DIY Home Improvement Thread..

[Elessar78]

Re: Hiring a contractor

 

I know, stupid place to post a question like this . . . 

 

I think the piece of advice posted here was to avoid the low bid. Is this "avoid" or "never" take the low bid? Material costs seem to be pretty standard for everyone so I understand why this would be the logical thing to do—the contractor would have to make his money elsewhere. 

 

Any other general advice on hiring a contractor?

[Chew]

 

 

Any other general advice on hiring a contractor?

 

The way I've been doing it the past few years, I'll call three or four contractors out for quotes.  Then just bid them against each other.

 

First guy comes in, gives me a paper quote.  Second guy comes in, i'll show him the hard copy of the first quote, ask him if he can beat it.  Third guy comes in, ask him if he can beat the first two.  Same thing if I have a 4th guy come.

 

I've done that with our AC installation, backyard landscaping, and back porch work we had done....all went well. 

Edited March 26, 2014 by Chew

[Elessar78]

You just go by price alone? Do you check references?

[Chew]

i usually only call guys who have good reviews found on the internet. 

 

I'll compare the quotes to look for similar statements of work, materials, etc. 

 

after that, as long as I'm getting a warranty, i'll usually go with the low price, unless they're unreasonably lower than the competitive price range.

[PCS]

Absolutely check references. Make those phone calls and talk to people. Go back a few years if you can so that you can make sure the work lasts. Might be able to check with the local building department to look in to any complaints that may have been filed. Do your homework as well. Double check the pricing on any materials and such that they may want to use,(not as hard as it sounds).  Might be a  bit time consuming but it's worth it to make sure you're getting the best for your money. 

 

 

EZ Level. I like the idea and am strongly considering them when I finally rebuild our kitchen. Standard shims can be a real **** at times.    If I can speed up the process with those,(among other things),it might just be worth the money. I'll need the help. My cabinet hanging skills are a bit rusty.  

[Chew]

wife and I are putting our house on the market in a few weeks, we just laid vinyl wood planks on the entire first floor.  swapped out the builder grade pedastal sink for a cutesy vanity, new toilet, new light fixtures.  Not that it was rocket science, but I'm proud of myself for doing the work instead of paying a general contractor. 

[sjinhan]

Has anyone every put down that Epoxy flooring in the garage?  I am building a new house but I have skipped on the epxoy flooring from the builder which cost like $3000 for a 3 car garage with full coverage of flakes and clear coat...

 

People say that the DIY kits they sell at Home Depot / Lowes are crap and some peopel say its pretty good deal...

 

Anyone with personal experieice?  I live in Houston where it is hot.. not sure if that matters in this discussion...

[S.T.real,lights,out]

Has anyone every put down that Epoxy flooring in the garage?  I am building a new house but I have skipped on the epxoy flooring from the builder which cost like $3000 for a 3 car garage with full coverage of flakes and clear coat...

 

People say that the DIY kits they sell at Home Depot / Lowes are crap and some peopel say its pretty good deal...

 

Anyone with personal experieice?  I live in Houston where it is hot.. not sure if that matters in this discussion...

 

My brother and father-in-law put one down this winter. It came out really good. I cant find out what brand they used and let you know. They said it was very easy.

 

 

Should have said he didn't get it from lowes or HD...it was a special order through Ace Hardware but i will get you the name of it.

Edited March 28, 2014 by S.T.real,lights,out

[zoony]

Do not buy the DIY crap at lowes. You will regret it

Go to Sherwin Williams and talk to an expert. A floor covering worth applying will be expensive

[sjinhan]

My brother and father-in-law put one down this winter. It came out really good. I cant find out what brand they used and let you know. They said it was very easy.

 

 

Should have said he didn't get it from lowes or HD...it was a special order through Ace Hardware but i will get you the name of it.

 

 

Ok I will appreciate it if you can find out what he ended up getting.

Do not buy the DIY crap at lowes. You will regret it

Go to Sherwin Williams and talk to an expert. A floor covering worth applying will be expensive

 

ok I will check it out there  as well... When I go through some ads on craigslist.. they are quoting something liek $1300-$1500 for the work but it doesnt cover the clear coat on top which will probably put me in the $2000 range... 

 

Its out of my price range at that point...

[mjah]

I'm currently about halfway through laying solid oak hardwood through most of my first floor, in preparation for sale.  The only enemy here is tedium.  

 

I no longer even need the knee pads.  My knees are just used to it now.  That aspect of it is actually pretty great. Auto-synthesized titanium patellas.  Didn't know I had those.

 

Finding a good first line to lay flooring against, in a house full of slightly funny walls, is less great... lots of consideration of key sight lines vs. walls nobody will care about vs. splitting the difference when there's nowhere to hide.  

 

You can learn an awful lot about the construction of your house by putting down hardwood.

[Larry]

You can learn an awful lot about the construction of your house by putting down hardwood.

I've heard that hanging wallpaper can do that, too.

[Bubble Screen]

I've heard that hanging wallpaper can do that, too.

I believe wallpaper went out in the 80s, Lar.

[LD0506]

Man I wish I had things to do as easy as y'all........ just replaced/rerouted most of the plumbing, in the middle of doing the same with house wiring, all so I can start tearing out a chimney. I'd kill for sore floor laying knees.

 

And wallpaper is an expression of evil made manifest in the world.

[mjah]

LD wins.

 

I'm happy to do electrical -- but unless it's PVC drain lines, I don't do plumbing.  

 

And I hope never to discover whether or not I do chimney tear-outs.  I lived through one of those as a tenant in Boston... barely.

[PCS]

Yep. When it comes to epoxy floors,it is best to go with the "good stuff". 

 

I'm not a fan,but wallpaper is alive and well these days and technology has caught up there to. Some interesting stuff out there. 

 

Yep. You can and will find out about the framing of your house,(among other things),by putting in flooring,cabinets,crown mold,ect.  If the framing isn't clean,it affects everything put on top of it. It adds all kinds of money and time to the finish work and other things for sure.   

 

 

Okay. Outside of house is getting much better. Took out all of the grass in one part of the front yard,(and under both trees in the front), and put in a gravel path,a paver path on the side,and some other things to help the place look better on the outside. The landscaping needs some fine tuning,but it's just about there. Planted drought tolerant and,(some), local plants and repaired the sprinkler lines along that part of the house. Actually took some out and converted part of it to a drip system.  Still have to repair the driveway,(going to dig up a small section of it and put some new concrete in),and then give it some color.  I'm going around and putting in louvre vents so the attic space is ventilated properly as well as sealing things up with caulk. Would love to re-side the place and put in soffit one day but that's an expensive project so it'll wait for now. Next up raising the floor and reverse engineering some of the structure down there in the crawl space,(along with  laundry and master bath remodels). 

 

Before and af....er......during pics.

 

 

 

 

[mjah]

Nice!  

 

Is it okay if I looked at your house and expected to see Biff Tannen in the driveway waxing George McFly's BMW?

[skinsmarydu]

I'm looking online, in stores, absolutely everywhere for roller shades for windows...you know, the old pull-down kind with little spindle ends.  (My cats are destroying the vinyl blinds.)  Should I be measuring the entire window opening?  I would prefer to have them go as close to the edges as possible, and I know the bracket thingys aren't as wide as the ones for mini-blinds, which always leave space on the sides.

Thanks in advance.

[mcsluggo]

I have a new found respect for anyone who can caulk without making a total mess. 

amen.

 

when i moved into my house, all three bathrooms had leaked behind the shower tiles, and had to have the tiles replaced (in two of them, i had to reframe the walls behind the tiles, as well)

 

tiling walls and floors was easy.   Even a little fun (in a perversion of the word "fun"), and all of the tile looks good.  Even professional.  (in a perversion of teh word "pro") .......... but ALL of the cauking looks like absolute ka-ka.   ALL of it.   and then the rough cauked areas immediately started to go black (while the sealed grout looks pristine)

 

 

i hate it.

[S.T.real,lights,out]

Love the trees Park. Considering planting them in my front yard...just worried they may get a little too big

 

Yep. When it comes to epoxy floors,it is best to go with the "good stuff". 

 

I'm not a fan,but wallpaper is alive and well these days and technology has caught up there to. Some interesting stuff out there. 

 

Yep. You can and will find out about the framing of your house,(among other things),by putting in flooring,cabinets,crown mold,ect.  If the framing isn't clean,it affects everything put on top of it. It adds all kinds of money and time to the finish work and other things for sure.   

 

 

Okay. Outside of house is getting much better. Took out all of the grass in one part of the front yard,(and under both trees in the front), and put in a gravel path,a paver path on the side,and some other things to help the place look better on the outside. The landscaping needs some fine tuning,but it's just about there. Planted drought tolerant and,(some), local plants and repaired the sprinkler lines along that part of the house. Actually took some out and converted part of it to a drip system.  Still have to repair the driveway,(going to dig up a small section of it and put some new concrete in),and then give it some color.  I'm going around and putting in louvre vents so the attic space is ventilated properly as well as sealing things up with caulk. Would love to re-side the place and put in soffit one day but that's an expensive project so it'll wait for now. Next up raising the floor and reverse engineering some of the structure down there in the crawl space,(along with  laundry and master bath remodels). 

 

Before and af....er......during pics.

 

[MattFancy]

Any one have any tips for laying patio pavers?

[PCS]

Love the trees Park. Considering planting them in my front yard...just worried they may get a little too big

 

Flowering Plums. Great trees but like many other trees,have a shallow root system. The one on the right is always sending up root sprouts which are a giant pain. They are the medium size type but I know there are some species that grow much shorter,(dwarf and semi dwarf). 

Any one have any tips for laying patio pavers?

I could go on and on for awhile about the way to do this,(though there are a few different ways to do this),but I'll spare you that.  Lot's of help online from landscaping sites and such to help you out. Best tips I can give right now are to be ready to do the extra work,make sure you're nice and level when you start to lay the pavers and be patient when laying them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just found a place here in town that specializes in reclaimed.........everything.  Man that place is a bit of a treasure trove for me. Just increased my project list big time. That's a good thing. I think.   First up. Refurbishing a nice wood/metal bench we found at a garage sale.   

[Elessar78]

I fixed a corroding, leaky faucet. Might be nothing to you DIY blackbelts, but this is basically like building the Great Wall of China for me.

[PCS]

Hey. If you don't do it for a living or at least very consistently, It's just fine to feel some pride over something like that. I can't stand plumbing so I take pride in just changing a washer.  

[AdamB]

Well, it looks like we will most likely be heading back to the family farm in a few weeks to stay, and I am in the process of drawing up a list of projects that I will have to start on. Due to budget (on the low side), almost of the work is going to be DIY so I will probably become a fixture in this thread looking for advice. 

 

The most serious issues are not ones we are going to do ourselves. The first is a new furnace (so obviously not a DIY project) - my father-in-law had the very nice one installed about 10 years ago, and has hardly been used, but it was installed in a cellar with no moisture protection resulting in heavy corrosion in the electronic controls. We are planning to have it checked to see if it can be repaired, but budgeting for replacement. We spent the winter 2012 there, and it was bad with no heat (or modern insulation - 160 year old house).

 

The second main issue is the roof. One, I am not going up on that roof without a cherry-picker and safety gear (see picture below), and two it is metal. This is something we know we will have to get the entire family to chip in on since the last quote anyone got was $25K not including any repairs to the actual roof structure. We are also looking at metal roof alternatives like what was used when the family replaced the roof on the carriage house/smoke house (I drew a blank on the material name).

 

The first planned project is cleaning off the old latex paint that was used awhile ago and now is coming off in strips. Also, at some point in the past a milk-wash was used (we think about 30 years ago). What would folks recommend for primer and paint types - oil primer/oil paint, oil primer and latex, or should latex for both be ok as long as I am make sure the primer is put on correctly? I have tried to find information on ye' ole web but it is the milk-wash that seems to be a stumbling point (most discuss new plaster walls).