What Home Improvement have you done...

[Coult45]

Recently completed the installation of a combination switch and outlet along with a bidet seat for the second floor.

I got a quote for a new outlet to be installed by my local ace hardware. Initially $300 (2 hours at $150 per) plus materials. When they found out it on the second floor the quote jumped to $600 (4 hours) plus materials. I completed this along with the install of the bidet in less than an hour for under $40 (plus $400 for the bidet the remote for which is huge compared to the bidet we bought last year. In all fairness last years model is double sided.

If you haven’t used one of these o highly recommend you consider it. Variable heated seat, water pressure, adjustable stream positioning back and forth, led light, deodorizer and air dryer, 2 memory slots, and last but not least, aerated stream and massage modes. Note the quick reference guide in the pick. We opted for a model without the enema mode. It is first come only served on the hot water though.

Don’t want to commit to the spend? Buy it from Costco knowing you can return it if you don’t like it. In the interim, you can prank your guests by taking the toilet paper out of the room.
View attachment 212057View attachment 212058View attachment 212059View attachment 212060

strongly considering this same project

 

[Ronnie]

A little update to my inflatable spa. The heater makes a lot of noise when I turn the jets/bubble ring on. My wife and I usually use the hot tub at night and don’t want to disturb our neighbors so I “built” this enclosure for it out of interlocking mats from harbor freight ($8 for four) and gorilla tape ($13 for a large roll). I’ve used it twice now and it does a great job of reducing the sound or the pump.

 

[vwallat99]

I completed this project back in 2019. I had got to the point where my game room was tapped out for space but I had a large storage room so I figured why not tear down the wall and build out another couple hundred sq ft. I got a lot of help from some buddies on this project and the end result turned out really well. I botched the popcorning for the ceiling to match the rest of the basement and went with this glue on tile type look and thought it came out fantastic. But big win getting the additional space so things weren't as cramped as well putting outlets up top to hide the neon sign cords.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

I completed this project back in 2019. I had got to the point where my game room was tapped out for space but I had a large storage room so I figured why not tear down the wall and build out another couple hundred sq ft. I got a lot of help from some buddies on this project and the end result turned out really well. I botched the popcorning for the ceiling to match the rest of the basement and went with this glue on tile type look and thought it came out fantastic. But big win getting the additional space so things weren't as cramped as well putting outlets up top to hide the neon sign cords. View attachment 213974View attachment 213975View attachment 213976View attachment 213977View attachment 213978View attachment 213979View attachment 213980View attachment 213981View attachment 213982View attachment 213983View attachment 213984View attachment 213985

Nice!

I've considered getting a pinball machine for our game room, but the thought of machine maintenance worries me. How do you keep you machines serviced?

Jim

 

[vwallat99]

If you were to buy a newer one the Maintenance is little to none. These things are meant to take a huge beating especially being set up at Bars , Arcades , etc. Being in a home setting the amount of plays it would get are not nearly as many. Most fixing and routine Maintenance can be done with any handyman honestly. There is good resources online to help with troubleshooting aspects on less then normal type stuff as well as Distributors , Manufacturers (If you were to buy new) or a local repair guy that may be in the hobby. I've done all the work on my machines mostly myself otherwise I've had a local listed repair guy come around that services arcades or machines.

They are a ton of fun and I would recommend it to anyone. Very good for entertaining.

 

[Ronnie]

If you were to buy a newer one the Maintenance is little to none. These things are meant to take a huge beating especially being set up at Bars , Arcades , etc. Being in a home setting the amount of plays it would get are not nearly as many. Most fixing and routine Maintenance can be done with any handyman honestly. There is good resources online to help with troubleshooting aspects on less then normal type stuff as well as Distributors , Manufacturers (If you were to buy new) or a local repair guy that may be in the hobby. I've done all the work on my machines mostly myself otherwise I've had a local listed repair guy come around that services arcades or machines.

They are a ton of fun and I would recommend it to anyone. Very good for entertaining.

I’ve always wanted the Teminator pinball machine that I used to play in college (late 80s early 90s) but wouldn’t no where to begin to look and feel like the costs would be outside my budget as well. Your information about maintenance is encouraging me to look into it further.

 

[vwallat99]

Pinside.com is very similar to this forum site but it's pretty nice to see Pinball Machines for sale nearby and most home collectors take care of stuff pretty nicely and price fairly. Best to find it through someone that's a nut about rather then a family that a machine that didn't know you could even open it up to clean it. Facebook Market or Craigslist is another route to find games.

T2 is a game you could probably get a nice one for 4-5 grand area. They made alot of them so you see them available often. Condition is king though find one in good shape.

 

[Ronnie]

I wasn’t surprised by the price but my wife/cfo was and killed the deal before my pitch was over. If I brought it home on a surprise basis, she is likely to do the same with a new embroidery machine or something else of equal or greater value that makes a lot of noise that would drive me nuts.

 

[Ronnie]

Installed two tone interlocking foam mats on my garage floor. I got tired of my “selling your home” carpet left over in my “Man cave” and my wife wanted some padding when she gets out of her car.

Cost was $280 plus tax from Costco. That is, $28 per 24 square foot pack (six 2’x2’ pads) I bought and used 10 packs.

I thought about buying similar pads Harbor Freight for about $150 (half the Costco price) instead but they are only about half as thick.

I also installed a fold out privacy screen to one of the cabinets on my side of the garage.

 

[Ronnie]

Painted the garage door red to match our other house doors.

 

[Neutron]

Painted the garage door red to match our other house doors.
View attachment 214653

Wow , that makes a statement!

 

[Ronnie]

Just replaced the light string around my pergola with two linked sets from Costco (20’ and $30 per set). They really light up the entire yard when we want and we love all the color and mode choices.