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Bioshuffle posted:I don't know anything about drills or impact drivers. Is this basically the same thing? I don't understand why there are so many different versions with different price points. The set I got has the hammer drill, hard case, and larger capacity batteries. I do a lot of DIY projects and so I got I think the top of the line/most experience drill combo DeWalt makes. You are probably fine with the set you linked at the lower price- you can always buy additional and/or larger batteries, and the soft case is also totally fine, personally I just prefer a hard case. And I wanted the hammer drill because I know I have a couple upcoming projects that will involve me needing to drill into concrete block. Sirotan fucked around with this message at 05:47 on Aug 15, 2020 |
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Aug 15, 2020 05:45
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The other thing to keep in mind is that the newer lithium ion batteries charge a hell of a lot faster than the old NiCad ones ever did. Like if I run my battery out it will charge in less than half an hour.so if you aren't using both the drill and the driver at the same time, you can throw one on the charge and switch to the other. I have been wanting to get a couple more batteries than the two I have just because I find myself using both tools sometimes but that's a nice to have not a have to have.
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Aug 15, 2020 06:19
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Is anyone familiar with roof replacements? I got two quotes to replace my roof, one of which was $18k and one was $29k. I don't know enough about roofs to know why they would be so far apart because both bids were for the same scope. Would anyone be willing to look at the quotes and tell me if something jumps out as significant?
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Aug 15, 2020 18:44
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Is anyone familiar with roof replacements? I got two quotes to replace my roof, one of which was $18k and one was $29k. I don't know enough about roofs to know why they would be so far apart because both bids were for the same scope. Would anyone be willing to look at the quotes and tell me if something jumps out as significant? Ask them both what is different about them. Are they literally the same shingles? Does one have no yelp reviews? Lookup their licenses. Ask on local Facebook or nextdoor for experiences with either company.
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Aug 15, 2020 18:49
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I think I'm in your general region, and I got a first quote for 22k and a second quote for 10k with I replaced my roof earlier this year, both for essentially the same scope and both for 50 year shingles. I went with the 10k because they were a smaller outfit that a lot of people in the area had used and recommended. They did a great job, ended up closer to 13k because they had to replace almost all of the plywood and do some reconstruction around lovely skylights, but everything was really transparent during the process.
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Aug 15, 2020 19:05
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I know there are some Philadelphia-area guys here. Does anyone have roofer suggestions? We're probably going to think about replacing it in the spring.marjorie posted:I think I'm in your general region, and I got a first quote for 22k and a second quote for 10k with I replaced my roof earlier this year, both for essentially the same scope and both for 50 year shingles. I went with the 10k because they were a smaller outfit that a lot of people in the area had used and recommended. They did a great job, ended up closer to 13k because they had to replace almost all of the plywood and do some reconstruction around lovely skylights, but everything was really transparent during the process. edit: what are 50 year shingles? Is that a slate roof? I thought regular asphalt shingles only lasted 20-30 years or so?
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Aug 15, 2020 19:12
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Residency Evil posted:I know there are some Philadelphia-area guys here. Does anyone have roofer suggestions? We're probably going to think about replacing it in the spring. I think I pm'd you before, ours was done over Thanksgiving, and haven't had any issues. Only found a few loose nails, and two small coils, which is pretty good all things considered. A neighbor also used them and it was pretty straightforward. The guy across from me watched when they did mine and said Approved did a better job prepping/cleaning my house than Tip Top did with theirs.
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Aug 15, 2020 20:14
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Alarbus posted:I think I pm'd you before, ours was done over Thanksgiving, and haven't had any issues. Only found a few loose nails, and two small coils, which is pretty good all things considered. A neighbor also used them and it was pretty straightforward. The guy across from me watched when they did mine and said Approved did a better job prepping/cleaning my house than Tip Top did with theirs. Yup, they're on the list to get a quote from!
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Aug 15, 2020 21:15
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Sundae posted:The bi-fold doors on our laundry closet fell off yesterday. I went and bought a hardware set and was like "yeah no big deal. This is easy." I turned the door over to check the bottom pivot. Not only is it missing, the wood is missing. The bottom of the door has rotted out and fallen into the hollow area inside the door. Got the replacements today, went up to install them, and that's when I realized... not only were the old doors rotted out on the bottom, they're installed backward, too. The left one is on the right and vice versa, so no wonder all the hardware was bent. They had to gently caress with the doors to get them into the (wrong) slots in the first place. Quality Construction brought to you by KBHomes!  All fixed now.
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Aug 15, 2020 21:38
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Residency Evil posted:
It's asphalt. I guess there's different compositions or something, but they typically come in 20, 30, 40, and 50. Though if I understand correctly, those numbers are mostly marketing, and it's more like a relative evaluation - I don't think anyone expects 50 year shingles to last 50 years (or maybe the idea is that by that point, roof failure would be blamed on something else rather than the structure of the shingle itself). Others may have more insight on this though.
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Aug 16, 2020 00:06
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Good news: The previous owners of my home weren't handy so there's nothing to repair on the garage wall. Bad news: I have no storage in my garage. I'm looking for high quality storage that I can buy locally. I need to hang a few things on the wall (ladder, bush trimmer, weed whacker, extension cord, blower), something like a peg board to go above my work bench, and something like a toolbox on wheels to slide under the work bench. The options I found at Lowes weren't that great today so I'll probably shop Home Depot over the next week. I thought about container store but it looks like I'll have to give them $10 every time I buy a new tool to hang. Does anyone have any garage storage solutions that they love?
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Aug 17, 2020 01:06
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The Closetmaid Max Load set at Home Depots website is the best bang for your buck if you want good shelving. I've got 2 sets up in my garage with hundreds of pounds of lumber, tools, and parts on them and they're rock solid. They need to be installed on studs though, obviously.
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Aug 17, 2020 01:15
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Andy Dufresne posted:Good news: The previous owners of my home weren't handy so there's nothing to repair on the garage wall. These have been solid for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYQGF4M/
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Aug 17, 2020 14:36
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Weather is super duper humid where I am right now. This includes indoors, since the weather has been nice and the AC hasn't turned on in days. My nest, which is by the entryway and therefore not even close to a shower or kitchen, regularly shows humidity indoors of 75% or higher. I just noticed a little bit of bulging in the hardwood floors in the kitchen. Nothing super noticeable, but you can tell when you step on it. Bought a dehumidifier, so in the next few days I will find out if: - It was like that before and I had simply never noticed it and its no big deal - It was caused by the extra high humidity and will fix itself out when the dehumidifier gets here or when the cold weather starts and humidity drops - It's neither, keeps getting worse, and I have to then figure out if it is an appliance, leak from the massive, massive renovation that is going on upstairs, etc. Ah, home ownership.
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Aug 17, 2020 19:21
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My AC unit was taken out by a flying trampoline during the Derecho last week and I was able to get some quotes today on a new one and getting a new furrnace while I'm at it since the one I have is over 20 years old. I'm not sure yet if insurance will pay for the AC but I'm hoping they will. Anyway though - the quotes are pretty similar but one of the companies uses Bryant and the other uses Amana. Anybody have any opinions about one of those brands being considerably better than the other? The place that sells Amana offers a better warranty and they can get here a week sooner so I'm inclined to go with them. It's a Bryant 116B or an Amana ASX16031, if that makes a difference. Both are 2.5 ton units.
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Aug 17, 2020 20:18
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Thoguh posted:My AC unit was taken out by a flying trampoline during the Derecho last week
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Aug 17, 2020 22:08
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A few days ago, I'd asked in the plumbing thread about what an air gap was. Good thing I asked, because I tried out the dishwasher for the first time, and the god drat drain tube ended up flooding my cabinet. I had this moment where I realized I can't just call maintenance, and begrudgingly drove to home depot. Only to get the wrong type of air gap. At least I finally got the computer set up, so I've got that going for me.
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Aug 17, 2020 22:40
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joepinetree posted:Weather is super duper humid where I am right now. This includes indoors, since the weather has been nice and the AC hasn't turned on in days. My nest, which is by the entryway and therefore not even close to a shower or kitchen, regularly shows humidity indoors of 75% or higher. I just noticed a little bit of bulging in the hardwood floors in the kitchen. Nothing super noticeable, but you can tell when you step on it. Bought a dehumidifier, so in the next few days I will find out if: We put in a whole house dehumidifier (hooked up to the hvac), and it's been great for keeping things not-gross when it's not AC time. I'm definitely happy we did it, despite the cost (unit was $1300)
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Aug 17, 2020 23:31
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More adventures in kitchen reno. We got an additional quote that was like 30k outside our budget, insanely higher bid than the others and this company doesn't seem to have a reputation for being a super high end remodeling co, so I don't know what's up with that. The cost breakdown lists the line items but not the cost for each line item, just the total, which seems to be the industry standard as that's what all three bids looked like. Now, the middle priced company is the one we were able to get some really good recommendations from people in our area for. However they will not provide us with a visual mockup of their design without a $1000 retainer/deposit. Their quote is also a wide range rather than a dollar amount ($54-63k) and was done based on pictures rather than an in person visit due to COVID. We are now allowing people over individually if they wear masks and I'm trying to get them to come out to actually see the place instead of saying "eh, this sounds about right" since that approach doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence, even though they are highly recommended. Honestly I'm leaning towards them anyway due to the word of mouth but how common is it that a company won't give you any specifics until you pay them $1000? Seems kinda lovely but the guy justifies it by saying that their design process is very involved and interactive and they don't want their designers to spend the time without getting paid only for people to say "thanks but no thanks." I just have no real basis to choose them other than the good rec's. Edit: also what's the consensus on LVP? Is it considered a cheap flooring material? Should I never consider replacing wood floors with it? One company wants to put in all LVP so that the kitchen flows into the living room but we have wood floors that just need a sand and refinish (not in the kitchen, that's just old lovely linoleum). Colonel Whitey fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Aug 17, 2020 |
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Aug 17, 2020 23:38
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Dik Hz posted:This is the most improbable combination of words I've seen in awhile. Like one of those state farm commercials. I can't imagine your home owner's policy won't cover it. You never know. Home owners' insurance companies hate trampolines. 
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Aug 17, 2020 23:47
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1000 dollar retainer/deposit towards the remodel seems reasonable for an established firm to keep away the looky loos who aren't serious about things. Companies waste so much time and resources with people who have no intention of hiring them, or having them do all the design/mockup work only for them to attempt to DIY it themselves. The 1000 dollar fee actually makes me feel better about the company and their workmanship. They're busy enough they don't have to deal with chasing customers. A price range is normal until you nail down final materials and finishes. For instance I have about 70 sq ft of counter tops in my kitchen and granite can run 40 to 60 a sq ft. So that could be anywhere between 2800 to 4200 depending on what granite I'd pick. Cabinet fronts have different costs, etc etc etc. The number should firm up when they have exact information
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Aug 18, 2020 00:08
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skipdogg posted:1000 dollar retainer/deposit towards the remodel seems reasonable for an established firm to keep away the looky loos who aren't serious about things. Companies waste so much time and resources with people who have no intention of hiring them, or having them do all the design/mockup work only for them to attempt to DIY it themselves. The 1000 dollar fee actually makes me feel better about the company and their workmanship. They're busy enough they don't have to deal with chasing customers. Cool, thanks, that's very helpful. I appreciate the replies since this is my first major reno thing and I don't want to get in over my head dealing with contractors.
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Aug 18, 2020 00:11
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The past 5 months have been literally the highest demand for remodel work in the history of the USA, by a LONG SHOT. If you can get someone's attention for a mere $1,000, that's a steal. The contractors I know are quoting about 1.5 to 2.5x what they would have prior to the pandemic, just because they don't want to burn bridges in the community, but they could charge 5x as much and still be booked through the end of 2021. Understand that any halfway decent contractor has disconnected their phone because it would be a 60 hour/week job just to pick it up and say "we're booked, sorry"
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Aug 18, 2020 00:13
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:The past 5 months have been literally the highest demand for remodel work in the history of the USA, by a LONG SHOT. If you can get someone's attention for a mere $1,000, that's a steal. Which is baffling to me and proof that we are truly hosed. How we can simultaneously be facing the biggest economic collapse since 1929 and have people spending absurd sums on home construction/remodels convinces me that we are all going to die.
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Aug 18, 2020 00:18
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Blindeye posted:Which is baffling to me and proof that we are truly hosed. How we can simultaneously be facing the biggest economic collapse since 1929 and have people spending absurd sums on home construction/remodels convinces me that we are all going to die.
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Aug 18, 2020 00:20
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Huh, didn't realize that, thanks. Perhaps it would be better to wait then? Sounds kinda crazy to jump in now when things may be more costly than normal. I guess there's always risk of cost fluctuations, it's like trying to time the markets.
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Aug 18, 2020 00:21
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Dik Hz posted:It's because the economic collapse is only affecting poor people, who don't own property. Rich people are doing loving amazing. I know. That's what scares me. Your solid wood cabinets will burn real well when tens of millions of sick, out of work poor people finally loving deliver some justice. If I didn't have to redo my sewer (loving ugh), I'd be hoarding my cash for when the bottom falls out of the rich people economy.
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Aug 18, 2020 00:23
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devicenull posted:We put in a whole house dehumidifier (hooked up to the hvac), and it's been great for keeping things not-gross when it's not AC time. I'm definitely happy we did it, despite the cost (unit was $1300) The problem is that I don't know for sure what is causing that bulge on the hardwood floors. It may be the extreme humidity of recent days (fingers crossed, as this is the cheapest option). Or it could be a leaking pipe inside the wall because of the upstairs renovation. Or it could be a leak from the frigde (the bulge is not in front of the fridge, but it is in front of the cabinet next to the fridge, so it is possible that there is a leak there that is going under the floor. Blindeye posted:I know. That's what scares me. Your solid wood cabinets will burn real well when tens of millions of sick, out of work poor people finally loving deliver some justice. There's a world where the bottom falls out and you can do your renovations much cheaper next year. There's a world where super low interest rates plus significant disruptions to supply chains (already felt in things like Chinese copper and Italian marble) make renovations substantially more expensive next year. Not encouraging you to do anything now, just pointing out that there's no risk free alternative.
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Aug 18, 2020 00:51
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Imagine your property value dropping 50% in the next year and being economically unable to move for another decade. Now also imagine the cost of renovation work has tripled and your savings account has been giving 0.03% interest People are getting their house to where they will be comfortable cooped up inside for the next several years.
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Aug 18, 2020 01:03
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Maybe I should just install a prepper shelter instead
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Aug 18, 2020 01:04
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I think a lot of people are probably just spending more time in their homes, spending less money going out, and thinking about how they want to fix them up rather than trying to strategically plan around hiding from the CSPAM posters who want to burn down their split-level ranch
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Aug 18, 2020 01:14
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Colonel Whitey posted:More adventures in kitchen reno. We got an additional quote that was like 30k outside our budget, insanely higher bid than the others and this company doesn't seem to have a reputation for being a super high end remodeling co, so I don't know what's up with that. Obviously not always the case but some guys will give you a crazy quote because they just don't want to do the job but in the off chance you're gullible enough they want to take advantage of the situation.
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Aug 18, 2020 01:21
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There are a ton of possible factors. 1) That one irritating little ___________ in your house finally drove you bananas when you had to deal with it 24/7 since you're stuck at home all day now. 2) You've been meaning to fix up that spare room to be your home office, and now you're going to be working from home for the next year+, soooo.... 3) Well honey, bad news is that we can't travel anywhere for vacation this year. Good news is that the vacation budget can remodel the kitchen like we've been saying for the last decade. 4) Debt-spending on remodels to create some sense of agency/meaning while stuck inside and deprived of their normal consumer-driven tendencies. I'm going with a combination of the four.
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Aug 18, 2020 01:21
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I hit a combination of being stuck working from home because of covid and being on paternity leave for 3 months, which has left my hyper aware and sensitive of every project I want done to my house. The paternity leave aspect of it meant I start tackling as much DIY as possible while caring for the kiddo but now some of that has even hit dependencies on a third party to fix so I might call a guy up to fix something then I can complete the final leg of some work. It's been a little exhausting but also it's sometimes really funny to see what kind of stuff we put off doing for 5-10 years that only needed a day or two of attention.
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Aug 18, 2020 01:23
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Dik Hz posted:It's because the economic collapse is only affecting poor people, who don't own property. Rich people are doing loving amazing. We're actually pondering renting a house just so we can get our bathroom renovations finally done. 
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Aug 18, 2020 01:48
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devicenull posted:We put in a whole house dehumidifier (hooked up to the hvac), and it's been great for keeping things not-gross when it's not AC time. I'm definitely happy we did it, despite the cost (unit was $1300) I have so many questions... care to share which model? Does it duct to bypass your main AC? It’s definitely on the list for me. I also have one unit per floor and have heard that you only need one since humidity can equalize a lot easier.
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Aug 18, 2020 02:14
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Darkrenown posted:Is this a place I could ask for robot lawn mower recommendations? I'm looking at buying a house with a pretty huge lawn and I'd like to automate mowing assuming it works decently. Darkrenown posted:It's hard to say, the grounds are 1.5 hectares. It's not all lawn and I don't necessarily want to keep it all lawn-like anyway. Perhaps 3-5000 sqm? Or if anyone knows of a better thread to ask this in?
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Aug 19, 2020 12:24
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DaveSauce posted:We're finally getting our deck re-done to be a screened-in porch + a side deck. Or at least we've contacted a bunch of builders to start the process, and this morning the replies are starting to roll in. The Dave posted:We kind of need to know how you plan on using it and how often. WithoutTheFezOn posted:Our house has concrete walls so I’m used to thinking “no going through walls unless necessary”. Your situation may be different. OK so I know I asked this way back and I didn't really follow up, mainly because I didn't really have good answers. We got 2 companies out for estimates yesterday and have another one coming out this morning (and 1 more next week). Quick run-down: Screened in section would be 13x16, and the un-screened portion would be probably 12x18 (extra 2' is because screened-in section is on a bump-out; the edges furthest from the house would line up). So far we have some good ideas. An idea the 2nd guy pitched was can lights in addition to a fan with light kit. Thoughts? They'd be on a dimmer. We figured that the fan light should be enough, and if not we could put up string lights or the Hue outdoor smart light strips, but this guy seemed to think can lights were a good idea. On that, would a ceiling height receptacle be a good idea? It would be used strictly for lighting, so we'd probably want it switched too I suppose. Other thought: One company pitched a shed roof, the other a gable. I think the gable would look better, and it would let more light in, but thinking about it this is south facing, so letting light in would mean less shade. Part of why we want the screened in porch is so we can actually enjoy being outside in the summer. Right now our deck just bakes in the sun all day, and by the time its cool enough the bugs are out. We'd have skylights on either, so I'm not sure it's a big deal in any case. Other potential hang-up is ceiling material. One guy pitched vinyl, the other pitched wood beadboard. The vinyl was due to concerns about moisture/condensation ruining any beadboard/stained wood. I'm leaning towards vinyl for ease of maintenance, since I don't think we're going to spend a lot of time staring at the ceiling, but I dunno. Also, light switches: Currently at the back door there is a switch for the deck light and the exterior flood lights (plus another for interior lights), so 3 switches. Suddenly we'd need to add a fan switch and potentially another light switch. Now it's 5 switches, which seems excessive. Would we want to try to jam all these in to that box (i.e. a new box), or would outdoor weatherproof switches be a good option? So it's now abundantly clear to me that we're way underprepared for this. But the deck is rapidly deteriorating so it's time to get this done.
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Aug 19, 2020 13:34
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DaveSauce posted:OK so I know I asked this way back and I didn't really follow up, mainly because I didn't really have good answers. We got 2 companies out for estimates yesterday and have another one coming out this morning (and 1 more next week). Retractable awning?
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Aug 19, 2020 15:28
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Random thoughts and opinions just from my own limited personal experience: Personally, I would not design it where you have to go outside to turn the lights on/off. On the flip side most fans I’ve seen, especially outdoor rated ones, come with a remote. I installed a separate wall switch for ours but haven’t actually used it in a year. Built in fan lights that I’ve seen lately are non-replaceable (I.e. not screw in bulb) LEDs and their light tends to be harsh. Big fan rotating relatively slowly > smaller fan cranking away.
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Aug 19, 2020 15:35
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