Let's Talk Remodeling

[Galahad]

It all looks awesome!

I especially loved the pic with the dog in it. I can't even begin to tell you how many of my remodeling pictures have a HUGE golden retriever head in them!

Thanks.

LOL! The dogs haven't been allowed in that part of the house for over a month until today. The were pretty intrigued by the whole thing. At least they haven't "marked" the new tile yet.

 

[binny]

wow galahad that is amazing great job!

 

[Galahad]

wow galahad that is amazing great job!

Thanks. It's going to be great but please understand that I'm not doing the work. DW won't let me touch tools.

 

[mickeysgal]

Galahad, your kitchen looks wonderful. What kind of wood are the cabinets? I love the solarium - thats where I'd be spending all my time. Think of all the meals you can eat out there and enjoy the outdoors at the some time.

 

[Galahad]

Galahad, your kitchen looks wonderful. What kind of wood are the cabinets? I love the solarium - thats where I'd be spending all my time. Think of all the meals you can eat out there and enjoy the outdoors at the some time.

Hi. The cabinets are Cherry and are Kraftmaid. The finish is called "Sunset Cherry". We got the "slab" door fronts. We think they look sleek, simple, and classy.

The solaruim will be great. There will be heating in it so it will be for year round. It's hard to see for all of the stuff laying around (it's under the "shop-vac"), but in the far corner the hot tub is recessed into the foundation and a glass room-in-a-room is being built to separated it from the rest of the solarium. But, since it's glass and the windows open we'll be able to see the TV, etc. from there (who needs theatre seats? ).

 

[mickeysgal]

Hi. The cabinets are Cherry and are Kraftmaid. The finish is called "Sunset Cherry". We got the "slab" door fronts. We think they look sleek, simple, and classy.

Thats what I thought - they looked like Cherry to me. Beautiful!!

Got a question for you on your Kraftmaid cabinets. We just ordered Diamond cabinets (made by the same folks that do Thomasville) for our mini-kitchen in our basement. Are your cabinets a 3/8" side? Was there a choice to upgrade to a thicker box? Also, did you go with the full plywood construction or did you stay with the standard furniture grade sides since they'll be not seen?

We're starting our bathroom project next and I'm not sure what do to about the construction upgrades on these cabinets. I'm not so very thrilled about the 3/8" sides as they seem a bit flimsy to me, but that may be just me. The designer felt the full plywood was overkill since the sides wouldn't be seen. The proof will be this weekend when my carpenter installs them. We'll see if the construction grade gives him any trouble. (They better not - I paid a ton of money for these cabinets!)

Any info you can give my on your Kraftmaid cabinets will be greatly appreciated. I'm debating whether to stick with Diamond for the bathroom or go to Kraftmaid.

 

[mickeysgal]

The solaruim will be great. There will be heating in it so it will be for year round. It's hard to see for all of the stuff laying around (it's under the "shop-vac"), but in the far corner the hot tub is recessed into the foundation and a glass room-in-a-room is being built to separated it from the rest of the solarium. But, since it's glass and the windows open we'll be able to see the TV, etc. from there (who needs theatre seats? ).

I don't know what to say except that I'm VERY ENVIOUS.

 

[Galahad]

I don't know what to say except that I'm VERY ENVIOUS.

Don't be. This whole thing is DW's vision, and it certainly will be great. But it only makes sense to do all this since we plan to retire and live out our lives in this house. There is no way we'd ever get our investment back anytime soon with the way the market acts.

We have the 3/4 inch sides on the cabinets (I think it's 3/4 - it's larger than 3/8) and we have the full plywood. BUT, we went to the Kraftmaid warehouse in Ohio and bought the cabinets from overstock and saved a LOT! But doing that means that we basically had what was in the warehouse to choose from. So we kind of accidentally got the quality we ended up with.

 

[shovan]

Galahad, I just have to say WOW!!!! That looks fabulous! You're DW has wonderful taste! Love your kitchen & that solarium & the hot tub room are all going to be sooo nice! How long since you started all the construction?

Am I There Yet, Tell your DH that you have to make sure to keep that great cabinet guy in town! He might decide to take off & head for greener pastures (like here!) to fatten his wallet!


The designer finally came back with some floor plans & they don't look like they will work at all! The shower is not large enough. For some reason she made every effort to avoid changing/moving a window that we told her, will need to be changed regardless. She said she had more to send us, but that was two days ago. I think we are going to tell her to stop & just pay her for the time spent on it.

We have found two contractors who are supposed to come out next week. One of them sounds very good. A husband & wife team, he's the contractor & she's a designer! Just don't want to get our hopes up, as this as just not been working out the way we had planned.

 

[Galahad]

Galahad, I just have to say WOW!!!! That looks fabulous! You're DW has wonderful taste! Love your kitchen & that solarium & the hot tub room are all going to be sooo nice! How long since you started all the construction?

Thanks. Yes she does. She married well too!

We started the first of January. It seems like it's taken forever. The planning and designing started last summer. The outside work was delayed off and on by weather and the inside work has been delayed by materials not arriving when they were suppose to. Other than that it's been just like clockwork.

 

[shovan]

Thanks. Yes she does. She married well too!

We started the first of January. It seems like it's taken forever. The planning and designing started last summer. The outside work was delayed off and on by weather and the inside work has been delayed by materials not arriving when they were suppose to. Other than that it's been just like clockwork.

Like clockwork uh? Trying to make me feel better, so I don't beat up the next unsuspecting contractor or designer?!

 

[shovan]

We just had another contractor cancel on us. At least this one called & let us know he wouldn't be coming!

How is everyone's work coming along?

 

[Crankyshank]

Uggh... An unexpected projected just came up.

We were expecting to re-tile our bathroom next year. Our bathroom has its original 1940 sunshine yellow tile throughout the entire bathroom, with linoleum floors.
Well, DH noticed the floor was spongey. Yep. We've got rotted floor boards. Since we have neither the time nor the money to retile the whole bathroom right now, we're going to have some seriously mis-matched tiles going on.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We just had another contractor cancel on us. At least this one called & let us know he wouldn't be coming!

How is everyone's work coming along?

You are having the worst luck! Sooner or later, it's bound to change!

We still haven't even had the time to sit down and discuss the estimates yet! If my husband has been on a tour at the fire department, he's doing two inspections a day. He's never home!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Uggh... An unexpected projected just came up.

We were expecting to re-tile our bathroom next year. Our bathroom has its original 1940 sunshine yellow tile throughout the entire bathroom, with linoleum floors.
Well, DH noticed the floor was spongey. Yep. We've got rotted floor boards. Since we have neither the time nor the money to retile the whole bathroom right now, we're going to have some seriously mis-matched tiles going on.

It could have been worse. You could have fallen through them.

Sounds like what happened in my bathroom, except it was the wall tiles.

One was loose, water got behind it, and before we knew it we were remodeling the whole stupid thing.

 

[Galahad]

Like clockwork uh? Trying to make me feel better, so I don't beat up the next unsuspecting contractor or designer?!

We'll we've had our hiccups in the "clock". Like today it looked very much like the countertop guy wasn't going to show to measure. After some harrassing and cajoling he finally showed up tonight.

The worst news is the trouble we're having with the electrician. He's pretty good at the quality of the actual work but he's been very unreliable about doing what he says he will do when he says he will do it and he makes a royal mess every time he's here. Yesterday he gave us the last straw and said that some of the work is "not covered by the contract" and wants to charge us more for some things. DW blew a bit of a gasket and instructed me (I follow instructions very well ) to just let him know that we want him to complete the contracted work but we'll hire somebody else for the rest. Our Kitchen contractor told us the electrician worked pretty hard today.

 

[mickeysgal]

One was loose, water got behind it, and before we knew it we were remodeling the whole stupid thing.

Thats happened to us as well. Only we didn't notice that a tub tile was loose and that the green board had rotted until we saw a leak on the family room ceiling right below the bathroom. I've never had green board since in any house subsequent. We learned the hard way.

Funny story. We picked out tile to replace this same bathroom tub area and DH went right to work ripping out the old, putting up Durock, and putting up the new tile. He literally was done and still standing in the tub when I walked in and noticed that the wall tile in no way shape or form matched the floor tile. He never stepped back and looked for himself - he just put up the tile as instructed. It was so mismatched that we never grouted the stuff - he just tore it all out again and we started over. Thats why we always now get several tile samples to line up to view...not just a single tile. A single tile just doesn't give a good overall picture.

How's that for wasted money?? It wasn't funny at the time, but years have passed and we can now laugh - a little -over it.

 

[shovan]

You are having the worst luck! Sooner or later, it's bound to change!
We still haven't even had the time to sit down and discuss the estimates yet! If my husband has been on a tour at the fire department, he's doing two inspections a day. He's never home!

Sorry that your project is on hold & that your DH is so busy with work.

DW blew a bit of a gasket and instructed me (I follow instructions very well ) to just let him know that we want him to complete the contracted work but we'll hire somebody else for the rest. Our Kitchen contractor told us the electrician worked pretty hard today.

Now if only these guys could follow instructions as well as you do!

The contractor who canceled Monday, showed up last night. He takes a brief look around & says he doesn't know enough about handicap renovations! We had sent the detailed drawings & specs weeks ago! (drawn up by a Rehab. Engineer) You think he would have realized this, when he received the huge stack of papers detailing ADA shower,etc.. Why waste his time & ours, I just don't get it!

Wish me luck, we have another coming out tonight & one more scheduled for next week.

 

[Galahad]

Sorry that your project is on hold & that your DH is so busy with work.



Now if only these guys could follow instructions as well as you do!

The contractor who canceled Monday, showed up last night. He takes a brief look around & says he doesn't know enough about handicap renovations! We had sent the detailed drawings & specs weeks ago! (drawn up by a Rehab. Engineer) You think he would have realized this, when he received the huge stack of papers detailing ADA shower,etc.. Why waste his time & ours, I just don't get it!

Wish me luck, we have another coming out tonight & one more scheduled for next week.

Wow! Good luck. Sounds like you're on a streak of not-so-good luck.

Yesterday, our Kitchen contractor discovered that the electrician hadn't wired for the radiant heating units under the tile so they had to rip a hole in a freshly built wall. Boy I'll be glad when this is done.

 

[mickeysgal]

Now if only these guys could follow instructions as well as you do!

The contractor who canceled Monday, showed up last night. He takes a brief look around & says he doesn't know enough about handicap renovations! We had sent the detailed drawings & specs weeks ago! (drawn up by a Rehab. Engineer) You think he would have realized this, when he received the huge stack of papers detailing ADA shower,etc.. Why waste his time & ours, I just don't get it!

Wish me luck, we have another coming out tonight & one more scheduled for next week.

I feel for you. Its hard to find someone that wants the work, wants TO work, and further, one you can click with.