Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

I'll ask around and let you know if I find someone.

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Originally Posted by beece

Ask if you need more.

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nice offer





BTW, Beece, do not respond to deepsouthmafia in his assinine threads...just let them be

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Originally Posted by acinpdx

nice offer





BTW, Beece, do not respond to deepsouthmafia in his assinine threads...just let them be

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Ahh. Now I see. Got it.

Thanks Beece and acinpdc for the lessons...

Beece obviously knows what he is talking about. When you get that grout out, see if you can figure out what's behind the tile in terms of substrate/waterproofing.

Danno, sucks about your contractor. That is why he had or should have had insurance (same with the plumber). That seems like 100% something his insurance should pay to fix.

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Originally Posted by Danno

It had nothing to do with this tile work, though of course it does reflect on his overall ethic. He seemed to be a standup and professional guy otherwise, and this job was permitted, FWIW.

It's a crazy long story, but the slightly less short version from the one previously shared is that we had a sewer backup, called a rooter company, they determined it was inside the house and not the main line, they scoped it and recommended some crazy expensive repair (they were total scam artists), we got a second opinion/scope and saw some some weird obstruction in the main stack inside the house. We had been sharing all this info with the contractor, even asked him for a plumber recommendation! He was done with the job at that point, had just finished, but we were considering having him do the kitchen remodel. Anyhow, we get a second rooter guy who claims he fixed it, nope, another backup and video inspection again, still there, decide we have to cut out/replace a piece of the main stack pipe (about a 3' section?), get a plumber to do that and this plumber discovers a 12" section of copper pipe (maybe 4" diameter, don't recall) inside the stack. It certainly was new to the stack or we would have had constant problems for years, plus the pipe looked new. So, during construction of the bathrooms upstairs, this piece must have fallen into the then-exposed sewer pipe at some point. Whether the contractor knew it happened at the time or not, don't know, but I am guessing he knew when we started having all those issues, because he disappeared at that point, even though my last email to him (before we discovered the source of the problem) was to remind him that we owed him $1000.

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Shit like that happens... but fortunately, not all that often. It sucks when it's a nuclear power plant, tho.

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Originally Posted by RootSkier

Beece obviously knows what he is talking about. When you get that grout out, see if you can figure out what's behind the tile in terms of substrate/waterproofing.

Danno, sucks about your contractor. That is why he had or should have had insurance (same with the plumber). That seems like 100% something his insurance should pay to fix.

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Thanks.

And yes, and I am sure he did have insurance. But I would have had to track him down and deal with that hassle, for no "net" money, because the holdback was the size of the deductible. All I am "out" is the increased premiums I may face down the road. And because some of the sewage damage occurred to cabinetry that I was planning on remodeling anyway, some of the insurance money went to the remodel of those kitchen cabinets, rather than repair/replacement of the old ones. It did suck, but I think I made the right call to just move on.

I"m the best caulker out there
I'll be down friday night, have your wife set me up with one of her friends and I'll caulk it for free

contractors are all dip shits
all of this is normal shit nothing to worry about
its just a house not like anyone is building noah's ark or something

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Originally Posted by Danno

It had nothing to do with this tile work, though of course it does reflect on his overall ethic. He seemed to be a standup and professional guy otherwise, and this job was permitted, FWIW.

It's a crazy long story, but the slightly less short version from the one previously shared is that we had a sewer backup, called a rooter company, they determined it was inside the house and not the main line, they scoped it and recommended some crazy expensive repair (they were total scam artists), we got a second opinion/scope and saw some some weird obstruction in the main stack inside the house. We had been sharing all this info with the contractor, even asked him for a plumber recommendation! He was done with the job at that point, had just finished, but we were considering having him do the kitchen remodel. Anyhow, we get a second rooter guy who claims he fixed it, nope, another backup and video inspection again, still there, decide we have to cut out/replace a piece of the main stack pipe (about a 3' section?), get a plumber to do that and this plumber discovers a 12" section of copper pipe (maybe 4" diameter, don't recall) inside the stack. It certainly was new to the stack or we would have had constant problems for years, plus the pipe looked new. So, during construction of the bathrooms upstairs, this piece must have fallen into the then-exposed sewer pipe at some point. Whether the contractor knew it happened at the time or not, don't know, but I am guessing he knew when we started having all those issues, because he disappeared at that point, even though my last email to him (before we discovered the source of the problem) was to remind him that we owed him $1000.

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Well at least you know he doesn't have a drug problem. No way a junkie is letting a valuable piece of copper just go down the tubes like that.

Not necessarily a remodel. More like a repair. I have wooden french doors that have a tendency to absorb water and swell to the point where I can't open/close them. I'm assuming the water is getting absorbed as rain splashes off the concrete as the bottom of the doors swell the most. The swelling goes down after a period of no rainfall. As a temporary solution, I sanded the lower side of the door so it would close. Obviously, this could exacerbate my problem as the wood has no protection from water.

Besides outright replacing the doors with fiberglass/steel, what's the best way to prevent these doors from absorbing water? I'm assuming there's a special paint that could help. Also, notice the cracks/splits in the wood... I'm assuming I can sand and fill those down before repainting?

What does the collective say? Thanks in advance.

Attachment 254846

Awning or porch cover to keep water from splashing or accumulating near the base of the door

The door itself likely needs some repair from the expansion cycling too, but that’s not my world to comment

Door can be fixed. Probably at least one day for a skilled carpenter. If you can live with a slider consider it. They pop right in and seal tight. $1k.

You can use this stuff to seal the bare wood; it forms a solid barrier and soaks deep into the wood. Works great.

https://m.lowes.com/pd/PC-Products-P...SABEgLZMPD_BwE

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Originally Posted by acinpdx

Awning or porch cover to keep water from splashing or accumulating near the base of the door

The door itself likely needs some repair from the expansion cycling too, but that’s not my world to comment

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All exterior doors should have a small shed roof at a minimum.

An awning or sliding door won’t fit the esthetics of the house as these are street facing doors. I’ll post a larger framed picture tomorrow to give context.

We live in an urban environment and these doors enter into our sidewalk level “basement”. The living quarters are one flight up as we are also in a flood zone... think 3’ of water in Hurricane Sandy. I looked into flood barrier type doors but they were super expensive and if I keep the flood water out completely, I run the risk of hydrostatic pressure caving in the surrounding 120+ year old structural brick walls. The basement is wet flood-proofed.

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Originally Posted by Flyoverland Captive

You can use this stuff to seal the bare wood; it forms a solid barrier and soaks deep into the wood. Works great.

https://m.lowes.com/pd/PC-Products-P...SABEgLZMPD_BwE

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That seems interesting. The newly exposed wood was not rotted. Would you still recommend this on non-rotted wood?

Danno - on your shower - if the work was permitted in Boulder, there should be green board and a waterproof layer behind the tile. I would let it dry out for a while (or use a heat gun/hair dryer), then sanded caulk. Not unusual for a transition like that to crack, esp here in CO. Just redid ours in central Boulder last month.

Spanky, there are decent fiberglass doors out there that may be a more durable fit for this location

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Originally Posted by spanky

An awning or sliding door won’t fit the esthetics of the house as these are street facing doors. I’ll post a larger framed picture tomorrow to give context.

We live in an urban environment and these doors enter into our sidewalk level “basement”. The living quarters are one flight up as we are also in a flood zone... think 3’ of water in Hurricane Sandy. I looked into flood barrier type doors but they were super expensive and if I keep the flood water out completely, I run the risk of hydrostatic pressure caving in the surrounding 120+ year old structural brick walls. The basement is wet flood-proofed.

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What architectural aesthetics wouldn't allow for a small shed roof ?? And yes, fiberglass doors are a good option, but water may still get in around and under weather-stripping.

Besides trying to not replace the doors, this is what they look like from the sidewalk...

Attachment 254973

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Originally Posted by spanky

That seems interesting. The newly exposed wood was not rotted. Would you still recommend this on non-rotted wood?

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It works on bare wood too; it just doesn’t soak in as far. Once it’s cured ( takes a couple days) you can sand it flat and paint it. Worth a try before replacing the whole door.

Looking at entering into a contract with a architect/ design/ build firm, want to get some feedback here on their pricing structure (thought I saw something a while back but this is a long thread)

Ranch home w/ unfinished basement. Looking to gut entire main level, add a 3rd a floor for kids bedrooms and rec room, finish basement and a decent patio. Talking to builder, based on our tastes we could probably do it for $600k. If we revise plans over design process and get north of $800k, we’ll scrap it and build new but then that is a different story.

So, pricing structure is as follows:
- TTL Upfront Payment: 7% of cost estimate and covers the following items
-$5k retainer which can be applied architectural design time
-$7k cost of elevation plans
-$10k final handover of completed plans
-unlimited time with architectural design, not paid by the hour and we can revise as little or much as we want along with meeting time with designer

While this seems a bit steep up front they have a reputation of being very affordable with construction cost and finishing on time so essentially they charge a higher fee up front but finish on budget (ie no $50k surprises 4 months into a 7 month job).

Does this seem in line with what others have experienced? Both my wife and really like the company but she’s a bit gun shy at the cost of entry while I always assumed it would be about this amount for a job this big. Any advice is appreciated.


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Originally Posted by dtown

Looking at entering into a contract with a architect/ design/ build firm, want to get some feedback here on their pricing structure (thought I saw something a while back but this is a long thread)

Ranch home w/ unfinished basement. Looking to gut entire main level, add a 3rd a floor for kids bedrooms and rec room, finish basement and a decent patio. Talking to builder, based on our tastes we could probably do it for $600k. If we revise plans over design process and get north of $800k, we’ll scrap it and build new but then that is a different story.

So, pricing structure is as follows:
- TTL Upfront Payment: 7% of cost estimate and covers the following items
-$5k retainer which can be applied architectural design time
-$7k cost of elevation plans
-$10k final handover of completed plans
-unlimited time with architectural design, not paid by the hour and we can revise as little or much as we want along with meeting time with designer

While this seems a bit steep up front they have a reputation of being very affordable with construction cost and finishing on time so essentially they charge a higher fee up front but finish on budget (ie no $50k surprises 4 months into a 7 month job).

Does this seem in line with what others have experienced? Both my wife and really like the company but she’s a bit gun shy at the cost of entry while I always assumed it would be about this amount for a job this big. Any advice is appreciated.


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What city ? Have you looked for a suitable house to purchase in your area that might check off quite few boxes from your wish list? Quite often you can buy something that another couple put all their time/effort/money and sometimes their marriage into for about 60-70% of what the budget will be. Major remodels never return more than 60-70% IF you're lucky. Making your wife happy is another story.

Chicago suburbs and we bought the house because of the property (8 acre horse property) that we love. We knew going in we’d be doing this and it will be our home for the next 15-20 years.

Now that we have our pennies saved and the dream is becoming a reality it’s just a bit hard to swallow the amount of cash we’re planning on spending over and above the existing mortgage. I’m ok with it, Mrs. Dtown is getting cold feet at the pricing structure.


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I have nothing constructive to add but are you telling me that putting down that little amount is of concern(for wife) but doing a 600-800k "remodel" is no biggie? Anyways I'm just a carpenter who may or may not have stayed at a holiday inn.

Paging Fogggy to the white courtesy phone.



Edit to add: you're not in Barrington or something are you?