We installed a new stainless steel kitchen sink a couple weekends ago. Plumbing is not my favorite, but everything went better than expected. It was nice to get the sink/faucet combo so we didn't have to buy a faucet separately. Also, about 2 inches of the edge of the sink was bent in a bit, so Lowes knocked 10% off the price. Took about 30 seconds with some pliers and a rag to fix

[Edited on January 11, 2012 at 9:54 AM. Reason : 9]

1/11/2012 9:54:02 AM

Kitchen/Living room pass-through question.

I have the pass-through cut out and framing done. I want to put down a 12" wide oak "bar top". It'll hang over about 2" on the kitchen side and a bout 6" on the living room side. Do I sheetrock the inside edge of the pass-through before or after I put down the bar top?


I'm thinking about putting the bar top down first then sheetrocking the inside edges.

1/14/2012 6:34:10 PM

Personally, I would rather put up the drywall and do all of the finish work there (corners, priming, painting) before putting the oak in. Much less chance of me fucking up the oak that way.

1/14/2012 8:20:03 PM

Yea. That's probably the way to go. Just thought it would look neater(neat as in better. Not as in cooler)

1/14/2012 8:48:59 PM

Has anyone here built a raised bed before? We've got about a 24' long stretch of yard next to the house that I want to do a stone retaining wall for a raised bed. My question is, on the backside that no one will see since it'll be next to the house, could I get away with using cinder blocks instead of more expensive wall stones? Seems like they would be just as good at holding dirt in place as anything else.

1/15/2012 2:14:07 PM

Put a 19" TV in the kitchen a couple weekends ago. Hardwired it to the outlet behind the wall for power. Fished 30' of Component Cable down through the wall into the crawl space, under the house, and up through the floor in the living room. Connected it to the DirecTV box in the living room, so now the TV in the kitchen mirrors what is on the TV in the Living Room. This is the first time I have ever done a cable run, so I am pretty pleased with myself.

2/5/2012 11:02:44 AM

Quote :

" Fished 30' of Component Cable down through the wall into the crawl space, under the house, and up through the floor in the living room. Connected it to the DirecTV box in the living room, so now the TV in the kitchen mirrors what is on the TV in the Living Room. "

looks nice. we did the exact same thing a few weeks ago minus the mounting. it's really convenient that all the outputs on DTV boxes are active.

Did you buy RF remotes and switch your receiver to RF mode to control the box from both rooms?

2/6/2012 2:22:08 PM

^ Nah, our kitchen is so close to the living room that you literally just need to reach around the corner with the remote to change the channel.

I originally wanted to do HDMI which would have been MUCH easier to run. But factoring in the cost of the cable + the splitter, it was worth the extra pain in the ass to run components.

2/6/2012 3:56:18 PM

anyone ever done a screened in porch? how difficult? cost? I don't get why they're so expensive to build (so I've heard)... but maybe that's including the cost of the porch. I'd be screening in a pre-built patio.

2/7/2012 10:59:22 PM

We should start a wdprice new home thread.

If you do it or have some one do it make sure it is in panels not just wrapped with one piece of screen. If a section tears you will only have to replace that section. I'd say it's worth giving it a try yourself. It is pretty easy.


Talking about just the screen part. I'd have to see what you are starting with.

[Edited on February 8, 2012 at 7:59 AM. Reason : K]

2/8/2012 7:58:05 AM

haha, I'd like to...

yeh, I know to do it in panels; not sure what I'd be working with. need to find out what the contractor would be leaving. I just don't know if screening it in is cheap enough for me to do on my own, or enough money where I might as well have the contractor do it while building the house.

2/8/2012 8:26:09 AM

I've also wondered why screened in porches are so damn expensive to build. We have a deck that I'd like to convert a portion of so it's screened and have heard quotes from $10-15k. I can't fathom why it would cost that much, especially since half the work is already done.

2/8/2012 8:51:02 AM

^The deck is the easy part. The tougher/expensive part is integrating to the existing structure, which depending on the design of the porch and the existing roof can be quite tricky. For instance, designs that look will look decent with the existing structure could require engineered trusses. Also, depending on size, etc., the existing deck may not be sufficient to support the additional load of the new roof and may require bolstering to meet code. Finally, once you factor in electrical work, finish/trim work, matching shingles, permits, inspections, etc. it really can add up.

2/8/2012 9:33:29 AM

Where can you research the local code requirements for a deck in wake county/Raleigh?

2/8/2012 9:38:37 AM

NC uses the 2006 revision of the International Building Code (IBC 2006):

Basic code:http://publicecodes.citation.com/icod/ibc/2006f2/icod_ibc_2006f2_6_sec001.htm
NC Amendments:
http://www.ncdoi.com/OSFM/Engineering/BCC/Documents/2009_NCBuildingCode_amendments/approved/2009NCBuilding.pdf

NC uses the 2008 revision of the National Electrical Code (NEC 2008). The NFPA is pretty stingy when it comes to sales/sharing of their material. I don't know where to find a free version for viewing.

Here's a good place to start if you're in wake county: http://www.wakegov.com/inspect/

2/8/2012 10:01:26 AM

^^^so what about screening in an already covered concrete patio? The patio roof is already attached to the house, etc. I'd just add some horizontal supports between posts, screen the sections, and the add trim/covering to the seams.

2/8/2012 10:21:17 AM

^That would be super easy and relatively cheap! If it's a concrete patio with a roof already, I personally wouldn't bother with an inspection. If you want the screening to be permanent, as in non-Florida room, then you can get out pretty cheap. No real need to buy screen frames and spline and make "real" window screens. I've seen plenty of screened in porches/decks where the builder just uses treated 2x2's and makes a square or rectangular "screen sandwich." Depending on your post size (4x4 vs. 6x6), you could make something like that look pretty good trimmed out.

The way I'd look at it is you should try something easy like that yourself. You don't have to buy all the materials right away and do the whole thing if you're unsure. You can buy enough for one section, give it a shot, if it works great, forge ahead. If you don't like your results, you're gonna have to hire a pro anyway, so might as well give it a try. Good luck!!

2/8/2012 10:28:40 AM

yeh, I figured that portion had to be relatively cheap/easy; but everything I searched for includes the entire construction (deck/patio/roof/house connection). I think it is certainly easy enough for me to do it and I'm tempted to tell the contract to just build the patio far enough where I can screen it later. I'm assuming standard post spacing is fine for screening (i.e., don't need additional verticals)?

2/8/2012 11:51:40 AM

I forgot why I checked out this thread this AM, I meant to post a quick little build. The wifey wanted a six cube bookcase, so I whipped up this one. She finally got around to painting it. The first pic makes the blue look too bright, so the second one is to show the actual color.

2/8/2012 1:53:40 PM

Looks great! What plans did you use?

2/8/2012 2:15:26 PM

The ana-white plans, plus a few dimensional liberties to better fit our space. Actually I think you posted the link back in October like 2 days after I finished building mine. It's just taken the wife too long to get around to painting it (that was our deal, I build it to her specs, she has to paint it). Solid piece and lots of good storage for her craft/custom vinyl decal hobby.

[Edited on February 8, 2012 at 2:20 PM. Reason : .]

2/8/2012 2:20:29 PM

Great! I've been wanting to try it out. I really like your version, and the color turned out nicely. Now I definitely need to make it.

2/8/2012 2:31:07 PM

Phase one of kitchen remodel is pretty much complete. Its as done as its going to get for now. Right now it just has primer paint on the wall and will be painted when I do the rest of the kitchen. Also need to add a permenant counter top, I just have a cardboard template in place now

Before:

2/11/2012 12:08:54 PM

good job.

We are in the middle of finishing our DIY curtain panels. Already finished with the DIY curtain hardware ($6 for rod and brackets) and have it hung. Also finished making a bunch of artwork ourselves for the living room. I'll post some pictures later.

2/11/2012 2:31:53 PM

^^ Nice! We plan on doing something like that eventually in our kitchen.

2/11/2012 8:43:45 PM

Quote :

"NC uses the 2006 revision of the International Building Code (IBC 2006): "

North Carolina is adopting the 2012 North Carolina Building Code (Based on the 2009 IBC) later this year....June 1st I believe the 2009 IBC/2012 NC Building Code becomes mandatory

[Edited on February 12, 2012 at 4:40 PM. Reason : ]

2/12/2012 4:36:09 PM

I am so tired of digging trenches in my front yard. But at least I'll have an area to garden in once we're done lol.

2/12/2012 7:57:31 PM

Not great pictures but they work for now:

BEFORE


CURRENTLY



The first picture is the day we moved in looking toward our breakfast nook. We hated the tan colored vertical blinds, the super cheap bright brass and foggy glass light fixture that hung in the wrong spot (and looked like it wasn't covered when they resprayed the ceiling because it was speckled with paint), the builder-beige walls, and the floors.

The 2nd picture is from yesterday evening. The light fixture has been changed and swagged over (I'd prefer a more streamlined approach but this was much easier than changing the wiring and physically moving it), the walls have been painted a light grey, and some white chair rail was added. Still have the ugly floors but I think we will have them for awhile just from a cost standpoint.

The reason for this post however is the curtains. We finally ripped out the ugly vertical blinds and replaced them with some homemade curtains. My wife made the curtains and I made the hardware. The curtain rod is 80" of galvanized steel electrical conduit cut from a 10' section of EMT. The hardware is a pair of 2.5" L brackets screwed into the dry-wall anchors and then 1-hole conduit straps bolted through the L bracket. It looks great and the best thing is that the rod and hardware together cost $6 and is sturdier than the $20 cheapo rods you'd get at Walmart or Target in the same size range.

[Edited on February 13, 2012 at 8:30 AM. Reason : ]

2/13/2012 8:28:38 AM

Has anyone put down the peel and stick laminate flooring or laminate floating floor? Looking for a durable and inexpensive option as we have three dogs, thanks for your opinions!

2/14/2012 12:18:33 AM

I would not put that shit down in a house I was planning on living in. Ive seen it in several houses and it looked terrible. Eventually the tiles shrink a bit and the "grout" lines open up or the tiles eventually start to peel.

2/14/2012 8:08:25 AM

^^between those two options the laminate floating floor is far superior.

2/14/2012 8:11:05 AM

accidentally posted the following in the home ownership thread. meant to put it here:

anyone done a tile backsplash? what did you do to get the electric outlets and switches to be flush with the tile? buy box extenders? buy new boxes (larger or adjustable)? just add spacers on the screws?

2/14/2012 11:54:22 AM

So my grandfather gave me his fathers old workbench a couple weeks ago and I have spent some time re-finishing it. It is 10.5' long and almost 3' deep and more than 70 years old. A couple guys from the Wolf Web helped me get it out of my grandfathers crawl space.

Here is the before:



I sanded, stained and 4 coats of Poly on the counter top. I know it isn't perfect but I think it is pretty sharp for a garage piece:

2/14/2012 12:13:06 PM

looks great

2/14/2012 2:10:35 PM

Thoughts/experiences on removing popcorn ceiling? One of the MANY home improvement projects I'm considering. From what I've seen it might be annoying to do, and then i have to put some base down before I can paint over it.

2/15/2012 10:33:53 AM

My parents recently did this in their main bathroom. Took my dad about a day with a shop vac and a scraper. The ceiling actually ended up having kind of a cool textured look to it once he was done so he decided to just paint over it rather than spackling and painting. He said when he does it in the master bedroom though he's going to spackle to get the ceiling smooth.

2/15/2012 11:25:21 AM

^^ I have been looking into this as my next project as well. I want to do it before I replace the carpet with hardwood.

From my research (and the fact that my brother-in-law did it), there is a solution that you can spray on it that releases it from the ceiling but keeps it intact. So there is MUCH less mess than just scraping/vacuuming. Kind of like the stuff you put on wallpaper to remove it.

2/15/2012 2:56:09 PM

Scraping ceilings can be quite tricky. One thing to keep in mind is that popcorn ceilings became popular because they hide/mask imperfections in the ceiling. Builders were able to get by with less than perfect mud work because the popcorn finish would hide such elevation differences.

What I mean to say is that it's possible you can do a great job scraping your ceiling only to reveal a less than desirable flat ceiling which will likely lead to mud work.

You're kind of at the mercy of the home builder, if they're good, then you have nothing to worry about. But, if a lesser builder took full advantage of the benefits of popcorn ceilings in order to cut corners, then you're going to end up with a bigger project than you thought originally.

2/15/2012 3:42:13 PM

^bingo.

2/15/2012 3:46:29 PM

I planned to scrape the popcorn then put a new layer of sheet rock over top to smooth everything out. Good idea?

2/15/2012 4:24:13 PM

I know several people who did this without scraping the ceiling with good results.

2/15/2012 5:05:43 PM

i hate any and everything involving ceilings, probably because ours fell over the summer. hanging new sheetrock isn't fun (although drywall lifts are awesome) painting isn't fun, insulation isn't fun, and mudding isn't fun. if you have other projects i would do those before i even thought about doing anything ceiling related.

2/16/2012 2:55:19 PM

Removing popcorn texture is annoyingly disgusting.

Instead of spackling afterward to make it flat, we mixed sheetrock mud with water to thin it up, then smacked it on the ceiling in multiple random arrangements, then smoothed it over. Creates a sort of a faux stucco finish that looks cool (at least to me).

2/16/2012 3:09:34 PM

I definitely know it won't be fun, but it needs to be done. The floors are the top priority, but it would be stupid to do the floors before the ceiling.

2/16/2012 4:48:16 PM

I've scraped every ceiling in my house (with the exception of the foyer that is open to the second floor). It is not hard and makes your house look immensely less dated. What spydyrwyr said is 110% true, and no matter how careful you are while scraping, you will always need to touch up the ceiling afterwards. This may look like a wall of text, tl;dr type of thing, but it's really just me trying to add as much detail as possible - it's not complicated at all.

1) Take out everything, including furniture and ceiling fixtures (lights, fans etc) it'll get in the way and you're much better off not having to work around it. You can cover the floor, but you'd better use something thick because it will get abused by the ladder, and the ladder will get hung up in the folds, etc. The thicker the better on the covering.

2) For the scraping process, I used a 3 or 4 inch putty knife, a regular spray bottle of water and one of those paint roller pans. The water clumps the popcorn and helps remove it more easily. You don't need any other product, water works perfectly. Don't saturate, just spray a 2' x 2' area a couple of times and let it sit for no more than a minute. Without a lot of pressure on the putty knife, the popcorn basically falls off, and you can use the roller pan to catch all of it. Gentle is the key - at the joints between drywall sheets you'll find a layer of mud, which you can dig into fairly easily creating more finish work later. If you use too much pressure on the bare sheetrock, you'll dig through the outer paper layer and expose the sheetrock. Care should also be taken at the edges of the room, as the tape can be exposed and damaged. the scraping process is not time consuming at all, I'd say for a 15' x 15' room, maybe 30 minutes on average. You'll be surprised how much popcorn is really up there, and you may need several garbage bags for larger rooms.

3) after scraping the popcorn, I'd use a wide blade putty knife and mud the imperfect areas (I used a 5 or 6" knife, can't remember the exact one I used the most). Wider blades do a better job of blending and smoothing the surface. The three areas you'll need to pay most attention to are at the screw holes scattered around, at the joints between the sheets of drywall and the edges around the room. This goes back to what spydyrywr was saying about minimal effort being taken initially by the contractor to mud the ceiling. Of course the next part is sanding these areas out and then re-mudding (I prefer the foam sanding blocks for this task over sandpaper). I'd highly recommend using a utility light from different angles, as this will point out ridges, dimples etc and give you a much nicer finish. This is the most time-consuming portion and the most messy. I would definitely close all doors (and plastic over all non-door openings) and ventilate by opening windows if possible.

4) once you have the ceiling smoothed out, I would prime before painting, since you will have alot of dust leftover from sanding. Paint doesn't like dusty surfaces. Also, this can help identify other imperfect areas you may have missed and give you an opportunity to make adjustments as needed prior to painting.

5) paint!

One thing I will mention again is that the edges around the room can be very tricky. More often than not, the mud tape along the edges is barely mudded over (like with only one coat) and in some areas in my house, not at all. these are tough to finish out, and you also have to fight the wall - it's just a pain in the ass. So I kind of skipped over finishing these areas, saving some time, and then used the opportunity to cover these areas with crown, which looks incedible with a scraped ceiling.

It's one of those things that isn't hard at all to do, but does have a learning curve. The rooms I started with don't look nearly as good as the last ones I did. I'd be more than happy to answer more questions, and if you really want, I could even come over and guide you through some of it. I had the benefit of being taught how to do it, and I don't mind passing that on.

2/16/2012 5:21:41 PM

Quote :

"a regular spray bottle of water "

After you get tired of squeezing a spray bottle trigger find a 1 gallon pump sprayer.

2/16/2012 5:35:57 PM

that's not a bad idea that I hadn't thought of. if that works well for you, then by all means great

however, I think a 32 oz bottle holds the quantity of water you need and matches the speed you work at (or that I work at). also, I don't recall being fatigued by the bottle at all. fatigued from overhead work in general, yes, but not from the bottle.

2/16/2012 6:33:56 PM

Father-in-law has some serious health problems and I need to redo his bathroom tile. How easy is it? How long should it take (extremely small bathroom, maybe 25sqft)

[Edited on February 17, 2012 at 7:47 AM. Reason : ]

2/17/2012 7:47:08 AM

we redid the tile in our bathroom... it turned into a several day project because you have to do each layer and then let it dry... we did backer board, tile, grout, the sealant each on different days (took 2 days to tile though because we have a LOT of nooks and crannies that you have to specially cut the tile for.)

Price-wise we did it for under 300 bucks... we were quoted like 1500 bucks to get it done, so doing it yourself is by far the better price option.

2/17/2012 8:04:04 AM

I'm tiling my laundry room this weekend. It's my first attempt at tile work. I've got a buddy with some equipment and experience coming over to guide me through it. The only headache is going to be due to the fact that it's upstairs and washer was "recessed" in the floor ~5/8" and there's a floor drain centered in the footprint. So I've got to do a little floor patchwork prior to the backerboard, then some drain modification and have to do some circular cuts that I wasn't planning on, but hopefully it won't be too bad.

2/17/2012 9:48:01 AM