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Home Improvement....
#357705 10/30/11 01:02 AM
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I mentioned in the "networking" thread that I had a lot of stuff going on at the moment. This is one of them:

A couple of years ago, Joyce and I decided to bring in a plumber to replace everything in the house from the meter in. Three weeks ago we decided to do it, and two weeks ago the drain pipe in our kitchen sink opened up, leaving us without use of a kitchen sink. We're being very un-green with lots of throwaway plates, cups, bowls and silverware, and doing the necessary dishes in our bathtub!

Anyway, The plumber is coming in about a week so I started doing some demolition today. I started a couple of photo galleries (one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom) to show progress to our families who are out of state. Since there are some here that know about and enjoy such things, so I figured I'd post the links here.

I have no idea what I'm doing, so I'm open to any and all suggestions! wink


::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::
Re: Home Improvement....
MarkSJohnson #357706 10/30/11 02:59 AM
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We LOVE demolition! Sawzall, sledge, bring it! I'll be right over!


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Re: Home Improvement....
tomtuttle #357708 10/30/11 04:31 AM
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Good luck, Mark. I'm with Tom--the demolition part is fun. Putting things back together is another story. . .


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Re: Home Improvement....
St_PatGuy #357712 10/30/11 06:36 AM
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Alright men.... Chant it with me!

DEMO
DEMO
DEMO
DEMO...


Yea, that pink has got to go!

I don't envy you and the slat/plaster walls, but I am sure that it will look great and be worth the effort. Redoing our kitchen, master bath, and guest bath are "on our list" too. Basement first, then a nice big deck, and then some time off from home improvements, and then tearing out counter tops, putting in new tile, vanity, lights, etc in the bath. Mayeb a few new appliances for the kitchen and even the proverbial kitchen sink.

Be sure to keep us update with photos of the progress.


Farewell - June 4, 2020
Re: Home Improvement....
nickbuol #357724 10/30/11 07:53 PM
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I think what makes these projects more difficult is the idea of doing them "halfway". If you just decide that you're going to take everything out down to the studs and then build from there, it's much more straightforward, and you'll typically get a more elegant look in the end. It can be more expensive, though.

I love that sink in the kitchen.

I know it's pretty easy to spend other people's money, but did you every consider in-floor radiant heat for the kitchen?

What is Joyce's vision for the bathroom and the kitchen?

Seems like Bob's your uncle, er, best advisor on this deal.


bibere usque ad hilaritatem
Re: Home Improvement....
tomtuttle #358054 11/04/11 04:36 PM
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Bob IS my best friend now. smile Forgive me for modifying this from an email I sent him this morning. There's just no point in re-typing the same sentiment.

I may not have been clear enough in my post or on the photo galleries (since I originally set them up for family members....who likely started off with a good idea of the direction and scope of the project).

This is not a kitchen or bath rebuild as much as it is a plumbing replacement. The real thing that we're doing is replacing every bit of the plumbing from the street meter "in". It's old, leaky, freezes in the winter, etc. Incidental to that is replacing / updating the bathroom fixtures and replacing the kitchen sink.

The bath is kind of a given: Replacing the tub with a real tub / shower, a new toilet and new vanity / sink necessitate new flooring and that we get rid of the old pink tile (which I'm going to start removing in a few hours. You guys that like to demo stuff haven't shown up yet!!). The kitchen sink replacement is a little more complex, but basically seems to come down to: replacing the sink requires a countertop rebuild and a re-do of the backsplash / tile. We are planning on redoing the floor, but keeping the cabinets. (though it looks like Joyce likes the idea of painting the cabinets now).

Really, we're doing this without a solid plan because we don't have the finances nor time to make this into a total kitchen renovation. We came home three weeks ago to a kitchen sink drain that was leaking like a sieve, and we haven't had a kitchen sink since. We had planned on doing this whole-house re-plumb for a couple of years now, but it suddenly became a matter of "we're sick of this; let's just get this done!".

So really, what we're doing in the kitchen is not much more than what's necessitated by replacing the sink.

The counters in there are a couple of inches lower than standard, so I didn't want to pull out the existing counters; the current plan is that I'm going to build them up with a couple of new layers of MDF topped by Formica. (Stone takes too long and stretches the budget too much). We think we've settled on an in-stock laminate at Lowes, and this weekend I plan on getting the MDF and Laminate so I have the counters ready for the plumber this coming week. We haven't decided on the backsplash yet, but again, planning on something that will cover the sins of whatever mess I'm going to find behind the existing tile.

This just may not be our dream kitchen, but it's all we're going to be able to do. If it gets pulled out in 10 years for a "real" re-do, so be it. smile


::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::
Re: Home Improvement....
MarkSJohnson #358057 11/04/11 08:32 PM
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Quote:
Incidental to that is replacing / updating...


That's the part that kills you. "As long as we're doing this, we might as well do that".

I completely understand your project scope. It took YEARS for us to do the same operation, because if you're going to replace the faucet, you might as well replace the sink. If you're going to replace the sink, you probably have to re-do the countertops. Etc. We still haven't done the floor.

Well, I was going to try to talk you into granite tile, but I guess that's out, eh? I'm really against MDF/laminate because - on a basic level - MDF hates water and laminate hates heat. I have a lot of both in MY kitchen. Tile and CBU don't care about water or heat.

I don't know what to tell you about the backsplash. It kind of depends upon how many plane changes you have and how flat the walls are.

Do you guys have a second bathroom?

I've always had really good luck with Moen faucets. We REALLY like the Franke granite composite sink we got (this is not the exact same model). It's quiet and solid like cast iron, but lighter and unscratchable. Recommended.


bibere usque ad hilaritatem
Re: Home Improvement....
tomtuttle #358058 11/04/11 08:47 PM
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Trying to figure out what my next project is in the house after putting up curtain rods and hanging pictures. Probably fixing the attic stairs so they don't break and kill me the next time I have to go up there.


I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
Re: Home Improvement....
Ken.C #358061 11/04/11 10:02 PM
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Mark, it seems to me you're missing the most important part of the planning effort. We need a floor plan so we can help you decide which other rooms to sacrifice in order to achieve an optimal (or at least not so square) set of dimensions for your listening room.

Originally Posted By: tomtuttle
We LOVE demolition! Sawzall, sledge, bring it! I'll be right over!

What he said.

One other thing -- re: kitchen sink, I'm really glad I went with what most people think is an odd choice, a dual sink with one very large and one tiny side. It's great being able to put any sized pan in there, and the other sink is mostly for dumping your coffee while the first sink is full of water.

Next time I would probably go for one humongous sink and put a cheap plastic tub in the sink for day-to-day dish washing. Doesn't look classy but works better than anything else I have seen.

OK, another other thing. Pull-out sprayers are annoying. Pull-down sprayers are fantastic.

Edit. I like that "before" sink too. It would be nice to have less drain space and more sink space though.

Last edited by bridgman; 11/04/11 10:12 PM.

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Re: Home Improvement....
bridgman #358063 11/04/11 10:34 PM
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As far as sinks go, there's a home improvement "Outlet" store near here that generally has good pricing, and occasionally amazing pricing on one-of-a-kind items.

I don't remember the brand, model, but we got a very large (two big bowl) double SS sink for $120 that was very highly rated on Amazon at $700. We ended up with Moens for both the kitchen and bath faucets.


::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::
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