Condo Upgrades

[ken0042]

The other thing to make them do is run RG6 cable instead of RG59. Have them run that along with 2 runs of Cat6 cable to every room; possibly 2 sets of runs to larger rooms.

It's something that is a PITA to do in a house later, and next to impossible later in a condo. You can always buy new appliances, install new flooring, etc later on. But opening up the walls later on is next to impossible.

And I say RG6 and Cat6 instead of RG59 and Cat5 or Cat5e to future proof yourself. You might be able to get away with going to Cat5e; which is what I did 2 years ago. But Cat6 will be able to carry more data- and that little extra may be needed 10 or 15 years from now when we are all watching super HDTV through an IP based connection.

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by Incinerator

Hmm, I thought Sappy said the ones costing $8k were underground? If it's above ground and not covered, in MacKenzie Town, I'd have to say no. Not for $8K. I'm sure you can leave your car at the strip-malls' parking lot for cheaper than that j/k

There's definitely no shortage of parking in the 'burbs, just a shortage of warm, toasty parking.

No it is above ground for sure, there actually are 4 units that don't get the option for underground. The smallest ones, 1 bedroom/1 bath are all surface parking.

[SaprykinPWNSjoo]

O nikki i thought it was underground. well thanks for that I definitly won't waste the money as they said there was more parking anyways. Where is your condo im 3rd floor west side furthest south you can get in the mckenzie. Im glad to know im not the only one who got suckered in to buying in this market :P

[Shin Pad]

Well, remember one thing - you can always upgrade finishes later, if you can't afford them now.

I've bought and sold several homes over my life, and at present, I've got a condo downtown (which I'm renting to my son) and I just moved into a new home last year, with all new finishes. I always upgrade the finishes. I agree with the granite counter tops - they are almost bullet proof - you don't have to worry about putting hot pans on it like you would with plastic laminate tops. Make sure you get tile to the full height between the counter top and the underside of the upper cabinets.

I love hardwood floors, but if you are getting them in a condo with gypcrete subfloors, you will be limited to "engineered wood floors". The can be glued down or installed loose laid (floating type installation) (Solid hardwoods can't be glued down). Make sure you get the type with the backing on them. Also, get the type that have real hardwood on the finished side.

One thing that makes a big difference is the trim you put around your windows and doors. Go for the widest trim you can and if it fits your colour scheme, go with hardwood trim - it really makes a difference. Also, in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo, your not going to have a lot of doors, so, if you can - upgrade to real wood doors - again, it's something that will really stand out.

A gas outlet for a barbeque is a must - shouldn't be too costly - about $150 or so.

Appliances - yeah, stainless steel is nice, but it is hard to keep clean. Your better off to get black appliances - they look contemporary, and if you get black granite counter tops - they look great together. If you get a really big fridge, make sure that the wall behind it is framed so that recess behind the fridge is deep enough to get your fridge flush with the front of your cabinets. Otherwise - make sure you check the depth of your fridge. And, always get a good microwave oven - don't cheap out here.

One last thing is the paint colours. Paint colour is something that is easily changed, so, be bold - get more than one colour - ie- an accent colour (a dark colour preferably) for one wall in each room, and another colour for the rest of the walls.

Anyway, have fun.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Shin Pad

A gas outlet for a barbeque is a must - shouldn't be too costly - about $150 or so.

One question regarding this- seeing as heat and hot water in included in your condo fees- is this really that easy to get run? Also, would you want to? I know in summer I pay ~$40 for using $6 worth of natural gas once you add in all the fees.

Just curious if $40 per month would be worth it in this case. I know I'm getting one installed at my house, but once again I pay for gas to heat my hot water year round already.

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by Shin Pad

I love hardwood floors, but if you are getting them in a condo with gypcrete subfloors, you will be limited to "engineered wood floors". The can be glued down or installed loose laid (floating type installation) (Solid hardwoods can't be glued down). Make sure you get the type with the backing on them. Also, get the type that have real hardwood on the finished side.

Anyway, have fun.

They are gypcrete subfloors. I believe they are floating type. How can I tell if there is backing on them? I realize that this is a very girly question but I want to make sure that I get what I am paying for....

[Shin Pad]

Originally Posted by Nikki

They are gypcrete subfloors. I believe they are floating type. How can I tell if there is backing on them? I realize that this is a very girly question but I want to make sure that I get what I am paying for....

The flooring should have a material that is soft or spongy (or maybe even cork) attached to the back of it. If it is not backed, it would just be wood. Generally, you want something "soft" on the back side of the flooring. This gives it some resilience. It is also better if you are one your feet a lot - such as in a kitchen - nothing worst than standing on a hard floor surface that has no "give" to it.

If you picked a flooring that doesn't have a spongy or soft backing attached directly to the flooring, there are products that can be put down on the subfloor before you put down your wood flooring, that will give you this resilience.

[Shin Pad]

Originally Posted by ken0042

One question regarding this- seeing as heat and hot water in included in your condo fees- is this really that easy to get run? Also, would you want to? I know in summer I pay ~$40 for using $6 worth of natural gas once you add in all the fees.

Just curious if $40 per month would be worth it in this case. I know I'm getting one installed at my house, but once again I pay for gas to heat my hot water year round already.

I'm not sure what you mean by "is this really that easy to get run?" Do you mean - will the builder run the gas lines for you? They should - it was one of the options that was available on my condo (and it's in a high rise building down town). But, as far as how much gas it uses - it is negligable. You shouldn't notice much of a difference on your gas bill - especially considering you will be using it mostly in the summer. Anyway, it's well worth it - you never have to worry about running out of propane in the middle of a barbeque. As for my condo, the condo fees haven't gone up because of the gas barbeque (and my son uses it daily during the summer) - I think they realize that not much gas is used.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Shin Pad

But, as far as how much gas it uses - it is negligable. You shouldn't notice much of a difference on your gas bill -

Right, but what I was saying is that if you don't have a gas bill at all (if heat and water are included) then you would have a bill of $30-40 per month; based on what I get billed for my negligible use in the summer.

So depending on how much a person BBQs, it might not be worth $40 per month to save a once per year trip to get the propane tank filled.

[STAMPEDRED]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

are they 8000 for an above ground spot? that seems ridiculous.

we only have one spot in our building and that jammed us up pretty good, I would have loved a second parking space.

Exactly why a guy should buy a second stall! They are usually in hugh demand and I think a person can even rent it!

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Right, but what I was saying is that if you don't have a gas bill at all (if heat and water are included) then you would have a bill of $30-40 per month; based on what I get billed for my negligible use in the summer.

So depending on how much a person BBQs, it might not be worth $40 per month to save a once per year trip to get the propane tank filled.

Umm... I don't get where you're thinking that you'd pay $40 in gas for a BBQ, but I'm guessing you recieve $40 gas bills in the summer for a little thing we call hot water

[ken0042]

Yes, and as I had said before the actual cost of the gas in the summer is usually about $5-6. Like 1 gigajoule @ $5.25 per GJ.

Meaning there's about $35 worth of administrative fees on your gas bill.

Obviously unless you are a hardcore BBQer you would use less gas per month than I do with my hot water in the summer. But if there are flat fees on the gas bill; one would still have to pay them no matter if the BBQ was turned on or not.

I'm not saying a gas hook up is necessarily a bad idea. I'm just saying to go into it armed with all of the facts first.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Yes, and as I had said before the actual cost of the gas in the summer is usually about $5-6. Like 1 gigajoule @ $5.25 per GJ.

Meaning there's about $35 worth of administrative fees on your gas bill.

Obviously unless you are a hardcore BBQer you would use less gas per month than I do with my hot water in the summer. But if there are flat fees on the gas bill; one would still have to pay them no matter if the BBQ was turned on or not.

I'm not saying a gas hook up is necessarily a bad idea. I'm just saying to go into it armed with all of the facts first.

I can't read. Nevermind

[SaprykinPWNSjoo]

Its ok we won't hate you for not being able to read.

Condo Update

Signed and deposited for it last night. Pre approval for mortgage went through so in 10 days i'll offically own the place. Just got the list of upgrades and wow stuff can add up quickly.

Tile is 12 dollars per square feet anyone know if this is a good deal or not?

[ken0042]

I'll double check tonight, but IIRC Home Depot wanted ~$6 per foot for tile installation. The cost of the tile was over and above that. And tile can be as cheap as $1 per foot and up from there; most of the stuff I've been looking at is around $3-5 per foot.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by SaprykinPWNSjoo

Its ok we won't hate you for not being able to read.

Condo Update

Signed and deposited for it last night. Pre approval for mortgage went through so in 10 days i'll offically own the place. Just got the list of upgrades and wow stuff can add up quickly.

Tile is 12 dollars per square feet anyone know if this is a good deal or not?

Hehe, yeah, everything looks great until you find out the price We're buying a new place up north, and didn't get much in the way of upgrades (since we were already spending more than we wanted to!). To go through the builder normally costs a lot more; plus, you're ammortizing all of those upgrades over the life of the mortgage, so by the time you factor in interest, you're paying even more.

We didn't get the hardwood, and decided to pass on the granite... there were a couple of things we wanted to get, but we'll do those on our own once we get settled in and have some extra cash to spend. It'll also be a lot cheaper this way.

Congrats on the purchase!

[ken0042]

One more thing on the tile; is that $12 above what they are charging for lino? Because the lino isn't free to begin with. If it's $3 per foot that means you are paying $15 for tile. It better be some pretty sweet tile.

Be sure to shop this stuff around. And if you have to cut corners for budget, then cut the things that can be done later just as easily. Do the upgraded bathroom (like jetted tub) but skip the tile. Do the fireplace, but skip the stainless steel appliances.

[ken0042]

OK, just double checked. Home Depot wants $9 per foot for installation. So it looks like depending on the tile, that may not be so bad of a price.

[SaprykinPWNSjoo]

Thanx for all you're investigating work ken. I'm going to go to the showhomes today and find out what it all looks like base model and see whats NEEDED to be upgraded.

[Shazam]

If you get tile, make absolutely certain that they put it on a proper substrate. I've been to way too many show homes where they lay it on OSB.