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Home improvement - where to start?
- Thread starter Random Guy
- Start date
I have Moen on my bathroom sink - it's been fine for 16 years (cartridges went bad 2 years ago) but has some surface corrosion. Much better quality than the Home Depot house brand which I put in the 1/2 bathroom my wife uses mostly - those cartridges went bad in 1/2 the time and the valve stems are plastic - kinda flexible - but she liked the look.
I'll change cartridges next time before they go bad I think - they stealth leak on top now and the threads on top all get rusted making it a bear to get apart.
I re-did my kitchen 2 1/2 years ago. Wanted to go Cadillac with everything. Found a Kohler kitchen faucet I liked online and looked at one in a showroom (just a single hot cold valve - no electronics - kind of afraid anything complicated). It was $650 but I found an open box one on Ebay for $160. It was brushed stainless - had a little scratched area which I fixed with fine sandpaper - I worked up from 1,000 grit to maybe 400 which was equal to the brushed finish, making the blemish disappear. It was missing a small plastic clip that holds the water connection together which I got for $15. But what a nice piece of goods! The single hot cold levers action is so wonderfully smooth and progressive - no stiction, just a wonderful feel. Makes me happy every time I use it. I'm never going back to regular fixtures again. And Delta? Just not very good - functional but the feel is not good - fine for a rental. When I go to a hotel now I'm more fixture conscious after having the Kohler faucet. I fear that I've become a fixture snob.
finally took the fixture all the way apart. There is a small leak from corrosion below where the cartridge sits and comes out the bottom into the vanity.
I could JB weld it or something simple but I think I’m asking for more time spent under the sink when a new hole shoots open so they’re getting replaced.
Pretty sure we’ll go either kohler or moen for both the bath vanities as well as kitchen sink. We have a friend with a GC discount hoping we don’t get too cleaned out.
funnily enough, the guest bath fixture with a bunch of unsightly corrosion is apparently moen. Bath is only 5yrs old and so now I’m tempted for a full house water filter…
I could JB weld it or something simple but I think I’m asking for more time spent under the sink when a new hole shoots open so they’re getting replaced.
Pretty sure we’ll go either kohler or moen for both the bath vanities as well as kitchen sink. We have a friend with a GC discount hoping we don’t get too cleaned out.
funnily enough, the guest bath fixture with a bunch of unsightly corrosion is apparently moen. Bath is only 5yrs old and so now I’m tempted for a full house water filter…
Swore I heard issues with that style not holding up over time but builders use them bc millenials love the look. Any truth?
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Its a box store fixture so I wouldn’t be surprised if it shits the bed at some point but I worked front of the house in restaurants enough to end up rolling up my sleeves and doing time in the dish pit when somebody didn’t show up for work to have to have one in my kitchen and so far so good with this one.
I saw mine in a plumbing supply / fixture wholesale /retail store.
I wouldn't want to buy in a big box store unless it was completely the same part number. I think they do make different product lines for different stores.
It's just so nice. The head pulls down and has a flexible hose, it snaps back into a magnetic holder. I think there is a lot of this on Ebay for very reduced cost - high end jobs the customer changed their mind, etc. I got this, the sink drain and soap pump all first class Kohler at 1/3 the price or less.
I wouldn't want to buy in a big box store unless it was completely the same part number. I think they do make different product lines for different stores.
It's just so nice. The head pulls down and has a flexible hose, it snaps back into a magnetic holder. I think there is a lot of this on Ebay for very reduced cost - high end jobs the customer changed their mind, etc. I got this, the sink drain and soap pump all first class Kohler at 1/3 the price or less.
im aiming for one like this, which is similar in style as the outgoing one. Mine has stopped snapping back into the holder.
Wife wants the millennial special (with hands free) and I’m pushing back as the resident dish washer.
Keep it simple stupid… with quality parts.
Thankfully we have a friend who is a GC and is getting the fixtures for us via their channels.
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Late to the discussion, but I'll assume the goal of the remodel is enjoyment, not upping resale value. So this should be first on the list.
Hot Chicks Room
Hot Chicks Room
IMO I think it would be worth it. My hose bibs and hose connectors corrode like crazy.
Whenever I see a cool brewery or travel t-shirt I grab one for myself and my Dad who lives in the midwest where the water is about as pure as it gets. Some go back 10+ years and they're pristine compared to mine
Just finished rockscaping the front yard.
Found a great free source of rocks/boulders and went to town terracing.
I'm over stacking rocks for a while.
Found a great free source of rocks/boulders and went to town terracing.
I'm over stacking rocks for a while.
Nice. Our source of cobbles ran out before we could finish a storm water swale/faux river project. Anytime you can score free rocks take them!
Does anyone here have any experience with earthquake retrofitting? Our house was built in 1926 and hasn’t been bolted. We recently got selected to receive a $3000 FEMA grant and are starting to get estimates. Anything to look out for? Dealing with contractors as a homeowner is all new to me.
Is it a use it or loose it grant? Survey your neighbors and see if any of them have done it. You may not need to do anything and you won’t get very far on 3K. Those houses were built to last. You have lathe and plaster walls? Any cracks in the foundation?
Are you working with an engineer? If so, they will provide you with all the info you will need regarding quantities and placement. Regardless, get 4 bids and ask for referrals. Whatever you do, do not go with a low bid from an unlicensed handyman.
Assuming you have drawings and are going the block and bolt route (my structural engineering friend recommends bolting to the sole plate vs side bracing with plates and screws) and not using an engineer, have the contractor mark up the foundation sheet with the locations for the new blocks and anchor bolts.
Before he/she starts work, have them show you all of the bolts, washers, nuts, blocks and epoxy prior to installation and make sure the quantities match the marked up drawing.
Once he/she has completed the work, get in the crawl space with him/her and have them show you the newly installed blocks, bolts, washers, etc.... and count them. The newly installed bolts should have at least 3 rows of thread showing but no more than an inch of exposed threads above the nut. They should also be able to show you all of the used epoxy cartridges. Don't let them skimp.
Assuming you have drawings and are going the block and bolt route (my structural engineering friend recommends bolting to the sole plate vs side bracing with plates and screws) and not using an engineer, have the contractor mark up the foundation sheet with the locations for the new blocks and anchor bolts.
Before he/she starts work, have them show you all of the bolts, washers, nuts, blocks and epoxy prior to installation and make sure the quantities match the marked up drawing.
Once he/she has completed the work, get in the crawl space with him/her and have them show you the newly installed blocks, bolts, washers, etc.... and count them. The newly installed bolts should have at least 3 rows of thread showing but no more than an inch of exposed threads above the nut. They should also be able to show you all of the used epoxy cartridges. Don't let them skimp.
This thread has been going for years so it prompted me to look back on what we accomplished back in 2021. Ohhhh the anguish, but so worth it.
At one point in my youth I couldn't even imagine that I'd ever do something like this in my life. I joke that I learned so much but never want to do it again.
Giving real meaning to the phrase "rip the roof off this place". It's a given that you're moving out when you can star gaze from every single room.
Widened the garage by 3 feet (which required moving the Gas and Electrical infrastructure and digging all the way out to the street) and enclosed part of the side yard for a mud room / laundry room.
Staring to take shape...
All new mechanical, electrical and plumbing. The HVAC moved from a downstairs closet into the attic. You can see some of the radiant barrier roof boards they used on the upper left of the image...
Abandoned all legacy copper pipes under the slab and plumbed with Pex throughout. Pex terminated in copper that is. We had a pretty darn good plumber.
The walls had zero insulation before, now every wall, interior & exterior, is insulated...
New garage slab. We immediately epoxy coated this...
Dream come true...
At one point in my youth I couldn't even imagine that I'd ever do something like this in my life. I joke that I learned so much but never want to do it again.
Giving real meaning to the phrase "rip the roof off this place". It's a given that you're moving out when you can star gaze from every single room.
Widened the garage by 3 feet (which required moving the Gas and Electrical infrastructure and digging all the way out to the street) and enclosed part of the side yard for a mud room / laundry room.
Staring to take shape...
All new mechanical, electrical and plumbing. The HVAC moved from a downstairs closet into the attic. You can see some of the radiant barrier roof boards they used on the upper left of the image...
Abandoned all legacy copper pipes under the slab and plumbed with Pex throughout. Pex terminated in copper that is. We had a pretty darn good plumber.
The walls had zero insulation before, now every wall, interior & exterior, is insulated...
New garage slab. We immediately epoxy coated this...
Dream come true...
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Yeah there are time constraints for obtaining permits and completing the job to revieve the grant. Ballpark estimates I’ve seen have been between 3-8k.
Walls are plaster and lathe. And as far as I know everything under the house is in good shape based on the inspection when we bought the house just over a year ago.
So plan on 13 - 15k out of the ballpark. Ask around with your neighbors. Not the best timing for you two. I grew up in a house that was built in the 50’s but same construction. Same with the house at 204. They don’t build them like that anymore.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.