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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Goons get massively triggered by elevated TV mounts for some reason. Stiff neck facets from being at a computer 17 hours a day, I suppose. Yeah I am ignoring the interior decoration commentary and just looking for physical defects. The TV that's going there is the one from our living room which is crammed into a corner on a left/right swivel so that we can see it from our couch. It was appropriately sized (55") for our old condo but it's not like I'm going to just throw it away because our new house sits further back. The new TV in our living room is going to be marginally larger (65") and it's only going to accentuate the hilarious crammed into a corner look. Next let's talk about how hilariously non-ideal the speaker positioning is for listening from anywhere but directly in front of the TV, which is going to be the default as my desk is on the diagonally opposite corner from the setup. Let's recall that this was "before", but after they packed out 3/4 of the stuff from the room:  Demo due to high probability of hidden water damage, though there was less than we expected. We found out there were no headers anywhere, and the joists were held on by a couple bolts each but no hangers and were slowly working their way out.  And now everything is double paned low-e3 glass, including the now sliding glass doors. Nothing air sealed before, the doors and windows were rotting away, especially the door which had been shredded by the previous owners dog(s). Now despite it being 100F outside the room was pleasant enough to stand in despite the AC not being hooked up yet.
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Aug 25, 2019 20:53
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:small brain: looking up, with your eyes well I'm with you on a fire place being a place to burn trees and otherwise it can gently caress off, anyway if I want a gas fire I'll go turn on the stove, if I want an electronic faxsimile of a fire the TV can do that. The fire place is the sanctioned indoor area for my latent pyromania.
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Aug 25, 2019 20:57
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Speaking of, I bought my house with a big ol' disclaimer of "we have not used our fireplace since 1984 and it may or may not work in any way". What's the absolute WORST case here, as far as scope of work and costs, to get it running again? Two-story house built in 1981.
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Aug 25, 2019 20:59
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Speaking of, I bought my house with a big ol' disclaimer of "we have not used our fireplace since 1984 and it may or may not work in any way". Get a chimney company to come take a look and (probably) clean it. Even here in south Florida, I think it’s less than $150 for a cleaning.
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Aug 25, 2019 21:17
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Speaking of, I bought my house with a big ol' disclaimer of "we have not used our fireplace since 1984 and it may or may not work in any way". Anywhere from needing a new liner (few grand) to needing to be rebuilt entirely (new car $). Get a Sweep in there to do a level 2 inspection, which will probably run you about $300-400. Be prepared for the worst, because chimney work is very expensive, and if you're doing wood fires, not something you want to play with. Or, you can do what I did when faced with a 5-figure repair bill: pop a direct-vent, gas insert in and enjoy at a button push a much more efficient fire that doesn't get smoke everywhere.
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Aug 25, 2019 21:20
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Speaking of, I bought my house with a big ol' disclaimer of "we have not used our fireplace since 1984 and it may or may not work in any way". Yeah if the firebox is hosed you could have to spend a lot of money to have the whole thing completely redone. Or, instead of doing a gas conversion, you can do what my wife and I are gonna do and put in a wood-burning stove. There's inserts and theres ones that sit inside, or in front of, the firebox, and you can run the vent up the chimney and not have to do much more work than that, and plus there's some really attractive wood stoves out there. e. basically if the hearth is big enough you can do this:  and if the opening is smaller you can do this:  Or you can just get an insert, like this: 
Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Aug 25, 2019 |
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Aug 25, 2019 22:21
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B-Nasty posted:Anywhere from needing a new liner (few grand) to needing to be rebuilt entirely (new car $). Get a Sweep in there to do a level 2 inspection, which will probably run you about $300-400. Be prepared for the worst, because chimney work is very expensive, and if you're doing wood fires, not something you want to play with. I want that so much.
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Aug 25, 2019 22:24
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Our insert is pretty great. Dunno how much effort it is to put in but I'm glad a previous owner went through it. I lived in an apartment with a gas fireplace that was fine too. As much as I enjoy the experience of starting fires and the smell of the wood, it was nice to just have an easy on button. I think our older cat mourns the loss of the gas fireplace the most. She used to meow at the gas fireplace trying to get us to hit the button for insta-warmth. Our media room is a long rectangle with the insert fireplace on the side. We went for the TV at the end of the rectangle instead of above the fireplace and I dunno whether that was the best idea. It makes for a movie theater like room with rows of seating instead of a cozier lengthier setup facing the fireplace. It looks like there are feet on the couch in that one picture and I had considered whether slightly taller feet on the furniture might counter act the higher TV placement (my wife loves feet on all the furniture anyway). edit: that pull down mantle mount thing is pretty great. Though that's an awful lot of heat going straight into the TV when you pull it in front. FuzzySlippers fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Aug 26, 2019 |
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Aug 26, 2019 02:02
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The last house I rented before I bought had a pretty sweet gas fireplace with a blower that actually heated the room up quite well. I'm hoping to get one for my fireplace now some day, but the opening is fuckoff huge so I'm guessing it'll cost a bajillion dollars.
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Aug 26, 2019 13:21
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Family friends bought a house 18 months ago in the neighborhood across from us. Unfinished basement that they were planning on finishing. Until we started getting these massive rainstorms with flash flooding, and their basement flooded a little bit every storm mostly due to runoff. During one particularly bad storm the wife calls 911 to help them get pumped out in a few inches of standing water. Someone from the township comes by to file a report and comments that, unaware there were new owners, he thought she would've fixed the drainage issues by now. To which she is floored because the purchase disclosure said zero flooding issues. She asks the neighbors who report that the prior owner was outside screaming at 911 one day that they had to pump out her house because she needed to sell it. They hire a lawyer who files a right to know for all the records on the house. Turns out someone from the town took cell phone video during the prior owner's call to document the degree of flooding since it was so impressive, which looked like a full 2" deep stream on their side yard going right toward their garage and basement. I am hoping the prior owner gets turbofucked for lying on disclosure. It seems that PA has some decent buyer protections. Buyer loving beware
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Aug 26, 2019 21:13
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FuzzySlippers posted:edit: that pull down mantle mount thing is pretty great. Though that's an awful lot of heat going straight into the TV when you pull it in front. pretty sure the idea is not having a fire going while the tv is pulled down
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Aug 27, 2019 01:05
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Leperflesh posted:pretty sure the idea is not having a fire going while the tv is pulled down should be fine 
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Aug 27, 2019 04:30
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howdoesishotweb posted:Family friends bought a house 18 months ago in the neighborhood across from us. Unfinished basement that they were planning on finishing. Until we started getting these massive rainstorms with flash flooding, and their basement flooded a little bit every storm mostly due to runoff. During one particularly bad storm the wife calls 911 to help them get pumped out in a few inches of standing water. Someone from the township comes by to file a report and comments that, unaware there were new owners, he thought she would've fixed the drainage issues by now. To which she is floored because the purchase disclosure said zero flooding issues. She asks the neighbors who report that the prior owner was outside screaming at 911 one day that they had to pump out her house because she needed to sell it. They hire a lawyer who files a right to know for all the records on the house. Turns out someone from the town took cell phone video during the prior owner's call to document the degree of flooding since it was so impressive, which looked like a full 2" deep stream on their side yard going right toward their garage and basement. I am hoping the prior owner gets turbofucked for lying on disclosure. It seems that PA has some decent buyer protections. Yea, the previous owner is about to have a real bad time. Why are people calling 911 to get their basement pumped out? Is that a thing? I would think my local emergency responders would not be happy with me calling about something like that. Also, if they're really having that much flooding problems, time to get a back up sump or something to help pump it out.
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Aug 28, 2019 12:41
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Bird in a Blender posted:Yea, the previous owner is about to have a real bad time. Why are people calling 911 to get their basement pumped out? Is that a thing? I would think my local emergency responders would not be happy with me calling about something like that. My fire company pumps out basements. It's no big deal. We send out a couple of juniors with a trash pump, a couple sections of hardsleve and 100 feet of hose. But you best be calling the non-emergency line to ask about it.
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Aug 28, 2019 15:19
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Speaking of basement waterproofing, I just got 3 quotes for a full french drain in my basement. One guy's pitch was to bring out this huge binder of 20 year old photos and documents and brag about all his certifications and his BBB rating and talk poo poo on all his competitors, so he was pretty much right out. This was unsurprisingly the lowest rated of the companies we contacted. The two highly rated companies gave the bids of $5500 and $8500. The main difference between the two bids seems to be that the $8500 company uses a modern looking Grate Drain system, with dual chamber pipes, access/cleanouts at the corners, and some kind of wall vapor barrier system. They also had drywall removal as a $600 line item. The other company was just using a stock corrugated black pipe. They both had lifetime guarantees. Can it really be worth $3000 to get the "fancy" system of a thing I'll never see (and hopefully never even have to think about) again? There was one other advantage to the expensive company; they could start in about 2 weeks, when the other company might be 1-2 months.
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Aug 29, 2019 20:31
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my kingdom for a properly grounded outlet.
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Aug 30, 2019 13:23
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$2400 later and my septic system is functional again  bad news is the concrete at the top of the settling tank is starting to get pretty soft
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Aug 30, 2019 14:38
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water coming out of my light switch today. loving rad.
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Aug 30, 2019 16:09
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FCKGW posted:water coming out of my light switch today. loving rad. Hot! No picture? 
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Aug 30, 2019 16:18
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Man gently caress bathroom demolition. I'm renovating the main bath and decided to try and save $1,200 in demo costs. Got the bath surround tile out, hit the cast iron tub a few times and it didnt budge and the old drain wont come out (plumbers tool destroyed the cross inside the drain used to unscrew it). gently caress this poo poo I'm just gonna pay a guy $900 to finish the job. Having a plumber do the new plumbing for double vanity and jetted tub install, dont want to mess those up at all.
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Aug 30, 2019 16:35
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Have you tried one of the reverse screw drain removers? One of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C0M7DVA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_V2uADbP4YV5FG E: also if it's all a redo, just sawzall that poo poo off the bottom and leave the drain installed.
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Aug 30, 2019 17:24
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Isn't a cast iron tub going to weigh something like 300lbs? You probably need a plan to get that out of there and it's not something you can likely solo.
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Aug 30, 2019 17:29
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Ashcans posted:Isn't a cast iron tub going to weigh something like 300lbs? You probably need a plan to get that out of there and it's not something you can likely solo. They are usually around that weight. In my younger days, I hulked a alcove-style, cast iron tub out whole by myself down from the second story with no cart. It was not easy or smart, but I wanted to cut it in half outside with an angle grinder to throw out with the trash. If I did it today, I would use an appliance hand truck and just post it on Craigslist for free. Some scrapper will likely come to pick it up.
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Aug 30, 2019 17:39
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SpartanIvy posted:Have you tried one of the reverse screw drain removers? That looks like what I would need but I've already committed to someone doing the dirty work. And yes its heavy as hell, I had planned on dismantling it with a sledgehammer but the drain not coming out took all the wind out of my sails
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Aug 30, 2019 18:07
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Sepist posted:That looks like what I would need but I've already committed to someone doing the dirty work. Hole saw around the drain, start hitting tub with a sledge hammer once it's loose. Cutoff drain once you have access. Or just bash from back to front and once you can slip a sawzall under there cut it off and keep at it.
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Aug 30, 2019 18:17
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StormDrain posted:Who did your layout, Helen Keller? Ghostnuke posted:aside from that mrs lincoln, how was the play?  I bought this despite not having a 20% off coupon for hazard fraught. It's level within the finest of harbor freight tolerance. Of course when I got home there was a 20% off coupon in the mail. Still worth the $20.
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Aug 30, 2019 19:21
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H110Hawk posted:
https://www.hfqpdb.com/ my dude. Just pull that up on your phone in store to search by item number of use the ubiquitous 20% off. HF is like Kohls: if you're paying sticker, you're a sucker.
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Aug 30, 2019 19:34
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I'm gonna load up at HF this weekend, there's a 25% off coupon.
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Aug 30, 2019 19:53
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Sepist posted:That looks like what I would need but I've already committed to someone doing the dirty work. I helped a member of my wife's extended family remove a cast iron tub like this - they had put it in wet concrete way back when they put it in, and his father in law was trying to get below it with a big old drill to pull it out in one piece. It was taking forever. We ended up smashing the tub with a sledge hammer in order to get at the drain. Took like 10 minutes.
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Aug 30, 2019 20:32
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Sepist posted:Man gently caress bathroom demolition. I'm renovating the main bath and decided to try and save $1,200 in demo costs. Got the bath surround tile out, hit the cast iron tub a few times and it didnt budge and the old drain wont come out (plumbers tool destroyed the cross inside the drain used to unscrew it). gently caress this poo poo I'm just gonna pay a guy $900 to finish the job. Having a plumber do the new plumbing for double vanity and jetted tub install, dont want to mess those up at all. Get a bigger hammer. Think of it this way, the biggest sledge hammer you can buy is probably under $50. You'll be done inside of a half hour. Cast iron is brittle and will break into manageable pieces.
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Aug 30, 2019 20:37
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B-Nasty posted:https://www.hfqpdb.com/ my dude. Just pull that up on your phone in store to search by item number of use the ubiquitous 20% off. Yeah, I always forget about that site. I simply don't go to harbor freight enough. In my defense I have a 1 month old baby.
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Aug 30, 2019 20:52
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B-Nasty posted:https://www.hfqpdb.com/ my dude. Just pull that up on your phone in store to search by item number of use the ubiquitous 20% off. But those coupons all exclude like 75% of their products. I want to buy one of their tool chests but if you read the fine print, not applicable. Same with any power tools, wrenches, etc.
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Aug 30, 2019 21:46
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Blindeye posted:But those coupons all exclude like 75% of their products. I want to buy one of their tool chests but if you read the fine print, not applicable. Same with any power tools, wrenches, etc. the 25% ones do, the 20% ones are a bit less strict. also depends on if the cashier is paying attention
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Aug 30, 2019 21:52
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Ghostnuke posted:the 25% ones do, the 20% ones are a bit less strict. also depends on if the cashier is paying attention Since no 20% or 25% off coupon is good for anything I get, I feel dirty hoping to get a discount via incompetence.
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Aug 30, 2019 23:37
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Blindeye posted:But those coupons all exclude like 75% of their products. I want to buy one of their tool chests but if you read the fine print, not applicable. Same with any power tools, wrenches, etc. They have been getting kind of ridiculous with the exclusions on the 20/25% coupons. You can usually find item specific coupons for their 'premium' brands if you search the item numbers. Many of the item-specific coupons are equal or better than the 25% off anyway. You also have to look closely, because there are different versions of the 20% ones that exclude different things. I think you're SOL with the tool chest, though. I wish they would stop with the coupon game. Anyone spending any kind of money there already knows the tricks.
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Aug 31, 2019 01:32
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This may be for the plumbing thread, but figured I'd start here. I got a fridge a while ago a year ago and never hooked up the waterline to it. Now I'm looking to do it, and I'm deciding what I need to get. I'm thinking it might not hurt to install a shutoff valve, the current existing waterline doesn't have a dedicated shutoff in the basement. Is it as easy as cutting the copper down to the floor, then adding a shutoff valve there, and connecting the copper to the fridge? Or should I use a plastic tube to connect to fridge (friend who sold me the fridge said never to use plastic).    Also, the compression fitting on the end of the copper obviously needs replaced, any recommendations on the best one for that?
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Sep 1, 2019 21:09
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FCKGW posted:water coming out of my light switch today. loving rad. Is this code?
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Sep 1, 2019 22:07
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When our house was built, the city ran plumbing on the exterior of the house to capture runoff. Some time in the past, this was changed, probably due to the infrastructure being unable to handle the volume. I’m guessing it’s a dick move, and also comes with a fine to tap back into that plumbing?
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Sep 2, 2019 19:22
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meanolmrcloud posted:When our house was built, the city ran plumbing on the exterior of the house to capture runoff. Some time in the past, this was changed, probably due to the infrastructure being unable to handle the volume. I’m guessing it’s a dick move, and also comes with a fine to tap back into that plumbing? Are you talking about using the sanitary sewer for storm runoff? Yes, that usually a gigantic fine. Most places don't allow non-metered water into their sanitary sewer system to avoid overloading it. Some used to allow it, but it seems that been something that is steadily going away.
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Sep 2, 2019 19:30
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B-Nasty posted:They have been getting kind of ridiculous with the exclusions on the 20/25% coupons. You can usually find item specific coupons for their 'premium' brands if you search the item numbers. Many of the item-specific coupons are equal or better than the 25% off anyway. You also have to look closely, because there are different versions of the 20% ones that exclude different things. I think you're SOL with the tool chest, though. I walked in today and used the 25% and the 20% on things that were specifically excluded. It was the store manager that rang me up, I didn't try to pull any kind of tricks or anything. I had a cart full of things and gave her the coupons, she applied them to the highest cost items, which just happened to be the things that were supposed to be excluded. 
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Sep 2, 2019 19:34
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