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PainterofCrap posted:Fortunately some crazy gently caress got into the basement and set up a shitload of tiger posts to keep a bad day from getting worse. Contractor: "Oh... gently caress. Wow. Hmmm, uh, okay! Who wants to make a thousand dollars cash, right fuckin' now?"
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Jun 21, 2014 04:11
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Seriously the thought of doing that is absolutely terrifying.
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Jun 21, 2014 05:16
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That's what an intern who doesn't know any better is for.
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Jun 21, 2014 15:11
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Dunno if this is a repost, don't really care.quote:1.8 Million Reasons to Measure Twice nmfree fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Jun 21, 2014 |
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Jun 21, 2014 20:12
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nmfree posted:There's more links to local reporting at the link. I really wish even one of those links actually worked. 
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Jun 21, 2014 20:28
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Methylethylaldehyde posted:The issue is that while Chlorophyll A and B suck up a very narrow spectrum of light, a lot of yellow and green light is absorbed through side reaction processes. There have been a couple studies done with greenhouse lettuces grown in natural light vs. equivalent PAR LEDs that are a red/blue mix (what the Chlorophyll only idea would support), and the natural light ended up doing about 30% better due to that reason. That and the transpiration seen on natural light is what the plants were originally evolved to use, the lower transpiration rates on the cooler LEDs cause issues with sap flow and nutrient uptake. Nice thing about greenhouses near the arctic circle, in summer there's almost 24h of light per day, tomatoes and cucumbers grow like gently caress.
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Jun 22, 2014 09:36
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PainterofCrap posted:I handled a claim for this the next town over (Mantua NJ) a number of years ago. 100-YO house, rubble & mortar foundation walls - and no footing (my house was built in 1930 with a cinderblock basement and also, no footing). Contractor with a Bobcat kept digging below the wall, looking for the footer. The entire rear wall fell over in a piece, leaving the very large, 3-story frame house hanging in the air at the rear wall, popping & creaking away. I believe everything except this  Rubble and mortar in my experience (on my house, my parents, and several others) becomes rubble alone sometime before the year 1995.
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Jun 22, 2014 15:49
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PainterofCrap posted:I have been saving this showerhead for when money is no object and I have a 100-gallon water heater. So I'm not trying to burst your shower nirvana bubble, because trust me I love a good high flow shower, but if that thing emptied your 40 gallon water heater in 15 minutes, that's about 2.6 gallons per minute give or take...which is pretty much still considered low flow, but just at the high end of the scale. (2.5 gpm is max "low flow") Still want one tho.
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Jun 22, 2014 18:31
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djhaloeight posted:So I'm not trying to burst your shower nirvana bubble, because trust me I love a good high flow shower, but if that thing emptied your 40 gallon water heater in 15 minutes, that's about 2.6 gallons per minute give or take. Wouldn't it be higher flow than that considering that it is using 2.6GPM of hot water, but there's going to be cold water mixed in (unless he likes really hot showers).
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Jun 22, 2014 19:06
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SkunkDuster posted:Wouldn't it be higher flow than that considering that it is using 2.6GPM of hot water, but there's going to be cold water mixed in (unless he likes really hot showers). True. I didn't think of that. He isn't using 100% hot the entire time. Welp. To stay on topic, my parents house was built kinda janky. It's a good house, but some of the walls have a wobble/wave to them if you look lengthwise down them, and the top of a doorframe isn't parallel to the ceiling in one of the bedrooms. Me and my Dad put in hardwood stairs where there was just carpet, and once we pulled up the rough wood under the carpet we saw that the risers for the stairs were built with extra pieces of remnants and whatever they had laying around. It was seriously bad...wood just all sistered together all ghetto-like. My Dad also said he found like 2 cases of beercans in the corner of the crawl space back when I was a baby, shortly after they bought the house. Quality stuff. The builders went out of business sometime in the late 80s.
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Jun 22, 2014 20:23
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djhaloeight posted:It's a good house Absolutely everything else you said is to the contrary. Think of what they haven't found yet. Unfortunately, this is typical. Most builders don't care, and that level of "care" goes down ever further in a typical housing development, as the trades are being paid as piece work, which just encourages poo poo work.
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Jun 22, 2014 21:25
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djhaloeight posted:some of the walls have a wobble/wave to them if you look lengthwise down them Drywall or plaster? That's common with long walls made of drywall taped ceiling-to-floor. All those layers of mud to hide the tape over the board joints add a slight depth to the wall surface.
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Jun 22, 2014 21:31
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Motronic posted:Absolutely everything else you said is to the contrary. Think of what they haven't found yet. Yeah, it sounds bad but the house is going on 33 years old and we haven't had any major problems. They're the original and only owners. It's just stupid amateur fuckups...small things. Floors are sound, there aren't any crazy settling cracks or water leaks or electrical problems etc. We redid the risers and everything when we built the hardwood stairs. We also replaced all the crap builder grade doors with solid six panel oak doors with premium hardware, remodeled the bathrooms, did hardwood floors in most of the house, crown molding in the bedrooms...stuff like that. It really is a decent house. It's like you said...builders don't care, it wasn't a premium custom home or anything, which leads to sloppy work. The bones of the place are good though...I want to buy it from them when they decide to move. kid sinister posted:Drywall or plaster? That's common with long walls made of drywall taped ceiling-to-floor. All those layers of mud to hide the tape over the board joints add a slight depth to the wall surface. Drywall. It's only really noticeable on the walls with chair rail. Slight wave. *edit* I need to take a picture of our next door neighbors new electrical hookup. I think they had a friend redo the service to their house..the new conduit he ran is at a strange angle and it goes to a meter box.....without a meter in it.  I'll post a pic later...because to me it looks like they're getting free electricity. djhaloeight fucked around with this message at 22:11 on Jun 22, 2014 |
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Jun 22, 2014 21:46
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kid sinister posted:That's common with long walls made of drywall taped ceiling-to-floor. Does some drywall not come with recessed joints on the long edge? Or is this more of a case of the tapers not checking their work with a task light after sanding? (Not that I'd blame them for track home work)
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Jun 22, 2014 22:10
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djhaloeight posted:blah blah free electricity. Oh we definitely need a picture of that for this thread. CopperHound posted:Does some drywall not come with recessed joints on the long edge? Or is this more of a case of the tapers not checking their work with a task light after sanding? (Not that I'd blame them for track home work) Nope, none does. All drywall sheets have a cross section of a big rectangle. Anything you slap on top will show up once dry. That being said, for completely new work, it's hardly noticeable unless you get out the light like you mentioned and even less noticeable the more skilled your mudder was. It's more of a problem joining up new work with existing drywall/plaster, especially when that old work has been painted over 50 gazillion times.
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Jun 22, 2014 22:30
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kid sinister posted:Drywall or plaster? That's common with long walls made of drywall taped ceiling-to-floor. All those layers of mud to hide the tape over the board joints add a slight depth to the wall surface. It's also common when you don't check the crown of the studs and place them in the walls randomly. Or even worse, don't use a level at all and just hope for the best when studding a wall. CopperHound posted:Does some drywall not come with recessed joints on the long edge? Yes it does. And you need to pull your mud out and beyond it for a proper fit. This is easy with the right tools and someone showing you how to do it for like 20 minutes. Butt joints are harder and you need to blend further. kid sinister posted:Nope, none does. All drywall sheets have a cross section of a big rectangle. What the hell are you talking about? Every piece of drywall I've bought in way more than just the last decade has a recess joint.
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Jun 22, 2014 22:57
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Motronic posted:What the hell are you talking about? Every piece of drywall I've bought in way more than just the last decade has a recess joint. Huh. I never noticed. Actually that would make a lot of sense why I always noticed old work never matching up flush with an new non-cut joint.
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Jun 22, 2014 23:31
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OK here's the weirdo free electricity I don't know what: Click for gigantic:  Looks pretty unprofessional to me. Not pictured it where it enters the house with a bunch of expanding foam sticking out of the rough hewn hole. *edit* That's a piece of cardboard in the box where the meter would go.
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Jun 23, 2014 00:23
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Even if they were paying for power that service entrance is so wrong..... Just call the local power company.
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Jun 23, 2014 00:37
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kastein posted:I believe everything except this It was like a loving Warner Bros cartoon. The whole wall was laying there flat, except the part that hit the Bobcat. He'd been moving along, probing under that wall for quite a while, probably wondering when he'd hit monolith. djhaloeight posted:So I'm not trying to burst your shower nirvana bubble, because trust me I love a good high flow shower, but if that thing emptied your 40 gallon water heater in 15 minutes, that's about 2.6 gallons per minute give or take...which is pretty much still considered low flow, but just at the high end of the scale. (2.5 gpm is max "low flow") What SkunKDuster said: I wasn't steaming lobster: that was mixed with cold water at least 3:1
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Jun 23, 2014 00:47
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djhaloeight posted:OK here's the weirdo free electricity I don't know what: I can't make out the power theft in that picture unless the terminals are shunted together under that piece of cardboard. Either way it looks sketchy as gently caress. I'd like to imagine somebody would be more discrete instead of installing a brand new lovely power pole drop if they were stealing power.
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Jun 23, 2014 03:01
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I've been a little bummed/stressed about my job security for next year so I've been neglecting my chimp-built addition (I'm pretty sure it was a smoking chimp given the cigarette packages in the walls). Managed to get to the workshop at the parent's cottage and put the new Grizzly table saw to work. Homemade cedar trim with a layer of "Fuzzy Mitten" white (it's white, but not stark white, just a touch of cream".  Amazing how a little bit of trim can really make a room start to look finished. Still need to do the other three windows, secure the counter top, install a kick plate length of trim or three, and a bunch of 1/4 round trim, but I've got a fire lit under my rear end since my wife will be home on the 30th of June and she said she doesn't want to be tripping over tools and random pieces of trim. Blistex fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Jun 23, 2014 |
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Jun 23, 2014 03:38
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So you trimmed out a window that has a prime view of how badly your neighbor needs a new roof? I guess that works for the theme of the thread.
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Jun 23, 2014 03:43
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Motronic posted:So you trimmed out a window that has a prime view of how badly your neighbor needs a new roof? I guess that works for the theme of the thread. That roof looks brand-spanking-new compared to some in my neighborhood. I've seen sections of roof where the shingles have all fallen off and the gap's been patched with tar paper.
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Jun 23, 2014 03:47
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Motronic posted:So you trimmed out a window that has a prime view of how badly your neighbor needs a new roof? I guess that works for the theme of the thread. Unfortunately, that's the roof of my garage (which has a nice lean on it) and is indicative of the condition of the roof on my house. Money has been tight, and might be ever tighter since I'm not sure I'll have my teaching job come September. My house is a domino-effect affair, as I can't do the roof unless I can afford to do the siding as well (due to the way the flashing is set up, which is over the shingles and over the wood panelling.) In order to do the roof I also have to replace the panelling (85 years old now) and that would also require me replacing another two windows in the master and spare bedrooms (custom fit with 6" brickmould, so that's $1000 right there). If I replace the panelling I'd also want to add 1" exterior foil-covered insulation foam, and that's probably more expensive than the vinyl siding. It's a perfect storm of things that have to be done due to the dormers and everything relying on something else fitting into it or going under/over it to keep water out. The plan is to replace the remaining 9 windows (all custom so all about $500 each) and. . . blah blah finish the house, then tear down the garage and build something a little more level and maybe even a 2 storey with a little apartment above it if I ever find myself in a situation where the inlaws decided to stay for a few months or I have an insufferable teenage son/daughter. Long story short, old houses cost a shitload.
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Jun 23, 2014 04:20
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That service entrance is loving amateur hour poo poo. Wow. POC, was just giving you crap because I have never seen a rubble/fieldstone wall with mortar any stronger than a well aged sand castle Blistex, your garage roof looks better than probably 75% of the ones in my town. But tyvek passes for siding here, and I've seen people put a blue tarp over the roof, then 4 years later when it is in tatters, just ignore the problem. No idea how that house hasn't fallen down yet... it probably will in another 5. Or some poor bastard will buy it and decide to repair it instead of calling for a bulldozer. When I see them putting a new roof on I should stop by with a case of beer, because that was me 4 years ago and rehabbing a house with a roof that hosed SUCKS.
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Jun 23, 2014 05:14
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There was a house in town that went through three reapplications of Typar (Tyvek) over a 10 year period. They finally paneled it with . . . apsenite, painted white. Three years later the weather has all the corners of it peeling off. It looks like someone took a giant potato peeler to the house and stopped half way through the job.
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Jun 26, 2014 02:53
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Finally snapped a pic of the electricity from hell. wouldn't surpise me at all if that was a grow house, but they're directly across from the Housing office...i wouldn't think they'd be that brazen. 
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Jun 26, 2014 05:01
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 says it's either a grow op or a buttcoin miner. Both are keen on stealing electricity.
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Jun 26, 2014 10:53
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AA is for Quitters posted:Finally snapped a pic of the electricity from hell. wouldn't surpise me at all if that was a grow house, but they're directly across from the Housing office...i wouldn't think they'd be that brazen. It's not clear where any of that comes from or goes to, it doesn't look like service entrance cable, and the paint on it suggest it used to be attached to the house.
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Jun 26, 2014 14:57
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Ok here's a close up of the inside of the box I took when I left for work this morning at 4:30. Pardon my electrical ignorance, but I always assumed if you don't have a meter there's no way for the electric company to measure your usage therefore you are stealing power..is this not correct?
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Jun 26, 2014 17:25
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 Make an anonymous call to the power company. Preferably before you have to call the fire department.
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Jun 26, 2014 17:39
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some texas redneck posted:
The power company will be calling the fire department once they're off the phone with you anyway, in case anything catches when they yank that piece of poo poo. 
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Jun 26, 2014 17:53
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Yeah I was planning on calling the power co. That poo poo just looks too hacked...especially the inside of the box. Hell, it's open to the elements! Rain/snow/small rodents could get in that thing! They're the definition of white trash living there. I almost wonder if there's a grow op going on..the light is always on thru the cinder block basement windows. The morbidly obese woman who lives there has a stream of strange people staying there. I can't wait till she moves out...was supposed to move awhile ago, then these people showed up.
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Jun 26, 2014 18:00
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Please stop with the pictures and actually do something about it. E: Should have refreshed. I'm glad you are calling.
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Jun 26, 2014 18:02
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Indolent Bastard posted:Please stop with the pictures and actually do something about it. But do try to figure out what happens, because we all want to know.
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Jun 26, 2014 18:04
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I'm sorry I doubted your first picture.
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Jun 26, 2014 19:09
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I wish I'd had a camera phone for this; it was a few years ago. The local mormon church sent some guys out to replace the deck and ramp for a rather large and scooter-bound member who couldn't afford to have it done professionally. He got what he paid for. They laid out a 6'x6' section for the deck, framed it perfectly square with beams around the edge and across the middle, fully supported. They then laid down a 6x4 and 6x2 piece of half inch plywood as the deck itself and called it good. It looked about like this, with details omitted for clarity:  Needless to say every time a combined 600 pounds of man + scooter rolled across one of those three foot unsupported joints between the two pieces of plywood, there was a sag.
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Jun 26, 2014 19:41
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When I replaced my meter box, it had a piece of cardboard covered with wax over the meter hole and it came with a set of jumper bars so I would have power. I kept the old meter in series because I figured it would be a while before I could get a replacement meter and power run (upgrading from 60a to 200a). It was a ~150 overhead service run. Glad I did it, never did end up getting the 200a service and eventually lost the house anyway. That cardboard was in bad shape but still did its job 6 years later. And yes, I fed the panel through a 60a breaker. I may have done it without a permit, but I knew enough not to put a 60a service through a 200a breaker. THE NEXT TIME I try to upgrade service (ended up getting a house with ANOTHER 60a service, but this time fuses instead!), I'll do it with proper permits like a not-idiot. And actually have the materials and money to do it all at once, not piecemeal again.
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Jun 26, 2014 19:43
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Motronic posted:It's not clear where any of that comes from or goes to, it doesn't look like service entrance cable, and the paint on it suggest it used to be attached to the house. It looks more like a telecommunications run of some kind - wire + strain wire but inside the meter pan... 
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Jun 27, 2014 02:24
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