What's your latest home project?

caseydog said:
We have an abundance of Mexican day laborers, many of whom are probably here illegally. They are very eager to work. If you pay them better than average, you have a friend. If you pay them well, and feed them, you have a friend for life.

In Frisco, they hang out in front of a convenience store on Main Street. You drive up, make your offer, and drive them to the work site. After they are done, you pay them cash, and drive them back to the parking lot where you picked them up.

CD
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Thinking about your armoury I wouldn't even try to break into yours. There's a kiwi over there in Colorado?? That got shot trying to break into a house to see his girlfriend.

Russ
 
caseydog said:
You drive up, make your offer, and drive them to the work site. After they are done, you pay them cash, and drive them back to the parking lot where you picked them up.
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Wouldn't be safe to do in the current pandemic though. I mean the car sharing.

My gardener phoned me and I asked if I wanted to cancel his forthcoming visit, due to current situation in Kent. Given that he doesn't need to come into the house (there is a right of way through the neighbour garden from the street) and I can shout instructions from a distance, I reckon its pretty safe. But I must remember to do an anti bac wipe down of anything he touches that I'm going to touch - like the extension power cable.

Going back to home projects I need to re-hang the bird feeder (or should I say squirrel feeder). It was hanging from a tree branch and the branch fell off. The only thing I can think to do is to put a sturdy nail into the tree in a similar position to where the branch was. To do this I'd need to climb a ladder. I don't feel safe doing that as my legs are weak (due to spinal issues). Maybe I can get the gardener to do it. He has strong ideas about what he is prepared to do and not do so I'll have to ask nicely!
 
TastyReuben said:
You have a truck as well, right? That's what the bed of the truck is for. :wink:
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I don't own a truck (I've had several in the past). The truck I mentioned for the drive to Houston was a rental full size pickup. It is better suited for that trip. My MINI is 13 years old, and the CooperS models don't have spare tires (they came with run-flat tires, AKA "run-rocks" because they are very hard). Enthusiasts replace them with good tires, but the tradeoff is hoping you don't get a flat in the middle of nowhere.

CD
 
caseydog said:
I don't own a truck (I've had several in the past). The truck I mentioned for the drive to Houston was a rental full size pickup. It is better suited for that trip. My MINI is 13 years old, and the CooperS models don't have spare tires (they came with run-flat tires, AKA "run-rocks" because they are very hard). Enthusiasts replace them with good tires, but the tradeoff is hoping you don't get a flat in the middle of nowhere.

CD
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Mod.edit: A reply to this has been moved the the 'car' thread: see here
 
This was a December 2020 thread, which I only recognized after giving it thumbs up, sorry, but as there is always projects going on, I need to change the kitchen table top to a smaller one. Putting the dishwasher in recently, it changed the place for the stove, it is now next to the table, and it is crowded, it opens but would almost not. Although I love my big kitchen table, used both for meal preparation and dining, in my small kitchen, the table should get smaller.
Igor suggested we might try to find a smaller table top and reuse the existing table base.
Given his health concerns, and the fact it can still function the old way, it will not be rushed.
 
I mentioned this earlier, but with the dog finally dearly departed, we're giving the house a bit of a makeover.

We're starting with the kitchen/dining area, with new blinds for the door that leads out back, the floor-to-ceiling window next to it, and the window over the kitchen sink.

We're also getting a tile backsplash installed in the kitchen. Those two projects will happen the first week of April, and then fresh paint and finally a new sink. We've already painted the doors.

Outside, we've already started, and that's just sprucing up things, like putting down rugs and dressing up the bistro tables with tablecloths when we eat out there, and getting a couple of new patio umbrellas.

We plant a lot of flowers out there every year, so that'll help brighten it up out there as well.

After that, new paint in some of the rooms, and replacing the carpet in the house, and finally, some new furniture.
 
TastyReuben said:
I mentioned this earlier, but with the dog finally dearly departed, we're giving the house a bit of a makeover.

We're starting with the kitchen/dining area, with new blinds for the door that leads out back, the floor-to-ceiling window next to it, and the window over the kitchen sink.

We're also getting a tile backsplash installed in the kitchen. Those two projects will happen the first week of April, and then fresh paint and finally a new sink. We've already painted the doors.

Outside, we've already started, and that's just sprucing up things, like putting down rugs and dressing up the bistro tables with tablecloths when we eat out there, and getting a couple of new patio umbrellas.

We plant a lot of flowers out there every year, so that'll help brighten it up out there as well.

After that, new paint in some of the rooms, and replacing the carpet in the house, and finally, some new furniture.
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Sorry about the dog, missed the post...

That is quite a lot of work. But it will totally be worth it.🍀
 
TastyReuben said:
I mentioned this earlier, but with the dog finally dearly departed, we're giving the house a bit of a makeover.

We're starting with the kitchen/dining area, with new blinds for the door that leads out back, the floor-to-ceiling window next to it, and the window over the kitchen sink.

We're also getting a tile backsplash installed in the kitchen. Those two projects will happen the first week of April, and then fresh paint and finally a new sink. We've already painted the doors.

Outside, we've already started, and that's just sprucing up things, like putting down rugs and dressing up the bistro tables with tablecloths when we eat out there, and getting a couple of new patio umbrellas.

We plant a lot of flowers out there every year, so that'll help brighten it up out there as well.

After that, new paint in some of the rooms, and replacing the carpet in the house, and finally, some new furniture.
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Sounds like me, top story repainted all around and new carpet throughout $14k now replacing two windows that are rotten. Builders just finishe one. I'm doing inside doors and frames. One to do but I've saved about 1500 doing it myself. Cost of paint $120. This all need doing before winter in 5 weeks. Then me and my cash can hibernate til spring. Painter booked to do upstairs decking $800 then we will look at window frames inside. I will paint the garage to match the house, I have the paint, just time!!

The improvements prolly put 100k on value of property.

Russ
 
My last big one was the garage here. It as before I moved in. Half the roof was gone and the whole back off the garage was wet and soaked to the point where if you grabbed it your fingers went through it. I got the crew on the weekends mostly and just did it because if the city would have seen it before they would have condemnd it. Later I wired it, and the new wiring can handle 30 amps esily but the feed won't so it is limited to 15. Problem is access in the house and getting it from the box to the back wall. Unless I want to bury it and I do not want to bury it.

The last really big one I handled was putting in A/C for the first time with a new furnace and upgrading the wiring, main panel and many circuits. Also a complete kitchen remodel and put in a new laundry room.

Other big ones I worked for my buddy Jack.If he got the job he was boss, if I got it I was boss. We put in a custome kitchen for Colin Powell's ex-personal chef. He is Gay and got out during don't ask don't tell. But he got gooc jobs and also was a pastry chef. Know what that means ? That means the bodybuilder model Jen Air double oven so heav it broke the cabinet had to be exactly perfect. I mean a bubble level is not close enough. To getit that level you take a plate with a little bit of water in it and use that to indicate.

HA, when the cabinet broke I was standing there holding it yelling for Jack to help get it safely to the floor, if it hd gotten scratched this guy would care.

I found that type of work very satisfying but electronics paid me more so I did that. Now I am too old for the remodeling game. I almost started a business. Choice Home Improvement. CHI is Chinese for life or someting, I forget. But choice was the game, other companies would say you cana't do that or it is impossible but for CHI it wpild just take a little longer.

Oh. another big job of mine was when a tree fell on a house, and this was all out of the owner's pocket because insurance didn't cover it.

So actually if anyone has questions about the subject I am here. I am still good with answers and ideas. The code I know is a few years old, but still it'll pass. DEFINITELY tell me if a contractor ever tells you something can't be done. ANYTHING can be done.

One dirty little secret might come in handy - union halls. That is where union workers go to get theirnext job. Just itin your car out front and tell them as they walk out, or in that you got maybe a day work aand will pay - even their scale which is not cheap. But still you are not paying a guy who drives a Cadillac car and smokes a big fat cigar. And tax free. You can give them a 1099 less than $600 ndit wil be tax free but at least you know who they are, and their work must be good. If the union catches them with anything substandard they will no longer be in the union.

T
 
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