This Fall we've been working on an old apartment complex in Speedway, IN. This particular complex is under new ownership, and they have decided to do a relatively extensive overhaul of the place. As you can imagine, if you've ever lived in an older apartment, they are in desperate need of some TLC.
Our role in this project is doing the interior finish. We are installing new lighting, window coverings, bathroom accessories, bathroom vanity, closet doors, kitchen countertops, and some units get all new kitchen cabinets. Nothing fancy, mostly low budget inexpensive fixtures, but it's all new and a major improvement.
I haven't done too much work in multi-family residential construction. Most of my experience is single family semi-custom homes. It's a bit of an adjustment working in vacant apartments as opposed to someone's home.
So, while this work isn't too difficult or anything I haven't done before, I got to thinking the other day that it's good practice. We could all use some practice, whether an experienced carpenter or a beginner.
I had this thought the other day, when discussing the project with my crew, one of which has limited experience. It's a fast paced/production style atmosphere and the materials are inexpensive(which means I can let guys get their hands on things that I would normally insist on doing myself).
While this project may not be anything too exciting, nothing fancy, or maybe I won't be getting any cool photos, the one thing my crew and I can take from it is the practice and experience. Both of which are invaluable for any tradesman.
Showing posts with label remodel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label remodel. Show all posts
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
9/27/2011 Remodel
This past week we wrapped up another small remodel project. This project was mentioned in my 'Long Hours' post. This was a nice little job close to home and for the most part everything went smoothly.
I say 'for the most part' because we did have 2 small setbacks.
As mentioned in the previous post, the homeowners experienced a small delay in taking possession of the property so we lost one day from our original schedule(hence the Long Hours). All in all, this wasn't too much of a problem. We were still able to finish the job on time and within the original budget.
Our second setback was tearing up the old flooring. As with any remodel, sometimes you just never know what you might be getting into. The carpet came up without a problem, as expected. As for the linoleum in the entry and kitchen, well that was an entirely different story. 5 layers. 1/2" particle board, 2 layers of old linoleum, 1/4" underlayment, and another layer of linoleum. It was an absolute bear to remove. However, we did get it all up and all the floors were stripped down to the bare sub-floor.
With the floors stripped, we installed Durock cement backer in the kitchen and entry. Followed by the installation of the tile. Everything was pretty straight forward with the tile installation, just a 13"x13" tile,no angles or fancy patterns.
Throughout the living room, dining room, and hallway we installed 12mm engineered wood laminate flooring the homeowners purchased from Lumber Liquidators. It was again, a pretty straight-forward installation finished of with the installation of new shoe-molding.
Aside from the flooring we removed a wall separating the kitchen and dining room. The two rooms still have the same footprint but having the wall gone really opens things up visually.
One last thing we did was wire in for a ceiling fan in the living room and master bedroom.
Like I said, this was a nice little remodel. The home-owners are a younger couple who have purchased a nice little home that's just a little outdated and they have a few more projects they plan to tackle down the road. I have a good feeling we'll be getting a call when the time comes.
Well that's it for now, thanks for reading.
Remodel Photos
I say 'for the most part' because we did have 2 small setbacks.
As mentioned in the previous post, the homeowners experienced a small delay in taking possession of the property so we lost one day from our original schedule(hence the Long Hours). All in all, this wasn't too much of a problem. We were still able to finish the job on time and within the original budget.
Our second setback was tearing up the old flooring. As with any remodel, sometimes you just never know what you might be getting into. The carpet came up without a problem, as expected. As for the linoleum in the entry and kitchen, well that was an entirely different story. 5 layers. 1/2" particle board, 2 layers of old linoleum, 1/4" underlayment, and another layer of linoleum. It was an absolute bear to remove. However, we did get it all up and all the floors were stripped down to the bare sub-floor.
With the floors stripped, we installed Durock cement backer in the kitchen and entry. Followed by the installation of the tile. Everything was pretty straight forward with the tile installation, just a 13"x13" tile,no angles or fancy patterns.
Throughout the living room, dining room, and hallway we installed 12mm engineered wood laminate flooring the homeowners purchased from Lumber Liquidators. It was again, a pretty straight-forward installation finished of with the installation of new shoe-molding.
Aside from the flooring we removed a wall separating the kitchen and dining room. The two rooms still have the same footprint but having the wall gone really opens things up visually.
One last thing we did was wire in for a ceiling fan in the living room and master bedroom.
Like I said, this was a nice little remodel. The home-owners are a younger couple who have purchased a nice little home that's just a little outdated and they have a few more projects they plan to tackle down the road. I have a good feeling we'll be getting a call when the time comes.
Well that's it for now, thanks for reading.
Remodel Photos
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