Let's Talk Remodeling

[Am_I_There_Yet]

This seems the place to ask...

Anyone have any ideas about how to re-motivate a VERY discouraged DIY fiance? His last "project" that should have taken a couple of hours turned into a couple of days & now it looks like we'll have to gut the bathroom AGAIN (yup, mold - thanks to some shoddy contracting work.) DFi has been trying to fix what he can, but it seems beyond hope at this point.

He wanted to go for one of those moulded tub/shower custom-fit surrounds, but I insisted on tile. I always think those moulded things belong in cheap motels...but, looks like he was right.

So how can I encourage him to soldier on so we can sell this blasted house next spring?????

Oh gosh... I'm so the wrong the person to ask. My DH is what's holding my remodel back!

I just wanted to say that I felt your pain!

 

[shovan]

Yikes!!!! You were lucky. I remember when they fixed our spring the first time they said there is a ton a pressure in those springs. That is why they are very strong and expensive. Some good news though. I found the paperwork. The parts have a lifetime warranty. Yea!!!! I will be calling ASAP since my car is being held hostage in the garage. At least we have DH's SUV out of the garage.

We've had that happen a couple of times also. Nothing as dramatic as Am I There Yet's scary incident, thank goodness! The repair men have said it's because we have a really large heavy wood double door. If you unlatch the opener from the door (you should have a rope to pull down to do this) a couple of guys should be able to manually open the door to get the car out.

 

[mickeysgal]

This seems the place to ask...

Anyone have any ideas about how to re-motivate a VERY discouraged DIY fiance? His last "project" that should have taken a couple of hours turned into a couple of days & now it looks like we'll have to gut the bathroom AGAIN (yup, mold - thanks to some shoddy contracting work.) DFi has been trying to fix what he can, but it seems beyond hope at this point.

He wanted to go for one of those moulded tub/shower custom-fit surrounds, but I insisted on tile. I always think those moulded things belong in cheap motels...but, looks like he was right.

So how can I encourage him to soldier on so we can sell this blasted house next spring?????

You can encourage him by the simple fact that you have to sell the house and the bathroom needs to be fixed or else your buyers are going to either run from the housee or low-ball you due to the fixes that need to be done.

Where is the mold? I would encourage you to try the tile as that seems to have a greater perceptive value to potential buyers than surrounds- plus it looks more updated. Is this a tub/shower combo or a stand alone shower that you're trying to tile? If this is a tub/shower, make sure that you use Durrock cement board as your backer underneath the tile. Not green board, just good old-fashioned cement board. And make sure when you're done tiling that you completely caulk around the edges. Your grout should be a sanded grout and then sealed.

Its when you're trying to tile a standalone shower floor that installation can be a bit tricky to get the drainage system and slope of the floor set right. (Yes, we've lived through a remodel like this once - no twice - when the shower floor had to be ripped out due to a shoddy install by a tile place. Thats a story for another time.)

 

[MareQ]

Thought I'd hop on here - we're in the middle of a small kitchen renovation. Basically I am taking the wall between my kitchen and dining room down to make it a half wall. (Here's my first floor layout so you can visualize - except my house is flipped, my kitchen Island is bigger - seats 5 around 3 sides, I have pantry cabinets lining the empty kitchen wall and the "mud room" on my house is a big study with vaulted ceiling and a fireplace- no extra half bath)

So we have 3 living spaces - and a nice sized kitchen - but not big enough for a table. I hate eating at the Island - but I also hate eating in a formal dining room - I really only use my dining room 3 times a year - so we're just going to make it one big room. (If I ever decide I need a formal one again I can convert my living room - I really don't need 3 "living" spaces anyway)

Problem we have is that the stove as you can see is on that wall and I have granite countertops - so I am not making a full peninsula as we woudl have to finish off the back side of the cabinets and reshape the back side of the granite- so it will be a half wall instead. (We also bought a new stove - so I am losing that last cabinet on the end and putting in this in it's place with a 1.5" backsplash not the 7" one there.

I will be losing all upper cabinets on that wall - but I have at least 3 lower cabinets that are almost empty (one has 1 pot in it It's deceiving but I have a LOT of cabinets)

I am wondering what to do with the top of that half wall though? Just make it as wide as the wall itself? Make a little counter for serving etc? I already have the Island so I don't need a snack area - but I am still unsure of how to finish off the top of the wall. Does anybody have a half wall type thing they can post pictures of so I can see how your wall is done?

Also I am going to have to go with a countertop microwave - I have to get rid of my nice over the range advantium...

I am excited though - stove is being delivered Friday (With a new 2 drawer dishwasher too) and removal of the wall itself should start the next few weeks....

 

[dolcezena]

You can encourage him by the simple fact that you have to sell the house and the bathroom needs to be fixed or else your buyers are going to either run from the housee or low-ball you due to the fixes that need to be done.

*sigh* His last response to that type of remark from me was "Well I guess we're here forever!" He's really fed up.

Where is the mold? I would encourage you to try the tile as that seems to have a greater perceptive value to potential buyers than surrounds- plus it looks more updated.

I figured the same thing about the tile....So here's the story. There was a narrow bulkhead wall that ran from the floor to the ceiling. Our bathroom is quite small, so to open it up a bit, we asked the contractor if he could scale down the wall & make it into a shelf at the foot of the tub instead. (It couldn't be done away with - that's where the pipes are.)

Anyway, he built the shelf & for a week or so, everything was great. Then all the grout started cracking & falling out & the caulking along the tub began to peel away. We later learned that he should have filled the tub prior to grouting the bulkhead shelf. The extra weight of the water (& a body in it) basically "stretched the tiles."

We're assuming that water seeped in at this point & that's where the mold started, even though DFi scraped & regrouted himself.

Frankly the whole house has been an exercise in frustration. Should have known, especially when DFi's dad came to see it the 1st time - he's a retired homicide detective. First thing he says - "Hey, I know this house!" NOT what you want to hear from a guy that investigated murders & serious assults!.

 

[mickeysgal]

Frankly the whole house has been an exercise in frustration. Should have known, especially when DFi's dad came to see it the 1st time - he's a retired homicide detective. First thing he says - "Hey, I know this house!" NOT what you want to hear from a guy that investigated murders & serious assults!.

OMG!!!!

The bulkhead shelf - what is the underlayment? It should be totally encased in cement board. Anything that the water may come into contact with - and then some - should be lined with the Durrock. So even if water comes into contact with it, there is no mold to grow since mold doesn't grow on cement.

 

[mickeysgal]

I am wondering what to do with the top of that half wall though? Just make it as wide as the wall itself? Make a little counter for serving etc? I already have the Island so I don't need a snack area - but I am still unsure of how to finish off the top of the wall. Does anybody have a half wall type thing they can post pictures of so I can see how your wall is done?

Also I am going to have to go with a countertop microwave - I have to get rid of my nice over the range advantium...

I would finish off the wall with a taller snack counter (higher than a regular counter height) with three bar height chairs and perhaps some can lights above it. With the space thats left from the old dining room, can't you get a table and chairs in there as well - even if its on the smaller side? This way you do have some sit down seating in the house. As far as the island, you can redo your island to be configured to have a built in microwave and no seating since you'd have the snack counter. I'd hate to clutter up the counterspace - especially nowadays - with a microwave. Since you said you already had granite, maybe you can get a complementary granite for the new island and snack counter. It would look like you planned it to be like that. If you have a solid granite now, go with a pattern. If you have a patterned granite, go with a solid to offset the pattern.

Just my .02

 

[dolcezena]

OMG!!!!

Was not so bad - turns out our house was the childhood home of a biker gang president - they eventually got absorbed by the Hell's Angels. Apparently DFi's dad served a few warrants here.

Anywho, that's part of the house problems - all the "remodelling" work that was done prior to our buying it was done with stuff that "fell off a truck." NOTHING in the house matches (from windows to doorknobs) & it was done by a bunch of bikers.

The bulkhead shelf - what is the underlayment? It should be totally encased in cement board. Anything that the water may come into contact with - and then some - should be lined with the Durrock. So even if water comes into contact with it, there is no mold to grow since mold doesn't grow on cement.

We had greenboard under it, and all around the tub area - apparently wasn't enough. On his next 5-day off weekend (in 3 weeks), I'm hoping DFi is going to charge forward, remove the bulkhead & rebuild it. I'll definitely tell him to go the cement board route - seriously don't want to have to do this again!

 

[mickeysgal]

We had greenboard under it, and all around the tub area - apparently wasn't enough. On his next 5-day off weekend (in 3 weeks), I'm hoping DFi is going to charge forward, remove the bulkhead & rebuild it. I'll definitely tell him to go the cement board route - seriously don't want to have to do this again!

Yep, thats your culprit, the greenboard. It deteriorates and thats where the problems start. We had that happen in a bathroom with some cracked grout. Didn't know how much of a problem it was until a leak appeared on the ceiling of a family room directly below the bathroom. Had to rip out all the tile and backer board. The greenboard had literally melted away behind the tile.

Repeat after me, "Durock is my friend".

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Yep, thats your culprit, the greenboard. It deteriorates and thats where the problems start. We had that happen in a bathroom with some cracked grout. Didn't know how much of a problem it was until a leak appeared on the ceiling of a family room directly below the bathroom. Had to rip out all the tile and backer board. The greenboard had literally melted away behind the tile.

Repeat after me, "Durock is my friend".

We had the same problem. All it took was one small crack in the grout and we ended up with a huge mold problem and a total bathroom remodel.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I am wondering what to do with the top of that half wall though? Just make it as wide as the wall itself? Make a little counter for serving etc? I already have the Island so I don't need a snack area - but I am still unsure of how to finish off the top of the wall. Does anybody have a half wall type thing they can post pictures of so I can see how your wall is done?

Love that stove, by the way! It's gorgeous!

I would just cap the wall with the same granite that you used on the counters. Maybe have it hang over an inch on either side.

I wouldn't do a bar-type area, because that will take away space from the eating area.

 

[ElizaB39]

Love that stove, by the way! It's gorgeous!

I would just cap the wall with the same granite that you used on the counters. Maybe have it hang over an inch on either side.

I wouldn't do a bar-type area, because that will take away space from the eating area.

I agree with this idea, and then you can have molding going along the wall right underneath the little overhang, it would look sort of like it was "supporting" the granite or whatever you top the 1/2 wall with, but it is a pretty finishing touch.

I also like the idea of hanging pendant lights over the 1/2 wall, but don't like the idea of turning it into a bar seating area. You already have the island for that anyway. The hanging pendant lights can be good task lighting for the stove top since you are losing the overhead light that likely came with the micro, and it can be a good transition into the "new" kitchen seating area.

 

[MareQ]

I also like the idea of hanging pendant lights over the 1/2 wall, but don't like the idea of turning it into a bar seating area. You already have the island for that anyway. The hanging pendant lights can be good task lighting for the stove top since you are losing the overhead light that likely came with the micro, and it can be a good transition into the "new" kitchen seating area.

I was thinking of doing that with these... Just not sure of the shade color matching but that can always be changed I guess.. I like that the lights are on a retractable cord and the heights can be changed

By the way I am NOT having a vent - may regret it later on but I just want pretty lights - lol

I considered the granite top but since DH let me buy my pretty stove I was considering granite tiles- would that look horrible?? I have Uba Tuba by the way - it's a dark blackish green with clear and gold flecks.

 

[shovan]

I was thinking of doing that with these... Just not sure of the shade color matching but that can always be changed I guess.. I like that the lights are on a retractable cord and the heights can be changed

By the way I am NOT having a vent - may regret it later on but I just want pretty lights - lol

I considered the granite top but since DH let me buy my pretty stove I was considering granite tiles- would that look horrible?? I have Uba Tuba by the way - it's a dark blackish green with clear and gold flecks.

I really like those lights & your stove! I think tiles would look nice. Especially if you are just going to use it as a serving area, then you won't have to worry about the grout getting stained. I know I've seen lots of picture with counters of different heights, I'm sure you could do it where it would look like it was planned that way all along.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I was thinking of doing that with these... Just not sure of the shade color matching but that can always be changed I guess.. I like that the lights are on a retractable cord and the heights can be changed

By the way I am NOT having a vent - may regret it later on but I just want pretty lights - lol

I considered the granite top but since DH let me buy my pretty stove I was considering granite tiles- would that look horrible?? I have Uba Tuba by the way - it's a dark blackish green with clear and gold flecks.

Are you talking tiles on your counters too? I thought you already had granite slab on your counters.

If you're going to do it all tile, then yeah, I think that would look fine on the ledge - otherwise, I'd go with slab all the way.

IMO though - with upper-end appliances, I'd go with slab, not tiles. I have Uba Tuba too (say that really fast!) and I love it! Soooo pretty when the light hits it.

I love the pendants!

 

[triplefigs]

Someone just sent me to this thread as we have just started MAJOR remodeling on our house. I am trying to get before and after pictures to show.

This is the outside of our house now.

1st project: replace the entire exterior of the house with Hardi Plank siding. The wood siding is completely rotted. Also replacing all windows with PVC trim, painting the house, and replacing the front porch. It's a 5200 sq foot house, so it is a ton of siding. We've picked a moss green color for the house and black for the shutters/doors. Trim will be white. Costing me a mint...



2. Adding a full bath and bedroom to our basement. Don't have the final cost yet, and the project will start in a few weeks.

3. Remodeling our kitchen. We will keep the cabinets white with oiled bronze hardware, the walls are a soft green, have all black iron accents and lighting. Floors are a medium oak. Adding Verde Butterfly Granite counters, tumbled slate tile backsplash, all new lighting, under counter lighting, refinishing the cabinets, stainless sink, stainless steel gas cooktop, stainless steel range hood, and faucet. Debating between painting the island the cranberry red of the curtains (my formal living and dining room are the red) or black for a punch of color. The faucet came yesterday. It is a Price Pfister Hanover with separate handle in the oiled bronze finish. Here's info and a picture of the faucet.

Kitchen now

4. Having 2 ceilings painted, the master bath wallpaper taken down (it's 2 story vaulted) and painted, half bath wallpaper taken down and painted, and all the cabinets in kitchen/mstr bath/half bath refaced.

Any advice on how to survive all this would be appreciated. DH and I are very stressed to put it mildly! I can't wait to see the finished product, though.

 

[shovan]

Someone just sent me to this thread as we have just started MAJOR remodeling on our house. I am trying to get before and after pictures to show.

This is the outside of our house now.

1st project: replace the entire exterior of the house with Hardi Plank siding. The wood siding is completely rotted. Also replacing all windows with PVC trim, painting the house, and replacing the front porch. It's a 5200 sq foot house, so it is a ton of siding. We've picked a moss green color for the house and black for the shutters/doors. Trim will be white. Costing me a mint...



2. Adding a full bath and bedroom to our basement. Don't have the final cost yet, and the project will start in a few weeks.

3. Remodeling our kitchen. We will keep the cabinets white with oiled bronze hardware, the walls are a soft green, have all black iron accents and lighting. Floors are a medium oak. Adding Verde Butterfly Granite counters, tumbled slate tile backsplash, all new lighting, under counter lighting, refinishing the cabinets, stainless sink, stainless steel gas cooktop, stainless steel range hood, and faucet. Debating between painting the island the cranberry red of the curtains (my formal living and dining room are the red) or black for a punch of color. The faucet came yesterday. It is a Price Pfister Hanover with separate handle in the oiled bronze finish. Here's info and a picture of the faucet.

Kitchen now

4. Having 2 ceilings painted, the master bath wallpaper taken down (it's 2 story vaulted) and painted, half bath wallpaper taken down and painted, and all the cabinets in kitchen/mstr bath/half bath refaced.

Any advice on how to survive all this would be appreciated. DH and I are very stressed to put it mildly! I can't wait to see the finished product, though.

You sure are getting into this BIG time aren't you! Wow, major undertaking!

First of all, you have a lovely home, the exterior is really pretty. It's going to look really nice in Moss Green!

Your kitchen looks nice now, but I can't wait to see that verde granite countertops with the tumbled slate backsplash!!! That sounds like a beautiful combination, I think that is going to be gorgeous! Love the faucet, too. I'm really loving all of your ideas!

I'd want to see the color of the granite before I would comment on the island color. Everything is going to be gorgeous!

 

[ElizaB39]

I like the idea of the island/peninsula being lower than the main counter. That is what I would like to do when we redo our counter, but then we would have to use regular height chairs in stead of stools, so not sure about that.

I am wondering about painting the island/peninsula a different color as it is attached to the regular counter. If it were totally separate I would say go for it... JMHO

 

[triplefigs]

I'd want to see the color of the granite before I would comment on the island color. Everything is going to be gorgeous!

Verde butterfly looks a lot like Uba Tuba, but has little dark red and white flecks in it.

In the sunlight it does look more green, but our kitchen gets indirect light so it will tend to look dark, almost black.

 

[triplefigs]

I like the idea of the island/peninsula being lower than the main counter. That is what I would like to do when we redo our counter, but then we would have to use regular height chairs in stead of stools, so not sure about that.

I am wondering about painting the island/peninsula a different color as it is attached to the regular counter. If it were totally separate I would say go for it... JMHO

The island is completely separate. I've seen houses around here with red islands (new trend), and it's really pretty. I may go with black though. These decisions are a lot tougher than I imagined!