Bought a House

Your pic didn't work...Out of curiosity I looked up Palmdale on Realtor.com and the prices are ridiculously low. That place must be a ghost town right now.
 
You'd be surprised. A ton of people are out here. The housing market here is weird... the lower cost, nice homes go super fast, and get a ton of offers on them. Usually most of those homes go for cash, since investors are buying. But anything above 150k is usually fair game.

Wonder why the pics aren't working. They are on my end...
 
Brandon, that looks really sweet! I really dig the arbor round the back - in fact, I'm envious: we'll have to build something like that for our place!

I see what you mean about the carpet and tile, but those are easy fixes. The fireplace looks nice, too.

I wouldn't mind Palmdale except that it's just...so...far...away...from everywhere that I have to work...
 
Thanks man :)

Yeah, we figure we'll tile most of the room next to the kitchen, and replace the carpet in the front (fireplace) room, and tile the entrance to the kitchen, creating kind of a walkway. Then replacing the carpet in the bedroom hallway (not pictured, but to the right looking out the back from the kitchen) and bedrooms.
 
Have you considered hardwood floors? I refloored our first house with wood everywhere to replace the original berber stuff, and it's just so much easier to keep clean (plus it looks nice...)
 
My wife loves hardwood, so do I. I've heard it's more expensive and harder to maintain?

Also, hardwood in a kitchen? Would spills ruin it?
 
Well, some people do put wood floors in kitchens but for the reason you noted it's not something I'd do (I prefer unglazed tile...)

It depends upon what type and grain and grade of flooring you get, and whether you go with a traditional or 'engineered' floor. Also, there are a few bamboo products that really look *just* like wood, are extremely durable and moisture-resistant, and are less expensive than comparable 'real' wood products. Plus bamboo is supposedly a bit more ecologically friendly to farm. Although pretty much any worthwhile wood or bamboo flooring material will probably be more expensive than carpeting, with very little care it will last a lot longer.

Hardwood floors don't require much care. Just don't get them wet or drop heavy things on them - which is pretty much the same for any floor, really...
 
Hm. That's interesting. We will for sure look into it, especially that bamboo option.

Do you have any leads on good companies for that kind of thing?
 
Well...in fact while I recommend the materials I don't recommend the particular company that handled my installation - I don't know if David Alan Flooring does business in your area but I do not recommend them to you. I do not recommend them to you, most emphatically...

The best compromise IMO is the high-density pressure-treated separated-fiber bamboo stuff: they basically shred the bamboo lengthwise into long fibers, then pressure-treat it together with patterning and colorants and some kind of resin-type binders to make these things that look just like wood planks, already dovetailed and slotted and ready to lay. In fact it's simple enough that if you're handy with a measure and saw you could just buy the materials and put the floor down, yourself (the major expense is almost always installation...but right now competition for business is probably cut-throat so you may find a deal on the installation too...)

Just avoid Pergo, and the cheaper low-end flooring stuff. Some of it looks okay in the catalog but it's thin, flimsy, doesn't wear, lay or last well and IMO has a tendency to look pretty crummy under full daylight in a real house.
 
Thanks for the tips, we will for sure look into that option. And while I am not handy, I have some friends and family who will probably lend a hand :)
 
Yeah definitely stay away from Pergo. Have it and hate it. It is easy to install, but its ugly and not that durable. Granted its the cheapest of the cheap pergos but I wish it was real hardwood.

Our next move is going to be tearing it all up and staining the concrete. My uncle has done this in alot of his home (he's a builder) and its absolutely gorgeous. A few cons like anything you drop will most likely break and its cold and hard on your feet, but I'm willing to live with that. We've got 5 dogs and floors are abused heavily. Congrats on the houses guys - I love new spaces! Makes me want to move just for fun!
 
When I was trying to decide on new flooring our construction coordinator on 'E-Ring' warned me off Pergo - he basically said we just installed a Pergo floor on that set of yours: go look at it by the end of the week and decide if that's what you want, in your house. Well, I took a look and decided that I didn't want it...

...finished and stained concrete floors can be great but I spend too much time barefoot to want to live on 'em.
 
Yeah its just ugly and cheap looking. 15 feet away though its not so bad :)

Have heard good things about cork in kitchens too - apparently more durable than one might think. Also have heard the same great things about bamboo - completely renewable as they just cut it down and it grows back. Good stuff.
 
Bamboo is fantastic, but also look at red oak and other more typical flooring. Lumber Liquidators will have new and reclaimed offerings and a list of preferred installers. Laminate flooring won't last 75 years like our home's red oak flooring. You can sand a solid floor multiple times over its life - can't do that with lams.

Buy it right one time.
 
Congrats on the house!

Congrats on the house!

I removed the old laminate in my entry and kitchen and a friend will be helping me install porcelain tile in it's place. You can have a heated pad installed below tile to keep your bare feet warm.
 
Jim Brennan said:
Bamboo=:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

+1

Thought I may be the first one to post this, but Jim beat me to it. I actually prefer the look of bamboo over traditional hardwood. The floor has a more uniform pattern overall... and the close-up grain appearance is still beautiful and interesting like hardwood... and this is only addressing the quality/appearance/durability points. If you're a greenie then there's a whole 'nother argument in favor of bamboo... it's win/win and looks great.

Shop around... even Costco had great prices in really nice, thick bamboo flooring.

BTW... also +1 on "Pergo SUCKS"... *ugh*... +100 even. I've never seen one of those installs that looks good for long. It's a cheap alternative to a nice floor when you have no choice but a cheap alternative. If I had to put in Pergo I'd budget and save until I didn't have to put in Pergo.

From the front page: Damn Max! That place is sweet! I like the layout... natural stone... crown molding... SS appliances in a great kitchen... big fenced backyard... Jeez... you're set! I can relate to the "romance" thing... I really like my house, but I was surprised at how quickly it went from some ethereal heaven that I floated around in... feet not touching the floor... wondering how I ever got so lucky to live here... (skip a couple months)... to nail-poppa-polooza... carpet stains... and assorted mayhem and maintenance. As a dude I think a house eventually becomes a couch/TV/refrigerator, plus a bed and bathroom... everything else is the stuff the woman wants.

:)

Whether you laughed at that or not reveals where you are on the time-line.
 
I initially wanted SA appliances but after the Night of the Long Knives the SS stuff was all that was available...

...maybe because of my line of work I'm actually about as into the whole decorating/nesting thing as Una is. Although for the first time in my life I *am* seriously thinking about picking a spot for a Lay-z-boy...

We have to decide what we want to do with that back yard area. Formal garden? Vegetable garden? Guest house? More trees? All of the above? None?

We'll have to see.
 
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