@coralbrook: Will there be a hand rail on the stairs leading from the deck?
Good idea to paint that lip white. I’d be tripping over that constantly!
1 Like
Interesting question. My three steps leading to my deck don’t have a rail…and none of my neighbors have one either.
Is a rail something people get for three steps from a deck?
It’s code by me that we need a handrail.
On three wide steps from a deck? That’s not code here.
Yep. We had to put a railing up last year when we redid the steps from our sunporch to the patio. It had been grandfathered in before but because we were changing them out (and making them wider/safer), the city insisted on a hand rail.
Maybe because you changed them to wider. We just replaced the exact same steps with wood that wasn’t rotten.
@coralbrook….I believe used the same stairs, and will be just painting them. Would that require a railing where you are?
In my neck of the woods, railing is optional for decks and steps that are 2 feet or less off the ground. I’ve never seen an inspector who would measure… they eyeball this kind of stuff. Looks about 2 feet… good enough. 
A handrail is not required for 2 or 3 steps off a deck, although it would be nice. These are young people and they can add a handrail later if they think it is needed. If I knew it was an older client, or young kids in the house I would probably rally for a handrail. But right now, money needs to be spent where really critical
5 Likes
Thanks for the tip to search Amazon. I usually resort to calling Customer Service of door manufacturer and waiting for a little package to arrive
1 Like
Well, about 2 weeks later we have accomplished a lot! But we are not going to make the owner’s arbitrary deadline to get the house rented. They are finally available to ‘help’ and I gave them a long list of painting and cosmetic stuff that needs to get done on the deck and the main house. Their goal is to rent out the main house by September 1st, but unfortunately my crew is ‘flopped’ in the main house still working. Have no idea how she is going to clean that up and take photos and start showing the main house.
They still haven’t built or installed the railing for the deck. Owner insisted he wanted to build that himself. I helped him with the design and all of the measurements and math to create a materials list. He got all the materials and then took everything over to a mutual friend’s garage who has a full workshop with tools. They mass produced 8 railing panels that need to get installed between a top rail and bottom rail between all the posts on the deck.
The crew had to install new plumbing outside under covered area for washer and dryer in order to be able to pull out the washer and dryer from laundry room. Everything is pulled out of the laundry room and the concrete floor had to get leveled and then cut out to install drain line for new shower. By some miracle, there was a ‘floor drain’ in the concrete floor of the laundry room but of course it was not in the right location for the shower drain. We are installing a shower kit with shower pan, walls and a glass surround.
One side of the bathroom had to get studs and drywall in order to install the shower walls and hide all of the new plumbing, drain lines and vents for the bathroom.
We’ve built the wall between bathroom and new kitchenette area and framed in all of the closets and area for refrigerator. Unfortunately, when we opened up the wall between laundry room and bedroom, the laundry floor was 4" higher than adjoining bedroom, so we had to build a platform through the kitchenette area and then a step down into bedroom area. Hope this doesn’t become a trip hazard, but I’m going to rim the area with contrasting stair nose so its very visible.
Big dilemna with a giant open window that was in the laundry room and the owner keeps saying she wants to keep that window for kitchen area. But, it’s not that easy. Here are the issues:
Open area is 1/3 in bathroom above vanity. That has to get closed off.
Another area behind new wall. That has to get closed off
There’s about 30" of the open hole extending into kitchen, but there is a big post about 6" to left of kitchen sink, so that means the window will look really weird not centered over kitchen sink.
The opening is 64" off the ground, up high. If we install a slider window there, someone has to stand outside the counter at 26" from wall, and try to reach up to an opening lever that is halfway up the window, about 76" off the ground. Only a 6ft person can even reach to open or close the window
Most of the window will be over the induction cooktop, which is really not good. That window will be way high off the ground and full of grease and grime BECAUSE they have decided against an over the range microwave / exhaust fan. I have no idea how someone will get up and clean that window
Why did they decide against an over the range microwave? Because they found some 22" wide microwave/convection oven/ toaster oven combo thing used on their local Facebook Marketplace. They get all excited and go buy it. After much questioning from me over the phone I find out it is a ‘countertop’ microwave. There isn’t any countertop to put it on!!! Where is this thing going to go? It cannot be mounted above the stove because it is not built to withstand the heat/steam and has no exhaust fan. And, even worse, it is 18" deep so it needs to be on a special shelf (18" shelving is not standard) mounted high because 18" deep cannot be low to a countertop. They think they saved money HA HA. But it does leave the whole area above stove available to have a high window
That’s just the beginning of what I am dealing with long distance. Many many calls every day with “Can we have this???” “Why can’t we move this?” And “I’m freaking out because we are spending too much money and I have to rent this place next week”
Photos Loaded
3 Likes
We have spent another $5,000 labor and about $5,000 materials, but that includes all the railing lumber which was $750 and flooring at $1200 and kitchen cabinets about $1,000. We are having to buy a lot of lumber and drywall to frame in a lot more than we anticiated
I think that brings current total to about $37,000. My original estate was $46,000 and I warned them that they needed $5,000 more for studio about 3 weeks ago. So, I think we will be OK on the total budget. Unfortuantely, the owner is focused on the fact that they are spending $X for mortgage and their other rent and $Y on who knows and has a completely different total than I do and wants to keep bringing that up. Unfortunately, those costs were outside the estimate.
And, did I mention that they now are really pressing that they want a new fence on left side of yard adjoining neighbor. There is really no fence between the yards and every day they go in and ask the guys if they have time to build a fence. The crew’s new answer is (because they get talked into these things by owners) “You have to call our boss and ask her”
4 Likes
Wow, the owners are lucky to have you and your crew.
4 Likes
Another week gone by and we still do not have any flooring delivered. There is only one week left and we have to get that flooring installed before we can do anything else. And, as predicted, the owners did not get any painting done so the guys had to hustle and get the bathroom ceiling and walls painted and the kitchen drywall painted to get ready for flooring, cabinets, toilets, etc. The owners are going to paint the studio ceiling and walls after everything is done, which is the hard way to do it.
I think we are at about $47,000 but I don’t really know what the costs were for the small appliances, cabinets, etc. because owners sourced and paid for those items.
There was a lot more drywall/sanding/mudding than anticipated. We had to install studs and drywall in the bathroom and kitchen to hide plumbing and electrical. So, as usual, it took all week to get that drywall taped, mudded, sanded, mudded again, sanded, textured, sanded , primed and painted. The studio does not get good ventilation (hence the mini split installation) and the humidity made it very hard to get the drywall dried out for each next step.
Owners are still going around in circles about the fence because they want the guys to ‘put in posts’. Well, we are all trying to explain to them that we cannot dig any posts until they decide on style and design because the posts have to match the height and width of the panels and/or design of the fence.
I am flying in Monday and will have lots of new photos but I loaded some photos to our group
Just give them your best suggestion! They don’t know so can’t make the decision. Make it for them.
1 Like
I sent them a long email with prices and specific suggestions for vinyl (which would be my top choice in that location) and wood pre-made panels that are available in store on the island. So, they have two styles to choose from. I’m more concerned that they need to understand how much money a 95ft fence costs because I just don’t think they have the funds for that right now.
95 foot fence sounds like a lot of expensive fence to me.
95 feet of fence is a lot of fence! Do they need a privacy fence or can they get away with black galvanized chainlink? People think of chainlink as cheap looking, but that’s the grey kind. The black fence blends into the landscape and disappears (especially if there is some plants are added along the fence).
Or, if they don’t yet need a pretty fence, but need to contain a dog, go with T posts and 2X4 wire, it’s not too pricey and totally functional. My daughter got a bid around $10k for a nice wooden fence, we helped her put up the 2x2 wire and it’s fine, for now.
1 Like
I think the fence is a privacy fence
1 Like