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  • #1

    house repairs

    My wife and I are needing to put new flooring in, we are thinking wood, or laminate and not carpet(we have 4 cats and a baby on the way) so figured not carpet is the way to go. any recommedation for brands or places to shop. Budget is very tight with my wife finishing her masters so only working part time and the baby coming, so we are limited funds to do flooring. I have checked lumber liquidators in SF. we liked the wood flooring but was more expensive then we can afford and the laminates just looked to cheap. Menards seemed to have to have some laminates that looked a little nicer I though. I would apprecieate anyones 2 cents. close to 1000Sgf.

    Also we need to put in new windows in half the house. Its an older house but they are original window we have now and are beyond use anylonger. to save money we figure sliders would be nice enough for us, just not sure the brand, my dad and I went to several shops early in the winter to look at windows and none jumped out at us and everyplace only had bad stuff to say about the other window stores in SF. I dont really see anything wrong with jeldwen(SP) or crestline from menards. again, budget is a big concern so need to strech the dollars as far as we can. would need 6 new windows.
    "The most rewarding things you do in life, are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.” Arnold Palmer

    Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things.
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  • #2
    Re: house repairs

    We put wood laminate in our kitchen. It is a lot cheaper than real wood, but you must be careful with the quality. I would suggest getting a commercial grade laminate. This is heavy duty and can handle a lot of foot traffic, scratch resistant, resistant to water, etc. I say resistant to water, but only to a degree. This is more expensive than the rest of the wood laminate, but still way cheaper than wood. Spend the money now so you don't have to replace it soon and end up spending more later.

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    • #3
      Re: house repairs

      Try Family Floors and Furniture in Brandon. They are usually pretty reasonable and have a good selection of products.
      One hand points to campus...the other to the liquor store.

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      • #4
        Re: house repairs

        TAB is correct, you really need to watch the quality. We built a new home about 6-7 years ago and we knew what we were getting and put in some cheaper laminate in the kitchen/dining room cause we knew we were going to replace it before too long. It did not hold up very well. We put in Hickory flooring last spring in our kitchen/dining and living room and really like it. It is a natural finish and comes as a laminate with a real wood veneer. It is easy to take care of also. I think I am going to tear out the rest of the carpet in the hall and bedrooms and put in the wood there also.

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        • #5
          Re: house repairs

          Are there tax credits still avaiable on energy efficient windows? You might ask about that; it can help defray cost of new installation.

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          • #6
            Re: house repairs

            Originally posted by NoVaJack View Post
            Are there tax credits still avaiable on energy efficient windows? You might ask about that; it can help defray cost of new installation.
            yeah I was wondering about that also.
            "The most rewarding things you do in life, are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.” Arnold Palmer

            Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things.

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            • #7
              Re: house repairs

              Originally posted by Jack4Life View Post
              TAB is correct, you really need to watch the quality. We built a new home about 6-7 years ago and we knew what we were getting and put in some cheaper laminate in the kitchen/dining room cause we knew we were going to replace it before too long. It did not hold up very well. We put in Hickory flooring last spring in our kitchen/dining and living room and really like it. It is a natural finish and comes as a laminate with a real wood veneer. It is easy to take care of also. I think I am going to tear out the rest of the carpet in the hall and bedrooms and put in the wood there also.
              I know some have warranties ranging from 10-25 years typically for laminate. I am guessing limited warranties? even 5-10 years would be good enough for us. We are planning to start putting money aside after the baby and my wife starts a new career. We will be planning updating some smaller changes but the windows and flooring are really are biggest concern.

              What kind of price range are we talking. I know it can vary from under a $1 to several bucks a SGF.

              Any brand you or others would perfer if you want just PM me. I will surely check out peoples suggestions.
              "The most rewarding things you do in life, are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.” Arnold Palmer

              Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: house repairs

                Originally posted by goon View Post
                My wife and I are needing to put new flooring in, we are thinking wood, or laminate and not carpet(we have 4 cats and a baby on the way) so figured not carpet is the way to go. any recommedation for brands or places to shop. Budget is very tight with my wife finishing her masters so only working part time and the baby coming, so we are limited funds to do flooring. I have checked lumber liquidators in SF. we liked the wood flooring but was more expensive then we can afford and the laminates just looked to cheap. Menards seemed to have to have some laminates that looked a little nicer I though. I would apprecieate anyones 2 cents. close to 1000Sgf.

                Also we need to put in new windows in half the house. Its an older house but they are original window we have now and are beyond use anylonger. to save money we figure sliders would be nice enough for us, just not sure the brand, my dad and I went to several shops early in the winter to look at windows and none jumped out at us and everyplace only had bad stuff to say about the other window stores in SF. I dont really see anything wrong with jeldwen(SP) or crestline from menards. again, budget is a big concern so need to strech the dollars as far as we can. would need 6 new windows.
                So it sounds like you will be installing the flooring and windows yourself?

                I believe someone (TAB?) mentioned commercial grade wood laminate. That is what the wife and I got as well...from Midstates here in Brookings. The stuff we got was fairly expensive, almost 4 bucks a Sq. ft. but it was worth it, looks great and is crazy durable.

                We also just replaced most of the window in our house, got those from Window World in SF. Mostly happy with those, although the installer is scheduled to come back as the windows are crazy drafty, something obviously got installed wrong.
                "Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible arguing with strangers on the Internet." - Person

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                • #9
                  Re: house repairs

                  Originally posted by NoVaJack View Post
                  Are there tax credits still avaiable on energy efficient windows? You might ask about that; it can help defray cost of new installation.
                  Also, yes there are, on the purchase price only, if you have them installed, the labor cost is not tax credit-able.

                  We plan to take full advantage of that on our taxes here in a couple weeks.
                  "Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible arguing with strangers on the Internet." - Person

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                  • #10
                    Re: house repairs

                    Here is an excerpt from Instructions for form 5595 Energy credits:

                    Nonbusiness energy property credit. The nonbusiness energy property (NBEP) credit has been extended for property placed in service in 2011. However, any NBEP credit for which you might be eligible for NBEP improvements in 2011 may be limited, or you may be allowed no NBEP credit at all for 2011 NBEP improvements. For 2011 NBEP improvements, the maximum NBEP credit allowed is $500 reduced (but not below zero) by the total of your NBEP credits for 2006 through 2010. In addition, the credit allowed for windows for 2011 is limited to $200 reduced (but not below zero) by the total of your credits for windows from 2006 through 2010.

                    If you have not claimed in credits in years 2006 though 2010, then you should be able to claim the credit in 2011. I am not sure what the limits are or will be. Rowdy Rabbit is right about excluding the installation costs on these items.

                    Also the energy credit is what the IRS calls a non-refundable credit, in that you have to have tax liability on the line that follows taxable income in order to take the credit. Its different than the earned income credit, and make work credit, which are refundable credits. That is you do not have to have a tax liability before applying the credit. Some on this board will view this as getting some one else's money.

                    Any one for a tax reform?

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                    • #11
                      Re: house repairs

                      Yes we would install everything ourselves. We have enough friends or family who have enough experince installing floors and windows. So when checking on the windows the store should know about any tax credit or rebate type stuff I would assume.
                      "The most rewarding things you do in life, are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.” Arnold Palmer

                      Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: house repairs

                        Originally posted by goon View Post
                        Yes we would install everything ourselves. We have enough friends or family who have enough experince installing floors and windows. So when checking on the windows the store should know about any tax credit or rebate type stuff I would assume.
                        Don't assume this. I bought a hybrid a few years ago and every salesman and saleswoman across sevelar dealerships had different answers as to what was eligibile under that particular tax credit. Some had no clue. Some gave totally incorrect information.

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                        • #13
                          Re: house repairs

                          Lumber Liquidators in Sioux Falls. You might be able to get engineered hardwood for the same or maybe a little more than laminate. Many of the engineered hardwoods have 25-year warranties.
                          Holy nutmeg!

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                          • #14
                            Re: house repairs

                            Good a good laminate at menards on sale and 30 year warrenty, so that takes care of that. just need to install it.

                            Still not sure about windows. is new construction replacement better then pocket windows and what brands, anderson, pella, jeldwyn etc.
                            "The most rewarding things you do in life, are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.” Arnold Palmer

                            Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: house repairs

                              Originally posted by goon View Post
                              Good a good laminate at menards on sale and 30 year warrenty, so that takes care of that. just need to install it.

                              Still not sure about windows. is new construction replacement better then pocket windows and what brands, anderson, pella, jeldwyn etc.
                              I would say with windows pay the extra and get good ones.. I prefer pella.

                              Comment

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