Home Improvement Today?

I finish sanded my stairs yesterday afternoon, will stain and poly today. Tape and paint on Thursday, then install balusters and rail on Friday. Stain and poly rail on Saturday if all goes to plan.

 

Holy smokes.
Amazing!

 

Carpet installed yesterday! Wasnt there myself but one huge step forward

 

We had some foundation work done on our house last year, there was a 10' section really bad that was replaced and the rest of the house got parts here and there patched up and then the whole thing coated with some sort of polymer parge coat. Ended up being $5k, they didn't have to dig much out tho as most of the issue was above grade.

 

The deeper I dig, the worse it gets. Hoping to stay under 20k now. So much for the new camper (which was the only damn reason I sold the Tacoma! Argh!)

 

Cabinets are done. Very happy with how they came out.

Here's the millwork falloff. I like to cut it close. lol




These are from cabinets are from a company called Barker Modern out of Oregon. They are flat packed and took about 8 hours to fully assemble when I received them. They are CNC cut and drilled for confirmat screws. Nothing was more the 1/32" out of tolerance after they where assembled. Fit, finish and quality are truly top notch. I had my local cabinet guy quote me out for the same cabinets. He was almost twice as much. If you need cabinets and don't mind getting them online put Barker on the top of your list.

I did the install over about 16 hours. No caulk was used anywhere and everything is super tight. I'm a carpenter and stain grade work is something I've gotten pretty good at. Here's the goods.

 

...^^^... I always liked that board size, pattern and color variation ... looks good ...

 

are the blocks laying on their sides or is the outside wall of the block completely gone?

 

outside of the block has completely disentegrated. Poor bulk water management from the previous owner and Minnesota freeze thaw cycles turned them back into gravel. Frost footing goes down 48” not sure how many rows will need to get replaced until it’s dug out.

 

alright looking for opinions again...

my entry floor (dining room/kitchen/entry way) needs flooring. subfloor isnt flat at all - gaps between some of the subfloor, some have dips etc... see below areas (tiled, carpeted,vinyl in the kitchen) in a before picture.

My dad was suggesting the trafficmaster allure grip strip install stuff since it will lay flat and conform once i put the luan down. Does anyone have a different suggestion? ~625sqft that id have to self level otherwise to use click lock i think

 

Looks good.

 

Are you married?

 

lol, not currently. when i get around to asking ill be engaged. why?

 

If you where married I was going to tell you to ask your wife what she wants in the entry. Then do whatever it takes to make that happen. For sure get the girlfriends input. Self leveling that area with Level Quick RS would be very easy. Go with what you want and do the work needed to make that happen. You'll be happier with the finished product that way. The last thing you want is to walk into your home in 5 years and think "Damn, I shoulda done that different."

 

@Sacrifice. I'd suggest to lay down a layer of 3/4" plywood glued and screwed to floor joists.

Luan is too thin to bridge gaps or to "level" a floor. If the base isn't solid, whatever is on top will be crap no matter how pretty or expensive.

Get the 3/4" down, then you can prep for anything you want as finished flooring.


My improvements are to prepare for winter. Another leaf mulching round with mulching lawnmower. Button up and cover the AC unit. Check roof and clear gutters of bird nests and crap.
Then onto the brake fluid change in the Truck. Next week, coolant change. Following week, serp belt and pulley replace. Hopefully, November the tranny fluid and filter can be changed.
When the weather turns, then I'll focus on the tasks inside the house. Need to get the outside and vehicles in order 1st.

Winter in IA can be grueling. Well, it usually is grueling.....just a matter of severity.

 

yeah, somewhat at the point of im ok coming back to redo it nicer down the road. would level quick be able to go over luan in the future?

i wasnt expecting the luan to necessarily "level" the floor, was just using it to obtain a smooth surface if i put it down as it is now. 20 sheets of 3/4 plywood might blow up budget a little too much at this point

 

Its your choice.

Do it right, do it once.

or you can plan on doing it again with more expense.

 

Could you pour level quick over luan? Sure. Should you? No. Anytime you add multiple layers it adds flex. Flex will cause squeaking and potentially cause the level quick to crack. Since your pulling the old flooring have a look at the sub-floor. If it's still solid just level quick it and be done. If it's not solid then you can decide whether to fix it proper or band-aid it. I will always recommend the proper fix. Duplication of labor is something I like to avoid.

 

thanks guys. ill weigh my options. maybe i can do the 3/4 plywood to give me a more even surface/level as i put it down