Unfortunately, it’s all about convenience for me. If I’m in the store buying tons of lumber I am just going to run over to the plumbing department and get all the plumbing parts while I am there. I never have enough energy to go somewhere else and try to give them a list of ABS parts to pull from their back room - I kind of have to look at all of them and fit them together for the job. Besides, I’m the coupon lady, I have tons of competitor coupons for 10% off in the bottom of my purse.
You are right, but HD does not have all the brass fittings for my water main and it is not good in appliances. I had to goto Lowes to get the trims for the laminated floor, they did not have the size of water heater I need etc. So HD is not the only place to shop and cannot solve all the problems.
I, like you, am the only “buyer” for the project. I buy MOST of the parts at HD, but I do shop around(including on line and Harbor Frieght) in the mean time.
I like to shop online for my lighting and fixtures to find unusual pieces at reasonable prices.
I also purchase online for bulk electrical such as switches, receptacles and plates.
But, when it comes to plumbing I take the easy way out. I usually buy 2-3 of every single ABS part because putting the plumbing together is like a puzzle and I am so tired of running to the store to get that one missing piece! Then, at the end I am taking boxes and boxes of ABS back to return and the returns are so much easier at Home Depot and Lowes than trying to return online. At the plumbing supply stores and other places (such as roofing wholesale place) there is a 20% restocking charge for returns. It kind of defeats the fact that I saved money on the original purchase.
I have not encountered a brass water main before so haven’t had to find plumbing parts for brass plumbing, except in the finishing pieces for showers, etc.
Not familiar with heating and AC pieces and parts because my HVAC guy brings all this own stuff, although I do have to buy the venting parts and roof vents for bathroom fans, plumbing vents and the stove fan.
This week I became an expert on sewage sump pumps! I had to research all week to learn about how to plumb them, print out diagrams for the plumbing and then purchase the pump. I ended up calling a Sump Pump specialist place in the Midwest and let them size what I needed. The pump comes in it’s own plastic tub housing (I didn’t want to make a mistake with the basin and it’s fittings - yuck if it doesn’t work right). The thing weighs about 190 lbs so they shipped it on a train to San Bernardino and now I have to wait for it to get delivered at my home driveway via truck. Then the guys are going to have to rush over to my house and load the thing over to the project. I should have shipped it directly to the project but I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly when I was ordering it on the phone.
But, I am glad we decided to do it ourselves. It’s not rocket science… even the building inspector said he put one in his house - bet he didn’t get a permit 
The cost of the pump, including taxes and shipping, was only $419. Our plumbing parts cost about $300. Labor to run the whole thing will probably cost $800. Compare that to the $5,500 the fancy plumbing company wanted to do the job!!! Geeez… what a ripoff!
Where do you get your switchplates on-line, @coralbrook?
Westside Wholesale - but in reality, probably the same cost as Home Depot if I use my 10% off coupons
My new sewer line requires trenching over 100 feet , opening of the street, dig down 6 feet and drill a 4" hole on the sewer main concrete box(not the pipe). As I understand, to drill that hole costs $300. That requires encroaching bond and special permit, I don’t think any home owner can do it just by hiring a plumber. So, every situation is different, no one way to skin the cat.
OTOH, sewer pump can be purchased in HD for about $200.
Not once you add in the tank, the check valve, and all the other pieces you need to hook it up. I think $419 is a pretty good price.
Only concern I would have with buying it from out of state would be getting parts if it needed repair. Of course that will (hopefully) be years down the road.
The one I have has only needed repairs a couple of times in 30 years.
No, I meant the pump only. Recently, I had to replace one thus I know.
DH and I went to cb’s favorite Sears Appliance Outlet and they actually had the Kenmore Elite model that we’ve been offered so we were able to check it out in person. It’s not all that pretty of a stove but it does have tons of features. DH isn’t sure he wants it and wants to see all the other possibilities that might exist. I said if he didn’t like that one we should take the money, wait, and redo the kitchen as a whole. Big to-do because he sees no point in spending “tens of thousands of dollars” to renovate the kitchen if we’re not adding any more space. Even though the money would all come from a small percent of my inheritance from my mother. And even though I lived with a bleepy kitchen for 27 years in our old house and was really hoping to finally live with a decent one. Maybe I’d better take this over to the rant thread and leave this to flip talk. I want to flip my kitchen!
“Even though the money would all come from a small percent of my inheritance from my mother.”
OMG. If your husband does not have to contribute one thin dime to pay for a new kitchen, then in my book he should NOT have veto power!!
We FINALLY redid our 30 year old kitchen 2 years ago, and it was worth every dime spent!! Both my thrifty hubby and I agree on that!
Put your foot down- remodeling your kitchen will add value to your home AND make you happy!
OK, don’t even get me started here!! As the only one in our group that has actually seen the kitchen Marilyn is referring to… gut the thing In her house, the kitchen is front and center and in your face when you walk into the house. You spent a lot of time and effort to find a house in your dream location. You ‘settled’ by purchasing a house with outdated kitchens and baths.
Let me just say that the kitchen resembles a ‘before’ kitchen you see in all the kitchen remodels. And, it has a really strange layout with the refrigerator recessed into a wall.
I will send you a private email with some ideas on cost and layout to help you with your decision.
Take the money instead of a white stove and start dreaming about and planning your new kitchen. You lived with a crappy kitchen for 27 years, you have a right to a new kitchen now. Tell him he can do whatever he wants with the office… the kitchen remodel is your baby (well, unless he does ALL the cooking and cleaning in the kitchen).
Ask your husband… is this our ‘forever’ house now? Are we living in this house through our retirement? If yes, then the kitchen needs to be modernized to be as functional as possible when we age and as maintenance free as possible.
Plus, you live in an appreciating real estate area. You need to update those kitchens and baths for resale value. The baths can wait but the kitchen is the main part of the house.
Men, amirite? 
Hooray for @coralbrook! Lots of quotable phrases in there for @Marilyn to use.
And Marilyn can start a thread about her kitchen reno!
Back to our regularly scheduled programming…
Our oak floors are installed and ‘breathing’ while we try to finish everything upstairs to let the guys do the finish. That will be several weeks.
I’m busy trying to catch up with my Purchasing Agent responsibilities. I’ve got a bunch of lighting choices, toilets and fixtures all stacked up waiting to get installed by the Tooth Fairy or something… because everyone is downstairs trying to get framing and plumbing complete.
All of our bathroom plumbing is complete downstairs except the final hookup to the sewage pump, which isn’t here yet. We will get our 2nd inspection to pass the plumbing on Monday.
Meanwhile we are busy trying to build the big load bearing staircase wall. In the other area of the large room, I started laying lines for the bathroom walls and realized that the draftsman included the drawing with the doors in the old location - not the new location where we moved it to end of the wall. I sure hope the inspector doesn’t care that I am putting a door in a different location than the plans - I don’t think he really cares. But it worries me… do I have the wrong version of the framing plan in the City approved bundle? Yikes
Some new pics loaded
Pics are great. I need to start buying lottery tickets.
A thought. Regarding the front of the house. Can you put some kind of more decorative “small cage” may black wrought iron or something around the meter boxes at the end? Then landscape with something as well? A more decorative cage covering would look better than the jail bar look the current cage has…plus if over the meter end only might look…well… Decorative.
Compliment the other side with black large pots with plantings on the “porch” area.
Just a thought.
The landscape design guy called this morning and said his car broke down. So, he did not come today to view the front of the house. I will have to wait longer for some curb appeal designs
The floors look great! Are you adding those pennies to your cost total? :)) I’m still voting for surfboards or sail shades as part of the front decor to hide the electrical box et al. I’m picturing them on the left as you look down the driveway towards the water.
Yes, the fact that our kitchn had abeen modernized and updated was a major consideration for ME when we decided to bid full list price and buy the houes we’ve now lived in for decades. I would NOT be interested in buying a house with a kitchen that needed a major makeover. The price to renovate a kitchn can vary tremendously, but have it done well. My folks had a friend of my brother do their kitchen renovation. He did an AWFUL job and you can’t even tell that he did ANYTHING to it. When they complained that the faucets operated backwards instead of the way most faucets operated, he just cried and never repaired it so it operated as it had BEFORE his renovation. The only lasting thing he did was replace the old formica with new formica, plus put in a corian counter and sink in one bathroom.
I’d strongly suggest starting to look at pininterest and other places for good ideas of what YOU want. It is a joy having a bright, functional kitchn that is low maintenance. We love stainless drainboards integrated with a large sink, as our house has that. We also love the corian surfaces throughout the kitchen. @Marilyn, you only live once. You’ve endured the old kitchen you don’t like for 27 years, it’s time to make yourself happy and get some years of enjoyment in your new kitchen.
Thanks, @HImom, I’m glad we all agree that I deserve a nice new kitchen! Now that I’ve achieved my goal of living where I wanted…
Don’t want to derail cb’s flip thread but will be happy for any ideas via pm - time for me to start perusing kitchen makeovers and finding tons of reasons why remodel will make DH happy. Hmm - he does hate bending down to reach into lower cabinet shelves…so there’s a start!
What’s the expression?
“Happy wife, happy life.”
Sounds like someone needs a reminder. 