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pmchem posted:Does the winner pay the loser's repair bill after all the water damage? They are both housed in unfinished basements with floor drains so that won’t be an issue.
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Oct 15, 2020 21:13
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Roofers always want to replace all the plywood right?
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Oct 16, 2020 02:07
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Mine didn't but they did replace the broken parts.
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Oct 16, 2020 03:24
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Keyser_Soze posted:Roofers always want to replace all the plywood right? Nope
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Oct 16, 2020 03:32
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Keyser_Soze posted:Roofers always want to replace all the plywood right? Depending on the house a good roofing crew can be in and out in a day or two; speed is money for them and plywood takes time. Good companies typically won't replace any unless it's needed.
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Oct 16, 2020 04:40
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Blindeye posted:I had my furnace and water heater checked out; both are pushing past thirty years with zero issues. I have a plan if they go but drat if I'm not baffled by their longevity. I'm in the same place. My unit's furnace was installed in 1981. It's apparently in a space that wouldn't fit today's large size furnaces anymore and the gas outtake runs up out through a flue that runs parallel to the chimney as well, which a HVAC tech told me they'd never hook a modern furnace up to for some reason. idk honestly what we'll do when it craps out. I think I might need to shuffle through enough techs until I hear something that works.
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Oct 16, 2020 05:23
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So I'm probably just going to build the chicken-wire cage you guys suggested right now, as the other solution involves getting a contractor, and that was already tough enough without the pandemic making it impossible to get a hold of one. However, on a different note I'd figure I'd share my stable genius of a wife apparently finally cracking under the strain of the pandemic. These are a couple pictures of our backyard circa February of this year. We've discussed killing the lawn and making it a native drought/tolerant landscape for awhile now.    She's been buying weed-cloth, drip irrigation conversion parts, and native plants (which she's grown to quite a size in their pots) for about 4 months now, but it's been hot as gently caress all summer (and autumn!) so not much was happening except that we stopped watering it in the hopes it would die (no such luck!). Now things are finally cooling down, and I woke up this Saturday to find her in the backyard with giant containers of Roundup and a sprayer laughing manically as she sprayed all the grass. Monday I took the girls to their school and went to work, and 9 hours later I come back and the grass is completely loving gone with giant piles of material sitting in the driveway next to the green waste bin. She is, of course, sound asleep so I can't ask too many questions. Tuesday, off to work, come home and she has converted all the sprinklers to drip irrigation, relocated all of our raised beds and brickwork, and laid out weed cloth across the whole yard. Wednesday, she planted all of her plants and then apparently she drove back and forth to Lowes Depot to buy as many bags of wood chips as fit in our tiny car, lugged it into the backyard and covered the whole yard with wood chips. At this point I ask if I could help in anyway and she tells me to gas up the tiny car because she's got big plans tomorrow. So today I come home to this.    She apparently was driving back and forth to get these pavers and then lugging them into the backyard herself one by one, but finally stopped because it got to 100F today. She technically is still employed and WFH, so I think I might need to talk to her about whether she needs a break or something Jesus Christ 
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Oct 16, 2020 07:33
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El Mero Mero posted:I'm in the same place. My unit's furnace was installed in 1981. The old 1981 (year the house was built) furnace closet thing happened to me too. Except no one noticed or said anything until they had started the install and were just like oops your door won't close. At that point I wasn't gonna tell them gently caress it. My solution was dumb: I cut a big hole on the inside of the hollow door to make room and now the door can just barely close. Looks fine on the outside so gently caress it. Something the next owner can deal with.
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Oct 16, 2020 08:32
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I'm currently replacing a water heater that's 15 years old. It was doing fine but there's no drip pan and it's a finished basement with carpet and such. And I live in a higher cost area where I'm worried about how an emergency replacement would go.
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Oct 16, 2020 14:24
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Anonymous Zebra posted:So I'm probably just going to build the chicken-wire cage you guys suggested right now, as the other solution involves getting a contractor, and that was already tough enough without the pandemic making it impossible to get a hold of one. I was going to suggest not killing your grass until your kids were old enough to not like that slide (we have the same one) but that took a sudden turn. Can you convince her to channel this effort into not getting hanta virus?
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Oct 16, 2020 15:31
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Anonymous Zebra posted:So I'm probably just going to build the chicken-wire cage you guys suggested right now, as the other solution involves getting a contractor, and that was already tough enough without the pandemic making it impossible to get a hold of one. Looks good! Always impresses me what some vision and some sweat equity can do for landscaping. Only advice from my perspective is you might’ve avoided weed barrier under the beds and just used it under the pavers and hardscape. It’s going to be a pita when you want to change anything or plant something new. Mulch is more effective and has the added benefit of decomposing and improving the soil over time Also don’t know how much of an issue you have with weeds, but permasand is awesome to brush in between pavers. It acts like a polymer glue so things hold together and prevents weeds
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Oct 16, 2020 16:07
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twerking on the railroad posted:I'm currently replacing a water heater that's 15 years old. It was doing fine but there's no drip pan and it's a finished basement with carpet and such. And I live in a higher cost area where I'm worried about how an emergency replacement would go. Edit- I'm getting a tankless heater because I'm more space constrained in the utility closet than I thought. Well, I wanted to use less gas anyway...
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Oct 16, 2020 17:27
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When is the best time to score the best deals on lawn mowers? I'm looking at some 80v electric mowers, but I worry that they won't have the same suction and power as a Honda gas powered one. I love being able to run my gas powered one over the sidewalk to clear it out without getting the blower. Do 80v ones have comparable power? I have less than 1/4 acre, so run time won't be an issue.
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Oct 16, 2020 21:28
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Bioshuffle posted:When is the best time to score the best deals on lawn mowers? You may have missed the boat, but Lowes has their Kobalt 80v on end of season clearance right now. Beginning of September I got a push mower for 250$, and it has been absolutely phenomenal, far better than my very old Honda HR215. One touch deck height adjustment, adjustable height push bar, easy on/off, mulches nicely, happily dealt with long neglected grass, and used about 1/4 of the 5 amp hour battery for my tiny rear end yard. Plus it’s light and easy to push around. Just a few days ago I was able to score the last 80v kobalt leaf blower they had for 115$, which came with another charger and battery (figure it’d be good to have another on hand). That thing also works pretty great, though it does suck down battery on turbo mode. Took visits to three lowes to find one, though brickseek said each one had a bunch. I should add these deals are in store only, and vary by region. Sadly n:o online, though you could probably find scalpers selling stuff for a small upcharge.
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Oct 17, 2020 12:41
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Hoping someone can give me some insight about what might be going on with my roof. We had a new asphalt shingle roof put on our 1987 house about 5 years ago and it recently caught my eye that the drip edge appeared to have somehow popped off where it should be attached. This is a very zoomed-in shot taken from our driveway two stories below. I figured I could just squeeze in some construction adhesive, smash it down, and call it a day. But after finding my ladder and my courage, this is what I saw:    In the last picture here you can see a couple of nails holding the trim on that have popped out (though there are others that still appear sunk all the way) as well as the heads of a number of screws sunk into the top of it that seem like they are no longer holding whatever used to be there. I obviously shouldn't be able to see the edge of the sheathing like that, but I'm very confused about where things could have gone wrong. I can see that the sheathing is sitting right on top of a piece of what I assume is framing, which seems like how it should work. This gap isn't present at the ridge of the roof, but it starts appearing around 1/3 of the way down the roofline. All of the other analogous edges look normal. Just thinking through possibilities: 1) The fascia board there has somehow become detached and slipped downwards. I don't think this is the case since it seemed pretty solidly attached and the top edge is still parallel with the piece of lumber behind it 2) It's been like this since the roof was installed because the sheathing was installed incorrectly and is lying on top of something that it should be behind and flush with. On the one hand, the roofers were a recommendation from a friend that ended up being total fuckups, but given the amount of time I spent looking over their work and catching other issues I think I would have noticed something like this at the time. 3) Something has gone wrong over time, with incorrect install a possible aggravating factor, that has caused this piece of sheathing to lift up from where it should be sitting. 4) ??? We're going to find some roofers to call on Monday, but if I'd love to hear any ideas about what might be going on here or if there's someone else I should be calling instead (for example if the fascia board just needs to be moved upwards to cover the gap). Unfortunately, examining it from below is tough because we had R60 of cellulose blown in a year or two ago and this spot is at the complete opposite end of the house from the attic access. But if I have some idea of what I should be looking for I might be able to spiderman my way above the insulation using the trusses to at least get close enough to take some photos. ChineseBuffet fucked around with this message at 01:47 on Oct 18, 2020 |
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Oct 17, 2020 21:39
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OSU_Matthew posted:You may have missed the boat, but Lowes has their Kobalt 80v on end of season clearance right now. Beginning of September I got a push mower for 250$, and it has been absolutely phenomenal, far better than my very old Honda HR215. One touch deck height adjustment, adjustable height push bar, easy on/off, mulches nicely, happily dealt with long neglected grass, and used about 1/4 of the 5 amp hour battery for my tiny rear end yard. Plus it’s light and easy to push around. I'm still mulling over getting gas instead of electric There's just something about ripping the cord and hearing that engine come to life. Then again, no maintenance and gas sounds pretty nice too. The 80volts are nothing like the 40v that putter if it comes anything tough right? I was reading about how ego mowers has a bunch of paid promotional reviews floating around on YouTube.  I've always wondered the proper way to use a leaf blower. I've seen people blow leafs out of their property onto the neighbor's. Isn't that a way to start fights? Are you supposed to use it to blow the leaf onto the street? Do you use it to clear out certain areas? What's the point? Bioshuffle fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Oct 18, 2020 |
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Oct 18, 2020 15:45
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Bioshuffle posted:I've always wondered the proper way to use a leaf blower. I've seen people blow leafs out of their property onto the neighbor's. Isn't that a way to start fights? Are you supposed to use it to blow the leaf onto the street? Do you use it to clear out certain areas? What's the point? Blowing leaves into a large pile makes it easier and faster to collect them into leaf/compost bags to put on the curb. You'd only make your leaves your neighbor's problem if you're actively trying to be a dick. There used to be a few communities around me that would collect leaves you take into the street but they all stopped that years ago. Also I wish all my neighbors had battery powered mowers like I do because this Bioshuffle posted:I'm still mulling over getting gas instead of electric isn't really fun for the rest of us to have to listen to.
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Oct 18, 2020 15:52
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Sirotan posted:isn't really fun for the rest of us to have to listen to. Leaf blower noises are obnoxious on a good day. When I was growing up my dad would spread out spare bedsheets on the ground and we would rake leaves onto the bedsheets and then carried them to the curb for the twice per season leaf pickup. Way more labor intensive than using a blower, but I guarantee you none of our neighbors hated us as much as I hate the rear end in a top hat across the street from me who has to fastidiously leafblow his front yard what seems like every Sunday morning Fake edit: And Rand Paul broke a neighbor's rib (a neighbor broke Rand Paul's rib?) because they got into a fight over intentionally leaf blowing across property lines, or something. All of this is to say gently caress leaf blowers.
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Oct 18, 2020 16:27
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I see none of you live under 80 foot tall Sycamore trees that drop 500 billion leaves for what seems like 6 straight months (while also dropping fuzzball dingleberries with tiny, sticky, wispy seeds everywhere) and get into every crack, crevice, gutter, eave, bush, shrub, grass, nook, cranny, shed and even find their way via crunched up bits on your shoes into your house. a small sample:  Battery blowers are at least non-stinky and quieter. 
Keyser_Soze fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Oct 18, 2020 |
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Oct 18, 2020 16:39
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Happiness Commando posted:Leaf blower noises are obnoxious on a good day. When I was growing up my dad would spread out spare bedsheets on the ground and we would rake leaves onto the bedsheets and then carried them to the curb for the twice per season leaf pickup. I'm not sure what magic EGO is using but their leafblower is more powerful than my corded Toro and at least half as quiet. The one thing the EGO doesn't do is function as leaf vacuum/mulcher, but that's not that big of a deal. Leaf blowers are great for blowing leaves out of corners and bushes and getting them into piles to be handed by other means, but if you're just blowing them into the street or your neighbors yard then gently caress you and I'm not calling the police when Rand Paul assaults you.
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Oct 18, 2020 16:53
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If you have the yard size for it I don't know why anyone would opt for gas over electric, battery or plug in. My plug in mower starts every time. Do larger mowers have efi these days? Or is it all still carbs and disappointment? (things larger than a cheap you-propelled.)
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Oct 18, 2020 16:58
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H110Hawk posted:Do larger mowers have efi these days? Or is it all still carbs and disappointment? (things larger than a cheap you-propelled.) Even at commercial zero turn sizes, they're all using the same Kawasaki FS series type motors. No real reason for EFI. They run great when maintained properly. You get into the largest of those with a diesel and you'll get EFI.
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Oct 18, 2020 17:30
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H110Hawk posted:If you have the yard size for it I don't know why anyone would opt for gas over electric, battery or plug in. My plug in mower starts every time. When do new mowers usually come out? Since I have a mower for the time being, I'm probably going to wait until Black Friday to get one.
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Oct 18, 2020 17:51
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Bioshuffle posted:The batteries last for a while, right? I was told the batteries drain out after two or three seasons and won't hold the charge. I'm pretty sure my friend is biased because he hasn't looked into electric mowers in the past few years. Either that, or people's standards have dropped substantially. I do have St.Augustine, and I hear mowers have more trouble with them, so that worries me a bit too. My postage stamp sized yard of augustine worked fine with a plugin mower on a 25' cord. If I let it go for weeks on end (which I always did) I would have to tilt the mower back and set it down on the tallest wettest patches otherwise it would bog down and stall. There were only two deck-widths of spots where I had to do that and it's a combination of uneven grade and very tall grass. Batteries that are not tended properly will died after several years of use, otherwisr they will die no matter what in 4-5 years. That's the nature of batteries. Motronic posted:They run great when maintained properly. Lemme stop you right there. H110Hawk fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Oct 18, 2020 |
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Oct 18, 2020 18:32
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H110Hawk posted:Lemme stop you right there. "Maintained properly" on commercial twin ohc engines like that is comprised of shotguning fresh oil and a filter at them every 100 hours. They're not really due for anything else other than checking/adjusting valve clearances every 300, and that takes like 15 minutes. But yeah, I get your point.
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Oct 18, 2020 21:10
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We had several second hand electric mowers growing up, I never had to mow more than 1/8th acre with one, but even the shittiest ones did a pretty good job. And yeah thick wet grass needed some special tactics periodically As far as I'm concerned, gas lawnmower engines are hermetically sealed except for the gas tank
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Oct 19, 2020 16:20
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I read somewhere recently that gas mowers are responsible for some obscene amount of yearly greenhouse gas emissions in the US. The house I bought had a gas mower in the garage that runs fine and I’ll use for the foreseeable future, but if I was buying new I’d probably get the best electric I could afford for that reason.
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Oct 19, 2020 17:26
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I've got the newest EGO mower and it's a beast. The only gas equipment I still own is my tiller and it loving sucks. The air filter nut popped off last time I was using it and it sucked in a bunch of dirt and so then I had to take the carb off to clean it. Meanwhile it's leaking gasoline loving everywhere while I mess with it and my arm is loving hurting from attempting to start it a billion times to cycle fuel and poo poo through it trying to troubleshoot it. gently caress small engines. Even if the battery wears out in 5 years or whatever (which I doubt is the case) it's still worth it not having to gently caress with a small engine periodically, and finding out it's hosed the moment you need it. Other benefits are that it's lightweight, quiet, doesn't cover you in exhaust fumes, it doesn't vibrate like crazy and numb your hands, and it can be easily stored vertically. I've convinced 4 people to switch to EGO equipment after letting them use mine. It's just amazing how much better of an experience it is over gas.
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Oct 19, 2020 17:37
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SpartanIvy posted:Even if the battery wears out in 5 years or whatever (which I doubt is the case) You're 100% right in doubting that's the case, but in completely the opposite direction from what you're thinking.
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Oct 19, 2020 17:44
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Motronic posted:You're 100% right in doubting that's the case, but in completely the opposite direction from what you're thinking. I had an EGO 5ah battery that was 3 years old previously and it still held enough charge to mow my front and back yard in most conditions.
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Oct 19, 2020 17:53
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Lawnie posted:I read somewhere recently that gas mowers are responsible for some obscene amount of yearly greenhouse gas emissions in the US. The house I bought had a gas mower in the garage that runs fine and I’ll use for the foreseeable future, but if I was buying new I’d probably get the best electric I could afford for that reason. IDK about CO2 but they’re absolute poo poo for local air pollution compared to any car made in the last 30 years.
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Oct 19, 2020 17:54
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SpartanIvy posted:Even if the battery wears out in 5 years or whatever (which I doubt is the case) it's still worth it not having to gently caress with a small engine periodically, and finding out it's hosed the moment you need it. Lithium ion batteries have a general lifespan of 5 years if perfectly maintained. Highly recyclable just like lead acid batteries, cheap too if you just spew the fumes out over Los Angeles. You should unfortunately expect to replace the batteries periodically, especially on high load devices, run in hot weather, and charged quickly. The chemistry is improving on some of this stuff to help improve the lifespan but entropy is a cruel mistress. That said not huffing a bunch of pm2.5, nox, and other awful fumes is well worth it. In theory we can fix central-source emissions and the environmental disaster that is mining lithium/cobalt/etc. I would suggest corded for some of these things if you can get away with it. My ryobi leaf blower is either cord or battery which I really like. The battery only lasts around 10m of runtime, but it's the same one as my drill. I use the cord. Batteries are really nice, but once you get the hang of cord management it's really not a big deal - even for a mower.
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Oct 19, 2020 19:40
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A guy in my neighborhood quoted me $250 to install 24 sq. ft. of backsplash. That seems...ridiculously low, right? I'm in central Florida, and we figured the labor would be closer to $500-$750
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Oct 20, 2020 02:22
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Omne posted:A guy in my neighborhood quoted me $250 to install 24 sq. ft. of backsplash. That seems...ridiculously low, right? I'm in central Florida, and we figured the labor would be closer to $500-$750 What are we talking here? A guy and a tube of construction adhesive can slap up a backsplash on an empty-enough space in under a day.
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Oct 20, 2020 02:39
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H110Hawk posted:What are we talking here? A guy and a tube of construction adhesive can slap up a backsplash on an empty-enough space in under a day. Honestly not sure yet. He's a handyman who lives in our neighborhood that was recommended by some people. I'm going to reach out to some tile installers and see where they're at
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Oct 20, 2020 03:08
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Omne posted:Honestly not sure yet. He's a handyman who Stop right there. Omne posted:I'm going to reach out to some tile installers and see where they're at Better idea.
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Oct 20, 2020 03:22
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therobit posted:Stop right there.
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Oct 20, 2020 03:43
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Dik Hz posted:A 24' backsplash is pretty easy. A regular handyman can easily handle that. Or they could be a lazy, incompetent fool who thinks it's OK to slap it up there with liquid nails and grout with painter's caulk.
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Oct 20, 2020 03:56
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therobit posted:Or they could be a lazy, incompetent fool who thinks it's OK to slap it up there with liquid nails and grout with painter's caulk. 
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Oct 20, 2020 04:10
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I've definitely seen backsplashes that look like they were just tossed up onto the wall like seeing if the spaghetti is done; try to avoid that. At least see if the guy has some photos of previous stuff before hiring them?
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Oct 20, 2020 12:43
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