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DrBouvenstein posted:My favorite place in Montpelier is Wilaiwan's Kitchen: Oh snap. Adding that place to the list. We love Thai food. VT taxes are going to be one of our biggest expenses after we move - probably the biggest single expense. The goal of this project, or one of the goals, is to build the house with no mortgage and clear all current debt. Once that's done, we will have almost no expenses other than standard living expenses (internet, food, beer, etc). House will be net-zero and powered completely by solar electricity. We are seeking the smallest footprint (financially and otherwise) possible after we move. Those taxes though... That said, cleaner air, beautiful views, no billboards, and the state help with child care (which is a huge expense for us right now) is all totally worth it.
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Jul 8, 2020 14:20
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DrBouvenstein posted:My favorite place in Montpelier is Wilaiwan's Kitchen: That's my wife's favorite place, when we were there it was changing from food truck to that space. House/building wise, also just plan on everything taking 2-4 days longer to get there, and a 10 minute drive to the store is now 30+ to get to something other than a small shop. The "buy extra, return later" approach becomes a bit more valid. The folks I knew from work would plan longer trips to Burlington or Concord NH and do a month of shopping in one day, not just food but project supplies and everything else.
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Jul 8, 2020 14:49
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Sorry to distract from Vermont House chat. Quick note though: Heady Topper is from Stowe. It's not my favorite IPA, and I'd consider it overrated at this point, but it's unlikely you'll ever be upset to crack one of those open. My wife's cousin lives in Vermont and I ask her to bring me some every time she comes down.H110Hawk posted:What climate are you in? Our front yard is super easy to take care of with just a hedge trimmer once a month (or less) as it's all "California Native." Literally everything can just be hacked down to size by it just walking by. They also use very little water. Around me not having grass in the front yard/part of the back yard literally saves me enough money in water to pay for "mow and blow" style gardeners because it's so loving hot out. 3 guys come by twice a month for $65 spending around an hour doing their thing, often less if there isn't much to do. I'm not just trying to be a tree hugging hippie here, I don't know what kind of artisinal crap the PO put in, but you might save even more money leaving it alone and replacing the persnickety stuff with native things. Our buckwheat didn't get watered for a year, in a drought, where august saw 115F temps. It was all brown. It rained in the winter and it all perked right back up. BadSamaritan posted:There are ways to encourage fairly low-maintenance gardens, which you may be able to get some guidance from your gardener friend about. It might provide a buffer zone from weeds coming in to your lawn from outside the fence, and you can scoot up to the edge on your lawnmower if you’re smart about what edging you pick. A lot of people have decent gardens at a ‘throw a few plants in early in the season’ level of engagement, and they’re not starting off with what sounds like a pretty healthily cultivated plot. How about this for a containment strategy? -Cut down all the growth with a brush cutter -Till soil with rented machine -Lay down landscape fabric over the soil -Cover fabric with mulch I'll end up with a fresh mulch bed instead of what I've got now, and I can go back and plant whatever as I see fit. Would this strategy prevent weeds from growing in those areas?
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Jul 8, 2020 14:51
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The Wonder Weapon posted:I'm in Buffalo, so our flora is robust and verdant for the most part. I'm also adverse to hiring regular gardeners. Feels sort of like a loss of equity, in the same way renting is, if that makes sense? Like, rather than pay gardeners, I'd rather convert the lawn/garden to something low maintenance I can handle on my own. Also, point taken from a few of you about the glyphosate. I've never known anything about it other than "there's stuff called roundup, and it kills things" There are few things where trading money can increase free time and happiness more than basic gardeners and house keepers, if you can afford it. We do both twice a month. Not having to scrub a toilet is awesome.
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Jul 8, 2020 18:19
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Getting out and working in the yard is fun and relaxing though 
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Jul 8, 2020 20:02
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The Wonder Weapon posted:Sorry to distract from Vermont House chat. Quick note though: Heady Topper is from Stowe. It's not my favorite IPA, and I'd consider it overrated at this point, but it's unlikely you'll ever be upset to crack one of those open. My wife's cousin lives in Vermont and I ask her to bring me some every time she comes down. I'm just across the border, and you can definitely have gardens here that don't require more maintenance than a lawn. Native plants, or things like sedums or hostas, do fine without much watering once they've gotten established. If they're densely planted, they'll squeeze out most weeds once they fill in. Lots of easy-care perennials can be acquired cheaply or free, too.
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Jul 8, 2020 22:26
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Hey folks, I'm moving to a new house and am planning on getting into woodworking to make a bunch of furniture and such. The problem is, my house is like 4 feet from the houses on either side of me and I dont want to bother my neighbors with power tool sounds. So I was planning on soundproofing my garage some. Any advice there? I was thinking of starting with garage door insulation and maybe adding some soundproofing foam where there isnt any drywall surrounding the door aperture. Am I overthinking this? What are your guys' experience with power tool noise and neighbors?
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Jul 9, 2020 12:46
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The Wonder Weapon posted:Sorry to distract from Vermont House chat. Quick note though: Heady Topper is from Stowe. It's not my favorite IPA, and I'd consider it overrated at this point, but it's unlikely you'll ever be upset to crack one of those open. My wife's cousin lives in Vermont and I ask her to bring me some every time she comes down. sup buffalo goon. Using some fabric and mulch will help lower your weeding. I have a garden that's got just a healthy layer of mulch and it really doesn't need much weeding. It's not much of a garden since I bought house in april and it was what it was but lots of mulch to prevent stuff from poking through, and fabric will help as well.
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Jul 9, 2020 13:33
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swampcow posted:Hey folks, Are you going to be working with the doors open? Unless you are planning on investing in a super duper dust collection system you are going to want to leave the garage doors open & have fans evacuating the dust (and smoke  ) which will reduce the effectiveness of soundproofing alot.As long as you aren't planing lumber at 4am or 11pm the disturbance shouldn't be too bad, and if it's just a hobby & your neighbors are friendly tell them you can always go do something else for a few hours if they are having a backyard party or something.
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Jul 9, 2020 13:58
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Enos Cabell posted:Getting out and working in the yard is fun and relaxing though You must not be familiar with southern US. I can barely bring myself to cut my unruly lawn right now with a real feel of 104 degrees and 50% humidity.
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Jul 9, 2020 14:57
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Is it normal to have panic attacks a few days after signing a contract for a house? I'm incredibly excited to have a place of my own but I keep going from being super excited to being like oh god this is a massive commitment. Also, does anyone have any advice for how to write a lease to rent out a spare room in a house?
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Jul 9, 2020 19:34
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swampcow posted:Hey folks, beaten: But yeah--worry more about a dust abatement system than noise. Depending where you place the collection system--it can be hard to hear the power tools over the fan/vacuum. Oh and the dust collection system will make a constant, steady white noise, which in my experience is far less annoying than quick cuts. Routing makes more noise than cutting--if I go over about 10 linear feet after the wife has gone to bed, I'll get a cease and desist from the boss lady. (My workshop is under the master bedroom....)
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Jul 9, 2020 19:37
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Partial Octopus posted:Is it normal to have panic attacks a few days after signing a contract for a house? I'm incredibly excited to have a place of my own but I keep going from being super excited to being like oh god this is a massive commitment. If you're not having a panic attack when dealing with buying/selling a house, you're doing it wrong.
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Jul 9, 2020 19:57
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Partial Octopus posted:Is it normal to have panic attacks a few days after signing a contract for a house? I'm incredibly excited to have a place of my own but I keep going from being super excited to being like oh god this is a massive commitment. Eh I’d say yes. It’s a big deal! For your second question, I think what you want to include in a lease is very state-dependent. Some states have a lot of built in protections for owner-occupied dwellings, others not so much. Also be careful if you’re in an HOA (or even certain towns) because some might not be cool with it.
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Jul 9, 2020 20:00
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No HOA so nothing to worry about there. I'm in Colorado. I found some lease generators online but I don't really know how legit they are. I just want to cover my rear end in case I get some shithead roommate who destroys the place.
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Jul 9, 2020 20:37
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Partial Octopus posted:No HOA so nothing to worry about there. I'm in Colorado. I found some lease generators online but I don't really know how legit they are. I just want to cover my rear end in case I get some shithead roommate who destroys the place. I've used RocketLawyer.com for stuff like this in the past (but not specifically a lease) so check them. You can do a 1 month/$30 charge and find a form for your state.
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Jul 9, 2020 20:58
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Partial Octopus posted:No HOA so nothing to worry about there. I'm in Colorado. I found some lease generators online but I don't really know how legit they are. I just want to cover my rear end in case I get some shithead roommate who destroys the place. Take the max statutory deposit, selectively advertise (like, grad students tend to party less), no smoking, put in whatever estimated cost for cleaning up smoking damage you're allowed to and see if you can charge it immediately and per incident, no pets period ever the end. Spell out exactly which rooms they are and are not allowed to use. You don't have to be super restrictive but spelling it out helps avoid conflict. If they have a dedicated bathroom say they can't use the one attached to your bedroom for example. See if you can require renters insurance. Often you are allowed far greater latitude in selecting your tenant, for example local law may allow you to require same gender for owner occupied sublets. I would see if a local attorney has a template lease they would sell you for a flat rate. Then you know who to go to if something goes wrong.
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Jul 9, 2020 21:04
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Thanks guys. I really appreciate the advice!
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Jul 9, 2020 22:40
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Talk to me about exhaust fans for bathrooms. I have a 1st floor bathroom on the gable end of my 1.5 story house smack dab in the middle of the wall. The upstairs is currently unfinished and the floor is currently just exposed crappy wood planks so I could pull them up if needed. I see two options here: 1. install a ceiling fan and run the exhaust under the floor and into the knee wall space that then turns 90° and vents out the gable wall. 2. vent directly out the wall of the bathroom next to the window. Option 1 my biggest concern is I can run the vent under the floor, but once it's in the knee wall it would have to go up over the joist and then slope back down to the wall. Would condensation accumulate in this up sloped area? There is no soffit so the only other way to vent here is up through the roof Option 2 is obviously the easiest but I'd be concerned about cold air coming into the bathroom from outside, that and I'd have to put the fan on the wall and not the celling. Maybe it won't make that much of a difference in placement if the fan is sized right?
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Jul 11, 2020 17:55
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I think my washing machine might soon bite the big one, and I don't really want to put any more time or money into it. Is "the best" still pre-2018 Speed Queen? I'd really like a 20-30 year machine, but I suspect that is a fantasy nowadays.
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Jul 11, 2020 23:59
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Apparently the newest speed queen with agitator has a worthless epa compliant ‘normal eco’ mode but the rest of the modes have the older, working water/energy intensive modes. I think this was discussed in the last few pages of one of these threads?
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Jul 12, 2020 00:18
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A linoleum surprise when checking out what was under my lovely laminate in the kitchen. Bonus: Anyone familiar with this type of flooring? It looks like it was made with rope in it. It’s the last layer before the original wood flooring, so it’s gotta be fairly old.  
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Jul 12, 2020 16:37
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You already got an asbestos test, right?
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Jul 12, 2020 16:44
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Fallom posted:You already got an asbestos test, right? I’m not planning on ripping up any of it, I’ll be going over the linoleum with LVP or some equivalent. Just curious if anyone’s seen this, it looks like this old pattern:  I’m just not aware of how they used to manufacture linoleum, since this appears to have rope in it.
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Jul 12, 2020 16:57
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Looks like burlap, maybe used as a backing on the old laminate before they came up with tougher stuff like vinyl.
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Jul 12, 2020 17:09
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Nevets posted:Looks like burlap, maybe used as a backing on the old laminate before they came up with tougher stuff like vinyl. Found this on Inspectopedia just now, those dates line up with when the house was built: 
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Jul 12, 2020 17:36
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Spring Heeled Jack posted:A linoleum surprise when checking out what was under my lovely laminate in the kitchen. This looks dope.
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Jul 12, 2020 22:08
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I'd get some of those framed - they look sweet. The vinyl plank going into my house will be thrown out like trash in a 100 years time, haha.
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Jul 13, 2020 05:38
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Spring Heeled Jack posted:I’m not planning on ripping up any of it, I’ll be going over the linoleum with LVP or some equivalent. My mom's house was built in the 70s I think. I think she has some very similar linoleum flooring in yellow tones, in the utility room.
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Jul 13, 2020 06:40
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A neat bit of trivia is that Armstrong is making the same pattern today, albeit not in the same colorway. https://retrorenovation.com/2020/03...ater-this-year/
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Jul 13, 2020 07:11
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corgski posted:A neat bit of trivia is that Armstrong is making the same pattern today, albeit not in the same colorway. I was excited I thought ti was the one with teh ships n poo poo in it.. that's a cool floor.
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Jul 13, 2020 12:51
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Siding got repaired along with a section of decking that was probably the source of the leak I was experiencing. The company I went with is well known in the area for good work, I’m glad I went with them. Completely professional process the entire way through with people who clearly knew what they were doing. 
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Jul 13, 2020 13:02
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Vintersorg posted:I'd get some of those framed - they look sweet.
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Jul 13, 2020 13:35
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Vintersorg posted:The vinyl plank going into my house will be thrown out like trash in a 100 years time, haha. LVP will be trash long, long before that.
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Jul 13, 2020 13:55
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devmd01 posted:Siding got repaired along with a section of decking that was probably the source of the leak I was experiencing. The company I went with is well known in the area for good work, I’m glad I went with them. Completely professional process the entire way through with people who clearly knew what they were doing. Looks like good work, stunningly stupid design for the roofline though. So much easier to just make the roofline a consistent height, and avoid a junction like this from ever existing.
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Jul 13, 2020 14:20
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Where is that gutter's downspout going to terminate? It looks like it will need to snake over with a few bends to hit that lower gutter, or at that point, just go down to the ground. Anyone that terminates a downspout onto a roof surface should be shot.
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Jul 13, 2020 14:48
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Shoot away!
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Jul 13, 2020 14:51
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devmd01 posted:Shoot away! Horrible. I don't know how some people think shingles form an impenetrable seal against water; they don't. They are designed, assuming steep enough pitch to the roof, to shed a reasonable amount of water downwards using gravity. If the water is moving perpendicular to the shingle, or worse, in the reverse direction uphill, a leak is inevitable. That downspout is throwing water across the shingles and tempting fate. Not to mention that the area handling that downspout gets way more water, so it will wear faster, discolor quicker and/or grow mildew/moss from being wet longer, and generally look like poo poo.
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Jul 13, 2020 15:43
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Pfft, average shingle lifecycle numbers don't sell houses. Interesting rooflines with dormers and lots of gables and valleys sell houses!
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Jul 13, 2020 16:44
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Complicated roof lines look cheap and tacky to me, I prefer the simple styles found on traditional houses. I think the american mcmansion and the cheapness it exudes has something todo with this,
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Jul 13, 2020 17:17
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