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Crapbox turned dreamhome
- Thread starter novaman854
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novaman854
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novaman854
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So that's where we are at for now. Now that you are up to speed on the house, I will try to get some pictures going of what we have done in the garage. Keep in mind it is still a work in progress, but I can finally see the finish line.
Fastbird
Well-known member
That is a simply amazing transformation. How much of the original house is actually left at this point?
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novaman854
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Awesome work! It has so many cool spaces and shapes going on, I love it. The part showing the temporary accomodations in the garage is hilarious and fantastic at the same time. You guys are dedicated for sure, your lady is looking like quite a trooper at her computer desk, lol. Keep up the great work and updates
Thank you very much. My wife has definitely been a trooper. Its a fun story to tell looking back (at the very least). We are very proud of what we have accomplished.
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novaman854
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We had remodeled the kitchen prior to the renovation, so that is original. I know it probably seems like the house should have been torn down, but I think we did save some money on the construction costs, not to mention finding a place to stay for about 2 years with 2 dogs and two cats. But to answer your question honestly - not much of the old house is left.
dummptyhummpty
Member
That's really impressive! A beautiful home... I think the floor tile turned out really cool too.
sunsation288
Well-known member
One word, WOW , awesome build sir !! , it's huge !! , keep the picture coming please
Awesome!! Really nice work and I am sure you worked on it pretty much constantly the last 4+ years.
Have a friend doing the same thing (old house on a great piece of land) he's 6 years in and it will easily take him a decade to complete. It will be nice when he does though. I will have to send him a link to this thread.
Have a friend doing the same thing (old house on a great piece of land) he's 6 years in and it will easily take him a decade to complete. It will be nice when he does though. I will have to send him a link to this thread.
I was getting ready to be that guy and ask why you didn't just tear the original house down and start over with a clean piece of paper.
allinon72
Well-known member
WOW it's like an episode of Hometime.
tinbender 66
Well-known member
Impressive to say the least! Not many people can keep that level of dedication going for that amount of time. Kudos.
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
I was going to ask the same thing then saw where you mentioned it. I thought it may have been one of those deals that if you tore the complete house down, then you'd have to jump through hoops to build new instead of just calling this a MAJOR renovation.
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novaman854
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I was going to ask the same thing then saw where you mentioned it. I thought it may have been one of those deals that if you tore the complete house down, then you'd have to jump through hoops to build new instead of just calling this a MAJOR renovation.
Yeah, there are multiple reasons. First, any new home in this town is required to have a sprinkler system. I also believe I would have been required to update the septic system. And since this is a renovation, not a new home, I save money on my taxes (its listed as being built in the early 80's, so the value of the house is depreciated. Lastly, this may sound silly, but we have many fond memories of the original house, and wouldn't want to tear it completely down. The ceiling height in the original first floor of the house doesn't match the openness in the rest of the house, but honestly doesn't bother me too much.
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novaman854
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novaman854
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Hahaha. I love that show. Sorry I didn't show too many details (as I wasn't home a lot of the time). Its just a bunch of photos showing the finished product, but not how we got there.
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novaman854
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Thank you.
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novaman854
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One word, WOW , awesome build sir !! , it's huge !! , keep the picture coming please
Thanks for the compliments everyone! I am going to work on getting some pictures of the shop build. It's not as far along as I would like it, but it's getting there, and is proving to be a capable shop.
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novaman854
Well-known member
Thanks. I tend to be a patient man, which definitely helps. Once you start to see the finished product, it helps push you along.
KissMyWhiteSS
Well-known member
Great project. I can't wait until I can complete a project like this!
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novaman854
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Apparently I didn't document the shop stuff as good as the house stuff. I will work on getting more pictures. Here is a good friend Dale putting up the T5 high output fixtures. There are two in each bay, and it really brightens up the space. I hope to add more lights along the walls in the work bay. He's sticking out the sunroof with the car on the lift.
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novaman854
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You can see how tight the lift install was. I installed the lift myself (rotary 10,000 lb. black), and was really relieved when I did not drill into any radiant tubing!
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novaman854
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novaman854
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novaman854
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I picked up a toolbox with tools off of Craigslist. It's a really good start, and sure beats bringing tools back and forth from work.
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novaman854
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Also picked up some old cabinets. I didn't want the garage to feel modern/contemporary like the rest of the house. For music we powered up a car stereo for something a little different.
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novaman854
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novaman854
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novaman854
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This is an old bowling alley where I got some flooring to use as a workbench top. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to building the bench, but I will get to it eventually.
ARbuilder223
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- Joined
- May 12, 2011
- Messages
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looks great
boilerdude
Active member
Whoa....
Kudos to you both....! Tons of work and patience and what you have now is just unreal..Makes me want get off my duff and get stuff done
Kudos to you both....! Tons of work and patience and what you have now is just unreal..Makes me want get off my duff and get stuff doneFantastic build. The architectural details and combination of square and round surfaces are really great.
Don't take this the wrong way... if you two have managed to stay married through this long construction project, you two are made to last!
I was astounded when I got halfway through the pictures, and you mention you've been living there the whole time. The 'open floor plan' bathroom picture is great. You guys are troopers.
Congratulations on a beautiful home. It's an incredible place to start your family.
Thanks for sharing your journey and keep us updated on progress!
P.S. I spy a red EF and the turbo 240 so I'm looking forward to updates on those too.
Don't take this the wrong way... if you two have managed to stay married through this long construction project, you two are made to last!
I was astounded when I got halfway through the pictures, and you mention you've been living there the whole time. The 'open floor plan' bathroom picture is great. You guys are troopers.
Congratulations on a beautiful home. It's an incredible place to start your family.
Thanks for sharing your journey and keep us updated on progress!
P.S. I spy a red EF and the turbo 240 so I'm looking forward to updates on those too.
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novaman854
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Thanks
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novaman854
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Whoa....
Thank you. It's been an adventure to say the least. There were some trying times, but it has been totally worth it. If only we can finish it!
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novaman854
Well-known member
Whoa....
Thank you. I appreciate the kind comments.
Tinkerinmatt
Member
Absolutely incredible transformation. This is my dream but just flipping the house we are in now was a huge strain on my marriage, I couldnt even imaging a full on tear in and redo like that, but I can dream!
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novaman854
Well-known member
Thank you. It put quite a strain on us too, but we've been working on it for so long we are just used to it now, hahaha.
This is a GREAT thread! Congrats on the major remodel, you have a beautiful finished home!
My wife and I completed a basement floor to roof remodel of our home that took two years to complete so I can relate to your pain! LOL Looking back, we probably should have just started over with a new build (would have been cheaper and faster), but our kids have grown up in our house and we wanted some continuity in their lives. It turned out better than we could have ever imagined, but it was a trying time when all 6 of us had to live in 800 sq. Feet for a year!
Awesome build you should be very proud of!
My wife and I completed a basement floor to roof remodel of our home that took two years to complete so I can relate to your pain! LOL Looking back, we probably should have just started over with a new build (would have been cheaper and faster), but our kids have grown up in our house and we wanted some continuity in their lives. It turned out better than we could have ever imagined, but it was a trying time when all 6 of us had to live in 800 sq. Feet for a year!
Awesome build you should be very proud of!