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OctaviusBeaver posted:I'm looking at a house with a cracked roof truss and wanted to get a quote for repair before going forward with buying it. What type of contractor would you use for that? A trussted one.
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Sep 7, 2017 17:02
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OctaviusBeaver posted:I'm looking at a house with a cracked roof truss and wanted to get a quote for repair before going forward with buying it. What type of contractor would you use for that? I'd start with a structural engineer to make sure what you are seeing is the entire extent of the problem. They are also very good at coming up with less expensive/intrusive ways to repair things like that.
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Sep 7, 2017 18:06
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Motronic posted:I'd start with a structural engineer to make sure what you are seeing is the entire extent of the problem. Is this the sort of thing that (without seeing it or knowing why it cracked in the first place) could potentially be fixed by something as "simple" as sistering the cracked span?
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Sep 7, 2017 18:32
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H110Hawk posted:Is this the sort of thing that (without seeing it or knowing why it cracked in the first place) could potentially be fixed by something as "simple" as sistering the cracked span? Yes but the reason it cracked is more important. Did something fall on the roof? Did they install a broken truss? It is a mystery.
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Sep 7, 2017 20:09
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Motronic posted:If you're in PECO territory you should check this out: https://www.peco.com/WaystoSave/ForYourHome/Pages/HVACRebates.aspx Thanks for that link! I am in PECO territory so that is great information. I live out near Pottstown/Limerick/Phoenixville/etc. Closest town is like, Spring City or Royersford.
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Sep 7, 2017 21:05
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Elephanthead posted:Yes but the reason it cracked is more important. Did something fall on the roof? Did they install a broken truss? It is a mystery. Yeah, I understand it's the why to prevent recurrence or uncovering hilarious future failures that actually matters here.
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Sep 7, 2017 21:06
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The joys of a 6000 sq m garden... Replaced my 20--something year old Swedish Klippo front rider (in background) with a Swedish 10 year old Jonsered 4x4 front rider (on trailer). As terrible as they are at governing, the Swedes sure make great movers.
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Sep 7, 2017 22:01
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Steampunk Hitler posted:Thanks for that link! I am in PECO territory so that is great information. I live out near Pottstown/Limerick/Phoenixville/etc. Closest town is like, Spring City or Royersford. Ahhh, than I can't help with the HVAC guy. That's out of his normal area. But the PECO rebates are pretty sweet especially when you need to install a hoss of a system like you'll need for that square footage.
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Sep 8, 2017 14:40
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 My toilet's broken. It's a tank and bowl. Can I replace the mechanism with a flapper or do I have to buy the same piston thing (ignore the bent handle thing) Also these black rubber seals love to melt. Should I get silicone seals?
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Sep 9, 2017 00:00
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Spring Heeled Jack posted:What does everyone use for grass seed? I live in Maryland and my backyard is fenced in with a dog, so it gets a lot of heavy use. Looking for something potentially durable. I've been looking at some rye grass since I've heard they have high traffic tolerance but in all actuality I have no idea what to look for. No grass is durable enough for a fenced in dog. You will probably just have to overseed and repair spots every year or two. Ryegrass comes up quickly, so it might be a good choice if you can't keep the dog off the new grass for long. I just planted a 4 seed blend of turf type tall fescues from a garden store that a nearby farmer's coop runs. It was $2/lb. vs $1/lb. for ky-31. The improved fescues that have come out since ky-31 are more drought and traffic tolerant, require less mowing, are more dense to choke out weeds, and look better. If you are going to break your back seeding the lawn, might as well use the good stuff. Make sure the cultivars are labelled on the bag. Here is some MD specific cultivar advice: https://extension.umd.edu//sites/ex...Overseeding.pdf
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Sep 9, 2017 18:05
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I just started an airbnb! Link here: http://abnb.me/EVmg/D20hwZLGjG No idea how it's gonna go, but we live on Hawaii so hopefully we can make a few bucks a month. And if any goons want to visit come on down!!! Feedback on the listing appreciated. I got tips from a couple friends in what they would want to see (ie more exterior shots) so I'm gonna work on that tomorrow. Wanted to get it up and tweak it later as needed. Rocks fucked around with this message at 06:24 on Sep 10, 2017 |
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Sep 10, 2017 06:18
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Rocks posted:I just started an airbnb! Link here: Pay your TAT. I think the shots from local hikes/beaches are sort of disingenuous being that it isn't right on the beach, or at the top of those hikes. As with all real estate photos, I think you could benefit from wider angle shots. Without getting a fish eye lens, you could do something like shoot a photo sphere from a corner and cut it down to a large photo on a PC. The ones shot of the space from the loft are alllmost what I would personally look for in shots. You didn't check "internet" on your amenities list. I'm not a lawyer, but you probably want more of a waiver than just the one sentence on your AirBnB page(though you may have one already, in which case, disregard)
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Sep 10, 2017 07:50
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Sigourney Cheevos posted:Pay your TAT. great feedback thanks a ton. I've got a smaller lens on my camera so I'll try that out tomorrow and see what that does. And yeah I'll be paying TAT for sure.
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Sep 10, 2017 08:11
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Does anyone have any advice for home generators? I'm starting to worry about Irma, because the last time a similar storm went through Florida, it caused a weeklong power outage from the residual windstorm here in Ohio. I was thinking about picking up a horror fraught generator but I'm worried about voltage spikes in the output or other potential issues with the quality of the power. Should I saw gently caress it and not worry about it, or is there something else I should be looking into?
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Sep 10, 2017 21:03
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Sigourney Cheevos posted:Pay your TAT. updated the listing FYI, based on your feedback as well as feedback I got from others. - i kept the hiking and beach photos but added clarity on the distance from the property. - added internet - removed the waiver language (i went back and forth on this one, but makes sense to remove completely i think) - i took some more wider angle photos too but they didn't look proper. added some more photos though to add more context thanks again. wish me luck!
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Sep 10, 2017 21:38
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OSU_Matthew posted:Does anyone have any advice for home generators? I'm starting to worry about Irma, because the last time a similar storm went through Florida, it caused a weeklong power outage from the residual windstorm here in Ohio. http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-portable-generator/ http://thesweethome.com/reviews/emergency-preparedness/ i don't have a generator myself but i used the sweethome's recommendations for all my other emergency supplies, see above.
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Sep 10, 2017 21:39
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OSU_Matthew posted:Does anyone have any advice for home generators? I'm starting to worry about Irma, because the last time a similar storm went through Florida, it caused a weeklong power outage from the residual windstorm here in Ohio. The answer totally depends on how much you are willing to spend on this and what your actual needs are. I'm in a place where we lose power on a fairly regular basis - not enough for me to shell out for a whole house generator, but enough that I have a portable one that I can hook up to the entire house (not run everything....like AC and the electric oven are right out, but for the most part we're running normally, but with a noise thing sitting outside that needs to be filled up every 4 or 5 hours). So let's start with this: you may already be too late to get the generator you actually want. They have largely been diverted to Texas and Florida. I'm talking like big box stores pulling everything but the shittiest things out of other stores to truck them down there. That harbor freight generator has a decent motor. The generator side.......ehhhh.....it's HF. It's not gonna last. And even worse, if you hook it up to a bunch of expensive poo poo and the regulator goes for broke and overvolts everything you're gonna have a bad time of it. So what are you actually looking to do and how much do you have to spend? Things for the former include important factors like "I have a heat pump and an infant" to which I will say you need a whole house bigass generator" or "I have a wood stove or fireplace that can heat my house well enough". If all you're worried about is your refrigerator and maybe being able to run the microwave and charge your electronics it's a completely different answer.
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Sep 10, 2017 23:37
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Also unless you're going to run extension cords out to the generator, absolutely have an electrician install a transfer switch and don't just back feed through an outlet or some other dumb idea. That can kill power company electricians and start fires.
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Sep 11, 2017 00:02
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Erwin posted:Also unless you're going to run extension cords out to the generator, absolutely have an electrician install a transfer switch and don't just back feed through an outlet or some other dumb idea. That can kill power company electricians and start fires. Absolutely. Which takes the cost of a reasonable quality 5k backup generator (that would suffice for most people without electric heat/heat pumps and/or and electric water heater) and doubles it. This is why I'm asking the questions.
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Sep 11, 2017 00:11
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Rocks posted:updated the listing FYI, based on your feedback as well as feedback I got from others. Your new photos and the changes to the existing ones look great. I think that's like 99% of what I'd personally look for in an AirBnB, so great job. Best of luck with it!
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Sep 11, 2017 05:41
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Motronic posted:The answer totally depends on how much you are willing to spend on this and what your actual needs are. Sorry, I should have clarified all that in my original post. I'm just looking to power a fridge/freezer, network rack UPS, a couple of cat litterboxes, and charge up headlamps and some devices. I figure about 1500-2000 watts would be my max consumption, and I was just planning on running a few extension cords into the house and calling it day. Eventually I plan on installing a a transfer box for the lights and a couple of circuits but I was just looking for an interim solution, something like 3000 watts so it'll run all night and while I'm at work without having to refill the tank. The spending part is preferably under 500$. I figure right now is a bad time to buy because like you said, all the generators are being diverted to people who actually need them. But, it's a good reminder that I really should have something for the future. Is there some way that I could connect a regulator or something to condition the power being generated, before I connected it up to my house?
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Sep 11, 2017 18:11
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Wait why does a cat's poo poo box require power again?
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Sep 11, 2017 18:16
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OSU_Matthew posted:Sorry, I should have clarified all that in my original post. I'm just looking to power a fridge/freezer, network rack UPS, a couple of cat litterboxes, and charge up headlamps and some devices. I figure about 1500-2000 watts would be my max consumption, and I was just planning on running a few extension cords into the house and calling it day. Eventually I plan on installing a a transfer box for the lights and a couple of circuits but I was just looking for an interim solution, something like 3000 watts so it'll run all night and while I'm at work without having to refill the tank. The spending part is preferably under 500$. You want to double your budget and buy one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Honda-EU2000I-Portable-Generator-Inverter/dp/B005ND19AE There is absolutely, positively no comparison in that class. Everything else will be extremely loud and consume a lot of fuel and be a lot physically larger. You could go down to $500, but you're not going to get even close to 1/2 of the niceities of that unit. You can literally talk at a normal volume level while standing next to it. It runs drat near 8 hours on it's one gallon gas tank at moderate load. It weighs like 45 lbs as opposed to 145.
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Sep 11, 2017 19:03
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HEY NONG MAN posted:Wait why does a cat's poo poo box require power again? So it can email you when the cat takes dump duh.
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Sep 11, 2017 20:30
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Steve Yun posted:
Hot drat, that looks almost exactly like my in-laws Kohler that I fixed a while back. I tore out the garbage universal kit that was in it and bought all original parts on the recommendation of a trusted plumber. Now the thing works flawlessly, the lever has a lighter and more positive feel and the flapper is way less restrictive then the universal one. Also I recommend taking the brick out and saving that one quart per flush by watering the lawn less or something, the toilet was designed with a certain amount of water per flush in mind. edit: huh, internet says that type of valve is common on mansfield toilets but dunno if they are considered more or less problematic than a flapper style. Either way I recommend staying away from the universal valves and ordering proper parts using the model number stamped inside the tank. As far as the silicone seals go I figure if the original ones lasted 25 years before getting all goopy another 25 years is good enough for me. Bibendum fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Sep 12, 2017 |
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Sep 12, 2017 00:50
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Elephanthead posted:So it can email you when the cat takes dump duh. Not too far from the truth... I've got a cat genie and litter robot, and though I can manually scoop the litter robot, the cat genie needs rinsed to clean it. It's the dumbest thing in the world to worry about in any real emergency, but something that could sadly potentially be an issue in a prolonged power outage. That being said, I will say that not having to scoop the catbox has been a huge quality of life improvement Motronic posted:You want to double your budget and buy one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Honda-EU2000I-Portable-Generator-Inverter/dp/B005ND19AE Oh drat, this is awesome--it's exactly what I wanted! The extra portability is definitely a huge bonus... I had no idea this class of generator existed! Thanks!
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Sep 12, 2017 01:32
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I use a Honda EU2000i for my tailgate. It is a fantastic piece of machinery that sips gas and is super quiet. Would buy again
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Sep 12, 2017 15:04
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OSU_Matthew posted:Oh drat, this is awesome--it's exactly what I wanted! The extra portability is definitely a huge bonus... I had no idea this class of generator existed! Thanks! Also, if you need 4k watts in the future and/or 220v there is a "sync" cable you can get to run 2 units in tandem. A lot of people with RVs do this so they can run just one most of the time and kick on the second if they want to run an air conditioner or whatever higher load stuff they might have.
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Sep 12, 2017 15:33
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Because of the hurricane, it sounds like we might be able to defer our mortgage payments for a few months. Is there a downside to this beyond the terms finishing 3 months later than originally thought? We’ve not lived here long and there’s some more improvements we’d like to make, and $5k in our pocket would certainly make that easier/faster.
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Sep 16, 2017 00:47
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EL BROMANCE posted:Because of the hurricane, it sounds like we might be able to defer our mortgage payments for a few months. Is there a downside to this beyond the terms finishing 3 months later than originally thought? We’ve not lived here long and there’s some more improvements we’d like to make, and $5k in our pocket would certainly make that easier/faster. Interest still accrues. It's likely cheaper than a heloc, but run the numbers.
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Sep 16, 2017 00:56
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Good plan, thanks.
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Sep 16, 2017 02:09
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Officially a homeowner this past week. Managed to move 95% of the belongings in with only one thing breaking (thanks dad). Here's to sending the rest of my money off to HD/Lowe's/Home Goods/contractors for the rest of my life.
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Sep 18, 2017 01:15
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Anya posted:Officially a homeowner this past week. Managed to move 95% of the belongings in with only one thing breaking (thanks dad). Here's to sending the rest of my money off to HD/Lowe's/Home Goods/contractors for the rest of my life. I saw the capitolized H and thought for certain this post was going to end with "managed to move 95% of my belongings in and then Hurricane Harvey hit"
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Sep 18, 2017 03:49
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Anya posted:/Home Goods/ My wife walks into Home Goods and all the cashiers go Hey Heather! .... My poor wallet  At least my house is well decorated lol
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Sep 18, 2017 12:13
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Haha thankfully not near any coastline. Our only natural disaster is heroin here.
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Sep 18, 2017 12:59
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Any advice for hurricane window and door protection? Looking at the ridged aluminum panels (with a few polycarbonate mixed in for visibility), but not sure if I should bother with the fancy mounting brackets or just put the wall anchors in. We have a ton of Windows in the house including three large pocket sliders which dont seem to have an easy way to cover up (nothing to attach on the bottom and 100"+ wide spans).
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Sep 18, 2017 16:46
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Mine are built in to the brackets, and I was able to shut them up really fast, and the rest of the family are quite jealous. The only problem is when we had a deep clean done recently, I think the lady managed to either lose or move the only key for them I have so I had to zip tie them together. Somehow this worked! They have a lock in the middle and one side has a stake that goes through the bottom of the bracket. 
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Sep 18, 2017 17:25
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EL BROMANCE posted:Mine are built in to the brackets, and I was able to shut them up really fast, and the rest of the family are quite jealous. The only problem is when we had a deep clean done recently, I think the lady managed to either lose or move the only key for them I have so I had to zip tie them together. Somehow this worked! Where do you live that you need these on year round? Also what's the product there? Pretty slick.
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Sep 18, 2017 23:52
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Rocks posted:Where do you live that you need these on year round? Also what's the product there? Pretty slick. They're called accordion shutters, I have them on my house. I wouldn't say they're common in Florida, but they're certainly not rare; Maybe one in fifteen houses or so.
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Sep 19, 2017 00:04
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Yeah we’re in South Florida. Haven’t seen another set up in my neighborhood, but definitely glad we have them. Kudos to the old owners! Funny thing is we do use them all year round as my wife works nights and they really help with light control, and a bit of temperature too I’m sure.
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Sep 19, 2017 03:06
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