Remodeling Our Home...

Originally Posted by brkf

Floor guys are far more careless than painters. At least in my experience. Floor guys tear off baseboard, bang into walls, etc. Painters have to fix all that.

THIS!

We certainly had to have our white base boards removed and there was the actually a few dings here and there. So paint after makes more sense.

~ Big Marcus

thx for the explanation - makes more sense now... like I said, I'm not home improvement expert!

Looks great, Marcus! Love the staggered look.

My "Quick sink fix" this week-end went something like this...
The porcelain shell in our guest bathroom (vanity bathroom downstairs) cracked.
Ordered a new copper colored sink to match the green tile.

Of course the standard faucet (Chrome) didn't match so I had to buy a new faucet too.

Upon removal of the old sink, the new sink was slightly smaller on the perimeter. The tile looked like **** where the old sink sat...soooooo..I had to buy and install new tile.

After I installed the new tile, wife said that the bathroom fixtures didn't match. Sooooo...I had to buy a vanity light, new towel rack and toilet paper dispenser.

Installing those today during my lunch hour (working virtual today) I noticed the new fixtures don't perfectly match up to the old hardware that attaches them to the wall! Soooo...I have to repaint the ****ing bathroom!

So when you think you have a small job ahead of you...think again! Everything is finished except painting the bathroom which I will do Saturday just in time for our 8th annual Super Bowl party.

Originally Posted by Sportsdad

So when you think you have a small job ahead of you...think again! Everything is finished except painting the bathroom which I will do Saturday just in time for our 8th annual Super Bowl party.

Hey, so where's the invite? Kidding. I will be up there for ab 10 days starting Wed.

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

Hey, so where's the invite? Kidding. I will be up there for ab 10 days starting Wed.

ab? abdominal work outs?

Seriously, if you're going to be out here, and you want to have some good ribs, meet 40 family members and friends you've never met before, and take a dip in a 9-person in-ground spa overlooking the Cascade Mountain range while watching the super bowl...I'll send you the invite if you PM me your email. This party is more about bull****ting than it is about the game unless the Seahawks are in the Super bowl.

We are about 45 min from Downtown Seattle.

There isn't a person on Bimmerfest that I wouldn't have a beer with. Even EdCt. Political disagreements end when hospitality begins.

Originally Posted by Sportsdad

ab? abdominal work outs?

Seriously, if you're going to be out here, and you want to have some good ribs, meet 40 family members and friends you've never met before, and take a dip in a 9-person in-ground spa overlooking the Cascade Mountain range while watching the super bowl...I'll send you the invite if you PM me your email. This party is more about bull****ting than it is about the game unless the Seahawks are in the Super bowl.

We are about 45 min from Downtown Seattle.

There isn't a person on Bimmerfest that I wouldn't have a beer with. Even EdCt. Political disagreements end when hospitality begins.

ab= about

If you'd met me before, you'd know the only abdominal work out I do involves what you're serving at the party. I'd spare your guests the view.

M:
Good call on hiring a pro. I hired some guys to do our master shower tile. Im getting too old for all that bending and stooping.

Ive done 10k sq. ft. of floor tile in my life and I can tell when a weekend warrior or DIY did it themselves. It really kills the value of the house IMHO. It's not the grout joints - any chowderhead can get those straight with spacers...it's usually that the tiles are not level with each other. And with a running bond type of joint like you have, even .5mm off will show up and especially after it has been swiffered a few times and the dirt has built up along the little dam.

Ping me you need any advice. I forgot more than Mike Holmes knows....

Originally Posted by Frank Rizzo

M:
I forgot more than Mike Holmes knows....

If Mike Holmes had been at TXstyles house he would have probably uttered his favorite phrase "The floor has a crack in it, tear the house down and build it from scratch"

Originally Posted by Coconutpete

If Mike Holmes had been at TXstyles house he would have probably uttered his favorite phrase "The floor has a crack in it, tear the house down and build it from scratch"

Hahahaha!!!!

BigMarcus ~ EVO 4G LTE

Originally Posted by Frank Rizzo

M:
Good call on hiring a pro. I hired some guys to do our master shower tile. Im getting too old for all that bending and stooping.

Ive done 10k sq. ft. of floor tile in my life and I can tell when a weekend warrior or DIY did it themselves. It really kills the value of the house IMHO. It's not the grout joints - any chowderhead can get those straight with spacers...it's usually that the tiles are not level with each other. And with a running bond type of joint like you have, even .5mm off will show up and especially after it has been swiffered a few times and the dirt has built up along the little dam.

Ping me you need any advice. I forgot more than Mike Holmes knows....

Thanks my man! And so true about the level of the tile. As I watched then laying the quick set, I realized that's where the experience also pays off huge. With them being staggered, any F up would be obvious. And like you said, after several mops and swifferings, the true beauty is now visible.
So currently I'm installing curtains and walnut colored 2" blinds in this room and adjoining kitchen. Next up... I have 3 boxes of furniture to tackle and put together. Followed by re-wiring my home theater. Sectional is being built with an ETA middle or late February (that was the most difficult thing to decide on).
Did I mention replacing the carpet throughout? And the d u s t!!!!
Stay tuned...

BigMarcus ~ EVO 4G LTE

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

And the d u s t!!!!

If it's dust you want, start moving walls. This was part of our project last summer:





We chose a natural slate product for the tile because the sunroom is a bridge from the pool to the rest of the (hardwood) house. It's good for slippery/wet feet.

Curtains are up...



BigMarcus ~ EVO 4G LTE

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

If it's dust you want, start moving walls. This was part of our project last summer:

Did you put tile on top of tile? Did you have to undercut your doors a lot?

Was that room was an addition? You step down into it and it looks like the ceiling height is a little lower.

14ga running to the outlet, but 12ga to the lights

Originally Posted by Frank Rizzo

Did you put tile on top of tile? Did you have to undercut your doors a lot?

Was that room was an addition? You step down into it and it looks like the ceiling height is a little lower.

14ga running to the outlet, but 12ga to the lights

Well, *I* didn't, but the contractor did. Underneath is slab, so it was nice and flat. We did tile in one kitchen where the contractor put tile over the linoleum. It's still fine 20 years later, so this should be OK, too.

The room was an addition about 30 years ago as far as we can tell. It is actually sunken by about 4-5" from the rest of the house. The ceilings are the same level throughout. They're just a bit taller in this room. I believe it was a large back porch when the house was built ~45 years ago. When we moved in 9 years ago, we did a lot to the house, but it took some 'living' time before I figured out what I wanted to do with this space.

Here's what the space looked like at purchase:



This is an idea what it looked like before- a single door to the pool area. The windows and the opening from the hall were off center:


The outlet power you see is existing (aluminum) wire. It's very common around here for homes built during the Vietnam conflict when copper got silly expensive. As I understand it, they didn't know at the time that aluminum wire could start fires so readily. Now, we have to put this 'goo' on it so that it doesn't vibrate the wire nuts off and start a fire when tied to a copper wire. The switch plate power was in place from the remodel 9 years ago. One of my big objectives for this space was to rid the house of the last bit of wood panels. This stuff was what I imagine was called 'honey gold' when it was put in. There must have been 6 coats of paint on it before we added the neutral beige.

Another big change is the arched opening. There was an opening before, but it was off center because of the 10' deep closet we added so long ago. That opening was also not arched- a theme that we began throughout our other projects. Now the opening is arched and centered with the same bull-nosed corners we added to the rest of the house 9 years ago. The only existing door prior to this effort was the one in the corner- a closet. We added that closet and another in the master bedroom when we gutted the place. We did have to trim the closet door by about 1". The doors leading outside were the biggest part of this remodel project. They and the side lights are new. After the home invasion, I am actually replacing these brand new doors with more secure ones.


And this is how it was for about 8 years. You can see the off-center opening and the crap-tastic windows. We actually replaced them and added shutters in the rest of the house a year prior to this project:



I will try to compile some pictures into a meaningful progression as I gain access to them. I'm out of town for another week.

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

The outlet power you see is existing (aluminum) wire. It's very common around here for homes built during the Vietnam conflict when copper got silly expensive. As I understand it, they didn't know at the time that aluminum wire could start fires so readily. Now, we have to put this 'goo' on it so that it doesn't vibrate the wire nuts off and start a fire when tied to a copper wire. The switch plate power was in place from the remodel 9 years ago. One of my big objectives for this space was to rid the house of the last bit of wood panels. This stuff was what I imagine was called 'honey gold' when it was put in. There must have been 6 coats of paint on it before we added the neutral beige. .

You should replace all Aluminum wires. Adding NoAlox (the grey goop) is NOT protection against fire, wire failure, etc. The goop prevents corrosion of the aluminum, but the AL wire still can fail. The wire nuts dont vibrate off, the wire breaks and the current arcs across the break - generating heat and leading to the fire. Or, this happens in the cable itself, when an errant ding during construction causes a weak spot then it is stressed by settling.

Is this work being inspected??

I wired a lot of houses in the 70s when AL was popular- it was just cheap crap and I never used it. Given labor and other equipment costs, running AL romex for 15 or 20A circuits was a false economy- maybe saved 10% on a job. Popular with budget builders...

Again, get rid of it all. IMO

A

Looks nice so far. I love remodeling, it's fun fun fun.

Originally Posted by ard

You should replace all Aluminum wires. Adding NoAlox (the grey goop) is NOT protection against fire, wire failure, etc. The goop prevents corrosion of the aluminum, but the AL wire still can fail. The wire nuts dont vibrate off, the wire breaks and the current arcs across the break - generating heat and leading to the fire. Or, this happens in the cable itself, when an errant ding during construction causes a weak spot then it is stressed by settling.

Is this work being inspected??

I wired a lot of houses in the 70s when AL was popular- it was just cheap crap and I never used it. Given labor and other equipment costs, running AL romex for 15 or 20A circuits was a false economy- maybe saved 10% on a job. Popular with budget builders...

Again, get rid of it all. IMO

A

Yeah it was inspected. Legacy wiring is exempted from code. It's been 9 years since we did the major wiring and we haven't had an issue. ~45 years since the place was built and no fires. We're aware of what *can* happen, but it hasn't. None of our 800 neighbors whose homes were built at the same time have had an issue attributed to AL wiring. At least not according to the HOA logs from back to the 70's.

The neighborhood was custom builders including my wife's parents who used their own plans around the corner from our current home. It was set up so that any one builder could not build the same home on the same street or in the same view as a similar plan to keep the neighborhood from looking like a cookie cutter. They even had a requirement that your garage door could not be on the same side as the face of your house. It could be off to the side or around back, not facing the street except on the secondary corner.

Ours, her parent's and our immediate neighbors who built and still live in their homes have direct experience over 40 years with the wiring leads that us to believe that the hype around it is *more likely* to lead to an *unlikely* problem.

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

Yeah it was inspected. Legacy wiring is exempted from code. It's been 9 years since we did the major wiring and we haven't had an issue. ~45 years since the place was built and no fires. We're aware of what *can* happen, but it hasn't. None of our 800 neighbors whose homes were built at the same time have had an issue attributed to AL wiring. At least not according to the HOA logs from back to the 70's.

The neighborhood was custom builders including my wife's parents who used their own plans around the corner from our current home. It was set up so that any one builder could not build the same home on the same street or in the same view as a similar plan to keep the neighborhood from looking like a cookie cutter. They even had a requirement that your garage door could not be on the same side as the face of your house. It could be off to the side or around back, not facing the street except on the secondary corner.

Ours, her parent's and our immediate neighbors who built and still live in their homes have direct experience over 40 years with the wiring leads that us to believe that the hype around it is *more likely* to lead to an *unlikely* problem.

All I'll say if it isnt a problem, the code would still allow it. Even with all the HOA records on 800 homes going back 40 years....IMO these risks are best judged by data, not singular experiences.

However, we all make risk/benefit decisions every day. In the whole scheme of things, this one is not at the top.

Finally, when I was doing this, I would always discuss this trade off with owners- and explain the cost. Never had to run it. If I recall a 250' roll of 12/2 wg romex was$25 and AL was $15. Electricians that were not passing costs along with Time and Material bids would be pressed to reduce costs, unrelated to the type of houses built. (OTOH, ran plenty of multistrand Al...0000 down to #6)

There is nothing to wrong with AL conductors (but if they were in my house, i'd rewire everything). I bet the service feeders to your meter are AL. So long as they are installed correctly, with the correct devices and wire and torqued correctly with NoLox and the right wire nuts and checked periodically- there will most likely not be an issue.

Given that the there is a piece of romex hanging in the breeze off the bottom of your switch box, you might want to check your particular installation though. Maybe someone not familiar with the intricacies of AL wiring was fiddling around?

Ever looked into the foundation settling issue?

Few update shots as we await our sofa/sectional which is being built (early March):






Substantial changes to my Home Theater setup as well: TV Stand, Receiver, Blu Ray player, Sub, Speakers

~ Big Marcus

Originally Posted by Frank Rizzo

Given that the there is a piece of romex hanging in the breeze off the bottom of your switch box, you might want to check your particular installation though. Maybe someone not familiar with the intricacies of AL wiring was fiddling around?

Ever looked into the foundation settling issue?

Are you talking ab the yellow wire or the white? The yellow is new copper from the remodel 9 years ago. The white is aluminum that comes up from conduit in the slab. Either way, the electrician was far from done at that point. We moved switches, outlets and all sorts of things electrical.

We did fail the first electrical inspection because of some left over sloppy wiring from the first remodel. It felt good to have that all buttoned up after a motivated inspector demanded it. I didn't mind paying for a return trip or two, either. Electrical fires are not my cup of tea. We passed the second with flying colors though.

And yes. Our foundation did settle (at some point) or at least cracked. I saw a nice crack when we ripped up the carpet to install the hardwood floors. However, all the doors line up and we've lost no bricks or have any cracks in them. I suspect it was an (shutter) earthquake that I recall some time ago. The Cali folks would think this non-event was a neighbor's car starting up, but I recall vividly all the stay at home moms popping their heads out their doors to see what had hit their house.

Originally Posted by Frank Rizzo

14ga running to the outlet, but 12ga to the lights

I see this all the time; and splice boxes buried in the wall with no access plate. It's a guaranteed code violation. Wire is wire, right?

Originally Posted by Scott ZHP

I see this all the time; and splice boxes buried in the wall with no access plate. It's a guaranteed code violation. Wire is wire, right?

A hidden splice box was one of the items the inspector failed on the first inspection. Of course, it was all new copper bc it was from this work and the copper from 9 yrs ago. The electricians had to install the access plate where we connected small can lights around the house. The little lights shine down from the edge of the roof to the ground around the house. They are on a couple different switched motion detectors so they light the best path when unexpected guests arrive. We can also turn them on when we are expecting someone.

That was one of those out of scope "Well, hell. While we're here, we might as well get that itch scratched, too." I'm bad ab that. But I will say that we like it a lot. The lights around the house provide a nice soft light and very good security.

Ultra plush carpeting installed with 8lbs pad. Wow.... Our feet have been missing out! Plush enough to lay on.



BigMarcus ~ EVO 4G LTE