Giger Bar

[filkertom]

I want a rec room like this.

If you could make any reasonable home improvement, what would it be? I'm hoping this year to finally clean out the middle bedroom and make it a library of sorts, complete with comfy chair.

Comments

[hbruton.livejournal.com]

I saw this a couple year's ago when toursiting in Switzerland. Very odd, especially since it's i a small medieval hill village that looks like something off a postcard.

[thistlethorn.livejournal.com]

I love the Giger Alien stuff, but, yeah, that does seem like a really odd juxtaposition of imagery: medieval village/Giger Alien design. weird

[stormsdotter.livejournal.com]

I want a hot tub. Since we live in a small apartment, this is kinda a pipe dream.

[thistlethorn.livejournal.com]

That's awesome and creepy all at the same time. I don't think I'd wanna hang out near the "dead baby wall."

We're not just speculating...

[snobahr.livejournal.com]

My husband's very elderly uncle died 2 years ago, and we got his house. We're bringing it up to current LA County code, and have installed a solar array that pulls some 4KwH, installed a bunch of pot lights that use dimmable LED bulbs, changed out the plumbing from iron and corroded copper to PEX with copper ends... And we have some dragon lamps in the living room. THIS (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=545042791&aid=290391) album on FaceBook shows the progress, with THIS (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=156507&id=545042791) album showing the house when Raymond passed away.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

I guess I'd have to go with "solar assist", since that's the big project we're actually considering right now.

[zianuray.livejournal.com]

A Kohler Environment in the bathroom, plus a decent-size whirlpool tub, The toilet area would be separated by an actual door, and there would be a sink and storage in each area.

[alverant.livejournal.com]

Good question with several answers.

Replace/reseal all the windows and doors leading outside. One window doesn't open anymore and there are leaks around others. Plus I don't like the window cranking. But since my townhome is part of a bunch of units, having the windows look different probably isn't allowed.

Have the whole house wired for sound/internet so I can have recessed speakers in every room hooked up to my computer so I won't have to pause the music player when I go to the bathroom. It would also give me more versatility in how my furniture is arranged.

Redo the basement. When I got the house the basement was "finished" but not really up to code. I'd like to strip out everything and rebuild with a tankless water heater and new furnace/AC.

Expand the kitchen. I have a galley kitchen with little counter space. If I want to make something I usually have to move some things around. I'd extend the kitchen so it goes along the back wall completely with a counter with cabinets and ending in a pantry unit.

[poltr1]

Would love to install some wood laminate flooring in the kitchen, replace all the carpeting in the condo, and install more shelving in the closets a la California Closets. But those projects are thousands of dollars -- and a few years -- away.

[palenoue.livejournal.com]

I'd rather have a rec room from Castle Heterodyne, including a voice command computer that wants to conquer Europe.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

I actually did my Great Home Improvement Project last year, replacing the kitchen and bathroom floors with wood laminate and replacing all the 1970s-ugly doors with (fake but real-looking) paneled wood doors. It only took three times as much time and money as I'd estimated, but it's worth every penny to walk into the house and not thinking, "Euw, ugly, gotta do something about that someday."

[ladycheron.livejournal.com]

Replacing the roof on the man-cave is our summer project. That room is not SUPPOSED to have running water - especially considering the amount of computer gear in there. Once that's done, replacing the big ugly sliding patio door on the "cottage" (former garage) with french doors is a maybe.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

More or less in order of priority:

1) Repair the master bathroom, which suffered fairly severe water damage when the shower pan developed leakage and is now only usable as a half-bath. This would require tearing out and replacing at least 2 walls. In the process, I'd like to install a Jacuzzi bathtub.

2) Replace every window in the house with double-glazed panes. We have heat leaks like you wouldn't believe.

3) Install much better insulation in the attic, and lay down proper flooring in all of it. If we could add more insulation in the walls, even better.

4) Replace the faded, cracking tile in the kitchen/den with good industrial-strength linoleum or equivalent. Replace the worn, stained living-room carpet with faux-parquet tile and some nice area rugs. Repair/replace the real parquet tile in the bedrooms and hallway that got water-damaged during Ike, preferably with real parquet.

5) (Not really a house remodeling) Take down the termite-damaged unattached garage, and replace it with a decently-organized workshop building.

This all makes our house sound like a real dump. It's not; it's mostly just showing its age and our lack of money for major projects.

[alverant.livejournal.com]

I don't think it sounds like a dump. It sounds like it's been lived in for a while. The previous owners of my house (or the ones before them) put up wood paneling in the basement, but didn't make it a floating wall (I love DYI Network) so the wall along the foundation is warped! Someone also painted and did a poor job since the outlets and some outlet covers are the same color as the walls (which look really weird when they removed the cover then painted over the outlet).

Good thing I plan on living in my house for a good long time. It will need a few thousand (more likely a few dozen thousand) in projects to get it up to snuff. Fortunately this is a starter house meant for a couple of people.

[zenturbo.livejournal.com]

I would like to get my upstairs finished, so I can play 'Musical Rooms'. Bed and office will go upstairs and spare bed and exercise rooms can come into fruition.

Thats nice. I wnat THIS guys rec room I'd sleep under the pinball machine and never leave again.

[invader-tak-1.livejournal.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE4ug41sqpQ

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Actually, if you want really truly densely goth decor, you may want the kind of ossuary rooms found in some monasteries.
feochadn has some rather impressive pix posted in some recent entries.

http://feochadn.livejournal.com/104342.html

[sillyfox.livejournal.com]

Hubby & I would love to install a Japanese-style bathroom with soaking tub and separate showering area. Fell in love with them when we over there, and hubby is hard-pressed to find any bathtub here in the States in which he can actually soak all of himself at the same time.

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

Build a one-room, well-insulated shed out back, separate from the house but connected to the wiring and plumbing so that it could have its own bathroom, heat, light, and mini-kitchen. Stock it with a good bed, bookshelves, television, stereo, and wireless, and use it as my private retreat -- with a GOOD lock on the door -- whenever I felt a need to be alone.

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

all refinished floors...or all-fixed-plaster-covered-with-paint...

[zorya-thinks.livejournal.com]

So many things we could do - the bedrooms need to be painted and the carpet in all three should be replaced. The main bathroom needs to be renovated (the tub is over 30 yrs old and desperately needs replacing) and the finished part of the basement needs some work (floor, specifically).

The bedrooms are an easy fix, as the boys can help me paint and there are always carpet deals out there. The bathroom is at least a $5000 project that may or may not happen this year - depends on the money situation. The floor in the basement is just going to have to wait for a while.

[terriwells.livejournal.com]

My place is fairly new. The only project that needs doing is installing gutters. That will probably happen eventually, but there's no rush.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

The Geiger is cool and interesting, but not something I'd find relaxing and comfortable for spending time in long-term.

The simplest and smallest project I can think of is getting the computer desk out of the library, and replacing it with a nice comfortable chair, and lighting the room more appropriately. If I'm ambitious, replace the cheapo book cases with something better, maybe built-in shelves.

If someone dumped a load of money in my lap, I'd consider revamping the bathroom to have a jacuzzi tub, or installing a small hot tub in our postage stamp of a back yard. And, even just talking about it here brought to mind what might be a better way to do that. Hm....

I think there's a minor roof leak that needs attention. One can always paint the exterior to make the place more bright and inviting, and that needs doing eventually anyway.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

My "ma'am cave" is lined with heavy duty bookshelves which will probably survive the next major seismic action better than the rest of the house, Large screen TV, sofa with recliners included, and a PS3 for my video/audio/gaming needs.

My brother would probably build the Giger style bar in his next place though.

[ldyerzsie.livejournal.com]

Fairly soon we will be getting the house rewired. It was built about 40 years and the wiring hasn't been touched since. We still have a fuse box. New wiring, more outlets and a breaker box are next on the list. We just got a new roof and replaced the carport and painted the exterior.

[darthparadox.livejournal.com]

Putting aside the omnipresent interior organizational issues, I have grand plans to eventually install a deck and a hot tub out back.

Oh, and a lawn. Right now it's basically a mass of scrub, rocks, and pine needles.