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Queen Victorian posted:Yeah there is SketchUp, but I personally had a hard time with it, despite having used poo poo like Solidworks in the past (I turned my kitchen into solid block Sketchup is nothing like Solidworks. I could never get the hang of it, the concept is just so different from what I was looking for. If you like Solidworks, give FreeCAD a try: https://www.freecadweb.org/ If you've never used something like Solidworks, it has a massive learning curve. But if you've used SW or AutoCAD in the past, you'll feel more at home with FreeCAD. No clue how it compares to the art/design oriented stuff like Blender and whatnot.
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Feb 2, 2021 12:55
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), but I think my problem was impatience. I should give it another go.
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There's also Sweet Home: http://www.sweethome3d.com/features.jsp, which is free and open source.
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Feb 2, 2021 14:59
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DaveSauce posted:Sketchup is nothing like Solidworks. I could never get the hang of it, the concept is just so different from what I was looking for. If you like Solidworks, give FreeCAD a try: Ooo I have not heard of this one but I will try it - thanks for the recommendation! Yeah I definitely went in to SketchUp expecting a more traditional (but abridged) CAD program UI and didn’t get anything close. I had trouble doing even doing the most basic things like toggling the view mode or creating a three dimensional length of wall. I guess my problem was that I was trying to do poo poo like perform an extrusion to create a wall in a program for laypeople who most likely don’t know what it means to perform an extrusion. Hooray for overthinking everything. In school we used SW and Vellum/Graphite (which was a dream for 2D elevations) and some other stuff, buuuut outside of educational licensing/access to school computer labs all those programs are really loving expensive. We didn’t get into the artsier programs because we were focused on designing for manufacturing, and the artsy programs would allow stuff like impossible geometries, which CNC machines and 3D printers tend to not like. But apparently they were a lot more fun to use.
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Feb 2, 2021 18:04
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Queen Victorian posted:Ooo I have not heard of this one but I will try it - thanks for the recommendation! I'm used to more 2D CAD stuff myself for work, but the mechanical engineers pretty much everywhere I worked use SW. At my current job I get to occasionally play around with it, but I'm by no means an expert. I just find things like SW and FreeCAD to be more intuitive to me than SketchUp, dunno why. One thing to note about FreeCAD: it's free. You get what you pay for. But honestly for free solid modeling software it's pretty good, and mostly you can learn to work around its quirks. Not sure if it plays well with CNC/3D printers or not, though.
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Feb 2, 2021 18:51
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I guess I knew this would happen, but goddamn: 30 seconds after I hit submit on Ally's site to look at refinancing rates, I got two phone calls, two texts, and one email from them asking me if I wanted to discuss and lock in my rate.
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Feb 5, 2021 16:46
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Sirotan posted:I guess I knew this would happen, but goddamn: 30 seconds after I hit submit on Ally's site to look at refinancing rates, I got two phone calls, two texts, and one email from them asking me if I wanted to discuss and lock in my rate. "not anymore if you're going to treat me like this."
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Feb 5, 2021 18:06
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Sirotan posted:I guess I knew this would happen, but goddamn: 30 seconds after I hit submit on Ally's site to look at refinancing rates, I got two phone calls, two texts, and one email from them asking me if I wanted to discuss and lock in my rate. In my younger and more vulnerable years, I put my contact info into LendingTree. Think whatever you got from Ally x100. Do not do this.
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Feb 7, 2021 14:17
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Spring Heeled Jack posted:In my younger and more vulnerable years, I put my contact info into LendingTree. Think whatever you got from Ally x100. There is also a similar "let us sell your info" page on Better, which is conveniently not the same page as asking them for a refinance quote. I was getting 20+ calls a day from everyone under the sun for a solid week before the shitstream finally went to a trickle.
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Feb 8, 2021 02:20
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I refinanced at the beginning of the rate drop last year (like around March) and ended up with 3.25%. It was a no-brainer at that time because I was not only dropping from 3.625%, but I was also getting rid of MIP (i.e., transitioning from an FHA to a traditional mortgage), so I didn't even really bother crunching the numbers besides comparing lenders with one another. My lender just reached out to see if I was interested in refinancing again (I guess their algorithm figured it might be likely I'd do so and they wanted to cash in on that?). Rates are clearly even lower than before (and my credit is even better than a year ago - though it was already around 750 then, so I don't know if that makes a significant difference), but I think I need to actually do the math now. Is the "break-even" point that a calculator spits out pretty much all I should be evaluating? I've been here for 4 years and it's very unlikely I'll move for another 2-3 years, but after that is a question mark. I have a stable career that's WFH-friendly, but there are of course other, unpredictable life events that could spur me to move. I guess my question is, if I think there's a chance I could move before the break even point, should I just not bother? It seems like if I wrap closing costs into the loan, and still end up with a lower monthly payment, that could have some real value (assuming I invest that extra money each month) even if I move before the break even point because the rates are so low. I'm bad at economics though, so feel free to tell me I'm wrong.
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Feb 9, 2021 03:26
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•Your current monthly PI (not PITI)? curPI •Your new monthly PI? newPI •What’s the difference? diffPI = curPI - newPI •The lending cost of your refinance (they generally list this)? lCost •Other costs of your refinance (they generally don’t list this: closing costs, appraisals, etc)? oCost — assume this is $2500 if you don’t get a figure •Total costs: tCost = lCost + oCost Now, go to excel or google sheets. We’re going to list cashflows in order to value refinances! Put negative tCost in A1 Put (positive) 12*diffPI in B1 Somewhere on the page type IRR(A1:B1). This gives you the internal rate of return* for that series of cashflows. Which, if you’ve done this exactly, is the one year return on investment and almost certainly a negative number: basically no refinance pays itself back in under a year. ...but you can continue to copy/paste your cell B1 into C1, D1, E1, etc and redo your IRR() formula to estimate how long you intend to stay in the home and benefit from this difference in cashflows. Why do this? To value the economic utility of refinancing versus other investments you could do (like paying off a loan, or investing in equities). *Done exactly this way, it’s the annual rate of return. Most financial instruments are quoted with annual rates of return. Make sure that each cell is listing the yearly cashflow when doing IRR() formulas; you could list monthly cashflows and figure out a monthly rate of return, but that’s not very useful.
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Feb 9, 2021 15:12
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Thanks, DNK! I have to gather up all my detailed financials before they give me a quote, so I won't have the numbers to plug in right away, but I'm saving this for when I do.
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Feb 10, 2021 21:04
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I just ordered $4k of vinyl fencing to redo my perimeter myself 
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Feb 11, 2021 01:34
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NomNomNom posted:I just ordered $4k of vinyl fencing to redo my perimeter myself Oh hey, that was my hell all throughout last year! Make sure you’ve got good help, good levels, and if you can someone else to punch out the holes for you with a skidsteer go for that, or get a rental with downward force. Even the tow-behind auger was a lot of work and frequently got stuck on rocks, requiring manual clearing with a post hole digger. The foam post setting stuff worked great, and as an extra level of neurosis I funneled fast set concrete down into the post interior with a traffic cone. One spot I couldn’t dig down deep enough to set a pole because of giant live tree roots, but I was able to auger a hole and drop a T-Post down in there, trim the post and sleeve it over with concrete to reinforce it. And make sure you’ve got a good survey and permit paperwork and pray that some jackass doesn’t decide they made a mistake seven years ago when they surveyed your property, and pull the pins up and shuffle them over without your knowledge while surveying an unrelated property several doors down.
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Feb 11, 2021 03:49
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Weirdly enough we don't need a permit for fencing in our city. The city just swears off having anything to do with boundary disputes. I'm interested in the foam, but I've read a lot of stories that it loosens up over time. We have pottery clay soil so I have a hard time believing I even need concrete, but the foam does seem appealing. Would certainly save me having to get 50 bags of qwikcrete. 9' posts getting set in 3' holes x 25 posts. Going to rent an auger, but a few are going to have to be dug manually...
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Feb 11, 2021 12:55
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Our fence crosses the drainage easement in the back. A few years back the town put in an ordinance saying that no more new fencing will be approved that crosses easements, but we are apparently grandfathered in for when we do a replacement down the road. This spring I need to give it a good pressure wash then re-stain it all around and I’m not looking forward to it. This is of course needs to be done after I replace 3 fence posts that are rotted out at the base.
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Feb 11, 2021 13:01
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So I am getting my kitchen remodeled, and I had them replace the old linoleum floor with tile. I am not sure if I am just being super OCD, or this tile looks totally messed up. What do you guys think? Are the panels too visible?  If so, do you have any advice on how to approach my contractor about fixing the work?
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Feb 11, 2021 20:53
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It looks like they just put the new tile on top of the linoleum?
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Feb 11, 2021 20:59
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Check for lippage between the tiles. There shouldn't be more than 1/16th of an inch, or about the thickness of a dime. Also are those large like 18inch wide sheets of tiny tiles? or 12x12? Lighting in a room can cause weird shadows with tile, and underfloor prep is super important.
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Feb 11, 2021 21:03
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meta² posted:So I am getting my kitchen remodeled, and I had them replace the old linoleum floor with tile. You can't fix it - it needs to be torn out and redone properly. That's simply a lovely job.
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Feb 11, 2021 21:07
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I had over 1200 sq ft of tile ripped up and replaced in my house due to crappy workmanship, and honestly as much as I love tile, I'd probably go with a "Luxury Vinyl Plank" instead if I had to do it over.
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Feb 11, 2021 21:24
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meta² posted:So I am getting my kitchen remodeled, and I had them replace the old linoleum floor with tile. Yeah tell him it sucks poo poo and he needs a new tile guy. I wouldn't accept that quality from myself. It's like they just buttered the tile sheets and installed. The edges of every sheet are low. I installed tile like that and my main problem was getting the gaps right between sheets, at least it was flat.
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Feb 11, 2021 22:12
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skipdogg posted:Check for lippage between the tiles. There shouldn't be more than 1/16th of an inch, or about the thickness of a dime. Also are those large like 18inch wide sheets of tiny tiles? or 12x12? Try not to completely focus on the tiles and you can clearly see each piece of 12x12 tile. lovely lovely job
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Feb 11, 2021 22:36
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That looks like the sort of work I do 6 beers in after being meticulous for a full day, getting no where and getting impatient. I wouldnt pay for that sloppy work.
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Feb 11, 2021 22:52
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That's after the remodel? 
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Feb 12, 2021 00:00
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Yeahhh, that's a terrible job. That's high-school bathroom floor levels of bad.
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Feb 12, 2021 00:26
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Sundae posted:Yeahhh, that's a terrible job. That's high-school bathroom floor levels of bad. That's an insult to high schoolers everywhere.
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Feb 12, 2021 00:32
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Just want to leave these here.. Long story short, builder's tile company did a terrible job, fought for a year to get builder to replace the entire tile floor as it was way out of spec. Almost 1200 sq ft of tile replaced.  
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Feb 12, 2021 18:09
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I would say that ~80% of the time my family has had tile done, it was immediately redone. Tile Guys seem like they try to give you a quick and dirty job on the chance you'll accept it, and then will grudgingly do it for real if you say no.
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Feb 12, 2021 18:11
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:I would say that ~80% of the time my family has had tile done, it was immediately redone. Tile Guys seem like they try to give you a quick and dirty job on the chance you'll accept it, and then will grudgingly do it for real if you say no. If I ever pay to have tile work done, I'm finding the best guy in the area and paying him whatever he wants. The good guys are expensive, but worth it. Sorta like drywall folks I had my entire master shower ripped out and replaced for quality issues as well.
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Feb 12, 2021 18:13
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Friend had an uncle who was super awesome at tile.. didn’t use spacers and said they just propagated errors in squaring through the room. He was meticulous and the work was freaking great. What I’m saying is definitely worth paying the best if it’s worth it to you... there is a difference.
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Feb 12, 2021 20:31
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I've had pros that use the screw down spacer / levelers and the results are fantastic on large format tile. That same contractor did a set of bathrooms three times before we accepted them.
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Feb 12, 2021 20:46
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I helped build a house for an old master tiler and his tile and bathroom were amazing. He used a lazer to diagonal the tile from his front door through his living room and kitchen continuously and it all looked true/great.
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Feb 12, 2021 21:57
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I talked to the contractor and he said he’d made it right. My in-law is an ex contractor and said they didn’t do the right subfloor. The contractor said it might look better with a second layer of grout... should I tell him to not bother and to rip it up or just let him try to fix it with the grout?
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Feb 13, 2021 00:21
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meta² posted:I talked to the contractor and he said he’d made it right. My in-law is an ex contractor and said they didn’t do the right subfloor. The contractor said it might look better with a second layer of grout... should I tell him to not bother and to rip it up or just let him try to fix it with the grout? I'm not tile expert (or even knowledgable), but I seriously doubt applying more grout is going to all of a sudden make those even and it not hilariously apparent where they laid the sheets down. That's not a grout problem, that's something hosed with how the tiles are laying and what's under them. "Let's put down more grout" reads to me like someone trying to do the cheap fix on the problem.
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Feb 13, 2021 00:56
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e: wrong house thread!
Inner Light fucked around with this message at 02:08 on Feb 13, 2021 |
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Feb 13, 2021 02:02
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You might try making your first offer your final and best. Everyone else is.
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Feb 13, 2021 02:11
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Cyrano4747 posted:I'm not tile expert (or even knowledgable), but I seriously doubt applying more grout is going to all of a sudden make those even and it not hilariously apparent where they laid the sheets down. That's not a grout problem, that's something hosed with how the tiles are laying and what's under them. "Let's put down more grout" reads to me like someone trying to do the cheap fix on the problem. Yeah I've only done a tile repair job once, so no expert here, but "just slap some grout on it" is not the correct fix to that poo poo job.
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Feb 13, 2021 07:11
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Agreed that that’s a terrible job and would bother me forever if it was my house. I wouldn’t even let them try to “fix” it with grout because grout will definitely not fix the tiles being off kilter at the edges of the sheets. Also, aren’t you supposed to offset the sheets so you don’t get the noticeable corner to corner repeating texture look? I know you’re supposed to offset drywall to prevent issues with four corners worth of tape or whatever in one spot.
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Feb 13, 2021 08:00
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meta² posted:I talked to the contractor and he said he’d made it right. My in-law is an ex contractor and said they didn’t do the right subfloor. The contractor said it might look better with a second layer of grout... should I tell him to not bother and to rip it up or just let him try to fix it with the grout? yeah whatever's going on, the tile isn't laying flat - which is a combo of whatever is under the tile and how the sheets were placed. Either way, it's coming up.
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Feb 13, 2021 08:47
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BaseballPCHiker posted:That looks like the sort of work I do 6 beers in after being meticulous for a full day, getting no where and getting impatient. you just described my whole bathroom tiling project. At least when painting 6 beers in i could easily touch up later
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Feb 13, 2021 14:53
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