[tc328]

Insurance is your friend

[PandaM3]

I'm saving up for home mods as well.
- Bought my first house as well because I really liked that the previous owner knocked all the walls down to create a nice big open floor plan. The previous owner also took out the drop ceiling so that the room has the exposed wooden beams which really open up the space.
- However the previous owner was more of a DIY person so there was no insulation above the wood beams... just the asphalt shingles, the paper felt, then my cathedral ceiling. So as you imagine it gets really hot to the point that the AC cannot keep up.
- To keep the look I have to redo the roof with Manufactured Insulated Panels (I think that is what it is called). Essentially it is plywood with 3 inches of foam in between then the asphalt shingles on top. The last quote I got was $17,000. They tell me they can't just do the pitched roof portion over the open space... has to be the whole building per city regulations. I don't even want to know how much more it would be to just do a modern metal roof instead as I know that costs even more.
-Since I have the AC unit on the roof, I have to pay an unionized HVAC person another $1,000+ to remove the AC then reinstall again.

No wonder when these contractors pull up they are in their $60,000+ bro truck King Ranch Edition Ford F950's or whatever they are called.

Also when it comes to home mods... why are the estimates that you see on HGTV shows so much lower than real life estimates?!?!

[csu87]

Originally Posted by fravel

Have you ever hung drywall? It's hard, miserable work, even more so if you're actually doing a good job.

Seriously, by all means, buy a couple sheets and get your DIY on. You won't bitch about the cost of it anymore, because you will be happy to pay it. I'm a DIY kinda-person, and if I ever own a home that needs drywall repairs I will absolutely be outsourcing.

I poured concrete and did roofs while during the summers while I was in high school. More than anything else, that's why I went to college - I wasn't gonna be stuck doing that for the rest of my life.

no joke here. I cant even get my crews to do drywall. I have to sub that shit out. And those drywall contractors do in a day what would take me a week and the seams are so perfect and smooth.

As for construction workers and making tons of money, depends what you do and where you do it. In some of the booming markets, electricicians can make $50-75/hr as a foreman and same for pipe fitters. Ive had jobs where my jobsite foreman is making more than me as the project manager. But in todays market, i can get away with paying general laborers under $15/hr and supers around the $30-40 mark.

Back when the oil fields were booming out here, guys were making well into the 6 figures with barely a highschool diploma.

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by fravel

Have you ever hung drywall? It's hard, miserable work, even more so if you're actually doing a good job.

Seriously, by all means, buy a couple sheets and get your DIY on. You won't bitch about the cost of it anymore, because you will be happy to pay it. I'm a DIY kinda-person, and if I ever own a home that needs drywall repairs I will absolutely be outsourcing.

I poured concrete and did roofs while during the summers while I was in high school. More than anything else, that's why I went to college - I wasn't gonna be stuck doing that for the rest of my life.

This is MAYBE a 3x3 area that needs to be replaced. Although I have never hung drywall (if I had I would definitely diy) I did attempt to "fix" it by patching over the bad spot with some mud and stuff, it was not fun, especially when you are working over your head. That being said I would HAPPILY do it for half what they are asking for if I had the skills.

[nyalpine90]

if you have to replace drywall, its not hard.. rip it out and put new one.
measure and cut and screw it on to the wood studs.. cover up the screws with all purpose plaster. let it dry and then sand it down until its smooth and level to drywall.
Also applied tape like material where 2 drywalls meet (crack) use plaster to keep tape on drywall . let it dry up and sand it down until smooth. last step is paint.

i have done few bathrooms at my parents house...currently doing a bathroom at their house. Whole bathroom was gutted down to wood studs.

dont be afraid to ask questions if you go to home depot lol

few different types of drywall and sizes, bathroom have cement board for moistures. rest of the rooms have regular drywall.

[csu87]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

if you have to replace drywall, its not hard.. rip it out and put new one.
measure and cut and screw it on to the wood studs.. cover up the screws with all purpose plaster. let it dry and then sand it down until its smooth and level to drywall.
Also applied tape like material where 2 drywalls meet (crack) use plaster to keep tape on drywall . let it dry up and sand it down until smooth. last step is paint.

i have done few bathrooms at my parents house...currently doing a bathroom at their house. Whole bathroom was gutted down to wood studs.

dont be afraid to ask questions if you go to home depot lol

few different types of drywall and sizes, bathroom have cement board for moistures. rest of the rooms have regular drywall.

i used to think like this too until i finished my basement in my old house. Had done bathrooms and small stuff like that before and it wasnt too bad, but doing a 1500sqft basement walls and ceilings by myself has got me to where I will definitely sub out drywall when i go to finish my new basement.

Ill DIY everything else though from electrical to plumbing to framing.

[fravel]

Originally Posted by csu87

i used to think like this too until i finished my basement in my old house. Had done bathrooms and small stuff like that before and it wasnt too bad, but doing a 1500sqft basement walls and ceilings by myself has got me to where I will definitely sub out drywall when i go to finish my new basement.

Ill DIY everything else though from electrical to plumbing to framing.

My dad decided to "finish" our basement with the help of my brother and I when I was in high school, which is where the majority of my experience comes from - I graduated in 2006, it's still not even close to done.

[csu87]

Originally Posted by fravel

My dad decided to "finish" our basement with the help of my brother and I when I was in high school, which is where the majority of my experience comes from - I graduated in 2006, it's still not even close to done.

Sounds about right. My 1 month project took 4. Only reason it didnt take longer is i really needed to sell it since i had already bought another house.

[1LRM3]

Originally Posted by Mywifes335

Dude, follow Peter Gibbons' footsteps in "Office Space".

say no more

[kevinbahnz]

we just bought our first house 3 years ago and I have about 100 and 1 things to finish around the house and I keep adding new projects to it. My wife is already talking about moving.

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by kevinbahnz

we just bought our first house 3 years ago and I have about 100 and 1 things to finish around the house and I keep adding new projects to it. My wife is already talking about moving.

I don't mind if it's stuff I can do myself, unfortunately my lack of handy man skills severely limits what I can do myself. Hell took me half a day to change a few light fixtures in the patio.

[kevinbahnz]

Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps

I don't mind if it's stuff I can do myself, unfortunately my lack of handy man skills severely limits what I can do myself. Hell took me half a day to change a few light fixtures in the patio.

it took me 5 months to get a new battery for my mower and 3 weeks to fill it up with gas.
and 1 year to finish my 4 raised bed planters for my wife.. the boxes were built and a pile of top soil were dumped last spring. the pile of dirt had its own vegetation grown in it.

[UncleWede]

So why she didn't just use the pile of dirt???

[EL Jeffe 5]

You have our support

[Lups]

In 2009, I bought a house. All financing options here were expensive for my taste and since I'm pretty conservative when it comes to financing and debt, and it clashes wildly with my "fuck that shit, I'm home with my kids" side, labor was not something I was willing to pay for.

I bought the house because nobody had ruined with plastic. It was then 70 years old and with a log frame. I knew what I wanted and I sadly had the hours to put in (hubby had more knowledge and I swear to god he made me redo most of the shit I did because my tendency to love speed and to forget skills), we did the whole thing by ourselves.

With me fucking up shit, I saved a ton. I learned even more. These days I like flipping smaller things just so I can enjoy using my arms.

Construction industry is tough. It is a great hobby but if you can't get the discounts I get, and you're stuck on brands and you can't see the overall concept: I wouldn't bother.

It is a great way to keep the babysitter (wife) busy though.

[csu87]

Well i just installed the garage door opener Ive been meaning to do since i bought this place last year. Now time to plan for next years project

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by csu87

Well i just installed the garage door opener Ive been meaning to do since i bought this place last year. Now time to plan for next years project

Was the 335 inside or outside?

[csu87]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Was the 335 inside or outside?

inside. This was for my 3rd/4th car bay where nothing gets parked except extra crap. Maybe my project for next year is to clean this up so I can park my truck inside

[UncleWede]

Gotta be able to open the door to clean it out.

[nyalpine90]

Originally Posted by csu87

i used to think like this too until i finished my basement in my old house. Had done bathrooms and small stuff like that before and it wasnt too bad, but doing a 1500sqft basement walls and ceilings by myself has got me to where I will definitely sub out drywall when i go to finish my new basement.

Ill DIY everything else though from electrical to plumbing to framing.

definitely a lot of work, but the end results is great and you save money if done right.

[csu87]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

definitely a lot of work, but the end results is great and you save money if done right.

i dont know about that. I figured out my costs to do it including my labor at a discounted hourly rate, and it was way more than i could have paid someone to do it. Just depends on how much people are charging in your area.

i watched a crew do some drywall this past weekend on one of my projects. They are so fast and efficient at taping/mudding that little sanding is needed and they are done so quickly. 1500sqft building drywalled ceilings and walls done in 3 days with 5 guys and a lot of that was waiting on mud to dry

[nyalpine90]

Originally Posted by csu87

i dont know about that. I figured out my costs to do it including my labor at a discounted hourly rate, and it was way more than i could have paid someone to do it. Just depends on how much people are charging in your area.

i watched a crew do some drywall this past weekend on one of my projects. They are so fast and efficient at taping/mudding that little sanding is needed and they are done so quickly. 1500sqft building drywalled ceilings and walls done in 3 days with 5 guys and a lot of that was waiting on mud to dry

well of course they have experience lol

my parents were quoted $7k just labor not including materials for 5'x7' bathroom. I believe thats a lot.