The Super Official Homeowners Thread

[WRXtranceformed]

Even with prefabbed walls, studs get bowed out of alignment all the time...whether from sitting in water after the lumber drop and between framing, or from the weight of the joists / floor decking, etc. It's part of the reason why those lumber drops from prefabbed factories also include a few large packs of 2x4s. At the end of the day, it's the PM's job to make sure that bowed studs are replaced and walls are squared before "close in". Most unfortunately nowadays don't even bother to get out of their trucks and just trust their framing crews...which never has good results. I used to spend at least an hour on every house frame-checking it with a large level and a can of orange spray paint. The biggest thing was bowed and broken studs in roof trusses, for obvious reasons. You have to call out an inspector for those repairs no matter what.

Now if a wall is bowed after you do the frame check, it's probably because of insulation caught between the drywall and stud or a drywall issue

[.RJ]

Starting to hit the home stretch

















Got a ding in the dishwasher from shipping, but a 6 minute phone call with GE has a new one on order and a tech to come swap it out for me. That's fucking customer service. A+ would buy again.



The paint show continues...

[JPolen01]

Nice progress. Floors aren't my style, but I dig the countertops and cabinets. The light fixture over the sink is awesome looking. Big fan of the floating vanity in the bathroom as well.

[Sijray21]

Awww yiiisss

[.RJ]

We wanted bold floors, and we got it. I love it, best thing we did.

[Ryan T]

Starting to hit the home stretch

Learn me on this light here, cause that looks awesome! is it just reflective, or is there a square light in both pieces? LED? Your whole setup is beautiful.

[Sijray21]

We wanted bold floors, and we got it. I love it, best thing we did.

It definitely adds texture when you factor in the cabinets and the countertops. Looks better than I thought it would.

Also loving the contrasting upper vs lower cabinet color choices, but I may be bias.

[Apoc]

Not a fan of the farmhouse floors with sleek kitchen either, but everything looks nice and clean. I think white was a good choice given the floorplan. Those cabinets blue? Can't rememeber I'm pretty sure I want an obnoxious blue kitchen.

[Sijray21]

Not a fan of the farmhouse floors with sleek kitchen either, but everything looks nice and clean. I think white was a good choice given the floorplan. Those cabinets blue? Can't rememeber I'm pretty sure I want an obnoxious blue kitchen.

You sure about that? I'm traumatized by blue from my old kitchen...

[.RJ]

The lower cabinets are a dark slate blue. It doesnt show up as well in photos, and the doors/fireplace wall are a match to the same blue.

[Apoc]

@ jayray

Put granite on those counters, subway tile on the backsplash, and this stove - you've got a million dollar home in Seattle.

[.RJ]

Fucking Seattle.

[D_Eclipse9916]

I love it, it's a big too fashion-esque for my wife; but I like the aggressive style.

[Steve85]

Love it! Definitely a bold choice on the floor, but I dig it. We had pecan which is very similar.

[.RJ]

Learn me on this light here, cause that looks awesome! is it just reflective, or is there a square light in both pieces? LED? Your whole setup is beautiful.

Square LED's in both pieces. I didnt know what I was going to think of it but I like it.... left to me I would have just done some simple pendants.

I got our pictures hung back up today and I'm moving as much shit back out of the basement as I can and we're 100% moved into the new kitchen. Its nice to use this thing finally.

[WRXtranceformed]

Turned out great RJ, very modern and clean!

[ScottyB]

RJ that looks baller as hell. count me in the "i love floor" camp. works perfectly with the matte/satin dark lower cabinets and stark white counters. well played.

boost it to 1.1 mil if you put a bird on that

[Jake]

Dude, RJ, that is sweet. Love all of it, especially the counter/cabinet color combo and the lighting choices. I'm 50/50 on the floors, they look fantastic although I am partial to the "gray wood" trend that's popular right now. In any case, it should all live and age well. Hopefully the struggles you guys faced throughout the reno process were worth it when you see and use the new space!

[.RJ]

We looked at grey floors, but with grey walls and with my tendency to "grey & white all the things" this got me out of my comfort zone. Thanks for the props, all, I think they'll wrap up everything but the tile work early next week.

[ScottyB]

bit the bullet and went all-in on an exterior refinishing.  this was the second biggest expense we've put into the house aside from replacing the A/C lineset, coil, and condenser but it was time.  the sun destroys everything down here and at 10 years old on the original paint our house went from the color of light green to what our painter perfectly summed up as "2 Week Old Potato Salad."

this is our house from a street view in 2012.  it was built in 2008.


and now...

 
freakin gross.  faded 8 different colors, chalky shutters, all the trim is turning black and brown.  almost all our siding faces due south and gets cooked all year.


i think they call this "house leprosy"


failing aluminum trim up top, aka the ol' sunburn peel


powerwashed the vinyl trim and driveway, caulked all the gaps in the hardyboard, painted the siding/trim/shutters/garage door/front and back doors.  i know the color isn't for everyone, but we thought it worked with our weird brown brick and made the house feel bright and happy.  we also have a lot of fond memories of blue houses as kids (lake and vacation homes) so there was some emotional attachment.




and a quick comparison again to before.  LOL what the hell are we feeding our tree, i have no idea.  Willow Oaks are freaks.


some useful information if there's any to offer:


Siding and Trim paint was all Sherwin Williams Duration.  Shutters and Doors were Sherwin Williams All Surface Enamel.  Caulking/Jointing was done with clear Bostik (previously Siroflex) Duo-Sil urethane acrylic sealant.

we found our guy by asking around for a few months and he was recommended by a couple people we trusted.  works by himself, doesn't advertise, and slow but meticulous.  that's my kinda guy.  turned out he was not only a great painter but a certified gearhead.  he probably burned at least an hour every day showing me pictures of his 11 second Silverado and the C10 pickup and G20 van he's restoring and us talking shop which was great.  i'd recommend seeing what you hear from neighbors/coworkers if you need to find someone as well...online reviews can be spotty, biased, or good marks given too quickly by people that aren't really checking over the tiny details on the work.

i hope it was worth the money. if it looks even a bit better after 10 years than the previous paint job i'll be satisfied, although by then it'll likely be someone else's problem. next up, what to do with my gross fence, the tree roots busting up the garden edging, boy the paint inside looks shabby now....