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Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

a little background. we bought a house on 40 acres in wine country that needs a shit ton of work. it was a shortsale that was a steal. my dad, a now retired fireman/contractor that grew up in the construction industry, and mom will be staying the house until march to help with the remodel. we're having a contractor do the floors and roof, but we'll be doing everything else ourselves. really excited to make the place ours (especially the kitchen).
 
You looking to eventually flip, is this a getaway or is the plan for this to be your permanent residence? In any event, 40 acres of land in wine country sounds awesome.
 
wfudkn said:
You looking to eventually flip, is this a getaway or is the plan for this to be your permanent residence? In any event, 40 acres of land in wine country sounds awesome.
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it kind of depends. there's a few balls up in there right now. the short-term options depend on a friend who is an artist/gardener who lost her apartment and wants to move up there and rent a room and work the land. if she does that it would be great, but otherwise we'll throw it on airbnb once the remodel is complete and use it on empty weekends. i'd prefer the former because it has an amazing garden and a chicken coop and a fenced in plot for goats, but i'd like to get some income from it.

long term it depends on how long we stay in cali. if we stay long-term then we'll keep it. if we think we might move back east then we'll likely flip it. i'm expecting come 2016 legalization in cali the property value will go up.
 
deacphan said:
it kind of depends. there's a few balls up in there right now. the short-term options depend on a friend who is an artist/gardener who lost her apartment and wants to move up there and rent a room and work the land. if she does that it would be great, but otherwise we'll throw it on airbnb once the remodel is complete and use it on empty weekends. i'd prefer the former because it has an amazing garden and a chicken coop and a fenced in plot for goats, but i'd like to get some income from it.

long term it depends on how long we stay in cali. if we stay long-term then we'll keep it. if we think we might move back east then we'll likely flip it. i'm expecting come 2016 legalization in cali the property value will go up.
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That sounds pretty awesome all around. And you can grow a lot of bud on 40 acres.
 
That's awesome phan. Keep us posted, might be a good place to stay with the missus when we head out to wine country if we can throw you a few bones
 
smallbigtall said:
That's awesome phan. Keep us posted, might be a good place to stay with the missus when we head out to wine country if we can throw you a few bones
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if we go the airbnb route there will defs be an ogboards rate.
 
Deaconblue said:
Is there reason to believe that the junction box bracket is grounded? Is that where the ground wire in the power supply cable is attached? If so, no problem. If the bracket isn't grounded, it does no good to attach the ground wire to it, except maybe it will make you feel better.
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The bracket wasn't grounded.

And I ended up just calling an electrician b/c I had a whole other mess of stuff to deal with, and it just made sense to leave all of it alone. I appreciate the help though.
 
deacphan said:
so we ripped everything out of the kitchen on NYE night and NY day. here' the disgusting mess left behind:

1AmUawG


the flooring peeps are coming in this week to rip out the old floor and put in new floors. then we'll get started on the kitchen and the rest of the house. i'll post some more before pics to track the progress next time i'm up there.
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Sounds like a great project, but a lot of work. Kitchens can collect some really nasty stuff in odd places that never get seen until you do what you did.

My 2 cents: If you are planning on doing much to the walls, plumbing or electrical in this kitchen, you might want to get that done before you put down nice flooring in here. Looks like you might want to at least do some electrical upgrades. That looks like a 6 on 2 outlet multiplier beside the window. I would add some circuits, and do it while the floor still looks like this in case of need to break through anywhere. Also, check to see what kind of piping you have for the water. Some stuff (particularly PVC supply lines) that was all the rage some years ago has not stood the test of time well.

Might also want to decide the dishwasher you plan to get. Different brands and models have different configurations for the electric, water and drain connections. What works well for one might not work so well for another. Just ran into this issue switching from a Kenmore to a Bosch. Kenmore had electric connect directly to it inside the D/W space. Bosch required installation a separate junction box outside the dishwasher space, i.e. under the sink. Had to run the wires from the dishwasher space through the sink base wall and into the junction box, then run the Bosch wires from the junction box through the sink base wall into the dishwasher space to get the electric connected.

Check your local building codes. Some places have different rules for commercial rental vs residential use - and B and B might fit into either, depending on the local rules.

Good luck with your project. I enjoy reading about other peoples experiences.
 
Deaconblue said:
Sounds like a great project, but a lot of work. Kitchens can collect some really nasty stuff in odd places that never get seen until you do what you did.

My 2 cents: If you are planning on doing much to the walls, plumbing or electrical in this kitchen, you might want to get that done before you put down nice flooring in here. Looks like you might want to at least do some electrical upgrades. That looks like a 6 on 2 outlet multiplier beside the window. I would add some circuits, and do it while the floor still looks like this in case of need to break through anywhere. Also, check to see what kind of piping you have for the water. Some stuff (particularly PVC supply lines) that was all the rage some years ago has not stood the test of time well.

Might also want to decide the dishwasher you plan to get. Different brands and models have different configurations for the electric, water and drain connections. What works well for one might not work so well for another. Just ran into this issue switching from a Kenmore to a Bosch. Kenmore had electric connect directly to it inside the D/W space. Bosch required installation a separate junction box outside the dishwasher space, i.e. under the sink. Had to run the wires from the dishwasher space through the sink base wall and into the junction box, then run the Bosch wires from the junction box through the sink base wall into the dishwasher space to get the electric connected.

Check your local building codes. Some places have different rules for commercial rental vs residential use - and B and B might fit into either, depending on the local rules.

Good luck with your project. I enjoy reading about other peoples experiences.
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Awesome. Thanks for the advice.
 
ImTheCaptain said:
thanks, man

yo, Karma, I want to build myself a basic workbench with a shelf on the bottom and maybe some drawers. Also, I'm planning to put some casters on it. I have miter saw, a circular saw and a few drills.

Any tips?
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I'll stick my nose in this one. Some thoughts for you. Putting a work bench on wheels worries me. Why the wheels? Do you need to move it frequently? It may move when you don't want it to, with potentially bad consequences. Whatever caster you put under it, make sure they are locking. Nothing worse than your work bench moving when you don't want it to. Make sure they are very heavy duty. They should be capable of carrying the weight of the workbench, plus the weight of the tools you plan to put on it plus the weight of the projects you plan to work on plus your weight (someday you will get up on top of it) plus . Don't want your wheels to break because they aren't up to the task.

Don't forget to figure in the height of the casters and the thickness of your top when measuring the legs to get the right height.

Figure out what big bench top tools you need/want to put on it, either permanently mounted or mounted for use, and how much they weigh.


2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
Include space to permanently mount a vice to the side or front of the bench.
Also, mount a power strip along the back or one of the sides so that you always have plenty of outlets. And ideally have it located next to a 220 outlet with proper amp fuses so that you don't blow the circuit depending on what tools you are running.
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Let me second the motion for a permanently mounted vise, or maybe even two or three. Depending on what you want to do, having a woodworkers vise mounted at on end in front. If you do a lot of wood working, you may want a second one mounted on the adjacent side at 90 degrees to the first one. May also want an anvil vise mounted up on top.

Unless you are really into heavy duty power tools, everything should run on standard 120 volt current. However, the advice to have an adequate amperage circuit is good advice. Properly wired 20 amp (instead of the more common 15 amp) circuit available will save a lot of annoyances of popped breakers/blown fuses.

Some years back the New York Times published plans for a very simple, but sturdy workbench. I built this a long time ago, and it is still serviceable and not wobbly. Two pieces of 3/4 inch thick oriented strand board OSB)or plywood glued and screwed together. Four 4x4 legs 2x6 under the top and outside the legs all four sides. 2x4 around the legs about 8 inches from the ground. Another piece of OSB on top of the 2x4 for a shelf. Approx dimensions: top 96x32 inches. That is an eight foot long bench. Most lumber yards will cut sheet goods for you. Have them cut the 48 inch side to 32. That also gives you a slightly less than 16 inch wide piece to use for the shelf.

Simplest construction is to cut the legs, cut the 2x6 and 2x4 to length, lag bolt them to the legs, glue and crew the two pieces of the top together, drill and lag bolt it to the legs and screw through it into the 2x6. This leaves some holes and exposed screw heads on your top.

Somewhat more elegant is to lag bolt and screw one layer of the top to the legs and 2x6 frame, making sure everything is set below the surface of this layer, then gluing the second layer of the top onto this and screwing the two layers together from underneath. This gives a completely clean wood top. However, you will also never be able to take the top off the legs.

I'll look around, maybe I can find the plans.
 
Another option: Harbor Freight has a 60 inch workbench with four drawers and a shelf on coupon for $139.99. I also see a vise handle and some bench dogs on top but this being HF,they may not be included at this price. HF is not the best stuff, but you said you wanted basic, so here you go.
 
I just went through the "before" pictures I took on my camera when I closed on my house three months ago. Apparently I had already forgotten how ugly it was and what an improvement it is now. I'll post some before and after pictures soon. The only other things I need to do (for now) are get my dishwasher installed and have the electrical done, both of which will be done by the end of the month. All in all it has been a pretty smooth process.
 
ITC,

You didn't say what your planned use for the workbench is, nor how big you think you would like. These are important questions for you to answer before anyone can help very much.

Here is a web site with 3 sets of plans for three different workbenches, and some advice on how to pick the height of your bench.

http://allenswoodworking.com/workbench-plans.html

One of these has a top made of 2x4, trimmed and set on edge. This is a sturdy, but heavy top. The other two use 3/4 plywood for the top. Take a look.
 
i've been checking out plans and formulating exactly what I want. I was thinking something about 60" x "26 or so with a shelf and maybe some drawers. Main use will be as a work surface for household maintenance projects. Thanks for the link; I guess i'm thinking more along the lines of the "home work bench" on there.

re: the casters, my garage isn't exactly spacious or exactly well lit at the moment. I built a little rolling platform for my miter saw and i find it really convenient to move it around for cleaning purposes and space.
 
Here are some before and afters. I had the wood paneling and cabinets painted white and replaced the olive green carpeting throughout with hardwoods and neutral carpet. Also replaced all of the appliances, but that is pretty much it. I am hoping to replace the countertops and add a backsplash in a year or so, and eventually the bathrooms will be upgraded too. I still have LOTS of decorating to do, so things are a little blah right now, but I'll add more color in the kitchen eventually. I'm still unpacking so things are a little messy too.

Kitchen/eat-in/den:
dbpnag.jpg

33blb84.jpg


More kitchen:
2khi75.jpg

23tmslk.jpg


Entrance:
9roj8l.jpg

nc2z9.jpg


Master bathroom (yes, those are curtains made of towels):
161mg76.jpg

2mnpxsl.jpg


Den:
1zz2c0i.jpg

2din8dz.jpg
 
I'll always be amazed that a whole generation thought that burnt orange, puke green, and brown were a good combination.

The white looks 1 million times better.
 
Paneling and shag are suhweeet.
I often wonder if in 2025 people are going to be like "Beige and nuetrals everywhere? Let's throw some olive green up in this shit!"
 
dot com said:
Paneling and shag are suhweeet.
I often wonder if in 2025 people are going to be like "Beige and nuetrals everywhere? Let's throw some olive green up in this shit!"
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When my parents bought a house in NY 15 years ago every room in the entire house had a theme color. Living room was brown panneling and brown shag. One bedroom was blue walls with blue shag. Another was yellow and yellow and another was green and green. Master was white and white. The bathrooms too. One was entirely gold, another was entirely pink, another was entirely carolina blue and another was orange. And when I say entirely, I'm including the tile, toilet, tub, sink and counters. The entire place was a hot fucking mess.
 
Very impactful updates WFfb! Looks good. Can't believe you didn't keep the towel curtains in the bathroom. (admission: I bought a bunch of tea towels to make curtains for my kitchen windows. haven't done it yet but still plan on it.)

wfudkn - when I was looking at houses, there was one that had 2 full baths, one all pink and one all blue. Just like you describe, the toilet, tub, tiles to chair rail height up the wall in the whole bathroom, vanity, etc. Crazy.
 
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