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[Alfisti]

We went from old school granite to a very reputable brand of man made quartz and the granite absolutely SHITS all over it. Granite is far less likely to stain and is far harder, wife already chipped the quartz.

[ShopVac]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

We went from old school granite to a very reputable brand of man made quartz and the granite absolutely SHITS all over it. Granite is far less likely to stain and is far harder, wife already chipped the quartz.

I think you're backwards in this...quartz is way harder than granite and doesn't chip?

If you're having chipping issues, staining, or can't set a hot pan on it...you don't have quartz.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by ShopVac

I think you're backwards in this...quartz is way harder than granite and doesn't chip?

If you're having chipping issues, staining, or can't set a hot pan on it...you don't have quartz.

Agree that quartz is harder and nonporous so less likely to stain, but granite is more heat tolerant. You don’t want to place a hot pan directly on quartz.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by ShopVac

I think you're backwards in this...quartz is way harder than granite and doesn't chip?

If you're having chipping issues, staining, or can't set a hot pan on it...you don't have quartz.

Sorry I thought you meant the man made stuff not real quartz.

[cmyx6go]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Sorry I thought you meant the man made stuff not real quartz.

Found this online.

The biggest difference between quartz and quartzite is that quartz is a man-made material, while quartzite is a natural stone. A quartzite countertop begins as sandstone, which under a natural process of heat and pressure is fused with sparkly quartz crystals to form quartzite.

Quartzite typically comes in shades of white or light grey, but minerals in the stone can lend pink, gold, or reddish-brown hues.

A quartz countertop is engineered with the same quartz crystals found in quartzite, but a man-made process binds the crystal with resins, pigments, and other materials such as bits of glass. This process results in a very durable, non-porous countertop material that comes in a wide variety of colors and designs.

Aside from the different composition of these two materials, the stylistic differences are quite striking as well. Quartzite is often mistaken for marble or granite, as it has the delicate veining of marble and similar coloration and patterning to some granites. Those seeking a natural look with lots of movement may prefer a quartzite countertop. Quartz on the other hand, can be made to look like any stone, and is offered in many different shades and patterns. If you have a specific color in mind, or want a consistent pattern throughout your slab, a quartz countertop is probably a better bet for your home.
Another big difference between quartz and quartzite is the care routine and durability of each material. The binding process makes quartz extremely durable as it helps to extract air, making quartz a hard surface that is non-porous, and therefore resistant to chipping, scratching, and bacteria.

Quartzite is a fairly hard stone, but it's less dense than quartz and susceptible to easily staining in a heavy use area such as the kitchen. Quartzite requires sealing to prevent staining the surface, while quartz needs virtually no maintenance.

[DETRoadster]

Anyone else here stunned by the costs of raw materials, especially lumber? I'm constructing a small "shed" to store and season split firewood. Making it mostly out of cedar, repurposed from a fence I tore down. I need a couple of 2x6 for the rafters and some plywood for the roof sheathing. 2x6 cedar is $11 a linear foot and 1/2" doug fir ply is $60 a sheet! WFT?! Guess I'm using pressure treated 2x6 and OSB chipboard for the roof. Sheesh.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

Anyone else here stunned by the costs of raw materials, especially lumber? I'm constructing a small "shed" to store and season split firewood. Making it mostly out of cedar, repurposed from a fence I tore down. I need a couple of 2x6 for the rafters and some plywood for the roof sheathing. 2x6 cedar is $11 a linear foot and 1/2" doug fir ply is $60 a sheet! WFT?! Guess I'm using pressure treated 2x6 and OSB chipboard for the roof. Sheesh.

Here! You know what I do for a living. Make shit happen at as low of a cost as possible. Tough to do when OSB is $40 a damn sheet.

[MPOWER5266]

Got a new roof and chimney cap this week, its a start.

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

[vreihen16]

There was a story on our local TV news this week about wood shortages from the COVID construction and home improvement project boom adding $25K to the cost of new houses these days. If memory serves me correctly, the demand for lumber was up 70% and pushing the prices up.....

[unluky]

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

Anyone else here stunned by the costs of raw materials, especially lumber? I'm constructing a small "shed" to store and season split firewood. Making it mostly out of cedar, repurposed from a fence I tore down. I need a couple of 2x6 for the rafters and some plywood for the roof sheathing. 2x6 cedar is $11 a linear foot and 1/2" doug fir ply is $60 a sheet! WFT?! Guess I'm using pressure treated 2x6 and OSB chipboard for the roof. Sheesh.

[ToddBlack88]

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

Anyone else here stunned by the costs of raw materials, especially lumber? I'm constructing a small "shed" to store and season split firewood. Making it mostly out of cedar, repurposed from a fence I tore down. I need a couple of 2x6 for the rafters and some plywood for the roof sheathing. 2x6 cedar is $11 a linear foot and 1/2" doug fir ply is $60 a sheet! WFT?! Guess I'm using pressure treated 2x6 and OSB chipboard for the roof. Sheesh.

I just replaced a 55’ section of fence that the wind blew down, and it cost me 2x as much as the 110’ section I replaced 8 years ago.

[Buug959]

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

Anyone else here stunned by the costs of raw materials, especially lumber? I'm constructing a small "shed" to store and season split firewood. Making it mostly out of cedar, repurposed from a fence I tore down. I need a couple of 2x6 for the rafters and some plywood for the roof sheathing. 2x6 cedar is $11 a linear foot and 1/2" doug fir ply is $60 a sheet! WFT?! Guess I'm using pressure treated 2x6 and OSB chipboard for the roof. Sheesh.

Yup, a 2x4-8' spruce is $8.10 right now! A year a half ago they were $2.90. I don't know how people are building homes with the price of materials so high but they are. There are whole subdivisions going up all over the place.

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by LemansE90335xi

Yup, a 2x4-8' spruce is $8.10 right now! A year a half ago they were $2.90. I don't know how people are building homes with the price of materials so high but they are. There are whole subdivisions going up all over the place.

I don't get it either. My wife and I just bought a 1/2 acre to build a house on and are seriously considering just sitting on it for a year or two to see if costs stabilize. Of course the risk is that interest rates spike and we end up screwed either way.

[Buug959]

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

I don't get it either. My wife and I just bought a 1/2 acre to build a house on and are seriously considering just sitting on it for a year or two to see if costs stabilize. Of course the risk is that interest rates spike and we end up screwed either way.

The plus side is that you have the land. Something to consider though happened to me years ago. I bought a large lot, about 4.5 acres, and sat on it for a few years before building. The problem I ran into was nobody wanted to give me a mortgage because I owned the land outright. They didn't want to be holding a mortgage without claim to the land the house was sitting on. You might want to check into that with your lender of choice just so you know where you stand.

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by LemansE90335xi

The plus side is that you have the land. Something to consider though happened to me years ago. I bought a large lot, about 4.5 acres, and sat on it for a few years before building. The problem I ran into was nobody wanted to give me a mortgage because I owned the land outright. They didn't want to be holding a mortgage without claim to the land the house was sitting on. You might want to check into that with your lender of choice just so you know where you stand.

Interesting. I wonder if that's a Canadian thing? The lender we are working with for the construction loan actually prefers that we paid cash for the land as that will take the place of 20% cash down for the construction loan. They put a lien on the property during construction, I guess, to cover themselves in case we default before the house is built. Once construction is complete the loan automatically converts to a 30 year fixed mortgage. We lock in the mortgage rate at the time the construction starts which is awesome as it takes away the worry about interest rates spiking during the 6 to 8 months of construction.

[Buug959]

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

Interesting. I wonder if that's a Canadian thing? The lender we are working with for the construction loan actually prefers that we paid cash for the land as that will take the place of 20% cash down for the construction loan. They put a lien on the property during construction, I guess, to cover themselves in case we default before the house is built. Once construction is complete the loan automatically converts to a 30 year fixed mortgage. We lock in the mortgage rate at the time the construction starts which is awesome as it takes away the worry about interest rates spiking during the 6 to 8 months of construction.

Things may have changed here since then. It was probably about '88-'89 when I ran into this. Since then I've just bought existing houses and then renovated to get what I wanted.

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by LemansE90335xi

Things may have changed here since then. It was probably about '88-'89 when I ran into this. Since then I've just bought existing houses and then renovated to get what I wanted.

Oh, OK, yeah that's totally what it is. Most of the banks now who do construction and property loans make it pretty easy to roll from one into the other. They want to keep the business in-house afterall.

Our lender is just wrapping up a refi for us on our primary mortgage + the HELOC we used to help buy the land. They will roll that all up into a new mortgage at a low rate, then when the time is right do the construction loan and the mortgage on the new house. By keeping it all in-house they make more money and we save as they are able to extend better rates and lower closing costs as they have more of our business.

[Buug959]

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

Oh, OK, yeah that's totally what it is. Most of the banks now who do construction and property loans make it pretty easy to roll from one into the other. They want to keep the business in-house afterall.

Our lender is just wrapping up a refi for us on our primary mortgage + the HELOC we used to help buy the land. They will roll that all up into a new mortgage at a low rate, then when the time is right do the construction loan and the mortgage on the new house. By keeping it all in-house they make more money and we save as they are able to extend better rates and lower closing costs as they have more of our business.

Cool. Now all you need is for the price of materials to come back down to earth and a set of plans for your dream home. Good luck with your build, whenever it happens.

[unluky]

lol3

[Buug959]

^

[bosstones]

Originally Posted by Mosaud1998

Huh, didn't think about this

Not uncommon in these parts. A dry well or french drain is usually added in addition so that water isn't trapped in the pipe. The drainage hole in the elbow of the pop-up drain is crap and easily clogged. It's easily replaced w/ a plumber's T. 4" diameter drain vs maybe a 1" x 0.125" slit.

[MPOWER5266]

The house is starting to get back to normal after the tornado. We got new gutters installed. Went with black, its a little different but it will work with the new siding color.

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

We also finally got to take the damn plywood down.

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

by Nick Wood, on Flickr

Since the house is already a giant mess, we decided to have the front door moved from the living room to what was a dining room(we used it as a sitting room.)

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

Cleaned out the flower beds, put my flag back up, and tightened up the front porch a bit. Its starting to look a lot better.

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

Since we moved the door, the sitting room will now be an entry room. We decided to move everything we had in there to our small guest room. No one is going to come stay with us since we have 8 month old twins, so an office is a better use of the room.

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

Not everyone's style I know, but my wife and I love it. It will be nice to have a clean kid free room to get some work done in, or just have a drink. The other benefit of this room, is that I can shut the door and keep the kiddos out of my bar when they start moving on their own.

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr