Projects/Home Improvement Thread

[SDIrishFan]

For $700 the lights better play and dance for the fight song everytime someone passes by

From the little bit of looking I've done, the commercial grade light strings that can be cut to length anywhere and last several years, run $200-$300 for 100 feet of string. Plus you figure plugs, clips, jump lines, misc materials, tools, etc. You can get over $1000 pretty quickly.

It sounds like you "lease" the lights (don't install homeowners own lights), and ideally, you put them up several years in a row and after the first year, they are all cut to length and paid for, so your profit is much greater after the first year.

 

[SDIrishFan]

Based on my experience watching my BIL do something similar getting paid was as much a chore as doing the work. People can very easily just falt out not pay you after the work is done and it ends up not even being worth it to get a lawyer or small claims court involved for a $200 install of a ceiling fan.

Maybe since its elders you might have better recovery of fees but he eventually gave up on it because he just couldn't get people to pay.

That's a big fear. I'd imagine you have to get half up front and ideally that at least covers your hard costs.

Absolutely everything in writing.

But yeah, if you spend all your time chasing down debt, you aren't making any money.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Is that the labor alone or does it include light rental?

That price is labor and storage. Most charge you a lease agreement or have you flat out buy the lights up front, which that cost will vary depending on size of the house and customization requested.

For $700 the lights better play and dance for the fight song everytime someone passes by

You'd be shocked at the demand for this sort of custom setup in certain areas.

From the little bit of looking I've done, the commercial grade light strings that can be cut to length anywhere and last several years, run $200-$300 for 100 feet of string. Plus you figure plugs, clips, jump lines, misc materials, tools, etc. You can get over $1000 pretty quickly.

It sounds like you "lease" the lights (don't install homeowners own lights), and ideally, you put them up several years in a row and after the first year, they are all cut to length and paid for, so your profit is much greater after the first year.

Depends on the contractor. I've seen leased pricing and I've seen ownership pricing. We bought our lights outright a long time ago and just pay my friend to come do our house. (helps to get the friend discount). His labor fees also include storage and repair (up to a certain number of bulbs). I know landscape companies around the north side of Indy who charge $1000 in labor/storage costs alone on larger homes. People line up for it. My friend is basically trying to undercut those prices so he can grow his client list. The profit margins are insane.

 

[NDVirginia19]

Just bought my first house recently. Moved in Saturday and have been painting around the clock. Every wall was painted in this god awful "Victorian Pewter". Just couldn't imagine living with this on every wall in your house. It looks more purple in person.

Also finding out how bad I am at painting a room

 

[greyhammer90]

Just bought my first house recently. Moved in Saturday and have been painting around the clock. Every wall was painted in this god awful "Victorian Pewter". Just couldn't imagine living with this on every wall in your house. It looks more purple in person.

Also finding out how bad I am at painting a room


View attachment 3063246

Congrats on the house. The process sucks ass but its worth it.

 

[Irish#1]

Just bought my first house recently. Moved in Saturday and have been painting around the clock. Every wall was painted in this god awful "Victorian Pewter". Just couldn't imagine living with this on every wall in your house. It looks more purple in person.

Also finding out how bad I am at painting a room


View attachment 3063246

If it's not too late, buy your paint from Sherwin Williams or one of the other company paint stores. The stuff you buy at Lowes and Home Depot is crap compared to what they sell. Stay away from the paint & primer combo. You'll also find out you're not that bad of a painter.

Congrats on the house.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

If it's not too late, buy your paint from Sherwin Williams or one of the other company paint stores. The stuff you buy at Lowes and Home Depot is crap compared to what they sell. Stay away from the paint & primer combo. You'll also find out you're not that bad of a painter.

Congrats on the house.

There are such things as bad painters. My wife is exhibit A. Smoking gun evidence is the giant paint stain in the carpet right in the middle of our master bedroom.

 

[NDVirginia19]

If it's not too late, buy your paint from Sherwin Williams or one of the other company paint stores. The stuff you buy at Lowes and Home Depot is crap compared to what they sell. Stay away from the paint & primer combo. You'll also find out you're not that bad of a painter.

Congrats on the house.

Oof, would have been good to know before I bought all of this Behr. I had $500 in Home Depot gift cards I had been stockpiling so thought it was a good way to go.

 

[GowerND11]

There are such things as bad painters. My wife is exhibit A. Smoking gun evidence is the giant paint stain in the carpet right in the middle of our master bedroom.

When my wife and I bought our house the living room trim and baseboards was this ugly smoke stained tan color (not actually smoke stained but that’s the color of it). I put her in a corner and asked her to start cutting while I started in another………

Two minutes later I look over and she is dipping almost the entire brush into the paint and just pulling it out and slopping it onto the wall. She was immediately fired.

 

[ab2cmiller]

When my wife and I bought are house the living room trim and baseboards was this ugly smoke stained tan color (not actually smoke stained but that’s the color of it). I put her in a corner and asked her to start cutting while I started in another………

Two minutes later I look over and she is dipping almost the entire brush into the paint and just pulling it out and slopping it onto the wall. She was immediately fired.

She knew exactly what she was doing. I pull the same stunt when my wife wants me to pick up something from the grocery store.

 

[Irish#1]

Oof, would have been good to know before I bought all of this Behr. I had $500 in Home Depot gift cards I had been stockpiling so thought it was a good way to go.

At least you have the info for the futre.

I used to work for a coatings company. Didn't know any of that until I started working there. It cost a little more, but I think it's worth it.

 

[Wild Bill]

At least you have the info for the futre.

I used to work for a coatings company. Didn't know any of that until I started working there. It cost a little more, but I think it's worth it.

SW is def better but Behr paint isn't bad. It sticks.

 

[Katzenboyer]

Also just bought and moved into my first house. Like I was with my newborn a few months ago (see the Dads thread), I’m overwhelmed. There’s so much stuff to do and I don’t feel like I’m ever going to finish.

But at least we got into the market, so I’m trying to keep a level head about things.

 

[notredomer23]

Also just bought and moved into my first house. Like I was with my newborn a few months ago (see the Dads thread), I’m overwhelmed. There’s so much stuff to do and I don’t feel like I’m ever going to finish.

But at least we got into the market, so I’m trying to keep a level head about things.

I'm 10 months into homeownership and I've just realized this is exactly the case at least for me... There's always gonna be another project to work on. The first few months are much worse, though, whereas i've found the last couple months of projects are at least more enjoyable because they are things that we want to do verses have to do.

 

[Irish#1]

Finally convinced the wife that stone was the way to go. Ripped out the mulch. Expanded the area because a blue spruce had grown a lot as did some of the ornamental grass. Three tons of river bed stone later my back was barking at me, but she's happy with the results.

 

[rtrn2glory]

While we're on the topic of home improvement, anybody with experience have a best guess estimate for front porch renovation? I realize that could be tough to answer without all the logistics, but my parent's place was quoted at around 10k pre-covid, which honestly sounds great now, but I'm sure inflation has ended the likelihood of that being the case now.

 

[IRISHbluehen]

Also just bought and moved into my first house. Like I was with my newborn a few months ago (see the Dads thread), I’m overwhelmed. There’s so much stuff to do and I don’t feel like I’m ever going to finish.

But at least we got into the market, so I’m trying to keep a level head about things.

Home for 4 years, newborn for 2 months, the projects never stop. But they also can always wait until tomorrow . Ive also found that I can be much more of a handyman that I ever gave myself credit for, blessed with a FIL that loves doing everything himself though so that has certainly helped me learn.

 

[Irish2155]

Must vent…

…Today I had to drop $4,300 to clear my sewage pipes because of my neighbor’s tree across the street. Apparently, that tree’s roots have found a way into my pipes. And apparently, I’m the only one in the neighborhood without an outside clean out.

Been a lovely few days.

 

[Irish2155]

Shit happens I suppose

 

[NDVirginia19]

Finally convinced the wife that stone was the way to go. Ripped out the mulch. Expanded the area because a blue spruce had grown a lot as did some of the ornamental grass. Three tons of river bed stone later my back was barking at me, but she's happy with the results.

View attachment 3063256View attachment 3063257View attachment 3063262View attachment 3063258View attachment 3063259View attachment 3063260View attachment 3063261

See that actually looks really nice. The ones that came with my house look like shit and I want to replace them with mulch lol

 

[Irish2155]

Finally convinced the wife that stone was the way to go. Ripped out the mulch. Expanded the area because a blue spruce had grown a lot as did some of the ornamental grass. Three tons of river bed stone later my back was barking at me, but she's happy with the results.

View attachment 3063256View attachment 3063257View attachment 3063262View attachment 3063258View attachment 3063259View attachment 3063260View attachment 3063261

Don’t let him fool you. He has wrestlers who did the majority of that work. Maybe a volleyball NAIA All American serving lemonade.

Seriously, I like the color of that brick. Looks really nice.

 

[Irish#1]

See that actually looks really nice. The ones that came with my house look like shit and I want to replace them with mulch lol

View attachment 3063267

It helps when you have a son with a degree in Landscape Architecture. He always has some great tips.

 

[Irish#1]

Don’t let him fool you. He has wrestlers who did the majority of that work. Maybe a volleyball NAIA All American serving lemonade.

Seriously, I like the color of that brick. Looks really nice.

I wish they were there to help. Lol

 

[NDVirginia19]

Also just bought and moved into my first house. Like I was with my newborn a few months ago (see the Dads thread), I’m overwhelmed. There’s so much stuff to do and I don’t feel like I’m ever going to finish.

But at least we got into the market, so I’m trying to keep a level head about things.

I feel the exact same way. I have another week off of work before I start being gone for 12 hours a day, So working around the clock now to get everything good for the soon to be Mrs. Won’t get everything done but trying to get the big things done now, considering paying for the first floor flooring to be redone (shitty LVP right now) rather than doing it with my dad to save myself the time.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

Finally convinced the wife that stone was the way to go. Ripped out the mulch. Expanded the area because a blue spruce had grown a lot as did some of the ornamental grass. Three tons of river bed stone later my back was barking at me, but she's happy with the results.

View attachment 3063256View attachment 3063257View attachment 3063262View attachment 3063258View attachment 3063259View attachment 3063260View attachment 3063261

That looks great Irish#1!

I love a stone landscaping but no way I'm doing that anytime soon with a toddler and another on the way; he already puts everything in his mouth when we aren't looking and I"m not messing with rocks lol.

Just put down some fresh rubber mulch this weekend to touch things up. Maybe one day...

 

[Wild Bill]

That looks great Irish#1!

I love a stone landscaping but no way I'm doing that anytime soon with a toddler and another on the way; he already puts everything in his mouth when we aren't looking and I"m not messing with rocks lol.

Just put down some fresh rubber mulch this weekend to touch things up. Maybe one day...

Rubber mulch can't be easy to digest either.

 

[calvegas04]

That looks great Irish#1!

I love a stone landscaping but no way I'm doing that anytime soon with a toddler and another on the way; he already puts everything in his mouth when we aren't looking and I"m not messing with rocks lol.

Just put down some fresh rubber mulch this weekend to touch things up. Maybe one day...

Eat mulch not rocks

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

Rubber mulch can't be easy to digest either.

Eat mulch not rocks

Lol, he can't do any damage throwing rubber mulch and at least if he did put that in his mouth (hasn't yet), it wouldn't do any damage to his teeth, and I imagine the rubber taste would make him think twice about doing that again.

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

Being a home owner kind of sucks. It’s never ending maintenance.

 

[NDVirginia19]

Being a home owner kind of sucks. It’s never ending maintenance.

Yeah but it feels better that the half the money I’m paying every month is going towards me rather than 100% of it going to the apartment complex