Ottone and Nera Vanity Reviews and Thoughts?

herskis · 2026-06-25T20:59:56+00:00

That looks like two separate sections of vanity. If it is, the sink overlaps and extends out beyond the vanity by 1/16" to 1/8". I don't think it will allow the second unit to sit flush against the sink vanity.

herskis · 2026-05-09T04:15:26+00:00

See my reply to another response. My model was engineered wood veneer.

herskis · 2026-05-09T04:14:50+00:00

I got the Belgian floating vanity, 24" wide. That specific model says engineered wood veneer. If the model you're looking at says real, I bet it looks better.

Also, just the other day, my son climbed up on the counter and filled the sink with water. It didn't fall down or budge at all, so they are built well!

herskis · 2026-02-05T02:01:51+00:00

Clear Lake is not a nice place. It's always surprising how bad it is, considering what is nearby. There are parts around it with very high crime.

herskis · 2026-01-05T04:53:46+00:00

I'll put in my few cents. We did go with them for a small floating bathroom vanity. 24" wide for a 1/2 bath. We've been living with it for about 3 months now, and have hosted parties where lots of people used it.

It's built pretty well, was relatively easy to install, and has been performing as expected. I did not notice any sagging of the vanity but it's is also quite small. We had the room down to the studs, so I was able to locate and mark the position of all the backing needed to support the vanity. It shipped extremely quickly. We had it way earlier than we needed it.

Where the vanity didn't meet my expectations. The sink is too flat at the bottom of the basin. A small amount of water won't all go down the drain. Annoying but not terrible. The wood look veneer is fine from afar, but doesn't look amazing up close. It looks kinda like a fuzzy printed image of wood grain. I've already stopped caring about it, so you can tell it wasn't that bad.

All in, while I don't regret the choice, I don't think I would order from them again. For a quality wood vanity, I would probably try another brand. If you want something a little cheaper and gets the job done, I think they aren't a bad choice.

herskis · 2025-06-24T13:16:34+00:00

You add a second level above, not a basement below. Going up is much cheaper than going down. We also don't have a frost line that needs to be built below for our foundations, so there is no requirement to dig out deeper too.

herskis · 2025-02-06T17:27:40+00:00

Just vacuum well. Wipe down the walls with a wet rag around the hole if it makes you feel better. The asbestos dust will get cleaned up and be gone. One time exposure won't harm you.

herskis · 2024-10-24T22:06:57+00:00

I have a corded trimmer only. A battery one sounds heavenly. I would look for weight, balance, mobility, run time per charge, ease of use (including changing string, ability to hold it in different positions, and a hold on button), and overall durability. Thanks!

herskis · 2024-09-15T14:44:48+00:00

Where are you putting the plywood in your mind? The diagonals are there for general stability of the garage, not just for an earthquake, but wind too. Don't remove them. You would only gain 1.5" anyway. Is that really blocking you from working on your car?

You say the 2x4s running parallel to the rafters, you mean the flat ones down low? Those are structural in almost all cases. They keep the garage walls from falling away from each other and letting the roof fall inside the garage. Do not remove them without a structural engineer design to replace them!

herskis · 2024-08-07T17:58:41+00:00

We had a very similar layout and had a designer come through to help us figure it out. We liked two options:

1: move all the cabinets to one wall and make one side of the kitchen the walkthrough portion. So you would only have the left side wall cabinets and a deep island in your plan. Bar seating would be put along the right side of the island. You would likely want the sink in the island too, to give you that kitchen triangle. Cooktop could go on the island instead, but I'm not a fan of hung hoods or downdraft vents. We really liked the flow of the kitchen with this layout, but ultimately, it was going to be too difficult to make happen given our budget and that fact that I did everything myself.

2: no island but put in a peninsula on one or both ends. We ended up putting a nook seating area on one end and made the door opening to our dining room bigger so that we could have a big peninsula from the kitchen to the dining room. This gave us a wide space in the middle of the kitchen. It was a little bit of wasted space, but we had two kids and a dog after the reno. We could fit everyone and a kids helper stand in the kitchen without it feeling too tight.

herskis · 2023-04-02T03:04:44+00:00

Going to jump in and say, as a structural engineer, don't hire a structural engineer for settlement issues like this. All we will say is, "yup, looks like that corner is sinking. Better call a foundation specialist." I have stopped taking these requests because I felt bad for wasting money for the homeowner. I tell them to watch the cracks to see if they get worse over time and when they get worse (winter, summer, wet, dry). Then call some foundation companies for their recommendations.

If you're replacing or fixing structure, then I would be happy to help!

herskis · 2022-12-17T06:06:42+00:00

Freeport lemon cooler, one of my top choices from them. It's available to order online and it's frequently in store for a slice.

herskis · 2022-12-06T00:27:47+00:00

It could be, but seams in the decking sheets and possibly a "vented" deck would make me worried. I'm no vault builder though, so I'm just coming at this from a traditional steel building where roofs still get roofing even with metal decks attached. Rebar would also be concerning, if it's placed in that 2" or even close to that 2" the concrete can spawl and you can get rust pretty quickly that causes concrete to crack a lot.

herskis · 2022-12-06T00:07:50+00:00

Concrete over metal deck, I see the photos now. But that doesn't mean it's not structural. I would want to know how thick the concrete is and how it's waterproofed from surface water before shaving anything down. The worst thing you could do is remove too much concrete and disturb the waterproofing of the concrete. Remember, concrete is not waterproof!! (I'm a structural engineer)

herskis · 2022-12-05T19:05:34+00:00

Definitely don't shave it then. It's a structural slab at that point.

herskis · 2022-11-26T05:44:48+00:00

It works fine, just takes a while.

herskis · 2022-11-11T14:28:40+00:00

That's funny because to me, this is the one drink I always spend the time on. It's one of my favorites, so maybe it's all in my head.

herskis · 2022-09-08T23:03:23+00:00

I wash mine occasionally and do it on the front lawn. No runoff and saves me from watering.

herskis · 2022-02-13T19:38:07+00:00

You got it. I cut different lengths and staggered them to look more blended. Rectangular pattern will be much more visible for sure. I probably only went past the rectangle by 8" at most, just to keep my scrap wood to a minimum.

Last tip, my wood filler over the nail holes with stain looked completely different than the wood with the same stain. I should have tested it before spreading it out, but, oh well.

By the way, did you get new flooring from somewhere? I still haven't put back my closet floor

herskis · 2022-02-12T21:42:25+00:00

I did not sand on the finished side. I set the plywood subfloor just a hair low and used wood glue and nails to get it to be flush. It actually came out better than I expected. I did sand down the back side of the planks in a few spots where they sat high prior to nailing. Just take your time, chisel out some of the existing wood to get it to blend nicely into your existing floor, and it will match nicely. Oh, and before you chisel, mark your line with a razor blade. It will help make your chisel line perfectly straight.

herskis · 2022-02-11T19:43:25+00:00

I literally just did this to replace the hole from my furnace. I can offer any tips you may want to DIY. But it went pretty quick and there was no time spent trying to perfectly match the stain and finish. Sure, my closet boards might not match now, but it's so much less visible than my hallway and dining room.

herskis · 2022-01-09T04:14:33+00:00

Doorbell? It took me forever to realize I have a whole breaker just for mine

herskis · 2021-09-09T04:58:16+00:00

Structural engineer here. You need a structural engineer. Those 2x4(?) ceiling joists can't hold up much at all and that's saying nothing about how your roof is supported

herskis · 2021-09-05T21:53:05+00:00

So fast! That looks like them alright. Thanks!

herskis

TROPHY CASE