The Home Improvement Thread

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[bodysnatcher]

goddammit

[Bammer]

Just committed to replacing all of our siding, gutters, soffit, and fascia. It is all 59 years old. Woof.

We are in the same boat, minus the soffits. What material are you using to replace the siding?

We got a really good deal on a 7 inch insulated vinyl. It looks a lot like James Hardie but cheaper. Most of our neighborhood is either standard vinyl or brick, so we wouldn't be gaining much in terms of resale value from getting the more expensive James Hardie other than the look of it. Aluminum fascia, soffit, and gutters.

Yeah we are looking at the Hardie. Our current siding is a thick wood, horizontal panels, cracking and starting to split at on about half the house bc of sun/weather. I would love to use wood again, but 1) it's so environmentally terrible, and 2) the upkeep – especially on those two sides – is pretty tough. And the Hardie will withstand a lot and has a long warranty. The bids for the Hardie have been astronomical though.

It is a good product for sure, but expensive. Do others in your neighborhood have it?

There's a wide variety of houses in our neighborhood. If I had to guess, wood is predominant

Aye, something to always consider. Hardie Board is probably your best bet.

Yeah, our neighborhood is a mish-mash of craftsmen, wooden bungalows, and super modern kleenex boxes, as well as a few teardowns

Nice on the "super modern kleenex box"

Every time there's a teardown I am just crossing my fingers "not another square house, not another square house"

I hate those things

[bodysnatcher]

Same here. They are going to be so dated in 10-15 years. Like those really dumb looking houses you see that were obviously built in the 80s

[doug rr]

same here..lots of wealthy east coasters coming here and buying beach cottages and tearing them down...some people have really bad taste and too much money...

[Bammer]

Same here. They are going to be so dated in 10-15 years. Like those really dumb looking houses you see that were obviously built in the 80s

Totes

[Monkey_Driven]

Nothing like the in laws coming into town and talking about all the things you need to update in the house.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

Nothing like the in laws coming into town and talking about all the things you need to update in the house.

what kind of updates?

[Monkey_Driven]

Nothing like the in laws coming into town and talking about all the things you need to update in the house.

what kind of updates?

You know, new sliding glass door or french doors, new garage doors, new driveway, and to finally "get serious" about landscaping.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

Nothing like the in laws coming into town and talking about all the things you need to update in the house.

what kind of updates?

You know, new sliding glass door or french doors, new garage doors, new driveway, and to finally "get serious" about landscaping.

you planning on staying there for a long time?

[Monkey_Driven]

Nothing like the in laws coming into town and talking about all the things you need to update in the house.

what kind of updates?

You know, new sliding glass door or french doors, new garage doors, new driveway, and to finally "get serious" about landscaping.

you planning on staying there for a long time?

For a fairly long time.

We are slowly checking things off the list we had when we moved. It doesn't seem like we've done a lot, but then I see pictures of when we moved. That helps.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

Nothing like the in laws coming into town and talking about all the things you need to update in the house.

what kind of updates?

You know, new sliding glass door or french doors, new garage doors, new driveway, and to finally "get serious" about landscaping.

you planning on staying there for a long time?

For a fairly long time.

We are slowly checking things off the list we had when we moved. It doesn't seem like we've done a lot, but then I see pictures of when we moved. That helps.

i wish i were handy...if all goes well i plan on paying off my mortgage and upgrading to a somewhat better place in the next 3-4 years, but i know there's a lot of things that will need to be repaired and or upgraded to sell

[Monkey_Driven]

Nothing like the in laws coming into town and talking about all the things you need to update in the house.

what kind of updates?

You know, new sliding glass door or french doors, new garage doors, new driveway, and to finally "get serious" about landscaping.

you planning on staying there for a long time?

For a fairly long time.

We are slowly checking things off the list we had when we moved. It doesn't seem like we've done a lot, but then I see pictures of when we moved. That helps.

i wish i were handy...if all goes well i plan on paying off my mortgage and upgrading to a somewhat better place in the next 3-4 years, but i know there's a lot of things that will need to be repaired and or upgraded to sell

We've done a lot of stuff on our own, but have contractors do other things. A good, relatively low stress experience so far. I'm not very handy, but I am stubborn, so there's usually a little bit of time consuming trouble shooting and trial by error.

[E.H. Ruddock]

youtube is wonderful for DIY home repair

[Peeps]

+1

[Monkey_Driven]

youtube is wonderful for DIY home repair

Yeah, it really is. Especially when there is a "emergency" or something that can be fixed easily.

[doug rr]

gonna roll out a 9x12 carpet at some point today..guess I'll clean the hardwoods before it happens...

[bodysnatcher]

Youtube is awesome for smaller jobs. I'm much more of a visual learner, so it's a lot easier for me to understand home repair tutorials via video than reading it in a book. It's probably already saved me a couple thousand dollars in home repair from not having to hire a professional

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

youtube and the internet definitely are helpful with this kind of thing...i'm still terrible at the execution though