I’m afraid I haven’t had much time to visit the Forum lately let alone contribute anything but I wanted to drop a note saying I miss everyone and hope to be back around in a couple of months.
Our water heater broke about 2 months ago setting off a chain reaction that will eventually be very nice for us but for now it’s really very inconvienient. Our house was built in 1953, is small and has never been updated or remodeled. We planned to redo the bathroom, kitchen/dining area and living room at some point but never got around to it because the changes all interconnect and need to be tackled as a group.
So the water heater breaks damaging walls and flooring in part of the house. Insurance comes in to start repairs but has to remove parts of the walls in the bathroom, guest bedroom, hallway, living room and kitchen to allow drying. In addition to the walls the laminate flooring had to be removed in the same rooms and also a little bit leading into each of the rest of the rooms. The kitchen cabinets had to be torn out to reach some of walls. They also found asbestos (of course) which added additional time to the removal of some of the walls and flooring. Now for the Chain of Events…
We installed the new water heater outside which freed up the water heater closet. Since the plumber was redoing that and the chase walls were exposed I had him repipe all the plumbing with copper. Since the Water Heater Closet already had water and gas supplied to it we bought a small combo clothes washer/dryer unit to fit the closet. Removing the washer from the kitchen (remember old style house) meant we could move the fridge and replace the portable dishwasher with a built-in unit, but, that called for new cabinets. A completely new Kitchen layout and new cabinets meant new counter tops, new granite meant we could finally use a kohler sink we’ve been holding on to for years. We wanted the sink in a corner so when we re-plumbed for that and the new Clothes washer we went ahead and had new plumbing put in for a stall shower instead of the tub which we never use. We tore the bathroom and the kitchen down to the studs and tore out half the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen to make a larger feeling area. I’m also insulating all exterior walls and replacing the old single pane windows as we go.
With the exception of the plumber and granite guy we’re doing everything ourselves. So far we’ve finished the three bedrooms and just have the tile floor in the bathroom left and the wood floor in the hall way and the back half of the house will be finished. I’m guessing about a month each for the kitchen and living room before we’re completely done.
Just wanted to say Hi and I’ll be back in a while, got a little long winded there but it’s been a very busy few months. I’ll gather some before / after pictures to post later.
Take Care Everyone, Mike
Our water heater broke about 2 months ago setting off a chain reaction that will eventually be very nice for us but for now it’s really very inconvienient. Our house was built in 1953, is small and has never been updated or remodeled. We planned to redo the bathroom, kitchen/dining area and living room at some point but never got around to it because the changes all interconnect and need to be tackled as a group.
So the water heater breaks damaging walls and flooring in part of the house. Insurance comes in to start repairs but has to remove parts of the walls in the bathroom, guest bedroom, hallway, living room and kitchen to allow drying. In addition to the walls the laminate flooring had to be removed in the same rooms and also a little bit leading into each of the rest of the rooms. The kitchen cabinets had to be torn out to reach some of walls. They also found asbestos (of course) which added additional time to the removal of some of the walls and flooring. Now for the Chain of Events…
We installed the new water heater outside which freed up the water heater closet. Since the plumber was redoing that and the chase walls were exposed I had him repipe all the plumbing with copper. Since the Water Heater Closet already had water and gas supplied to it we bought a small combo clothes washer/dryer unit to fit the closet. Removing the washer from the kitchen (remember old style house) meant we could move the fridge and replace the portable dishwasher with a built-in unit, but, that called for new cabinets. A completely new Kitchen layout and new cabinets meant new counter tops, new granite meant we could finally use a kohler sink we’ve been holding on to for years. We wanted the sink in a corner so when we re-plumbed for that and the new Clothes washer we went ahead and had new plumbing put in for a stall shower instead of the tub which we never use. We tore the bathroom and the kitchen down to the studs and tore out half the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen to make a larger feeling area. I’m also insulating all exterior walls and replacing the old single pane windows as we go.
With the exception of the plumber and granite guy we’re doing everything ourselves. So far we’ve finished the three bedrooms and just have the tile floor in the bathroom left and the wood floor in the hall way and the back half of the house will be finished. I’m guessing about a month each for the kitchen and living room before we’re completely done.
Just wanted to say Hi and I’ll be back in a while, got a little long winded there but it’s been a very busy few months. I’ll gather some before / after pictures to post later.
Take Care Everyone, Mike
