View ImageI bid this job some time before I found out I had it. The “broker” is an agency out of state, that advertises ADA accessibility. They act as go-between, and if they’re like other agencies I’ve spoken with, take a percentage (probably about 15%) for their part. They are my boss, and have strict guidelines I have to agree to. The good part is, they pay up front. They sent me a 60% deposit check to start, and another 25% at mid-point. My final 15% will be paid upon completion.
The customer is a worker’s comp recipient, injured at work and now confined to a wheelchair. The claim is 20 years old, but he hired an attorney to help him get some things that were never allotted at the time of the accident.
The part I didn’t like about the original bid was that I had to design the project to bid it. And as near as I could tell, I was the only bidder – so I was most likely biddding against a budget number. I got the job, so it worked out OK.
I’m probably about a week or so from completion.
The picture shows the original kitchen.
View Image“…everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile.”
Replies
The obvious problem here is that there is no way a person in a wheelchair can access this kitchen sink. The cabinets were re-surfaced by Sears, so you're seeing a laminate surface. I bid to tear out the base cabinets, and go back with real wood, to match as closely as possible - but with access for a wheelchair to get to the kitchen sink.
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View Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
the microwave is facing the kitchen, making it inconvenient for the homeowner - it will face 90 degrees to the left (where the trashcan is) as part of the remodel.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
This small wing wall to the right of the door backs into the kitchen. H.O. wanted it removed, but the ins. wouldn't go for it. Base and upper cabinets will go here, to compensate for base cabinet space lost in the makeover.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
H.O. wanted a sl. glass door in place of this window - ins. said No Go.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Carpet in the living room to be replaced with tile. Carpet and wheelchairs are not a good mix, apparently.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View Image
Here you can see damage to the heater closet door, trying to get his wheelchair into this hall bathroom. I'll be changing this out to a 3' 0" door, which will add 4" to the opening. And I'll be replacing the damaged heater closet door.
The agency that hired me found me on the internet, by way of my website. Its been up for a few years (I think - a year, anyway), finally starting to bring me some work.View Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
the hall bath vanity has to come out. Wall-hung lav, with tiny base cabinet going in. Toilet and shower in this bath to remain pretty much as is.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
As I said, this end of the room remains pretty much unchanged.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
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this is the master bathroom - the toilet will be going in the space here where you see the brown towel (its location is blocking access to the shower). The vanity comes out, and the sink (wall-hung lav) will go where the toilet was. This is not a true ADA remodel, but just a compromise working with what's there to try to make it more accessible to the H.O.View Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
in the original "settlement", the shower was remodeled to a curbless shower. I'll be putting a built-in seat in the shower (the fold-down model fell off the wall, and the h.o. refuses to use it. Hence, the portable unit you see also). You can just see the toilet - it is blocking wheelchair access into the shower. A wall-hung lav will replace it. The bathroom area is so small that its hard to get a good photo. Same problem throughout the house. H.O. really needs a new house, built from scratch, but no way would the insurance agree to that!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
well, that's a start! I'll post more pictures when I get a chance to sit down at the computer again.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Huck,
This will be a good project to follow. I have done institutional millwork that was ADA compliant. Lots of clearances that have to be maintaned. I don't see any way to get the 60" 'circle' for either bathroom, or the 18" at the pull side of the doors. The 34" sink heigth should not be a problem. As you said, it is not a true ADA remodel.Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
Edited 6/18/2009 2:40 pm ET by stevent1
Thanks. This hasn't been one of my favorite projects, but I'm glad to have it at a time when my phone really hasn't been ringing much otherwise. And there is a certain rewarding feeling from making this guy's house more accessible to him, even 'tho I know its a far cry from what he'd really like.
Here is my sketch for the master bathroom (using an older version of Sketchup)View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
the master bedroom will get tile floorView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
The homeowner was injured while driving a water truck for a construction company, when the brakes failed. A spinal injury destroyed his equilibrium, and affected his motor skills. But he has done many things they said he'd never do again. He is mentally alert, and manages very well under his circumstances.
This door out the back of the garage will get replaced with a larger one.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
This motorized lift kitchen counter (photo from a local handicap advocacy group) is what he wanted, but was nixed by the ins. co. As I recall the cost was about 4-5K
the countertop lifts with the button in front, then user wheels themself into place, and lowers the countertop. A saftey mechanism stops the motor when the safety touches their legs.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
demolition has begun!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
and in the master bathroom alsoView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
I love it when my plumber wears his "company" shirt to work!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
someone is happy to see this project finally get going!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Bob is actually a general contractor, but he and his plumber buddy Jerry do most all my plumbing. Both are really good guys to have on any job - very knowledgeable, experienced, and meticulous.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
thats Jerry the plumber in blueView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
I have permission to store #### back hereView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
No worries, two great minds are at work on it as we speak...can't you smell the synapses burning?View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
we sawcut the slab to move the toilet - but the saw man only went down about 3", and the slab went down about 5. This was one tough, rock-hard, fort knox style slab!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
the kitchen has been partially guttedView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Thanks. I love work-in-progress threads and yours are some of the best.
I love work-in-progress threads and yours are some of the best.
thanks, but I'm under no illusions. This won't be one of my best, but I just thought I'd share anyway. In these times, its good to have any work!
we gave that little Bosch a workout!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
the transformer is for the water softener - I added an outlet, and moved it outside by the tank. The orange extension cord is for the MW, I added an outlet in the cabinet for it.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
the 220 outlet for the stove had been attached to the old cabinet. I put in inside the wall, where it belongs.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
the old microwave outlet!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
all the tile, including the backsplash, was over cement - like they done it back then!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
got the toilet drain movedView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
finally got all the tile backsplash out of there, and the wall opened up. Turned out to be the old sanded plaster over buttonboard - a real project to demo!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Built-in shower seat (and great disposal site for the concrete I broke out of the floor, and a lot of the tile I demo'd too!).View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
plumbers poured back cement over their plumbing, and done a right nice job of it too.View Image
View Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Edited 6/21/2009 2:11 am by Huck
OK, now the kitchen floor's coming up...View Image
View Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Edited 6/21/2009 2:09 am by Huck
jobsite landfillView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Brandon, the tile man, has arrived and set up.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
tiling the shower seatView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
h.o. picked the tile for this!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Brandon and Joni, his gf/assistantView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
that little Bosch jackhammer has earned its salt on this job!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
got the living room cleared out of furniture and the carpet taken upView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
h.o.'s homecare lady Charlene (a real character, and a real talker), and his nephew Phil who lives with him (quiet dude, doesn't say much). Does get a little crowded in that place with 3 people living there plus us (and h.o. and homecare there all day every day - next time I think I'll throw a little more in the bid for that scenario!).View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
tile in living room - h.o. opted for "brick" pattern, I'm not that crazy about it myselfView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Brandon and his jobsite dog (found her as a small puppy on one of my jobs long time ago)View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
the tile the h.o. picked for the kitchen and master bath / bedroom. black grout is a pain the arse btw, learned that on this job!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
With older slabs (this one is from the 50's) he doesn't use a slipsheet, except over any cracks. Then, he glues down a sheet of black builder's felt using carpet glue.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Brandon's hobbyView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
jobsite supervisorView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Brandon shows class with his "work shirt"!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
I enjoy the process as much as the product!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
shakka, bruddah!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
this gal is one hard worker - she's also a social worker, and a kick-boxer!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Thanx for sharing this project.
Can the "Agency" line up anything else for you to bid?
Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
Can the "Agency" line up anything else for you to bid?
not yet, apparently - they have jobs all over the u.s. Coincidentally, another agency who does the exact same thing called, and I just bid a job to them. No connection, they just also found me on the internet. So I may have another one to go to after this, for an amputee.
One of the reasons I wanted to post this, to give my fellow tradesmen a head's up - I got both these jobs because of the letters ADA on my website. These jobs happen because they are paid by worker's comp. Right now they're pretty much the only remodels going on around here.View Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
I don't know if it's just me, but starting with 121442.42, about half of your pictures do not show up for me on the screen.
Maybe it's something funny on my end, but I thought others may be experiencing the same problem
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Don't know, when I go back to check, they all show up fine on my screen! I can upload to BT if need be. Try again later and let me know if its still a problem They're stored on Flickr, and it does sometime have a hiccup. Wonder if anyone else is having the same problem?View Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
went to go watch Brandon race one Sat. afternoon after workView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
his girlfriend and the h.o. also went to cheer him onView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
he didn't do too good in this one, because he kept spinning out. Definitely a sport for adrenaline addictsView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
floor is finished, and I've begun patching the wallView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
living room finished, new baseboard installed and paintedView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
got all the furniture back (we stored it in the garage for a few days)View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
its a wild tile choice, but its what h.o. wantedView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
base cabinets installed, and countertops/backsplash tiled. Countertops are black granite with pitch black v-cap, and 6" white and black backsplash tiles.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
here you can see the new microwave cabinet, with the m/w facing outView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
same tile in the master bathroomView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
baseboard installed and painted. The m/c is reused from the original bathroom, but I put a couple coats of polyurethane on it View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
master bedroom tileView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
h.o. can now access his kitchen sink from his wheelchairView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
with the master bathroom completed, I can now start on the hall bathroom. Finally on the home stretch, yay!View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
I added an oak window sill. You can see that we stepped down the countertop at the sink - the h.o. requested 34" max. ht, with 29" clear for his knees, so we stepped it down from 36" at the dishwasher.View Image
View Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Edited 6/21/2009 12:21 am by Huck
View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Huck,Here is what I see:Picture of post #41 and #42View Image
Picture of link to Flickr, post #41
View Image
Picture of link to Flickr, post #42
View Image
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
hmm, hard to say where the problem is coming from. It appears a change in the forum software is causing it to edit my html, making weird changes. I went back and re-did the html for posts 41 and 42, did it make any difference?
edited to add: it doesn't appear to matter - even if I go back and re-do it, it just edits it again. All the posts appear normal on my screen. Wonder how many people are seeing the weird version you posted a picture of.
Oh well, another glitch to deal with!
View Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Edited 6/21/2009 2:14 am by Huck
FWIW, all pictures appear perfectly fine from here. I'm running Windows XP and IE 9.
Huck, all pics good here, too. mac with firefox.That's a nice job you're doing. How did you do that grab bar on the countertop? Is there any way to put a recessed apron over the kitchen sink plumbing and still stay ADA?http://www.tvwsolar.com
Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after"
How did you do that grab bar on the countertop?
Used a tile drill to get through the surface of the tile, then a masonry drill bit. Put a plastic anchor where I drilled into cement board. And used a long screw into solid wood where there was solid wood. I put a spacer behind the bottom screw, where the flange extends past the tile, so that the screw would suck up tight and be strong. The h.o. is 200 lbs., and he has to be able to put the full force of his weight on that thing. I told him I'm betting he'll never be able to budge that bar. If I lose the bet, 'tho, I might be buying him a new cabinet and countertop!
Is there any way to put a recessed apron over the kitchen sink plumbing and still stay ADA?
Don't know - this isn't really ADA anyway, just in spirit. Someone suggested a small curtain under the counter. Doesn't matter to me, or probably, to him. He's a bachelor, lives alone, and this was strictly a functional issue for him.
BTW - glad to hear the photos show ok for you, thanks for letting me know!View Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Huck,
I'm impressed as always with your thread, the quality of the work on your projects is always fantastic. One note on the exposed pipes under the sink, the way it was explained to me on commercial jobsites the reason for the apron over the plumbing was that their was a danger of hot water pipes burning your legs if you were using it for a long time while at the sink, I suppose this applied to the PVC drains also heating up or those rare instances when you see a copper drainpipe used. We used to use a slant panel to address the issue.
the completed bathroom now in daily useView ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
The old door has been removed, a larger opening framed in, the walls patched, and the new door installed and trimmed out (jamb extensions and casing)View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
the new door from the outside - I was careful with the stucco, then I trimmed the door with 1x2 rough-sawn.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
Formica countertop cut-down and installed. This turned into kind of a nightmare, since client would not make up his mind on a finish for this little countertop. Lots of wasted time and trips to the Big Box. He finally agreed to this one. Once it was in, he said "It looks good - but not as good as the one I picked would have looked" (his first pick was a special order custom color, almost identical to this, but would have cost $200 more, which he would not agree to pay). Love those compliments!
BTW, this one matches almost identical to the floor tile he put in the adjacent room (visible from this room), so it ties together real well.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
The hall bath is coming along - the new larger door has been installed, again with jamb extensions because the old sanded plaster over buttonboard walls are unusually thick. The walls patched and painted.View ImageView Image"...everyone needs to sit on a rock, listen to the surf, and feel the ocean breeze in their face once in awhile."
cambriadays.com
I'm not a tilesetter. But like Jarrod in "The Pretender", when the woman asks, "Are you a doctor", he replies, "today I am". That's me. Today I was. No money in the budget to bring my tilesetter back for this little bathroom, so it's up to me. Clean and prep.View ImageView Image
I got to looking at that floor, and thinking. You know a Jackson Pollack original can sell for over 10 million dollars?View ImageView Image
"Bathroom Floor in Emotional Anquish", latex enamel on concrete, asking price well under 10 million.View ImageView Image
My tile saw is at my mom's house in L.A. - and I didn't want to pay $50 to rent one for the day. So I used my little Hitachi grinder with a 4" diamond wheel for the whole thing!View ImageView Image
Grroouutt!!View ImageView Image
Grouted and cleaned up. Plumbers will be in tomorrow morning.View ImageView Image
The client must have an Austrian heritage....
color/pattern schizophrenia.
My Mom has it, too.
The work looks very nice. A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.
Yeah, I thought some of his choices bizarre. He said that now he is a bachelor, he can do what he wants. So he did.View Image
Yesterday tile, today plumbing and small cabinet, countertop. Tomorrow, the world! (or at least, the baseboard)View Image
View Image
Edited 6/25/2009 11:28 pm by Huck
View ImageView Image
I had to patch in a small piece of tile where the door jamb moved over 4". It looked kinda tacky. You can see it in post 121442.108 So I painted the grout with some paint I had in my inventory that matched the tile real close. Now you can hardly even see it!View Image
View Image
Edited 6/25/2009 11:03 pm by Huck
for these wall-hung lavs what I do is "sheetrock" with plywood behind the sink - mud and tape it just like rock, and float the surface. That way, no guessing about backing, its a solid sheet of plywood up to about 36".View ImageView Image
This is the hallway door he tore up getting into the small hall bath doorway (opposite). He shouldn't have a problem now that the door is 4" wider, but I replaced the door with a solid core door, just to be sure.View ImageView Image
View ImageView Image
I am seeing the pictures fine.
Very nice job.
Do you think you can get/want more from the agency?
Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
Yes, I would like more of this type of work. I will just remember to add another 15% for "home all day every day" clients. This one ate me up with nonstop questions, requests, talk, etc., daily. He wanted to watch. He wanted to help. He wanted me to explain everything. He wondered could I "throw in" this, or that, or just about anything he could think of.
Then when I said No, that would be an extra, Could I write a letter to his insurance attorney explaining why its extra, so he could try to get the insurance to pay for it? Could I talk to his attorney on the phone? Could I email a list to his attorney? Could I talk to his insurance adjuster on the phone? Could I email my invoice to his insurance adjuster? Is that my best price? Isn't that kinda steep? Could I do it for less? Could I do the work and take payments? blahdedahdededahblabla.
And he's got a severe speech impediment, so every conversation means you stop what you're doing, set down your tools, take out the earpiece, walk over to him, bend down close so you can hear him, ask him 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 times to repeat himself, and then base your response on what you think he might have said. And a lot of times, at the end of the day, it turns out what he said was just some pointless question asked because he's lonely and doesn't want you to go, like "I notice you painted half the room. Are you going to paint the other half?"
And even 'tho he agreed to let us work from 8-5, he didn't get up until 10 am, so our hands were tied until then. So I just stopped coming before 10. Screwed the whole job up, in some ways, but I got through it. Live and learn. I would have been a little more hardball with the guy, but he's brain damaged and in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, and its hard not to feel sorry for him, and bite your tongue when you want to say Shut up and let me get to work!
Even for all that, it wasn't a horrible job, and it paid the bills for several weeks.View Image
That looks like a networking problem, or possibly a browser problem, or a server performance problem (possibly temporary), to me. The pictures show up fine for me, BTW. I sometimes get that sort of appearance with Google Maps. It seems to have to do with not downloading all of the image tiles (probably using Ajax) in a timely fashion.Rebeccah
Awesome!!! Excellent work!!!
So I've been thinking about getting a Bosch hammer like that (maybe an SDS Max) for just such a slab busting occasion. That one work out pretty well for you guys after you scored the trench? Anything you wished it had that it didn't? And between this room and the kitchen, how did you keep the dust from going everywhere? I saw some plastic sheeting in one of the pics.Nice thread. Fun to see a happy homeowner, even if he was a bit pesty with the how-tos and the why-fores.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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Its a great little jackhammer. I wish at times it had more weight and bulk - but its fine for what I use it for. If I did a lot of slab busting, I'd get the full size jackhammer. This one's a combo, jackhammer and hammer/drill. Oh he was happy all right - he was tickled pink to have some company, and wasn't gonna let me go without playing 20 questions...every day!!! =)View Image
Thanks. It's only got to work on one slab, the one in my basement :) But I was never sure if those would actually do the job or if I'd have to hit the rental yard for a full size model.Besides if I get one, I can retire my 1970s vintage B&D hammer drill. Which all things considered, really isn't that bad. But I'll bet holes get drilled a bit faster now than 40 years ago.I found it very interesting that you are getting your leads via the 'ADA' text on your site. Sounds like that could be a good avenue for you until the remodeling market picks back up!'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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Sounds like that could be a good avenue for you until the remodeling market picks back up!
Believe me, I'm hoping! Next week, its down to L.A. to finish my mom's neighbor's fence, and maybe put some crown molding up for Mom. Be nice to have something to do after that! Esp. since this job paid the bills, but precious little left over at the end.View Image
and the slab went down about 5"
Hey, that's not too bad. Friend at work just had a drain blockage repaired. Took 4 days to get to it - 18" slab! The BI was stunned and the plumber was very happy to finish that job!
This job may not be "fine" but it is certainly educational - accessability is going to become a bigger & bigger deal, and opportunity for those who can do it well. Thanks for sharing!
new door, and hallway, paintedView ImageView Image
baseboard in, and a second coat of paintView ImageView Image
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ramp up to the new door in the garageView ImageView Image
Nice work. It seems like you got a lot done in a short amount of time. Do you work alone?
yes, all alone. And it drives me batty that the h.o. always wants to shoot the breeze with me daily!! Tomorrow its pick up my tools and junk, I"m done!! Yay!View Image
Took 4 days to get to it - 18" slab!
hoo boy, glad I didn't bid that one!View Image