Summer to do list/home projects

dmclone

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Oct 20, 2006
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What's on your plate?

After 6 years in our house I finally added a storm door. I also added some outdoor speakers.

I somehow managed to screw up the install of the screen door. Luckily I had bought an Andersen and couldn't be happier with their customer service. I told them I screwed up and needed to order a new part. She said that she would overnight the part for free and it arrived the next day. I think they may have parts here in Des Moines.
 

CyLoboClone

Well-Known Member
Oct 15, 2009
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Albuquerque
Cement patio, sod backyard, plant shrubs and trees, all after 5 years in a new house And spreading three inch deep river rock that I will have to give away for free.
 

wartknight

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Mar 24, 2006
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I put a storm door on our last house just a couple months before we moved. Wife has been on my about putting one up at our new place.
Swingset is in the garage ready to be put up but waiting fora nice Saturday to do so.
Eventually will patio the area at the bottom of our deck but that may wait until next year.
 

IcSyU

Well-Known Member
Nov 27, 2007
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Retaining wall/flower bed to put in next to the garage. Tearing out some concrete and landscaping to lay down sod. Going to attempt to run some outdoor speakers and have a dock for my touchpad for music/video when I'm grilling.

I'm sure from here on out the damn plants in the flower bed will be changing while my girlfriend tries to figure out what she likes. :skeptical:
 

capitalcityguy

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2007
8,339
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Des Moines
Continue living in a townhome so I don't have to mess. :wink:

Sorry. I know that is a bit snarky and not helpful. I've done both the single family and townhomes and keep coming back to townhomes (we are on our third). I think once our daughter gets older (and doesn't require...or want...so much of our attention/time) might consider going back to SFH. I actually like taking care of lawn/landscape.

All that said, we do have responsibilty for our decks and I've never done anything to it to this point. Need to powerwash and consider maybe staining this summer.
 

dmclone

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Oct 20, 2006
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Here is the door and speakers.

DSC_3745.jpg


DSC_3743.jpg



Too bad the deck is so small it could barely hold a chair :)
 
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State43

Well-Known Member
Nov 22, 2010
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Omaha, NE
This year, I am updating my bath with new tile, vanity, tub & shower tile. Not looking forward to that. Also have some landscaping to do. That more than fills the budget.
 

isufan

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SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Feb 23, 2009
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SW Iowa
Me Personally: Plant trees north of my house & spend the rest of the summer watering them, Paint my white wooden fence

Hiring Done: New Deck
 

CyinCo

Well-Known Member
Mar 24, 2006
5,745
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Clive, IA
Backyard landscape, hot tub, propane fire pit, irrigation system.

I'd be dang happy if all of that would happen this summer.
 

State43

Well-Known Member
Nov 22, 2010
17,201
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Omaha, NE
I wish I was this skilled. I'd love to have my bathroom re-done but it would cost way too much.

This stuff is not as difficult as it seems. I tiled for the first time last year when my basement flooded. Rough start but smooth sailing when you got it down. Vanity replacement is super easy as long as the previous plumbing can be used. I don't know the first thing about replumbing anything so if something goes wrong, I will have to hire that. Now the bath tub replacement. That could be rough. i am planning a whole day just tearing out and replacing the tub so I don't get way behind.
 

CyinCo

Well-Known Member
Mar 24, 2006
5,745
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Clive, IA
Would love to have a propane fire pit. Been considering it for a while.

I haven't looked into it much. The ready-to-go units I've liked have been expensive. I'm wondering if there is an easy way to build the exterior to my liking (with stone and metal as needed) and then buy the parts necessary for the gas burner, heat radiators, log kits, etc to save cost.

I'll probably just go with off the shelf unless someone can convince me otherwise.
 

CycloneSupt6

Member
Dec 18, 2008
379
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Davenport
We just put a stamped and stained concrete patio with 2 sidewalks in, now I am working on finishing the dirt work around it. I also have to do a little landscaping and paint our front door that we installed over a year ago.
 

CycloneJames

Active Member
Dec 1, 2009
929
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Ankeny
What's on your plate?

After 6 years in our house I finally added a storm door. I also added some outdoor speakers.

I somehow managed to screw up the install of the screen door. Luckily I had bought an Andersen and couldn't be happier with their customer service. I told them I screwed up and needed to order a new part. She said that she would overnight the part for free and it arrived the next day. I think they may have parts here in Des Moines.

I would love to put in some outdoor speakers, but I'm not a real handy person myself. And I don't think I would trust myself with electrical work. Is this very difficult?
 

Cyclonepride

Thought Police
Staff member
Apr 11, 2006
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A pineapple under the sea
www.oldschoolradical.com
Kinda depends. I plan on ripping off my deck (the decking part of it, along with the rail), and installing a new composite decking of some sort on it.

Beyond that, I need to remove my exterior door to the deck, replace the threshold and patch the subfloor where it's been leaking slowly for a couple years (only when it rains with a south wind). The problem is that I'll have to install new floor in my kitchen, dining room and living room whenever I do that, so not sure if I'm going to do that this year or not. After all that is done, storm door on the back to prevent it from happening again.
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
21,580
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50131
I would love to put in some outdoor speakers, but I'm not a real handy person myself. And I don't think I would trust myself with electrical work. Is this very difficult?

No electrical work. I'm just running speaker wire from my basement receiver (home theater) to the outdoors and tucking the speaker wire. Easy stuff. I like that these are easy to remove for winter storage.
 

CyinCo

Well-Known Member
Mar 24, 2006
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Clive, IA
We just put a stamped and stained concrete patio with 2 sidewalks in, now I am working on finishing the dirt work around it. I also have to do a little landscaping and paint our front door that we installed over a year ago.

Who did you get to do your stamped and stained concrete? Do you know if they can do anything with an existing concrete slab so I don't have to have it demo'd first?
 

CyinCo

Well-Known Member
Mar 24, 2006
5,745
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Clive, IA
No electrical work. I'm just running speaker wire from my basement receiver (home theater) to the outdoors and tucking the speaker wire. Easy stuff. I like that these are easy to remove for winter storage.

Do you just double up the connection for the main Right and Left speakers? Or does you amp have Auxillary speaker connections you used? I was thinking about doing this but I don't have another connection for more speakers. I wasn't sure how to make this work.