Recent content by bh_homeowner

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    Replacing all flooring, small possibility of asbestos?

    The house was built in 1957. Raised foundation. Want to replace with new luxury vinyl throughout. There's a good chance that the dark-colored flooring is actual slate tile, not just slate-style. Each tile's pattern is unique, meaning there aren't any repeating patterns. ~1/2" thick. It's hard...
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    Replacing all flooring, small possibility of asbestos?

    Hi ya'll. Just bought a 1,488 sq. ft. house in Los Angeles suburbia. Slate-style tile (appears to be 8mm thick) in the living room, kitchen and hallway. Different tile types in each of the two bathrooms. Carpet in each of the 4 bedrooms. The house is currently empty and vacant and we're...
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    Contractor Work: Is this normal?

    Thanks for the replies, all. I'm a stickler for details when it comes to spending a large chunk of my hard-earned money. Attached is an image of what they did to the front yard. Seemed unnecessary to me, but I guess it comes with the territory of having a project like this done.
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    Contractor Work: Is this normal?

    The interesting thing is, if they had told me at the start of the project that I would experience utility service interruptions, witness a big mess, and need to move all belongings at least 30 feet away from the house, I would have been alright with it. I kept documentation of the project with...
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    Contractor Work: Is this normal?

    Sorry for the long read... I mainly want to know if what I've experienced is to be expected and is normal in the contractor world, or if it warrants a complaint and/or asking for a discount. Total project price is an even $40k. I have paid them $20,500 so far and the project is ~85% completed...
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    Killing the grass and planting there

    I'm actually doing something like this now. No power equipment, just time, moisture and sun. I bought 6 mil black plastic sheeting (it came 10'x100' for about $60). I used weed block staples to fasten it down. Then, duct-taped over each staple to keep out the light. I let the sheeting hang...
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    Building Wood Driveway Gate

    That photo is actually a shot of the back of the house. The driveway runs about 35' toward the street from the corner of the house that's in the photo, where it widens into the yard. The main yard fence is along the sidewalk. There is a sliding wrought-iron where the driveway narrows, that is...
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    Building Wood Driveway Gate

    Hi All, I'm considering putting in a wooden gate on my driveway, in order to keep my dog from accessing the front gate. If you take a look at the image, I've color-coded the various aspects. Cyan = Proposed Gate Magenta = Posts Red = Swing lines (depending on which side the hinges will...
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    Cost to Build Detached 1-car Garage

    Hi All, I'm interested in having an unfinished, detached, single-car garage built in my backyard at the end of my driveway. Standard height. About 200 square feet. With a single window and standard side-entry door. I intend to park my small truck and store some boxes inside. I'm looking to...
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    Chemically-strip or Wet-sand/scrap?

    A little more info... The window sashes themselves are actually all metal-framed, so all sliding areas are metal against metal, and there is no rubbing of painted wood against wood. I'm literally just addressing the painted wood trim outlining of all of the windows.
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    Chemically-strip or Wet-sand/scrap?

    Thanks for the tips all! I actually wasn't planning on tackling all of the windows straight through. I was going to try to take care of one window at a time, say, one per weekend kind of thing. Reading the responses, it seems silly to actually remove all of the paint, versus scraping just...
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    Spot-treating bubbling/peeling lead paint

    Great. Thanks! So, since it's less than 6 square feet, no need to take any extra lead-related precautions, right?
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    Chemically-strip or Wet-sand/scrap?

    I have about 20 sets of exterior window trim I'd like to patch up (minor termite damage/dry rot) and refinish. I've already confirmed lead-based paint. Initially, I was thinking about wet-sanding/scraping just the problem areas, re-prime, seal, then re-paint. But now, I'm considering stripping...
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    Spot-treating bubbling/peeling lead paint

    I just bought a house that was built in 1921 (2 br, 1 ba, 1000 sq. ft.). I've already confirmed lead paint in a number of areas that I already suspected due to the age of the home. The interior paint is in excellent condition, except for a few problem areas. I have a peeling spots in the...
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