New Stairs

I spent a lot of time looking for a stairs contractor. A lot of contractors I talked to claimed to be carpenters, but after further discussion, it seemed they were just guys looking for work that have worked with wood before. Stairs are among some of the most complicated aspects to home carpentry and typical you're dealing with expensive materials, so I didn't want this job screwed up. Also, you typically need to put down a hefty materials downpayment, often 1/2 or more. One contractor I spoke with turned out to be a scammer. My wife found reviews that he would show up maybe a couple days, then demand more money, and walk off if his demands were not met.

I found Rick by calling a local millworks shop and asking who is buying their stuff. We already had a very good idea of the design we wanted by looking at hundreds of photos on Houzz.

Here's the original house stairs from 1973

You can see where the previous owner's cat used the stairs as a scratching post. 

The design goals of the stairs were square craftsman post, maple wood, iron balusters, and white risers, stringer. I choose maple as it is among my favorite wood species. I think the grain is beautiful and has a nice warm glow with the right stain. It's harder and more durable than some other premium woods like cherry, and not as expensive. The obvious choice for many is oak but I don't care for the grain so it was not considered.

It was interesting to watch the methods Rick used. For example, he cut out a veneer for the stringer using birch plywood to hide the old gouged stringer. He used a router to create a nose on the cap (wood under the railing).

And finally with stain. I was disappointed with the stain job -- done by Rick's son's in law. The did not spend much time preparing the wood (Sanding, cleaning) etc. They definitely rushed the job. The left the stain on way too long so some parts are darker than others. For example they put the stain on the treads working their way down, then wiped going back up, so of course the tread at the bottom is lightest and the top tread is darkest. In hindsight, I would have done the staining myself since it's not hard, it only takes patience and the ability to follow directions and prepare the wood properly. they put three coats of oil based polyurethane (satin). One of the guys did a better job (lower stairs) which have a smoother finish and more consistent stain.

Now all that's left is to paint the risers and trim white.

The Bullnose Problem

We are on our third and final bathroom and I've come to the conclusion that I hate bathroom remodels. There are too many choices to be made and lots that can go wrong: which tile, design and arrangement, coordinating the plumber, tiler, and painting and hoping they don't screw up. Tile essentially can't be fixed once set, without completely redoing it, at great expense (even if only considering the material cost). So, it's important to find a good tiler and plumber. There's lots that can go wrong. If the plumbing is off or incorrect, you may need to pull down some tile and cut through cement board. If the shower pan leaks, you're in for some trouble. If it isn't sloped properly, it will pool water and can mildew.

So now I'll get to the intention of this post, the bullnose problem. We found the tile we wanted at the local tile warehouse, but the bullnose was not in stock. I know some people leave unfinished edges and with a natural stone, that can look good, but with porcelain, the edge is a different color than the finish and doesn't look good exposed, and hence the reason for bullnose. I had an awful experience ordering tile in the past where half of it arrived cracked. It's also quite expensive when paying for shipping. The tile saleswomen show me Schluter metal bullnose. They're not cheap at around $30/8ft, but neither is bullnose. I think the Schluter edge looks better since it doesn't break up the tile layout that occurs with most bullnoses, since they are typically 2x10, not the dimension of your main tile.

The edge comes in a few different finishes and dimensions. You'll need to get the correct dimension for your tile thickness. We chose the roundec style, which has a rounded edge as the name implies. There are other manufacturers besides Schluter that make this but this is what was my tiler could get from his supplier.

 The edge makes a nice transition as the tile turns the corner

Roger, our tiler, did a nice job framing the niche with the edge. Notice how the ledge sits back a bit so that the edge lands behind the outside framing

As expected the curb has the bullnose too. Notice how the plumber didn't center the drain!

And here's the final result, sans the door ,which is on order

Trees are Cheap, Stumps are Expensive

I had a massive pine tree in my front yard. It was so big it eclipsed the yard. Its roots were coming out of the ground and getting unruly; it would drop sap on our cars; it would block the sun from melting snow on the driveway; it had to go.

A couple things I learned about tree removal: it's generally cheaper during the offseason and stumps are expensive to remove. I got an estimate in August and was surprised how much it would cost (about a 1000) for the tree remove and stump grinding. The stump removal was half the cost of the removing and disposing of the entire tree. I didn't get it done at the time since I had lot of remodel activities that were taking priority.

Then, in January I got another estimate, this time putting an ad on Craigslist and collecting offers. I stipulated that only licensed and bonded tree companies would be considered (I didn't want some DIY'er looking for extra cash to drop a tree on my house or cut their leg off). The estimate I got was $600 total, so 40% less!

The tree company owner told me he discounts until things pick up, around March. He said some deciduous trees (honey locust), are too difficult to trim in the winter. And, about the stumps being so expensive, and he told me that it takes a lot of time to grind them and the equipment is expensive. I opted to have just the stump removed and to leave the surface roots. I will start to attack the surface roots with stumpout, which is essentially a fungus that rots the wood over time.

Milgard Ultra Doulble Hung Windows Don't Work With Inside Mount Blinds!!!

The house had old single pane aluminum windows from the 70s. These are about the worst possible windows for a house in a cold climate, as they suck heat out of your home. They don't even sell aluminum windows anymore, except in hot/dry climates like the southwest. 

After shopping around several windows I settled on the Milgard Ultra, a fiberglass window. I liked the lifetime warranty and they had a good track record. Also the the glass is sealed at altitude (Denver), where I live. This is good since otherwise pressure differences will slightly bend the glass (pilling I think it's called). 

As expected the windows don't look as good in person than they brochures. Overall I was disappointed with the build quality. The corner miter seams are off on most all of the windows. The Milgard service/repair team was fairly responsive in addressing some of the issues (seals coming off/screens too tight), but of couse they can't fix fundamental quality issues. Some of the windows had scratches and they replaced the glass. How they got scratched is surely an oddity. 

The biggest disappointment however is the double hung windows don't support inside mount blinds. Or, more specifically, the window takes up the complete 4.5" depth of the jamb, leaving no space for a blind. Outside mount blinds would work but they don't look good IMO, and would hide the nice window trim.  If I had known this I would never have chosen these windows. I never thought to ask about blinds and my window contractor didn't say anything -- I just assumed all windows support inside mount blinds -- wrong!

Doing it all over again, I would have bought Marvin windows instead, give the quality issues with the Milgard. All research I have done (after the fact) indicates Marvin is a higher quality window. BTW, I have no idea if the Marvin double hung supports inside mount blinds. Also, I may have sprung for more expensive wood windows for two reasons: finish and thermal properties. Even when painted white, wood windows look better. The fiberglass shows a bit of a pattern (think playground equipment). 

I'll update this post later showing some of the quality issues of the Milgards.

Shower Rough-in Valves Plumbing

This is the third rough-in valve I've had set, by 3 different experienced plumbers (ok one was a handyman), and none have been set correctly. The valve needs to be set at the correct depth. Usually they provide a plastic guide (see below) that should be flush with the finished wall. Figure 1/2" for backer board + tile thickness + thinset, so around 1" off the stud. The Price Pfister fixture is less than an inch so putting this flush again the stud is almost certainly a mistake. Mine was set too far back but fortunately it still works. I had to reverse the cylinder that holds the plate against the wall and it shows the valve when water is turned on. Next, it should be perpendicular with the wall. This can be hard to tell until the backer board goes in. I noticed this one was pointed down and leaning to the right. I put a tiny plastic shim in the top right corner to push it to the left, then a piece of copper clad strapping (see in photo) around the top part to try and get it level. I didn't like the idea of putting force on the valve and tweaking the pipes but a master plumber assurred me it was safe since it would only move a tiny amount. After cranking down, little by little, with an impact driver, I got it just about dead on.


 

This photo shows the plastic fixture that should be flush with the finished wall



Here's my checklist for setting the rough-in valve. You only get one chance to set it right. After the tile is up, it's probably too late unless there is access from another wall.

Is it perpendicular to the wall and set at the correct depth?
Is it centered? If there is a stud in the way of dead center, move it!
Is it centered with the shower head and drain?
Are the pipes secured to the studs with copper tape so they're not loose?
Is the valve fastened to the studs via a cross brace?

Note to Contractors

The best thing you can do to sell your work and convince your clients to work with you is to take photos of your work, lots of them, showing detail, and put them on display (e.g. facebook, flickr, whatever). As much as I dislike Facebook, it's probably best because it's harder to fake over time (i.e. real clients saying yes, they did work for me and it was awesome). There are plenty of contractors I've talked to but wasn't convinced they could do the job right since they had no photos of their work. They might have been the best in the business for all I know.