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Tasty_Crayon posted:Better make sure it's in tip top shape- flash flood warnings all over the area this week! Oh man 
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May 15, 2014 03:23
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FCKGW posted:The only thing making that better would be an orange Home Depot bucket at the end instead. Nope , best thing would be a butterfly valve so it can assume the role of the faucet.
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May 15, 2014 04:47
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Qwijib0 posted:I present the most amazing condensation line of all time: It doubles as a clothes hanger.
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May 15, 2014 04:49
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Could be worse. It does not actually visibly bend upwards at any point.
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May 15, 2014 09:48
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goons posted:apartments/flats/condos/nonsensical imperial units Yup, British here. I called it an apartment because I've spent too long talking to Americans over the years, but yeah, we call them flats. My flat/apartment/self-owned walled space is in a tenement block — these flats are usually either owned by residents, or leased to students/young couples. The block dates from the late 1800s, I believe (though the wiring sure ain't that old...) It's single entrance leading to a stairwell (or 'close' if you live in Scotland/Northern England!) with two doors per floor to flats. As is the case with this block, it's typical to have an external factor that every resident/owner in the block pays a yearly fee to. They take care of the buildings insurance (you provide your own contents insurance) and essentially act as a centralised force for getting repairs done. That's their only remit, though, the general upkeep of the building. They have nothing to do with residents themselves. And the units thing? Yup, we're just confused. Qwijib0 posted:I present the most amazing condensation line of all time  This is the most magical thing.
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May 15, 2014 12:32
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Tasty_Crayon posted:Better make sure it's in tip top shape- flash flood warnings all over the area this week! I just got new boots. 
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May 15, 2014 14:11
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how did I miss this thread? Sadly I cannot find the pictures, but my parents built with US Home back in the early 1990's. They mis-poured the basement, and put one of the basement windows (safety requirement for fire escape) exactly up against the corner, which made the entire foundation structurally unstable. Did they tear it out and re-pour it? Nope! They installed a huge iron girder frame around the window hole and just said "gently caress it". Then they decided to put a floor to ceiling picture window in the bathroom, (we forced them to change that), after they had carpeted the stairs we noticed they never actually nailed down the boards to the frame, so if you weren't careful the stair boards would slide out a bit - but were held in by the carpet somewhat, The tiling grout was pretty much just sand so all the tiling came loose in the first month. The fun thing is they tried to get me to sign off on the "ok we're done here" by waiting in a van across the street until my parents left for work - I was 13 at the time.
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May 15, 2014 23:56
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Doccers posted:The fun thing is they tried to get me to sign off on the "ok we're done here" by waiting in a van across the street until my parents left for work - I was 13 at the time. Creepy guys idling in a van across the street until your parents left before approaching you, shoulda called the cops Didn't you have to watch all those 90's stranger danger PSA's too?
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May 16, 2014 01:57
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No pictures, but I just recalled our tub yesterday. I was in way over my head, and it took me a good 15 loving hours to do it. Here's what I ran into. -just got off work, 8 am. I'm gonna hammer through this, I caulked gaps in corners when we moved in, it'll be easy. -bought one of those lovely plastic caulk removal tools. It promised way more on the package than it delivered. It broke 30 minutes into the job. -went to Popular Mechanics website. Holy gently caress, I don't have anything to soften the caulk. Maybe that'll help! -trip to lowes. Bought goo gone brand caulk softener. gently caress goo gone. It's worthless. -took to caulk with painter's 5 in one tool and utility knife. Side opposite faucet? Comes away easy. Faucet side doesn't loving move. -using 5in1 tool and needle nose pliers to pull at what I can. Small bits come along, and I feel like I'm doing ok. 4 hours in, still not done, though. What the hell? -huge piece of caulk comes out. I'm almost there...holy poo poo, that caulk was deep. -stick 5in1 tool to depth of hole. All of the blade disappears, and the gap is 3/4ths of an inch wide. Aw, gently caress, Grover must have been a previous owner of my house. I have load-bearing caulk. -start caulking. poo poo, silicon caulk is a pain in the rear end to work with. It spreads past the gaps as I try to draw a line in it. I can scrape off excess later, though, right? (No.) -wife standing over me, nitpicking Sick of that, I hand it over to her, gently caress it, let her show me how it's done. -holy Christ! She gives up crying an hour later, having hosed up what little I got right. gently caress it, I'm just concerned with not getting water in my wall for now. Looks are out, I'm gonna work overtime, pay someone else to do it right. LaterShit, the latex caulk was easy when we moved in. -midnight. I'm done, and I fall into bed. If I ever run into the previous owner of my house, for this and the other poo poo they hosed up, I'm gonna slug the bastard.
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May 16, 2014 09:58
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So the company I work for is putting in accordion storm shutters on some guy's house. They ripped out his old accordions and went to put in the new ones, then realized that his storm protection, the thing that was getting him an insurance discount for wind mitigation, was screwed into nothing but loving stucco. Not even into the concrete substrate. Just the stucco.  I don't know what the gently caress was wrong with the company that put his last accordions in.
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May 16, 2014 11:34
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kizudarake posted:No pictures, but I just recalled our tub yesterday. I was in way over my head, and it took me a good 15 loving hours to do it. Here's what I ran into. This. This is why I don't DIY most things. 
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May 16, 2014 12:55
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silvergoose posted:This. This is why I don't DIY most things. But paying a contractor to do it gives you no guarantee that they'll do it correctly, with a lot of jobs (where they can hide the fact that they half-assed it). So you're hosed either way.
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May 16, 2014 14:52
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My folks use Angie's List and has had good luck finding decent repair people.
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May 16, 2014 15:08
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kizudarake posted:Aw, gently caress, Grover must have been a previous owner of my house. I have load-bearing caulk. Ahah! It's not just me.
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May 16, 2014 17:06
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kizudarake posted:No pictures, but I just recalled our tub yesterday. I was in way over my head, and it took me a good 15 loving hours to do it. Here's what I ran into. It's an art and you get better with practice. I find if I'm going to run a lot of caulk in a place where I want clean lines, I'll use painters tape to mask off the line then I can smudge the poo poo out of the caulk into the gaps without worrying about cleaning up the mess/line as I go. Peel tape and done.
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May 16, 2014 17:13
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kizudarake posted:No pictures, but I just recalled our tub yesterday. I was in way over my head, and it took me a good 15 loving hours to do it. Here's what I ran into. Please tell me at least you took the opportunity to make a bunch of caulk/cock puns?
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May 16, 2014 22:36
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The problem with Angies List is that it relies on other people for feedback. You know, the other people who also don't know how to do the job, and therefore don't know how to judge if it's been done right (unless it's really, really, really wrong.) I'm not saying it's worthless but anytime you use public/crowdsourced information like that, just repeat to yourself "these are the same people who comment on youtube videos and my local newspaper's web articles" and take what they say with a grain of salt.
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May 16, 2014 22:41
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kastein posted:The problem with Angies List is that it relies on other people for feedback. You know, the other people who also don't know how to do the job, and therefore don't know how to judge if it's been done right (unless it's really, really, really wrong.) This is the truth. Anyone who shows up on time, does a job that looks passable (regardless of whether it's right or not), acts nicely and clean up after themselves is going to get a good review from the majority of people who would be in the market to hire them.
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May 16, 2014 23:06
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I do feel like the only way to not get hosed is to have a trustworthy family member/friend who is in the business.
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May 16, 2014 23:13
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Rurutia posted:I do feel like the only way to not get hosed is to have a trustworthy family member/friend who is in the business. That's often the best way to get hosed, then have family drama.
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May 16, 2014 23:14
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kastein posted:The problem with Angies List is that it relies on other people for feedback. You know, the other people who also don't know how to do the job, and therefore don't know how to judge if it's been done right (unless it's really, really, really wrong.) Angie's list is still a good place to start your search, because you can narrow down the pool of candidates from "probably terrible" to "maybe terrible" and then see how you feel about whoever you want to hire when you meet them and ask for references / see other work they've done. I've had some mixed experiences with people I've hired off Angie's list, but never a bad one. Moving the baseline expectation of a professional up from abysmal is still worth something.
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May 16, 2014 23:44
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Rurutia posted:I do feel like the only way to not get hosed is to have a trustworthy family member/friend who is in the business. My parents had the tile redone in one of our bathrooms when I was a kid. The guy they hired was a plumber who also did tiling. We knew him because he was also a pastor who ran Sunday services and Bible studies out of his home, which we regularly attended. All in all, a really great guy, trustworthy, strong work ethic, etc. About halfway through the job he told my mother, offhand, that he had to "fire himself" from his previous job because he just wasn't that great at tiling and the boss was too nice to fire him himself. Every tile in that shower/tub was crooked. 
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May 16, 2014 23:59
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canyoneer posted:Please tell me at least you took the opportunity to make a bunch of caulk/cock puns? Well, gently caress yeah. What kind of rear end in a top hat do you take me for?
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May 17, 2014 00:21
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kizudarake posted:Well, gently caress yeah. What kind of rear end in a top hat do you take me for? An rear end in a top hat who takes the caulk, probably 
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May 17, 2014 00:30
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Qwijib0 posted:Angie's list is still a good place to start your search, because you can narrow down the pool of candidates from "probably terrible" to "maybe terrible" and then see how you feel about whoever you want to hire when you meet them and ask for references / see other work they've done. I agree with this as well, but based on my past (Hi, I'm from the Government. I'm here to help!) this is why I understand the need for permits (which end in what are supposed to be impartial 3rd party inspections). But for work that doesn't require that.....I wouldn't know where else to send people.
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May 17, 2014 02:14
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Baronjutter posted:That's often the best way to get hosed, then have family drama. This. Hired the brother of one of my fiance's bridesmaids to do a video pipe inspection for us. The bridesmaid insisted saying be would probably help us out. Instead, what we got was him showing up, being rude to our agent, not doing a diagram of any sort, handing me the video on a flash drive, and giving us a bill for $500. I have never been more livid in my life.
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May 17, 2014 05:39
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kizudarake posted:-went to Popular Mechanics website. Holy gently caress, I don't have anything to soften the caulk. Maybe that'll help! Please correct me if I am wrong (because I'd love to know), but I was under the impression that there is no solvent known to man for silicon caulk.
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May 17, 2014 05:59
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He only wants to soften the caulk not get rid of it completely. 
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May 17, 2014 06:08
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SkunkDuster posted:Please correct me if I am wrong (because I'd love to know), but I was under the impression that there is no solvent known to man for silicon caulk. A little bit of FOOF would do the trick.
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May 17, 2014 06:17
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SkunkDuster posted:Please correct me if I am wrong (because I'd love to know), but I was under the impression that there is no solvent known to man for silicon caulk.
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May 17, 2014 06:28
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Well first of all, silicon and silicone are very different. Silicon we make integrated circuits out of, it's a hard brittle grey semi metallic element. Silicone is a soft rubbery polymer that's very heat and chemical resistant and we make everything from fake boobs to bathtub sealant and wire insulation out of it.  Also, I checked the cole parmer chemical compatibility database for everything rated "D- Severe Effect" on silicone, and acetone, heptane (both of these are contained in the chlorine-free brakleen you can get at autozone, so try that*), gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, stoddard solvent (a chief ingredient of WD40), and xylene/xylol are all listed. I would start with WD40, if that doesn't at least help, try mineral spirits or lacquer thinner, then move up to the harsher solvents such as xylene, kerosene, diesel fuel, gasoline, and acetone/heptane/brakleen. * the real concern with going straight for the good poo poo is that if your tub or shower surround, or any pipes downstream of where you are working are made of PVC or ABS, you're going to dislike the results. Basically, shits gonna melt.
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May 17, 2014 16:32
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Not Goo Gone, Use Goof Off. This is 20% VOC volatile organic compounds, full of mutagen goodness. http://www.goofoffproducts.com/product/pro-strength-remover Also they make hybrid silicone now, containing acrylic that is paint-able and you can kinda scootch the caulk line around with some orange cleaner as well, and tool it without a glove or tool. Way less nasty I hear. We use this for anything clear,(as in dissimilar colors on the joint you are sealing) http://www.manus.net/products/ms-polyether/75-am-ultra-clear/ I don't know if it's available to consumers, but I'm sure there is similar out there.
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May 17, 2014 17:19
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My wife and I have been living in an apartment owned by a retired teacher who owns just a couple of rental properties as part of his retirement income. He's a good guy and he's been nice about letting us make decisions about fixing up the inside (which he also pays for). The problem is that the previous tenants were huge fuckups that made a million terrible decisions in the place in the years before we moved in, only some of which they told the landlord about beforehand. For example: One of the bedrooms was painted  traffic cone orange with a brown and blue belt of wallpaper running along the middle of the room. I'm not exaggerating the orange color; it was so bright that it actually made me anxious to be in the room, and I'm a pretty mellow dude. I could not have slept in that room if I tried. The landlord and I painted over that before we moved in. The other bedroom was apparently a kid's room, because it had a belt of sports-themed wallpaper running across the middle of the room. That wouldn't have been so odd if the rest of the room was painted dark brown. I think they were going for the color of a football (which is dark enough as it is), but it ended up being the dark brown of an unhealthy poo poo. The room was so dark it seemed significantly smaller than the adjacent panic room, despite being exactly the same size and dimensions. We painted that room too. The previous tenants took up the ceramic tiles the landlord had down in the bathroom without telling him. They replaced them with dark gray peel-and-stick tiles. The already small-ish bathroom seems even smaller with the tiles being so dark. They also took up the waterproofing layer that was under the ceramic tiles and didn't replace it before they put down the lovely ones, always a good choice for a bathroom. Oh, and the landlord had the old tiles placed in such a way that he could access a plumbing access door without loving up the tiling. The lovely tiles went right over that, so he would have had to take up half the bathroom tiles to get at the plumbing. We replaced that poo poo last fall with some ceramic tiles my wife picked out. They had childproof latches installed on the low kitchen cabinets, like under the sink. They were installed incorrectly such that they didn't latch at all, and the cabinet could be opened normally.  The landlord put a brand new light on the kitchen ceiling just before we moved in because the previous tenants broke the old one and didn't let the landlord in to replace it for half a year before they moved out. They weren't complaining about having just a plain blub in the kitchen, so the landlord was in no hurry at first, but he started thinking about telling them, "I'm coming in to replace it. I am telling you and not asking you," but then they moved out anyway.Despite all this, My wife and I love the apartment (especially after this stuff got fixed). We're really thankful to have a cool landlord who is willing to work with us to make some of these decisions, too.
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May 17, 2014 17:59
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In my experience, people who aren't career landlords and are just renting a place or two that they have can make the best landlords ever. Undoubtedly, they can also make the worst landlords, but when you find the right one, it's awesome. I had four landlords between the college dorms and buying my own house. Three of them were "incidental" landlords, they were all loving awesome and those places were great. One was a semi-career landlord, and he was a huge dickwad and I would never rent a place from him again under any circumstances.
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May 17, 2014 18:22
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Apartments suck balls, ask me about living next to a Crips den, in a "luxury" apartment complex. My sister had it worse though, in one of her apartments she fought a relentless Holly war against a never ending stream of roaches. She tried every roach poison/trap known to man and thoroughly cleaned her apartment to no effect. One day she saw the neighbor's kid throw a a pillow outside. When the pillow landed a mass of roaches came out, she reported this to management. About a week later, management came by to let her know the neighbors evacuated and left the apartment with a three inch thick layer of dog poo poo and a massive roach nest.
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May 17, 2014 18:58
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Crotch Fruit posted:Apartments suck balls, ask me about living next to a Crips den, in a "luxury" apartment complex. Is holly toxic to roaches?
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May 17, 2014 19:50
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Crotch Fruit posted:Apartments suck balls, ask me about living next to a Crips den, in a "luxury" apartment complex. Is your apartment in a city? Because my apartment outside a city is just lovely and only has millions of ants instead of roaches 
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May 17, 2014 19:54
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Roaches can be kinda cute; when you compare roaches to bed bugs. Those little fuckers nearly drove me insane when they infested my apartment. Management couldn't kill them. They would come through the walls, then crawl up the walls at night, while I watched them as they plotted to dive bomb me and suck my blood the moment I closed my eyes. Little did I know, it was all a distraction so the main force in the pillows and corners of the sheets could approach undetected. For months after leaving that apartment I was seeing imaginary bed bugs and freaking out that I had not gotten rid of them after all.
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May 17, 2014 20:09
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Bad Munki posted:In my experience, people who aren't career landlords and are just renting a place or two that they have can make the best landlords ever. Undoubtedly, they can also make the worst landlords, but when you find the right one, it's awesome. I had four landlords between the college dorms and buying my own house. Three of them were "incidental" landlords, they were all loving awesome and those places were great. One was a semi-career landlord, and he was a huge dickwad and I would never rent a place from him again under any circumstances. Yeah. I've been lucky with landlords in the past, but I also vet them a bit. Huge outfits are professional, but often unresponsive or mismanaged. "incidental landlords" can either know what they're doing or be more like, "I bought some property but I don't know what the hell I'm doing." Our landlord is handy enough on his own, but he knows when to hire a pro. Because he's not a huge outfit, he gives us a lot of choice and independence. I doubt we'd be able to choose the paint and tiles, for example, if we rented from a big organization.
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May 17, 2014 20:11
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Railing Kill posted:
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