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I just want to give props to the spider who made that excellent web in the second picture
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Nov 21, 2018 22:39
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just another posted:ugh just enable me please No. I'd prefer you don't end up hurt and/or with the front of your house ripped off. Secondary concerns are starting a project you aren't equipped to finish.
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Nov 22, 2018 01:16
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Motronic posted:No. I'd prefer you don't end up hurt and/or with the front of your house ripped off. Secondary concerns are starting a project you aren't equipped to finish. UGH Well on the plus side, this job won't get done until the summer anyhow, so I have lots of time to plan and learn, or consider my other options. Unfortunately, with where I live, I either pay less to have a subcontractor do a job I could probably do on my own with some help, or I pay way more to have it done extremely well. It's hard to stomach $40,000 on a porch though when the whole house done to the 9s would fetch maybe $250,000. For some of the concerns you raised: Clay soil with a lot of rocks. I was also thinking of pouring temporary concrete bases to carry the weight some, and/or using something like these in place of wood braces: https://ellismanufacturing.com/collections/steel-shores I'm thinking a week's worth of work at the long end. I'll have some helpers to get it done so it won't be completely solo. Weather's unpredictable. It'll probably rain at some point no matter how well I plan. Roof structure will need a proper inspection, yeah. I was already thinking of replacing the soffits with vinyl so that'd be a good time to take a peek at what's under the wood soffits and ceiling. Jealous Cow posted:I need to know what’s through that door. 
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Nov 22, 2018 02:03
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I like your soil collection
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Nov 22, 2018 11:58
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I hope that doesn't get below 40F or you shouldn't be storing summer rubber in there.
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Nov 22, 2018 16:56
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willroc7 posted:I hope that doesn't get below 40F or you shouldn't be storing summer rubber in there. That's only a thing with super soft high performance summers.
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Nov 22, 2018 19:02
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Motronic posted:That's only a thing with super soft high performance summers. Go on. I assume this isn't a big deal for overnight dips below 40F? It gets down there in the winter here in Los Angeles but it's obviously not a hard freeze. I'll drive them around the mountains and stuff, not at any kind of speed or on anything frozen. I have ~2014 vintage Hankook Ventus R-S3 XL's on my car. (I would need to double check the rubber stamp on the year, going off my tire rack order.)
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Nov 22, 2018 20:35
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Motronic posted:That's only a thing with super soft high performance summers. Well he said summer tires. Is there even such a thing as non super soft summers? Every summer tire I've owned has explicitly said to avoid storing it under 40F.
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Nov 22, 2018 22:13
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Most summer tires aren't damaged by storage in freezing weather, however that tire rack does seem to classify it as an "extreme performance" tire and you should avoid freezing according to their blurb.
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Nov 23, 2018 02:39
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willroc7 posted:Well he said summer tires. Is there even such a thing as non super soft summers? Every summer tire I've owned has explicitly said to avoid storing it under 40F. Yes, there is. Non extreme-performance summer tires that are made more for length of wear than stickiness. Those are just called "tires" in the south/other areas where it's warm all year around. The manufacturer will tell you about storage and/or driving temperatures for the particular tire.
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Nov 23, 2018 16:49
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Some Roombas are on sale or something. Since this is the generic homekeeping thread, is there a particularly good option to get (especially for hardwood floors), or is the one on sale at Amazon good enough?
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Nov 24, 2018 00:36
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Pollyanna posted:Some Roombas are on sale or something. Since this is the generic homekeeping thread, is there a particularly good option to get (especially for hardwood floors), or is the one on sale at Amazon good enough? the 600 series continues to be the best bang for the buck-- if it's a fancier one it'll clean as well but you probably paid too much.
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Nov 24, 2018 00:45
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I just missed a deal by 3 minutes as I was reading the reviews and I am miffed.
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Nov 24, 2018 01:18
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Hi what floors should we put in our kitchen. I grew up with oak and loved them but we have a fat dog who would destroy something like that probably. Apparently LVP/LVT is the thing to do now?
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Nov 24, 2018 01:50
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Bloody posted:Hi what floors should we put in our kitchen. I grew up with oak and loved them but we have a fat dog who would destroy something like that probably. Apparently LVP/LVT is the thing to do now? It would work, as would wood-look porcelain tile. With the LVP/LVT it's important to get a sample to attack, as some are rugged and others will scratch easily. I like our Mannington Adura, but there are other great choices out there as well. The cheaper brands and lines can be pretty awful, though.
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Nov 24, 2018 02:28
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Qwijib0 posted:the 600 series continues to be the best bang for the buck-- if it's a fancier one it'll clean as well but you probably paid too much. Got it - I'll snatch up that 675. Thank you!
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Nov 24, 2018 02:47
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We have laminate flooring that was designed for dogs (and is also perfect for kids.) Water resistant, scratch resistant, good traction.
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Nov 24, 2018 03:07
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We just redid our main floor with LVP, and I really recommend it. It's been great for our pets, install was easy, and it looks really good. We went with the Smartcore Ultra from Lowes.
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Nov 24, 2018 17:49
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I'm looking into insulating my house's rim joists. The previous owners hastily stuffed some fiberglass batts cut to size into them and they don't really do anything, and everything I've read online says explicitly not to use fiberglass for this application. If I buy some foam insulating boards and cut them to size, would I need to put a vapor barrier behind them? Or could I just cut them to size and seal in place with expanding foam around the edges? I've also read that insulating board is flammable and so requires drywalling over. I'd really rather not have to do that, if possible. This product I found that seems like it would do the job says "Polyiso rigid foam board offers superior fire protection properties compared to any other rigid foam board insulation" but I'm not sure I trust that. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Thermas...13010/100573703 I found this blog post that says a product called THERMAX Heavy Duty insulation doesn't require a fire barrier, but hell if I can find a source for it online.
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Nov 28, 2018 19:49
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Anyone familiar with Aprilaire humidifiers? I have one installed (600 series I believe). I'm not very satisfied, I recently installed a Nest thermostat so I'm finally getting a reading and I can't get my house above 30%. Any suggestions?
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Nov 29, 2018 01:09
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wandler20 posted:Anyone familiar with Aprilaire humidifiers? I have one installed (600 series I believe). I'm not very satisfied, I recently installed a Nest thermostat so I'm finally getting a reading and I can't get my house above 30%. Any suggestions? Water supply on? Humidistat on? Bypass flap(s) open? Pad replaced, and not just a cake of calcium deposits? That’s the checklist, but my bypass unit sucks too. Seems to be the norm.
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Nov 29, 2018 01:14
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eddiewalker posted:Water supply on? Humidistat on? Bypass flap(s) open? Pad replaced, and not just a cake of calcium deposits? Yup, checked those things out. Might have to get a supplemental unit.
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Nov 29, 2018 02:12
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wandler20 posted:Yup, checked those things out. General air-sealing and insulation is the real solution.
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Nov 29, 2018 03:17
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eddiewalker posted:General air-sealing and insulation is the real solution. Makes sense. I do need to add insulation to my attic, been putting it off.
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Nov 29, 2018 03:19
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You’re losing humidity as dry outdoor air seeps in. Attic insulation is a good thing, but leaky windows and such are what really cause dryness. I used to have dry nostrils, static-y blankets and such, but I drilled down on leaks with some new windows, caulking, weather stripping and such. Now it’s been around 20F for a few weeks and my house is 40%RH just from showers/cooking etc. I haven’t even bothered turning on the bypass humidifier. I had a blower door test to find leaks because my utility co paid for it, but honestly all their suggestions were pretty common sense. It all adds up.
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Nov 29, 2018 03:37
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Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it. It really does make sense because I know my windows aren't what they should be for North Dakota weather. I'm going to have to break down and replace them sooner than later, especially the west facing ones. Our house builder was not qualified to build a house here. I think they were from Nevada. I've had to fix more things than I'd like to admit.
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Nov 29, 2018 03:50
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eddiewalker posted:You’re losing humidity as dry outdoor air seeps in. Attic insulation is a good thing, but leaky windows and such are what really cause dryness. Sigh. I unfortunately need to get around to this. The old house is loving drafty.
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Nov 29, 2018 14:12
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Easy solution is to have about 500 gallons worth of aquariums scattered throughout the house.
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Nov 29, 2018 16:01
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Enos Cabell posted:We just redid our main floor with LVP, and I really recommend it. It's been great for our pets, install was easy, and it looks really good. We went with the Smartcore Ultra from Lowes. I just looked into this and it talks about installation over old flooring is fine. What did you end up doing and any tips on purchase decision/install? I think regardless of what I end up getting I want to remove the 2-3 layers of linoleum bullshit in my kitchen which means I need to look into the best removal methods for that stuff.
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Nov 29, 2018 17:52
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I'm sure as long as the floor was level, there would be no problem laying this stuff right over the top of it. In our case, we were replacing carpet in the main living room / family room areas and linoleum in the kitchen. The carpeted areas were easy, just pulled up carpet and pad and laid the vinyl plank right on the subfloor. In the kitchen the linoleum was laid on top of a 1/4" sheet of plywood over the subfloor, so we had to pull that out too so that the floors were the same level. I was thankful to have that plywood layer actually, because removing the linoleum and glue loving sucked. Other than having to cut around my cabinets, it was all pretty easy to remove with some long pry bars. The floor itself goes in pretty easily, I'd for sure pick up the install kit that has the tapping blocks and spacers. Also highly recommend some decent knee pads!
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Nov 29, 2018 18:48
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The only thing that sucks about LVP is that if it does end up getting scratched to the point where you need to replace planks, you need to cut them out and glue the new ones down, and then you lose the water resistance from the plank interlock in that spot.
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Nov 29, 2018 19:30
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wandler20 posted:Anyone familiar with Aprilaire humidifiers? I have one installed (600 series I believe). I'm not very satisfied, I recently installed a Nest thermostat so I'm finally getting a reading and I can't get my house above 30%. Any suggestions? They are pretty top notch units. You already got good advice, but to restate some of it in a different way: your unit, if it it running properly, is undersized. This is very common. You can decrease the load factor (air sealing) or increase the unit size. Or some of both.
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Nov 29, 2018 23:46
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Motronic posted:They are pretty top notch units. You already got good advice, but to restate some of it in a different way: your unit, if it it running properly, is undersized. This is very common. I'll look into a bigger unit. I had it professionally installed so you'd think they would know what size I'd need but apparently not. Also, I can't complain much because they never charged me for the unit or install. They also did all the duct work when I was finishing my basement. I called after like 2 months for a bill and they said they'd look into it. Never got one, that was 4 years ago lol.
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Nov 30, 2018 05:59
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Speaking of duct work, I just discovered that the previous owner but sheets of fiberglass insulation INSIDE the duct work in about 1/3 of my house, in the duct work running above the basement and garage (raised ranch construction). I'm having an HVAC company come out next week. Does the seller have any liability here? Should it have been disclosed? I'm assuming it's been blowing fiberglass particles all over the house since they did this. The duct cleaning company said they've never seen anything like this. Mental. I have allergies and asthma and have had mild to moderate breathing problems (mostly congestion) since moving in.
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Nov 30, 2018 20:52
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willroc7 posted:Speaking of duct work, I just discovered that the previous owner but sheets of fiberglass insulation INSIDE the duct work in about 1/3 of my house, in the duct work running above the basement and garage (raised ranch construction). I'm having an HVAC company come out next week. Does the seller have any liability here? Should it have been disclosed? Welcome to being a (previously owned home) homeowner. Part of the fun is finding sloppy, hack-y, and downright dangerous DIY jobs the P.O. or his lovely 'contractors' did. That definitely ranks up there on the 'WTF were they thinking' scale.
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Nov 30, 2018 21:34
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willroc7 posted:Speaking of duct work, I just discovered that the previous owner but sheets of fiberglass insulation INSIDE the duct work in about 1/3 of my house, in the duct work running above the basement and garage (raised ranch construction). I'm having an HVAC company come out next week. Does the seller have any liability here? Should it have been disclosed? I'm assuming it's been blowing fiberglass particles all over the house since they did this. The duct cleaning company said they've never seen anything like this. Mental. I have allergies and asthma and have had mild to moderate breathing problems (mostly congestion) since moving in. That's entirely normal. https://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?172189-Insulation-INSIDE-supply-ductwork
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Dec 1, 2018 00:27
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Yeah, fiberglass board insulation isn't uncommon in hvac duct. It should be 1/2 to an inch thick, and black under all the accumulated dust. It's in there to reduce noise and to prevent condensation from forming on the duct and then dripping all over stuff. Now if it's just some batt insulation thrown in there, there's a problem.
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Dec 1, 2018 00:35
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immoral_ posted:Now if it's just some batt insulation thrown in there, there's a problem. That's what I thought willroc7 meant with "fibers blowing around".
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Dec 1, 2018 00:47
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Yea it’s batt.
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Dec 1, 2018 01:06
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willroc7 posted:Yea it’s batt. Oh , then run away. I do ductwork all day everyday so when I see something about insulation I'm not thinking batt, but since you said someone else had looked, I thought I'd at least give them some benefit. Duct insulation is fiberglass based but it's compressed, unlike the floofy poo poo that batt is.
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Dec 1, 2018 03:29
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