Home Renovation Stories!

[TSmcam]

Nice work Doug!

We were considering doing some renovation work to our house that we built seventeen years ago. Things like adding a walk in pantry, a covered outdoor area etc. I wanted a third bay in the garage, and that wasn't viable on the layout, so we pretty much gave up on the idea.

About six months later, we found a section we liked, so we bought it, sold our place, rented for ten months and built a new place.

This is our old place: https://homes.co.nz/address/christchurch/burnside/61-westpark-drive/PV4Ev

The photos are the real estate photos used for the auction. It was a great house and where our children grew up. Funny thing is, with the kids grown up and moved out, we should be downsizing. We went to smaller land, but the house ended up bigger LOL

[YoDoug]

Nice work Doug!

We were considering doing some renovation work to our house that we built seventeen years ago. Things like adding a walk in pantry, a covered outdoor area etc. I wanted a third bay in the garage, and that wasn't viable on the layout, so we pretty much gave up on the idea.

About six months later, we found a section we liked, so we bought it, sold our place, rented for ten months and built a new place.

This is our old place: https://homes.co.nz/address/christchurch/burnside/61-westpark-drive/PV4Ev

The photos are the real estate photos used for the auction. It was a great house and where our children grew up. Funny thing is, with the kids grown up and moved out, we should be downsizing. We went to smaller land, but the house ended up bigger LOL

Wow, You must be selling drugs on the side or something cause machinists in America ain't living like that!

[Del.]

I didn't want to spend so much money on new countertops so I used this stuff. It turned out pretty good and it durable. Lots of dust from sanding though and I saved several thousand

[TSmcam]

Wow, You must be selling drugs on the side or something cause machinists in America ain't living like that!

Haha, nah, that house was relatively average compared to the rest in the subdivision. The size is about 242sqm, which is about 2600sqft. Some of the houses in there were over 3200sqft. And several people had holiday homes as well (we sure as hell dont ). My wife is very house proud, and chose all the decor. Kind of a hobby to her, as well as gardening (she is a keen gardener, and has won a few awards for the garden). Me, well, I struggle to tell the difference between a weed and plant, so I just mowed the lawns and did the edges LOL

Property prices are probably a lot cheaper down here too. Although land is getting expensive.

[TSmcam]

I didn't want to spend so much money on new countertops so I used this stuff. It turned out pretty good and it durable. Lots of dust from sanding though and I saved several thousand

How wear/chip resistant is it? Looks really good, and it sure would save a ton of money.

[YoDoug]

I struggle to tell the difference between a weed and plant

Hint; one is for eating and the other is for

[neurosis]

Nice place to Not eat Real Food.

Right?  That table top looks like  a good place for some of Ghuns bbq.

[ghuns]

I got stories, man. And prolly some PTSD.

In 1995, we bought the farmhouse my grandpa built in 1942.

He cut down trees, mostly oak, and cut them into boards using his grandpa's sawmill. If two nails would hold something, he'd use 6 just to make sure.

There are 2'x4' sheets of drywall like stuff nailed to the studs with large gaps in between them. He then plastered over that. The plaster would ooze through the gaps to help hold it. Thickness of the plaster ranges from 3/8"-3/4" and it's basically concrete. Then there's a thin top coat over that which was tinted with various colors, so most walls were never painted.

My advice to anyone thinking of buying an old house is, don't. Build a new one.

When we sold our 1st house, we had two weeks to GTFO. In those two weeks my dad and me emptied the house, all of the stuff(junk) grandma and grandpa had accumulated in 50+ years was still in it, we then rewired it. My other grandpa helped gut/remod the downstairs bathroom, and we moved in.

Over the next few months we did a light remod to the kitchen, had all new windows put in, insulated the attic, stripped/refinished trim, painted, etc.

Then we popped out a couple of kids and they sucked the life and $$$ out of us for the next 20 years. The only major thing I did during that time was to install an outdoor wood burning boiler.

Since getting them both off the payroll we have reroofed, resided, did another kitchen remod, and built a 10x30 porch and a 16x24 deck.

About the only major items left that we've never addressed are to refinish the hardwood floors.

I have only farmed out three things, the roof, siding, and windows.

The porch and deck were the only things I ever took many pics of.

















Found a few pics from making the new cabinet/ cabinet doors, butcher block counter tops, etc...















Then I found a better use for that bottom floating shelf...

[Del.]

How wear/chip resistant is it? Looks really good, and it sure would save a ton of money.

It's a hard surface and has held up well. I found when putting the stone on it you are best to use a sponge instead of the roller to get the stone more uniform and then lightly roll it. If you get too much stone in spots and then sand it smooth you will sand the stone off in spots and just left with the base application. I spent abut $500 on it. It's an option that saves money but of course not as good as new tops.

[RobertELee]

Bought a 1910 built house in 2012. Was lived in by a family for the past 40 years. Husband died, kids moved out, old lady was a pack rat, carton a day smoker, some type of drugs, etc. Hadn't paid taxes on it in like 10 years. We bought it for $15k, gutted it down to the studs. Replaced all electrical plumbing HVAC insulation etc. New everything. Sold it for $185k 6 months later. Noticed it sold last fall for $310k and they did very few changes. I'll have to dig up before and after pics.

One day a police officer stopped by while I was working in the front yard annd was thankful we were fixing it up ans it had been on the tear down list.  She told me a story about the previous owner. They were called out for a welfare check, knocked on the door no answer. They walked around the house and she saw a shadow move in one of the windows. Knocked on the window and it fell out of the opening and broke. Sees the lady (imagine a 70's overweight toothless chain smoker) completely naked running away. She climbs in the window and proceeds to follow her, lady throws something while running away so the police officer runs after a catches her halfway up the stairs. Here she is wrestling a drugged out and naked old woman on the stairs, who hadn't had a shower in days if not weeks. She said the sights and smells will be seared into her memory for life.

[Here's Johnny!]

Got some photos uploaded of our project.

[Incogneeto]

Got some photos uploaded of our project.

Shit !! If you did that in my town you'd have a campfire every night with lot's a people you don't know.

And Don't want to.

[Here's Johnny!]

Shit !! If you did that in my town you'd have a campfire every night with lot's a people you don't know.

And Don't want to.

Free labour??? 

My wife and I moved 20 tons on 3/4 clear gravel by pails into the basement and moved out about 30 tons of wet clay in pails. I lost quite a bit of weight during that process!!!

[Incogneeto]

Free labour??? 

My wife and I moved 20 tons on 3/4 clear gravel by pails into the basement and moved out about 30 tons of wet clay in pails. I lost quite a bit of weight during that process!!!

Soooo Who has the Bigger Biceps??

[Here's Johnny!]

Soooo Who has the Bigger Biceps??

Obviously her....