Home chat 1.0

[wap]

Home Depot faucets are generally made in China garbage. Buy one from a good plumbing supply or kitchen remodel store.

Wayfair has some surprisingly good prices and is easy to deal with. We also bought some of our stuff from faucetdirect.com.

I've used faucetdepot.com with no issues, too. But that was back in 2006 so ymmv

[wap]

Man...I got a Grohe kitchen faucet that the PO installed during a kitchen remodel nearly 20 years ago. The thing still look like new, and I just replaced the cartridge on it last month because it was leaking under the sink. Dude at the faucet shop said that they'll last forever.

5/7 would spend money on a nice faucet.

Yup it's money well spent to buy a good faucet. Grohe is a good brand.

[rockchops]

peeled up our carpets and I'm attempting to do all the refinishing on my own. This is after a cursory 40 grit pass. Floors look brand new once the 70 years of dirt, stain, paint and grime are sanded off!

[CorvetteWaxer]

Man...I got a Grohe kitchen faucet that the PO installed during a kitchen remodel nearly 20 years ago. The thing still look like new, and I just replaced the cartridge on it last month because it was leaking under the sink. Dude at the faucet shop said that they'll last forever.

5/7 would spend money on a nice faucet.

I installed a Grohe in my kitchen 16 years ago and it is still perfect. Well worth the couple hundred more than a similar looking unit in my opinion.

I would like to change it though, only because I would like another style, but probably wont since it is still perfect.

[Tar]

New floor sample:

It actually doesn't butt up to the staircase but looks very good with it. We are locking it in.

[wap]

peeled up our carpets and I'm attempting to do all the refinishing on my own. This is after a cursory 40 grit pass. Floors look brand new once the 70 years of dirt, stain, paint and grime are sanded off!

[wap]

New floor sample:

It actually doesn't butt up to the staircase but looks very good with it. We are locking it in.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

peeled up our carpets and I'm attempting to do all the refinishing on my own. This is after a cursory 40 grit pass. Floors look brand new once the 70 years of dirt, stain, paint and grime are sanded off!

in4updates

I refinished a section of floor in our last house and it turned out horrible. Lessons learned I guess, curious to hear about your experience.

[goIftdibrad]

cross posted from OT

My parents are living in their own little person hell with this house remodel.

it's so bad my mom thought she was having a heart attack (it was not, prob a banic attack)

They had half the house being worked on trying to live in the other half. Some things in storage but most of a house stuffed into three rooms.

a Three month project started at the end of september has dragged to now, with no end in sight IMHO.
1. added about 600 SQ feet to house over old patio, changing roofline
2. re org. of rear entry space and bigger laundry room
3. wall between kitchen and living gone
4. new kitchen cabinets
5. something in the master bath (fixtures and painting?)
6. new front door
7. new ceramic tile floors in the whole house
8. new ac due to addition and age of existing (done.)
9. new back patio (done)

This has completely ruined the layout of the house IMHO, they have this weird odd shaped room that's not a bedroom with two exterior entryways... They paid off the house a few years back, but are going into it for 50% of what they paid for it (in 2001) and I just don't think they will see hardly any of that back out when they go to sell. I don't see them staying more than 5 more years or so.

My mom can be genuinely difficult, but the contractor is being a jerk and doing shit work. The floor is prob the biggest single line item and it looks like shittttt. the tile spacing is uneven. the tiles have a pattern (its wook look and therefore supposed to be random, this was discussed). The grout is 5-6 different colors.

The original plan was to do one half, then the other. now the contractor wants the house clear. My dad reluctantly agreed on the condition that he has 3 weeks to be done, done, done or its 300 dollar a day penalty, including weekends I think.

Part of what sucks is because they have so. much. shit. And it's all super fragile according to mom, and irreplaceable. They are essentially moving out and moving back in, and some shit is gonna break. Doubly so when you consider that they didn't have time to prep. Went Sunday to help move some of this stuff. It's impressive how many things. I'm not even kidding when i say they prob have 500 bucks worth of totes alone. two 10x20 storage units are 75% full and there is still one room to go...

Anyway, moral is houses are stupid, huge time and money suck, cost people their sanity, marriages, life savings, lower backs, weekends, logic, etc, etc, etc.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

cross posted from OT

My parents are living in their own little person hell with this house remodel.

it's so bad my mom thought she was having a heart attack (it was not, prob a banic attack)

They had half the house being worked on trying to live in the other half. Some things in storage but most of a house stuffed into three rooms.

a Three month project started at the end of september has dragged to now, with no end in sight IMHO.
1. added about 600 SQ feet to house over old patio, changing roofline
2. re org. of rear entry space and bigger laundry room
3. wall between kitchen and living gone
4. new kitchen cabinets
5. something in the master bath (fixtures and painting?)
6. new front door
7. new ceramic tile floors in the whole house
8. new ac due to addition and age of existing (done.)
9. new back patio (done)

This has completely ruined the layout of the house IMHO, they have this weird odd shaped room that's not a bedroom with two exterior entryways... They paid off the house a few years back, but are going into it for 50% of what they paid for it (in 2001) and I just don't think they will see hardly any of that back out when they go to sell. I don't see them staying more than 5 more years or so.

My mom can be genuinely difficult, but the contractor is being a jerk and doing shit work. The floor is prob the biggest single line item and it looks like shittttt. the tile spacing is uneven. the tiles have a pattern (its wook look and therefore supposed to be random, this was discussed). The grout is 5-6 different colors.

The original plan was to do one half, then the other. now the contractor wants the house clear. My dad reluctantly agreed on the condition that he has 3 weeks to be done, done, done or its 300 dollar a day penalty, including weekends I think.

Part of what sucks is because they have so. much. shit. And it's all super fragile according to mom, and irreplaceable. They are essentially moving out and moving back in, and some shit is gonna break. Doubly so when you consider that they didn't have time to prep. Went Sunday to help move some of this stuff. It's impressive how many things. I'm not even kidding when i say they prob have 500 bucks worth of totes alone. two 10x20 storage units are 75% full and there is still one room to go...

Anyway, moral is houses are stupid, huge time and money suck, cost people their sanity, marriages, life savings, lower backs, weekends, logic, etc, etc, etc.

When I was a teen, my parents renovated a big portion of the house. It got so bad/late, that we moved into an apartment for 6 mos until it was completed. Living in a house under construction is misery.

Hell, my little kitchen re-do has required removal of all our plates and whatnot to the dinning room table. Everything is dusty despite me cleaning after ever step. It's already getting old, and it's a relatively small update.

If I were to do a major renovation to the house, I'd find a temporary living situation to save the stress. It's really no fun.

And I'd only do such a renovation if I knew we'd be there for the long haul (10+ years). Your parents going through all this is 5/7 Aren't they empty nesters at this point? They should be downsizing, not upsizing.

My dad sold the 4k sq ft house I grew up in and bought an 800 sq ft bungalow. He finished the attic into a master suite that upped the size to 1,200 and he couldn't be happier. He also rented a house to live in while his house was under construction...which SURPRISE took twice as long as originally quoted. Renovations blow.

[goIftdibrad]

And I'd only do such a renovation if I knew we'd be there for the long haul (10+ years). Your parents going through all this is 5/7 Aren't they empty nesters at this point? They should be downsizing, not upsizing.

I have no idea. I tried to reason with them before they did this. Mom is a collector of things....so i guess that's part of the reason.

FYI I forgot to add they are getting out of the house tonight and staying with friends a few days then looking into extended stay.

Ironically, the completion date is also my child's likely first birthday.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

And I'd only do such a renovation if I knew we'd be there for the long haul (10+ years). Your parents going through all this is 5/7 Aren't they empty nesters at this point? They should be downsizing, not upsizing.

I have no idea. I tried to reason with them before they did this. Mom is a collector of things....so i guess that's part of the reason.

FYI I forgot to add they are getting out of the house tonight and staying with friends a few days then looking into extended stay.

Ironically, the completion date is also my child's likely first birthday.

Adding more house space to store "collection" shit is ridiculous.

This is my next door neighbor. She's a "collector" and they added a few rooms onto their house to accommodate. One room they added themselves (as in did the work themselves, probably unpermitted) and it looks like ass. The entire house makes no sense, just random rooms bumped out all over the place. Now, they're both deep into their 80's, and the house is falling into a sad state of disrepair. The additions in particular.

I'm not a collector. Unless you count all the car parts in the garage attic, I don't get it at all.

[goIftdibrad]

I have no idea. I tried to reason with them before they did this. Mom is a collector of things....so i guess that's part of the reason.

FYI I forgot to add they are getting out of the house tonight and staying with friends a few days then looking into extended stay.

Ironically, the completion date is also my child's likely first birthday.

Adding more house space to store "collection" shit is ridiculous.

This is my next door neighbor. She's a "collector" and they added a few rooms onto their house to accommodate. One room they added themselves (as in did the work themselves, probably unpermitted) and it looks like ass. The entire house makes no sense, just random rooms bumped out all over the place. Now, they're both deep into their 80's, and the house is falling into a sad state of disrepair. The additions in particular.

I'm not a collector. Unless you count all the car parts in the garage attic, I don't get it at all.

Nor am I.

"hey dad, do you even still have a VCR?"
"no"
"why the fuck am I moving VHS tapes to storage?"

I mean.... this is not an imminent problem but I'm not taking any of that crap. The discussion needs to be had at some point to start selling it when she's ready. That's because my move will be a roll off dumpster. I dont have the time to nor do i want to fuck with 'selling' all it.

[goIftdibrad]

I could go on. like how the addition is a 'scrapbooking room.' Because a bedroom (i'll admit smallish bedroom) with many thousands of custom furniture to make the space super useable is not enough space.

And now they will have to walk into that mess every, damn, day too.

Anyway, thanks to dfd for letting me vent.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Adding more house space to store "collection" shit is ridiculous.

This is my next door neighbor. She's a "collector" and they added a few rooms onto their house to accommodate. One room they added themselves (as in did the work themselves, probably unpermitted) and it looks like ass. The entire house makes no sense, just random rooms bumped out all over the place. Now, they're both deep into their 80's, and the house is falling into a sad state of disrepair. The additions in particular.

I'm not a collector. Unless you count all the car parts in the garage attic, I don't get it at all.

Nor am I.

"hey dad, do you even still have a VCR?"
"no"
"why the fuck am I moving VHS tapes to storage?"

I mean.... this is not an imminent problem but I'm not taking any of that crap. The discussion needs to be had at some point to start selling it when she's ready. That's because my move will be a roll off dumpster. I dont have the time to nor do i want to fuck with 'selling' all it.

The fortunate part of my parent's divorce was the quick evacuation of the house. We threw so much crap out, it was My dad doesn't keep anything, and I don't talk to my mom anymore, so taking care of downsizing will be simple AF.

I do not envy you. "Collectors" (some border on hoarder) are tough to deal with. My mom was one of them.

[Desertbreh]

cross posted from OT

My parents are living in their own little person hell with this house remodel.

it's so bad my mom thought she was having a heart attack (it was not, prob a banic attack)

They had half the house being worked on trying to live in the other half. Some things in storage but most of a house stuffed into three rooms.

a Three month project started at the end of september has dragged to now, with no end in sight IMHO.
1. added about 600 SQ feet to house over old patio, changing roofline
2. re org. of rear entry space and bigger laundry room
3. wall between kitchen and living gone
4. new kitchen cabinets
5. something in the master bath (fixtures and painting?)
6. new front door
7. new ceramic tile floors in the whole house
8. new ac due to addition and age of existing (done.)
9. new back patio (done)

This has completely ruined the layout of the house IMHO, they have this weird odd shaped room that's not a bedroom with two exterior entryways... They paid off the house a few years back, but are going into it for 50% of what they paid for it (in 2001) and I just don't think they will see hardly any of that back out when they go to sell. I don't see them staying more than 5 more years or so.

My mom can be genuinely difficult, but the contractor is being a jerk and doing shit work. The floor is prob the biggest single line item and it looks like shittttt. the tile spacing is uneven. the tiles have a pattern (its wook look and therefore supposed to be random, this was discussed). The grout is 5-6 different colors.

The original plan was to do one half, then the other. now the contractor wants the house clear. My dad reluctantly agreed on the condition that he has 3 weeks to be done, done, done or its 300 dollar a day penalty, including weekends I think.

Part of what sucks is because they have so. much. shit. And it's all super fragile according to mom, and irreplaceable. They are essentially moving out and moving back in, and some shit is gonna break. Doubly so when you consider that they didn't have time to prep. Went Sunday to help move some of this stuff. It's impressive how many things. I'm not even kidding when i say they prob have 500 bucks worth of totes alone. two 10x20 storage units are 75% full and there is still one room to go...

Anyway, moral is houses are stupid, huge time and money suck, cost people their sanity, marriages, life savings, lower backs, weekends, logic, etc, etc, etc.

This sounds fucking horrible on like 5 levels

[goIftdibrad]

Nor am I.

"hey dad, do you even still have a VCR?"
"no"
"why the fuck am I moving VHS tapes to storage?"

I mean.... this is not an imminent problem but I'm not taking any of that crap. The discussion needs to be had at some point to start selling it when she's ready. That's because my move will be a roll off dumpster. I dont have the time to nor do i want to fuck with 'selling' all it.

The fortunate part of my parent's divorce was the quick evacuation of the house. We threw so much crap out, it was My dad doesn't keep anything, and I don't talk to my mom anymore, so taking care of downsizing will be simple AF.

I do not envy you. "Collectors" (some border on hoarder) are tough to deal with. My mom was one of them.

Collecting is just well planned hoarding.

[Desertbreh]

I could go on. like how the addition is a 'scrapbooking room.' Because a bedroom (i'll admit smallish bedroom) with many thousands of custom furniture to make the space super useable is not enough space.

And now they will have to walk into that mess every, damn, day too.

Anyway, thanks to dfd for letting me vent.

Holy fuck.

[Desertbreh]

cross posted from OT

My parents are living in their own little person hell with this house remodel.

it's so bad my mom thought she was having a heart attack (it was not, prob a banic attack)

They had half the house being worked on trying to live in the other half. Some things in storage but most of a house stuffed into three rooms.

a Three month project started at the end of september has dragged to now, with no end in sight IMHO.
1. added about 600 SQ feet to house over old patio, changing roofline
2. re org. of rear entry space and bigger laundry room
3. wall between kitchen and living gone
4. new kitchen cabinets
5. something in the master bath (fixtures and painting?)
6. new front door
7. new ceramic tile floors in the whole house
8. new ac due to addition and age of existing (done.)
9. new back patio (done)

This has completely ruined the layout of the house IMHO, they have this weird odd shaped room that's not a bedroom with two exterior entryways... They paid off the house a few years back, but are going into it for 50% of what they paid for it (in 2001) and I just don't think they will see hardly any of that back out when they go to sell. I don't see them staying more than 5 more years or so.

My mom can be genuinely difficult, but the contractor is being a jerk and doing shit work. The floor is prob the biggest single line item and it looks like shittttt. the tile spacing is uneven. the tiles have a pattern (its wook look and therefore supposed to be random, this was discussed). The grout is 5-6 different colors.

The original plan was to do one half, then the other. now the contractor wants the house clear. My dad reluctantly agreed on the condition that he has 3 weeks to be done, done, done or its 300 dollar a day penalty, including weekends I think.

Part of what sucks is because they have so. much. shit. And it's all super fragile according to mom, and irreplaceable. They are essentially moving out and moving back in, and some shit is gonna break. Doubly so when you consider that they didn't have time to prep. Went Sunday to help move some of this stuff. It's impressive how many things. I'm not even kidding when i say they prob have 500 bucks worth of totes alone. two 10x20 storage units are 75% full and there is still one room to go...

Anyway, moral is houses are stupid, huge time and money suck, cost people their sanity, marriages, life savings, lower backs, weekends, logic, etc, etc, etc.

I was reading this at the gym this morning and was not able to comment in detail. (No loss, I know.) I have your shocks in the back of the Brahhoe for exactly the reason that I constantly purge shit to keep things high and tight.

One of the hidden advantages of California is that basements are rare.....and square footage is expensive. There is really no room to be a "collector," call sign HOARDER. Once you have liberated yourself from needless shit and realize there was no point to it other than creating disorganization and chaos, you want to keep it that way. The only things that I would be interested in "collecting" all have internal combustion engines. But I only have three garage spaces and I'm too old to get into motorcycles I would just kill myself.

[goIftdibrad]

cross posted from OT

My parents are living in their own little person hell with this house remodel.

it's so bad my mom thought she was having a heart attack (it was not, prob a banic attack)

They had half the house being worked on trying to live in the other half. Some things in storage but most of a house stuffed into three rooms.

a Three month project started at the end of september has dragged to now, with no end in sight IMHO.
1. added about 600 SQ feet to house over old patio, changing roofline
2. re org. of rear entry space and bigger laundry room
3. wall between kitchen and living gone
4. new kitchen cabinets
5. something in the master bath (fixtures and painting?)
6. new front door
7. new ceramic tile floors in the whole house
8. new ac due to addition and age of existing (done.)
9. new back patio (done)

This has completely ruined the layout of the house IMHO, they have this weird odd shaped room that's not a bedroom with two exterior entryways... They paid off the house a few years back, but are going into it for 50% of what they paid for it (in 2001) and I just don't think they will see hardly any of that back out when they go to sell. I don't see them staying more than 5 more years or so.

My mom can be genuinely difficult, but the contractor is being a jerk and doing shit work. The floor is prob the biggest single line item and it looks like shittttt. the tile spacing is uneven. the tiles have a pattern (its wook look and therefore supposed to be random, this was discussed). The grout is 5-6 different colors.

The original plan was to do one half, then the other. now the contractor wants the house clear. My dad reluctantly agreed on the condition that he has 3 weeks to be done, done, done or its 300 dollar a day penalty, including weekends I think.

Part of what sucks is because they have so. much. shit. And it's all super fragile according to mom, and irreplaceable. They are essentially moving out and moving back in, and some shit is gonna break. Doubly so when you consider that they didn't have time to prep. Went Sunday to help move some of this stuff. It's impressive how many things. I'm not even kidding when i say they prob have 500 bucks worth of totes alone. two 10x20 storage units are 75% full and there is still one room to go...

Anyway, moral is houses are stupid, huge time and money suck, cost people their sanity, marriages, life savings, lower backs, weekends, logic, etc, etc, etc.

I was reading this at the gym this morning and was not able to comment in detail. (No loss, I know.) I have your shocks in the back of the Brahhoe for exactly the reason that I constantly purge shit to keep things high and tight.

One of the hidden advantages of California is that basements are rare.....and square footage is expensive. There is really no room to be a "collector," call sign HOARDER. Once you have liberated yourself from needless shit and realize there was no point to it other than creating disorganization and chaos, you want to keep it that way. The only things that I would be interested in "collecting" all have internal combustion engines. But I only have three garage spaces and I'm too old to get into motorcycles I would just kill myself.

I too was always pretty good about tossing stuff I had little or no use for. the (three) moves in 2016 made me let go of even more stuff. The wife followed along. The end result is that we moved into the new house in one day...usually a proposal for middle class people.

But yea, i do keep parts for vehicles to return them to stock /spares, but that shit get sold/given away once the car in question is gone.

[Johnny_P]

I could go on. like how the addition is a 'scrapbooking room.' Because a bedroom (i'll admit smallish bedroom) with many thousands of custom furniture to make the space super useable is not enough space.

And now they will have to walk into that mess every, damn, day too.

Anyway, thanks to dfd for letting me vent.

A scrapbooking room? Wow. I can't even.

Lisa's parents are looking at remodeling their house again. They added a lot to it from original already, by closing in a part of the patio turning it into a sun room / 3-season type room, and an extension over the side of the house for an office on the ground floor and larger master bedroom on the top floor.

Now they want to re-do the 1st floor bathroom to add a shower, and turn the office into the master, because they're having a hard time walking up the stairs and stuff. And I'm just over here like why not downsize and get a different house instead of ruin this one? But whatever. They're HOARDERS. They have everything from Lisa's 1st grade homework to things her mom has from college, to piles of old speakers that don't work and records that nobody will listen to. It's The basement is packed full of bullshit.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I could go on. like how the addition is a 'scrapbooking room.' Because a bedroom (i'll admit smallish bedroom) with many thousands of custom furniture to make the space super useable is not enough space.

And now they will have to walk into that mess every, damn, day too.

Anyway, thanks to dfd for letting me vent.

A scrapbooking room? Wow. I can't even.

Lisa's parents are looking at remodeling their house again. They added a lot to it from original already, by closing in a part of the patio turning it into a sun room / 3-season type room, and an extension over the side of the house for an office on the ground floor and larger master bedroom on the top floor.

Now they want to re-do the 1st floor bathroom to add a shower, and turn the office into the master, because they're having a hard time walking up the stairs and stuff. And I'm just over here like why not downsize and get a different house instead of ruin this one? But whatever. They're HOARDERS. They have everything from Lisa's 1st grade homework to things her mom has from college, to piles of old speakers that don't work and records that nobody will listen to. It's The basement is packed full of bullshit.

My mom kept every single scrap of schoolwork that I did from Preschool on. It was actually. Cleaning out their house was . I don't envy anyone facing that.

And the adversity to downsizing is always to me. The thing is, hoarders get just as attached to their house as all their crap, so it's really hard to move. Like my neighbor should absolutely be in an assisted living facility, but she needs to be surrounded by her crap as she ages.

While we were gone in Germany, they put up a wheelchair ramp. It takes up THE ENTIRE front yard. Looks terrible, and it's what we get to see every time we're outside in the front.

[Apex]

A scrapbooking room? Wow. I can't even.

Lisa's parents are looking at remodeling their house again. They added a lot to it from original already, by closing in a part of the patio turning it into a sun room / 3-season type room, and an extension over the side of the house for an office on the ground floor and larger master bedroom on the top floor.

Now they want to re-do the 1st floor bathroom to add a shower, and turn the office into the master, because they're having a hard time walking up the stairs and stuff. And I'm just over here like why not downsize and get a different house instead of ruin this one? But whatever. They're HOARDERS. They have everything from Lisa's 1st grade homework to things her mom has from college, to piles of old speakers that don't work and records that nobody will listen to. It's The basement is packed full of bullshit.

My mom kept every single scrap of schoolwork that I did from Preschool on. It was actually. Cleaning out their house was . I don't envy anyone facing that.

And the adversity to downsizing is always to me. The thing is, hoarders get just as attached to their house as all their crap, so it's really hard to move. Like my neighbor should absolutely be in an assisted living facility, but she needs to be surrounded by her crap as she ages.

While we were gone in Germany, they put up a wheelchair ramp. It takes up THE ENTIRE front yard. Looks terrible, and it's what we get to see every time we're outside in the front.

You should go complain to the HOA that they ruined your views.

[goIftdibrad]

I could go on. like how the addition is a 'scrapbooking room.' Because a bedroom (i'll admit smallish bedroom) with many thousands of custom furniture to make the space super useable is not enough space.

And now they will have to walk into that mess every, damn, day too.

Anyway, thanks to dfd for letting me vent.

A scrapbooking room? Wow. I can't even.

Lisa's parents are looking at remodeling their house again. They added a lot to it from original already, by closing in a part of the patio turning it into a sun room / 3-season type room, and an extension over the side of the house for an office on the ground floor and larger master bedroom on the top floor.

Now they want to re-do the 1st floor bathroom to add a shower, and turn the office into the master, because they're having a hard time walking up the stairs and stuff. And I'm just over here like why not downsize and get a different house instead of ruin this one? But whatever. They're HOARDERS. They have everything from Lisa's 1st grade homework to things her mom has from college, to piles of old speakers that don't work and records that nobody will listen to. It's The basement is packed full of bullshit.

I'm so glad we dont have basements.

But my dad decked the attic....

Also, he had to get another roll off POD

[Johnny_P]

A scrapbooking room? Wow. I can't even.

Lisa's parents are looking at remodeling their house again. They added a lot to it from original already, by closing in a part of the patio turning it into a sun room / 3-season type room, and an extension over the side of the house for an office on the ground floor and larger master bedroom on the top floor.

Now they want to re-do the 1st floor bathroom to add a shower, and turn the office into the master, because they're having a hard time walking up the stairs and stuff. And I'm just over here like why not downsize and get a different house instead of ruin this one? But whatever. They're HOARDERS. They have everything from Lisa's 1st grade homework to things her mom has from college, to piles of old speakers that don't work and records that nobody will listen to. It's The basement is packed full of bullshit.

I'm so glad we dont have basements.

But my dad decked the attic....

Also, he had to get another roll off POD

I'm all about purging and even MY basement is full of bullshit. It's just what happens.