Great room renovation project

Major undertaking for any home improvement project, but your end result shows quality in what you accomplished. I am sure you can now sit and enjoy that great room near the fireplace as you watch TV.

Thanks Hermando! The fireplace is my favorite part! It’s a 40,000 BTu unit so it really warms up the space. Thanks for checking it out!

-- Ryan - "Electricity is really just organized lightning"

Very nicely done Ryan. Was it difficult to swing the demo hammer the first time?

Congrats on very good job.

-- If I knew Grandkids were so great I would have had them first.Bill, New Bloomfield, Missouri

I feel the pain. Very nice. I especially like the stairs – very nice work.

-- No matter how many times I measure, I always forget the dimensions before I cut.

Thanks everyone for the positive comments. My next project is removing and replacing my sunroom floor. And upon replacement I’ll be installing the QuickNet brand electric floor warming. I’ll post all the pics once I’m finished.

-- Ryan - "Electricity is really just organized lightning"

Something awesome about a huge mess like that on the floor that keeps me up at night in excitement. Ripping stuff down and making a big mess is scary sometimes too, because you just walked past that point of no return right?
How good does it feel to be done?
How long did it take from beginning to end? And, did you find a good deal on the fireplace? I need to buy one for our upcoming basement finish.

Thanks and good end result.

-- AverageJoe

@Joe,

It sure was a huge mess at the start. Removing the existing tile and wetbed proved to be the most trying step of the demolition. And it feels GREAT to be done! I’m sitting here now in front of my fireplace while I type :-)

The total project was 3-1/2 months with some help removing debris from friends and girlfriend. The fireplace unit cost $2700 total inclusive of the chimney liner kit. It burns propane, is 40,000 BtU, and has a remote control. It’s a great unit and I’m glad I spent the money though I was hesitant of spending that much initially. I recommend the type of unit I bought because it doesn’t pull oxygen from the house to burn the fuel. It pulls air from the top of the chimney via an additional chimney liner. The unit is a travis industries Fireplace Xtrordinair

-- Ryan - "Electricity is really just organized lightning"

That’s an impressive pile.

-- That tape was just here!

I see you painted the stair rail. How has that worked over time? I mean, I might suspect paint would not hold up as well as poly. I’ve got a staircase with light oak rails and I’d like to eliminate the light oak. Do you think I could just paint over it? (OK, sand a bit, maybe a primer, and then an oil base enamel)

It’s holding up very well actually. But make sure you buy the correct paint. My stair rails were originally coated in polyurethane. So I roughed them up with sandpaper and primered them with a paint that is specifically for painting over polyurethane and non-stick surfaces. It’s basically like painting with white glue. If you do use it, buy cheap brushes as the paint cannot be washed out. I used a semi-gloss outdoor oil based paint for the top coat and it’s holding up well. I hope that helps and good luck!

-- Ryan - "Electricity is really just organized lightning"

You did an amazing job with this! It looks great.

-- Janice