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The "Whatever" Thread
- Thread starter JK Knives
- Start date
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- Oct 15, 2014
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Signed a contract with a home builder today. Now I'm at the bank signing my life away to pay for building "our" dream home.
JK Knives
Moderator
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Congrats!
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- Jun 9, 2007
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- Joined
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Thanks guys. It's been an arduous process to get to this point and the real fun is only beginning.
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- Feb 2, 2015
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Being in one small niche of the 'home improvement' field.
Some advice I can offer is you can get granite counter tops these days for the same price as tile and formica.
By the time your contractor pays some guy to lay the tile or cut the formica your at the same price as granite.
A granite install takes one day for a whole house typically.
Look for a company with a CNC router. The machine does all the work and its drastically more precise than any human. The machine I program works within an insane tolerance over a huge area. It kinda boggles my mind sometimes!
A CNC really cuts down on the labor cost as well.
If you go with granite, be wary of slabs that have a fiberglass backing and/or border on them. That is a tell-tale sign that that is a weaker material. The fiberglass is actually helping hold the stone together!
Anyways. Congrats! Dont let the build drive you nuts. Remeber, its a one time deal and a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Some advice I can offer is you can get granite counter tops these days for the same price as tile and formica.
By the time your contractor pays some guy to lay the tile or cut the formica your at the same price as granite.
A granite install takes one day for a whole house typically.
Look for a company with a CNC router. The machine does all the work and its drastically more precise than any human. The machine I program works within an insane tolerance over a huge area. It kinda boggles my mind sometimes!
A CNC really cuts down on the labor cost as well.
If you go with granite, be wary of slabs that have a fiberglass backing and/or border on them. That is a tell-tale sign that that is a weaker material. The fiberglass is actually helping hold the stone together!
Anyways. Congrats! Dont let the build drive you nuts. Remeber, its a one time deal and a once in a lifetime opportunity.
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2014
- Messages
- 964
Thank you. We're going with granite; there was never an alternative in my wife's mind. One of several "upgrades" that she seemed to think were "standard" features.
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- Feb 2, 2015
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Most of the contractors we deal with will have an allowance for granite built into their bid to build the house, then any material you want that costs over that allowance you just pay the differance for.
When it comes time to choose your granite give me a shout. I can tell you things to look for that a granite fabricator may try to hide from you just to sell that slab.
When it comes time to choose your granite give me a shout. I can tell you things to look for that a granite fabricator may try to hide from you just to sell that slab.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2009
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- 13,449
whew! Building a whole home - that would be a task, I know just doing our Mayze-Well kitchen remodel was huge.
We started with just doing the floor, but you "mayzewell" do the cabinets, and then we decided to take out a wall, and then mayzewell do the living area, and, well - you know.
On the granite - we went to St. Louis to a large warehouse where all the granite slabs were set up - we have one piece that is 10 feet long, all one piece!
One thing - on the piece with the sink in it, it was so large and heavy that it broke when they picked it up off of their truck....so they had get another slab - luckily there was a remaining "sister slab" of our pieces and they cut it to size, then cut out the sink-opening on site to prevent another broken piece....
this was the slabs we picked out -
this is a 10' slab on our island -
The one thing that I can say about granite after having it and living with it for a while - it will heat sink anything you put down - a cup of coffee will turn cold in minutes when set on a 10' slab....
I still use hotpads, not to protect the counter surface, but to insulate the hot food!
best
mqqn
We started with just doing the floor, but you "mayzewell" do the cabinets, and then we decided to take out a wall, and then mayzewell do the living area, and, well - you know.
On the granite - we went to St. Louis to a large warehouse where all the granite slabs were set up - we have one piece that is 10 feet long, all one piece!
One thing - on the piece with the sink in it, it was so large and heavy that it broke when they picked it up off of their truck....so they had get another slab - luckily there was a remaining "sister slab" of our pieces and they cut it to size, then cut out the sink-opening on site to prevent another broken piece....
this was the slabs we picked out -
this is a 10' slab on our island -
The one thing that I can say about granite after having it and living with it for a while - it will heat sink anything you put down - a cup of coffee will turn cold in minutes when set on a 10' slab....
I still use hotpads, not to protect the counter surface, but to insulate the hot food!
best
mqqn
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1,783
mqqn, that granite looks to be UbaTuba or Verde Butterfly, which is a cheaper granite because its so prevelant.
They are a strong material and an excellent choice if your looking for a dark colored counter.
If you dont mind me asking, how much per sq. ft. was it? We charge $55 sqft installed on our Uba Tuba.
The whiskey rocks that TPVT got are made from that same material.
They are a strong material and an excellent choice if your looking for a dark colored counter.
If you dont mind me asking, how much per sq. ft. was it? We charge $55 sqft installed on our Uba Tuba.
The whiskey rocks that TPVT got are made from that same material.
Last edited:
JK Knives
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Sweet!Got a new flashlight recently. 300 lumens from a single AAA!
Jeff
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- Jun 9, 2007
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Yeah, it's a nice one. Been carrying it paired with the black Pioneer from you.
Jeff
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I get to go to a rifle course on the 7th and 8th next month. I'm pretty excited as my formal rifle training is pretty limited. I am taking my Ruger 10/22 for the majority of the class and a bolt action for the longer distances. I managed to get away with it with the boss because the only cost will be the class itself and the gas to get there. I already have all the equipment and ammo required.
JK Knives
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What does the class consist of, it sounds interesting. Let us know how it goes.
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It is a basic "military" shooting class it covers the five steps to an accurate shot, shooting positions (prone, kneeling, standing), use of sling while shooting, and out at the longer ranges calculating MOA, windage, and other things. I grew up hunting and sport shooting in Michigan but most of my shooting was taught to me by family members. Hell it took me almost until I was 15 to learn that I was cross-dominant. It will be fun to see some of the instructors faces when they see my shooting style.