Home renovation season

[Quad18star]

With the snow finally starting to melt ( for those in the snowy areas) , home renovation season is just around the corner. Are any of you guys planning any home renos?

Myself I'll be starting in about another month .... I'm no carpenter by any means , so I'll be having the father-inlaw helping me out with some stuff. We're basically doing a complete interior remodelling. Our basement isn't finished , so that's what were tackling first.

I have an area about 24x25ft to play with , and I'll be turning it into an entertainment area and will be going with a relaxed caribbean /surfring theme.

I'm first going to have to tear down some walls and redo the insulation and build a couple other walls. Then I'll be laying down some rough looking oak flooring (laminate). 1/3rd of the way up the walls will be a rough looking wood and the top 2/3rds will be painted a burnt orange. Under the stairs will be an almost wall to wall closet/storage ( about 15 feet in length). Along one of the walls we'll be putting in a fireplace with a fake stone surrounding it and the new 50" flat screen will be going overtop. Downstairs bathroom ( 6 1/2 ft x 9ft) will also be getting a makeover with new toilet , sink , counter and stackable washer/dryer.

After the basement is finished, we're going to be tackling the upstairs , which will be getting new flooring throughout .. either hardwood or laminate. Bathroom is getting a face lift with our old fashioned tub being reglazed and bathroom getting a fresh paint. Kitchen ... that's another story .I still don't have a clue what's going on there but I know it needs new cupboards , new counter top and new stove. Maybe the addition of a dishwasher. Dinning room getting fresh paint. Current living room is being turned into a sitting room with fresh pain , getting rid of the 15 year old TV and getting a 32 inch flat screen. Also need to purchase a loveseat and chair for the area. Master bedroom ( if it can be called that) just received new paint in the fall so that's not needing to be touched , only getting rid of the carpet and going with the hardwood or laminate. Second bedroom needs the carpet ripped out , hardwood/laminate added , build an in-wall shelf and get new drywall added and fresh paint.

On top of all that , I need to replace 2 large windows ( sitting room and master bedroom), build a fence outside for the dog and either have a load of crushed stone brought in or pave the driveway. Maybe if ambitious I'll tackle the deck and have that redone ( new railing and sand/stain or paint. Might replace the furnace since it's over 20 years old.

So what do you guys think , you think I'll be busy enough?? :p

What's your projects?

[05LSR250R]

Be careful putting that wood floor in a basement. You never know!

AS for me.....I need to put on a new screen door! These boys can destroy an anvil! Also thinkin about adding a little insulation to the attic. Definitely painting the hall bath along with some drywall repairs in there. The boys again! They'll wrestle any where!
Thats about it...not mtoo much...oh...gonna plant a couple trees in the front yard! The house was built in 1999 and theres not much that needs attention...so I'm pretty fortunate there.

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by 05LSR250R
Be careful putting that wood floor in a basement. You never know!

AS for me.....I need to put on a new screen door! These boys can destroy an anvil! Also thinkin about adding a little insulation to the attic. Definitely painting the hall bath along with some drywall repairs in there. The boys again! They'll wrestle any where!
Thats about it...not mtoo much...oh...gonna plant a couple trees in the front yard! The house was built in 1999 and theres not much that needs attention...so I'm pretty fortunate there.

I talked to a few experts at a Home Show today , and they mentioned that as long as I have a good vapour barrier , the laminate should be alright .... if I was goign with hardwood that would be a different story.

The home we live in right now was built in the 50's , so it's in need of a few things and I'm hoping that in the long run I'll be saving money on heating bills and stuff by doing the renos now. Our furnace is "old technology" , the insualtion is old stuff and I'm hoping to eliminate a lot of the drafts.

I figure I can spend the money on renovations and save myself a ton of money rather than buying a new homes. Plus I got this home for a good deal and when I'm ready to put it on the market , the money spent now will not be a total loss.

[250rAL]

I'm doing our kitchen. Everything but the ceiling is being replaced. Economy-wise, it's a good time to do it, if you got the cash.

[wishmasstir]

ahhh the joys of being a homeowner, I built a garage this past fall and i'll be adding the patio (roof) on it. It'll have slate faced pavers and a composite railing. Also planting some trees and gutting my basement and starting over ... i'll have my hands full

[mittman]

well we have been doing our house for the past 2 years doing little at a time all thats left is kitchen,basement got other half to do and poor a concrete floor in our pool building. we were going to do wood floor in our basement and the guy said as long as it doesn't get damp it should be fine. if it was him he would seal the floor too. we were told if we really wanted to do it to get a dehumidifier and see how much it it pulls out of the air and if its not much then there wont be a problem

[quad2xtreme]

Originally posted by 250rAL
Economy-wise, it's a good time to do it, if you got the cash.

If you are doing stuff yourself, now is the time. If you are paying people, watch closely. I've noticed prices going through the roof by some contractors hoping to milk the few customers that are out there shopping to get work done. Guess they have to pay the mortgage too either way. Guess they didn't save for a rainy day.

[wilkin250r]

Greg, we want the before and after pictures.

[S.A.J]

hey Quad18star some advice with the insulation,look around your area and see if anybody sprays foam insulation,its MUCH MUCH better!!! we have had VERY good experience with the foam instead of fiberglass rolls which are practactly useless compared to foam.just somthn worth looking into trust me saves ALOT

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
Greg, we want the before and after pictures.

Oh I will . I just have to clear out the junk so you can actually see the basement. LOL

S.A.J. I think that's what we're going to go with. I've heard and read a lot of good things about it. I think I'll also be going with that blue treated drywall , the stuff that helps prevent mold and other things that grow. Might as well do it right the first time and not really have to worry about it. The atic might get the spray foam also .

[ricksmx865]

We just bought 6 new skylights and the shingles to redo the house and my mom's business building,

Then its time to tackle the new shop :devil:

[S.A.J]

okay sounds like youre on the right track then,just make sure you get somebody that knows what theyre doing and that has a good solid rep. cause we had this one contracter get these guys to do a house with the soft foam and they didnt know what they were doing with mixing the chemicals at the right tempature and all and we had to tear ALL of the foam outa the walls and get it done again buy sombody that knew what they were doing,so make sure you get somebody that knows whats up especially if your goin with the soft foam,the rigid 2inch stuff aint that hard or picky though but for walls the soft is betr.when they spray it you can see if they did a good job by poking your finger into the foam and if its REAL dense and packed together good you got a pretty good job but if you find ANY spots that are crusty get em to to it again cause if it becomes crusty and it has cavaties in it it molds after awhile and then its worthless!!! sorry about going on and on lol but im just stressing the importance of getting it done right by the right poeple. and the foams gona be a really nice cutter on the energy bills if done right and im sure you'll be thrilled in the long run!

[Pipeless416]

kind of late, but heres a during and after picture of what i did during my last week of christmas break. my mom and brother did the tiling around the tub. don't worry.. it never looked this bad lol. i replaced the subfloor, tub, toilet, sink, and a few wall sections were replaced with cement board.

[Pipeless416]

here it is now

[Pipeless416]

2

[Pipeless416]

not bad for a week :macho

[Alberta_Qaudin]

well lucky me discovered mold in one of my walls, my place has an addition built on (we just bought last winter) and apparently the joint where they meet at the roof line is leaking...YAY, so i will start with tearing out the walls, insulation, and any affected wood structure, find the leak, seal it from the inside, tear back the shingles, tar paper, ect. seal the seam up there again replacing all affected wood......YAY.

and then i will be having to have an air quality inspector in to check the rest of the house for shotty work during the reno before i bought

[S.A.J]

in therethats looks really reallyy good!!!i love black granite look(counter top),we did a storm shelter/gameroom above ground it was like 23ft by 33ft from inside,had 8inch concrete walls all around with heavy I-beam framing along the sides like arching all the way over to the other side and then with diamond plate for the cieling and then another 8inches concrete on top of that on the cieling oh and a bunch of concrete peirs drilled in the ground,all was finished out with sheet-rock and stuff so no frame visible and then with carpet and some black granite tile,and the bathroom they had in there was about your size and they had a couple thousand in just granite tiles looks awesome!!!
they got couple couches and a BIG screen tv in there and a workout place lol,kinda spoiled but id love it too.

[S.A.J]

ahh i HATE water leaks,id say we've experienced our share of those,lol.hey wat do you think of sheet metal roofs jw?

[Pipeless416]

that stuff is NOT cheap :eek2: good thing we only redo things once in a while

[Alberta_Qaudin]

i have considered a metal roof, but i want to see how far back i need to repair first, if its only going to take me 5 or so packs of shingles then i would prefer to save the money, and use it to finish both of my decks, front and back, and put up a shed. i am hoping this will be a minimal fix, i'm a carpenter, and work for a small construction company so material should be cheap and labor will be free

[S.A.J]

yeah its pretty pricey lol i think it was around $14 or 15 for a 1x1 tile somthing along those lines. and yeah itd be cool if it was minimal,if you would have to go metal roof its pretty nice cause you wouldnt have to mess with shingles flying off and less leaks etc. so long run it might be less costly and less maitnence.we had hall damage on our double-wide and i think we got insurance money from that and then we put the metal roof just on top of the shingles and aint had a problem since.i should start a thread of building projects then i cld stop hijacking yours lol

[ZeroLogic]

Not trying to act like a know it all but I'll give ya some tips. :p

When you tear down the walls are you taking down the framing or just the drywall? If you take down the framing make sure it isn't a load bearing wall. If it is, put up supports before you take down the wall and replace it. use R-21 for exterior walls (2x6) and R-13 for interior walls (2x4). If you are tearing down the drywall in your bathrooms make sure you use the green drywall, its made to take the moisture in bathrooms. Rough sawn trim isn't so high on my list only because it looks and make a room feel messy. (the house we're are working on is trimmed out with rough sawn ceder and its hard to keep clean from dust and whatnot. What I would do is if you are doing hardwood flooring, trim out the house in the same wood type. IE, oak flooring, oak trim. It really brings the house together.
I'd go with soild hardwood flooring. If I'm not mistaking, you are goin to have a little one on your hands soon, (congrats!). The laminate wood flooring will chip and is very hard to repair, soild wood you can just sand down the finish and re-finish it. We are doing hardwood flooring in a addition we just finished, and along with the whole house and it does a number on it too! Looks amazing. Drywalling isn't hard to hang but mudding it is.
If ya have any questions, feel free to pm me if ya want, I'm a sub contractor for a living so I can help ya out with whatever ya need.

Again, not trying to come out like a dick just tryin to help ya! Be sure to post pictures!


Originally posted by Quad18star
With the snow finally starting to melt ( for those in the snowy areas) , home renovation season is just around the corner. Are any of you guys planning any home renos?

Myself I'll be starting in about another month .... I'm no carpenter by any means , so I'll be having the father-inlaw helping me out with some stuff. We're basically doing a complete interior remodelling. Our basement isn't finished , so that's what were tackling first.

I have an area about 24x25ft to play with , and I'll be turning it into an entertainment area and will be going with a relaxed caribbean /surfring theme.

I'm first going to have to tear down some walls and redo the insulation and build a couple other walls. Then I'll be laying down some rough looking oak flooring (laminate). 1/3rd of the way up the walls will be a rough looking wood and the top 2/3rds will be painted a burnt orange. Under the stairs will be an almost wall to wall closet/storage ( about 15 feet in length). Along one of the walls we'll be putting in a fireplace with a fake stone surrounding it and the new 50" flat screen will be going overtop. Downstairs bathroom ( 6 1/2 ft x 9ft) will also be getting a makeover with new toilet , sink , counter and stackable washer/dryer.

After the basement is finished, we're going to be tackling the upstairs , which will be getting new flooring throughout .. either hardwood or laminate. Bathroom is getting a face lift with our old fashioned tub being reglazed and bathroom getting a fresh paint. Kitchen ... that's another story .I still don't have a clue what's going on there but I know it needs new cupboards , new counter top and new stove. Maybe the addition of a dishwasher. Dinning room getting fresh paint. Current living room is being turned into a sitting room with fresh pain , getting rid of the 15 year old TV and getting a 32 inch flat screen. Also need to purchase a loveseat and chair for the area. Master bedroom ( if it can be called that) just received new paint in the fall so that's not needing to be touched , only getting rid of the carpet and going with the hardwood or laminate. Second bedroom needs the carpet ripped out , hardwood/laminate added , build an in-wall shelf and get new drywall added and fresh paint.

On top of all that , I need to replace 2 large windows ( sitting room and master bedroom), build a fence outside for the dog and either have a load of crushed stone brought in or pave the driveway. Maybe if ambitious I'll tackle the deck and have that redone ( new railing and sand/stain or paint. Might replace the furnace since it's over 20 years old.

So what do you guys think , you think I'll be busy enough?? :p

What's your projects?

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by ZeroLogic
Not trying to act like a know it all but I'll give ya some tips. :p

When you tear down the walls are you taking down the framing or just the drywall? If you take down the framing make sure it isn't a load bearing wall. If it is, put up supports before you take down the wall and replace it. use R-21 for exterior walls (2x6) and R-13 for interior walls (2x4). If you are tearing down the drywall in your bathrooms make sure you use the green drywall, its made to take the moisture in bathrooms. Rough sawn trim isn't so high on my list only because it looks and make a room feel messy. (the house we're are working on is trimmed out with rough sawn ceder and its hard to keep clean from dust and whatnot. What I would do is if you are doing hardwood flooring, trim out the house in the same wood type. IE, oak flooring, oak trim. It really brings the house together.
I'd go with soild hardwood flooring. If I'm not mistaking, you are goin to have a little one on your hands soon, (congrats!). The laminate wood flooring will chip and is very hard to repair, soild wood you can just sand down the finish and re-finish it. We are doing hardwood flooring in a addition we just finished, and along with the whole house and it does a number on it too! Looks amazing. Drywalling isn't hard to hang but mudding it is.
If ya have any questions, feel free to pm me if ya want, I'm a sub contractor for a living so I can help ya out with whatever ya need.

Again, not trying to come out like a dick just tryin to help ya! Be sure to post pictures!

Thanks for the info . Like I said , I'm no carpenter so any information is usefull. The walls that are comming down aren't load bearing ... they were put up by the previous owner many moons ago to seperate the downstairs. Just 2x4's crookedly nails in place with panelling thrown on ( no insulation between) . The exterior basement walls are partially exposed with the top half having styrofoam and drywall over top. I'll be tearing it all out and replacing with new stuff. I'd like to go with hardwood flooring , but I've heard it's a lot of upkeep ... especially with a dog... that's why we looked into laminate that is pretty scratch resistent and comes with a warranty. Also a little less pricey . LOL. It may still be an option , just have to look into it a little more.

Not too many people know yet , but I might as well let you guys know now. My fiancee was pregnant but unfortunately our baby passed away on March 4th .. she was 20 weeks into the term. It was something beyond our control really and unexpected. It's the reason why I haven't been on here too much in the last month.

[S.A.J]

im really sorry to hear that,its gota be tough and i'll be praying for yall...

[Quad18star]

Well when we went to the Home Show on Sunday , I talked to this one company and they do home inspections which helps you qualify for grants from the government. Right now our Government ( in Canada) is offering up to $10 000 in grants , in order to make your home more Energy Efficient.

This company comes in , does all sorts of draft tests , checks the insulation and more , then gives you a list of things that you can do to improve it all . You then have 18 months to complete it all.

Long story short , it costs $300 for the first visit , then $150 after for them to come and see that the work was done. The company had a draw for a free home inspection and I entered it. I haven't won anything in a draw since the 5th grade ( CD player from school) .. but low and behold I won the draw for the free home inspection. :D So come April 20th , I'll be finding out just how much I can fix ( I'm expecting a 40 page report ;) :p )

[S.A.J]

haha thats sweet man,canadas government has some things bit screwed up about it(imo) but then again others come in handy lol.

[ZeroLogic]

Not sure how the framing goes up there but down here, we use a system called 16 on center. Meaning every 16 inches will be the center in the stud. Probably won't help much up there since you guys use the metric system. Is there framing on your basement walls?

Also sorry to hear about that, didn't mean to bring it up. Best of luck to you guys!


Originally posted by Quad18star
Thanks for the info . Like I said , I'm no carpenter so any information is usefull. The walls that are comming down aren't load bearing ... they were put up by the previous owner many moons ago to seperate the downstairs. Just 2x4's crookedly nails in place with panelling thrown on ( no insulation between) . The exterior basement walls are partially exposed with the top half having styrofoam and drywall over top. I'll be tearing it all out and replacing with new stuff. I'd like to go with hardwood flooring , but I've heard it's a lot of upkeep ... especially with a dog... that's why we looked into laminate that is pretty scratch resistent and comes with a warranty. Also a little less pricey . LOL. It may still be an option , just have to look into it a little more.

Not too many people know yet , but I might as well let you guys know now. My fiancee was pregnant but unfortunately our baby passed away on March 4th .. she was 20 weeks into the term. It was something beyond our control really and unexpected. It's the reason why I haven't been on here too much in the last month.

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by ZeroLogic
Not sure how the framing goes up there but down here, we use a system called 16 on center. Meaning every 16 inches will be the center in the stud. Probably won't help much up there since you guys use the metric system. Is there framing on your basement walls?

Also sorry to hear about that, didn't mean to bring it up. Best of luck to you guys!

As much as everything is metric up here ... Carpentry is still done in feet and inches. Yeah there is a bit of framing in the top half... the bottom half in some spots is all exposed concrete . I'll get some pictures tomorrow to give you a better idea of what I'm working with.

Thanks.

[ZeroLogic]

That would be great, then we can go from there.