Planning any home improvements?

C'est Moi

C'est Moi

Dishin' it out.
Location
Houston Y'all
We need to have our concrete driveway replaced so I'm waiting on the lock-down to end so I can start getting estimates and hopefully get over the sticker shock. Our home was built in 1994 and has large oak trees whose roots have played havoc with the driveway. (I'm sure parking our 26,000 pound motor home on the concrete hasn't helped, either. :D) While I'm at it, I'll get an estimate on enlarging the back patio area... in for a penny, in for a pound!

I'd also like to have the wood flooring replaced downstairs but I so dread having the house a gigantic mess, plus all the work of furniture moving, etc. So we'll see how that progresses. Our son is a building contractor but is hard to get an "appointment" because he stays so busy.

Do you have any home improvements planned for this year?
 

After I got laid off 5 years ago, I:
-Installed a water softener and whole house filtration system
-Removed the microwave and installed a range hood vent system with roof-mount fan
-Tiled my kitchen backsplash (over 40 ft²)
-Installed under-cabinet lighting
-Tore out the tub-surround walls down to the studs and installed new backing & tile
--Installed a niche for soap & shampoo
--Replaced the wood framing around the shower window with water-tight Corian
-Built a cornice
-Built a mantle
-Built a 6' stand for trash can/microwave/toaster oven,wok
-Built a floor-to-ceiling firewood rack
-Installed a roof-mount tv antenna, later upgraded to a 2-bay unit
-Plowed a garden, installed an electric fence

Did it all by my widdle self.

Last year I had the driveway graded and fresh gravel put down. Also enlarged the area in front of my garage.

I'm going to clear and grade an area behind my garage and have gravel delivered to spread myself as an open storage area.

I really want another outbuilding for my tractor to free up garage space. It will be too large to do myself. Not sure exactly what style I want.

I still need to tear up and tile the bathroom floor and take the door frame out so I can fit a corner vanity in it.

The old house has no insulation. I need to move things around so I can have some blown in, but that involves all that moving, having 3 big holes drilled every 16" on the exterior walls, repairing all those holes, then repainting. It makes me tired just to think of it. But I really need to do it before I can't, rather than won't. Without insulation, hauling firewood is a necessity.

I've become such a sloth lately. What happened? I did all that stuff only 4-5 years ago.
 
C'est Moi said:
We need to have our concrete driveway replaced so I'm waiting on the lock-down to end so I can start getting estimates and hopefully get over the sticker shock. Our home was built in 1994 and has large oak trees whose roots have played havoc with the driveway. (I'm sure parking our 26,000 pound motor home on the concrete hasn't helped, either. :D) While I'm at it, I'll get an estimate on enlarging the back patio area... in for a penny, in for a pound!

I'd also like to have the wood flooring replaced downstairs but I so dread having the house a gigantic mess, plus all the work of furniture moving, etc. So we'll see how that progresses. Our son is a building contractor but is hard to get an "appointment" because he stays so busy.

Do you have any home improvements planned for this year?
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Don't know where in the Houston area you live, but would suggest you contact First Class Concrete ...to be sure they give you a bid. We have had a lot of work done by them and trust me, they are "first class". They're work stands the test of time. Recently had a front entrance big driveway pad poured. We've been so fortunate in having the perfect fix it up folks we've used for years to help us when we need it. Good luck!
 
In The Sticks said:
After I got laid off 5 years ago, I:
-Installed a water softener and whole house filtration system
-Removed the microwave and installed a range hood vent system with roof-mount fan
-Tiled my kitchen backsplash (over 40 ft²)
-Installed under-cabinet lighting
-Tore out the tub-surround walls down to the studs and installed new backing & tile
--Installed a niche for soap & shampoo
--Replaced the wood framing around the shower window with water-tight Corian
-Built a cornice
-Built a mantle
-Built a 6' stand for trash can/microwave/toaster oven,wok
-Built a floor-to-ceiling firewood rack
-Installed a roof-mount tv antenna, later upgraded to a 2-bay unit
-Plowed a garden, installed an electric fence

Did it all by my widdle self.

Last year I had the driveway graded and fresh gravel put down. Also enlarged the area in front of my garage.

I'm going to clear and grade an area behind my garage and have gravel delivered to spread myself as an open storage area.

I really want another outbuilding for my tractor to free up garage space. It will be too large to do myself. Not sure exactly what style I want.

I still need to tear up and tile the bathroom floor and take the door frame out so I can fit a corner vanity in it.

The old house has no insulation. I need to move things around so I can have some blown in, but that involves all that moving, having 3 big holes drilled every 16" on the exterior walls, repairing all those holes, then repainting. It makes me tired just to think of it. But I really need to do it before I can't, rather than won't. Without insulation, hauling firewood is a necessity.

I've become such a sloth lately. What happened? I did all that stuff only 4-5 years ago.
Click to expand...
My husband and son are quite handy and will take on any building/wood working project. We remodeled the kitchen ourselves except for the granite countertops. Husband has built two garden storage sheds over the years and replaced our wooden fence at least twice (damn hurricanes). We have painted, stripped wallpaper, installed tile, you name it... so we are not strangers to home projects.

In the past couple of years we got a new roof and new windows, and those projects were happily handed to experts while we watched and sipped lemonade. :D
 
Liberty said:
Don't know where in the Houston area you live, but would suggest you contact First Class Concrete ...to be sure they give you a bid. We have had a lot of work done by them and trust me, they are "first class". They're work stands the test of time. Recently had a front entrance big driveway pad poured. We've been so fortunate in having the perfect fix it up folks we've used for years to help us when we need it. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the recommendation. I usually go to City Forums, Houston and ask for local reviews. I don't put much stock in "Angies List" or "Home Advisor."
 
C'est Moi said:
Thanks for the recommendation. I usually go to City Forums, Houston and ask for local reviews. I don't put much stock in "Angies List" or "Home Advisor."
Click to expand...
Agree about the lists. We deal "up close and personal" and the first time we used First Class was in the 80's when they poured a 1/4 mile driveway for us. To this day its great. Good luck. Let us know how you make out. Beautiful afternoon. We're sitting on the back deck kicking back with a cold wine - its "happy hour"...lol.
 
Liberty said:
Agree about the lists. We deal "up close and personal" and the first time we used First Class was in the 80's when they poured a 1/4 mile driveway for us. To this day its great. Good luck. Let us know how you make out. Beautiful afternoon. We're sitting on the back deck kicking back with a cold wine - its "happy hour"...lol.
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Can you believe this weather?? OMG, so cool outside; I was surprised when I walked out on the patio earlier.
 
C'est Moi said:
Can you believe this weather?? OMG, so cool outside; I was surprised when I walked out on the patio earlier.
Click to expand...
Yes, the weather is really cool. Did some potting and planting today plus weeding. No jumping in the pool though...lol.
Had a nice afternoon on the back deck swing. Its the most beautiful place in our nature world.

Hope you guys are enjoying your "cool May" day... before the "mean season cranks up. Good to have that pool then.
 
Liberty said:
Yes, the weather is really cool. Did some potting and planting today plus weeding. No jumping in the pool though...lol.
Had a nice afternoon on the back deck swing. Its the most beautiful place in our nature world.

Hope you guys are enjoying your "cool May" day... before the "mean season cranks up. Good to have that pool then.
Click to expand...
I stuck my foot in the pool yesterday; it's not quite ready yet. :D
 
We need a couple of things that are too big for me to do. They will wait until the virus goes away.

I will handle small things myself.
 
Looks like our kitchen will have to wait. We don't want anyone in our house just yet. The landscaping we may ask about this one. Front and side doors need a new screen door - maybe I will get to that.
 
I've replaced all the plumbing last year & remodeled a shower in one bathroom. And 2 new air conditioners.
I'm planning another bathroom remodel soon. And a new roof & paint. House was built in 1953.
 
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win231 said:
I've replaced all the plumbing last year & remodeled a shower in one bathroom. And 2 new air conditioners.
I'm planning another bathroom remodel soon. And a new roof & paint. House was built in 1953.
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Right there with you. Our house was built in 1955; been here about three months. Have had lots of work done and it needs more. Doing yards ourselves but that’s all.
 
Keesha said:
Unfortunately I’m out of my monthly data so shouldn’t be online at all and certainly can’t post pics until the 11th of the month but come Monday I will post pics of our new bottom cabinets on one side with our old unmatched , too short countertop. 😂. It’s a work in progress
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I have one of those plans. Options are limited here in the boonies.

My electric utility is running fiber to all its customers. I'm due to get it sometime next year.

I can't wait. Better/faster/cheaper, baby.
 
Yes, I am planning to move to a new Sunrise a couple of miles from my son's home down the shore here in Jersey. This is long overdue and the Good Lord willing, by late June, early July it will become a reality.
 
In The Sticks said:
I don't understand. Were they not still using copper in the 50s? You didn't have Quest, did you?

Replacing those water lines cannot be easy...or cheap.
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No, it's not cheap, especially on a large house. They used galvanized steel back then. As it corrodes, pieces of it cause blockages in plumbing & it also shortens the life of the water heater when the corrosion collects on the bottom of the tank & makes the water heater work much harder. I think copper started in the '70's. I was going to go with PEX because it's much less costly, but my plumber explained that PEX is great for pipes that are underground & not exposed to UV light or rodents. Not good for pipes in the basement (like mine) because rodents chew through them to file down their teeth which grow constantly. I verified this while he was writing up the estimate. Every time a rat makes a hole, a plumber has to replace that section of pipe.
I spent the extra on copper so I wouldn't have to deal with constant future repairs - and a flooded basement.
 
Aneeda72 said:
Right there with you. Our house was built in 1955; been here about three months. Have had lots of work done and it needs more. Doing yards ourselves but that’s all.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's endless. And a complete re-pipe is NOT complete; it means replacing only supply lines, not drains, which I also had to replace. I learned how much piping it takes to carry water away from the house to the street. I just had my plumber here a couple of days ago when an upper floor bathroom sink started to drain slowly. He replaced that "P" trap under the sink that was 95% blocked. That pipe connects to the drains that go out to the street.
We had a good laugh because I have 5 other sinks with "P" traps from 1953.
 
win231 said:
No, it's not cheap, especially on a large house. They used galvanized steel back then. As it corrodes, pieces of it cause blockages in plumbing & it also shortens the life of the water heater when the corrosion collects on the bottom of the tank & makes the water heater work much harder. I think copper started in the '70's. I was going to go with PEX because it's much less costly, but my plumber explained that PEX is great for pipes that are underground & not exposed to UV light or rodents. Not good for pipes in the basement (like mine) because rodents chew through them to file down their teeth which grow constantly. I verified this while he was writing up the estimate. Every time a rat makes a hole, a plumber has to replace that section of pipe.
I spent the extra on copper so I wouldn't have to deal with constant future repairs - and a flooded basement.
Click to expand...
Man, that absolutely stinks. That's about the same as those Quest horror stories.

My nightmare was a house built in the 40s when they used Orangeburg drainage pipe. Every time I had the sewer pipe snaked, the plumber would bring up bits of pipe on the end of the coil. My only saving grace was Virginia clay. I swear that the only drain I had was the tunnel left in the clay where the Orangeburg used to be. I lived in that house for over 30 years. Any looser soil would have collapsed and left me hanging.

Right now I have PEX in a crawlspace, but there are so many snake sheds under there that a rat doesn't stand a chance...and I only have field mice out here.
 
Been here 7 months and it seems like a lifetime. new floors, removed fake stone wallpaper, patched walls after removing miles of little mirrors (don't ask) dealt with a mold issue, new dishwasher, some new kitchen cabinetry, paint, fireplace revamp, new window treatments, new furnace and hot water tank, refinished some good furniture.

Next is the sunroom and outside. nawww the sunroom can wait till fall if'n I don't give up and sell :unsure:
 

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