Just skimmed the last few posts since thumper1 referred to me! I am more than happy to work with the owner and the contractor to give them what they want. But it drives me absolutely bananas when contractors decide to vault ceilings without asking me first. The last time this happened it doubled the roof load on a basement column that was not designed for that load.
Around here starting work before permits are issued would result in big fines and stop work orders. If make a hole in a wall, bearing or not bearing you need a permit.
" Believe me, no government in So Cal is going to let us run out of water."
Where that it was so simple. No government in SCal has the power to make it rain. It they did we would have no worries for our properties in Pasadena.
And with Coastal Commissions restrictions on any access to the coast, it will take more than the actions of any one city to move H2O allocations around.
Calif has been fighting the H2O fights for years-and its about to get much worse. Thats why cities such as SD and SB are building or bringing online desalinization plants.
I think different kinds of work require permits…while others do not.
I agree bout vaulting ceiling without a good consist first. But isn’t this what CB was asking for? It’s taking her a LONG time to get answers from these folks. Well…at least I think it is.
And I agree with MPM who posted up thread…if the vaulted ceiling has to go…it has to go. It might not be an expense worth dealing with.
The issue here is that CB wants to expand and have more rooms upstairs to take D vantage if the view.
CB it sort of sounds like all of this would be a LOT easier if you were not adding extra load on top of the current house…which apparently is a huge issue.
Would it be more cost effective, and time effective to build a new garage…with rooms above…oh…and a door high enough to accommodate a 2016 SUV?
Just for the record i am not a licensed contractor. I just surround myself with very skilled and experienced subcontractors. That is why i am very careful not to work on someone else’s house. That can lead to a lot of trouble.
In the last week I’ve had 3 requests to do kitchen and bath remodels. I’ve politely declined saying i have a big project and won’t be done until late Fall. They said they would wait and then i have to explain the liability issue.
Construction is rocking right now and its getting difficult to find workers. I am very lucky that I’ve used my subs for 7 yrs so they are loyal. Plus, i try to give them as much lead time as possible.
My biggest concern right now is trying to line up framers and other trades with a continuously shifting schedule
A licensed contractor will charge a lot of money for his work. He has to pay all sorts of insurance including liability and workers comp etc. That is why a licensed plumber will charge $150 per hour whereas a none licensed plumber only costs about $250 per day. This applies to all trades, including what described by cb above.
Yes, carrying the licensing and bonding is very expensive. In my case I have full time employees who are covered by workman’s comp and I have liability insurance which is separate for each property, but as a homeowner who is hiring workers to work on my property (not liable for someone else’s property that I do not own). Then I hire subcontractors and have a detailed discussion with them. If they are licensed and insured themselves, then they are covered. If not, I will add them to my workman’s comp insurance for the period they are working on the project.
My workman’s comp insurance is under a category where I am employing people to work on homes I own. I tried to get workman’s comp insurance for ‘remodeling houses’ and they denied coverage because I didn’t have a contractor license. I think this is a big mistake on their part. The State spends a lot of time trying to enforce workman’s comp insurance and our rates in California are astronomical. But, if they deny coverage to someone who is doing legitimate business… what’s an employer supposed to do?
I do not necessarily even care if subs are licensed and insured, except for the electrician (who is). Do I really care that the painters have a license??? No Tile guys??? No. I have been working with them for many years and I care that they have experience, the right tools and do really quality work.
I have selected the tile for hall bathroom. I want to keep as true to the period of the house as possible. I selected a cement tile from Italy in a modern color combination. Pale grey background with blue, black and dots of greyish brown that match the vanity cabinet. I’m going with a patterned floor and very neutral white subway tile around the bathtub. I’m hoping the floor will give that ‘wow’ factor (it better… tile was expensive). I really love it, but it may not be everyone’s taste.
It probably will be in the ‘what were they thinking’ category
But I only need to appeal to the current trend… and this trend is getting hugely popular in this area. I’ve had two friends remodel their houses in the neighborhood and they both went for the patterned cement tile in their bathrooms in muted navy blue, cream, black and grey. I loved the style so I’m copying their designs.
Those tile photos are gorgeous! I love the little niche they filled with TP, of all things. Subway tile is so boring, it will be a nice pairing to have the calm and the vivacious tiles together.
I really like the tile in the Regal Heights design (second link). It ties with the rest of the color scheme nicely, and the wood of the vanity adds just enough warmth! IMO, without that wood, the bathroom would look like a commercial bathroom.
The self border with surrounding white works well, IMHO. I really do not like the one BunsenBurner likes at all, and I think the wooden vanity is particularly bad. To each his own!
The tile you’ve chosen is softer and nicer than many in the photos. Seems like it will look nice with the subway tile and vanity.
That tile does seem to be very popular now. My only concern would be if the target market was older, like me, and could recall similar tile done in earth tones from the '70s. Dh and I laid about 500 SF of such tile, decades ago, only to have the next owner cover it with carpet. If the likely buyer is younger, then it should be a big hit.
I believe the target market for this house is going to be a move up family that needs a larger space and yard. I’ve been told by many agents that there’s pent up demand for larger remodeled family homes. And I think stairs up from garage will limit retired buyers who are another pent up buyer pool in the area. But ive been way wrong before on who eventually buys the house
