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Home improvement/upgrade stories, lets hear them

9integra2

9integra2

New member
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Location
The ghetto valley
Moto(s)
Bikeless...for now
Working on the American dream and already have plans going through my head.
Did you do some projects yourself to save money and it worked out great? Or will you hire a pro next time cause it was more than you could chew and it turned out disastrous? For example: Interior painting, hard wood floor installation.
 
Pergo type hardwood floors FTW.

I atually worked as a hardwood floor apprentice in highshool and we did high end real wood floors. Hard work that you need exprience in to do a good job.

I did Pergo (but different brand) floors in my folks house. Pretty fricken easy!!!!
 
floors.....i will pay someone next time.....they look great....but man-O-man what a fucking headache.....urgh
 
Painting seems easy but the truth is you need training and good tools. You can throw on a crappy paint job with cheap brushes and rollers, but a quality job, well cut, with good cover needs Purdy's, good paint and proper technique.
 
20031_1346496983088_1251181450_31000247_6023900_n.jpg

new everything... I have a general contractor for some of the work (structural stuff since I took out a load bearing wall, the wall separating the rooms is not there anymore... and for electrical work inside the main box) but for the most part I will do 90% myself... except drywall (it's too hard to get right)

if this threads still around in a few weeks I'll post finished pics ;)
 
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afm199 said:
Painting seems easy but the truth is you need training and good tools. You can throw on a crappy paint job with cheap brushes and rollers, but a quality job, well cut, with good cover needs Purdy's, good paint and proper technique.
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I had good luck painting my frist time.....doing smooth cielings is impossible. We hired a dude after i fucked up the cielings...amazingly different results:laughing

Oh yeah, Doing hardwood floors for yourself or a profession SUCKS!!! I did get to see some AMAZING magazine cover type floors though
 
I do all of my own work from foundation to finish, so if any sinkers has any questions I'm always glad to help. It makes me feel all usefull and shit.
 
I've done it all, paint, hard wood floors, plumbing, tile. No framing though. I did it because I liked doing it, and it was cheaper. My work turned out great. I've also paid someone to do other rooms. Just didn't have the time available.
 
just bought a new home and needs a landscape on the yard...

don't even know where to start ....:|

pic taken from top floor...
 

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V4 said:
just bought a new home and needs a landscape on the yard...

don't even know where to start ....:|

pic taken from top floor...
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mini dirt track FTW!!!
 
afm199 said:
mini dirt track FTW!!!
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:laughing

I was thinking about getting a couple of CRF50s just for that but right next to the house there are trails that start right from my yard that is perfect for a dual sport bike...:cool

and no hippies close by...:thumbup
 
I used to think I could do just about anything around the house. The truth is I am capable of doing everything around the house but I lack the experience to get it right the first time, and I like things done right. My plumber teased me about it the other day. He said something like "you're the only tradesman I know who hires guys to do work on his house." I said "yeah but you guys do it right and I don't have to worry about it. When you need you car worked on don't try to break out your plumbing tools to diagnose your fuel injection"

I'm a firm believer in knowing what you know and more importantly knowing what you don't know. I make more $ doing what I know than I'd ever save learning to do something once.
 
CockyRooster said:
I do all of my own work from foundation to finish, so if any sinkers has any questions I'm always glad to help. It makes me feel all usefull and shit.
Click to expand...

Wanting to put down some concrete on the side of my house.. dog run/walkway. Any tips? grading, etc.. or hire a contractor?
 
painting, laminate flooring, fireplace mantle, custom poplar shelving, additional electrical outlet for the home theater stuff on the shelves, and a bathroom remodel....I did NONE of that :teeth, paid a friend/contractor do it all. Had to do all of that stuff except for the bathroom before we moved in (1 week). I read all the how tos, asked BARFers, and realized it was not worth it to DIY. 90% of the stuff is very doable (bathroom excluded) if I had more time, but it's the 10% of "oh, didn't expect this issue" that can screw up 100% of the job for a novice like me.
 
so recap for today... had an electrician upgrade the main, ran electrical from the main to my kitchen and wired in 10 outlets plus 8 light cans/2 light fixtures/3 drop lights and exhaust fan, finished all plumbing for new kitchen sink location, shimmed the studs on open walls to butt cleanly to existing plaster. installed 3 rolls of insulation in attic joist spaces
 
zphreak said:
Wanting to put down some concrete on the side of my house.. dog run/walkway. Any tips? grading, etc.. or hire a contractor?
Click to expand...

If you want it to look nice you should at the very least hire a finisher. But the rest you can do if you Want to with just a little guidance from a Home Depot book.

Frankly in today's environment you should be able to find a good concrete contractor affordable as you drink a beer and watch. The tough part about concrete is you don't get a second chance to get it right.
 
In my experience from doing construction work, structural steel, expect a remodel to cost twice as much and take twice as long as planned. That is if you hire a good contractor to do the work. There are just too many unknowns when you go to do most renovations and once you start there is no going back.
 
My Dad had a funny way of specifying if a wire was live. He suggested using the back of one's hand, for if it was live the shock would instinctively cause the muscles to coil opposite the wire (whereas using the palm could lead to gripping the wire and being unable to let go).

Let's just say he also showed me why it was always better to use a circuit tester. :teeth
 
9 years ago I worked with a contractor to go from 1100sq ft to 2000 sq ft.
3 weeks ago the washer flooded the up stair and down stairs. I am on to anothe major remodel.

What type of work are you doing? A lot is easy but some is very hard if you want it to look good.

Best advice. Go over the plans yourself. Measure and remeasure to make sure everything is going to fit. The one thing I didn't measure was the washer and dryer. And they didn't fit. :mad

Second thing, keep a cooler stocked with cold drinks for the workers. Free beer Friday afternoon. Free lunch evey now and then. I got a lot of extras for free. :)

If getting a quote for a remodel get it up tp the sheet rocked walls. You buy, flooring, tile, carpet, fixtures, sinks, counters and paint. You can save a lot.

Every week walk around with the prins and measure to make sure it is going in right. Draw you stuff on the floor to make sure it will fit.
 
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