The Home Ownership Thread

[jcman311]

Doors are expensive.

Between entry door, sidelights, storm doors, back door, and patio door its above $12k and we didn't go with anything fancy.

I can see the overhang theory being very true. At our old house we replaced a door from the inside to a porch and the replacement held up fine. It was wood with glass panels that I only had to coat once with spar urethane in 10 years (it still looks like new). The steel door to the outside of that house was looking pretty beat up and we installed that a few years after the wood door. Our back door (wood) had an overhang and pretty sure it was still original to the home (built in 1929).

 

[Ataturk]

You can fix dings in steel doors with bondo. It's usually not any harder than fixing holes in drywall.

 

[brokencycle]

Doors are expensive.

Between entry door, sidelights, storm doors, back door, and patio door its above $12k and we didn't go with anything fancy.

I can see the overhang theory being very true. At our old house we replaced a door from the inside to a porch and the replacement held up fine. It was wood with glass panels that I only had to coat once with spar urethane in 10 years (it still looks like new). The steel door to the outside of that house was looking pretty beat up and we installed that a few years after the wood door. Our back door (wood) had an overhang and pretty sure it was still original to the home (built in 1929).

The sidelights are what get expensive it seems. I was looking at a fiberglass door with decorative glass, and it wasn't bad - $800 maybe. But to add the side lights was like $2k.

In our old house, we did a Pella a 500 patio door, and it was about $1k installed. Full glass storm doors are like $150 each.

I think Lowe's had 15% off right now, but it comes around every quarter of so.

 

[Jr Mouse]

I think Lowe's had 15% off right now, but it comes around every quarter of so.

Pro tip for Lowes. If you see anything on clearance ask if it's a non-stock. If it is, the store needs to get it out the door fairly quickly and usually can knock the price way down from even clearance if you ask a manager. They are pretty flexible on scratch and dent appliances too.

 

[flvinny521]

Lately, I've been obsessed with watching Youtube videos of refinishing floors and countertops with epoxy, specifically by the company Leggari. I am considering this for an inexpensive "refresh" of my kitchen countertops, but I'm also not thrilled with the width and side profile of my counters. If I were to remove the existing granite tops, could something be built relatively inexpensively with the intent to finish it with an epoxy? I love the glossy, almost glass-like finish without any seams.

 

[otc]

Weird, I just saw a bunch of that stuff just the other day. Seemed like a reasonable alternative for someone with some DIY skills who is not interested in doing a full remodel anytime soon (although it is certainly harder to do well than the company makes it sound).

Although really...you would replace existing granite with something cheap and then cover it with epoxy? that just seems like a mistake. The epoxy seems like a solution for when you are trying to refresh a room with nasty old laminate or you have damaged surfaces (like scorched or scratched Formica).

Obviously it depends on the aesthetic, but I have also seen some pretty good DIY jobs where they use thinset concrete over existing laminate countertops. That's always been something I have kept in the back of my mind for if I bought a place with ****** countertops. The epoxy seems like a similar option if you are going for a different look.

 

[tesseract]

Searching for my first home with my wife right now, I cannot wait to make every room my own.

 

[flvinny521]

Weird, I just saw a bunch of that stuff just the other day. Seemed like a reasonable alternative for someone with some DIY skills who is not interested in doing a full remodel anytime soon (although it is certainly harder to do well than the company makes it sound).

Although really...you would replace existing granite with something cheap and then cover it with epoxy? that just seems like a mistake. The epoxy seems like a solution for when you are trying to refresh a room with nasty old laminate or you have damaged surfaces (like scorched or scratched Formica).

Obviously it depends on the aesthetic, but I have also seen some pretty good DIY jobs where they use thinset concrete over existing laminate countertops. That's always been something I have kept in the back of my mind for if I bought a place with ****** countertops. The epoxy seems like a similar option if you are going for a different look.

I'm not crazy about the idea of downgrading materials, but the granite is relatively thin with a rounded profile. The design of the rest of our house really calls for a thicker, squared edge counter. We built the home four years ago as a spec home, and didn't like any of the builder's options, so we took the cheapest granite top they had with the intention to replace it. It's a pretty large kitchen with a lot of countertop surface, so it would save quite a bit of cash if we could avoid buying all new quartz tops, or something similar.

 

[Ataturk]

How hard is this epoxy? If it looks like glass after it's poured, it might not stay that way.

 

[flvinny521]

How hard is this epoxy? If it looks like glass after it's poured, it might not stay that way.

I'm not sure the hardness rating or if any of the suppliers have warranties on the finish. I've seen a few videos of them literally setting the countertop on fire with no ill effects, but finding long-term reviews after several years of use hasn't been easy. They have a few top coat options, one of which is very glossy and the other a matte finish with a slight texture. Even if it got a little scratched up, I could sand down and refinish the top for little cost. We could even change colors or patterns for a new feel.

They also have products for finishing a floor, so I assume it would have to be relatively scratch-resistant. I am not sure if there are material differences in the countertop epoxy and the floor epoxy.

 

[brokencycle]

I'm not crazy about the idea of downgrading materials, but the granite is relatively thin with a rounded profile. The design of the rest of our house really calls for a thicker, squared edge counter. We built the home four years ago as a spec home, and didn't like any of the builder's options, so we took the cheapest granite top they had with the intention to replace it. It's a pretty large kitchen with a lot of countertop surface, so it would save quite a bit of cash if we could avoid buying all new quartz tops, or something similar.

If you're planning on selling anytime soon, I wouldn't downgrade materials. Save your pennies and get a proper counter top you like. If you're worried about cost, you could do solid surface or butcher block.

Ikea has quartz starting at $45/sq ft, and butcher block can be had for half that.

I'm not sure the hardness rating or if any of the suppliers have warranties on the finish. I've seen a few videos of them literally setting the countertop on fire with no ill effects, but finding long-term reviews after several years of use hasn't been easy. They have a few top coat options, one of which is very glossy and the other a matte finish with a slight texture. Even if it got a little scratched up, I could sand down and refinish the top for little cost. We could even change colors or patterns for a new feel.

They also have products for finishing a floor, so I assume it would have to be relatively scratch-resistant. I am not sure if there are material differences in the countertop epoxy and the floor epoxy.

Cheap window sellers also bring a lighter to show how insulated their windows are. It doesn't really mean anything. While you may be able to easily sand down an epoxy and reapply it, if it isn't durable, you'll be finding yourself doing it all the time.

 

[brokencycle]

This project is never going to end, but the toilet the plumber installed on Friday is leaking. Found out today when looking up to see the ceiling all wet.....

 

[sugarbutch]

 

[lefty]

A toilet is one of the easier installs and rarely leaks. Check the lines and the toilet for cracks. If none, pull the toilet, scrape and discard the old wax, install a new double wax ring and bolt the toilet back down.

Waste pipes are another matter.

lefty

 

[jbarwick]

I finally got a guy to mow my lawn. It took so long because a neighbor said his flat yard was $75 and smaller than mine. Well on the first day of mowing I see a different neighbor out and asked for their yard guy. I give him a call and he quotes me less than Mr. Flat Yard. Why did I wait so long?

I also landscaped another part of our yard. I like the designing and digging in the dirt aspect. It allowed me to visualize where we may put a patio and such. May have someone come out soon to give us a quote on that at least so we have some idea of the cost of the project.

As for toilets, I leave that to the professionals. It sounds easy and videos make it look easy but I don't want leaky sh*t because I made a boneheaded mistake.