Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Help with a school project

ghall

ghall

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 27, 2006
3,771
1
Rhode Island
Hi, I have to do a math project for school. For the project I have to come up with the costs of renovating a house. I have to put in tiles, wall paper, parquet flooring, etc. as well as get some paint. Basically, I need to find a website that has the prices for these items. I tried HomeDepot.com, and that was not helpful at all. Well, thanks for the help.

EDIT: Plus, I have a question. How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?
 
Whatever happened to legwork? Actually going to the store (or stores) for comparisons? Just because you can find prices on the internet, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are accurate and will give you a clear idea of the actual costs of renovating etc. Go to the store and TALK to somebody. maybe you'll learn something more than the bare minimum needed.

Sorry for the mini-rant, but I think school projects are to help people learn things, not have the student ask someone else to do the work for them.
 
MultiM said:
Whatever happened to legwork? Actually going to the store (or stores) for comparisons?
Click to expand...

Guess it depends on how detailed the assignment is, but I agree...

Walking into Home Depot (the actual store) will reveal that, say, a reasonably cheap tile costs $0.99/sf, and Home Depot charges, say $2.99/sf for installation. Combine this with the floor plan and you've got one part of the assignment covered.

Paint? Price a gallon of paint and read the fine print on the label to see how many sf it covers. Assume 2 coats, a little more math, et voila.

Assuming you're paying a contractor to do it? Get pricing from one of the Home Depot staff. Or assume 50% parts, 50% labour, and go from there.

You could cover off your entire assignment in one trip.
 
One of the most important things schools teach is how to find information. Working the community (like MR), getting info on-line, is part of the task, unless the teacher stipulated otherwise. If the OP had asked us to actually lay out the project, your comments would ring true. He certainly did not ask us to do the assignment. If I were his teacher, I'd give him points for relying on available resources. Knowing how to use a knowledge base, including any experts here, is a fundamental social and strategic skill. (On the other hand, paint smells soooo good!)
 
Thanks everyone, I am on track to finish this project. My teacher is fine with me using the internet by the way.
 
ghall said:
Hi, I have to do a math project for school. For the project I have to come up with the costs of renovating a house. I have to put in tiles, wall paper, parquet flooring, etc. as well as get some paint. Basically, I need to find a website that has the prices for these items. I tried HomeDepot.com, and that was not helpful at all. Well, thanks for the help.

EDIT: Plus, I have a question. How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?
Click to expand...

What math course are you in? (Just wondering...)
 
wmmk said:
What math course are you in? (Just wondering...)
Click to expand...

Well, it's not really a course. My school is project based, so we don't really have classes, we have projects that incorporate skills based around our interests, and necessary life skills (such as rennovating a house :D ).
 
ghall said:
Well, it's not really a course. My school is project based, so we don't really have classes, we have projects that incorporate skills based around our interests, and nessisary life skills (such as rennovating a house :D ).
Click to expand...

Sounds cool! Do I remember correctly that you live on the West Coast? If so, things certainly seem much more laid back in that part of the country.

At the H.S. I'll begin attending next year (and especially in my family), quite a bit of emphasis is put on SATs, GPAs, AP classes, strategic planning, and the Ivy League and my most exclusive New England liberal arts schools.

Progressive education makes so much more sense than traditional education, while I suppose that for my desired professions (law, journalism, or politics), I am in the right place for myself.

Good luck with the (very interesting) project!
 
wmmk said:
Sounds cool! Do I remember correctly that you live on the West Coast? If so, things certainly seem much more laid back in that part of the country.

At the H.S. I'll begin attending next year (and especially in my family), quite a bit of emphasis is put on SATs, GPAs, AP classes, strategic planning, and the Ivy League and my most exclusive New England liberal arts schools.

Progressive education makes so much more sense than traditional education, while I suppose that for my desired professions (law, journalism, or politics), I am in the right place for myself.

Good luck with the (very interesting) project!
Click to expand...

Nope, east coast. Rhode Island to be more exact. I love the school, it's really great. Though a lot of our school's money comes from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation :( .
 
ghall said:
Nope, east coast. Rhode Island to be more exact. I love the school, it's really great. Though a lot of our school's money comes from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation :( .
Click to expand...

Still neat. RI is a cool place. Are you anywhere near Providence? We stayed there for a night on our way to western Mass. last year, and it was really neat. Brown and RISD have awesome campuses!
 
wmmk said:
Still neat. RI is a cool place. Are you anywhere near Providence? We stayed there for a night on our way to western Mass. last year, and it was really neat. Brown and RISD have awesome campuses!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I do. Actually, next year I'm going to try and get into Brown. Not an easy thing to do, but I really want to go there, so I'll definitaly do my best. RISD is nice as well, but it's pretty low on my list of schools.
 
ghall said:
Well, it's not really a course. My school is project based, so we don't really have classes, we have projects that incorporate skills based around our interests, and nessisary life skills (such as rennovating a house :D ).
Click to expand...
You know, there may be some folks that actually do this kind of thing in your area that would be willing to share with you some of their expertise. You could learn a lot this way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back