OK, the first contractor has been here

[Warpy]

and was very flattering about my drawings, which were at least to scale if amateurish, hates granite as much as I do, and gave me a 4 month lead time on the start of any construction. He also warned me that the bid would be an eye popper, something I fully expect. I'm renovating 3 very expensive rooms and adding a fourth.

The warning about the bid plus the extensive lead time are good signs to me.

I'll get another couple of bids and work from there.

Gawd, I dread it, but this place needs to be brought up to code, at least.

Ye who have been through the process before me, wish me luck. If there are any pointers, I'd like to hear 'em.

[wildeyed]

1. A few little pointers.

You are doing kitchen and bathrooms, right?

You can order laminate chips from Formica's website. They are way more styles available than what they give out at the Lowes.

Ikea has the least expensive kitchen cabinets. You put them together yourself (or your contractor will), but even with the extra labor, they are a money saver.

Keep watch on Overstock.com. I found a great deal on my bathroom faucets there. The plumber said they probably retailed initially for $400 each, but I paid $150.

Costco website is also worth a look. The deals aren't as stunning, but still a good value.

Good luck!

[unhappycamper]

2. outwater.com has

all kinds of hardware 'stuff' that beats any price you'll see in a store.

[Warpy]

7. The new bath will have a Japanese soaking tub

and I've already found one that will set me back what a replacement for the inadequate 40s tub would cost. The old bath will have a decent shower stall put in where the inadequate tub is now. That tub is too small for anyone over 6 to bathe in but barks my shins nicely when I step in for a shower.

As for faucets, my only consideration is that they can be opened up and stem valves replaced. I honestly don't give a rip about modern styling. I do give a rip about having to rip out tile walls to replace valves, something I'd be facing if I couldn't do a full remodel.

[politicat]

3. How long do you want the cabinets to last?

I have to be a bit down on Ikea here -- they have a 7 year life, after which they will have to be replaced or significantly re=vamped. (Mom's dealing with this right now.) Look for something that has at least a 15 year life, and 20 is best. The expense is slightly higher, but you can still get the put 'em together yourself variety and save some costs there.

Whatcha using for the countertops?

Good luck. You have all of my sympathies and all of my best wishes. Can I send you a sandwich maker or some other electrical device that can be used outside of a kitchen?

[Warpy]

6. I'm refacing the old cabinets that have lasted 60 years already

and the new cabinets will be mid grade. The counters will be Formica because I need something that is cheap and easy to replace (you're talking to a weaver who uses acid dyes, and that's another reason solid surfaces are out). I have a gas grill, a microwave, hot plate, and toaster oven. I've been able to live with that combo before and I can certainly do it again, although it won't be gourmet food.

My kitchen will NOT be trendy. It will maintain the spirit of a late 40s kitchen without maintaining the completly unworkable nature of it.

My splurges will be a dual fuel stove, probably a GE that fits the kitchen, and a French door fridge. No dishwasher, of course.

Alas, when I started doing the drawings, I discovered the kitchen was too small for things like islands and wall ovens. However, I can manage to put in a kitchen that will work well for many years to come, be durable, and not cost an arm and a leg when I get sick of the color of formica I'm installing.

[wildeyed]

8. What went wrong with the Ikea cabinets?

I compared the Ikeas to the Kraft Maid, and they both seemed pretty durable. The hardware was actually better on the Ikea. There is a 10 year warranty on the Ikea cabinets, so your mother should contact the store if she is having issues.

[politicat]

9. She's not the first owner.

She's having problems with the doors warping and the frames swelling. I personally think there may be other issues (like the fact that she cannot go into a kitchen without getting water EVERYWHERE) but she says she's not as bad now that she lives alone and cooks only for herself. (I'm not sure I believe her.)

However, the first owner of her house was a bit ... mechanically impaired as well, so there may be user error involved. And her house is not plumb, not square and awkwardly fitted out, so that could be an issue, too.

[wildeyed]

14. Hmmm....

Well I hope I don't have those problems. I am a wet and messy cook, too.

My last house we did the KraftMaid, and the melamine started peeling right away. I stuck it back down with super glue, but it seemed like 2 year old cabinets should do better. That house was also not plumb, and it took forever to install those cabinets.

I guess I am having a little buyers remorse. There are dozens of decisions in a kitchen remodel. It is hard not to second guess after the fact. Oh well, I will let you know in seven years how the cabinets are doing...... and if the Silestone was worth the expense.

[politicat]

24. The silestone is DEFINITELY worth the expense.

I had a small section of my countertop go nuts, so I got a piece of siletone that matches. Best stuff ever. I hardly use my cutting boards anymore.

Don't worry. You will love it.

[gulfcoastliberal]

27. Quartz/Engineered stone is the best countertop material out there

Consumer Reports confirmed this in their August '06 issue. The only thing is scored "fair" in is impact resistance - edges can chip. Less upkeep than any other material.

Pick up the August issue for more info, they have some excellent advice for dealing with the contractors. Make sure to check references on their work - preferably from customers a year or 2 back.

[Warpy]

28. Phooey. It may be fine for other people out there

but I have arthritis and drop things. Plus, I do a lot of dyeing and wool dyes are acid based. This is not good on a heavy, solid surface countertop.

It's not good for nice, cheap laminate, either, but the laminate can be replaced without breaking the bank----or my back. Stainless would be an option if I liked the look of it, which I don't.

Butcher block counters suffered from the same drawback that stone or engineered stone products do, plus they're even more fragile.

So to reduce wear and tear on dishes and glassware, to reduce cost should I spill dyestuff, and to keep within the period of this house, I will choose good old Formica.

You guys can keep the funereal stone.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Okay, you know the drill ........

..... first you get bids ... then you make a decision .... then you get hopeful ...... then you get sick of dust and displacement ..... then you get angry ..... then its done ...... and then you're glad you did it!

That will take four months.

Good Luck!!!!!

[Warpy]

5. Since I'm doing so much to this place and since it has to be

done in a particular order (first the garage upgrade and new bath, second the old bath, third the addition and fourth the kitchen), I'm expecting it to take upwards of a year.

Perhaps I'll decide to travel...

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Hahahaha ........ if you get back East, look up the Sparkly Family

We're gregarious and entertaining. I'll even get a fresh seltzer bottle. :hi:

[NMDemDist2]

11. you can come see me and the Caverns, my house should be

habitable in a few more weeks (I hope)

[wildeyed]

12. Pictures?

Glad you finally made the move. Keep us updated!

[NMDemDist2]

13. soon... I took the befores but I still have work to do before the "afters"

will be ready

oh Wild, the house is absolutely FILTHY! :cry:

[wildeyed]

15. That is horrible!

The owners should have left it reasonably clean. My last move, I paid a cleaning service to come in the day after we moved to clean because I didn't have the time. No way I was leaving a filthy house for the nice couple who bought it.

Too much to have the work of moving AND doing a big cleaning, too. :(

[NMDemDist2]

16. no. it wasn't just dirty, it is FILTHY! the house was built in 1993 and

I don't think she's ever cleaned anything!

every surface i touch has ground in grease and crud and it's EVERYWHERE!

I spent the first three days just cleaning the one bathroom we're using and getting half of the kitchen de-greased enough to start puttin dishes away

i'm not a clean freak, but geez, this is just absolutely disgusting :cry:

it scares me :scared:

[Warpy]

17. The people who lived in this house before me

and 3 dogs, 3 cats and a parrot and they all used the wall to wall carpeting as a latrine.

You want to talk filthy?

[NMDemDist2]

18. I'm there! the carpet was pulled first day and we stayed in a motel

that night

the new laminate floor is in now except in the bath where we're remodeling

I'm living in the guest bath on plywood sub floor and my throw rugs til we can get the tile continued from the hall way in there

Warpy, it was just awful, everything I touched STUCK to me with ground in grease and dust (as only New Mexico dust can get ground in)

I'll be cleaning layers of grime for the next 3 years LOL

[Warpy]

20. Yes, but that will make the place YOURS

I know that's the way I felt about ripping up carpeting and painting walls and patching holes in the ceiling here (did I mention the holes?) and patching the yard where the dogs had dug big holes.

Now I'm in a position to renovate this place the way I've always wanted to. I'm betting this neighborhood will be one that continues to appreciate since it's convenient to EVERYTHING in this city.

I'm finding I have to turn over sets of scale drawings to every contractor who turns up, though. I didn't think they were that good.

[NMDemDist2]

21. they must love they don't have to measure and get it on paper to bid it

and they know you have thought it through and know what you want

I hope it goes smoothly, it's such a disruption in the best of all worlds

it will be so great when you're done though but sounds like you have ambitious plans and will be in upheaval for a while

hope you are planning on some breaks between construction, it can be a nerve saver to have a couple weeks "off" so you can relax before the next big PUSH!

I'm so excited for you and can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve :woohoo:

as for making it "mine" I'll have lots of opportunities to do that as we go through room by room removing expansion joints, fixing holes (yes we have holes too, but *most* are small heehe) priming, painting, trimming windows after removing the completely destroyed "storm windows", making curtains, getting screens made, removing the popcorn ceilings...... well you get the picture!

we'll have to get phone numbers so we can commiserate together :rofl:

[Warpy]

22. The kitchen will be the worst

which is why it'll be the last. Other than that, it's just a process of dragging all the junk I own from one room to another as one project finishes and the next starts.

The original builder just designed this place as a series of boxes. Cabinets went in as an afterthought and it looks it.

I'm hoping to change that. People think I'm nuts for keeping such a small place, but a well planned small place can seem much larger than a poorly planned big space. That's what I'm trying to accomplish.

Wish me luck, I may need it.

[NMDemDist2]

19. my only suggestion is to have at least ONE room you can "live" in

while the rest of the house is chaos

I've done it both ways and it makes a HUGE difference if you have at least one place that you can go in and shut the door and it's not a disaster area

you may want to look into one of those POD things to keep in the driveway to move stuff into during the remodel so you aren't tripping over all the kitchen stuff piled in the rest of the house while the construction is going on. The more you can just get out of the way, the easier it will be on every one

We kept the U-Haul truck an extra 4 days so the guys could lay the floor without tripping over all our stuff and we camped in the guest room (which was the only flooring we didn't have to replace in here) and the guys said it made the job go much faster and I didn't have to worry about my breakables getting tossed around willy nilly

if you have a shed or garage that will work too if it's cleared out enough to use for storage. it really will help everything go faster and lower your stress levels immensely

good luck and take some before pics for us so we can see the whole job :bounce:

[Warpy]

23. My bedroom

I've set up a wireless DSL network inside the house and I'll be getting satellite on August 4. Plus I have enough knitting projects to carry me through. The problem is the cats. They are just going to have to lump it for the duration.

[TygrBright]

25. You lucky!! HOW did you manage to get a bid?!?

An actual, written BID?!?

::sighs enviously::

We can't get a proper written bid for love or money, and I've been trying since April. I have four contractors avoiding my phone calls and e-mails (apparently,) because they're all willing to stop by for a few minutes, pick up my fairly-detailed spec sheets, look around at the site, warn me that renovations/additions run "about $200 a square foot," and then vanish, poof! and I never hear from them again.

I will NOT give the go-ahead on this sunroom/patio project until I have at least three decent, written bids from competent contractors to compare and evaluate.

Unfortunately, it looks as though there is a glut of work here and contractors would rather actually do invoice-able work than take their valuable time & energy to do a bid which may or may not result in work.

frustratedly,
Bright

[NMDemDist2]

26. I never got one either, he went and looked at the job and two days

before he was supposed to start he gave us a verbal labor cost and away we went

but he came highly recommended by my realtor so I just went for it

it's a different style of business here for sure :eyes: