Home improvement - where to start?

[One-Off]

So we want to redo our kitchen
and maybe make more of an open floor plan
and maybe extend out a few feet, and maybe sliding glass doors to the back yard
but it might be extending over the sewer line
possibly the gas line too
and I don’t know how close the the property line I’m allowed to build

so I have no idea where to start to get a ballpark number of what this would cost
or if a push out of 2 feet is 60k less than 6 feet
or if this is going to raise my taxes by 5k per year or 20k per year

ive heard an architect would be the first step in the job, and a general contractor would coordinate everything
but whats the best way to start, with little to no investment, to get a general idea of what is worth doing

thanks any thoughts

What do you call this style? I want a kitchen that looks like this-

 

[Why_was_I_banned]

What do you call this style? I want a kitchen that looks like this-
View attachment 98356

How would u keep it clean?

 

[_____]

That was my exact first thought. That's a place you want to visit and not own.

How would u keep it clean?

 

[drainer]

Does anyone have experience with "Milgard Premium Exterior Finishes"?

I am skeptical that any vinyl coating would hold up long term to sun and heat.

 

[Why_was_I_banned]

Does anyone have experience with "Milgard Premium Exterior Finishes"?

I am skeptical that any vinyl coating would hold up long term to sun and heat.

If I told u, u wouldn't believe me

 

[TheEl]

If I told u, u wouldn't believe me

cmon do tell.

The marvin outfitter I called said they don't have retrofit window installs so looking at milgard now....

I see vinyl windows all over my neighborhood. They look good enough but apparently now I'm a window snob.

 

[Why_was_I_banned]

cmon do tell.

The marvin outfitter I called said they don't have retrofit window installs so looking at milgard now....

I see vinyl windows all over my neighborhood. They look good enough but apparently now I'm a window snob.

Take a 20 year old vinyl window. Look to see if it's warped. Then stress the frame a little, and see how brittle old vinyl gets. (don't really do this)

Vinyl is fine if you are cheap, and don't plan on keeping the house until the mortgage is paid off. Wood lasts hundreds of years, as long as it's repainted every 5 years. Aluminum lasts even longer. If you want low maintenance, good looks and last forever, Marvin aluminum clad.

 

[TheEl]

Take a 20 year old vinyl window. Look to see if it's warped. Then stress the frame a little, and see how brittle old vinyl gets. (don't really do this)

Vinyl is fine if you are cheap, and don't plan on keeping the house until the mortgage is paid off. Wood lasts hundreds of years, as long as it's repainted every 5 years. Aluminum lasts even longer. If you want low maintenance, good looks and last forever, Marvin aluminum clad.

What are your thoughts on aluminum vs fiberglass?

 

[One-Off]

How would u keep it clean?

Leaf blower?

 

[JBerry]

Vinyl alum wood fiberglass.
the pricing is exponential starting with vinyl being the most affordable.
Add an installer to the price and even more so.
I wanted the Marvin fiberglass, but the price was more than double( and I got employee pricing) and for my home and neighborhood I wasn’t sold on how much value it would give me. Plus at the time they didn’t make a retrofit so I’d have to go new con and break stucco, which is more work and cost. So, instead I went with a JeldWen retrofit and a premium window latch and even sight line for a bit more. While I would’ve rather had the Marvin, I couldn’t afford the cost. And I’m fine with the way the window is, don’t have to paint it every 5 yrs, and saved money.

 

[TheEl]

Vinyl alum wood fiberglass.
the pricing is exponential starting with vinyl being the most affordable.
Add an installer to the price and even more so.
I wanted the Marvin fiberglass, but the price was more than double( and I got employee pricing) and for my home and neighborhood I wasn’t sold on how much value it would give me. Plus at the time they didn’t make a retrofit so I’d have to go new con and break stucco, which is more work and cost. So, instead I went with a JeldWen retrofit and a premium window latch and even sight line for a bit more. While I would’ve rather had the Marvin, I couldn’t afford the cost. And I’m fine with the way the window is, don’t have to paint it every 5 yrs, and saved money.

One of the suppliers/installers of Marvin windows I called here in NCSD said they didn't make retrofit windows and referred me to another place. Id like to avoid wood, mainly bc I don't want to have to deal with the upkeep, even if it is every 5 years or so. Aluminum seems like the winner at the moment. The wife also likes that the material is recyclable.

 

[JBerry]

Maybe Marvin called it off, but last year or 2 when I was getting and researching windows, the Marvin rep told me they were making retro windows, especially in the black fiberglass, which is what I originally wanted, but they were a few months out. The Gm of the store I was getting them from talked me out of them, cost was more than double. So, Maybe with Covid, Marvin has put a stall on them, or maybe the suppliers make more $$ off other brand retrofits, and save the Marvins for the higher end?
Why_was_I_banned? Any insight into the Marvin retrofit?

Anyhow, what I learned was:
Pellas suck
Milguard and JeldWen are about the same.
Sierra Pacific? are solid
Marvin is the best in the mid upper price range.
La Cantina is an upper crust brand with a lot of options, made in ca

Also, was told as an option, get the high end Marvin sliders, doors, and most used windows, and get the JeldWen premium vinyl or fiberglass in the same color, for the rest of the windows, and that would save you some $$, but look just about the same.

 

[drainer]

If I told u, u wouldn't believe me

Well, let's see.

You lied about a company you knew nothing about - Newman Windows and Doors - smearing them here and falsely accusing them of being a caulk n walk window installation company.

So, if you're willing to defame a company that's 200 miles away from you that you know nothing about, what else are you willing to lie about?

 

[drainer]

What are your thoughts on aluminum

If you live in Southern California there is no aluminum window that is up to current Title 24 code.

At least according to the thousands of windows that are in the database I searched.

 

[drainer]

the pricing is exponential starting with vinyl being the most affordable.

I've recieved 4 quotes for Milgard windows - in all quotes aluminum+install was about $1000 cheaper than vinyl (?)

 

[_____]

Is RG allowed to ditch that upper decker microwave unit and stick in an epic gas convection freestanding oven / range with cast iron grates and a hood? Stick the microwave somewhere unmounted if one is needed? Me thinks your wifey would be pumped on an epic range, like a Viking, Wolf etc and a hood with a fan and light.

 

[Why_was_I_banned]

What are your thoughts on aluminum vs fiberglass?

I've never installed fiberglass. They seem nice

 

[Why_was_I_banned]

Why_was_I_banned? Any insight into the Marvin retrofit?

Anyhow, what I learned was:
Pellas suck
Milguard and JeldWen are about the same.
Sierra Pacific? are solid
Marvin is the best in the mid upper price range.
La Cantina is an upper crust brand with a lot of options, made in ca

Also, was told as an option, get the high end Marvin sliders, doors, and most used windows, and get the JeldWen premium vinyl or fiberglass in the same color, for the rest of the windows, and that would save you some $$, but look just about the same.

As I said before, all retrofits suck. There is no way to properly waterproof them. Stucco is porous. They are waterproofed by using silicone to the stucco.

Where does the water go, that soakes into the stucco above the window? It runs down the inside of the stucco, against the tar paper, until it hit the top of the window, where it would normally flow to the outside. That's how waterproofing works. But with a retrofit, you have that outside trim fin to dam the water from exiting. Where does it go? Into the framing.

But people pay me thousands to replace a rotted header. I just got paid 1200 yesterday to replace a termite eaten post. Took about 6 hours.

Damn, I love water and termite damage and deferred maintenance.,

 

[grapedrink]

Is RG allowed to ditch that upper decker microwave unit and stick in an epic gas convection freestanding oven / range with cast iron grates and a hood? Stick the microwave somewhere unmounted if one is needed? Me thinks your wifey would be pumped on an epic range, like a Viking, Wolf etc and a hood with a fan and light.

Have you ever cleaned a Wolf Unless they make versions that don't require moving 25 pieces around just to clean it?

 

[Why_was_I_banned]

Is RG allowed to ditch that upper decker microwave unit and stick in an epic gas convection freestanding oven / range with cast iron grates and a hood? Stick the microwave somewhere unmounted if one is needed? Me thinks your wifey would be pumped on an epic range, like a Viking, Wolf etc and a hood with a fan and light.

Some repair guys recommend thermador