The Home Renovation Thread

[captaincaution]

Wasn't sure of anywhere to ask this quick question.. which shelf bracket would be more secure to hold a shelf and microwave, figure 45-50 lb? Shelf would also need to be an inch or two off the wall to allow the back of microwave to have space. The main issue is, only one of the sides has a stud available, other would be into drywall
View attachment 8999590

For the drywall only side, i could use 4 drywall screws, or should I do toggle bolts (whether all 4 or just 2 and other 2 are drywall screws)?

Much appreciated!

My instinct is that the 45* angle one will hold the weight better, I recall something from some form of science or math class where that would make sense haha

If just the brackets, and not the shelf itself, are secured to the wall, both connections to the wall will see the same bending moment. The shelf with the 45 degree brackets will deflect less, since it is more compressive than pure bending.

If you can put a couple of small L shaped brackets perhaps on top of the shelf to keep the shelf from pulling away from the wall, then the 45 degree bracket will be superior, and much stiffer. Then the brackets on top of the shelf are taking all of the rotation out in tension, and the 45s are closer to pure shear down the wall.

That's my back of the napkin (text box on THP) structural analysis.

There are pretty strong toggle bolts available for drywall. We used a bunch to hang our cabinets above the window in our laundry room.

 

[jjsportz]

If it took twice as long and 3x what you planned to spend, you did a good job. If it was on time and at budget, you're in the wrong business, and I have a few jobs for you.. lol

Congratulations! Nothing like the sense of accomplishment after home renovations.

 

[fuffle master]

Backyard patio is officially done.

Before
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After

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You both did a really good job with this. Very nice

 

[donny475]

We have been in the house since 2013, so, the Boss decided that she no longer likes the dark kitchen cabinets. So the 7 colors of a country blue are up on the doors and a lucky suspect has been picked. No now we have taken a "stay-cation" week in April and the cabinets will be sanded and painted, along with, "we might as well paint the ceiling white" while we are at it along with the trim and baseboards.....and "can we take down the pantry doors and do that too?"

I smiled and said, "well of course, we should have plenty of time since we are taking the whole week"..... According to @GolferGal earlier posts, i believe my opinion was on point

 

[MrBlast]

Wife has started dropping the renovation hints. We are easing into the process having a couple contractors walk through and just advise on what is and isn't possible in our 1942 house.

Wanted to poll the crowd here and see what questions do you wish you had asked your contractor in the beginning phases of you project?

What kind of project?

 

[donny475]

Backyard patio is officially done.

Before
View attachment 8999773
After

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Yep[, having lived in Florida before and having the "Birdcage" over the pool and patio area, I have wondered why more Teas homes don't have them. Heck, I hate it when the wife goes out in the back yard and leaves the door open

 

[GolferGal]

Yep[, having lived in Florida before and having the "Birdcage" over the pool and patio area, I have wondered why more Teas homes don't have them. Heck, I hate it when the wife goes out in the back yard and leaves the door open

The birdcage is the best, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want one. There were a few houses in our old neighborhood in Florida who took them down because they said it made their yard feel small, which I guess I can kind of understand, but having the screen to keep out bugs and leaves/debris in your pool is worth a slightly smaller looking yard IMO.

 

[RabidWombats]

What kind of project?

Various things from a potential gut of a bathroom, moving laundry/creating a mudroom, building a detached dwelling unit/office/inlaw suite.

 

[MrBlast]

Various things from a potential gut of a bathroom, moving laundry/creating a mudroom, building a detached dwelling unit/office/inlaw suite.

That's a long list. Good luck.

 

[RabidWombats]

That's a long list. Good luck.

Yeah I would say we are in the feasibility phase at this point. Met with the first contractor yesterday and think she has a little bit of sticker shock. The current inflation on building materials is wild to say the least.

 

[captaincaution]

Yeah I would say we are in the feasibility phase at this point. Met with the first contractor yesterday and think she has a little bit of sticker shock. The current inflation on building materials is wild to say the least.

What kind of a timeline are they giving you? One of the contractors we do a lot of work with is scheduling out a full year.

 

[MrBlast]

Yeah I would say we are in the feasibility phase at this point. Met with the first contractor yesterday and think she has a little bit of sticker shock. The current inflation on building materials is wild to say the least.

A bathroom remodel is typically 15 to 25K, depending on how extensive it is and how big the bathroom is.
Additional living structures can be anywhere from 100 to 150K, depending on size and use.

 

[Reframmellator]

Various things from a potential gut of a bathroom, moving laundry/creating a mudroom, building a detached dwelling unit/office/inlaw suite.

We are on a similar path - major overhaul of the kitchen (it's basically a 43-y/o kitchen with a few minor facelifts over the years) possibly including expanding into the space occupied by a powder room, relocating the powder room, moving the laundry from the basement to the main floor, adding a main floor closet, and adding a family/media room. We may scale back once we see the estimates, but that's the scope for now. I'll be watching your progress with interest.

 

[kiwichris]

I need some help, got a huge deck renovation planned but am struggling to get plans for submission to the city for a permit.
Anyone here do plans, know someone who can do plans inexpensively?
I can supply building guide and work with you, would like to get submission in soon as the ground is almost ready to dig a hole or two for concrete

 

[fuffle master]

A bathroom remodel is typically 15 to 25K, depending on how extensive it is and how big the bathroom is.
Additional living structures can be anywhere from 100 to 150K, depending on size and use.

It is crazy how a small room like a bathroom can cost so much to remodel, but it does add up quickly.

 

[MrBlast]

I need some help, got a huge deck renovation planned but am struggling to get plans for submission to the city for a permit.
Anyone here do plans, know someone who can do plans inexpensively?
I can supply building guide and work with you, would like to get submission in soon as the ground is almost ready to dig a hole or two for concrete

I can help you draw a plan for a deck. What are the dimensions? Can you provide a rough sketch and how it attaches to the house?

 

[kiwichris]

I can help you draw a plan for a deck. What are the dimensions? Can you provide a rough sketch and how it attaches to the house?

Can I pm you my address for a Google view? Would that be easier?

 

[RabidWombats]

What kind of a timeline are they giving you? One of the contractors we do a lot of work with is scheduling out a full year.

We didn't talk timeline specifically since we haven't even put together any plans. We were just wanting to get a contractors perspective before approaching an architect.

 

[RabidWombats]

A bathroom remodel is typically 15 to 25K, depending on how extensive it is and how big the bathroom is.
Additional living structures can be anywhere from 100 to 150K, depending on size and use.

Yeah these line up pretty well with the rough numbers we were discussing with the contractor yesterday. The bathroom is what really shocked me.

 

[RabidWombats]

It is crazy how a small room like a bathroom can cost so much to remodel, but it does add up quickly.

I ended up replacing a walk in shower in my last house due to shotty pan installation from the previous owner. That alone was nearly $10k.

 

[MrBlast]

Can I pm you my address for a Google view? Would that be easier?

Sure. But I still need to know the rough dimensions of the deck. Where you want stairs. The height of the deck. Etc. Do you want an in-deck beam or a cantilever/dropped beam? What type of materials are you using? Composite materials require narrower joist spacing than treated wood or cedar.

 

[MrBlast]

Yeah these line up pretty well with the rough numbers we were discussing with the contractor yesterday. The bathroom is what really shocked me.

What are you doing to the bathroom? Tile shower? Or a fiberglass shower?

 

[JB]

What kind of a timeline are they giving you? One of the contractors we do a lot of work with is scheduling out a full year.

We are pretty lucky. Love our guy and he has now done the kitchen, bathroom and outside patio all with in the 6 months we had planned.

 

[MrBlast]

I ended up replacing a walk in shower in my last house due to shotty pan installation from the previous owner. That alone was nearly $10k.

Yep. Tile showers typically start at 6K and only go up from there. You can break the bank on tile. Anywhere from $3 a square foot to $300 a square foot. Custom glass shower door is 2K. Double vanity, fixtures and quartzite top = 3 to 4K. And on and on it goes.

 

[Reframmellator]

I need some help, got a huge deck renovation planned but am struggling to get plans for submission to the city for a permit.
Anyone here do plans, know someone who can do plans inexpensively?
I can supply building guide and work with you, would like to get submission in soon as the ground is almost ready to dig a hole or two for concrete

Do they require certified/stamped plans by a professional engineer?? What are they pushing back on?

When I built mine, I just drew my plans by hand on graph paper. Now they were pretty detailed. I had a to-scale drawing. I specified the materials, the means of fastening, and any electrical wiring I had planned. For example, for the 29 posts that went into the ground, I showed a typical as 4X6 ground contact rated pressure treated lumber, set on a concrete pad of a minimum 6" thickness, with the top of the pad a minimum of 48" below grade, with the PT lumber wrapped below grade in 10 mil polyethylene stapled to the wood. I got the pad and hole details from the Planning Department before I drew up the plans. I think he asked two questions, one of them about the self-closing mechanism on the gate at pool level, said "That'll be a nice looking deck, " and asked me for a check for the building permit.