Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

[old goat]

It's funny that hardly anyone knows this and it's next to impossible to get a contractor not to charge T&M on some projects rather than a bid

I've done t and m with smaller jobs with a contractor I trusted. A t and m contract isn't enforceable although that doesn't do you much good if the contractor threatens to walk in the middle of the job. A bid contract actually protects both parties--in the case of my bad experience I suspect the GC wound up paying the excavator the extra he demanded and probably lost money on our job--may be why he's out of business. Even if a contractor does an honest job on a T and M project he has no legal recourse if the homeowner wants to stiff him on the final payment. I know an excavator who got stiffed on a very expensive job in our neighborhood--t and m so no recourse.

[XXX-er]

I asked my brother in-law how he did on a upper end spec house he had just finished, there was no emotion in this house so he just cranked it out on time and under budget

same guy builds his own house to live in rivaling something out of architectural digest and it comes in late and way over budget, all kinds of change order even tho he obviously knew better

emotion is so emotional

[::: :::]

Success in construction projects is all about making decisions before bringing a GC to the job. (While remodel doesn't allow complete understanding up front, the level of decision making made will set the bar for success.) DIYers tend to underestimate the level of decision making; and pros can often fool themselves into thinking they've done it before. And residential projects are rarely repeat affairs.

[Danno]

Success in construction projects is all about making decisions before bringing a GC to the job. (While remodel doesn't allow complete understanding up front, the level of decision making made will set the bar for success.) DIYers tend to underestimate the level of decision making; and pros can often fool themselves into thinking they've done it before. And residential projects are rarely repeat affairs.

Yeah, it's not been easy to make all those decisions. I mean, sure, if we had the money to pay a designer to map it all out for us, but there are tons of decisions and we've never done this before, so every decision feels like a scramble on something that is entirely new to us. After the obvious ones we could think of like cabinets, counters, appliances, picking a contractor and in some cases subs, there is what kind of sink do you want, what kind of lighting, where do you want all the lights, on what switches, what kind of switches/outlets/wall plates, paint color for wall/ceiling/trim, color of floor stain, window sills or not (and if so what), grout color, and there are many many more. It's overwhelming.

I don't think homeowners who have never done this have any idea, and I'm not sure if contractors always appreciate how hard all this is for the homeowner (who has a full time job, kids, etc). I mean, you're paying so much damn money to do the whole thing that you don't want to answer too hastily for any question, because it will suck if you pay $50k and then are really annoyed because you don't like stuff and didn't think enough when you made decisions.

[AlpiNord]

Yeah, it's not been easy to make all those decisions. I mean, sure, if we had the money to pay a designer to map it all out for us, but there are tons of decisions and we've never done this before, so every decision feels like a scramble on something that is entirely new to us. After the obvious ones we could think of like cabinets, counters, appliances, picking a contractor and in some cases subs, there is what kind of sink do you want, what kind of lighting, where do you want all the lights, on what switches, what kind of switches/outlets/wall plates, paint color for wall/ceiling/trim, color of floor stain, window sills or not (and if so what), grout color, and there are many many more. It's overwhelming.

I don't think homeowners who have never done this have any idea, and I'm not sure if contractors always appreciate how hard all this is for the homeowner (who has a full time job, kids, etc). I mean, you're paying so much damn money to do the whole thing that you don't want to answer too hastily for any question, because it will suck if you pay $50k and then are really annoyed because you don't like stuff and didn't think enough when you made decisions.

That's why you hire a designer. It's possible you would have easily saved the cost of the designer, had someone in your corner as a decision making guide and reduced uncertainty and aggravation while ending up with a better end product.

[bucbanzai]

That's why you hire a designer. It's possible you would have easily saved the cost of the designer, had someone in your corner as a decision making guide and reduced uncertainty and aggravation while ending up with a better end product.

QFT

Danno, I know it doesn't do any good now, but for future reference, re-read the above. TWICE.

I am finishing a master bedroom re-model that has taken 5 months. It is spectacular. Travertine floors, Quartzite tops, 18x36 porcelain in shower, fancy fixtures, all new electric, re-piping, HVAC, the works.... I am a licensed GC but only do my own stuff.

The first thing I did when we decided to do this bathroom was hire a designer. I KNEW all the decisions that had to be made and I knew that the wife needed someone to help her decide. She charges $2500. if you want to DIY or GC it yourself or NOTHING if you want her to coordinate everything. I did the 'GC it yourself' route and she saved me $8,000 on custom cabinets alone because I used her guy. She gets discount pricing on fixtures too.

And (most importantly), she can re-aasure your wife that things really are on track even though it seems like nothing is happening. (Ask me how I know this! )

Anyway, good luck. It WILL all work out.

[Nobody Famous]

Agree on the above point of re professional assistance. I'll repeat what someone said above...

I'm in the middle of a large interior remodel right now. Kitchen, entry way, and living room. My first advise is to find an interior designer that has some expertise in the look you are going for. Modern, contemporary, etc. I had some ideas, but the average person will never pull it all together in a professional way. After a little back and forth with her, sharing pictures of what I like, she came back with some concepts. 80% done now and the transformation is incredible. Love what I have going so far. Well worth the fees to get a professional interior designer working with you.

Mostly agree. With the clarification a good architect can do more in the overall scheme than any interior designer can, IMO.

That's why you hire a designer. It's possible you would have easily saved the cost of the designer, had someone in your corner as a decision making guide and reduced uncertainty and aggravation while ending up with a better end product.

A recent story that proves the points: A neighbor walked me through their remodeled home last month. They had a lot of nice work done, but it was no where near consistent throughout, from kitchen to bathroom to hallway to living room to dining room. From the small things like door and windoe hardware to the big picture things like paint colors and testures (kitchen soffits painted black) to window coverings, total inconsistency. The wife kept mentioning, "I had this woman help me...", it was a clear signal the wife used a not so good designer.

[old goat]

We've done 3 remodel projects--added a second story doing most of the work ourselves, and adding a garage and a bathroom/dressing room/storage room, both with GC's, I wound up doing a lot of finish work on the garage after the contractor crapped out and on the bathroom by choice. None of those involved a lot of decision making on the details. I could not conceive of doing a house from scratch--just too many decisions, too much stress, too long of a process. I guess I'm not that particular about my living space. As long as there's enough storage space (there isn't).

[Yonder_River]

It's mostly time and materials here in Seattle due to the extreme demand on skilled labor. Otherwise, if it's bid, it's still high. ..six or a half dozen i guess. We added a large dormer master bedroom on our second floor last year. Wish it wasn't a sellers market as we paid kindly, but absolutely trusted our gc and framers which at least kept stress levels low.

[Danno]

Sad stuff.

I didn't want to start a separate thread since there's already one in Ski/Snowboard, but thought I'd bump this one since BZ was one of the really helpful cats in this thread. Rest in peace mang, hope you're slaying pow up there.

I still owe you a beer, but the beer up there is probably flowing like wine.

[RootSkier]

Gonna miss BZ big time in all things building-related in the Padded Room.

[alias_rice]

I'm 2.5 weeks into my remodel and tonight was the wife and I's first fight. So things are right on schedule.

The root of the issue was my inability to not work on the house while I'm home, and my little one acting out. No doubt due to my lack of attention. It's not a huge project (new kitchen, flooring, paint and 2 moved walls), but it's still a lot of work for the next few months. For those who have done these jobs without a gc, how do you not let it take over your whole life? My thought is to go 100 mph until it's done and I'm currently ahead of my schedule, but I'm starting to think it's not sustainable.

[John_B]

Currently in the process of building a house with my girlfriend and have had a couple blow ups over the fact that she wants to go 100 mph and I want to ski at least a day every two weeks. While it's not a very sustainable solution liquor seems to be solving our problems. 2 months more to go for us. Hopefully.

Good luck balancing things out, I wish I had better advice on balance.

[shroom]

meth is the answer to both your queries

[AlpiNord]

I'm 2.5 weeks into my remodel and tonight was the wife and I's first fight. So things are right on schedule.

The root of the issue was my inability to not work on the house while I'm home, and my little one acting out. No doubt due to my lack of attention. It's not a huge project (new kitchen, flooring, paint and 2 moved walls), but it's still a lot of work for the next few months. For those who have done these jobs without a gc, how do you not let it take over your whole life? My thought is to go 100 mph until it's done and I'm currently ahead of my schedule, but I'm starting to think it's not sustainable.

Ideally, especially for kitchens, moving out takes the pressure off the subjective time frame and daily impacts. If you don't pace yourself and get breaks, you could burn out and grow careless. It could become more about getting it done and not about getting it done right. Keep the focus and mojo moving forward, but walk away frequently. Even for short periods. It always takes longer than you expect or want.

[Nobody Famous]

How to question, I want to mount a shelf to a concrete block (a.k.a. cinder block) basement wall. Picture attached.

The shelf itself will be a piece of lumber, 14" d x 15 ft in length. I'll use the shelf brackets in the attached picture. Will fasten the bracket to a piece of 2x4 fastened to the concrete blocks.

Do the fasteners holding the 2x4 piece go into a.) the mortar between the blocks, or b.) Into the block itself, or both c) Either the block or the mortar doesn't matter.

Extra credit question, does it matter if the fasteners go into an 'intersection' in the mortar?

Will use the usual Tapcon fasteners.

[DJSapp]

Better to drill center of the block. Basement wall cinder blocks SHOULD be grout filled and waterproofed on the back side. No sense in encouraging a crack in the grout line that could eventually grow to the waterproofing. Don't drill block edges. Those could break away from the mortar and come free.

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[Nobody Famous]

Let's talk Basin Wrenches, Faucet Sockets and ultra-tight clearances.

I have hot and cold control valves (a.k.a ceramic cartridges) mounted using 1-1/2 inch nuts placed directly under the counter top that are, so far, impossible to tighten. Two issues, ultra-tight clearance, and the nuts are completely flat, no flange and no slotted handles.

Basin wrenches do not have the clearance. I could use an open (supply lines live and attached) faucet socket if I could find one in 1-1/2 inch. Ridgid's orange faucet and sink install tool, while a very cool tool idea, is only good for 2" nuts, (as far as I can tell), the 'Basin Buddy' socket is not available in 1-1/2 inch.

The only tool I can think of is a vise grip with long, angled needle nose tips.

Am I missing something in this?

[fatnslow]

Let's talk Basin Wrenches, Faucet Sockets and ultra-tight clearances.

I have hot and cold control valves (a.k.a ceramic cartridges) mounted using 1-1/2 inch nuts placed directly under the counter top that are, so far, impossible to tighten. Two issues, ultra-tight clearance, and the nuts are completely flat, no flange and no slotted handles.

Basin wrenches do not have the clearance. I could use an open (supply lines live and attached) faucet socket if I could find one in 1-1/2 inch. Ridgid's orange faucet and sink install tool, while a very cool tool idea, is only good for 2" nuts, (as far as I can tell), the 'Basin Buddy' socket is not available in 1-1/2 inch.

The only tool I can think of is a vise grip with long, angled needle nose tips.

Am I missing something in this?

Do you have a single nut/fastner in the middle that mounts the fixture to the sink ? Sometimes you need to tighten the supply lines and controls to the fixture before mounting then tighten the fixture to the sink or counter. Maybe a picture would be helpful.

[old goat]

Replace the nuts with proper basin nuts?

[TheSilverSurfer]

I wish I had seen this thread before I'm going to have to read through the whole thing. I'm close to being wrapped up on a major remodel of house that we just bought. We did not intend on doing a major remodel but as soon as we got started tearing out the carpet and tearing off the wood wall paneling in we found a lot of mold and mildew bad electrical wiring you name it I've pretty much had to tear the whole house out

[shafty85]

Let's talk Basin Wrenches, Faucet Sockets and ultra-tight clearances.

I have hot and cold control valves (a.k.a ceramic cartridges) mounted using 1-1/2 inch nuts placed directly under the counter top that are, so far, impossible to tighten. Two issues, ultra-tight clearance, and the nuts are completely flat, no flange and no slotted handles.

Basin wrenches do not have the clearance. I could use an open (supply lines live and attached) faucet socket if I could find one in 1-1/2 inch. Ridgid's orange faucet and sink install tool, while a very cool tool idea, is only good for 2" nuts, (as far as I can tell), the 'Basin Buddy' socket is not available in 1-1/2 inch.

The only tool I can think of is a vise grip with long, angled needle nose tips.

Am I missing something in this?

Had a similar experience with ours. Turns out I needed this tool (had to ask a plumber friend to find this out). Comes with the faucet but I guess the original owners took it with them. Don’t know what brand you are going with, but perhaps they have something similar?

https://www.moen.ca/products/Moen/Mo...on_tool/100110

[old goat]

I wish I had seen this thread before I'm going to have to read through the whole thing. I'm close to being wrapped up on a major remodel of house that we just bought. We did not intend on doing a major remodel but as soon as we got started tearing out the carpet and tearing off the wood wall paneling in we found a lot of mold and mildew bad electrical wiring you name it I've pretty much had to tear the whole house out

you never know with old houses. took me half a day to hang a picture. Took old mirror off the wall, found large hole behind the mirror which had to be filled in, which involved adding framing and rerouting romex.

[Danno]

Interesting to see this thread pop up. Just to create a little closure, I never did post pics or whatnot for our completed remodel. So below is a before and after vid of the main level. Apologize for the vertical video, it worked better while looking on my phone and I never really intended that it would be a youtube thing.

Thanks to all the people that provided advice. Special thanks to foggy, fastfred, acinpdx, BelowZero (RIP ), BigDaddy, and anyone else I am forgetting.

Before (including cute child)


After (no cute child)

[Alaskan Rover]

Biggest advice:

Don't bite off more than you can chew for any 6 months project time.