Home Improvement Thread

Postby **Ad@m** » Mon Mar 11, 2019 10:37 pm

I’m pretty sure concrete is around $100 per yard. You’re looking at 27 yards of concrete.

Postby **mac5155** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 7:40 am

I was hoping for ~$5,000 so that's sounding promising.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 9:12 am

Is this for a backyard patio or something? That's a pretty large area.

Postby **Lemon Berry Lobster** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 9:18 am

Breakdance convention.

Postby **mac5155** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:17 pm

Yea backyard patio and I want to put a pergola on top of it... that's a rough guess how big I want it, but once I see it laid out it might be too big.

Postby **robbiestoupe** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:23 pm

I'm doing a patio myself, but most likely going with crushed limestone or something similar.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:26 pm

I did stamped concrete and have zero regrets.

Postby **mac5155** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:27 pm

30x40 actually just noticed a typo.

Is stamped a lot more? I'd also like to do tinted darker Grey.

I have a budget though and the size of it is the most important factor so I don't wanna go smaller to trade off for stamped.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:32 pm

I paid $5k for ours, which is 425sf with 3 steps. The quote shows $10/sf, but this was back in 2011. Whichever route you go, I'll always advocate for colored concrete - mixed with the concrete, NOT a dyed top layer.

Postby **mac5155** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:39 pm

That's a beaut. About 20x20 ?

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:42 pm

It's around that size, yeah. I designed a little bump out (top of the pic) for the grill so that it didn't take up space near the patio furniture, that sits at the top left in that pic.

Postby **shafnutz05** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:03 pm

I paid $5k for ours, which is 425sf with 3 steps. The quote shows $10/sf, but this was back in 2011. Whichever route you go, I'll always advocate for colored concrete - mixed with the concrete, NOT a dyed top layer.

Nice! What is the maintenance like with these? Like, do you ever have to worry about weeds popping up through cracks in the concrete? Our area is EXTREMELY weedy due to living on land that had been used to farm for several centuries.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:06 pm

The expansion joints aren't cut the entire way through the slab, so there are no worries about weeds growing through them. We're supposed to re-seal the patio every 2-3 years, but I've slacked on that. I hired somebody to do it last time, but may wind up just doing it myself the next time. Outside of that, I pressure wash it every spring.

Postby **shafnutz05** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:10 pm

The expansion joints aren't cut the entire way through the slab, so there are no worries about weeds growing through them. We're supposed to re-seal the patio every 2-3 years, but I've slacked on that. I hired somebody to do it last time, but may wind up just doing it myself the next time. Outside of that, I pressure wash it every spring.

Thanks! Right now, we have a wood deck out back that is in bad shape, it was there when we moved in. It connects to a three season room that is screened in which complicates matters somewhat. I really just want to rip out everything and put in something like what you have. Maybe have a built in fire pit.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:12 pm

I'm not a deck guy, personally, so that was never on the table for us. You'll definitely get more bang for the buck with concrete over a wood/composite deck.

Postby **mac5155** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:18 pm

Our back door sillplate sits 24 inches from current ground level, so we're gonna have probably 3 steps at least, maybe even four, to get in and out. I may end up doing what you did for the grill and then on the other side is the basement egress. If I just did the 'pop out' i could save about 4x25' on each side. probably close to a yard or two of concrete.

Postby **dodint** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:48 pm

I had an architect today decline to draw blueprints/schematics for our expansion because he believed the ultimate cost of the project would be $320,000. We had been e-mailing back and forth since Feb 4th. This is to put a 25'x60' slab down and then build rooms up on it on a single level. He made this determination without visiting the property or even communicating outside of e-mail.

Seems excessive. There isn't even any plumbing through any of it. I think he really just wanted off the project when he found out we're trying to keep it closer to $125k. He would only agree to work with us if we pledged to include him in the construction phase and continue paying him for regular inputs.

I called a different architect this morning and he is coming out to the house on Monday to take measurements and talk to us. Fantastic.

Postby **Troy Loney** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:52 pm

I had an architect today decline to draw blueprints/schematics for our expansion because he believed the ultimate cost of the project would be $320,000. We had been e-mailing back and forth since Feb 4th. This is to put a 25'x60' slab down and then build rooms up on it on a single level. He made this determination without visiting the property or even communicating outside of e-mail.

Seems excessive. There isn't even any plumbing through any of it. I think he really just wanted off the project when he found out we're trying to keep it closer to $125k. He would only agree to work with us if we pledged to include him in the construction phase and continue paying him for regular inputs.

I called a different architect this morning and he is coming out to the house on Monday to take measurements and talk to us. Fantastic.

We had a kitchen modeler come give an estimate one time and gave us an absurd number. I think that could be a tactic for indirectly telling you they aren't interested in doing your project.

Postby **willeyeam** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:53 pm

That's what I was going to say.

Postby **Troy Loney** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:55 pm

Yeah, and you can tell when the guys are very eager for the job by giving you a low ball estimate.

Postby **dodint** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:57 pm

I suppose it annoyed me because all I need are schematics to take to builders to get bids. This guy wouldn't do them unless we contracted with him to have a recurring role in the construction phase. I'm really glad it didn't work out, honestly. He put us into a weird Catch-22 and then dumped us when he found out we weren't designing a McMansion.

Postby **mac5155** » Sat Mar 23, 2019 5:34 pm

Been "waiting" on a concrete finisher to come to give me a quote today. Told me 2 o'clock... No show at 2:30 so I call him... Tells me sorry he's way behind. 4:30-5:00... Now here we are 5:30 no show, no call. I have company coming over at 6:00.

I say "waiting" because I wasn't really going anywhere today so he's not screwing me up that badly. And the company coming at 6 is just my parents. But it still annoys me that he isn't respecting my time. He has about a hundred 5 star reviews on his Facebook page and his work looks great, but the red flags he's sending today are making me think I should proceed with caution.

Postby **mac5155** » Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:43 am

He came and gave me a quote.

For $17,300.

I wasn't asking for anything crazy, at least I didn't think. A roughly 30x30 patio with some rounded edges and a circular area for a fire pit and 35 feet of 3 foot sidewalk. About 5 steps total. It was like 30 yards of concrete which I called the cement company before hand and found out it is $130 a yard. So he's charging me like 10k for labor and 3k for the additional materials. Wow.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Sun Mar 24, 2019 1:05 pm

He doesn't want/need the business, imo

Postby **NTP66** » Sun Mar 24, 2019 1:36 pm

Yeah, that’s insane.