Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house? | Page 453 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house?

My next project should be a full makeover of the 30 year old bathroom. The problem is if I go luxury it makes the rest of the house look shabby by contrast. Plus I don't want to spend the price of a new car on it.

I once saw a gilt and marble bathroom in a virtually untouched 1940 house. It was like stepping out of Taj Mahal and into a concrete plant.
My advice.... stay with the architecture/style of the home and you will not have a big problem. Most of a house can look newish with paint and maybe some floor refinishing if it is bad...

Long version....
While there will always be contrast between new and old (shiny and dull) when a space is updated IMO most of the bad contrast is because people don't stay true to the style/architecture of the rest of the house--specially for kitchens and bathrooms. So the updated space seems out of place, or maybe the rest of the house now seems out of place....

As an example my 1940s house is Minimal Traditional, which is pretty neutral overall. BUT, if I put in some modernist kitchen/bathroom it will stand out like a sore thumb, Same if I go Victorian etc. If I stick to the architecture/style of the home the space will fit. In my example I can pull in some minor elements of just before or after eras as long as I tone them down and it will still look good (for example a touch of craftsman, tudor revival, really toned down art deco or MCM). My kitchen reno has been delayed by other projects but is coming, no way I am doing a Minimal Traditional kitchen which was generally bold painted plywood cabinets but I will pull in elements that work with the goal of an end result that looks new but also looks like it could have always been there.

The problem in general is most people see something in a showroom or on HGTV, like that in a vacuum but it just does not work in their home... combined with architecture not being a general knowledge to even know what they are starting with.
 
My advice.... stay with the architecture/style of the home and you will not have a big problem. Most of a house can look newish with paint and maybe some floor refinishing if it is bad...

Long version....
While there will always be contrast between new and old (shiny and dull) when a space is updated IMO most of the bad contrast is because people don't stay true to the style/architecture of the rest of the house--specially for kitchens and bathrooms. So the updated space seems out of place, or maybe the rest of the house now seems out of place....

As an example my 1940s house is Minimal Traditional, which is pretty neutral overall. BUT, if I put in some modernist kitchen/bathroom it will stand out like a sore thumb, Same if I go Victorian etc. If I stick to the architecture/style of the home the space will fit. In my example I can pull in some minor elements of just before or after eras as long as I tone them down and it will still look good (for example a touch of craftsman, tudor revival, really toned down art deco or MCM). My kitchen reno has been delayed by other projects but is coming, no way I am doing a Minimal Traditional kitchen which was generally bold painted plywood cabinets but I will pull in elements that work with the goal of an end result that looks new but also looks like it could have always been there.

The problem in general is most people see something in a showroom or on HGTV, like that in a vacuum but it just does not work in their home... combined with architecture not being a general knowledge to even know what they are starting with.
That is a perfect description of the comment I made in post 9034. The house was a staid Leaside two story untouched since new around WWII and with 40 year old carpet, paint and windows. The bathroom was more suited to a stone and marble Vaughan McMansion.

We're not tarting up to sell, don't have a lust for granite. A few rooms need a patch or two and some paint.

IMO a house for sale that looks shabby could imply a degree of desperation by the seller.

Prices in the area don't make demos and new builds a practical venture so livable quarters is important.
 
Prices in the area don't make demos and new builds a practical venture so livable quarters is important.
In that case, I would plan for improving the bathroom for me (and the next person gets to enjoy it to). I like one bathtub in a house but if you already have one somewhere, a big curbless shower can be nice as you age. Room to move and nothing to trip over as you stiffen up. While curbless showers were not a thing when house was new, tile/fixture selection should be able to make it possible without being jarring. Toilet, vanity, heated floor, exhaust fan in shower (code compliant?), light in shower, new light over vanity, some paint and trim and it will look and work better but doesn't need to look strange or out of place.
 
Hey so can you feel the difference this year with the exterior reno?
Actually yes we have, and its much more pronounced the cooler it is outside.

The thermostat and sensor is in the living room area, which hasn't been completed and has big windows and doors all around so that's the coolest part in the house. One main wall is still not fully insulated, so there's a lot of heat loss there. It's 80% done...but not 100%.

Now, MIL's room, our bedroom and the kids' bedrooms get stupidly warm (up to 24C) when the temp is set to 21-22.5C on the main floor. This is because while the living room is being warmed, the upper bedrooms keep having air pumped in. In addition, the heat that goes into the bedrooms is staying longer then before as the insulation slows down the heat loss through the walls.

I'll have to borrow a nice GTAMers heat camera again, but for the next 1-1.5 weeks I'm seeing +5C and sunshine. It's actually weird that the rooms don't heat up much during warmer weather, but I just assume it's because the main floor isn't needing to heat up, making the bedrooms cool as they slowly dissipate the heat. Our bedroom is above the garage, so no matter how many layers of insulation I put on the wall...it'll never be 100% as warm as the kids' bedrooms which are above the lower living space and are insulated. I'm not going to install heated floors in the bedroom though.

One thing that needs resolution is the roof on the lower floor has an exposed wall from the attic where the higher floor has an 'outside' wall. That I'll address in the spring.

I'll need to make planks for the joists on the lower level ceiling so I can walk around up there. I plan on gluing the new insulation against the wall with 2" of rigid insulation, and then address some soffits which may be partially clogged with the insulation there.

Overall yes, we can def feel a difference...but no, I don't think it was worth 30k financially. But the house looks 100x better from the street.
 
Actually yes we have, and its much more pronounced the cooler it is outside.

The thermostat and sensor is in the living room area, which hasn't been completed and has big windows and doors all around so that's the coolest part in the house. One main wall is still not fully insulated, so there's a lot of heat loss there. It's 80% done...but not 100%.

Now, MIL's room, our bedroom and the kids' bedrooms get stupidly warm (up to 24C) when the temp is set to 21-22.5C on the main floor. This is because while the living room is being warmed, the upper bedrooms keep having air pumped in. In addition, the heat that goes into the bedrooms is staying longer then before as the insulation slows down the heat loss through the walls.

I'll have to borrow a nice GTAMers heat camera again, but for the next 1-1.5 weeks I'm seeing +5C and sunshine. It's actually weird that the rooms don't heat up much during warmer weather, but I just assume it's because the main floor isn't needing to heat up, making the bedrooms cool as they slowly dissipate the heat. Our bedroom is above the garage, so no matter how many layers of insulation I put on the wall...it'll never be 100% as warm as the kids' bedrooms which are above the lower living space and are insulated. I'm not going to install heated floors in the bedroom though.

One thing that needs resolution is the roof on the lower floor has an exposed wall from the attic where the higher floor has an 'outside' wall. That I'll address in the spring.

I'll need to make planks for the joists on the lower level ceiling so I can walk around up there. I plan on gluing the new insulation against the wall with 2" of rigid insulation, and then address some soffits which may be partially clogged with the insulation there.

Overall yes, we can def feel a difference...but no, I don't think it was worth 30k financially. But the house looks 100x better from the street.
For rooms that are running too warm, close off their dampers a bit to even out temps throughout the house.
 
I’d love to update the railings and spindles to something not traditional/ colonial , but , there is a lot of Millwork and two curved sections over lookouts so it would be a lot of dough.


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I’d love to update the railings and spindles to something not traditional/ colonial , but , there is a lot of Millwork and two curved sections over lookouts so it would be a lot of dough.


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
Or a lot of time in the basement shop. I think you know a guy that can get you a good deal on wood.
 
Effing ballers! Put on a sweater!
Haha. Our thermostat is normally ~68F (20C for the kids). My wife does not love it and would be happier with it higher. A side effect of relocating the thermostat (I needed lots more wires and couldn't get them to the old location without destroying ceilings) is the new location is warmer. Old thermostat location kept the house a few degrees warmer for the same thermostat setting. Old thermostat is still in place and shows 63 right now.
 
If one already had a garden shed would this be allowed as a non shed, as it isn't enclosed

View attachment 65352
Another thing… any structure needs to be built to code. The beam across the front would not comply, it would need to be at least doubled.
 
I raked up 6 to 8 bushels of sawdust off the back lawn, the last of the removal of the maple tree. Is it OK to spread it onthe garden? Yard waste pickup is finished for the season.

It's also wet and I don't know if it's subject to spontanious combustion.
You can scatter sawdust on lawns and gardens, it decomposes very quickly.
 
What’s the best way to fix this plastic trim piece on shed (other than replacing as I don’t know how it comes off)? I have some colour match paint already if I can repair it.
View attachment 65529
Replace it with a piece of wood moulding.
 
11.25" might be close enough. I would prefer real wood but I won't say no until I look at it.
But yeah I hear ya going that way might be pricey.
Try Century mill, Stoufville Side Rd near Warden. Or Peacock in Peacock lumber, Ritson Rd Oshawa.

Both are reasonable for custom cuts and have a lot of species.

Kijiji has slab sellers, some cut and plane.

I usually have 8/4 x12 x12 kicking around in pine and ash, nothing at the moment. I get mine from a hillbilly family sawmill at 48 and Vivian. Hit and miss, but they have odd cuts all over the place. You’d have to trim and plane yourself.
 
Try Century mill, Stoufville Side Rd near Warden. Or Peacock in Peacock lumber, Ritson Rd Oshawa.

Both are reasonable for custom cuts and have a lot of species.

Kijiji has slab sellers, some cut and plane.

I usually have 8/4 x12 x12 kicking around in pine and ash, nothing at the moment. I get mine from a hillbilly family sawmill at 48 and Vivian. Hit and miss, but they have odd cuts all over the place. You’d have to trim and plane yourself.
Thanks!
 
Well the laundry washer just 💩 the bed. Looks like time to buy a new one chop chop….Damnit.
 
Well the laundry washer just 💩 the bed. Looks like time to buy a new one chop chop….Damnit.
What's it doing (or not doing)?

When my washer bearings went, I struggled with deciding whether to toss it and buy a new one because it involved tearing the whole thing apart and on top of that (no pun intended), they were stacked in my cramped laundry room. In the end I decided to fix it just because I really didn't want to buy another LG and wasn't sure if I could stack another brand with the old one. Turned out well, but I ended up spending over $400 because in addition to the bearings, the spider was so corroded one of the arms were broken. And since I was in there, decided to replace a couple of the shocks which looked questionable. With the new water valves and pump I installed a few years earlier, I pretty much ended up with everything new inside except for the electronics.
 
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What's it doing (or not doing)?

When my washer bearings went, I struggled with deciding whether to toss it and buy a new one because it involved tearing the whole thing apart and on top of that (no pun intended), they were stacked in my cramped laundry room. In the end I decided to fix it just because I really didn't want to buy another LG and wasn't sure if I could stack another brand with the old one. Turned out well, but I ended up spending over $400 because in addition to the bearings, the spider was so corroded one of the arms were broken. And since I was in there, decided to replace a couple of the shocks which looked questionable. With the new water valves and pump I installed a few years earlier, I pretty much ended up with everything new inside except for the electronics.
Rumbling like a mofo. More play horizontally then it should.

Buddy has a friend that repairs appliances and he said ‘toss it, that’s $1k in parts and labour so $1000-1200’.

Very loud. I’ll text you the video of the noise.
 

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