the new gas pack is installed & running. the fan has a slight pulse to it. is that normal/okay? otherwise it works insanely better than the old one already.

10/12/2011 9:13:59 PM

10/13/2011 7:16:14 AM

we have the opposite problems here in Seattle with home sizes. All the affordable places and nice working neighborhoods all the homes are 800-900 sq feet or you find these hideous renovations that are 1900-2200 sq feet.

If you get a house in the city over 2500, you're looking at 1-2million bucks minimum, because they only build those as waterfront or uppity neighborhood lots

10/15/2011 3:38:30 PM

Well I mean if you want to buy a house in downtown Raleigh that's walking distance to worthwhile stuff, those are generally older homes in the 900sqft range with the occasional Victorian mansion thrown in. In the suburban areas though it's tough to find something that's less than 2000sqft and not a dive. My running theory is because during the late 80s and 90s that's when they began to really supersize homes so things in the smaller sqft range are going to be from the 70s or earlier and probably never renovated.

10/16/2011 1:45:03 PM

Bathroom remodel started today. The plumbers made quick work of pulling out the shower and the tub (took about 1 hour). Did find the first problem. One of the drain vent pipes runs through the wall we are deleting, so it must be moved. Would be a bigger deal if I hadnt already decided to completely cut out the sub flooring, block the joists, and relay the subfloor with premium plywood. Now they just have to reroute the pipe when the floor is cut open. Also decided to run 3/4" feeds up stairs since that is not difficult with subfloor removed.

Felt pretty proud when the plumber saw the schematics for the waterfall shower head and asked "Is the width of this in inches???" heheh

Fun fun!

[Edited on October 19, 2011 at 3:03 PM. Reason : .]

10/19/2011 3:02:28 PM

Why did he ask about the width?

10/19/2011 3:07:42 PM

Because the waterfall head is 12 inches wide. It requires two water connections. I guess he has never seen one of these before. Not surprised. Took me forever to find one like this, and it was mainly luck.

http://www.watermark-designs.com/catalog_products/popup/595//


[Edited on October 19, 2011 at 3:19 PM. Reason : .]

10/19/2011 3:14:32 PM

Weird. Wouldn't the pressure suck on that?

10/19/2011 3:20:05 PM

Thats the point. It is supposed to come out like you are bathing under a waterfall. Its volume, not pressure. With the restrictors removed, it will pump out 10 gallons a minute, and with my house, I have the pressure and volume to move that water.

We have the rain head, the body sprays, and hand held shower to give a more traditional shower.

10/19/2011 3:25:52 PM

Oh ok. When I become I'm baller I'm going to have stuff like this.

http://www.us.kohler.com/tech/products/why_spas.jsp?category=11&nsection=2&nsubsection=3&nitem=cat12
http://www.us.kohler.com/performanceshowers/bodysprays.jsp?section=2&nsection=2&nsubsection=3&category=12&nitem=cat12

10/19/2011 3:30:19 PM

That is essentially what we have. The body sprays arent' square, they are circle. And the rain shower head they have in the wall is actually mounted in the ceiling (10"by 10")

The Kohler systems that you have pictured with the spa are tough to install. They require ungodly amounts of water, and I think one of the systems you have pictured requires recirculation of the water since it uses so much (requiring pumps to be installed).

We wanted to have four body sprays, but our shower is too small for that, and I was getting nervous about trying to evacuate 10+ gallons per minute from the 2" drain we have, which would have required yet more plumbing.

What I believe we are going to find out is that we need a tankless water heater. Our 50 gallon tank is not going to provide a long shower at the flow rates, but I am waiting to see that before I take the plunge.

[Edited on October 19, 2011 at 3:35 PM. Reason : .]

10/19/2011 3:32:26 PM

Is it as cool as I imagine it would be?

10/19/2011 3:36:27 PM

Beats the hell out of me. I have never been under a large rain shower or used a waterfall head. I figured if I was spending the money, might as well throw in all the bells and whistles and do it right, rather than regret not having something later. When its all done, if I am not embarassed by the outcome, I'll post videos

My costs are really low compared to retail. My brother is getting me everything at wholesale cost, which is usually about 15-20% cheaper than the lowest online price. This is why I went a bit crazy.

[Edited on October 19, 2011 at 3:41 PM. Reason : .]

10/19/2011 3:40:15 PM

You said "That is essentially what we have." so I was wondering if it was worth it.

10/19/2011 4:03:44 PM

That is essentially what we have purchased to be installed is what I should have said.

10/19/2011 4:20:32 PM

Ooooooooooh. How much is the setup going to run when all is said and done?

[Edited on October 19, 2011 at 4:27 PM. Reason : ]

10/19/2011 4:27:03 PM

Sending in PM

10/19/2011 4:46:36 PM

Quote :

"Found a foreclosure we love but the bank isn't budging on the price "

pmi going bankrupt...banks might start being a little more flexible with those prices.

10/25/2011 9:26:26 AM

my house is being appraised today so hopefully we can refinance. if it appraises for the amount the banker estimated, we'll save ~$200/month & we'll get a check for $400something at closing. not much has sold around here lately. i'm terrified. i got home from work last night at 545ish & cleaned until 1130. i'm exhausted & kinda to the point where i don't care how it looks, let's just get this over with.

*stressed*

10/25/2011 9:48:26 AM

^ who are you re-financing through? what rate?

good luck!

10/25/2011 9:53:55 AM

bb&t. they're splitting our loan up into a $100,000 portion 30 year term & a $12,000 20 year one. something about they can get better rates doing that than combining them into one. we can avoid PMI that way i think. the bigger one is like 4.025 & the other is a little higher. it's been forever since we did the paperwork bc they're so slammed w/ refinances right now. our current rate is 5.75 so almost anything would be better

bb&t had by far the lowest rates available to us.

10/25/2011 10:13:59 AM

Sounds like your standard piggyback loan.

10/25/2011 10:45:09 AM

dude was SUPER nice, said the house was beautiful, was impressed with how much we've done to it. YAYYYYY! he also noticed our kayaks & wanted to tell me all about the best places to kayak camp along the tar. AWESOME

10/25/2011 1:32:02 PM

I have come to the conclusion during the bathroom remodel that I would be the general contractor you would want supervising your house, as I would probably have a heart attack trying to get all the details right. This bathroom, while I will not say has been a nightmare, has been plagued with 'detail' issues that if overlooked would have really compromised the outcome. When I build our next house, it is going to be a rough rough time.

10/27/2011 11:13:21 AM

Out of curiosity, how many sqft is your bathroom and how much have you spent renovating it? I know we're going to eventually redo our master bathroom because it currently sucks ass but really have zero clue what we'd be in for (want to substantially upgrade the shower, etc).

10/27/2011 12:27:11 PM

Will send you a PM

10/27/2011 12:52:31 PM

I just updated our bathroom. We did most of the work ourselves except rough-in for plumbing and electrical. It was about $5,500 and our bathroom is only 48 sq.ft. Keep in mind though this included stripping the walls back to studs in some places, replacing with drywall and DensShield, self-leveling underlayment, mortar, tile & grout (for floor & walls), paint, all new hardware, re-enameling the bathtub, new sink, new toilet, etc.

I agree about the details. I'm the same way as an architect myself.



[Edited on October 27, 2011 at 1:06 PM. Reason : ,]

10/27/2011 12:58:22 PM

That looks stellar. Kallista sink?

10/27/2011 1:04:23 PM

Kohler Memoirs, it's a bit more modern look at a more affordable price than Kallista. We didn't want to go too vintage.

My wife particularly liked the wide edge on the basin, since we were essentially "losing" counter space since the previous sink was a vanity. The glass shelf helps too. Almost all the hardware is Restoration Hardware and the wall sconces are Hampton Bay which looked exactly like the Restoration Hardware lights but at half the price. We also found more affordable polished chrome p-trap kit and shower curtain rod than RH's as well, so we bought those elsewhere. Oh and Delta shower kit.

BTW, I LOVE the roller wheels/balls on the curtain hangers, they make life so much easier.

[Edited on October 27, 2011 at 1:15 PM. Reason : .]

10/27/2011 1:09:30 PM

Yeah, I have the memoirs toilet in the guest bath that has the same look. We are putting a Toto toilet in the master along the same lines. I thought that was a restoration hardware cabinet. We debated that, but instead are going to get their large oval mirrors. Dont think we can support the sconce, but would love to.

My brother actually gets 30% off Kallista (they sell, apparently, at list only). But even 30% off, its still really high. When we looked at that pedistal sink in K, I want to say it was about $1100-1300?



[Edited on October 27, 2011 at 1:19 PM. Reason : .]

10/27/2011 1:17:38 PM

Yea, the Kohler was $630.... also it's the Memoirs with Stately Design... it's a bit more modern than just the regular Memoirs sink.

http://tinyurl.com/3d9un7a

Our sink:
vs.

Quote :

"I thought that was a restoration hardware cabinet."

Actually cabinet is not RH either. The medicine cabinet is an original built-in from 1915 when the house was built. The linen cabinet is from Target I think (we bought it a long time ago)... about 1/10th the cost but half the size of the RH linen cabinet that looks very similar to it.

RH items:
Dillon Tissue Holder Polished Chrome
Dillon Double Towel Bar Polished Chrome
Dillon Glass Shelf Polished Chrome
Dillon Towel Ring Polished Chrome
Modern Extension Mirror Polished Chrome

I also got the sweet utility latch:


But it wouldn't line up with the trim exactly, since the door is recessed slightly.... so I had to go with a polished chrome knob pull instead.

[Edited on October 27, 2011 at 1:42 PM. Reason : /]

10/27/2011 1:27:42 PM

I'm so jealous of you guys with normal sized bathrooms. Ours might as well be a closet

10/27/2011 1:43:04 PM

Mine is 48 sq.ft. (6'x8' room, includes the bathtub)... Yours can't be that much smaller can it?

[Edited on October 27, 2011 at 1:52 PM. Reason : .]

10/27/2011 1:52:03 PM

Completely non related topic...

For those of you thinking about new refrigerators, let me steer you clear of the LG french door refrigerators, possibly the entire line as a whole. I think if I had this fridge for about 6 years, and it is a piece of junk. The lights stayed on when the doors where closed and almost caused a fire. They melted the plastic digital display off its mounts. Now, I dont even have lights in the fridge as a result of not being able to trust this thing. The light thing has happened several times (my fridge beeps if a door is open, so we didnt leave it ajar).

Now I am having to replace the entire icebox due to a bad thermstat in the ice maker. I also noticed that I have a broken sliders wheel for one of the drawers.

This LG fridge is 100% garbage. Will be the last time I buy LG.

[Edited on October 27, 2011 at 2:17 PM. Reason : ,]

10/27/2011 2:16:57 PM

^^ I think it is Imagine a hallway with a single sink vanity right next to the door, then the toilet, and then the shower unit taking up the entire back of the hallway with no real space between the three. I might take measurements tonight for shits and giggles to see exactly how big it is.

10/27/2011 2:25:37 PM

^^I love my GE Profile appliances. No issues so far (going on 2 years) aside from minor fixes (like resetting and adjusting the flipping mechanism) to the ice maker.

^sounds like a minimum of 5'x8', but my guess is it's similar to mine at 6'x8'

the min. dimension for a tub is 30"x60" (2'-6" x 3'-0") you said shower unit, nevermind

my latest home ownership woe is taking out my window unit A/C and putting up storm windows for the winter this weekend.... single-pane glass... uggg. saving up for high-efficiency heater and ductwork along with double or triple pane windows... but that's a whole 'nother investment.

[Edited on October 27, 2011 at 3:29 PM. Reason : .]

10/27/2011 3:25:22 PM

Went and measured. It's 4'9"x 8'. Builder jipped us 3" I measured three times to be sure

10/27/2011 8:44:21 PM

Price check:

I'm FINALLY getting insulation put under my first floor. I had some problems heating my house last year, had to get a second thermostat and redirect some vents. It worked pretty well, but because of no vents on the floors and the old[redone] hardwoods floors...the bottom portion of the first floor still stays pretty chilly.

My bottom floor is around 600 sq ft and they quoted me at $300 for insulation. I feel like that's pretty low. Just want to make sure I'm not getting shitty insulation/installation. Does that sound right?

10/28/2011 7:14:17 AM

Quote :

"^^I love my GE Profile appliances. No issues so far (going on 2 years) aside from minor fixes (like resetting and adjusting the flipping mechanism) to the ice maker."

i, too, have a GE profile french door fridge that has had issues with the ice maker flipper

but other than that it's the tits

wasn't really issues, but rather when delivered and hooked up the flipping door thing wouldn't stop flipping, and the delivery people wouldnt leave it for fear of it starting an electrical fire, so they delivered another one the next day.

i had to drink warm beer in a brand new house while i sealed the tile flooring (first world problems)

10/28/2011 9:16:13 AM

got the appraisal report back. it was $14,000 more than the realtor estimated & $21,900 more than when i bought it in feb 2005. YAYAYAYYAYAYAYYY!!! no more piggybacked loan + a lower rate!!!

10/28/2011 10:12:17 AM

^ Isn't that the best feeling in the world? Our house appraised for higher than what we bought it and it made me go that we pushed so hard in the price negotiations.

10/28/2011 10:53:54 AM

yes it was awesome. i wanted to get up & run around the office yelling...but i didn't.

10/28/2011 3:05:41 PM

Congrats man!

I get to clean the gutter guards tomorrow.

10/28/2011 4:16:24 PM

Quote :

"My bottom floor is around 600 sq ft and they quoted me at $300 for insulation"

I put 1000 sq ft of additional insulation in my attic for around $500 of material cost. If you want to check the quality of the insulation, ask what the R rating will be.

10/28/2011 4:41:26 PM

^same, about 1100sf and it was about $600 material cost for 36" of cellulose blow-in insulation

10/28/2011 4:54:00 PM

^^Nice. I'm not surprised at the cost of the insulation, I just figured they'd charge more to install it. I'm claustrophobic...I'm definitely not getting in the crawl space and doing it myself.

10/28/2011 5:19:42 PM

Quote :

"Congrats man!"

not a man, but thanks anyway!!

10/28/2011 6:47:01 PM

Ugh. Almost done with the tiling, and the tiler has to cut one of the radiant floor wires, when I am standing overtop of him telling him, "Watch the wires". Now I have to wait for a repair kit..

10/30/2011 4:46:14 PM

so a friend of mine is looking to buy a short sale house that needs a ton of work.

instead of my friend buying it (say $150k for example), and having the ~$45k in work done prior to move in, the relater is proposing that her contractor guy buy it, and have a contract with the buyer to sell it when renovations are complete for $150k+$45k = $195k. There would be an agreed upon budget between the buyer and contractor with line items for each material purchase (as well as his labor), and if the buyer want's to exceed the budget, they can simply pay more on those items.

the loan would be easier for the buyer, since they wouldn't have to get two loans (main + construction), and the repair process would be easier for the general contractor since he wouldn't have to deal with the bank on each repair.

what do you all think about this? anything to look out for?

10/30/2011 6:55:16 PM

Sounds like the real estate agent wants to throw some kickbacks to her contractor buddy. I wouldn't agree to that unless I had shitloads of references that this guy isn't a deadbeat and was able to talk to a lot of independent 3rd party people he's done work for. Look him up on Angie's List and all that jazz. And even then I think I'd be wary.

Also, I'm not sure why they would need two loans. Would the work not qualify for a 203k?

[Edited on October 30, 2011 at 6:58 PM. Reason : a]

10/30/2011 6:57:37 PM