The New "Home Improvement" Thread

Me

 

Hockey buddy

 

Me

 

Him

 

 

I will ask my neighbor, Niko lol

Thanks buddy, much appreciated

Thanks buddy, much appreciated

Sorry man, totally slipped my mind. Will text him right now.

Thanks buddy, much appreciated

Ok he said he's only licensed and insured in Suffolk. Sorry dude.

One thing I've learned through this virus, I really wish I had 9+ acres. I feel like I'm in an apartment in town, now. Everybody is outside all day, every day.

I have a very long daily commute, most of which is through Mennonite country, and the virus hasn't affected them one iota. Their kids are still out swimming, fishing, playing ball (every other farm has their own ball diamond) and just generally look as satisfied with life as ever. No electricity, no running water, no cars, but very happy people. Good to see.

That’s great Dunny. I was driving through the Kentucky hills with my grandpa when I was first out of high school. We saw small cabins with people on the porch and kids running around and he said to me, “Those people are happy.” Coming from the metropolitan NYC area I could not understand how that could be. Now I know.

Anyone asked them if they were happy?

Anyone asked them if they were happy?

I think my grandfather was trying to point out to me that 'living simply' can be as rewarding, or possibly more so than our metro area with everything at our fingertips. Sure, they quite possible were not happy but...

Was looking for some opinions on dimensions for a paver patio and firepit towards the back of my property. Anyone with experience, what dimensions do you recommend to comfortably accomodate seating for 4-6 people around a paver fire pit? Perhaps a few adirondack chairs, along with a paver seating wall.

Looking in both square and circular options.

Something like below in terms of layout (different stone though)

https://secureservercdn.net/50.62.172.232/6cb.dd2.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Patio-Ideas-with-Curved-Brick-Seating.jpg

My toxicity and back say otherwise

My wife wants a steam shower to help her congestion from allergies. I hear that fairly pricey. Sauna would be nice too.

Parsley - I don’t have dimensions but when laying out a parking area for visitors, or an eat-in counter for the kitchen, I’ve just laid it out with ‘stuff.’ Parked 2 cars on the grass, staked out an area then measured it. Or set out table service for three and measured that. I’ve found it helpful to ‘live the space’ that way so you can get a feel.

Yeah. That’s smart.

Sort of like when I make edging borders for gardens by first laying out a hose as the potential edging line and moving it around however I like it best before digging and edging.

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Almost impossible to hire someone to build a pool in my neighborhood. Contractors all booked until August. Crazy

It's impossible to find contractors for anything. Guys I've known since birth are giving me 9 month lead times.

Months of people spending more time than usual in their homes has led many to want to make changes to their living spaces. But that’s probably a tiny aspect of it.

In reality a lot of commercial and larger projects are just now re-starting and are in a hurry to get work done. Companies I work with are hiring contractors they have never worked with before to get things done on time which is something you never see happen, or very rarely. And contractors will always choose the 140,000 sqft jobs over a small house repair as the money is quite different.

It will take a while for it to die down in my opinion

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Months of people spending more time than usual in their homes has led many to want to make changes to their living spaces. But that’s probably a tiny aspect of it.

 

In reality a lot of commercial and larger projects are just now re-starting and are in a hurry to get work done. Companies I work with are hiring contractors they have never worked with before to get things done on time which is something you never see happen, or very rarely. And contractors will always choose the 140,000 sqft jobs over a small house repair as the money is quite different.

 

It will take a while for it to die down in my opinion

 

 

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This was slightly before COVID but I tried to have one more reputable contractor do my bathroom. They quoted us 25k to start, saying it'd probably get more. (always does) He started saying all the weird ways the bathroom would need to be switched up (it had a standing shower and a bathtub, with a toilet next to and parallel to the bathtub which was weirdly laid out) but also told us our suggestions for how we wanted it changed up would be impossible.

Honestly I think some of these contractors just throw a giant number on jobs they dont want to do and see if you're dumb/deseperate enough.

we went with a cheaper guy who was a little rough around the edges. We got a rough start with our neighbor because the contractor did the demo overnight which was unprofessional but end of the day he did what we wanted and it turned out really nice.

This was slightly before COVID but I tried to have one more reputable contractor do my bathroom. They quoted us 25k to start, saying it'd probably get more. (always does) He started saying all the weird ways the bathroom would need to be switched up (it had a standing shower and a bathtub, with a toilet next to and parallel to the bathtub which was weirdly laid out) but also told us our suggestions for how we wanted it changed up would be impossible.

 

Honestly I think some of these contractors just throw a giant number on jobs they dont want to do and see if you're dumb/deseperate enough.

 

we went with a cheaper guy who was a little rough around the edges. We got a rough start with our neighbor because the contractor did the demo overnight which was unprofessional but end of the day he did what we wanted and it turned out really nice.

25k for a bathroom? That’s pretty freaking high.

This was slightly before COVID but I tried to have one more reputable contractor do my bathroom. They quoted us 25k to start, saying it'd probably get more. (always does) He started saying all the weird ways the bathroom would need to be switched up (it had a standing shower and a bathtub, with a toilet next to and parallel to the bathtub which was weirdly laid out) but also told us our suggestions for how we wanted it changed up would be impossible.

 

Honestly I think some of these contractors just throw a giant number on jobs they dont want to do and see if you're dumb/deseperate enough.

 

we went with a cheaper guy who was a little rough around the edges. We got a rough start with our neighbor because the contractor did the demo overnight which was unprofessional but end of the day he did what we wanted and it turned out really nice.

Yeah, they do.

I do this all the time at a multi billion dollar GC. Once we're busy, we load premiums on everything. If we're dead, we buy the work for cost.

I have a college buddy who is a widely recognized Interior Designer with cover work appearing on Architectural Digest and he would tell me the craziest stories about some of the high-end work he gets to do. Granted, he's having material for drapes and furniture custom colored and woven, rugs made to order and such but still...$100,000 for a kids bedroom? I saw the photos and it was freakin' awesome. The room looked like the cabin of a schooner with curved wooden walls, curved bunk beds, etc., amazing detail and work.

A long while ago, I worked with an Attorney who bought and sold 7-figure homes as a hobby/investment/fun. One day I was in his office and he showed me plans for a 12-15,000' spec house he was building that had a 10 or 20 car garage, i don't recall. (He was a car nut.) I tossed out the idea that he should add a single-lane touchless carwash in the massive garage and he loved it, adding it to the plans on the spot. LOL Several years passed and our paths crossed so I asked about that car wash and he said it was THE deciding factor for the buyer.