Cost of materials?

 

Awesome work!

 

Roughly $1,900 including the concrete.

 

I meant cost for everything, but concrete

 

About $1400.

 

And we have light!





I went with a low-voltage setup. Here's the transformer:



And the switches:



First switch is the original patio light, second switch is for the overhead lighting, and the third switch is for future BBQ lighting.

The lighting setup is awesome. It really adds a "ritzy-ness" feeling to the patio at night. I love that you won't find anything quite like it since my dad and I built the light enclosures ourselves.

I'll try to get a picture of one of the lights in daylight tomorrow.

Now it's time for new fences and grass.

 

Very nice. The lights themselves seem small yet they light up the patio quite nicely.

 

Things have been pretty dead lately due to the weather. I've finally got a bug up my but to do some interior stuff while waiting for the weather to get better (aka, spring).

I did some touch-up painting in the bedroom, which has inspired me to paint the master bathroom. I like the look and feel of vaulted ceilings, but dislike painting them .

So far I have one coat on the ceiling above the "jetted tub" and above the bedroom door. I edged in around the rest of the ceiling as well.

Ceiling above the tub:



I could not figure out how to remove the speaker grills. They're probably stuck from when the ceiling was last painted. So, I painted up against the grill trim and wiped them off when I was done.

I wasn't sure what to do here, so I made this ceiling colored as well. Definitely needs a second coat:



I think the hardest part was cleaning the trim pieces for the can lights. Whoever painted this house last didn't remove ANYTHING, so they were stuck to the ceiling and had paint on them. So stupid...



I really like Glidden's "EZ Track Ceiling Paint". It goes on pink and dries white (as you can see above). It's very easy to apply. It is a flat paint, but because the master bathroom is open to the bedroom, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

Looking good.

As far as working around the speaker grills... why not painter's tape?

 

I was going to do that but my painting/project ADD got the best of me. I brought in a roll of painters tape along with the rest of the tools, but one thing lead to another and I had paint on a roller.

 

Good progress. I wish we were making some - now is the time to do interior stuff (we have snow on the ground and expecting more tomorrow), but with the new puppy, there is absolutely no time.

I also like your outdoor lighting. Ours needs some work, too.

 

Great progress!

I wish I was in a climate where I could do stuff year round..

 

Thanks guys! I haven't progressed any more with painting since I posted those pictures. Between work, regular house chores, and other planned obligations, last weekend was completely eaten up.

I'm hoping to work on it some more this weekend...but we'll see.

LuvMyTSX - I completely understand the puppy thing. My lab mix was a handful when she was a pup.

 

Put a second coat on the ceiling above the tub and the first coat to the vaulted part yesterday. Put a second coat on the vaulted part of the ceiling and started edging with the wall color today.

 

Painter's tape this time around?

Looks like it's coming together very nicely

Question: Would the water/moisture from the tub be harmful to those speakers in any way over the long-run? Or is it a non-issue?

 

Thanks! I'm hoping to be able to finish the walls in the picture next weekend. We shall see...

Considering that in the 1.5 years of owning the home I have yet to use the tub...the speakers should last.

Wait, I take that back, I used it once. Filled it with cold water. This was right after I finished jackhammering the concrete in my back yard (that was a very freakin' hot day). Boy did it feel good.

The speakers were put in by the previous owner. I've tested them and they sound pretty good! I'm not sure if they're special "bathroom" speakers or just your run of the mill in-wall speakers. I wish they ran the wire out to the living room, but instead they put them in a single gang box just outside the bathroom in the bedroom area. So, I need to find a piece of furniture to house the receiver I want to use. Maybe I'll have my dad help me make something...a little unit that holds a hamper/laundry basket with a shelf for the receiver.

 

Oh yeah...painters tape. Actually, at this point, I won't need much, if any. I will need it when I paint the trim & baseboards, and I have no choice but to use it.

Well, I may need some to go around the HVAC return above the master bedroom door...but I think that's it.

I put a little around the pipe that feeds one of the shower heads since it drops down from the ceiling...so there, I used some!

 

Painting ceilings is a byooitch. My mom, my uncle and I repainted my whole crib. I was responsible for the ceiling and had to work around large fans, air conditioning ducts, and tons of recessed lights like you have. I installing new trims since the OG ones had gotten yellowed with age. Did you put down primer first? Glossy, semi-gloss or matte for your bathrooms?

 

OMFG tell me about ceilings! It's definitely a pain...hopefully I won't have to ever do them again.

I've been buying the "paint plus primer" stuff and have had pretty good luck with it. I can get away with 1-2 coats depending on what I'm covering up.

The master bath walls will be eggshell so that they match the sheen of the bedroom. The bathroom is pretty open to the bedroom and there really isn't a good place to transition from one sheen to another. Since it's so open, shower/bath steam doesn't hang around very long so the paint should hold up just fine. Trim pieces will most likely be either satin or semi-gloss.

The hall bath, on the other hand, will be either all satin or semi-gloss for sure.

 

And we have the first coat! Will need touch-up here and there, but for the most part I think one coat will do it!

 

That looks REALLY good... nice job

 

Thanks!

 

Notice anything different?

 

It's wet?

 

Wasn't there a thingy on that porch pillar?

 

I forgot that there isn't a picture of my house from the street in this thread.



I finally finished cutting that "tree" down.

 

A year and a half gone by, and still has "minimal" curb appeal

 

I know...kinda deviated from the original topic. Should now be something like "Baby Steps to a Nice(r) Looking Home".

If weather permits, we'll be moving dirt out of the back yard the weekend after next. Once that's done, the tree stump is removed, and the sprinkler system is done in the back yard, I will finally be able to do grass.

Though, I've been toying with the idea of paving the right side of my driveway. I have to see if I have enough money for that large of a project...or if my dad is up to the job, lol.

 

Good work.

 

Made some progress on the back and side yard today:

A previous owner loved rock. I mean, loved it. You can't really see it in the picture above, but there is a big mound of rock/gravel. This was after two pickup truck loads of it was taken away. Needless to say, I'm looking for more takers. I want to pave part of this and need 4 inches of rock gone! Oh, and the track loader is really fun to drive.



I forgot to take some before pictures, but here is the back yard roughly graded. It came out really well.







The dirt removed from the back yard was placed in the front. Worked out pretty well.



The next step is to rent a trencher and do the sprinkler system. Slowly (very slowly) but surely, it's coming together.

 

Another "baby step." Installed a gate last weekend:



Once it's cleaned up, this will be the dog run.

 

I'm working on the sprinkler system in the front yard. I need new valves (or at least new actuators or whatever they're called) and a new controller.

Does anybody have any recommendations on a timer/controller? I don't think I'll have a million stations. Two in the front (lawn and drip), and maybe two in the back (lawn and drip as well).

Has anybody had experience with a rain sensor? I think I'd want a controller that supports a rain sensor if they work.

 

Thunder, SVTMike gave me a bunch of good advice and a website to get the stuff at when I needed to replace some auto-sprinkler stuff including the controller. Check with him, I am sorry I don't have the site handy.

 

www.sprinklerwarehouse.com

 

It's been a while , but I've made some progress on the front yard. Spent the day replacing/moving/removing sprinkler heads to match this layout:



(The circle is a future tree)

There were a LOT of sprinkler heads in my front yard. With the above design, I eliminated SEVEN sprinkler heads.

I'm going to pick up my dad's trailer and rototiller tomorrow and plan for sod next weekend!

 

Nice job!

I need to fix mine too, my valves are crap so I can't rely on the controller to turn the sprinklers on. I've been using the manual shutoff valve. Apparently a retard did the sprinkler system at my house so I'll have to do what you did and figure out a better, more efficient layout.

 

Sod has been ordered and is scheduled to be delivered Saturday!

I was going to pick it up myself using my dad's trailer, but after calculating that I need 1108 sq. ft. of sod...I'll have it delivered kthxbai.

It'll be nice to have a green front yard. I feel stupid for being so excited since grass isn't anything special .

I'm getting a 90% Fescue / 10% Bluegrass (<-- link) mix which should look nice and be fairly durable. At least that's what I'm told (I'm no grass expert, lol).

 

I got the confirmation for the sod. It's scheduled to be delivered tomorrow between 4:30 AM and 6:00 AM .

I called the farm I ordered from and, thankfully, I don't have to be available for them to drop it off...unless I want it somewhere specific. I don't (at the curb next to my driveway, which is where they plan to leave it, is fine).

I've got 75% of the yard tilled, just need to do a little bit more in the morning. I didn't think to take a picture until it was dark, so no photo . I'll try to remember to take a "before" photo tomorrow.

I discovered that my sprinkler valve leaks a little when it's on. I thought I could get away with just replacing the solenoid/actuator thingy (which made it work), but it looks like the entire thing needs to be scrapped. Eh well. I'll replace it sometime this weekend.

For new sod, does anybody recommend watering times of day? The instructions simply say to keep the first 3 inches wet during the first 20 days. A heavy watering at night and a heavy watering midday?

 

The job is done...

 

Looks good.