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I agree with you - the second one you build would be about perfect, LOL.
We bought a re-sale b/c we wanted in a particular area of the city - and no new construction - all older homes. Luckily, the layout is pretty close to what we had in our custom home, but no butler's pantry (and I had a HUGE one). I really, really miss that area for storage (as well as an area I used as a bar - kept blender hooked up there - now blender is behind cabinet doors. SIGH).
I want a place to wash off things, too - have a "walk through" laundry area wh/ works fine - also have a dedicated circuit to my freestanding freezer in that area - so these things were nice and I would never have configured it that way myself. This was a custom home so I like that little idea that the previous owners included. However - by putting the freezer in that area - it eliminated the wash tub - and I am like you - would like to have had that. There is an area on the other side of the garage wall wh/ would be quite easy to hook up the plumbing for such a sink, so I may eventually do that. But again - that will not be as convenient as having it right there w/ washer/dryer.
Wish I had a way to reconfigure the coat closet as you did. I have central vac but no really good place to store the hose . . . and I use a scooba - how nice it would be to have an outlet in that closet to hook up scooba in between use. I would never have thought of putting an outlet there and so you have given me a GREAT idea!
I am having an electrician come in soon and rework my kitchen/family room lighting - changing over and adding can lights. So I can have some outlets added in w/ that job. You have inspired me to at least put an outlet in that closet if this can be accomplished easily (and I think it can - wall of closet has outlet on other side in guest bathroom). I think they could run that through to closet. SO THANK YOU for that tip!!!!
TCS1366: can you tell us more about the hot water recirculating thingie? I have that problem - have to run the faucets to get the hot water going. Can one retrofit w/ that?
Ani -- in all honesty, i don't know a lot of the details of it... though i could probably do a "search" or even as him for more details. [this was 7 yrs ago with me thinking... Oh gosh... this is really gonna add to the cost of the home. ] I guess i sorta shrugged it off thinking that we were trying to keep the price as low as possible. hindsight.
but when we were in the process of building... he said that they would install additional copper piping so that the water circulated thru the whole house.
and I"m sure there was some sort of pump or so to keep it all moving .... but he did say that you'd save money in the long run since you wouldnt be wasting so much water to get the "hot" to the second level.
I am not sure if this all can be installed after the fact ..... but i may look into it.
I completely gutted/remodeled my house when I bought it five years ago, because it was all original from the 1960s and there DEFINITELY are things I should have done differently (and have learned from):
I wish I hadn't replaced the old blacktop driveway with an all-pavers one (at huge expense) but instead had just put in a new blacktop; they tout pavers as being easily replaceable if damaged, but never mention that the replacement pavers will NEVER match the originals in color and thus you end up with a glaring patchwork effect.
I wish I had chosen a dark color for the shutters and exterior doors; white gets very dirty very quickly.
I wish I had chosen cedar-look vinyl siding instead of the wide strips; the cedar-look lengths are shorter and less likely to crack or buckle, especially in south and west facing exposures.
I wish I hadn't let myself be talked into letting the air handler for the main-floor A/C system be located in the crawlspace; within a year it developed mold and bacteria issues and now the system cannot be used at all. The upstairs A/C air handler is in the attic and has no problems. Never never NEVER allow an air handler to be located below grade or anywhere where dampness is an issue!
I wish I had never put Absolute Black granite floor tile in one of the bathrooms; just like a black car, it shows EVERYTHING! What was I thinking?
I used Corian instead of Silestone for the kitchen counters but only because at that time, Silestone was not available in a matte finish (I understand that nowadays it is). In my next kitchen I will use Silestone. I do have it in one of the bathrooms now and love the incredible ease of maintenance and the indestructability.
Some questions: can you put a dehumidifier near the air handler to cut down on moisture? I did that in one house but maybe you dont have room . . .I know your problem and am sorry you have to deal with that.
DId you get a big box company like Lowes to install your Silestone in your bathrooms? I want to change mine out and have thought about Silestone and want to find the least expensive route to go since that is not a big job (meaning - wonder who will come out and do it at a reasonable price since it is not as large a job as a kitchen - less sq. ftg.)
I love absolute black granite and know it is beautiful!!!!! But I can imagine it showing dirt and fuzz, etc. Still, I bet it looks terrific.
Ani -- in all honesty, i don't know a lot of the details of it... though i could probably do a "search" or even as him for more details. [this was 7 yrs ago with me thinking... Oh gosh... this is really gonna add to the cost of the home. ] I guess i sorta shrugged it off thinking that we were trying to keep the price as low as possible. hindsight.
but when we were in the process of building... he said that they would install additional copper piping so that the water circulated thru the whole house.
and I"m sure there was some sort of pump or so to keep it all moving .... but he did say that you'd save money in the long run since you wouldnt be wasting so much water to get the "hot" to the second level.
I am not sure if this all can be installed after the fact ..... but i may look into it.
Hee Hee - sounds "Custom" to me!!!! I bet I could get a plumber in to do it but it would cost me some $$$$ to solder pipes, etc. Oh well. Thought I would ask. I just hate having to run the water to get the hot water to the second floor and my previous home did not have this problem . . . Don't think I will put the money into it. But I sure will remember this if we ever build a new home!!!! Thanks for the info!!!
I wish I had never put Absolute Black granite floor tile in one of the bathrooms; just like a black car, it shows EVERYTHING! What was I thinking?
Seems like we all have those "what was I thinking" moments... Let's swap our floors! My hair is dark and it sheds a lot. Oh well, I was perfectly aware of that before I chose the tile, but I just didn't want dark tile. So now I'm picking up hair all the time. I'm a very bad pet!
I also got all tile on the first floor, even though I'm not a big fan of it because I figured if company spills something it's a lot easier to replace a rug than carpet (in the living room). It'll be God-sent in summer, but it keeps the 1st floor quite chilly in the winter, even in Tucson.
Seems like we all have those "what was I thinking" moments... Let's swap our floors! My hair is dark and it sheds a lot. Oh well, I was perfectly aware of that before I chose the tile, but I just didn't want dark tile. So now I'm picking up hair all the time. I'm a very bad pet!
I also got all tile on the first floor, even though I'm not a big fan of it because I figured if company spills something it's a lot easier to replace a rug than carpet (in the living room). It'll be God-sent in summer, but it keeps the 1st floor quite chilly in the winter, even in Tucson.
You're gonna need some nice rugs! Your tile sounds very practical . . . and the right look for Tucson.
DId you get a big box company like Lowes to install your Silestone in your bathrooms? I want to change mine out and have thought about Silestone and want to find the least expensive route to go since that is not a big job (meaning - wonder who will come out and do it at a reasonable price since it is not as large a job as a kitchen - less sq. ftg.)
Don't discount your local dealers. The box stores sub out the installation jobs and not always to competent people. That means that they slap on an overhead fee on top of the workmen cost. Quality local workmen might be able to do it at a better price and you can check out their recommendations. After all, they could buy it from the big dealers at a discount and your not paying layers of middlemen.
Don't discount your local dealers. The box stores sub out the installation jobs and not always to competent people. That means that they slap on an overhead fee on top of the workmen cost. Quality local workmen might be able to do it at a better price and you can check out their recommendations. After all, they could buy it from the big dealers at a discount and your not paying layers of middlemen.
Just seems everyone here is over-priced, but I have heard some real horror stories from people who got installation thru/ the big box stores. I can call the people back who put the granite in my kitchen, but for a small job - it will be expensive, b/c they have a price break when you are buying higher square footage.
Everyone here seems to charge a big fee to just show up at your house so it really makes it impractical to do a few small areas for a reasonable price, darnit.
I just bought a 2-story house and I'm in a stage of "wth was I thinking"... Perhaps after I get established and know where everything is and have two of many things... , I might feel better, but as of right now I'm having a huge remorse. Another rule should be added to Murphy's laws - whatever you happen to need is on the OTHER floor!
If it makes you feel any better, I felt exactly the same way when we moved into our two-story house in January. Our knees hurt from going up and down so much! But now that we're more settled in, I find that I don't go up and down twenty thousand times a day. So hang in there -- it will get better!
If it makes you feel any better, I felt exactly the same way when we moved into our two-story house in January. Our knees hurt from going up and down so much! But now that we're more settled in, I find that I don't go up and down twenty thousand times a day. So hang in there -- it will get better!
I hope so... I'm pooped. Thank you for the encouragement.
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Let's swap our floors!
My hair is dark and it sheds a lot. Oh well, I was perfectly aware of that before I chose the tile, but I just didn't want dark tile. So now I'm picking up hair all the time. I'm a very bad pet!
, I might feel better, but as of right now I'm having a huge remorse.
