Home reno/redecorating support group

[quartz]

Oh. I got all my kitchen cupboards cleaned and reorganized the last couple of weeks!
Dealing with major allergies, which has left me miserable and lethargic, so other than that and getting the new (old) table and chair set for my dining room, that is all I have done in my house lately.
And my husband washed the windows!

 

[alexikeguchi]

That's a lot, quartz! Cabinets and windows are pretty overwhelming tasks.

I hope your allergies subside soon.

 

[flyingsit]

I've picked a bunch of light fixtures for the new house. We had to take one of the packages of light fixtures from the builder but we're going to have some replaced right after closing/before we move in, and have some additional ones installed. I'm changing the fixtures in the foyer and the dining room and the pendants over the island in the kitchen, and having additional ceiling fixtures installed in the bedrooms.

One thing done!

 

[mtnskater]

I am so thrilled to see the title of this thread. We are going through MAJOR remodel hell right now. I so need a support group. We are doing an addition with a complete kitchen gut job and redo. Our kitchen is totally demolished and will be for another two months. Costs keep going up. I am starving because I have not adjusted well to my lack of a kitchen routine. Do not like fast food and tired of restaurant food. I am stressed and tired and we still have a long way to go, There has been a porta-potty sitting in my driveway since April. I cannot park in my garage now because it is filled with construction materials. At least I can escape to my office every day. My husband works at home and is there all day. He seems to be handling it better than me. Any suggestions to cope would be appreciated! My dentist said if you are doing a remodel and you have not murdered anyone yet, it is going pretty well.....

 

[quartz]

((((mtnskater!!))))

 

[flyingsit]

mtnskater, just breathe. Do you have a temporary mini-kitchen set up anywhere? When we did our kitchen reno back in 2012 we still had our refrigerator and toaster oven, and with that plus our utility sink we were able to have at least some fresh, homemade food. That helped my sanity quite a bit.

 

[ilovesalchows]

mtnskater - You have my sympathy. We went through ours while I was pregnant and it was still going after I had the baby. Do you have a Trader Joe's near you? They have lots of pre-packaged fresh foods so you aren't living out of a microwave.

Now we have started our basement. So far all we have done is decommission an oil tank. Of course it had a hole in it so it ended up costing so much more than we thought. My house was built in 1922 and since this isn't our first go at it we are expecting it to cost twice as much as we plan.

We are also returning our one bathroom to its former glory. It had a reno in 1970 and it may be the ugliest bathroom in the world. I keep hoping some local remodeler has a contest for a reno for such a category. Since it is our only bathroom we need to wait until the basement bathroom is usable to start, but it is a balancing act because they will want to do it before the ceiling is closed up downstairs.

 

[JasperBoy]

The outside of our five unit townhouse condo is being painted. It is stucco and siding. The siding has been painted every 5 years or so, but the stucco has not been touched in 40 years.
You can imagine the meetings, conversations, midnight emails, etc that have taken place to determine which colours to use and where to put them.

The painters have been working all week and so far we are all happy with the result. There are still daily consultations about details, but the outcome should be excellent.

There have been some snafus. The first trim/highlight colour we chose looked very wrong when a sample area was painted, but the alternate is beautiful.

We have had to bring our handyman in every day to repair steps and rotten posts. We are right beside the ocean so wood rots quickly. These posts are 40 years old! We are lucky the handyman lives nearby and is not on vacation.
Between the expenses for repairs and for an extra coat (or two) of the highlight colour, our costs will increase. It will be worth it.

 

[alexikeguchi]

My movers arrived ahead of time with my NY things, giving absolutely no warning. I was able to reach the building managing agent and super right away and got their help lined up for delivery, but then it took the movers nearly six hours to get from their hub in northern Jersey to Brooklyn. By that time, the super had to go, and all the other residents were getting home from work and needed the elevator. I apologized profusely, but I'm afraid all my neighbors hate me. When I get everything in place, I am going to have the mother of all housewarming parties to try to make it up to them.

 

[mtnskater]

mtnskater, just breathe. Do you have a temporary mini-kitchen set up anywhere? When we did our kitchen reno back in 2012 we still had our refrigerator and toaster oven, and with that plus our utility sink we were able to have at least some fresh, homemade food. That helped my sanity quite a bit.

Breathing!?! Good advice. I feel wound tighter than a drum most of the time due to all the issues that keep coming up on the remodel.

We put our refrigerator in the entry way. We have our microwave and a cheap Target hotplate stove in the laundry room. Doesn't work too well for cooking like we are used to with a gas stove...but it'll do. Sadly our laundry room has no utility sink, even though it is a large room as laundry rooms go. So we have no running water on the main floor of the remodel because our powder room next to the kitchen is demolished as part of the remodel. So we must go up or down the stairs to get water. Dishes are being washed in the lower level guest bath room tub. All dishes get carried up and down two flights of stairs. It's just so exhausting to have to figure out a new food routine.

Also the laundry room is where we keep the cat litter box....and we have three cats. Inevitable one or more has to do their business (if you know what I mean) when we are trying to cook or prepare something to eat. Not the most appetizing. It would not be possible to move their litter box anywhere else. Cats are pretty sensitive to that and we don't need to upset them anymore than we already have with the banging and clanging and changes to the house constantly going on.

Thanks to everyone for the support. I have dropped off of Facebook during this remodel because I just don't have time. I had really stopped posting on FSU too. We have not had the time to socialize like we usually do with all the shopping, decisions, meetings etc. that are involved. I have been feeling very socially isolated. Then I saw this thread and another one that got my juices flowing a bit so I'm posting again here. Such a great group! I love FSU!

 

[mtnskater]

mtnskater - You have my sympathy. We went through ours while I was pregnant and it was still going after I had the baby. Do you have a Trader Joe's near you? They have lots of pre-packaged fresh foods so you aren't living out of a microwave.

We are also returning our one bathroom to its former glory. It had a reno in 1970 and it may be the ugliest bathroom in the world. I keep hoping some local remodeler has a contest for a reno for such a category. Since it is our only bathroom we need to wait until the basement bathroom is usable to start, but it is a balancing act because they will want to do it before the ceiling is closed up downstairs.

Trader Joe's is a long way from where I live unfortunately! We have a Whole Foods in my area. But we like to call them "Whole Paycheck". The cost of their prepared foods is pretty astronomical. But we do shop there some.

We did our master bath in 2008. The original bathroom was done in 1978...and I bet it was uglier than yours.... I love our remodel but still remember how hellish it was to be without our master bath for so long. This is why it has taken us so long to get to our kitchen/addition. Had to have a BIG break in-between.

Good luck with your bath and other work ilovesalchows!

 

[quartz]

I need to clean today. Badly. However, first I am going to my favorite thrift store to see if I can find a vintage lace tablecloth for my new-old table.
I am feeling the urge to play with paint chips (I have hundreds), so I may pull them out later tonite and think about all the painting projects I need to do.
I have 4 boxes of stuff to go to Goodwill, so at least there has been some de cluttering happening around here.

 

[JanetB]

Trader Joe's is a long way from where I live unfortunately! We have a Whole Foods in my area. But we like to call them "Whole Paycheck". The cost of their prepared foods is pretty astronomical. But we do shop there some.

Costco has a lot of prepared stuff that is good and not too expensive

 

[Spun Silver]

Mtnskate, we moved our kitchen (ie fridge, microwave and toaster over) into the dining room. Luckily for that period of time (though not normally what we consider a great feature) we have a powder room right off the dining room so we had access to a small sink. It was 6-8 weeks of hell but somehow we survived. I can't remember what we ate, probably a lot of frozen dinners and pizzas. Lately I have been exploring other grocery stores than our usual Shoprite. I recently found two other stores (chains) with lower prices, Aldi's and Food Basics (and I thought Shoprite was good!), and there is also a BJ's (similar to Costco) nearby that offers free one-month trial passes. I picked up a couple of frozen Chicken Cordon Bleu's at Aldi's last night for $0.99 each and a 3-meat pizza for $2 (hubby will probably get 3 meals out of it). (I am not enthused about cooking in the summertime, esp. meat as I'm a vegetarian.) We'll see how edible they are! All those stores have lots of prepared foods at decent prices and everything I've had from BJ's is good. You might be surprised at what's out there if you dig a little.

 

[flyingsit]

How are everyone's projects going?

I just sent my approval to the landscape designer for the new house. I changed out a lot of the standard plants, changed most of the areas specified as mulch to rocks, and added additional zones to the irrigation system for things we want to add next year (raised planter beds etc.).

And yesterday I had a facetime call with the design representative, confirming tile placement etc. in the bathrooms.

 

[Ania]

Hi everyone! We are going on a trip to Europe, closing on a new house, and getting ours ready to put on the market - all in the next 20 days (I want our house to be shown while we are gone to minimize the need to keep it sparkling clean while we're living in - a crazy difficult job with kids around). The house we are closing on is a total fixer upper - loads of potential, great location, good layout for our needs, and loads of work to be done. We have an architect lined up and that's it. Our life is about to be turned upside down for a pretty long time. I probably will have lots of updates for this thread in the near future

 

[quartz]

Here's an update on my projects:

1. Last weekend I cleaned out my makeup basket.

2. We pulled out a big scraggly bush and have decided on, but not yet purchased what shrubbery we want to put in it's place. I have also pretty much decided I want to plant a ginkgo tree.

3. I have got my husband saying, " a pergola would be a good idea when we put in a patio, wouldn't it?"
I have the kind of husband who appears to be ignoring me whenever I prattle on about reno projects, and then one day he will just parrot whatever I have been saying forever, as if he just thought of it himself! And then I smile and nod and tell him, "that's a great idea honey!", and he is all proud of himself for having such great ideas.

 

[alexikeguchi]

Hi Ania, that sounds like my life last month. I closed on my Oklahoma house late May, traveled to NY to get that apartment livable, went to Europe to visit my older son who is studying there, and then returned to move into my downsized OK home. Despite some crazy ups and downs, all of that happened without irreparable problems. Most recently, the parts box for my local move went AWOL for a few days, meaning only one of three beds could be reassembled. Fortunately, the movers just located that box and put the other beds back together today, so we're all happy.

 

[madm]

We've done a few major remodels on our 36-year-old home, including gutting the kitchen, and I can say they have been relatively painless because we hired remodel companies that provide the entire suite of contractors, architects, and interior decorators. Sure it costs more than if you try to do some of the work yourself or if you act as the general contractor, but the headache factor is next-to-nothing. The design is much better than anything I would have come up with, they can get discount prices on materials, and the work is scheduled tightly so that inspectors and contractors come in back to back in a timely fashion. Look on houzz.com for a remodel specialist in your area that gets good reviews. Trying to do a kitchen remodel yourself without having construction skills and experience yourself will be a real PITA and will take longer than you think.

Re: living in your home while a kitchen remodel is in progress, do it in the summer so that you can set up a camp-style kitchen in your garage and patio. We moved our old fridge and microwave into the garage, so we had those plus we set up a pantry area and coffee station. All cooking happened on our BBQ and camping stove. We lived this way for about three months and it was fine. We ate simply so we didn't have too many dishes to wash in our half bath (which is next to the laundry & garage with counter space for drying). The only time we had to move out into a hotel was for 3 days when our hardwood floor was finished.

 

[quartz]

50% off garden plants!!
I have 15 coleus for my 3 front planters, 2 hanging baskets for the garage, a tomato planter that has both big and little tomatoes, and two hydrangeas, one blue, one pink. I want a couple of dogwoods to replace the bush we pulled out, but in the two garden centres we went to, the dogwoods were full of brown spots.
The husband and I also discussed repairing vs replacing our crumbling concrete front steps.

A house recently sold around the corner from us. The previous owners had put in a new kitchen 8 months before selling. The new owners have ripped it out. They have also ripped off the front porch, put in a fabulous new front door, and are completely residing the house. I said to the husband, how can people get going on so much reno work after owning a place for a month? We are 11 years in this house and we still have our old lady ugly blue kitchen. We need to stop talking and start doing.
The husband smirked at me and then went fishing.

 

[barbk]

Mtnskater -- Do you have a propane bbq? Camp cooking on one could be good.

quartz - I am astonished at the number of people who are able to buy expensive homes and immediately can rip out kitchens and baths.

 

[quartz]

Mtnskater -- Do you have a propane bbq? Camp cooking on one could be good.

quartz - I am astonished at the number of people who are able to buy expensive homes and immediately can rip out kitchens and baths.

Well, our neighborhood isn't exactly expensive, but it is a nice, well cared for, and updated cape cod style house that sold....it was on the market for $215k, which is pretty close to the average selling price in our town. By comparison, our house (also a cape cod), we purchased for $125k 11 years ago.

 

[aftershocks]

Good luck @quartz, and everyone with all your renovations. Just think about how wonderful you will feel when the work is completed.

BTW, quartz, did anyone ever tell you that you resemble Julie Christie quite a bit? You're gorgeous and funny. Great combo!

 

[quartz]

@aftershocks, Julie Christie? Nope, that's a new one. I shall add that to the list. For some reason people like telling me I look like someone else.
Thank you for your kind words. I have had a bit of an emotional day and your kind words are, well, kind.
(And I cannot blame that articulate little gem of a comment on wine either, so I think that is my signal to sign off for the night. )

 

[reckless]

Update on my project. I'm just gearing up now. Got the equity line in place and the architect's drawings should be going to the structural engineer this week. Then it's two weeks for the final plans. I have to get permits for a small part of the project (closing off two entryways and expanding a corner of the kitchen onto a covered patio), but I think we can start work on the interior while those things are approved. So now I think we will begin the work around July 15, if not the week before.

One of the first things I plan to do is move the refrigerator and microwave to my current laundry room and add a sink. That will give me a kitchenette of sorts to use during the construction. I'm planning on doing the kitchen and living room work, and then having a month or so break from construction before tackling the building of a master suite and bathroom and adding a bathroom to another room.

 

[quartz]

So, I talked my husband out of replacing the front steps. They have now been patched and re-painted, and look very nice.
Now the railings look like crap, the front door looks like crap, the frame around the door looks like crap and I want a new mailbox!

I am also working on cleaning and reorganizing some of my collections, of which I have many. So we have been sorta/kinda productive.

 

[flyingsit]

This afternoon we're meeting with someone to talk about window treatments. I have no freaking idea what to do... our old townhouse had wood blinds everywhere but that won't work here. The new house has a ton of enormous windows, and I mean ENORMOUS.

Yesterday we saw the quartz slabs which will be used for our kitchen island. The rest of the countertops will be white quartz, but for the island (which is also enormous) we splurged on this: http://www.houzz.com/photos/17427155/Berwyn-minneapolis

Apparently all of the countertops will be installed next week and sinks etc. along with them. We already have cabinets in place.

 

[skatesindreams]

This afternoon we're meeting with someone to talk about window treatments. I have no freaking idea what to do.
The new house has a ton of enormous windows, and I mean ENORMOUS..

Could you do some variation of Roman shades?
That would allow for light when you wanted it; and darkening when you didn't.

 

[madm]

Could you do some variation of Roman shades?
That would allow for light when you wanted it; and darkening when you didn't.

We have Hunter Douglas shades. The Silhouette shades can be tightly closed, or opened to allow filtered light in through the in-between mesh. And they can be pulled up completely to allow all the light in. In the kitchen I have honeycomb shades that raise with a cord pull (on the picture window) or with a center tab (on the full glass door). In several bedrooms, I installed honeycomb blackout shades with a center tab to raise them - they have a layer of mylar in the middle that really blocks out light. I have white shades everywhere since I have white trim. I didn't want colored shades because I don't want to have to change them when I repaint rooms. My Silhouette shades are 28 years old and still look fine. They are difficult to clean though so I just vacuum in-between the mesh layers once a year to get rid of any bugs.

If you don't want to spend big bucks on custom made window shades, JC Penney has some reasonable prices and sales. However, they carry limited sizes and cannot create shades for really big windows. They are a good option for areas you and your company rarely see, like bathrooms. If your windows are really huge, you may want to spend the money on automated shades.

I've been noticing a trend on HGTV shows like Property Brothers to install fabric curtains in bright colors and patterns. This is a good way to add color to an otherwise bland décor. But keep in mind that curtains take up space so you can't push your furniture close to a window with curtains.

 

[reckless]

I'm almost ready to begin the kitchen renovation, but have been stuck on some of the design elements. I still haven't completely figured out the floors, cabinets, and counters. It's difficult because I'm putting in wood floors through the entire house and I have a lot of very disparate styles. My furniture in the living room and den are very modern, with bright jewel tones. The furniture in the bedrooms is cherry, with one bedroom set being very modern and the other rather traditional. And in the dining room, I have a very traditional, antique mahogany table and buffet. I initially wanted to use rosewood because I love the red tones and the warmth they give, but they really didn't work with the dining room or bedrooms, or the midcentury/modern kitchen I'm planning.

So I started over and then fell in love with this kitchen design: http://www.houzz.com/photos/19225016/Paradise-Point-contemporary-kitchen-gold-coast-tweed. The colored glass backsplash is incredible. I like that it is not made up of small tiles, but also is not a solid color. I would probably do the backsplash in a cobalt blue, which would echo the jewel tones of the living room, and do similar sleek white cabinets and dark counters. I just have no idea what a backsplash like that would cost or who could make it. (The designer who posted the picture is in Australia.)