What Have You Done That Has >"TOTALLY CHANGED"< Your Home?

[KilroyJC]

Graded in a second driveway out the back of our property, and fenced it in (over an acre) with remote-control power gates, installed a wood-fired sauna, and replaced the asphalt shingle roof with steel panel roofing

 

[JasperFrank]

I worked with a guy that built a home on Smith Mountain Lake, near Roanoke VA.

His wife DEMANDED that the home be built without a kitchen!! (She HATED cooking)
It seems in the last 10 years, they had not cooked one meal at home.

They ate out, every night on the way home, (both worked)

He ended up having to redesign the family room so that part of it could be upgraded to a kitchen if they ever sold the home,,
The house was completed, no kitchen,,,

I have come to understand that I hate cooking in my later age. I use to like cooking when I was younger. And i think I was good at it.

I really don't like any aspect of it now, at all, there is no time. When younger of course, I designed a tirade kitchen with the best appliances and thought my Wife would like it also. I try to use it, once and a while, but the wife does not ever use it.
We'd be just as good if we just bought stuff coming home. Cause then, I didn't make a bad meal. Some one else, making the take out did that. In a sense, I entirely understand the Smith Mountain Lake Home you worked on. Cause we both work, and no one has time to prepare and cook anything.

 

[TIMMYDUCK]

Painted the garage .

 

[cbg8670]

Painted the garage .

Now your just showing off..

Great paint work

 

[groundcover]

Amazing paint job on the garage Timmy !

 

[TIMMYDUCK]

Thank you very much .

That garage was built in 1949 and really needed a make over .

Two months of sanding to do two days of painting .

 

[bdhsfz6]

Painted the garage .

Very nice!

I admire your patriotism and the time & effort it took to create your mural!

Although I always revere displays like this, they open an old wound for me.

I was a supervisor at a small public office when the 911 terror attacks occurred. In a patriotic effort, I posted this picture on the office bulletin board:

Shortly afterward, I was approached by an irate representative of the American Legion who informed me that the picture was disrespectful and a breach of flag etiquette. Figuring he was some kind of nut, I politely told him to take a hike.

Later that day, I got a call from my boss who in no uncertain terms told me to remove the picture. He had received a complaint from our state representative! Apparently, the guy from the American Legion had some political clout!

To this day, that incident sticks in my craw. No one in the office at the time, nor anyone I've talked to since, ever took offense at this or any other similar image. I wasn't sitting on the flag or blowing my nose on it, I just don't understand.

I've searched from time to time for guidelines on flag etiquette and the only thing I've found is this from USFlag.org

"The flag should never be used as a decoration
Using a flag for drapery, or for covering the front of a desk or podium is against the flag code. In fact, using the flag for any decoration is forbidden. Red, white and blue bunting is supposed to be used instead. And, according to the guidelines, blue should always go on top."

7 Things You Probably Didn't Know Are Disrespectful to the Flag

June 14 is Flag Day,and there are several things that people may not be aware is disrespectful to the stars and stripes.

wpdh.com

To me, this isn't totally applicable since it refers to the flag itself, not an image.

Sorry for the rant and PLEASE do not take this as any form of criticism! I truly admire displays like this and am curious how others here feel about the subject.

 

[TIMMYDUCK]

That exact topic was discussed on numerous occasions about this project .

The ultimate consensus was it is not the American Flag but an artist picture .

I named it “ Amber Waves “ and called it a day .

 

[BravoXray]

Divorced my wife.
A whole lot quieter here now.

 

[CADplans]

Divorced my wife.
A whole lot quieter here now.

celebrate,,,

 

[bunyip]

6.6kw solar, 2 heat pump hot water, electrical work that needed doing, additional 60,000 lts water tanks, new water pump, water filter, filtered water tap in kitchen, carport, new blinds, lots of fencing, new guttering, new external doors, new insect screens, new entry gates, installation of 15a GPO's in garage and sheds so I can use my welder and plasma cutter, there is probably more but I lose track and there will be more to come, it's only money (he says crying)

 

[Spike56]

Hired a company called Miracle Method to spray old laminate countertops and a fiberglass tub. Home is approaching 30 years old. The original kitchen counters were old style laminate. Looked into replacing with quartz or another stone product but too expensive. The tub was stained over the years by minerals in the water. Tried numerous products to remove stains but nothing worked.
While doing the job, had a bullnose added to the counters. Turned out great, after 2+ years, no issues. Looks like high dollar stone now.

 

[Xfaxman]

Hired a barn builder to build the 36'x56' horse barn that my wife designed:

 

[EddieWalker]

Great design. I like the big doors on both sides of the building. I bet you get a nice breeze through there in the heat of summer!!!

 

[Xfaxman]

Yep, they are on the north and south sides, compatible with the prevailing winds here.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

If you live somewhere for a quarter of a century, the place will change. I know the family that built this house. They told me they spent their first night here on Christmas Eve, 1971. Any house that is 50 years old needs a little spit and polish. Looking back, here is a list of things I have accomplished, more or less in order.

- Installed a heat pump to replace the old resistive electric furnace and provide AC. This also required a new main breaker panel.

- Replaced the leaking heavy shake roof with 3-tab. First, the roof is a 4/12 pitch. Shakes require a steep pitch or they leak. While I was at it I nailed off the skip sheathing that never got done when the house was built, added blow-in insulation while the roof was off, screwed down OSB sheathing, 3-tab shingles, added a chimney cap, and nailed off the T1-11 siding that had never been nailed off when the house was built. All told, that project shot up 70 lbs. of 7d hot dipped galv nails. Also added a skylight in the guest bathroom and a solar tube in the hallway.

- Installed a transfer switch and full RV hookup on that side of the house. Ran a 30 amp 240 volt service to the wood shed because I had a roll of 10/3 UF wire.

- Installed a 2500 gallon cistern for times when the well flow gets low. Sited it high enough for modest gravity feed to the house in case of power failure.

- Built a porch roof over the garage walk-in door.

- Replaced the single pane aluminum frame windows with energy efficient vinyl.

- Did a real paint job on the exterior, stripping all loose paint, priming, caulking, back-rolling sprayed paint application, and went from a 1-color to 3-color paint.

- Replaced the rotting deck, built a gazebo overlooking the creek, built two large half covered dog kennels, built a low retaining wall in the front yard and poured a concrete patio for use when the deck gets too hot in the summer.

- Added a 26x36 lean-to off of one side of the barn.

- Replaced the rusting steel septic tank with a 1500 gallon 2-chamber.

- Scraped all the popcorn ceilings off, re-textured, added crown molding in the public parts of the house, and painted the whole place.

- Remodeled the kitchen and guest bath, removed 10' of wall between the living room and dining room, replaced the slider in the dining room with double opening French doors that allow the deck and dining room to be one space. Installed 12" tile floors in the kitchen and family room. Installed real wood flooring in the living room and hallways. Installed a recessed electrical projection screen and ceiling mount projector in the living room, and hid all the speaker wires for a THX certified sound system. Cut the utility room size in half and removed a pantry to open up the area between the dining room and the family room, installed another window where the pantry was, and swapped the little 2x2 window above the sink for a 6' bay window - real bay window, not prefab.

- Rebuilt the tree bridge across the creek with treated beams, and added steps and a handrail on the other side where the walkway is steep.

- Did a small addition to the master bedroom and master bath to make both rooms wheelchair accessible (not now, but maybe), added a sliding door and deck extension to that side of the house, and added two 5x4 windows to that end of the house, one in the master bedroom and one in the office. The new master bath features a curb-less shower.

- Built a 36x60 shop with office-bath. Upgraded the old 200 amp electrical service to 400 amp to give the shop its own service entrance.

- Replaced the 20 year roof with 30 year 3-tab. I'll be long dead before that roof needs replaced.

The big project this spring is irrigation water. I begged for above ground pools on Marketplace, and collected three big pools that I'm going to set up behind the wood shed. It should give me 54,000 gallons of storage, enough that I can actually have a garden after things dry out around the first of August.

I have a number of small projects still in the buffer. I need to redo the barn post anchors, paint the plywood siding, and add fake batten boards to make it cuter. The barn is functional, but ugly. I also want to convert the top 4' of siding to translucent panels and run power and water to the barn. Maybe add lean-to storage on both ends of the barn and replace the swinging doors with sliders. I picked up an antique (1957) 4kw generator with electric start in mint condition. I want to set that up as a dedicated water system generator and build a decent walking path to the well house. The laundry backs up to the garage, so I want to install a utility sink in the garage for cleanup. I want to build a boot bench outside the garage walk-in door so I have a decent mud room. Re-roof the wood shed, which was constructed with a recycled corrugated metal roof.

The house is just a 1740 sf. ranch style, but when you live in the country you can spread out. I have 5400 sf. under cover of some kind.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Got a Wife ...My home is "TOTALLY CHANGED"

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
Only darkness every day
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I would not spray fill any cavity unless I knew for absolute certain I'd never want to get into it again. Sure would be nice to have an extra outlet or light switch right there. Oooppss.....

That’s just not a problem at all if you know how to finish drywall.

 

[oosik]

I agree Bill Guenthner. July, 2009 - buried my wife's ashes under her favorite flowering cherry tree.

 

[Egon]

Moved to the other side of the country.