The Home Ownership Thread

[Piobaire]

...

 

[idfnl]



Some of the modern direct-vent fireplaces have really good efficiency levels. They're not as good as the best high efficiency gas furnaces, but you're still looking at ~80% efficiency compared to 40-50% for the old style gas inserts.

The amount of radiant heat these sealed units put out in incredible, you might not think a fire sealed behind glass (quartz, really) would feel so warm but it's quite something. Throw in a blower unit and they can heat a space quite well. You don't get the crackle and the smell, but it's a pretty good experience without all the work. People might be surprised if they're used to older gas sets.

Yeah, my dad has one of these with a blower, its a sauna in that room on full blast. It works very well.

I have a wood stove, which is quite efficient, and it has a return behind it that feels the rest of the house. My other fireplace is au natural, but its in the dining room and is nice for dinner party ambiance.

 

[Gibonius]

Piob: I assume you had pros install that thing? I've been looking into it, seems like it would be possible to DIY, but there are some fire code standards to meet (metal studs and such) that make it more complicated. The fireplace itself is going to be 90% of the cost, so I'll probably just have somebody do it.

I'm going for something like this

A nice marble slab for that kind of project is more than I feel like spending. I went out and looked large format porcelain tile last weekend, stuff is really nice these days. An 8' by 4' piece (single piece) runs about $12/sq ft. It's like 4mm thick too, so it barely adds any depth to the facade. It might not be quite as nice as good marble, but it's damn close and for the price, I'm sold.

 

[Piobaire]

Yup, I had the pros install it.

That pic you posted looks fantastic, IMO, but let me tell you what we did. So that center bump out, both in my installation and in your picture, is called a "reveal." We currently have it painted the same colour but darker tone than the rest of the wall. Why we did that is we wanted to live with it for a bit before we put the final finish on it, as if we didn't like the slate/marble/etc., we figured that would be a pretty costly "oops." We still haven't decided on what to do with the reveal and are happy we didn't just put something there just because.

 

[Ataturk]

If you thought Craftsman was bad before...

http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/...ing-craftsman-brand-for-nearly-1-billion.html

 

[idfnl]



If you thought Craftsman was bad before...

http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/...ing-craftsman-brand-for-nearly-1-billion.html

We've had this argument before. Craftsman hand tools are actually good for the home gamer. As far as anything that make that uses electricity, forget it.

 

[JohnGalt]

Actually I would expect it to get better as Stanley b&d owns dewalt as well

 

[brokencycle]

Just got a much better quote for water heater install.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

The woodworking forum I participate in is lamenting the sale....my thoughts are quite simple, if you wanted good tools you've been buying them elsewhere for a very long time. The only time I buy those big retailer type tools its usually very light use or one-time use, I'm usually looking around the store to make sure that no one I know is watching me make the purchase.

I bought a Hitachi chop saw from lowes about 6-7 years ago, its a nice saw, I gave it to my dad to replace his craftsman saw, with guard removed, that was loud enough to wake the dead with a blade that hadn't be changed or sharpened in 20 years.

 

[djblisk]

I just got quoted $2200 for aluminum rain gutters for a 1500 square foot home located in Wes LA. Oof.

 

[brokencycle]

I just got quoted $2200 for aluminum rain gutters for a 1500 square foot home located in Wes LA. Oof.

Let me just say, gutters may be the most marked up thing ever (except maybe HVAC equipment). We had seamless gutters put on our house when we re-sided, and the siding contractor gave us them at his cost. He just gave me the bill the gutter guys gave him. Our house was a bit bigger than that plus a detached two car garage. Off the top of my head, it was <$600 total.

 

[djblisk]



Let me just say, gutters may be the most marked up thing ever (except maybe HVAC equipment).  We had seamless gutters put on our house when we re-sided, and the siding contractor gave us them at his cost.  He just gave me the bill the gutter guys gave him.  Our house was a bit bigger than that plus a detached two car garage.  Off the top of my head, it was <$600 total.

Damn.

 

[brokencycle]

Damn.

Just pulled up the invoice:

73' of gutters, 50' of downspouts 25' of flashing and two splash guards for <$600.

 

[idfnl]



I just got quoted $2200 for aluminum rain gutters for a 1500 square foot home located in Wes LA. Oof.

LOL. Ha ha. Are they made of gold?

What brokencycle quoted.

Contractors are worse than they were in '06.

My addition was approx 60ft of gutters and I paid $470.

 

[js4design]



LOL. Ha ha. Are they made of gold?

What brokencycle quoted.

Contractors are worse than they were in '06.

My addition was approx 60ft of gutters and I paid $470.

No, they are aluminum. He said it right there.