iron ones that I have with wooden bannisters LOL

Mine are very 70s though, theyre all loopy doopey.

Theyre also painted white and one handle is broken, I think if I soldered it and painted it black it might look better that hallway is so white!

 

[shovan]

Am I There Yet, Sure hope we don't here any screaming over here when you get those quotes!!

Wow, those frameless shower doors sure are pricey! I'll might be something I'll have to think about as we get into the project! You sure are getting a GREAT price on your cabinets though!!!

Still no word here from the designer!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Am I There Yet, Sure hope we don't here any screaming over here when you get those quotes!!

Wow, those frameless shower doors sure are pricey! I'll might be something I'll have to think about as we get into the project! You sure are getting a GREAT price on your cabinets though!!!

Still no word here from the designer!

No news yet on my quote, but I'll bet that everyone around me can hear my muscles screaming right now!

We've spent the past few days landscaping my backyard, and that job has now made it to the top of my "Never Do Again" list.

Geez! I used to be able to do that with no problems! Now, it hurts to sit, stand, move, eat... you get the picture.

I'm feeling every bit of my 40 years.

It did turn out really well though. I keep saying that it'll increase my resale value. Over and over and over again, in sincere hope that it'll make my pain go away.

I'll post pics of the before and after when I feel up to it. Which should be the day after never.

 

[bengalbelle]

No news yet on my quote, but I'll bet that everyone around me can hear my muscles screaming right now!

We've spent the past few days landscaping my backyard, and that job has now made it to the top of my "Never Do Again" list.

Geez! I used to be able to do that with no problems! Now, it hurts to sit, stand, move, eat... you get the picture.

I'm feeling every bit of my 40 years.

It did turn out really well though. I keep saying that it'll increase my resale value. Over and over and over again, in sincere hope that it'll make my pain go away.

I'll post pics of the before and after when I feel up to it. Which should be the day after never.

I feel your pain, literally! We landscaped today too. My calves are so tight and my back and shoulders are killing me!

 

[Galahad]

Well, lots more progress is being made on our front. Hopefully the weather will hold up this week.

On the inside, all of the flooring in the existing part of the house is done and it looks beautiful. A light Travertine tile from the entry, down the hall, into the kitchen and breakfast nook (it will extend into the Solarium as well when that is done). It's laid out in a pattern of different sized (Like this pic) :

The hardwood in the other rooms looks great. They had to do a lot of extra leveling of the great room. The floor isn't entirely level in that room. It wasn't noticeable when there was carpet there.

The kitchen is very close to being done. This week the put in the lighting and molding, and hardware and stuff. They will also install the appliances. The sticking point is that we have two counter surfaces, the main counter and an island/peninsula. The counters are going to be Silestone quartz. BUT, the sink is delayed another two weeks. So they've measured for the smaller counter on the peninsula where the cooktop will go and that should be ready in about 2 weeks, about the same time the sink comes in and they can measure for THAT counter. Then the backsplash tile is suppose to arrive soon. It's very cool, but Good Lord! It's from Ann Sacks and very fancy. It will look great though. That should do it for the kitchen.

The only other inside things I think are the painting and new baseboards to go with the new flooring.

The Solarium and the smaller "bump out" solarium are really making progress. Starting to look like something. Both are, I think, almost completely framed out and on their foundations. I think the glass walls go up this week. They have to build a dormer on the roof that the tallest wall of the Solarium will attach to. The Solarium ceiling is sloped so that it starts at about 7 feet tall on the outside and slopes back 26 feet to be over 20 feet tall where it meets the house. It's going to look very cool. The hot tub is sunk into the foundation in the corner of that room ( so that it only rises a few inches above the floor) and they will glass in a small "hot tub room" around it to keep the moisture out of the rest of the house. After the room is glassed in, then they remove two sections of outside wall from the existing house so that the Solarium just becomes a large open extension of the great room. The two walls of the solarium that are the exiting outside walls of the house will be drywalled. One of those walls will be lines with bookshelves. The other will have a half wall built in front of the outside of the existing fireplace. A lift will be inside the half wall that will raise and lower a flat screen TV, hidden inside the half-wall that will have a shelf on top of it. Our contractor has never installed something like that before and he's very excited. Pouring over the documentation and manuals and stuff weeks before we're ready to install it.

It's not exactly like these pics, but very similar (ours is "straight" rather than curved):

DW took some pic of the progress over the weekend but she hasn't unloaded them from her camera yet.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I feel your pain, literally! We landscaped today too. My calves are so tight and my back and shoulders are killing me!

Did you have to fall onto the toilet this morning? I couldn't even ease my way down.

The really sad thing is, hitting the toilet seat was less painful, than actually trying to get there. My thighs... OMG.

Yeah... I'm getting old.

 

[mickeysgal]

It all starts with something simple, right? I keep thinking of the story of the extensive remodeling that started with changing a towel bar (that was on this thread, right?)

Thanks! I'm really excited about it!

Yes, that was on this thread. That was my story and 100% true. The whole project unraveled over a towel bar. Its amazing how fast a project can expand once you start moving this, changing that, etc.