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Elysium posted:Is there a goon recommendation for a cordless drill for various DIY house projects? The rest of the internets suggests Dewalt or Milwaulkee, although this list suggests Bosch. Most of that list also is the smaller 12v drills, and not the 18v ones. I get that they are lighter and cheaper, but should I get an 18v one just in case I do something that needs more power? Is it worth it to also get a dedicated driver? I've got a bunch of Makita 18V tools that I love, and the driver probably sees the most use by a factor of two or three.
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Apr 10, 2017 19:07
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While we're talking about lawns and landscaping, I want to complain about the previous owners of our house. They tore out a considerable amount of landscaping done by the previous owners, probably valued around $4000 to $6000. On top of that, they dumped soil and mulch on the existing rock landscaping. I only found that out while weeding the front beds. I'm going to have to pay someone to redo the entire thing.
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Apr 11, 2017 01:19
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DTaeKim posted:While we're talking about lawns and landscaping, I want to complain about the previous owners of our house. They tore out a considerable amount of landscaping done by the previous owners, probably valued around $4000 to $6000. The former is potentially a good move depending. I've seem some really really bad poo poo. In fact, back in the day when I did that kind of thing for a living I did some really, really bad poo poo. But you do what they ask so you get the check. The latter......that's not okay.
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Apr 11, 2017 01:35
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Droo posted:I would get a 20V Dewalt one - and the driver has been almost useless to me as a homeowner, but I do use a hammer drill occasionally for concrete and steel so you might consider just buying a hammer drill in the first place. Something like this kit I guess (I haven't researched which 20V hammerdrill is best though) https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCD98...0V+hammer+drill Does "driver" mean impact driver? Even if you don't really "need" one to do whatever you're doing they're a lot nicer to use if you're driving tons of screws because they don't cam out as easily.
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Apr 11, 2017 01:57
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brugroffil posted:I've got a bunch of Makita 18V tools that I love, and the driver probably sees the most use by a factor of two or three. Another vote for Makita here, my dewalt set was getting old and my wife got me a few Makitas last Christmas after doing some really OCD research and they're my favorite by far.
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Apr 11, 2017 02:02
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The charger can play different songs when you plug the battery in and when it's done charging!
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Apr 11, 2017 02:11
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RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS posted:Does "driver" mean impact driver? Even if you don't really "need" one to do whatever you're doing they're a lot nicer to use if you're driving tons of screws because they don't cam out as easily. Yeah I was talking about an impact driver, useless was a strong word - I have used mine occasionally but as a homeowner doing small stuff I pretty much just predrill and then just switch the bit on the same drill I grabbed when I started. If I was building decks or installing closets all day I would use it all the time I'm sure.
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Apr 11, 2017 02:19
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Nodelphi posted:Another vote for Makita here, my dewalt set was getting old and my wife got me a few Makitas last Christmas after doing some really OCD research and they're my favorite by far. So this, perhaps? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9YL77C/
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Apr 11, 2017 02:21
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Buca di Bepis posted:Has anybody gotten their dirt floor crawl space encapsulated? I had an estimate done with a quote of $3,000-4,000 to cover 900sqft and that seemed pretty insane. Since all I care about is setting up a moisture barrier I was considering doing it myself with some plastic sheeting but I don't know if there's some other aspect to it that I'm missing. Is encapsulation the same as just the plastic vapor barrier on the ground/walls? I got it done for free because I income qualified (!!!) for a home energy overhaul. That said, I don't think anything they did was valued that highly. I think it's just plastic sheeting that overlaps and is attached up the concrete walls. I'm not crazy about my ~3 ft crawl space, but I'd spend an afternoon down there rolling plastic before I spent a fraction of that. Bug bomb it a week before and hook up a flood light. I honestly can't say how much if a difference it made since it was done alongside other changes and more insulation. I imagine it's more important in some climates than others. My crawl space is always bone dry, so I can't imagine being in one of these climates where you are pumping out several inches of water or whatever.
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Apr 11, 2017 03:33
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Elysium posted:So this, perhaps? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9YL77C/ Hex shank or bust for light/medium home use, especially if you're buying all new.
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Apr 11, 2017 05:11
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Have you been into your crawlspace before? How much room to move is there? The ones I've been in have had maybe a couple of feet of clearance above my head, and I would really not relish the thought of trying to crawl around in one, on bare dirt and rocks, with just portable lamps for illumination, trying to maneuver a big, unwieldy sheet of plastic and a stapler. If they're leveling the dirt floor and turning it into a usable space I could believe it. These guys were talking about 20 mil+ thick plastic sheeting covering the floor and going 4ft up the wall with an under layer with little water channels so you could use the crawlspace as a clean storage area. I'll call around some more and see what a basic set it & forget it solution looks like. Thesaurus posted:Is encapsulation the same as just the plastic vapor barrier on the ground/walls? I'm in Colorado so moisture isn't really *that* much of an issue. The whole area is pretty high in radon but my place is literally just across the threshold of 4 pCi/L (at 4.1) so I'm wondering if this could help nudge me under. Tiny Timbs fucked around with this message at 05:33 on Apr 11, 2017 |
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Apr 11, 2017 05:30
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Holy poo poo, my buddies own a house with decramastic (metal + chip tile) roofing, this was apparently common in NZ in the 70s. They got home last night to find that someone had waterblasted all the chip off their roof, presumably having gone to the wrong house. So there's bitumen chip spread all over their property. Which, after testing, turns out to contain asbestos. Insurance company is talking about it being a major contamination, demolition-and-remove-all-the-soil-and-rebuild situation, with the police still trying to track down the crew that did it. It's a hell of a nightmare situation - at least the insurance side is being very helpful.
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Apr 11, 2017 05:53
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xiw posted:Holy poo poo, my buddies own a house with decramastic (metal + chip tile) roofing, this was apparently common in NZ in the 70s. They got home last night to find that someone had waterblasted all the chip off their roof, presumably having gone to the wrong house.  I don't even know where I'd start on that. Content:  You shall be avenged, tacky-bass mailbox. Not even something as terrible as a bass mailbox deserves this. Godamned kids.
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Apr 11, 2017 10:55
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No, that mailbox definitely deserved that
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Apr 11, 2017 12:20
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I really hope it played music like those stupid motion sensitive wall hanging fish things from the 90s.
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Apr 11, 2017 12:30
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Elysium posted:Is there a goon recommendation for a cordless drill for various DIY house projects? The rest of the internets suggests Dewalt or Milwaulkee, although this list suggests Bosch. Most of that list also is the smaller 12v drills, and not the 18v ones. I get that they are lighter and cheaper, but should I get an 18v one just in case I do something that needs more power? Is it worth it to also get a dedicated driver? Buy into a cordless line that has a good variety of tools, such as Makita or Milwaukee. I'd also get the 18v line over the 12v, simply because there's more tools and innovation going on there. DeWalts 20v is just peak charging voltage marketing wank, it's the same 18v cells as everything else. Dewalt is ok, just not as many options available. I personally own a shitload of Makita tools and they are phenomenal, I don't think I would ever buy another corded tool if there's a decent battery alternative, just simply no need (excluding high discharge stuff like angle grinders). I would also buy a five pieceish kit, so you start out with a couple of batteries and a drill, driver, circular saw, sawzall kinda deal. Also, I would look at the Makita subcompact line if you don't need heavier duty stuff, that line looks pretty spiffy in my opinion, especially for the kinda stuff it sounds like you'd be doing. E: Also, I wouldn't be buying five amp hour battery stuff, three amp hour is a nice sweet spot between weight and longevity. I've got the 3 amp hour batteries, and I can cut down several sheets of plywood with my circular saw or use my trimmer for an hour no problem. I've spent all day on projects and had plenty of capacity to do everything I needed to, and swap out and recharge as needed. Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 13:15 on Apr 11, 2017 |
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Apr 11, 2017 13:12
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Motronic posted:The former is potentially a good move depending. I've seem some really really bad poo poo. In fact, back in the day when I did that kind of thing for a living I did some really, really bad poo poo. But you do what they ask so you get the check. It wouldn't be as bad if they didn't tear out the bushes along the side of the house and fence and eliminated the symmetry of the original owners' landscaping. We're planning on replanting bushes at the very least, but the landscaping beds? Completely shot. I can't even get rid of the dandelions because of the rocks directly underneath them. Otherwise, anyone have advice on DIY landscaping?
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Apr 11, 2017 13:13
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DTaeKim posted:I can't even get rid of the dandelions because of the rocks directly underneath them. 2,4D. It will take a couple of weeks, but they will be gone. If you can be selective about only hitting the beds you can even use glyphosate in this situation, but you could hit your lawn with the 2,4-D to get rid of the dandelions there without killing the grass.
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Apr 11, 2017 15:07
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Yeah the only shortcoming my Makita Driver has was the bits I bought it with, but I've shipped myself a hex shank set that I'm optimistic about. I put together my grill with it in about an hour last night, I love it. (The grill, the drill, everything.)
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Apr 11, 2017 15:41
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DJCobol posted:I really hope it played music like those stupid motion sensitive wall hanging fish things from the 90s. Take Me to the River or Mr. Postman? Why not both!
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Apr 11, 2017 15:53
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DTaeKim posted:I can't even get rid of the dandelions because of the rocks directly underneath them. I just used it to yank dandelions out of my yard yesterday, and only had a couple of shovelfuls worth, compared to the multiple five gallon buckets I collected last year, and these were mostly along the periphery of my yard where there's nothing else growing. By pulling out the taproots last year my yard is in great shape this year.
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Apr 11, 2017 19:34
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MrYenko posted:
Yeah I'll try and get some pics today - heading down to take their cat to a cattery since they'll be out for a while and the timing is awful as one's overseas and one can't drive! It's right up there with 'oh we accidentally demolished your house while you were at work' for nightmare scenarios.
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Apr 11, 2017 21:07
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What's everyone budget for their yearly household maintenance separate from emergency fund? Like, 1% of purchase price per year? What do you end up using to draw it down? I was going to use it to cover my lawn care over the summer, but didn't want to miss anything dumb.
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Apr 12, 2017 15:53
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:What's everyone budget for their yearly household maintenance separate from emergency fund? Like, 1% of purchase price per year? Don't draw it down, the whole idea is that some years you may have <$500 maintenance, and some years you will have >$20k.
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Apr 12, 2017 17:29
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:What's everyone budget for their yearly household maintenance separate from emergency fund? Like, 1% of purchase price per year? I made a long effortpost about this recently, but I'll summarize: how much your maintenance will cost varies massively with the condition, size, construction style, and (especially) age of your home, and the cost of labor and materials where you live. There is no general rule of thumb that will be useful to everyone.
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Apr 12, 2017 17:32
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I'm planning to put away about 0.5% annually, but I live in an expensive area and I seeded the account with about 2% when I moved in last year. Voluntary expenses (small renovations, furniture for moving in, lawn care, etc) come out of general funds. E: my house is 7 years old, and built to match the one the builder built for himself next door. My contractors have all remarked on how well it was put together. Nonetheless, we get weather and poo poo happens.
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Apr 12, 2017 17:34
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And you keep a separate, running account for this purpose different from your all-purpose emergency fund?
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Apr 12, 2017 17:34
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We've got an emergency fund, a medium term savings fund that would cover things like a roof replacement, new A/C or furnace, etc., and a shorter term house maintenance fund that covers all the little poo poo: batteries, yard tools, landscape supplies, lightbulbs, etc.
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Apr 12, 2017 17:37
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I will take general emergency money out of non-registered investments. I admit that I'm not too worried about emergencies. I keep maintenance money separate for now, because I expect to draw it down more frequently.
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Apr 12, 2017 17:40
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Found the post I made (in the home buying thread)Leperflesh posted:10% annually in maintenance costs is way too high for a home that isn't so bad it's close to being condemned. 1-2% annually is a much more reasonable budget for a reasonably modern and decent condition house.
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Apr 12, 2017 17:46
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Thanks for reposting that, LF. That's where I got the hang of "1% annually," but I see clearly now how you've arrived at it. We live in a modest house built in 2005 in a relatively inexpensive part of the country with an exceedingly simple roof. The materials inside are slightly shabby but the home is new enough that nothing major has caught up with the home yet. I don't really know what I expect to fail, but we have the cash that we could float any repair short of a 100% structural replacement immediately. I'll budget for the lawn care and take into account other expenses as they manifest.
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Apr 12, 2017 17:53
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I'm looking at having a professional service perform two fairly significant tasks for my home: 1. Complete an electrical panel upgrade, which includes the following: - Wire a 150A "all in one" service. This is to replace my current panel, which is only 100A, to support the AC unit. - Wire a new circuit, btw 31-50ft. - Pull the relevant permit Total, including parts, labor, material, outside GFI if needed: $2,600 2. Install a 3 ton Bryant 13 SEER rated model, which includes the following: - Condensate pump installation - Correcting a flue pipe issue that currently violates code standards - Wi-Fi thermostat (meh) Total, including parts, labor, material and taxes: $4,200 This would put the total cost for a panel upgrade at about $6,800. I've done some price quoting online and this seems to be about average. I'm not skilled enough to do these tasks on my own, so DIY isn't an option. The installer assures me it can be completed in one day. I'm in the Denver area. Does that quote seem too high or reasonable for the work performed?
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Apr 12, 2017 18:54
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:And you keep a separate, running account for this purpose different from your all-purpose emergency fund? No. If the roof were to need replacing we would use our general emergency fund. We started down a path to madness micromanaging our savings (Car Replacement Fund, Roof Replacement Fund, etc) then realized it was insanity. We keep out 6 month emergency fund and put all extra money into it. As it grows too large we do something with the money. (Spend, Invest, whatever.) To be frank, at your cash flow levels it should be work out fine, and for total house replacement it's hopefully something covered by your home owners insurance. If you need a new roof you can likely save the funds in a few months. ex post facho posted:I'm looking at having a professional service perform two fairly significant tasks for my home: $2.6k for a panel replacement is fine, however go to a 200A service. Why half rear end it now? It will likely not cost a significant amount more, and if you get a competing bid for "replacement panel, 200A service, wire for HVAC installation" it might even cost the same. Take that quote to your current guy and ask for it to be 200A. Check with your city that you won't have any other code upgrades you have to do as a result. $4k sounds normal for HVAC. This is to tie into an existing forced air unit right? H110Hawk fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Apr 12, 2017 |
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Apr 12, 2017 19:04
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H110Hawk posted:To be frank, at your cash flow levels it should be work out fine Yeah but you're under the delusion I am doing this because I have to. This is FUN for me, I ENJOY this. I don't know why, but sometime after I turned 30 all of a sudden I cared about turning the lights off in the house and keeping the thermostat at 68 like wtf do I care for?
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Apr 12, 2017 19:09
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:Yeah but you're under the delusion I am doing this because I have to. This is FUN for me, I ENJOY this. I don't know why, but sometime after I turned 30 all of a sudden I cared about turning the lights off in the house and keeping the thermostat at 68 like wtf do I care for? I was only talking about the accounting side of it. Saving money of my bills is fun hobby I encourage everyone to participate in as long as it doesn't become a /r/frugal I wash my clothes in the bathtub obsession. I pretty obsessively turn off the 24W (6Wx4 bulb) fixture in my bedroom as I walk out despite knowing I will be back in a few minutes and the annual cost to operate likely being less than a dollar.
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Apr 12, 2017 19:13
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ex post facho posted:I'm in the Denver area. Does that quote seem too high or reasonable for the work performed? Always get at least two quotes. I have no idea if that's reasonable, there's too many factors at play, but always get at least two quotes. If nothing else, different contractors will have different opinions on how much needs to be done -- there's always the cheap guy that will do the bare minimum (which leads to problems down the road when you discover he decided to drill through your sewer line to run a cable rather than reroute), the one that'll try to sell you on a gold-plated solution for four times as much cash as you wanted to spend, and hopefully several folks in-between. But when you have no familiarity with the domain, you have no real way of judging where a single quote lies on that spectrum. Asking for more quotes lets you compare and contrast the different offers, and then you can go back to each contractor and say "So why don't you think it's necessary to do X (that some other contractor suggested doing)?"
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Apr 12, 2017 19:20
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H110Hawk posted:$2.6k for a panel replacement is fine, however go to a 200A service. Why half rear end it now? It will likely not cost a significant amount more, and if you get a competing bid for "replacement panel, 200A service, wire for HVAC installation" it might even cost the same. Take that quote to your current guy and ask for it to be 200A. Correct, I have an existing forced air furnace and ducting. I asked about why not 200A, and the inspector said the vast majority of homes never come close to 200A unless you're using a ton of additional electrical equipment/appliances regularly, which I am not. I've also made it a point to use HE lighting and other appliances throughout. Only two people live in my home and that will be all for the forseeable future. That said I'm not opposed to a 200A, bur it seems unnecessary if I can get away with 150A. All told after taxes I'm looking at $6,800. ex post facho fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Apr 12, 2017 |
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Apr 12, 2017 19:36
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ex post facho posted:Correct, I have an existing forced air furnace and ducting. If you only have a single 3 ton AC unit you will probably never have a problem at 150A. On the other hand, if your existing meter and street feed are already big enough to support a 200A panel, it might only cost you like $50 more to get the bigger panel. If the only difference in the job was literally paying extra for the bigger main breaker panel, I would go with the 200 personally. Running out of space/capacity three years from now because you wanted to save $50 would be really annoying.
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Apr 12, 2017 20:07
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Not that you don't need to upgrade to 150A or even 200A, but I have 100A and I was considering upgrading until I did the math and realized I could literally add a hot tub and still not top a total calculated load of 90A. (1870 sqft and pretty much all gas appliances)
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Apr 12, 2017 20:33
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:Not that you don't need to upgrade to 150A or even 200A, but I have 100A and I was considering upgrading until I did the math and realized I could literally add a hot tub and still not top a total calculated load of 90A. (1870 sqft and pretty much all gas appliances) A lot of new construction is 200A, and that includes rapid cut-corner construction. The breakers are within a few bucks of each other, slightly larger wire from your meter to your main breaker (which is a 2-3' span at most.) If you want to upgrade in the future it is another $2,600. Your contractor may not even charge you more for this upgrade if you ask really nicely. Also: Have them use the Square-D panel with "plug-on neutral" - it looks super nice and I regret not getting it when I rewired our 1250 sqft house powered by a 60A service to 200A without adding any additional load. If you decide to start adding (or are required by this panel swap) AFCI/GFCI breakers it will save you labor and wire spaghetti.
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Apr 12, 2017 21:22
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