Home Improvements

[smeags]

is it hardwaood or laminate ? looks really good either way.


btw - found out my house was not built by levitt but is actually a sears designed house. unfortunately it doesn't carry the "craftsman" warranty.

[shorebird]

Bruce prefinished hardwood. It's the best around far as I'm concerned. They put 7 coats of finish on it, hard as anything and smooth as glass.

[smeags]

nice, i just put pergo in my house. so far so good. looks really nice.

now i need to look into tile for the kitchen which itself isn't a big task but i have to rearrange things before i start. have to move the washer & dryer out and into the hall closet which should be fun. then i have to move the stove over to where they where and then install the dishwasher where the stove was. fun times coming.

[shorebird]

Not an easy task but the rewards are great. Pergos good stuff, just doesn't take water. Make sure to put down the vapor barrier underneath. One reason I went with the real hardwood, if it gets damaged you can always refinish it.

[charlie]

One of the huge advantages you have with bruce (or other) hardwoods over laminate is if you have to make a repair to the floor. Our stupid dog had been pissing in one corner of relatively new hardwood, and we had no idea, so there was a 4-8 sq foot area that was totally ruined under an area rug once me moved the table and found it.

the fix literally took about 3 hours, and popping up and putting down new peices of wood was very very easy and looks good as new.

I detest laminate flooring. It doesn't cost any less once you get the underlaying, and it will chip in a few years of heavy use.

[phillycrew]

Any of you 'mos have a wood pellet fireplace insert?  I'm wondering about manufacturers and any experiences.  My oil tank is leaking and has to be removed.  Luckily, the previous owner had three zone heating Trane heat pumps installed as the primary heating cooling system.  I'm just looking for some extra heat when it gets down to freezing in Virginia (not too often).  Looking to get this done with some of that free gubment tax credit.

[smeags]

i actually got a great deal on the pergo. home depot had it for a $1 off per square ft. altogether it cost me just over $600 including the underlayment. any pf the hardwood flooring we looked at that could use would've been at least $300-$400 more. i'll just keep my fingers crossed. should be ok for now as all of the plumbing in the house is new and i put a new roof on 2yrs ago.

[Seabiscuit36]

I had mentioned that my wife and i were looking at a property in the Random Musings thread, well we ended up getting a contract on it this week.  Its a bank foreclosure, been empty for 2 years, and definitely needs some work outside.  I'm actually excited about the heating/cooling of this house, it has a wood stove heat and GeoThermal heat/cooling.  I'm not very familiar with the Geo Thermal part, but we're going to have it inspected next week to see if they did it right when it was installed.  The best part is the 14 acres its on, overlooking the chesapeake bay. 


One negative is it has T-111 siding which we'll be redoing at some point in the next 5 years.  Anyone know if its safe to keep that on the house, then do a Tyvek wrap, and then siding, or am i better off just ripping the T-111 off and starting over?  I'd say 90% of the current siding looks like its fine.  The one side that doesnt get constant sun is a bit beat up and would have to be replaced. 

Hey phillycrew, my uncle has a wood pellet heater, he loves it, only problem is finding somewhere to store 40+ bags of pellets.  The toughest part is the cutting into the wall to get an exhaust setup, but he has his in a finished basement in a large house, and it heats the entire house. 

[Diomedes]

nice looking herringbone shore...

very nice view seabiscuit

in conclusion, pergo/laminate sucks

[Sgt PSN]

Isnt T-111 the siding they used to use on trailer homes?

[Diomedes]

I thought it was used for soffits, but what do I know.

[Seabiscuit36]

I think it may be, i've normally seen it on sheds and the like.  House is kinda crazy has a ton of updates inside, they went cheap on the siding.  Our inspection is next week, so i'm sure we'll have a bigger list, but buying a house at half of what it sold in 2006 seem to be a good investment(t-111 or not). 

[lurking wierdo]

Yes, you can wrap it and put siding directly on T-111. 

[shorebird]

Yes, you can wrap the t-111, but make sure you replace any that is rotten. If any of it is close to the ground you want to check it. I've seen it on houses before and the end grain of the ply soaks up water like a sponge, even if the paint looks good on it it could be rotten underneath. Check around the windows and doors also. If it's been on the house for any length of time, theres a big chance you have some rot somewere. If it was a recent "upgrade", you're probably alright, but within view of the Bay, you know the place has taken some hard weather.

Is that a composite deck? Beautiful view. 14 acres on the Chesapeake, it doesn't get any better.

[Diomedes]

sure it does...15 acres with a view. 


aw, shiit!