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Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

Also, what are the Pit's opinions on furniture from Ikea for a married couple with no kids? My hang-up with our living room is that we only have a recliner and loveseat. We don't have people over that often, but when people visit I hate the fact that I don't feel like they can relax...pulling up chairs from the kitchen table isn't really the same thing. I'm thinking about buying some affordable furniture, maybe something like this with some one-pieces we can move around:

Ikea_zpscc8dd658.png

i'm personally about to buy some ikea furniture myself. i don't personally see anything wrong with it. that said, go to ikea and sit on the couches/chairs before buying anything. lots of them are REALLY uncomfortable.
 
You installed your own hardwoods? How was it? Also, we're thinking of tiling our kitchen floor or foyer...about how much did it cost you to tile your floor, and was it hard to do?

Laying hardwood really isnt that difficult. You just need a floor nailer, and make sure you start it straight. I think I spent $7000 total to put down bamboo hardwoods in my entire house.

Tile really isnt difficult. Just make sure you put down cement board, and assuming you arent doing intricate cuts, get a tile snap. I've got all the trowels and mixers and floats still that you are welcome to borrow if/when you decide to tile.


eta - my mom did a lot of the tiling in my house while we were putting down the hardwoods. If she can do it without royally screwing it up, anyone can.
 
Sink faucet had a slow drip. Tightened every bolt, screw, etc., still dripping. So I dismantled the entire sink, the tubes, the valves, the seals, everything. Figured out it was a faulty o ring. Bought a replacement ring, reassembled sink, drip stops. Feel like a bawse when I tell wife that "yeah I took care of that drip problem."

Until two weeks later when it starts dripping again. Plumber coming soon.
 
laying tile is easy, io. you can do it!
hardwoods aren't bad, either.
i see nothing wrong with ikea furniture; we've had an ektorp loveseat for 2 years that's pretty comfy and has held up well for having some combo of 2 adults/1 85lb dog on it basically all the time (it's either me and j, j and dog, me and dog, or just dog... practically 24/7). agreed w/ hoops that you really need to go and sit on everything to decide.
 
Also, what are the Pit's opinions on furniture from Ikea for a married couple with no kids? My hang-up with our living room is that we only have a recliner and loveseat. We don't have people over that often, but when people visit I hate the fact that I don't feel like they can relax...pulling up chairs from the kitchen table isn't really the same thing. I'm thinking about buying some affordable furniture, maybe something like this with some one-pieces we can move around:

Ikea_zpscc8dd658.png

You will have kids eventually, and they will destroy something that is light colored.
 
We can pick something darker. I'm really leaning towards moving our loveseat to the bedroom and figuring out what to do with the recliner.

Also, our house is on a concrete slab. I wish I would have known how cold hardwoods could get without some type of sub-flooring...obviously not an issue when we had carpet. My in-laws have a house with a crawlspace so their hardwoods are on a sub-floor and are always nice and warm. Still love the look of our hardwoods though so I'll deal with it.
 
Also, our house is on a concrete slab. I wish I would have known how cold hardwoods could get without some type of sub-flooring...obviously not an issue when we had carpet. My in-laws have a house with a crawlspace so their hardwoods are on a sub-floor and are always nice and warm. Still love the look of our hardwoods though so I'll deal with it.

Are you thinking pure hardwoods or laminate?
 
I did some auto repair last weekend and was pretty proud of myself. I rent right now, so not much going in the way of home renovations going on.
 
I love Google Sketchup.

Just drafted up a copy of our kitchen for some contractors.

53u69f.png
 
Sink faucet had a slow drip. Tightened every bolt, screw, etc., still dripping. So I dismantled the entire sink, the tubes, the valves, the seals, everything. Figured out it was a faulty o ring. Bought a replacement ring, reassembled sink, drip stops. Feel like a bawse when I tell wife that "yeah I took care of that drip problem."

Until two weeks later when it starts dripping again. Plumber coming soon.

At that point and calling a plumber, why not just replace the faucet? You can do it yourself for less than paying a plumber.
 
I'm going to be such a DIY noob when I finally close on my house and get going in there. The room in the basement with the furnace and water heater currently just has a curtain in the doorway. I want to have better protection in the door so my cat cannot get in, but the doorway is not a standard size. I figured I could get Home Depot or whatever to cut a solid core door to size for me (I've read they will make a couple cuts for free?). Mentioned this to my inspector yesterday and he told me I will need to have airflow into the room, so I'd need to put a vent or register of some sort in the door. Who knew doors were so complicated. Then I'll need to figure out hinges and how to latch the door shut... yeesh.
 
post some pics of your new house, RTQ if you don't mind.
 
I'm going to be such a DIY noob when I finally close on my house and get going in there. The room in the basement with the furnace and water heater currently just has a curtain in the doorway. I want to have better protection in the door so my cat cannot get in, but the doorway is not a standard size. I figured I could get Home Depot or whatever to cut a solid core door to size for me (I've read they will make a couple cuts for free?). Mentioned this to my inspector yesterday and he told me I will need to have airflow into the room, so I'd need to put a vent or register of some sort in the door. Who knew doors were so complicated. Then I'll need to figure out hinges and how to latch the door shut... yeesh.

http://jonesdoors.homestead.com/

Those guys are out near my house and who I ordered all my doors from. There may be a door place in Winston that would be closer too. All you have to do is give them the dimensions and whether or not you need a door frame. They can custom build any sized door you want.
 
post some pics of your new house, RTQ if you don't mind.

I will consider, after appraisal and closing. don't want to jinx myself any more than necessary by already calling it "my house." I put one exterior picture on facebook a week ago if you want to look.

http://jonesdoors.homestead.com/

Those guys are out near my house and who I ordered all my doors from. There may be a door place in Winston that would be closer too. All you have to do is give them the dimensions and whether or not you need a door frame. They can custom build any sized door you want.

thanks, but that sounds really expensive... good resource though!
 
They were actually cheaper than Lowe's when I priced them. They're one of the suppliers to places like Lowes/HD.
 
i will say, of all home improvements you could make on your own, hanging a door is one of the more complicated/frustrating things.
 
I will consider, after appraisal and closing. don't want to jinx myself any more than necessary by already calling it "my house." I put one exterior picture on facebook a week ago if you want to look.
cat-its-beautiful-757604.jpg
 
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