The New, Improved Home Improvement Thread

[LabattBlue]

8 hours ago, Eleven said:

I might just start a cooking thread to piss a certain someone off.  And also because I like cooking.

Yes!!!!!

[shrader]

10 hours ago, Doohickie said:

It's also tagged "Off Topic".

We all knew it was going to be a rough go when you started this thread, the first ever off topic thread this board has ever seen. 
 

As for my projects, it rains every damn weekend so I can’t finish the edging in putting in around a flower bed. We have bermuda grass here and that stuff is so invasive. I need to finish that edging before it starts growing (any second now) and invades that bed. Oh wait, this project is in NC and not Buffalo, so I’m not allowed to post about it. 

[Doohicksie]

I have primarily St. Augustine but it's been slow to start up this year and I fear I may have lost some of it during the cold snaps of the last few winters.  It's starting to come in now (I hope) and with any luck it will push out some of the weeds.

[ubkev]

15 hours ago, Eleven said:

 

I am not making sauces on a grill, nor am I baking bread on one.  I need a stove and an oven.  But I get where you're headed.

I might just start a cooking thread to piss a certain someone off.  And also because I like cooking.

The thought of making sauce on a grill is awful. Sure it can be done, but it definitely shouldn't be. 

15 hours ago, Doohickie said:

This is Texas... you can use the grill year round.

And ya might have to. Especially if it hits 30 degrees and your whole power grid goes down again 😉 😛

[Weave]

36 minutes ago, ubkev said:

The thought of making sauce on a grill is awful. Sure it can be done, but it definitely shouldn't be.

You did it wrong.

[ubkev]

6 hours ago, Weave said:

You did it wrong.

Lol, I didn't do it. But I'm sure you're right. I don't even think I have any cookware that can safely go on the grill. 

[shrader]

On 4/3/2023 at 10:24 AM, Doohickie said:

I have primarily St. Augustine but it's been slow to start up this year and I fear I may have lost some of it during the cold snaps of the last few winters.  It's starting to come in now (I hope) and with any luck it will push out some of the weeds.

How does that stuff grow?  Bermuda sends these runners horizontally.  It will grow across a sidewalk if you let it.  Thanks to those stupid things, it's a constant battle to keep it out of flower beds in the summer.  It will still get through the edging I'm putting in, but it should at least be a bit more under control.

[Doohicksie]

St. Augustine also has runners.

...and burrows right under edging.  Some people here have Bermuda, some St. Augustine.  I think the St. Augustine is more heat resist but it requires more watering.  We found out when we bought the house there was a sprinkler system so that worked out okay for us.  In the worst of the summer I probably don't give it all the water I should though.

[JustOneParade]

You're tempting fate @Doohickie. You might be opening yourself up to derisive comments from an agitated landscaper questioning why you are writing about grasses on a hockey board.  🙄

[Doohicksie]

Today: COUNTERTOPS! They're not fully attached to the cabinets yet, but they're built up. It was a 12 hour day getting them cut and joined.

[Pimlach]

10 hours ago, Doohickie said:

Today: COUNTERTOPS! They're not fully attached to the cabinets yet, but they're built up. It was a 12 hour day getting them cut and joined.

Did you do that yourself.?  
 

I sub contracted someone to install stone (quartz I think) countertops.   They sent a guy ovet with lasers and a computer.   They cut the stone off-site and 2 young strong guys carried it in and mounted it.  So happy I didn’t do that.  

[Doohicksie]

Me and my sons, yeah.

Butcher block is more forgiving, not reflective. 

[Doohicksie]

Attending to some butcher block details.  I put a coat of oil finish on last night, will do another tonight.  I made an appointment with the plumber to come out and connect the sink on Friday.... then the kitchen will be functional again!

Still to do after that on Phase I:

• Finish putting the doors, drawers and shelves into the cabinets
• Adjust all doors and drawer fronts so that they're straight
• Install toe kicks and other trim items
• Prime/seal the backsplash area
• Put up the tile backsplash (considering hiring that out)

Phase II (replace the corner pantry cabinet at the other end of the room):

• Remove the corner pantry cabinet
• Repair drywall as necessary and paint
• Extend plank floor to area where pantry cabinet sits
• Move the electrical switch and plug
• Put up the IKEA cabinets

Phase II should be a small fraction of the effort of Phase I

 

[Doohicksie]

We have a functioning kitchen sink again 🙂

[RochesterExpat]

 

Few weeks old now, but I built new garden beds this year. Going to put cattle panels over it and then shade cloth in the summer and swap to polyethylene in the fall.

To the right is the tilled area with the 200+ corn plants coming through now as well as beans, squash, pumpkins, watermelon and cantaloupe. Further to the right is where I planted some blackberries. Somewhere between the blackberries and the tilled area are sunflowers coming in now.

Also planted four peach trees (one is behind me when I took the picture) along the driveway (we have two out back of the house already) and we'll continue to add them each year until we cover the length of the driveway. At the current pace, that'll be 2028...

And we planted a live oak because, well, Texas.

 

 

[Ogre]

Our home is a modular chalet that we erected ten years ago. We took the basic countertops, flooring, etc because I’m a builder and I’m pretty sure these morons were the type to F up a wet dream.

I didn’t expect it to take ten years to do the upgrades that we wanted. Life happens.

After Mrs. iT’s accident I decided that I needed to do that stuff asap.

Flooring? 👍

When I tore out the carpet to install the laminate I noticed water damage so I tore out two side by side sliders which required the siding on the end to be removed.

When I got to that part I found other problems. Two 4” holes cut in the sheathing near the outdoor lighting. Easy to fix but while reinstalling the sliders I realized that the RO was way too big for the doors!

That’s why the old ones leaked! They weren’t even fastened in the sides! Just attached with flashing tape!

I solved all of those problems and replaced all of the appliances. Refinished the cabinets because they were well built and nicely designed. I needed to do some rework on the install, they obviously didn’t care if things sat flush.

Now we have finally reached the final step. Replacing the cheap assed countertop.

We went and selected a beautiful slab of granite. We didn’t look at prices, just let our eyes decide.

We don’t have a ton of counter space and when I saw the $6G estimate I puckered. It is the pre sealed granite, I get it, but geez!

It’s going to look awesome though. 

[Doohicksie]

5 hours ago, Ogre said:

We don’t have a ton of counter space and when I saw the $6G estimate I puckered. It is the pre sealed granite, I get it, but geez!

That's more than I paid for all of my IKEA:  Cabinets and countertops.

[Doohicksie]

I haven't posted any updates in a while.  The one end of the kitchen is functionally done except for the tile backsplash and some trim pieces.

The most noticeable thing I did since that pic is the toe kicks under the cabinets.

[Doohicksie]

I think I'm gonna wait on the backsplash until I get the cabinets done at the other end of the room... that way we can put most of our stuff away in their permanent locations.  We're going to replace the corner pantry cabinet and the bookshelf with more IKEA cabinets.

 

[Pimlach]

Get phase 2 done soon, then finish all the trim, don’t leave it hanging for later … and then take a break. 
 

Looks good BTW.  Nice job. 

[Doohicksie]

6 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

don’t leave it hanging for later

I have to admit that I've lost momentum.  I need to get the urgency back.

[RochesterExpat]

3 hours ago, Doohickie said:

I have to admit that I've lost momentum.  I need to get the urgency back.

 Well if we get a few more days of storms like we've had, maybe being forced inside will help you find it? It works for me. I swear that's why my wife cheers for rain.

[sabills]

4 hours ago, Doohickie said:

I have to admit that I've lost momentum.  I need to get the urgency back.

Take a break, even a long one. Easy to get burnt out. We bought a house in Feb. '21 and ended up with a nearly whole-home renovation job; by November I was cooked. We took December off entirely and then I felt like I could finally get back to it.

[Ogre]

Who knew there were so many GD kitchen sinks!

We definitely wanted under mount but the different styles, sizes and materials was unexpected. We needed to decide fairly soon because they need to know what you have before they’ll even come out and measure.

She refuses stainless. No problem. Looked at some porcelain but she doesn’t want white either. No problem.

I found some badass hand hammered copper sinks that she liked a lot. We had a serendipitous meeting with the counter people and I finally got the one rep that is very smart and knowledgeable. Older guy that’s done this forever.

His daughter had the same sink and it was the dirtiest, worst thing ever. Scrub it for two hours and tomorrow it’s all F’ed up again. He shows us some samples of granite sinks. Looks good. Feels nice.

Did some research and these things are badass and come in a wide range of colors.

Without having that interaction we would have made an expensive mistake that would have plagued me for the rest of my life! 

[Doohicksie]

We went with cast iron, white, drop in.  It practically cleans itself.  If you see anything on the bowl, just rub it a little with your finger or a sponge and BAM perfectly white again. 

When I realized how much cast iron weighed I talked to my wife about stainless steel steel and she nixed that right off.  I'm glad she did.