DIY projects 2022

[Reacher]

20 hours ago, Joe_Hoopsier said:

Making some progress on the Mobile Bachelor pad.  2-1/2 months isn’t too long is it? 😑 

Looks good. Where did you get your cabinets from? My next project will be putting in a few cabinets in my basement. Kind of a bar area. Basically 2 base, 2 uppers, an under counter fridge and a countertop. Menards price for 4  basic cabinets was $1100. To get the the proper sizes with windows in the uppers jumps me to the next line and now I'm at close $4k. I was looking at the same style (shaker?) as you have.

[Joe_Hoopsier]

3 hours ago, Reacher said:

Looks good. Where did you get your cabinets from? My next project will be putting in a few cabinets in my basement. Kind of a bar area. Basically 2 base, 2 uppers, an under counter fridge and a countertop. Menards price for 4  basic cabinets was $1100. To get the the proper sizes with windows in the uppers jumps me to the next line and now I'm at close $4k. I was looking at the same style (shaker?) as you have.

They all came from Lowes. These had the primer already on them, I don't recommend that. Even after sanding, the primer they use is so slick that the paint just doesn't really stick well. I think I would go bare and stain if doing it again.

4k... eff that. I guess I'm just really jaded. The cheaper ones will last for years, if not longer than I will!

[Reacher]

11 minutes ago, Joe_Hoopsier said:

They all came from Lowes. These had the primer already on them, I don't recommend that. Even after sanding, the primer they use is so slick that the paint just doesn't really stick well. I think I would go bare and stain if doing it again.

4k... eff that. I guess I'm just really jaded. The cheaper ones will last for years, if not longer than I will!

Thanks. Figured I'd check out Home Depot and Lowes before doing anything.

[NotIThatLives]

4 hours ago, Reacher said:

Thanks. Figured I'd check out Home Depot and Lowes before doing anything.

We have been happy with Diamond cabinets frim lowes.  They run promo's all the time.  

[Joe_Hoopsier]

4 hours ago, Reacher said:

Thanks. Figured I'd check out Home Depot and Lowes before doing anything.

When in Indiana, and doing all of my projects up there, I prefer Menards. Prices seem better, selection is better. Down south here, that isn't an option, it's lowes or nothing.

I will have to admit one thing though. I've had a couple little projects down here and there is an ace hardware just around the corner. I Hate Ace. HATE. To me it's like where 50 yr old women go find a 4' roll of tape. But this one SO MUCH reminds me of Kleindorfers hardware, of the good old days, in Bloomington, its refreshing! You walk in, and within 3' in the door you have your own personal assistant that ACTUALLY KNOWS THINGS!

Ok Ramble over. Good luck DIY'ers!

[Reacher]

10 hours ago, Joe_Hoopsier said:

When in Indiana, and doing all of my projects up there, I prefer Menards. Prices seem better, selection is better. Down south here, that isn't an option, it's lowes or nothing.

I will have to admit one thing though. I've had a couple little projects down here and there is an ace hardware just around the corner. I Hate Ace. HATE. To me it's like where 50 yr old women go find a 4' roll of tape. But this one SO MUCH reminds me of Kleindorfers hardware, of the good old days, in Bloomington, its refreshing! You walk in, and within 3' in the door you have your own personal assistant that ACTUALLY KNOWS THINGS!

Ok Ramble over. Good luck DIY'ers!

I prefer Menards but I frequent HD, Lowes and Ace as well. I like the garden center and paint at HD. I bought my John Deere lawn tractor, some appliances and my laminate flooring at Lowes.  Lowes tends to have more decorator type stuff the wife likes. Ace is the closest so thats where I go for the one off plumbing/ electrical items. 

I did check the Lowes cabinets online last night. I can get my sizes there but the cost is about $2k for the 4 cabinets (painted). I'll see what HD offers, but so far Lowes cabinets are looking better than Menards. 

[Reacher]

12 hours ago, NotIThatLives said:

We have been happy with Diamond cabinets frim lowes.  They run promo's all the time.  

I saw those when I looked online last night. The ones I found are LifeArt.  Will try and get over there in the next week or so to check them out.

[Seeking6]

Quick question for those who have experience. We are redoing the kitchen with quartz whatever countertops, sink, backdrops, etc....decided to use Home Depot again because it's one stop shopping...not having to hire contractors for each individual stop. 

My question is this. Is it customary to pay in full from the get go? I was expecting like a 50% down 50% on completion. Or is that just the way it's done now? We haven't redone kitchen in over 15 years so maybe we are out of the loop. Just curious from those who have experience with Home Depot.

[IUFLA]

5 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

Quick question for those who have experience. We are redoing the kitchen with quartz whatever countertops, sink, backdrops, etc....decided to use Home Depot again because it's one stop shopping...not having to hire contractors for each individual stop. 

My question is this. Is it customary to pay in full from the get go? I was expecting like a 50% down 50% on completion. Or is that just the way it's done now? We haven't redone kitchen in over 15 years so maybe we are out of the loop. Just curious from those who have experience with Home Depot.

I had my (electric) hot water heater replaced by Home Depot and I had to pay in full when I picked the water heater I wanted... installation and all...

Edited March 23, 2022 by IUFLA

[Joe_Hoopsier]

41 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

Quick question for those who have experience. We are redoing the kitchen with quartz whatever countertops, sink, backdrops, etc....decided to use Home Depot again because it's one stop shopping...not having to hire contractors for each individual stop. 

My question is this. Is it customary to pay in full from the get go? I was expecting like a 50% down 50% on completion. Or is that just the way it's done now? We haven't redone kitchen in over 15 years so maybe we are out of the loop. Just curious from those who have experience with Home Depot.

I'm not sure about HD or their policies. BUT, if you are hiring a contractor to do this work, and you are willing to pay 100% in advance, I will do it for you. I'll drop everything else I've on my plate and make the trip to pick up the check taday!

 

Now, there is no way in #@$$ I'd ever pay 100% up front for a big job like that. Maybe materials + 20% and then progress payments.

[Seeking6]

2 minutes ago, Joe_Hoopsier said:

I'm not sure about HD or their policies. BUT, if you are hiring a contractor to do this work, and you are willing to pay 100% in advance, I will do it for you. I'll drop everything else I've on my plate and make the trip to pick up the check taday!

 

Now, there is no way in #@$$ I'd ever pay 100% up front for a big job like that. Maybe materials + 20% and then progress payments.

Thanks! If it was private stuff I would never pay full in advance. My wife has about a dozen small claim court dates coming up because contractors get $ and don't finish the work.

We chose HD because it was one stop, they do everything.....just was surprised at all payment upfront is all. 

[Reacher]

3 hours ago, Seeking6 said:

Quick question for those who have experience. We are redoing the kitchen with quartz whatever countertops, sink, backdrops, etc....decided to use Home Depot again because it's one stop shopping...not having to hire contractors for each individual stop. 

My question is this. Is it customary to pay in full from the get go? I was expecting like a 50% down 50% on completion. Or is that just the way it's done now? We haven't redone kitchen in over 15 years so maybe we are out of the loop. Just curious from those who have experience with Home Depot.

I had to pay in full in advance for appliances that were back ordered and took 6 months to come in. 

Seems like quartz is the new "in" countertop. Good looks and less maintenance than granite. 

Make sure to show us the before and after pics

[NotIThatLives]

16 hours ago, Seeking6 said:

Quick question for those who have experience. We are redoing the kitchen with quartz whatever countertops, sink, backdrops, etc....decided to use Home Depot again because it's one stop shopping...not having to hire contractors for each individual stop. 

My question is this. Is it customary to pay in full from the get go? I was expecting like a 50% down 50% on completion. Or is that just the way it's done now? We haven't redone kitchen in over 15 years so maybe we are out of the loop. Just curious from those who have experience with Home Depot.

With big box, that is the way.  Don't let them leave without you being totally satisfied or you will have to bug the hell out of them to come back(depending on contractor).  

Don't you live in Hamilton county?  I gotta countertop guy.  Love him and he's cheaper than everybody.  

[Seeking6]

55 minutes ago, NotIThatLives said:

With big box, that is the way.  Don't let them leave without you being totally satisfied or you will have to bug the hell out of them to come back(depending on contractor).  

Don't you live in Hamilton county?  I gotta countertop guy.  Love him and he's cheaper than everybody.  

Yep. Appreciate the potential referral. Still trying to decide which way to go on things. It's appealing to use HD because they handle the whole project from start to finish instead of hiring out contractors along the way. 

[NotIThatLives]

1 hour ago, Seeking6 said:

Yep. Appreciate the potential referral. Still trying to decide which way to go on things. It's appealing to use HD because they handle the whole project from start to finish instead of hiring out contractors along the way. 

Just in case.  The good thing about dealing with the installer is you can go into the warehouses and look at the slabs.  Which doesn't mean as much because the quartz basically all look the same.  But our quartz looks very similar to about 5 others with it being a marble knockoff.  

Selvin's Marble & Granite Shop LLC

5397 W 86th St, Indianapolis, IN 46268
(317) 370-4237 https://g.co/kgs/wDzgQE

[FritzIam4IU]

19 hours ago, Seeking6 said:

Quick question for those who have experience. We are redoing the kitchen with quartz whatever countertops, sink, backdrops, etc....decided to use Home Depot again because it's one stop shopping...not having to hire contractors for each individual stop. 

My question is this. Is it customary to pay in full from the get go? I was expecting like a 50% down 50% on completion. Or is that just the way it's done now? We haven't redone kitchen in over 15 years so maybe we are out of the loop. Just curious from those who have experience with Home Depot.

Yep. We hired HD at last home to do our counters and had to pay up front for everything. Lowes was the same way with a fence we had installed years back. The big box stores get their $$ up front. Like others have mentioned, make sure you are happy before they leave. We had major issues with a fence installed that led to me constantly calling and taking pictures to get them to come and fix it.

[Seeking6]

58 minutes ago, NotIThatLives said:

Just in case.  The good thing about dealing with the installer is you can go into the warehouses and look at the slabs.  Which doesn't mean as much because the quartz basically all look the same.  But our quartz looks very similar to about 5 others with it being a marble knockoff.  

Selvin's Marble & Granite Shop LLC

5397 W 86th St, Indianapolis, IN 46268
(317) 370-4237 https://g.co/kgs/wDzgQE

Thanks and will keep in mind. That's what were wrestling around with right now. The quartz we both picked (without knowing what the other chose) ended being $102/sq foot.....we've now entered the is it really worth it maybe just find a knockoff that looks the same? Thanks again to all for input!

[Indy1987]

1 hour ago, Seeking6 said:

Thanks and will keep in mind. That's what were wrestling around with right now. The quartz we both picked (without knowing what the other chose) ended being $102/sq foot.....we've now entered the is it really worth it maybe just find a knockoff that looks the same? Thanks again to all for input!

Have you considered "leather" finish granite?  It's basically unpolished stone.  We put it in 3 years ago and love it.  It doesn't smudge and is easy to maintain.   It may be cheaper as well depending on where you go.  

Go Hoosiers!!!

[NotIThatLives]

2 hours ago, Seeking6 said:

Thanks and will keep in mind. That's what were wrestling around with right now. The quartz we both picked (without knowing what the other chose) ended being $102/sq foot.....we've now entered the is it really worth it maybe just find a knockoff that looks the same? Thanks again to all for input!

Wow.  I got mine before things got insane and it was probably $60-$65 a foot.  I never looked at the stores.  Went to one warehouse and picked it out and told my dude.  

[Seeking6]

1 hour ago, Indy1987 said:

Have you considered "leather" finish granite?  It's basically unpolished stone.  We put it in 3 years ago and love it.  It doesn't smudge and is easy to maintain.   It may be cheaper as well depending on where you go.  

Go Hoosiers!!!

We haven't but certainly will take a peak at it. 

 

7 minutes ago, NotIThatLives said:

Wow.  I got mine before things got insane and it was probably $60-$65 a foot.  I never looked at the stores.  Went to one warehouse and picked it out and told my dude.  

That's what we've heard and why were considering tabling until maybe the fall just to see if prices come down....but we've been delaying for awhile it's almost to the point of screw it, do it and just be done with it...just never knew how much went into things like this with sink, garbage disposal, backdrop crap,etc...almost getting annoyed with it and we haven't started!

[Indy1987]

4 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

We haven't but certainly will take a peak at it. 

 

That's what we've heard and why were considering tabling until maybe the fall just to see if prices come down....but we've been delaying for awhile it's almost to the point of screw it, do it and just be done with it...just never knew how much went into things like this with sink, garbage disposal, backdrop crap,etc...almost getting annoyed with it and we haven't started!

Lol oh man I did everything myself except the countertops.  My kitchen and dining room were blown up for a couple months.   Saved a ton but yes it was a pain.  

Go Hoosiers!!!

[Reacher]

2 hours ago, Indy1987 said:

Have you considered "leather" finish granite?  It's basically unpolished stone.  We put it in 3 years ago and love it.  It doesn't smudge and is easy to maintain.   It may be cheaper as well depending on where you go.  

Go Hoosiers!!!

Funny you mention that. It seems to be a bit trendier now. I was looking into that for my bathroom before my wife found a quartz she liked.  Kudos for being ahead of the trend!

[Indy1987]

30 minutes ago, Reacher said:

Funny you mention that. It seems to be a bit trendier now. I was looking into that for my bathroom before my wife found a quartz she liked.  Kudos for being ahead of the trend!

I had never seen it but the guy that came to give me a quote showed me a sample and said he could put it in for way less.   Figured my wife would nix that but she liked it.  

What's crazy is I took the sample to a couple other granite places for bids and they were gonna charge the same as the polished granite.   

Go Hoosiers!!!

[Reacher]

3 hours ago, Indy1987 said:

I had never seen it but the guy that came to give me a quote showed me a sample and said he could put it in for way less.   Figured my wife would nix that but she liked it.  

What's crazy is I took the sample to a couple other granite places for bids and they were gonna charge the same as the polished granite.   

Go Hoosiers!!!

He must have had a big order he was trying to get rid of!

[NotIThatLives]

10 hours ago, Indy1987 said:

Have you considered "leather" finish granite?  It's basically unpolished stone.  We put it in 3 years ago and love it.  It doesn't smudge and is easy to maintain.   It may be cheaper as well depending on where you go.  

Go Hoosiers!!!

I couldn't remember what my guys were calling so I googled and found this article.  We considered some gray or black granites with the weathered or rustic look.  Iirc the industry calls it honed or brushed.  This explains them. 

 

https://www.archcitygranite.com/polished-honed-brushed-finish-granite-choice/