all 9 comments

[–]Zapped 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

Is this a full home remodel, or just a few room projects? What do you mean when you say "apartment"?

[–]naples[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

This will be seven rooms out of a two bedroom apartment.

I live in an apartment, what uppity city types call a condo. Mostly I need to repair the walls and the bathrooms. The floors were recently renovated by contractors.

You do much wrench-turning?

[–]Zapped 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

I was confused about the terminology because in the Southeast, apartments are known as rental units. I'm used to seeing the terms condo and townhouse when it's owner occupied.

So you have no restrictions on remodeling inside your unit? Some HoA's forbid it.

I have been known to do some remodeling and I know my way around a construction site. I am remodeling a unit in a 106 year old duplex I own. I'm tearing out all of the plaster so I can re-wire the ceilings and insulate the ceilings and walls. I'll do most of the work myself, but will leave the tub, shower and cabinets to others.

Drywall is a skilled talent, so you will need practice before you're happy with it. If the plumbing looks good, you should be able to tie back in to it. Spend the money on good bath fans. Check to see what shape the ductwork is in for the dryer and bath fans, too. If it is an older build, it may be plastic flexible hose and if you're opening up walls, you will want to run new metal vent duct.

When hiring Hispanics immigrants, be careful of craftsmanship. They were used to working with scraps where they are from and are still in the habit of piecing things together so the finished product can look like crap. I am speaking generally, so there are exceptions. They are faster, though.

[–]naples[S] 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Regarding my HOA, I am on friendly terms with them. One thing I have going in my favor is that the HOA is of excellent quality.

The cool thing about living in a redneck area is that people like me are seen as a solution, not a problem.

[–]naples[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Dude, thank you so much. The gents at the hardware store are often on point but are at times condescending.

There is one wall that I plan to leave with the original pinewood strip paneling. Should I bother to spackle over the cracks before I paint or should I merely accept that the paneling will be uneven in places.

I feel better already about this after talking to you.

[–]Zapped 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

If it were me, I would either get rid of the wood paneling or just paint it as is, with a light color. I painted the pine in my bathroom at home a light gray and am happy with how it brightens the room. It' s more work to demo and then install drywall, but it depends on your budget, what you are happy with, and how long you plan on living there and having to look at those walls every day. If you paint, put on a good coat of primer before you paint, even if the paint has primer in it.

[–]naples[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Thanks! I'll roll with that.

Well my plan is to remodel in stages. No time through is as bad as your first time through so once I reno one of the rooms, I'll be that much more ambitious about the rest of it!

I owe you a beer at the annual saidit meetup.

[–]Zapped 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Sadit meetup? I think half of the active users here are the same person or a small few, so it would be a small meeting.

Hang a sheet of thick plastic over the doorway of the room you are working on. Home Depot sells a zipper that you tape to this sheet of plastic down the middle. Unzip and cut a slit in the plastic with a razor knife. You now have a dust barrier you can seal up easily each time you need to walk through. It is sold in the paint section near the plastic drop cloths.

[–]naples[S] 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Wish me luck, prayers drill bits welcome!