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Slugworth posted:Does a standard 33x22 not fit? That cutout sounds like plenty of room. Just measuring/eyeballing things from the top, my elkay 33x22 looks as though it would fit comfortably in that opening. Yes, that is what my wife bought and it didn't work which really surprised us.
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Apr 2, 2019 04:11
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Our entry doors have, in addition to the single-cylinder lockset coupled to the knob/latch, double-cylinder double deadbolt locks all keyed the same. They are, however, getting increasingly finicky -- one stopped working entirely and isn't currently on the door (it goes to a patio on top of the garage), one works from the outside only if you wiggle the door around, and one is starting to get more difficult if you don't wiggle they key a bit. So I'd like to replace them all. We generally use the single-cylinder lock on the front door when we're in the house and this when we're out, and there are sidelights in all areas that would allow someone to smash a window and open a single-cylinder lock, hence keeping the double-cylinder setup. ... but for the life of me, I can't find a reasonably-priced, reasonably sturdy lock that comes keyed as a matched set. (In fact, the only one I can find where I can just click "keyed alike" is a super-expensive Mul-T Lock that makes zero sense in this application since someone would simply take a sledgehammer to the door itself and knock out the flimsy wood lattice in between the twelve glass panels on the door itself.) Should I just call a locksmith for new locks and/or cylinders?
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Apr 2, 2019 13:27
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tetrapyloctomy posted:Our entry doors have, in addition to the single-cylinder lockset coupled to the knob/latch, double-cylinder double deadbolt locks all keyed the same. They are, however, getting increasingly finicky -- one stopped working entirely and isn't currently on the door (it goes to a patio on top of the garage), one works from the outside only if you wiggle the door around, and one is starting to get more difficult if you don't wiggle they key a bit. So I'd like to replace them all. We generally use the single-cylinder lock on the front door when we're in the house and this when we're out, and there are sidelights in all areas that would allow someone to smash a window and open a single-cylinder lock, hence keeping the double-cylinder setup. Learn how to rekey locks. Also buy some carbon lube and lube up your locks. Have you ever sprayed anything into the cylinder or live in a dusty area? Disassembling the locks and cleaning them up will likely make them good as new. It's the same skill as above but without the extra pins.
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Apr 2, 2019 15:42
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H110Hawk posted:Learn how to rekey locks. Carbon helped a little, but not enough, unfortunately. Likewise, disassembling and cleaning didn't help much either.
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Apr 2, 2019 21:26
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tetrapyloctomy posted:Carbon helped a little, but not enough, unfortunately. Likewise, disassembling and cleaning didn't help much either. I'm not sure how helpful this is to you in your territory, but quite a few online lock retailers in the UK will sell you keyed-alike cylinders for a few extra quid each: https://www.nextdaylocks.co.uk/evva-a5-72mm-5-pin-euro-double-cylinder-en-gb/?v=L10234 https://www.locksonline.co.uk/community/what-are-the-benefits-of-keying-alike.html Perhaps there's another supplier out there that would do the same for you?
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Apr 2, 2019 21:32
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tetrapyloctomy posted:Carbon helped a little, but not enough, unfortunately. Likewise, disassembling and cleaning didn't help much either. If it's just the keys/pins wearing out you can buy rekey kits online I believe which come with some number of keys and all the pins. Otherwise do you have a key you rarely use? Maybe a spare? Try that and compare it to your daily keys. They may simply be worn and you could have a locksmith cut you 10 new keys to code (or from your spare) for probably $25-30.
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Apr 2, 2019 21:41
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H110Hawk posted:If it's just the keys/pins wearing out you can buy rekey kits online I believe which come with some number of keys and all the pins. I'll have to look into rekeying kits. It's definitely not just a worn out key, though. We have six house keys (three cars with two sets of keys each) and while some are definitely worse cuts than others, all have varying degrees of difficulty. Jaded Burnout posted:I'm not sure how helpful this is to you in your territory, but quite a few online lock retailers in the UK will sell you keyed-alike cylinders for a few extra quid each: I'll have to look around for this as well. Thanks, all.
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Apr 2, 2019 21:59
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Anyone have any experience clearing out himalayan blackberry? I have a 15'x15' section of my yard that the previous HO let run wild and I ignored for a couple of years. Now I'm trying to clear it out and this poo poo is relentless. I was feeling ok because a lot of it I could just pull up out of the ground but now I'm finding pretty extensive roots a couple inches under the soil. Am I going to have to do everything by hand so I don't leave anything behind? Just a shovel and loppers and time? I also have a low section of my yard that is about 3'x3' and maybe 6 inches deep where the previous HO had a chicken coop. I don't like that it isn't the same grade and it looks like the guy just dumped some random seed on it because some of the blades grow way faster and don't look like normal lawn blades of grass, Can I just dump a bunch of top soil over it, reseed it with something else and then be done with it without worrying about the grass I'm covering up? How do I make sure I put enough soil on there to compact at around the right level? I assume I don't want to tamp any new soil too much if I want grass to grow in it?
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Apr 2, 2019 22:47
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Teabag Dome Scandal posted:Anyone have any experience clearing out himalayan blackberry? I have a 15'x15' section of my yard that the previous HO let run wild and I ignored for a couple of years. Now I'm trying to clear it out and this poo poo is relentless. I was feeling ok because a lot of it I could just pull up out of the ground but now I'm finding pretty extensive roots a couple inches under the soil. Am I going to have to do everything by hand so I don't leave anything behind? Just a shovel and loppers and time? Cut it all to the ground Paint the green wood stubs with glyphosate Wait 2 weeks Cut any new shoots to the ground Paint the green wood stubs with glyphosate Etc.
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Apr 3, 2019 00:18
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His Divine Shadow posted:Personally I am not sure what to recommend re: the windows. Are they wooden framed windows? If so I would keep them and fit an interior window in the old fashioned scandinavian style and turn them into double glaze windows. But it's hard to say without knowing what the current windows look like. Yeah I think read in an article linked somewhere here on the forums (this thread?) that it usually takes like 40 years to get a return on investment from new windows assuming you already have a single pane double hung window with a storm window. I think you usually get more bang for your buck with sealing and insulating your attic typically. I could be totally making this up but I don’t think I am?
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Apr 3, 2019 03:01
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stupid puma posted:Yeah I think read in an article linked somewhere here on the forums (this thread?) that it usually takes like 40 years to get a return on investment from new windows assuming you already have a single pane double hung window with a storm window. I think you usually get more bang for your buck with sealing and insulating your attic typically. I could be totally making this up but I don’t think I am? Definitely depends on the install and the seal. Doesn't matter much if you've got triple pane leaking air on the sides.
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Apr 3, 2019 03:10
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Another overlooked thing is the roof, it's a major source of heat loss. Good insulation and sealing in the roof helps more than adding insulation to walls.
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Apr 3, 2019 06:29
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Yeah I wouldn't have bothered replacing my windows and doors if they weren't a) a bit cheap & nasty and b), well, no actually that was all of it, I don't like things that annoy me daily. Oh yeah and the fire escape thing.
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Apr 3, 2019 10:13
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Yeah as someone with a home that has mostly old/wooden windows, new windows that aren't probably covered in lead paint and have screens would be great. Who gives a poo poo about recouping costs, it's a house not a business.
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Apr 3, 2019 20:37
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Normal people have got budgets and limited money, so it does factor in for most people. And it's a crap shoot with modern windows and the materials they're made of, so in a measely few decades they might be worse off in insulation rating than the old wooden windows were. And they where a massproduced product requiring specific components that might not be available, infact I bet most windows are not made to be repaired but instead replaced again. It's not a sustainable practice so I don't like it. Wooden windows can be maintained and even upgrade / modified for the least environmental impact.
His Divine Shadow fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Apr 4, 2019 |
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Apr 4, 2019 04:53
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His Divine Shadow posted:Normal people have got budgets and limited money, so it does factor in for most people. As it does for me, hence why I still have old wooden windows. But I mostly am griping over the handwringing over recouping costs or helping resale value etc. I’ve put off too many convenience projects that when I eventually did them I was like ‘holy poo poo why did I wait so long’.
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Apr 5, 2019 04:03
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Spring Heeled Jack posted:As it does for me, hence why I still have old wooden windows. Intangibles are worth considering. The cost comparison assumes that you can completely compensate for the difference by running your climate control more. But drafty windows mean that some rooms will be hotter/colder than others consistently, and so you will have a hard time being comfortable. It also means you will have humidity problems. Are you going to buy a (de)humidifier now and run that too? And if you do will it be enough even then?Plus running your climate control more puts more wear on that system as well. Better soundproofing, ease of operation, and look are also nice. You will get some but not all the value back, depending on how new they are when you sell. I'd assume an average 50-75% cost recouping (total guess). Take the total cost, reduce it to 25%, and divide that out by 20 years. Are you willing to spend that much per year for the intangibles? Composite windows are a great middle ground between the affordability of vinyl and the durability of wood. The ones I got (Marvin Integrity) have a lifetime warranty against inner seal leakage that becomes a transferrable 20 year warranty, and a warranty of some reasonable term (I can't remember) against mechanical malfunction. In my searches, they were the ones that came up as the "I'm a window guy and this is what I'd put in my house" choice on all the DIY and trade forums I found.
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Apr 5, 2019 12:14
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With windows constructed like I have suggested, one isn't compromising hardly anything against modern windows on the comfort issue or energy savings, and it might not even be that expensive since it's not a complete set of windows with multiple layers but an interior sash fitted to existing windows, sealed tight on the inside, the outer layer allows for some air flow though. Assuming the windows in place now would be compatible with such a thing anyway. My reasoning was to get within 90-95% of a modern three pane window for cheap, and also I am not fond of the throw away and buy new culture, hence I like to offer an alternative view. Nobody has to take it as gospel.
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Apr 5, 2019 13:47
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His Divine Shadow posted:My reasoning was to get within 90-95% of a modern three pane window for cheap, and also I am not fond of the throw away and buy new culture, hence I like to offer an alternative view. Nobody has to take it as gospel.
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Apr 5, 2019 14:04
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I think it's important not to conflate of disposable vs crafted, expensive vs cheap, and heavily insulated vs not. They play into one another but they're separate considerations with separate moral and financial concerns. It's easy to accidentally elide from one to another so we get this: Spring Heeled Jack posted:Who gives a poo poo about recouping costs, it's a house not a business. Spring Heeled Jack is referring to the common fallacy of "spend a bunch on sextuple glazing and you'll make it back in energy savings". His Divine Shadow posted:Normal people have got budgets and limited money, so it does factor in for most people. But here you've pushed it from "recouping the [entire] cost" of replacement windows to energy savings "factoring in", which means you're no longer arguing about the same thing. His Divine Shadow posted:And it's a crap shoot with modern windows and the materials they're made of, so in a measely few decades they might be worse off in insulation rating than the old wooden windows were. And now we're shifting to the disposability argument, suggesting that a few decades worth of better insulation makes replacing windows now not worth it? Not sure I follow that one exactly. His Divine Shadow posted:And they where a massproduced product requiring specific components that might not be available, infact I bet most windows are not made to be repaired but instead replaced again. It's not a sustainable practice so I don't like it. Wooden windows can be maintained and even upgrade / modified for the least environmental impact. And now we're fully off the financials and onto personal preference and environmental impact when we started the paragraph talking about using energy bill savings to pay off higher priced replacement windows. You say His Divine Shadow posted:I am not fond of the throw away and buy new culture, hence I like to offer an alternative view. Nobody has to take it as gospel. I think it's something worth talking about but perhaps more helpfully by clearly broaching the subject on its own.
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Apr 5, 2019 14:14
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Jaded Burnout posted:I think it's important not to conflate of disposable vs crafted, expensive vs cheap, and heavily insulated vs not. They play into one another but they're separate considerations with separate moral and financial concerns. Also I can't speak for Jaded Burnout directly, but I think its clear none of this is meant as criticism either personally or even necessarily of the advice given. To me, it's more about this: Making high-cost investments in a home that you will (probably) be living with for years if not decades is *hard*. Not only does it involve balancing potentially large up front costs against an array of varying results, those results themselves are often incomparable things: up front cost, efficacy, durability, maintenance, aesthetics, convenience, etc. Balancing all those things is invariably going to be a personal (and ultimately somewhat arbitrary) choice, and the best you can really do on a forum like this is offer people options and reasoning or point out any gotchas they might not have considered.
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Apr 5, 2019 15:44
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Hubis posted:Also I can't speak for Jaded Burnout directly, but I think its clear none of this is meant as criticism either personally or even necessarily of the advice given. Quite true, even the thing where I think maybe it's OK for something to only be effective for a few decades is just opinion vs opinion.
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Apr 5, 2019 16:05
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We had storm windows in my childhood home. One summer we left the bathroom window open a little and a few bats roosted between the panes :3
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Apr 5, 2019 16:13
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peanut posted:We had storm windows in my childhood home. One summer we left the bathroom window open a little and a few bats roosted between the panes :3 For what it's worth, my mom's 100 year old house in the mountains of Western Pennsylvania has storm windows over wood double-hung windows (that don't stay up anymore because the cords have long since rotted and dropped the weights into their pockets) and they seem to work great. I was playing around with the FLIR camera I got and it's actually the areas *around* the windows (where I suspect there may be an air leak) or random wall sections that are by far the coldest.
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Apr 5, 2019 16:24
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Jaded Burnout posted:But here you've pushed it from "recouping the [entire] cost" of replacement windows to energy savings "factoring in", which means you're no longer arguing about the same thing. If you go back and read I was talking about how efficient double pane windows were and that they are so efficient that from an economic perspective it's not worth replacing them. That's just a statement on it's own. Of you recall I stated this might not apply in this situation because of the design of the windows, their quality and what shape they are in now. But the person in this case has single pane windows and so an upgrade would definitely help. My idea was maybe he could modify his existing windows to two pane windows like the scandinavian traditional windows, might be cheaper and last longer and better. quote:And now we're shifting to the disposability argument, suggesting that a few decades worth of better insulation makes replacing windows now not worth it? Not sure I follow that one exactly. So what if we're shifting, two things can't be true at once? I was saying 10 decades of better insulation is better than say two decades. You seem to be thinking I've argued to let the windows be as they are? My suggestion was, maybe (impossible for me to tell, I do not know the details) then it's possible to upgrade the single pane windows to maybe 90% of what a three pane modern window would be, going by the types of windows I am accustomed to here. I don't see an inconsistency here. It would still be an upgrade from the current situation. quote:And now we're fully off the financials and onto personal preference and environmental impact when we started the paragraph talking about using energy bill savings to pay off higher priced replacement windows. I again don't seen an inconsistency. Only way this makes sense to me is if I said, leave the widows as they are. But that's not an argument I've made. quote:but I hope you can see that by slowly pushing a discussion in this direction you've inadvertently scooped up all the other things we were talking about and set them up as opposition to wood-framed window construction, and in doing so you've muddied everyone's positions on the topics. I believe your post stems from a misunderstand of what I have written. P.S. Jaded Burnout posted:Spring Heeled Jack is referring to the common fallacy of "spend a bunch on sextuple glazing and you'll make it back in energy savings". Actually, in my view, that's what I have been talking about too... His Divine Shadow fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Apr 5, 2019 |
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Apr 5, 2019 18:01
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His Divine Shadow posted:I believe your post stems from a misunderstand of what I have written. I'm saying that the way you've structured the things you've written makes people misunderstand the point you're trying to make, which leads to further back and forth misunderstandings as people start arguing at cross purposes and getting angry. I'm saying all this only because there's real value in discussing the points you're making but no value in going round in confused circles.
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Apr 5, 2019 18:08
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tetrapyloctomy posted:Our entry doors have, in addition to the single-cylinder lockset coupled to the knob/latch, double-cylinder double deadbolt locks all keyed the same. They are, however, getting increasingly finicky -- one stopped working entirely and isn't currently on the door (it goes to a patio on top of the garage), one works from the outside only if you wiggle the door around, and one is starting to get more difficult if you don't wiggle they key a bit. So I'd like to replace them all. We generally use the single-cylinder lock on the front door when we're in the house and this when we're out, and there are sidelights in all areas that would allow someone to smash a window and open a single-cylinder lock, hence keeping the double-cylinder setup. Do you have access to the kwikset quick match locks? They come with a magic pin that lets you re-key them to any key you have. Deadbolt Doorknob
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Apr 5, 2019 18:28
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Back in the late seventies the city sponsored a project to take aerial thermal photographs of all the homes. The photos were mounted on large boards and displayed at a department store so everyone could see what parts of their home were losing heat. Our house was always drafty and cold so I was curious to see how it looked. I remember using one of the phone book sized reference documents and the photo gridmarks, finally finding my house and the only "cold" thing on our property was the tree in the front yard.
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Apr 5, 2019 19:44
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Dick Trauma posted:Back in the late seventies the city sponsored a project to take aerial thermal photographs of all the homes. The photos were mounted on large boards and displayed at a department store so everyone could see what parts of their home were losing heat. Our house was always drafty and cold so I was curious to see how it looked. Nowadays they just do it to find grow houses...
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Apr 5, 2019 20:07
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(all the heat was escaping to the roof.)
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Apr 6, 2019 00:54
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father in law came over and helped me get the playground back together today. It went back together pretty quickly, especially since most of it was pretty sectional when I designed it. had to pick up some new brackets and bolts, but otherwise it was a smooth process. We didn’t put the roof on, I want to design something new from what was there before. 
devmd01 fucked around with this message at 00:56 on Apr 7, 2019 |
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Apr 7, 2019 00:52
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Finally got some decoration up in the garage above the workbench.
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Apr 7, 2019 02:49
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I just did a full passive-level window replacement (.09 u-value compared to energy star .4 or whatever) of old leaky double pane windows and its cut my heating bills by 55% or so and cut street noise down by a huge amount but it's not cheap and it'll be another 500 months or something to make back the money. Tilt and turn windows own though and Its crazy how energy efficient they are but costs ratchet up quickly if you really care about energy efficiency like you say you do. You also get to quickly learn all the other places your house is leaking heat. Going full passive windows + 2 new exterior doors + new insulation in the walls was over 30k with labor in my condo. Don't expect to make your money back ever. I'm very happy I did it and maybe spend a dollar or two a day keeping the temperature where I want it but I'm never getting anywhere close to making my money back.
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Apr 7, 2019 23:00
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that's significantly more than i'm used to hearing for those works. what wall insulation did you go with in the end and did you consider floor insulation? size is the house/how many windows?
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Apr 8, 2019 11:23
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All the weather stripping/insulation is from https://foursevenfive.com. Windows from alpen, doors from https://www.vettawindows.com/. 1200 sq ft. The windows are very large and I went with tempered glass on all of them which added a bit to the cost 40x80 52x80 60x80 30x50ish and 5x 38x92 or something The contractor charged me a slight premium over other local quotes but he has experience with passive construction and was very responsive and patient so whatever. Admittedly you can get most of the benefits without going totally crazy like me (and save thousands on freight costs. ha). Thermatru doors are very energy efficient and pretty inexpensive but I liked the look and finish of vetta more. If you just need very energy efficient windows I'm sure Marvin or Anderson have cheaper options with virtually the same performance for most climates. The windows and doors approached 20k just getting them shipped to me but if I was gonna go through this headache I just wanted to do it right once and move on with my life. There's decent insulation in the basement so I ignored it for now (I swear I wanted to keep a budget). No air will pass between these walls anymore though.
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Apr 9, 2019 01:16
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i was wondering if you got some meta-materials to hit 0.09 u-value but i guess you're calculating it completely differently than here but ya size of the house is the biggest difference, especially getting all the materials shipped internationally and it not being a bulk order
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Apr 9, 2019 11:17
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Wiggly Wayne DDS posted:i was wondering if you got some meta-materials to hit 0.09 u-value but i guess you're calculating it completely differently than here Windows are .09. Dunno what the whole house is at this point, but it's low. I didn't go super scientific or actually get my builder/an architect to plan out the full system with a target u value, shgc etc in mind, just retrofitting things the best I could.
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Apr 9, 2019 11:43
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metric vs imperial units is the problem. W/m2K is the norm here, so i was reading that as far more effective than anything made putting my blame on window manufacturers who'll use international scientific measurements but not the appropriate units
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Apr 9, 2019 13:26
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Jaded Burnout posted:Is there enough space to cut them? Depending on exactly how the door fits I don't think you'd be able to take it out even if you removed the hinges; mine at least have metal latches on the hinge side which are passive, they just slot into holders when the door closes, but mean you have to swing the door open, you can't pull it out laterally. Tomarse posted:I am trying to sort out a problem with a UPVC door in a conservatory with a single double glazed glass unit it. It looks like this: Alternative: Kick your conservatory down and take it to the dump. I can’t stand the things, and in British weather they always seem freezing cold or like being in a greenhouse.
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Apr 10, 2019 07:38
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Redoing the bathroom, it looks like I have a 52” tub in an alcove. Where the hell can I find these things? It almost looks cheaper to redo the wall and plumbing to fit a standard 60”.
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Apr 11, 2019 23:53
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