Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[sean donato]

So, having a minor conundrum with my wife. She hit me with the amount of money I sank into building the shop over the last 2-3 years. I agreed. we decided since the shop is mostly done and functional I should get back to redoing the rest of the house. As part of that, the carpet is shot, and we both have hated it since we bought the place. As of our discussion this weekend, she decided she wants the same flooring in the entire house. Which I'm opposed to, since we just finished my sons room and sank over $1200.00 into the floor of his room. She basically said, she wants no transition steps in the house at all, and wants hardwood floors. I tried to point out, hardwood is great, but not in the bathrooms or kitchen. So there will be a few transition strips/ slight changes in floor height. For whatever reason this made her kick into super stubborn mode, and she said "fine, we won't do anything. If I can't have what I want, in my house then it can stay the way it is."
Im at a bit of a loss at this point as what to suggest. I don't see a way around Having a few transitions in the floors. Heck I'd even be ok leveling up where linoleum should go, vs the hard woods
Any ideas how to get this through to my wife?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

So, having a minor conundrum with my wife. She hit me with the amount of money I sank into building the shop over the last 2-3 years. I agreed. we decided since the shop is mostly done and functional I should get back to redoing the rest of the house. As part of that, the carpet is shot, and we both have hated it since we bought the place. As of our discussion this weekend, she decided she wants the same flooring in the entire house. Which I'm opposed to, since we just finished my sons room and sank over $1200.00 into the floor of his room. She basically said, she wants no transition steps in the house at all, and wants hardwood floors. I tried to point out, hardwood is great, but not in the bathrooms or kitchen. So there will be a few transition strips/ slight changes in floor height. For whatever reason this made her kick into super stubborn mode, and she said "fine, we won't do anything. If I can't have what I want, in my house then it can stay the way it is."
Im at a bit of a loss at this point as what to suggest. I don't see a way around Having a few transitions in the floors. Heck I'd even be ok leveling up where linoleum should go, vs the hard woods
Any ideas how to get this through to my wife?

I know what I would do over here, I'd say... "OK honey, that's YOUR choice, not mine". Then I'd drop the whole discussion and go on with life.

I just won't/don't play those kinds of games...

SR

 

[SimonHS]

So, having a minor conundrum with my wife. She hit me with the amount of money I sank into building the shop over the last 2-3 years. I agreed. we decided since the shop is mostly done and functional I should get back to redoing the rest of the house. As part of that, the carpet is shot, and we both have hated it since we bought the place. As of our discussion this weekend, she decided she wants the same flooring in the entire house. Which I'm opposed to, since we just finished my sons room and sank over $1200.00 into the floor of his room. She basically said, she wants no transition steps in the house at all, and wants hardwood floors. I tried to point out, hardwood is great, but not in the bathrooms or kitchen. So there will be a few transition strips/ slight changes in floor height. For whatever reason this made her kick into super stubborn mode, and she said "fine, we won't do anything. If I can't have what I want, in my house then it can stay the way it is."
Im at a bit of a loss at this point as what to suggest. I don't see a way around Having a few transitions in the floors. Heck I'd even be ok leveling up where linoleum should go, vs the hard woods
Any ideas how to get this through to my wife?

Ask her to consider terracotta floor tiles for the bathroom and kitchen. They look great, cope with water and moisture much better than wood, and are nice to stand on barefoot in the bathroom - as long as they are the rough finish, non-slip ones.

Some examples:

 

[MustangMike]

No winning here!

 

[SS396driver]

So, having a minor conundrum with my wife. She hit me with the amount of money I sank into building the shop over the last 2-3 years. I agreed. we decided since the shop is mostly done and functional I should get back to redoing the rest of the house. As part of that, the carpet is shot, and we both have hated it since we bought the place. As of our discussion this weekend, she decided she wants the same flooring in the entire house. Which I'm opposed to, since we just finished my sons room and sank over $1200.00 into the floor of his room. She basically said, she wants no transition steps in the house at all, and wants hardwood floors. I tried to point out, hardwood is great, but not in the bathrooms or kitchen. So there will be a few transition strips/ slight changes in floor height. For whatever reason this made her kick into super stubborn mode, and she said "fine, we won't do anything. If I can't have what I want, in my house then it can stay the way it is."
Im at a bit of a loss at this point as what to suggest. I don't see a way around Having a few transitions in the floors. Heck I'd even be ok leveling up where linoleum should go, vs the hard woods
Any ideas how to get this through to my wife?

Not hard to have no transitions . In my bathroom I poured some leveler with radiant heat and used water proof flooring same can be done in a kitchen .

Engineered hardwood floors can be used also .

 

[WoodAbuser]

Ask her to consider terracotta floor tiles for the bathroom and kitchen. They look great, cope with water and moisture much better than wood, and are nice to stand on barefoot in the bathroom - as long as they are the rough finish, non-slip ones.

Some examples:

View attachment 1243113View attachment 1243114View attachment 1243115

Not hard to have no transitions . In my bathroom I poured some leveler with radiant heat and used water proof flooring same can be done in a kitchen .

Engineered hardwood floors can be used also .

Both good ideas. The first thing that came to mind tho was being quick about finishing the shop should you find you are spending much more time there than originally thot.

 

[SS396driver]

Both good ideas. The first thing that came to mind tho was being quick about finishing the shop should you find you are spending much more time there than originally thot.

Got heat and electricity in the shop ? Could get a cot and a microwave

 

[SS396driver]

Looks like I’m going with a pole barn instead of a metal building . I had made a decision on the metal building that fit my needs . Price was more than the original quote but I was ok with it . Get the paperwork and the numbers didnt jive up with the quote . Called them and got the well the price of steel is a variable we can’t control. Ya right a 10% increase in two days and no heads up even though I was talking with the sales person over those two days.
Got two quotes for a 30x50x12 pole barn . One from Pioneer and one from Morton . The Morton is more but I may go with them because of their post system. I like not having the wood in the ground .
The price is about 5k more than the metal buildings I was looking at but I can have the building put up and then do the concrete work which I like because I can do it at my pace . And they gave me quote good for 30 days . Salesman (contractor) came out and looked at the site and worked out a price . And I don’t need a 30% down payment just 15% .

 

[farmer steve]

Got heat and electricity in the shop ? Could get a cot and a microwave

Electric, microwave, beer fridge,toilet,woodstove. All I need is a cot. . This place use to be a gas station/garage. I was told old man Elicker (the old owner) had a cot in the basement to hide from his wife.

 

[SS396driver]

Electric, microwave, beer fridge,toilet,woodstove. All I need is a cot. . This place use to be a gas station/garage. I was told old man Elicker (the old owner) had a cot in the basement to hide from his wife.

Well then go with transitions and retreat to the shop for a month or two

 

[svk]

You are in a tough situation.

If I ever build a house it will be on a heated slab and I will have sealed concrete floors that I can hose off and wash down a floor drain. PTSD from dealing with too many pet and kid accidents over the years.

I would try to go the route of trying to negotiate level transition flooring that varies by room. Otherwise drop the price tag of doing the entire house in wood floor and remind her this means other discretionary spending will be compromised.

 

[Lee192233]

So, having a minor conundrum with my wife. She hit me with the amount of money I sank into building the shop over the last 2-3 years. I agreed. we decided since the shop is mostly done and functional I should get back to redoing the rest of the house. As part of that, the carpet is shot, and we both have hated it since we bought the place. As of our discussion this weekend, she decided she wants the same flooring in the entire house. Which I'm opposed to, since we just finished my sons room and sank over $1200.00 into the floor of his room. She basically said, she wants no transition steps in the house at all, and wants hardwood floors. I tried to point out, hardwood is great, but not in the bathrooms or kitchen. So there will be a few transition strips/ slight changes in floor height. For whatever reason this made her kick into super stubborn mode, and she said "fine, we won't do anything. If I can't have what I want, in my house then it can stay the way it is."
Im at a bit of a loss at this point as what to suggest. I don't see a way around Having a few transitions in the floors. Heck I'd even be ok leveling up where linoleum should go, vs the hard woods
Any ideas how to get this through to my wife?

We have hardwood in our kitchen. Hasn't been a problem. That being said, I'm not crazy about it. You could do hardwood everywhere but the kitchen/baths and do a luxury vinyl plank in them. Trust me, as the son of a successful interior designer, a little contrast in the floors is good. It adds some visual interest, if you will. There are some really nice vinyl plank options. There's also wood look tile that looks really nice. Build up the subfloor to match and there will be no transitions to worry about.

 

[Whitespider]

You're still alive! Why don't you hang out here more and quit arguing with those idiots in PR?

Since my health has gone to crap and I moved into town I haven't been cutting or burning wood for almost two years now.
*

 

[sean donato]

Ask her to consider terracotta floor tiles for the bathroom and kitchen. They look great, cope with water and moisture much better than wood, and are nice to stand on barefoot in the bathroom - as long as they are the rough finish, non-slip ones.

Some examples:

View attachment 1243113View attachment 1243114View attachment 1243115

She had mentioned previously about tile in the master bathroom, so I'm not certain where her "no transition strip" thing came from. Ill suggest it to her, i was so flabbergasted by what she said the other day, i was literally speechless.

Not hard to have no transitions . In my bathroom I poured some leveler with radiant heat and used water proof flooring same can be done in a kitchen .

Engineered hardwood floors can be used also .

I dont mind building up the floor to the same height, it's the between different type of flooring crack that she doesn't want. Which is why I think she said she wanted the same floor through the house vs what we've previously discussed.

Both good ideas. The first thing that came to mind tho was being quick about finishing the shop should you find you are spending much more time there than originally thot.

I basically live in the shop so as it is.

You are in a tough situation.

If I ever build a house it will be on a heated slab and I will have sealed concrete floors that I can hose off and wash down a floor drain. PTSD from dealing with too many pet and kid accidents over the years.

I would try to go the route of trying to negotiate level transition flooring that varies by room. Otherwise drop the price tag of doing the entire house in wood floor and remind her this means other discretionary spending will be compromised.

I fully understand the pet/ kid problem, she's a vet tech, so there's zero shortage of animals in the house. They certainly take a toll on the floor. The kids are rough too, but I'd imagine the dogs nails do the brunt of the damage.
what I've priced out so far, hard wood isn't the most expensive option. When compared to high end engineered wood, laminate or even high end vinyl they are all pretty close in price, or slightly more expensive till you factor in underlayment.

We have hardwood in our kitchen. Hasn't been a problem. That being said, I'm not crazy about it. You could do hardwood everywhere but the kitchen/baths and do a luxury vinyl plank in them. Trust me, as the son of a successful interior designer, a little contrast in the floors is good. It adds some visual interest, if you will. There are some really nice vinyl plank options. There's also wood look tile that looks really nice. Build up the subfloor to match and there will be no transitions to worry

I really don't want hardwood in the kitchen, although that would honestly make the most sense, since the kitchen, dining room and living room are one "great" room. Even just trying to convince her of a different color may be ok. It's a hard no, for wood in the bathrooms. Just too much water for me to want to deal with that possible mess.

 

[GrizzlyAdams86]

No kidding! He would get in his Ford Festiva and drive 20 minutes each way and listen to hour plus informational seminars so he could get the free lunch. 2-2.5 hours invested to get a 9 dollar plate of food.

This guy here would do that too but it was back when many of the churches/groups in the area had free-will donation or all-you-could-eat dinners various nights of the week. Must had been to all of them enough he had the schedule memorized and would go to all of them, even if it was on the other side of the county. But covid ended a lot of those dinners, they started charging for them (or charging more), some churches/groups closed/disbanded or ran out of people to work at them.

 

[MustangMike]

She had mentioned previously about tile in the master bathroom,

So do the whole house with that tile that looks like wood. My daughter has it in her kitchen, and it looks great!

The dogs can't scratch it, and it is just fine in the kitchen or bathroom.

 

[chipper1]

Im at a bit of a loss at this point as what to suggest

Have you considered roses, the prices are great this week .
Compromise is your friend!
You said you could live with wood in the kitchen.
I'd let her know that you want her to like the house as much as you like the barn, then tell her "let's go look at some flooring" .
Then go to a few places and let the sales guy convince her she doesn't want wood in the bathroom .
I like the vinyl planks that are about a ft wide myself.
Guessing she doesn't want some cheap as heck aluminum transition pieces made in China. Depending on the product "she" chooses for the bathroom and the wood style, you can cut the edge of the wood at the transition, then router a 1/4 round or a 45° angle onto it and butt the other product right up to it. You may need to add a few nails/screws to the wood, but it can look nice that way.

Both good ideas. The first thing that came to mind tho was being quick about finishing the shop should you find you are spending much more time there than originally thot.

But do you have any suggestions for the flooring in the barn.

 

[Ryan A]

We had a nasty wind storm come through yesterday evening after a soaking rain. Lots of trees down and I managed to scrounge some birch out of pure curiosity to see how it burns. The lady told me how “rare” and “expensive” it was. I cut what I needed, loaded up, and went on my way……

 

[sean donato]

So do the whole house with that tile that looks like wood. My daughter has it in her kitchen, and it looks great!

The dogs can't scratch it, and it is just fine in the kitchen or bathroom.

I'll suggest it. Can't hurt at this point.

Have you considered roses, the prices are great this week .
Compromise is your friend!
You said you could live with wood in the kitchen.
I'd let her know that you want her to like the house as much as you like the barn, then tell her "let's go look at some flooring" .
Then go to a few places and let the sales guy convince her she doesn't want wood in the bathroom .
I like the vinyl planks that are about a ft wide myself.
Guessing she doesn't want some cheap as heck aluminum transition pieces made in China. Depending on the product "she" chooses for the bathroom and the wood style, you can cut the edge of the wood at the transition, then router a 1/4 round or a 45° angle onto it and butt the other product right up to it. You may need to add a few nails/screws to the wood, but it can look nice that way.

But do you have any suggestions for the flooring in the barn.

yes, she doesn't want transition strips. Her reason, besides looks, is it makes it harder to run the sweeper/ clean the floor. I understand that,and I agree it looks like pooh, but it's a nessisary evil I hadn't thought about how to get around. I suppose your idea is about as good as it would get for keeping the joints flush.

We had a nasty wind storm come through yesterday evening after a soaking rain. Lots of trees down and I managed to scrounge some birch out of pure curiosity to see how it burns. The lady told me how “rare” and “expensive” it was. I cut what I needed, loaded up, and went on my way……View attachment 1243206View attachment 1243207

Burns just fine, not sure about the valuable aspect, it's just another firewood imo.

 

[sean donato]

Thinking of floors, the little room in the shop, is going to get finished this spring as well. Basically done with anything that I seriously have to worry about messing the floor up, and it's starting to look pretty crappy from walking on it being unsealed. Haven't made my mind up 100% but either going with varathane polly, or bona hd.