Home Projects (upkeep/repair/mods/cool sh*t/advice/question)

[Carpet_pissr]

Various threads floating out there about specific home ownership issues (HVAC, home theater projects, buying and selling, etc), but I wanted to create a consolidated thread that deals with all the projects that come with home ownership, whether that be simple upkeep ideas, or totally unnecessary but cool stuff to do with your abode. Especially now that it seems quite a few OO'ers are buying or have bought houses recently, I thought it might be timely.

Having just sold a house, and bought a new one, I am up to my armpits in projects, and coming across things I had no prior experience with until moving into this house. This has lead to a lot (I mean a LOT) of online research on my part. Here are a few I am currently dealing with, or have recently completed. Feel free to chime in on any advice, comments, or questions you have about anything house related:

1. Tree cutting (why, costs, fun with, results of)
2. Swimming pool care (or ambivalence)
3. Underground/hard wired landscape lighting (right in the middle of this...and trying to do it all myself)
4. Kitchen vent hood selection and installation (surprisingly meaty topic)
5. Induction cooktops/ranges (vs. gas or traditional electric)
6. Smelly HE washing machines (clothes)
7. UCL (under cabinet lighting) Just getting into this can o' worms...some AMAZING looking, and relatively cheap stuff being done with LED flexible tape. This topic also turned me onto bias lighting for TV's, cove lighting, ceiling, etc. HUGE topic.
8. Engineered wood flooring. I know way more than anyone should about this stuff, after installing it in more than one house. Repair, brands, finish, warranties, durability, everything. Almost like someone asking me about coffee, or micro R/C helicopters, or sinus problems....I almost go into shutdown mode because my mind just explodes with everything I want to say about it, all at once. (n.b. almost no one mentions said topics again to me after their initial question....I wonder why that is... )
9. Composite and/or PVC decking.
10. Motion detecting/dawn/dusk sensing lights, and why it's so hard for the local hardware stores to carry ANYthing in this class that isn't complete junk?
11. Landscaping in general - mulch, lawn/garden equipment, design, cool tools
12. Playground equipment/swing sets. Again, why there is SO much crap out there, and expensive crap at that. And a solution.
13. Lawn irrigation systems (another new thing for me that I am having to learn about)
14. Painting - brands, equipment, costs to get someone to help, to prime first, or not, "do you tape?" etc.
15. Old vs. new houses

Got any interesting stories or ideas? Let's hear 'em!

[silverjon]

If your washing machine is stinky, try running a cycle with vinegar.

[stessier]

If your washing machine is stinky, try running a cycle with vinegar.

That worked for us.

[stessier]

5. Induction cooktops/ranges (vs. gas or traditional electric)

We had a gas oven for 4 years, then went to an electric smooth top for 5 years. We're going back to gas - much easier to control and not such a big deal if the pans aren't perfectly flat.

[Cylus Maxii]

1. trim trees to improve the shape or structural integrity (splits) and to help with durability vs snow/ice load or wind.

2. There is a whole thread on pool care somewhere.

5. Induction ranges are great, but most cooks prefer gas. FWIW, an induction range won't work with glass, ceramic or aluminum cookware.

6. If its a front-loading washer, chances are you have mold/mildew in the door gasket. Its a known issue with all of those and is why I bought a top-loader. You should easily be able to find instructions on cleaning it. Vinegar won't help much if its a door gasket.

14. We have had good luck with scrubbable paint (like for kids rooms). it has great coverage and is easy to work with. We do use blue painters tape and various edging tools. I think I would hire somebody else to do it if the ceilings were above 12'.

[Carpet_pissr]

If your washing machine is stinky, try running a cycle with vinegar.

It's apparently enough of a problem that this was created - and seems to sell very well (I have bought this and tried it before):



In our case, when we moved in, the odor coming from the laundry room, and the washing machine specifically, was just awful (tried the vinegar approach, and I checked the rubber seal for mildew, which is often the cause).

Took me about half of a Saturday to figure out where smell was coming from (clogged drain pump and hose), how to actually get into my machine (had to go buy some Torx bits), and do the absolutely disgusting job of cleaning it out. I found a heaping handful of goo/buildup in there that had the consistency of swamp mud, and smelled like...well, I have smelled dirty diapers that were not that nasty.

By far the most disgusting job I have had to do in the new house so far.

[Scuzz]

13. Lawn irrigation systems (another new thing for me that I am having to learn about)

I did the back yard 18-19 years ago. Well now the trees have matured and shit has gotten old and I have a weeks worth of digging and repairing to do. I have now successfully put this off for about 2 years but I think I will need to get to it this spring.

[Carpet_pissr]

5. Induction cooktops/ranges (vs. gas or traditional electric)

We had a gas oven for 4 years, then went to an electric smooth top for 5 years. We're going back to gas - much easier to control and not such a big deal if the pans aren't perfectly flat.

I have used all four types so far, in various houses and apartments (traditional electric smoothtop, coiled electric, gas, and induction). I MUCH prefer the induction, but it has taken some getting used to, since I cooked on gas for the past 12 years or so.

It's faster, cleaner, doesn't heat up the kitchen (which always drove me crazy when more than one burner was going in my old kitchen), BUT I do feel like I have to be more careful with the surface, whereas, with my gas range, I would just throw pots around like crazy, no worries. Still, I think the benefits far outweigh that disadvantage.

Re: the pots, since we didn't have expensive cookware anyway, this was not a concern (but I could certainly understand it would be for someone that just spent $1,500 on a set that was not induction friendly).

I spent about $150 on some 18/10 stainless for a 12 piece set, and I assume that will last me for at least 10 years, based on others' reviews (up until now, we just had a mish mash of various pots, and pans, from very cheap, to barely above cheap in quality and material).

[malchior]

If your washing machine is stinky, try running a cycle with vinegar.

It's apparently enough of a problem that this was created - and seems to sell very well (I have bought this and tried it before):



In our case, when we moved in, the odor coming from the laundry room, and the washing machine specifically, was just awful (tried the vinegar approach, and I checked the rubber seal for mildew, which is often the cause).

Newer machines have a magnetic stop to keep the door from closing and allowing the water to evaporate. We hang a towel on the dryer and just wipe it down to help it along. It has been good so far.

[Carpet_pissr]

13. Lawn irrigation systems (another new thing for me that I am having to learn about)

I did the back yard 18-19 years ago. Well now the trees have matured and shit has gotten old and I have a weeks worth of digging and repairing to do. I have now successfully put this off for about 2 years but I think I will need to get to it this spring.

What kind did you put in? Are they still in existence?

I think this one I have inherited is Rainbird, but in terms of projects, due to the time of year, it has gotten very little attention from me.

All I know is that about 3 or 4 heads are broken, and need to be replaced. In fact, when I turned the system on just to see if it worked, one of the heads near me shot straight up into the air about 10 feet!

No idea if the settings are correct still, for the other spray heads or if the directions are set up right, etc. Looks like they have been run over a few times with lawnmowers and other equipment, so I doubt many of them still water the areas where they were set originally. I predict that will eat at least another full Saturday to get that squared away and working properly (and at least a couple of trips to Lowe's/Home Depot)

[malchior]

I do have one question of my own: Has anyone ever done flooring in a basement? It is poured concrete and we have a french drain all around it with a sump (in unfinished space). I would like to put a nicer floor down there eventually but it has had at least one flood due to a power outage during hurricane. I'll tackle the sump issue no matter what I do with the floor but am curious about good flooring for a basement that will tolerate humidity/water.

[stessier]

14. Painting - brands, equipment, costs to get someone to help, to prime first, or not, "do you tape?" etc.

I missed this the first time. I get a deal on the blue painters tape, so I always use that. For painting, I get a primer and tint it the color I am looking for and then paint over that with the finish paint. Primer is cheaper than the finish paint, so I find it is a bit cheaper than just doing 2 coats with the finish. The color looks a bit off when it's only the primer layer, though, so if you go that route don't judge it until the top coat is applied.

[silverjon]

14. Painting - brands, equipment, costs to get someone to help, to prime first, or not, "do you tape?" etc.

I missed this the first time. I get a deal on the blue painters tape, so I always use that. For painting, I get a primer and tint it the color I am looking for and then paint over that with the finish paint. Primer is cheaper than the finish paint, so I find it is a bit cheaper than just doing 2 coats with the finish. The color looks a bit off when it's only the primer layer, though, so if you go that route don't judge it until the top coat is applied.

I tape moldings, but I'm pretty good at just cutting in ceilings, accent walls, stuff like that.

I haven't primed much with interior walls except where I've had to repair them first. The rooms I've done in my house are all bold colours over previously white walls, so priming never seemed necessary. I do a *ton* of prep though: patching, sanding everything, wash with TSP, rinse, tack cloth, tape what needs taping. To paint a room, I'm usually looking at one day just for prep. (I do all the work myself.)

I have a friend who used to shill for Cloverdale, so I used whatever I could get with his staff discount, and I'm quite satisfied with the results. Next time I tackle something though, I can't take advantage anymore, since he changed careers.

I like Rustoleum sprays for furniture and small projects, and Zinsser Bullseye 123 when I am priming something. Kilz is also good primer.

[Carpet_pissr]

I do have one question of my own: Has anyone ever done flooring in a basement? It is poured concrete and we have a french drain all around it with a sump (in unfinished space). I would like to put a nicer floor down there eventually but it has had at least one flood due to a power outage during hurricane. I'll tackle the sump issue no matter what I do with the floor but am curious about good flooring for a basement that will tolerate humidity/water.

It just so happens I have (in previous house), and our basement was at grade in some parts, and below grade in others. If yours is at or below, especially if you have known water issues, I highly recommend engineered wood flooring (or, ugh, laminate, though some of the new laminate stuff out there is very impressive) which is what we put down (and we also had water issues down there, fixed later with drains, etc). I did a ton of research before putting that down, because I wanted solid hardwoods, to match the upstairs floors, but there was a definite consensus of NO WAY considering where my basement was located (and mine was barely below grade in spots).

In fact, the subcontractor I hired showed me what happened to about three different brands and types of engineered when exposed to water. Unfortunately, the one I preferred (and had picked out), blew up like a saturated Cheerio, but some of the other ones (that we went with eventually, and put down in this new house), showed no effect. Which was fortunate, because we had one more water "event" down there after that wood was put down, before we finally figured out where water was coming from (and fixed it of course).

I will show you pics if I can find some...and if you are interested. And I think you will also want to do the glue down method, not the nail down, as most floorers prefer (because it takes much less time)

[Default]

I do have one question of my own: Has anyone ever done flooring in a basement? It is poured concrete and we have a french drain all around it with a sump (in unfinished space). I would like to put a nicer floor down there eventually but it has had at least one flood due to a power outage during hurricane. I'll tackle the sump issue no matter what I do with the floor but am curious about good flooring for a basement that will tolerate humidity/water.

Vinyl plank flooring. Looks like wood, but it isn't effected by water, easy to install, holds up pretty well, warm on the feet.

[EvilHomer3k]

I do have one question of my own: Has anyone ever done flooring in a basement? It is poured concrete and we have a french drain all around it with a sump (in unfinished space). I would like to put a nicer floor down there eventually but it has had at least one flood due to a power outage during hurricane. I'll tackle the sump issue no matter what I do with the floor but am curious about good flooring for a basement that will tolerate humidity/water.

Vinyl plank flooring. Looks like wood, but it isn't effected by water, easy to install, holds up pretty well, warm on the feet.

Vinyl plank is a great option. You don;t have to worry about the floor being level and it's very durable. It looks like wood but it isn't wood (and you can tell if you get close).

You can put any flooring down you like if you aren't worried about flooding and you put down a subfloor with a perforated membrane. That will insulate the floor and create a way for water to drain. You can buy the tiles at lowes, home depot, etcetera. If you get more than very minor water this won't work, though. Additionally, it doubles work and cost of installation. If the basement is too sloped it won't work very well either.

If your washer smells check for a filter. Our washer has a filter that can get plugged (we have two huskies so hair gets in there a lot). Once it gets plugged it starts to smell.

My advice on bathrooms. Tear it all out. Hire a plumber. I'm pretty good at DIY. I have soldered pipes, redid my kitchen, finished a basement, done electrical. All of it was easy compared to soldering in a new tub spout. Four lines converge on the mechanism and every time I'd get one of them working another would start leaking. I spent days trying to get it all leak free. Never again. If you have Pex then it is probably much simpler, though.

[Carpet_pissr]

I do have one question of my own: Has anyone ever done flooring in a basement? It is poured concrete and we have a french drain all around it with a sump (in unfinished space). I would like to put a nicer floor down there eventually but it has had at least one flood due to a power outage during hurricane. I'll tackle the sump issue no matter what I do with the floor but am curious about good flooring for a basement that will tolerate humidity/water.

Vinyl plank flooring. Looks like wood, but it isn't effected by water, easy to install, holds up pretty well, warm on the feet.

I wonder if that is what I saw in Lowe's the other day that impressed the hell out of me? I saw something new I had never seen before, that was made to look like WIDE wooden planks, but was hard material (maybe tile).

Edit: nope, it was ceramic, but man it LOOKED and felt great. Hard of course, but made to look like scraped wood. It's even textured to feel like wood.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_147563-88283-76969535447_0__" target="_blank

Here is a version in grey which I like:



http://www.ckvalentidesigns.com/bed-and ... o-ceiling/" target="_blank

[geezer]

I do have one question of my own: Has anyone ever done flooring in a basement? It is poured concrete and we have a french drain all around it with a sump (in unfinished space). I would like to put a nicer floor down there eventually but it has had at least one flood due to a power outage during hurricane. I'll tackle the sump issue no matter what I do with the floor but am curious about good flooring for a basement that will tolerate humidity/water.

I'd polish/stain the concrete and be done with it

[Daehawk]

10. Motion detecting/dawn/dusk sensing lights, and why it's so hard for the local hardware stores to carry ANYthing in this class that isn't complete junk?

I agree totally on this. Got a brand new one when the tornado tore our's off. Got the motion sensing one. My dad had one and it would come on if a gnat flew by. Mine? Nope..need a jet I think. If I flip the switch to on it does nothing. Flick it off and back on and it comes on...for 15 sec then it's off again unless you go out and move around it. That sux when its raining or something and I just want to look out at night without going out in the rain or the cold. I have it set to the twitchiest setting and still it is like it is . Wish I hadn't been so 'techie' and insisted on this one.

[Scuzz]

13. Lawn irrigation systems (another new thing for me that I am having to learn about)

I did the back yard 18-19 years ago. Well now the trees have matured and shit has gotten old and I have a weeks worth of digging and repairing to do. I have now successfully put this off for about 2 years but I think I will need to get to it this spring.

What kind did you put in? Are they still in existence?

I think this one I have inherited is Rainbird, but in terms of projects, due to the time of year, it has gotten very little attention from me.

All I know is that about 3 or 4 heads are broken, and need to be replaced. In fact, when I turned the system on just to see if it worked, one of the heads near me shot straight up into the air about 10 feet!

No idea if the settings are correct still, for the other spray heads or if the directions are set up right, etc. Looks like they have been run over a few times with lawnmowers and other equipment, so I doubt many of them still water the areas where they were set originally. I predict that will eat at least another full Saturday to get that squared away and working properly (and at least a couple of trips to Lowe's/Home Depot)

Mine are mainly just suffering from age. That and we have heavy water so everything clogs with age. Trees are big, roots break lines. We had a couple days of freezing temps a couple weeks ago and now it looks like I may have had a line crack somewhere, weird though as it appears to be a line underground and not a valve or at the sprinkler.

Also my electrical wiring is screwed up somewhere as they will not automatically work anymore.

There is always something. Basically I need to just start digging. Sadly my soil is clay, hard pan. It takes two days to dig a hole to plant something.

[Scuzz]

I wonder if that is what I saw in Lowe's the other day that impressed the hell out of me? I saw something new I had never seen before, that was made to look like WIDE wooden planks, but was hard material (maybe tile).

Edit: nope, it was ceramic, but man it LOOKED and felt great. Hard of course, but made to look like scraped wood. It's even textured to feel like wood.

We have samples of that here in my office. A client was thinking of using it. Weird looking stuff.

[Smoove_B]

My project for the next 6 months is the removal of wallpaper. The previous owner had some type of fetish as numerous rooms are covered. The wallpaper appears to be strippable, which I guess is a bonus, but I'm not looking forward to slopping up the walls to deal with the backing. Wallpaper is the work of Satan.

[Scuzz]

My project for the next 6 months is the removal of wallpaper. The previous owner had some type of fetish as numerous rooms are covered. The wallpaper appears to be strippable, which I guess is a bonus, but I'm not looking forward to slopping up the walls to deal with the backing. Wallpaper is the work of Satan.

Pretty, well done wallpaper is a beautiful thing. Old, out of style wallpaper is devil's plaything.

[Smoove_B]

Think: Grandma and you'll get a feeling for the style. Two of the rooms I need to deal with are bathrooms. There should be a law against wallpapering a bathroom. Also, there's some disagreement over paint when I'm done. I like to paint; I think I do an above average job. However, I only paint things white. I am nearly certain there are over 100 shades of white paint available to choose from, so go crazy - but it will be white.

[Scuzz]

I have seen some very nice wallpapered bathrooms. Done professionally with above average cost materials they really "class" a bathroom up. But even then in a moist environment the seams can be a problem.

I have painted every room in my house at least once. The kids rooms have been done at least twice and the hall bathroom three times. In fact that is probably my next painting project. We have a tile in there (think peach) that basically changes color based on which bathroom light is on. Makes for finding a good paint difficult.

And all my painting has been to get away from white walls.

[em2nought]

Been dealing with various clogged drain lines lately. These look interesting http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_ ... drain+king" target="_blank compared to snaking. Bought a 50 ft snake which worked this time, but I'm planning on adding to my arsenal of tools to deal with YUCK. lol

Hint: biodegradable wet wipes aren't biodegradable

Don't forget to take the sprinkler heads off,and clean the filter baskets underneath.

[rshetts2]

I do have one question of my own: Has anyone ever done flooring in a basement? It is poured concrete and we have a french drain all around it with a sump (in unfinished space). I would like to put a nicer floor down there eventually but it has had at least one flood due to a power outage during hurricane. I'll tackle the sump issue no matter what I do with the floor but am curious about good flooring for a basement that will tolerate humidity/water.

After my devastating basement flood, I got insurance money to do a tear down and rebuild. The contractor I worked with recommended ceramic tile. I went with it and a year later I have no regrets. Of course the flooding issue ( my main drain out collapsed ) has also been fixed so I haven't had water down there but the contractor told me it should handle a flood just fine. It looks great as well.

[Crabbs]

6. Smelly HE washing machines (clothes)

Works for us. Use it every 4-6 weeks.

[ImLawBoy]

There should be a law against wallpapering a bathroom.

I have a friend who bought a house in rural Wisconsin that had shag carpeting in the master bathroom. On the walls.

[Formix]

We love LOVE our dual fuel stove. Gas on top, two electric ovens underneath (small and medium). We use the small oven 95% of the time, and love the control of the gas on top.

[Carpet_pissr]

Going back to the range technology - just to clarify, traditional electric, either with coil or sans coil (i.e. ceramic smoothtop) is not the same as induction. I see a lot of misunderstanding online about this.

Lots of professional chefs in Europe and Japan moving to induction, or have already been there for years in many kitchens. I have seen many chefs online mentioning that they prefer induction over gas. Also many that use both.

I have not cooked on mine long enough to make an informed opinion, (I should probably edit my prior comments about it), but so far, it is much more...agile than gas...i.e. it makes temp adjustments more quickly, it heats up much faster (almost instant), it is MUCH cooler (no multiple flames putting off tons of heat), it's definitely a lot cleaner to cook with, since you don't get food sticking to hot grates or burners, and more importantly, no worrying about the pilot not lighting (the one I used to cook on had a notoriously finicky unit that would just CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK and not light sometimes, all the while, spewing gas into the kitchen. Not cool!)

Not ragging on gas here, as I came THIS close to buying a nice new unit, as the previous owners were nice enough to have installed a gas line to the range area as well (unused), but with all the raving about the induction technology, and being somewhat of a technophile myself, of course I had to try it out.

[Carpet_pissr]

Don't forget to take the sprinkler heads off,and clean the filter baskets underneath.

Good to know, thanks! I would not have done that. I bought one replacement to try it out, and then if that works, of course, do any others that aren't working. Would be nice to have some kind of map where everything was installed (both for the lighting runs and the irrigation), but didn't get anything like that.

Re: wallpaper in bathroom, hear hear! There are only three rooms in the new house that have wallpaper, and you guessed it, they are the bathrooms! In the master, it's amazing to me that they installed the stuff IN the shower right above the shower "basin", and of course that is peeling like crazy. They even have this weird kind of...overhang, over the shower door, that is wall papered. Ugh.

Of all the places NOT to put wallpaper (I also agree, it doesn't belong ANYwhere in 2013, but tastes of others and all that), the bathroom would be my first, worst choice due to moisture and humidity. Even with a vent out fan, that is just a doomed wall covering from the get go. Works out for me though, since the humidity has started the peeling process for me.

[FishPants]

What he washer is it? Whirlpool washers (and most ken mores by proxy) have a self clean cycle. Check your manual and follow the instructions. Tells you when to add some bleach to the cycle, and it works like a champ.

[Carpet_pissr]

What he washer is it? Whirlpool washers (and most ken mores by proxy) have a self clean cycle. Check your manual and follow the instructions. Tells you when to add some bleach to the cycle, and it works like a champ.

If that is directed at me, we (now) have one of the older Whirlpool DUET models. At our old house, we had a Bosch. Both front loaders, but I never had this smell problem with the Bosch (OTOH, that washer didn't sit unused for 8 months, either)

Neither bleach, nor vinegar, nor "Smelly Washer Solution!" marketing would have helped in this situation. Only solvable via torx screwdriver to get to the filter and pump where the clog was, and manually clean the stoppage (goo, and assorted pieces of tiny clothing and/or what appeared to be shoulder pads at one time). It was so bad, even the drain pipe itself was clogged up with goo.

Apparently this is a common problem if you look at all the how to videos online about it. But I think it shouldn't happen for many years (which makes sense in this case, as this unit looks to be at least 6 years old, maybe more)

Never had the problem with the Bosch (though I did have to replace the mildewed grey o-ring, and boy was that fun!) in terms of smell like we had with this one.

Glad to hear the new models have magnets to prevent the door from closing, and to help with that problem.

[silverjon]

with all the raving about the induction technology, and being somewhat of a technophile myself, of course I had to try it out.

Whenever we decide it's time to replace our stove, I'll have to keep this in mind. (Currently electric coil; would have gone gas.)

[Carpet_pissr]

with all the raving about the induction technology, and being somewhat of a technophile myself, of course I had to try it out.

Whenever we decide it's time to replace our stove, I'll have to keep this in mind. (Currently electric coil; would have gone gas.)

In terms of cost it was exactly the same as the gas range I was considering, so that was not a factor.

The only thing you need to be aware of (other than the previously mentioned cookware issue, which was a non issue for us personally) is that they recommend, nay demand that you have a 40 amp connection going to the cooktop (that is for a cooktop only, and 30", not 36", which I think requires even more juice).

Most houses are not wired for that in the kitchen, so you could in theory have an additional cost to run a higher amp wire to power the unit. That is if you follow the instructions.

I read in a few places that this was overspeccing/overkill for most normal usage, unless you often cook with all burners running at near the highest setting (something I never do). Have not had any problems so far, running on a 30 amp breaker, but YMMV. My thinking was, if I see that this is not working, or constantly tripping the breaker, then of course I will spring to do it the right way, and add the line, but my suspicion (correct - yay!) was that I would not need to.

[Scuzz]

with all the raving about the induction technology, and being somewhat of a technophile myself, of course I had to try it out.

Whenever we decide it's time to replace our stove, I'll have to keep this in mind. (Currently electric coil; would have gone gas.)

When we bought our house I tried to talk my wife into paying extra for a gas stove. Now she wishes we had. Well it's too late now.

[Carpet_pissr]

14. We have had good luck with scrubbable paint (like for kids rooms). it has great coverage and is easy to work with. We do use blue painters tape and various edging tools. I think I would hire somebody else to do it if the ceilings were above 12'.

I have never hired anyone to paint, and I painted every room in our last house at least once (and some exterior as well), until now. There is a very tall (no idea how tall...maybe 25'?) entryway that I assumed would require some kind of special equipment I did not have (like a 28' ladder, or a scaffolding), so I hired some guys to do just that room, plus the hall and landing that the walls bleed into, but when I saw that they used a very common 18 or 20' ladder (which I have), even to reach the highest parts at top of ceiling, I was kind of sick to my stomach, considering I could have easily done it myself and saved that much needed cash for other ongoing projects I knew I couldn't do myself (gutter work for instance).

I am planning to paint the entire rest of the house myself though, and even though I bought a highly reviewed paint that contains primer (Ultra Premium Behr Plus or something - the Home Depot brand), I will likely need to prime a lot, given 1. all bathrooms have wallpaper, which will be summarily removed and 2. two of the kids' rooms are bright, bold colors (one is two shades of pink, and the other is a light, but solid blue - think robin egg)

I have a lot of masking tape, but I trust myself enough, and I have painted enough I guess, to not use that anymore. Plus, it takes SOOO freaking long to tape everything. I would rather just go VERY slowly, than take that kind of time.

Prep work already takes me forever (sanding, smoothing, wiping/cleaning, spackling, removal of hardware, etc), and adding taping to that is just excruciatingly slow (for me)

[Scuzz]

I just remembered, I should paint my pergola/patio cover this year. I had the outside of the house painted before christmas and it sure makes the wood on the pergola look in need of some fresh paint.

[Carpet_pissr]

10. Motion detecting/dawn/dusk sensing lights, and why it's so hard for the local hardware stores to carry ANYthing in this class that isn't complete junk?

I agree totally on this. Got a brand new one when the tornado tore our's off. Got the motion sensing one. My dad had one and it would come on if a gnat flew by. Mine? Nope..need a jet I think. If I flip the switch to on it does nothing. Flick it off and back on and it comes on...for 15 sec then it's off again unless you go out and move around it. That sux when its raining or something and I just want to look out at night without going out in the rain or the cold. I have it set to the twitchiest setting and still it is like it is . Wish I hadn't been so 'techie' and insisted on this one.

One word: RAB. More specifically, RAB Lighting. That is all.

It might seem expensive up front, but it's only about $10 more (at least the ones I bought are) than the higher priced stuff they sell at the big box stores, and you won't be replacing it every 3 years.

I got a couple of these off Amazon for about $100 each, shipped. Plan to get at least one more they are such good quality.



TEN year sensor warranty. That was worth it to me right there, as that is the part on most motion detector lights that fails first (at least in my experience). Thinking also that motion detector sensors probably tend to fail a lot in our area due to the extreme heat + humidity combo in the long summer months. Getting a seemingly bullet proof one (weather-wise), as it were, might not be a priority in other climates.

http://www.rabweb.com/product.php?product=STL360HBW" target="_blank