Sun tunnels and other house project questions

[watersnowdirt]

Anyone here every installed "sun tunnels" into their roof? We're having the roof replaced next month, and I was thinking about adding some skylights, which I think is rather pricey, but I just heard about sun tunnels, which are round holes up to 21" that you can install without having to do any interior cutting, and seem much more cost effective. But are they cheesy? Do they let in enough light? I'm trying to bring more light into a dark kitchen.

Also, I'm hoping to replace the kitchen floor, and got a quote from Home Depot for about $3400. Meanwhile, a friend of mine is willing to do the installation for about $300, and materials will be about $1000. He's done other floors before - but is this they type of project you want a pro to do, or is it fine to have someone else do it?

Finally, concrete kitchen counters - hugely expensive and tricky? They look great, and it's exactly what would look good in the kitchen.

phew. House ownership is nutty. So many projects, so little money and time .

[Tap]

Finally, concrete kitchen counters - hugely expensive and tricky? They look great, and it's exactly what would look good in the kitchen.

dunno about cost, but i hear they crack over time. plus, it's so "Dwell".

[Foggy_Goggles]

I'm assuming that your roof system is rafters not trusses (not attic above the kitchen). Go with skylights they are easy. You can get ones that fit between the rafters/bci's so that you don't have to do any re-engineering of the roof. Sky tunnels sound like small round skylights?

The new pergo type laminated hardwood type floors look good and are fairly cheap. They are super easy to install. No pro needed.

Concrete counters are a fad. They are fairly easy to install but have some long time durability issues. Go with granite if you have the money, if not the faux marble stuff is pretty good.

Don't have Home Depot do any installs. They simply sub out to a local contractor. They are starting to drive the craftman/handyman out of business. The contractors they sub out to generally suck ass. They're the bottom feeders that can't hustle work for themselves.

All these projects are fairly simply. If you think they above your skills/availible time, try to find a local handyman type that can do them all. In my opinion, it is very important as a homeowner to find someone you can trust to handle all the smaller projects you don't want to do yourself.

[Telenater]

Also, I'm hoping to replace the kitchen floor, and got a quote from Home Depot for about $3400. Meanwhile, a friend of mine is willing to do the installation for about $300, and materials will be about $1000. He's done other floors before - but is this they type of project you want a pro to do, or is it fine to have someone else do it?

I'm not a home owner, but I've done a little tile work before.

And, I think that considering the Home Despot a "pro" might be giving them more credit than they really deserve based on some of my homeowner friend's experiences.

[Below Zero]

My firm has never installed sun tunnels an a project but I have read about them in architectural magazines. Cheesy? Well that is a matter of opinion. They'll act is if they were a recessed can light, so postioning on the interior ceiling is important. They will definetly allow natural light into your space.

What do you want to install in the kitchen. You don't mention the material. Whether a pro should do it or not depends on the material and the subfloor you are putting it on. More info needed.

Concrete Counter tops. I had a lunch presentation on these about six months ago. Yes they are one of the more expensive countertops. They have to be sealed properly so they don't stain. They also have to be set on a more structurally secure base cabinets. They have to be custom poured so of course anything custom is more expensive. You also can not get them in a monolithic "L" shaped piece because of cracking at the corner during transportation to the site. Haven't heard anything about them cracking over time though.

[Beaver]

'Crete counter tops are going to destroy your knives when you have kids and they decide to cut some cheese on the counter.

[splat]

wsd - I've installed a sun tunnel. Yes, they work to bring light into a dark room and double as light fixture. But you will have some interior cutting to do in order to bring the light in, i.e., ceiling sheetrock/roof. Because of the relatively small size of the tube of Siverlux film (3M's version; I say film because it's so thin), they'll drop in almost anywhere. Cut a hole in the roof, one in the ceiling and drop it in (simplified explanation). They work and are cheaper than convential sunlights. If you want more light, drop a big box in, get some sliding door tempered glass, and save a bundle.

Floors - make sure your friend isn't underbidding himself. Sometimes projects can be daunting and stress friendships. Tell him if he has a cost overrun to let you know and plan for an extra 30% labor cost in your budget. You'll feel better being fair.

Crete counters, the rage now. Lowe's had some humungous giant marble slabs last year. Just cut to fit.

Capable friends beat the hell out of Home Depot's offer.

[PNWbrit]

I put a sun tunnel in my kitchen last year - (under two hours of labor). Think I'm going to put a couple more along a dark windowless corridor. I have trees around my property which would make cleaning regular skylights a bitch. They work great at bringing in natural light into otherwise dark room and just look like a can light - which you can also put into the same ceiling hole.

Even if their are longevity issues with the Plastic lens on these things replacement would be cheap and very easy (5mins) and are probably warrantied.

What type of floor are those prices for? Click-lock Pergo type floor with real wood veneer is super quick to put down and looks sweet.

Check prices with your local marble/stone wholesaler, they can probably also hook you up with an installer. Home Depot just resell their stuff at a mark up.

[weibo]

WSD
Go with the friend for the flooring. It is not that expert of a job, if you have done it before you can do it again. You may have to look at some additional cost for materials, just incase your friend forgets how things work, and an increase in labour cost (or a few free dinners). I have done all my reno's with friend labour and I have never had any real problems, just a few times where we start late take longer than expected or get drunk.

[watersnowdirt]

I knew I was asking the right crew - THANKS!

Flooring: I want to do stone/granite/slate tiles in the kitchen. Something that doesn't get dog paw marks on it (or where they at least blend in more than my current white tiles).

I think that maybe Pergo for the upstairs loft (about 600 sq feet) sounds like a good plan....

Sounds like concrete counters are not the way to go. In that case, do I get this same guy to install granite/marble counters? Backsplash with tile?

PNW - sounds like you like the suntunnels. That's good to hear. It's pretty tempting because it's so easy and cheap.

Splat - what's the "big box with tempered glass" - is that a skylight option?

[splat]

The big box is essentially a skylight opening down between rafters and ceiling joists, but you can make a really big one if you really want a lot of light using a used sliding glass door. It will typically span one or two spaces between rafters and joists. I used to do them for friends in the redwoods in Santa Cruz because it was so dark and the glass costs almost nothing. As opposed to a convential skylight which is domed, the glass lies flat or slightly sloped. It's cheap as hell. If you want to get a shitload of light, do volumetric openings, which means the opening widens out on all sides as it approaches the ceiling from the roof.

[wondering snow bum]

Don't have Home Depot do any installs. They simply sub out to a local contractor. They are starting to drive the craftman/handyman out of business. The contractors they sub out to generally suck ass. They're the bottom feeders that can't hustle work for themselves.

No shit i've been a carpetnor for 20 yrs and never have seen such a bunch morons. When I have to go there I tell my guys not to ask the employees any ?
Before you know it you'll have 10 morons looking for somthing right in front of them.

[phUnk]

Before you know it you'll have 10 morons looking for somthing right in front of them.

Seriously. Those guys can't even spell!

[Big E]

Laminate floors are super easy, especially if you don't have a lot of complex cuts to do. Haven't done slate/granite/ceramic tiles yet, but that's on the table for the basement kitchen. A bit more in the way of equipment required for that, like a wet saw.

I guess concrete is "hip" right now, but honestly, I sprung for granite myself, and it seriously blows anything else out of the water. The first month I had them, I kept seeing little things that would throw light in a different direction and I would reach over to rub it with my finger, thinking there was an imperfection in the finishing. Never found one yet, it just has that much depth to it. I did one of the smaller ones (about 3'x3') myself because I hadn't originally planned for that counter. It was pretty easy to install, actually, but making the template yourself can be a little nerve-wracking, since it's yours whether you screw it up or not. But my 3x3' countertop went from nearly $800 measured/installed to $400.

I bought a carpet and the other granite counters through Expo Design Center, which is owned by Home Depot but more upscale/design-oriented. I bought it from them mostly because they were having a big sale plus 12-month no-interest. I'm not sure if Expo uses different contractors from HD, but I was actually pleasantly surprised with these two. After I paid Expo, I actually only dealt w/ the contractor. I have heard a lot of horror stories with HD, though.

[gimpy]

you can rent a tile saw from a rental company no problem and its pretty easy work that i'm sure your buddy (or you) is capable of. or there should be a cheap MK tile saw out on the black market in northern cali since some f..ing tweeker theif hit my job site last night and i second bailing on the concrete countertop, too impractical and trendy IMHO. granite slabs are way affordable these days and are worth every penny both functionality, aesthetics, and resale. pergo (and related laminates) is cheap and easy and looks decent, but it's claim of being scratch-proof is a load of poo. unsightly scratches will surely appear, especially if you've got a dog. i'd only recommend that stuff in a low traffic area.

[watersnowdirt]

hmmm... gimpy, that's good advice re the pergo. I do have a dog, and the likelihood of a second pooch coming on board is high, so I'll have to check into that.

Just to clariify, I will be doing none of this myself. I'm the exact wrong combination of perfectionist/instant gratification freak. That makes for a terrible project/ crafts person. I want it done fast, but with no mistakes (so, in reality, an impossible combo)/ So, I'll need to farm out as much of it as possible, but after reading all this, I will steer far clear of Home Depot and will go local/friends for all of it.

Granite for the counters. Tile for backsplash.

Tiles for kitchen.

Sun tunnels for the kitchen.

So....that's leaves the upstairs as questionable. MD9 - where are you when I need you? I really want some reclaimed doug fir up there, or something cool like that!