Practical suggestions for my house

Cultured granite (stilestone) is almost as expensive as granite....and it's not even close. The matrix is pigmented portland. (cement)...it's basically terrazzo. :shrug:

You can seal the grout joints in your showers (or wherever) fairly inexpensively...if you're worried about mold and mildew. The grout has to cure a minimum of 3 days before you apply the sealer. Any excess on the tiles can be removed with acetone or denatured alcohol.

If you like the shiny look, there are a wide variety of glazed ceramic tiles available. Just like every other floor covering, the cheaper you go, the sooner you will see wear in the traffic areas.

One thing to think about...the floor is generally the last thing people notice ( unless it's filthy) it should blend in with its surroundings. People look at art work, furniture...lighting. Unless you have tons of money and want to "make a statement" with your floor..go subtle.
 
on the computer side.... plan ahead, run all networking cable ahead of time to all rooms. even if you think you wont use it.
you can get it all combined now too. has phone,cable,networking,speaker...all combined. saves by only pulling 1 bunch of cable at a time.
make sure what ever fridge you get has water and ice in the door. that way your supporting the company i work for, we got the market on filteration.
also verify the water. does it need softener? iron filter? undersink RO.
these are things that will cause headaches later if not properly done the first time. Good brands, Aquapure, Macclean. dont rent, more trouble than worth. buy them upfront and save the rental money for the salt and filters.
 
I've seen the fridges where the freezer is on the bottom and has a door. Those have been out for quote a while now. The drawer idea is a lot better though, since it's a lot easier to bend and reach straight down than it is to bend down and reach to the back of a freezer and having to either contort your arm or squat really low to get to the last bit of ice cream that got shoved way in the back.

The problem with side-by-sides is in the reliability. If you ever read the Consumer Reports reliability surveys, side-by-side models have to be repaired a lot more often than regular models. And that's for all brands.
 
ok, I say the ubatuba black granite (or however it's spelled) today... looks pretty nice.

I did some budget figuring, and I think I can swing granite for the kitchen and all bathroom countertops.

Contrary to what I was thinking, I have it on good word from a few maids I know that carpet stairs are not that difficult to keep clean, and may even require less maintenence in the long run than stained wood, which needs either a carpet runner (might as well have carpet stairs) or will have to be refinished more often than you'd replace carpet.

Still not sure about the master bath shower. Cultured marble just seem way too expensive for what it is. I'm going to get a quote from the contractor on just having it tiled in with, well... some sort of tile.
 
PT, I just now caught your post on carpet pads. You snuck it in right before a reply of mine, and I didn't notice it before.

I'll definitely make sure to do a little research on the pads available. Thanks.
 
outside looking in said:
PT, I just now caught your post on carpet pads. You snuck it in right before a reply of mine, and I didn't notice it before.

I'll definitely make sure to do a little research on the pads available. Thanks.
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No problem. The best company out there a couple years ago was a company called Bondafoam. Almost all pad is made from recycled foam, ground up, and glued back together into the pad. Bondafoam uses a little higher percentage of virgin foam so it allows them to control their density a little better than most. Now, don't be tempted to use more, cause more is not better. If you go any thicker than 1/2" it stresses the carpet too much. Likewise if you go less than 3/8, it doesn't provide enough support before bottoming out. Same goes with the density. Under 8lbs will make you hit the floor on every step, crushing the carpet. Over 8lbs and you may as well not use a pad, it will be too hard.
 
Have as much of the house bricked as possible.

No friggen wallpaper.

Don't go too expensive on the carpet if you have kids that will be outta the house in 10-12 years. Install commercial grade low pile carpet with no pad in the computer room.

I wish I had had my patio covered when the house was built.

Run phone/cable wires to every room, even bathrooms. I did this and don't regret it. But phones these days are expandable (multiple headsets) from a single base. But at least make sure to put a phone jack in the Master Bedroom and have a non-cordless phone so if the power goes out, you can still use it.

Install a security system. It's much easier to install while the house is being built. Fortunately I had a good friend who owned a security company when my house was built. He got me all the equipment for cost ($500) and helped me install it.

Don't worry about the initial paint job.......it won't be good enough. Pick some non-contrasting colors so the poor job won't be too noticable till you can repaint it yourself.

Beef up all the ceiling light boxes incase you decide to put a ceiling fan in all rooms. A peice of 2x6 with a peice of 2x4 nailed perpendicular on each side makes a real sturdy fan mount. And use two peices of string to make sure the fixtures are centered in the room.

Install heater/fan/light fixtures in bathrooms. That heater comes in handy in the winter.

Install a pressure regulator on the incoming water line if you area has high water pressure. It'll save your plumbing and hot water heater.

Get the best windows you can afford.
 
interestingly when i moved into the place we were in my dad made a good suggestion on decorating. the rooms here were strong colours [dark blue living room, strong orange kitchen/dining]. i spent a week painting the rooms white and there is still residual colour there, very faintly.

my dad said that he puts lining paper up and then gives it a single coat of white paint. of course he told me this *after* i'd done the painting... :D
 
hehehe, i was using the extra-thick 'once' stuff and two coats was nowhere near enough. i gave up after the third, the choice of colours by the previous tenant was staggering.
 
I had to use some KILZ on a small are in my kitchen....ended up having to put three coats on to cover the KILZ :tardbang:
 
How is travertine marble floor tile for wear and durability? I like the idea of it being honed instead of polished... wouldn't be as slick, so it might be ok for kitchen/bathroom duty unless it's going to be demolished quickly by the foot traffic.
 
outside looking in said:
How is travertine marble floor tile for wear and durability? I like the idea of it being honed instead of polished... wouldn't be as slick, so it might be ok for kitchen/bathroom duty unless it's going to be demolished quickly by the foot traffic.
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Travertine (FILLED and honed) is gorgeous and durable. It's suitable for anywhere in the house. But make sure it's mudset NOT thinset. Mudset will give you a flat/level floor. Thinset will not, you'll end up with lippage all over the place, because the tiles are never all the exact same thickness and with a buttjoint and variations in the slab, YOU WILL NOTICE the kickers.
 
...this thread will come in handy soon... i'll be able to use these suggestions when i start to build too :D
 
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