@notrichenough our site supervisor found a laminated beam that would work nicely in our home. The business owner which custom made it had it laying around - someone put $1,000 down and didn’t ever use for whatever reason - our guy negotiated and got it for $400. A wonderful buy!
@SOSConcern Nice!
When all is said and done, there are always going to be areas that you wish you had done different, perhaps saved a little money or wish you had spent a little more. Known something beforehand (you don’t know what you don’t know).
All in all, well thought out, tolerating the process, and enjoying the results.
And sometimes just stick to your guns w/o listening to the experts (we wanted sub floors screwed down; site supervisor said the way they glue it down, no squeaks - WRONG! - any reworked floors we had them screw down each sheet of sub-flooring).
Let me guess… Glue is way cheaper than screws. 
And the finished product looks the same and feels the same until it starts to squeak a few years down the road.
Honestly our guy really thought we would not have squeaky floors. Yes, screws involves a little bit more labor/time. Very small incremental money decision IMHO - annoying for us even 25 years later…
My advice - glue and screws on sub-floor!
Tongue and groove plywood subfloors are the best. Not a squeak in our previous house in its 18 years.
Interesting collection of data for home remodelers.
Tongue and groove plywood is probably thicker, thus less ‘spring’. I didn’t know about plywood sub-floor options, but glued and screwed can assure no squeaky floors!
@Mom22039 , am I reading that you will have the WC door swing into the toilet compartment, or into the bathroom? Swinging into a small space can be a safety issue. You might have plenty of room to get n there and close the door, but what if the occupant becomes unconscious or falls within that small space? There’s a reason why building codes require shower doors to open out.
The previous owners of our house installed an elongated toilet that prevents the inward-closing door from opening fully. (It hits the toilet.) Don’t let this happen to you! Changing the door to outward-opening makes it collide with a door to the basement. It’s a real pain.
Totally agree with @dragonmom. While we’re used to inswinging doors, outswinging doors are much safer in bathrooms, especially for those of us hoping to ‘age in place’, or anyone else for that matter. Often if there is a fall, the occupant tries to go to the door, or even falls in front of the door, but can’t open it. This makes it difficult for a helper (or emergency crew) to get inside. Of course an emergency crew can potentially knock it down, but tough if someone is lying against the door. Plus it adds critical time.
Squeaks occur where two pieces of wood rub against each other. Tongue and groove, securely screwed to the joists, assures there are no such problems. But it costs more than the crappy particle subfloor many builders used.
Project update… we went with the in-swing door. I suspect that it will rarely be closed. We compared the measurements to our powder room and it’s comparable. The door will only be closed if someone else is in the bathroom.
The drywall was installed Thursday and Friday, and the floor tile is scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday. This will be great to see.
Back to the Kitchen Aid fridge failure. We realized that if a major component, it’s still covered under the original warranty. We scheduled then canceled a service appointment. When we plugged it in again, the freezer became fully functioning. The refrigerator is almost back to 40F. In the mean time, we have an accessory dorm fridge in the kitchen!
Originally our plan was to suffer through the bathroom and kitchen at the same time. Due to delays we have changed the plan in order to finish the bathroom before gutting the kitchen. As a result, the marble fabricator, won’t cut the bathroom counters from our 2 slabs until we are ready for the kitchen counters. We have been unsuccessful in finding suitable bathroom counter remnants at the fabricator and are now purchasing a 3rd (smaller) slab from the same lot, which I should be able to view on Tuesday. He says he’s only charging us for the materials (not fabricating) on this slab. I’ve asked to have remaining marble cut for cutting boards. (They can be Christmas gifts or I can sell them in my store). Has anyone had cutting boards made?
Kitchen: The perimeter cabinets have been ordered, but we haven’t yet agreed to the alder finish on the island. I’ve suggested we may need to get the island cabinets from another source. We’ll see what the next finish samples look like. The kitchen triple window has been ordered and should be in just as the bathroom is complete.
Bathroom completion goal: Fathers Day Weekend
Kitchen Completion goal: mid July.
Marble and other hard surfaces are bad for knive blades; wood and softer plastics are preferred for cutting boards. But these stones make great cheese boards!
@BunsenBurner good point. I will rename them: cheese boards. Also known as props for food photos!
@Mom22039, my mom had her extra granite made into a large cutting board/trivet. She keeps in on her kitchen table and uses it to put hot pot or casserole dish. She also keeps her every day table condiments on it.
H put another coat of paint on the ceiling and we bought the paint for the trim work. He has to finish it up this weekend as we have a wedding next weekend (#2 out of 5 this summer) and our furniture is being delivered on June 6th.
I worked all day yesterday and this morning doing up all the flower pots and window boxes. It’s been in the high 80’s and I was melting. The huge plants I buy already made up. I used to do it myself but it’s actuslly cheaper this way. All I have left to do is transplant my palm tree into a bigger pot. It’s outgrown the one it’s in.
My jaw dropped when I saw those price estimates. I don’t doubt that some people might be willing to pay that much, but those prices are truly absurd. $55/sf for a Trex deck? $321/sf for a “midrange” master bedroom addition?
Those prices are literally double what they should be.
Lots of progress!
The new closets are framed, all of the beams are installed and walls removed, and the new stairway up to the balcony has been roughed in:
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/32532343@N00/42372928381/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/32532343@N00/42372928751/in/dateposted-public/
There’s a few other new pictures there, too.
It’s difficult to convey in cell phone camera pictures just how transformational this is to the house, and how open it all feels. We are very excited with how it is shaping up!
“Those prices are literally double what they should be.”
They had $56k for Mid Atlantic for a patio. I didn’t bother doing it for my specific city, as you have to give a bunch of info and I’m too lazy.
That $ must include outdoor kitchen, water feature, gas fire pit, etc. I’m planning a simple patio using bluestone and hoping not to spend more than $10k. Getting estimate from my guy next week.