Projects/Home Improvement Thread

[ACamp1900]

I'm learning what a fantastic deal I got with our flooring last year... We got tile in one bathroom, our entry way and our kitchen and had very nice stone composite flooring laid in our living room and hallways for less that 3 grand... now we wanted to just get the stone composite flooring for our room add on (a fraction of the square footage we did last year) and I was going to install this myself and damn, just under 600 for the material alone... seems the price of this went up across the board recently as it's the same everywhere we go. Guess I should just be happy with the deal I got last year but it's still frustrating. After weighing options with the "financial adviser" we are going to with a 12mm laminate that kind of matches the stone flooring for about 275. The plan is to take the difference and use it for rock landscaping in the front of the house (The room is my pet project, the landscaping is hers). The room is detached from the hallway by the kitchen and dining room so it'll be far enough off to not matter that much but damn, I really liked that stone composite we got.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Before you get that tiller - make sure the yard wasn't previously sodded with material that had mesh in it. Will wrap up in the tiller and make you want to kill yourself after about 10 minutes.

Another route is to aerate the piss out of it and overseed. Fescue/bluegrass do not spread like bermuda so reseeding seems to be essential for us. We also once had a yard that invariably would find a big rock not far under surface where there were persistent patches. Builder sold off the topsoil and sodded over clay/rock - complete disaster trying to grow grass in Wisconsin on that. In NC - Bermuda would be tolerant to that situation (also uses the least water) - needs tons of sun though.

I concur with aerating the lawn over tilling. Easier, quicker, still get good results.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

One thing I've learned never to do again (because I suck at it) is tape/mud drywall. Anyone have a rough guess what I should expect to pay to have someone hang the drywall, tape/mud, and paint my garage? I've already installed the insulation myself. Last thing I'll need to do is hang storage cabinets and then I want to get the floor epoxy-coated. No clue what that will run either.

 

[Wild Bill]

One thing I've learned never to do again (because I suck at it) is tape/mud drywall. Anyone have a rough guess what I should expect to pay to have someone hang the drywall, tape/mud, and paint my garage? I've already installed the insulation myself. Last thing I'll need to do is hang storage cabinets and then I want to get the floor epoxy-coated. No clue what that will run either.

$16-$20 per sheet to hang and tape if you can find someone to do it as a side job. You'd probably pay double the price for a small job like a garage if you hired a local company.

You'll probably pay between $3-$10 per square foot for a pro to install the epoxy, depending on the condition of the surface and the grade of epoxy you want to use.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

$16-$20 per sheet to hang and tape if you can find someone to do it as a side job. You'd probably pay double the price for a small job like a garage if you hired a local company.

You'll probably pay between $3-$10 per square foot for a pro to install the epoxy, depending on the condition of the surface and the grade of epoxy you want to use.

Thanks.

 

[Irish#1]

One thing I've learned never to do again (because I suck at it) is tape/mud drywall. Anyone have a rough guess what I should expect to pay to have someone hang the drywall, tape/mud, and paint my garage? I've already installed the insulation myself. Last thing I'll need to do is hang storage cabinets and then I want to get the floor epoxy-coated. No clue what that will run either.

If it's the taping and mudding you're unsure of, save yourself some bucks and hang the drywall yourself. Then just hire someone to tape and mud. Taping and mudding is easy and forgiving if you mess up. Three keys: Mixing to the right consistency, using a wide enough mudding knife and having patience to let it dry long enough before sanding.

I bought the epoxy floor kit and did my garage. It's really easy. Make sure the surface is clean, then roll it on like your painting a wall.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

If it's the taping and mudding you're unsure of, save yourself some bucks and hang the drywall yourself. Then just hire someone to tape and mud. Taping and mudding is easy and forgiving if you mess up. Three keys: Mixing to the right consistency, using a wide enough mudding knife and having patience to let it dry long enough before sanding.

I bought the epoxy floor kit and did my garage. It's really easy. Make sure the surface is clean, then roll it on like your painting a wall.

I just had my third back surgery in January. My DIY list is now being contracted out. Otherwise, I would totally hang it myself and do the floors myself. I've taped/mudded/sanded drywall myself in the past. I am terrible at it. Once it's painted, you can really see how uneven it is in the seams. I've never been able to perfect that.

 

[RDU Irish]

Rustoleum epoxy from Home Depot has been holding up well in our garage two years in. Power washed the hell out out of the floor and let is dry really well before applying. Stayed off for a week too - had the driveway replaced at the same time so that helped keep us off. Love the result - probably less than $200 in to the project.

I am the same with drywall - I just don't have the touch. I would probably do the garage though and be OK with it looking like crap.

 

[RDU Irish]

Composite decking - using ChoiceDek from Lowes. They talk about buying a special saw blade which is complete garbage. Everything I have goes through it like butter, no problems. Pretty easy to work with on that front. Since it is solid all the way through, not wrapped like Trex, no need for trim around edges, blemishes can be buffed out easily.

Going a little nuts with a bend that developed in the middle of the 16' run. Need to undo a couple dozen clips and straighten that out before finishing the second half of the deck. Would have been a one weekend project if I could have stuck to it all day Sunday and Saturday.

Tearing up the old deck was a great project to do with my 14 year old. Lots of hammer work backing out the nails and he learned a ton about leverage prying up the old boards. Lot of fun to watch him fail miserably doing some things bass ackwards and showing him how to reposition to make it easy.

 

[Irish#1]

I just had my third back surgery in January. My DIY list is now being contracted out. Otherwise, I would totally hang it myself and do the floors myself. I've taped/mudded/sanded drywall myself in the past. I am terrible at it. Once it's painted, you can really see how uneven it is in the seams. I've never been able to perfect that.

With a bad back, I don't blame you. I'm still in pretty good health for 65. My wife gets on me all the time when I don't have someone at Lowes or HD load the heavy stuff, but it helps keep me young.

 

[cody1smith]

$16-$20 per sheet to hang and tape if you can find someone to do it as a side job. You'd probably pay double the price for a small job like a garage if you hired a local company.

You'll probably pay between $3-$10 per square foot for a pro to install the epoxy, depending on the condition of the surface and the grade of epoxy you want to use.

Going rate here is 1.25 per square foot. That's material hung and taped. But remember it takes far more feet of drywall than actual wall space. It sucks but that's how they charge. If a room is 12 foot 4 inches square you will be buying 14 foot sheetrock and paying that 1.25 for sheetrock that's thrown away.

 

[cody1smith]

But I personally would not pay someone to do it unless you just don't have time. It's pretty easy to diy for led than .50 cents a foot. I(plus my hired hand) did 10k as feet last a few weeks ago for 4780.00. Took me 8 hard days but got it looks great.

 

[Irish YJ]

If you are not in a rush, allowing a dry wall contractor to work on their own pace can cut a little bit off. My neighbor got a great deal but took him a few weeks longer. And don't do work around tax time...

 

[Wild Bill]

But I personally would not pay someone to do it unless you just don't have time. It's pretty easy to diy for led than .50 cents a foot. I(plus my hired hand) did 10k as feet last a few weeks ago for 4780.00. Took me 8 hard days but got it looks great.

I hate doing it but I'm with you. I can hang all day but the mud and sanding is a grind. Still better than paying.

 

[RDU Irish]

Bathroom - removing tub and replacing with a shower. Opinions on how much that should cost for someone to do minus cost of tile and new fixtures? Remove tub, build drain pan, bit of plumbing and tile it. One guy is directing us to Lowes for door - not sure how much more some of the seamless glass solutions run but no problem waiting an extra week to coordinate that. I think it would be less maintenance down the road.

Curious about some of those surround solutions too - I just want something for kids bath that will be super easy maintenance and look decent enough.

 

[Rack Em]

Bathroom - removing tub and replacing with a shower. Opinions on how much that should cost for someone to do minus cost of tile and new fixtures? Remove tub, build drain pan, bit of plumbing and tile it. One guy is directing us to Lowes for door - not sure how much more some of the seamless glass solutions run but no problem waiting an extra week to coordinate that. I think it would be less maintenance down the road.

Curious about some of those surround solutions too - I just want something for kids bath that will be super easy maintenance and look decent enough.

We had an old bathroom in our 825sqft condo in Houston redone for about $4,800 through Re-Bath. It was a small bathroom (maybe 30sqft of tile + the tub)

The guy ripped out the old tub, did some minor changes to the plumbing, put in a new tub, installed a new vanity, installed a synthetic shower surround (it's made to look like subway tile or a granite slab and was perfect for a condo we knew we'd leave soon), and retiled the floor.

I also got a quote from a contractor to do it for about $5,500 with a $2.50/sqft allowance for shower and floor tile. And the 75sqft tile around the tub/shower was quoted at $1865 with the $2.50/sqft tile allowance. $460 for installing hardy backer on those 3 walls too.

We didn't convert it the tub to a stand-alone shower though and we didn't have glass installed.

Hopefully this is somewhat helpful.

 

[Irish#1]

One wall tiled when I took this, I have the second wall done as most of the third wall. Should be ready to grout in the next couple of days.

 

[Rack Em]

One wall tiled when I took this, I have the second wall done as most of the third wall. Should be ready to grout in the next couple of days.

Looks good! Much better than many "professional" tile jobs I've seen. What color grout are you going with?

 

[Irish#1]

Bathroom - removing tub and replacing with a shower. Opinions on how much that should cost for someone to do minus cost of tile and new fixtures? Remove tub, build drain pan, bit of plumbing and tile it. One guy is directing us to Lowes for door - not sure how much more some of the seamless glass solutions run but no problem waiting an extra week to coordinate that. I think it would be less maintenance down the road.

Curious about some of those surround solutions too - I just want something for kids bath that will be super easy maintenance and look decent enough.

As you can see, I'm in the middle of a bathroom remodel. We had the one piece shower tub unit. I ripped it out as well as the kick out walls. I'm putting in a separate shower with glass walls and a free standing tub. Tub was $900 and the shower pan was $800. To me it was worth buying it instead of building one. Don't remember how much the glass walls cost off the top of my head, but I went with an upgrade. Much nicer than what you can buy at the big box stores. I had to split the water lines and run a new drain for the tub. I paid a plumber $500 to do it because it is on the second floor and with not a lot of room to work, I wanted to make sure I got a decent drain flow and no leaks. This price also includes coming back to help me set the tub. Tile came in a little under $2,000, but included some glass tiles and tile for the floor pan.

 

[RDU Irish]

As you can see, I'm in the middle of a bathroom remodel. We had the one piece shower tub unit. I ripped it out as well as the kick out walls. I'm putting in a separate shower with glass walls and a free standing tub. Tub was $900 and the shower pan was $800. To me it was worth buying it instead of building one. Don't remember how much the glass walls cost off the top of my head, but I went with an upgrade. Much nicer than what you can buy at the big box stores. I had to split the water lines and run a new drain for the tub. I paid a plumber $500 to do it because it is on the second floor and with not a lot of room to work, I wanted to make sure I got a decent drain flow and no leaks. This price also includes coming back to help me set the tub. Tile came in a little under $2,000, but included some glass tiles and tile for the floor pan.

Yeah - I am thinking a pan would eliminate some hassle, I think we could just coordinate plumber and tilers to get it done. I would probably rip it out myself. If it takes an extra week or two we can live with it (and GCs around here are unreliable to work faster than that anyway). Permits could be a PIA - would plumber coordinate that or would I have to figure it out?

 

[Irish#1]

Yeah - I am thinking a pan would eliminate some hassle, I think we could just coordinate plumber and tilers to get it done. I would probably rip it out myself. If it takes an extra week or two we can live with it (and GCs around here are unreliable to work faster than that anyway). Permits could be a PIA - would plumber coordinate that or would I have to figure it out?

Usually the contractor would handle the permit for you. Given I'm doing everything but the plumbing, I never thought about the permit until you just mentioned it. lol

You'll save $200 - $400 taking everything out. The downside to that is getting rid of everything. It took a couple of weeks for the trashman to take everything, but no biggie.

You may find the tiler will be the most expensive cost. About 15 years ago I wanted to tile a half-bath with standard subway tile only half way up and do the floor as well. I bought all the tile and he wanted to charge $1,500 to tile and grout. Tiling took me about 4-5 hours and grouting a couple of hours. I thought $1,500 was too much for such a small job.

Here is the company that I bought my pan from. Shower Pans, Bases & Shelves - Tile Redi

They are very well made and will last forever. Much better than the fiberglass pans at the big box stores. Go to a couple of the big box stores where they have shower displays and step on the pan. You'll feel a softness to them and a little give. The tile redi pan is expensive, but solid. Don't know your budget, but if you can squeeze it in, it's worth it IMO. If you can't you might find a way to beef up the underside so it doesn't move. I worried about a little "give" adding up over time and creating a leak I can't see until major problems have occured.

 

[Wild Bill]

Speaking of tiling, I just laid a floor for a rental of mine that was roughly 400 square feet and I used a tile leveling system for the first time. It was really easy to use and the finished floor looks great - minimal lipping on a few tiles but nothing more than a 1/16 of an inch. The only downside is the cost of the leveling product. I used the cheapest one I can find, which is attached below, and it worked well for me. I would definitely recommend using it especially for longer tiles that have a tendency to cup.

Raimondi s.p.a. professional tile tools Tile Levelling System Raimondi - RLS - Raimondi s.p.a. professional tile tools

 

[Irish#1]

Speaking of tiling, I just laid a floor for a rental of mine that was roughly 400 square feet and I used a tile leveling system for the first time. It was really easy to use and the finished floor looks great - minimal lipping on a few tiles but nothing more than a 1/16 of an inch. The only downside is the cost of the leveling product. I used the cheapest one I can find, which is attached below, and it worked well for me. I would definitely recommend using it especially for longer tiles that have a tendency to cup.

Raimondi s.p.a. professional tile tools Tile Levelling System Raimondi - RLS - Raimondi s.p.a. professional tile tools

Those are great! I didn't use that system, but I'm using a similar product for my walls. My son turned me onto them. Picked them up at Home Depot. Makes it a lot easier when using larger tiles. I've had no instances where the tile slipped.

 

[Rack Em]

Anybody have a recommendation on a starter fertilizer for a lawn? I know it needs more phosphate to take off, but I'm struggling to find one that doesn't have too much nitrogen in it. I don't want too much nitrogen because that will promote weed growth, correct?

Also, I think I'm going with a tall fescue/bluegrass/perennial rye mix for the yard after all the input here.

 

[Irish#1]

Anybody have a recommendation on a starter fertilizer for a lawn? I know it needs more phosphate to take off, but I'm struggling to find one that doesn't have too much nitrogen in it. I don't want too much nitrogen because that will promote weed growth, correct?

Also, I think I'm going with a tall fescue/bluegrass/perennial rye mix for the yard after all the input here.

I've always bought the Scotts Turf Builder Plus. gives you their growth and kills the weeds. I've used a lot of other brands before, but find Scott's is worth the extra money. Having said that, about three years ago, Lawn Pride offered to do my yard (1 acre) for $110. They use granular for feeding and liquid to kill the weeds. Because I spent about $130 on Scott's, i gave them a try and they did a nice job so I've stayed with them. Saves me time and $20 every application.

 

[Irish#1]

Just finished tiling the shower pan. Need to tile the little nook for shampoo and the top edge with the same glass tile as that decorative row, except it won't be as tall. Then it's time to grout.

 

[ACamp1900]

All done:

We have two large patios, one by the pool and the other just kind of randomly on the far side of the house next to the garage. WE hardly use the later so I closed half of it in to make my man cave:

I still need to put up some stuff (Angels and Pens stuff plus some random sports memorabilia) but the ND decor is pretty much up... so...

The shoe boxes are where I store my EF teams... looking for a better method currently to open up more space on those shelves:

 

[ACamp1900]

I spent all day in there yesterday... just watching sports, playing Witcher and Electric football... it was glorious.

 

[NDRock]

Looks great, nicely done. Enjoy it.

 

[GowerND11]

Really like it ACamp. Well done.