brantshali

So, the other day I ran into a friend of mine in town who is a landscaper by trade. I was dropping off an invitation to the wedding to him. He was, of course, working on his yard and fence. I jokingly said...like people do...that he could work on my yard if he wanted to.

Well, he showed up yesterday and is going to town reshaping the apple trees and said he's got some great ideas for how to use the spaces in the yard!

I love having friends like this!

brantshali

BTW...I have to find my camera, because you all NEED to see the floors in the kitchen!

Lainey

Well go look for it!

brantshali

I keep trying. I left it in the kitchen and now it's grown legs and I can't figure out where it got moved!

I'll grab my good camera tonight and snap a couple pics.

dlq04

No. What you see in the family room is carpet, unless you have x-ray eyes. There is a nice hardwood floor under it but we prefer carpeting for that room as we spend a lot time on the floor (with our dog, with grandkids, etc.). I am pulling out the Mannington vinyl flooring in the kitchen / hallway / 1/2 bath.

I am so confused on this counter top stuff I could scream.

I talked with an electrican yesterday who said he would do Coran and avoid Concrete. I talked to a different one today who said he would definitely avoid Coran and did Concrete in his own place. They both made sense based on their reasons and personal experiences. They had totally opposite opinions on the other stuff out there as well.

dlq04

I found a very helpful site on kitchen redos (more helpful than Consumers Report) if you take the time to check out all detailed breakdowns.

http://www.kitchens.com/Remodeling-And-Des...als/default.asp

We are leaning towards the Quartz counter top a/k/a Engineered Stone.

Lainey

So Dave, are you doing this project yourself, or just the prep work?

dlq04

Prep. And it's still way too much. All the trim: floor molding, five door moldings, plus the window moldings throughout the three areas. These were previously stained and varnished by me some 20 years ago. So now I am in the process of sanding, primaring and filling in nicks; then two coats of a creamy white paint. I plan to leave the counter top & floor to the pros......... or at least younger people.

dlq04

I know that a lot of us don't have a particular affection for the Big Box stores and I'm no different. Here's my problem. We've decided to go with the quartz countertop over granite, although it costs a little more. We are giving up the wow factor of granite in favor of something more practical. Back to my problem. I would prefer to use a local lumber yard but they want 49% more than Home Depot for the same product / manufacturer!!

Has anyone had an experience, good or bad, using a big box store for something like this?

Lainey

Dave, I think I mentioned previously that my carpenter does not care to deal with the big box stores on the job he does.

He has run into too many problems with delivery, incorrect items, etc. I'm sure I paid more for my kitchen re-do than if I went to the big box stores, but I bit the bullet, as I knew the carpenter had a relationship with the kitchen place.

On the other hand, a vendor I deal with at work had the big box store do his kitchen, including a granite (I THINK) countertop. He had nothing but good things to say about his experience.