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I think due to some water leakage when our fridge died last week, the wood floor in front of it is kind of raising up noticeably: It's basically fine for now, but if I wanted to fix it long-term, I guess I'm talking sand/stain/polyurethane for the room again? Frustrating, just had the entire apartment's floors redone last year.
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May 3, 2021 01:14
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I have a question about stucco, patios made of pavers, and drainage. I've been searching the internet for an answer to these questions all weekend, and it's leading to quite an argument with my wife. The basics are such: - Our front yard has a garden bed directly below the front windows against the house that was there from previous owners. My wife hates the plants there (they are not water-wise) and has been threatening to destroy them for three years now. This weekend she finally did the deed and tore up close to 15 assorted shrubs, irises, and small trees. All that remains is a single camellia tree (which we'll be removing soon), and a lot of open soil. - She wants to build a DIY patio in this space out of pavers. The majority of our front yard is drought landscape, so this patio would be a rather thin line of pavers right up against the house and would just be a place to put some chairs and a bench to chill in the shade. (This area of our front yard is in shade most of the day and is very comfortable to sit in, but we don't have a front porch so there is no where to sit...) As a reminder here is the kind of paver work she is able to DIY:   The stones she would use in the front yard are much more regular in shape, but she'd be using similar methodology. I have some misgivings about this plan, but I'm having trouble figuring out if they are sound, or just me being nervous about nothing. 1) Every site I see describing how to build paver patios talks about 8-9 inches of digging with 6 inches of gravel & 1 inch of sand before you start laying the stones. They also mention using all kinds of different linings and dividers to keep the patio in place. This is all far more work than she has put into the previous paver creations (which all look great by the way). 2) Lots of sites say not to build a patio against your foundation unless "you are building against the concrete and not the siding". Well our house is covered in stucco, and I'm not sure exactly where the foundation starts in that kind of situation. The stucco seems to go below the soil line, so I'm not exactly sure how that changes the rules. As a reminder, here is a picture of the side of my house from an unrelated issue:  I've walked around my neighborhood, and all the homes with stucco all have their stucco right down to the ground with no visible concrete vs. homes with siding where there is a visible foundation with concrete. I'm not sure how this changes the logistics of drainage. Essentially, when I came to my wife and said "this might gently caress up the drainage of water next to the house" she said that I was using information meant for homes that were from rainy areas that also had freeze thaw cycles during the year, had basements and were covered in siding. She believes that a home in SoCal that experiences little yearly rainfall, never has the ground freezing, is covered in stucco, and which does not have a basement does not have the same issues as being described in the sites I showed her. She claims that she can just grade the soil slightly away from the house and that water will flow that way and no cause us any issues. I personally believe that she is a cool lady but not a pro landscaper and do not trust her to grade soil correctly to this effect. She also does not believe she needs to dig 9 inches down and lay down all that gravel, and in fact she can't because she would hit irrigation lines and such (which is another giant red flag LOL). The irrigation lines are obviously there because it was a garden bed, and her intent is to change out the heads so that they can drip irrigate potted plants that she'll be putting on this patio, so she doesn't want to get rid of those lines. So my questions are: 1) Would a paver patio against a house, with the pavers joined by polymeric sand, and a slight grade away from the house present a drainage issue that would differ significantly from there just being a garden bed and soil there in the first place? 2) Would it not be smarter to just do something like one of the other homes did in my neighborhood:  And just build a raised concrete porch poured by professionals, which will actually pass inspection and not be some DIY thing I need to tear up when I want to sell the place. If I went this way, what kinds of issues would I want to look out for with rain falling on that structure and this being built against the stucco on my house?
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May 3, 2021 08:13
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Anonymous Zebra posted:Essentially, when I came to my wife and said "this might gently caress up the drainage of water next to the house" she said that I was using information meant for homes that were from rainy areas that also had freeze thaw cycles during the year, had basements and were covered in siding. She believes that a home in SoCal that experiences little yearly rainfall, never has the ground freezing, is covered in stucco, and which does not have a basement does not have the same issues as being described in the sites I showed her. She claims that she can just grade the soil slightly away from the house and that water will flow that way and no cause us any issues. Thank for typing out exactly what I was going to respond to you. She's right. As soon as I saw the water treatment/whatever outside I knew this was the exact mistaken internet-derived panic you'd driven yourself into (reading methods that are inappropriate and/or unnecessary for your actual weather conditions). Your second question is a matter of opinion/taste/preference. Motronic fucked around with this message at 12:38 on May 3, 2021 |
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May 3, 2021 12:35
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Yeah buddy your SoCal soil is more like concrete. Maybe dig down an extra inch to lay sand below the pavers, make sure to tamp any disturbed dirt. Grade it properly and it will likely never shift. It isn't 100% by the book but it will certainly be good enough for a small DIY job. San Diego is prone to flash floods, so grading is still a concern. With sudden rainfall the dry ground won't accept the water and it runs off across the surface.
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May 3, 2021 12:51
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As someone who has done a DIY paver patio outside of a stucco house in San Diego, I think she'll be fine how she plans to do it. edit: this was mine: 
moana fucked around with this message at 15:41 on May 3, 2021 |
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May 3, 2021 14:23
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ARCDad posted:I need to seal the grout in my new shower and bathroom tiles but I’m not sure what the best option is. Do I go with aerosol sealant or do I get a brush and sealant? I used the brush-sealant method on my last tile job. I used the stuff the tile shop recommended and it worked really well. It still sucked and took forever though. edit : I can't find it in the BOM, but I think it was Sealers Choice. Yooper fucked around with this message at 15:02 on May 3, 2021 |
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May 3, 2021 14:46
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Oh no! She was right?! This is the worst possible outcome guys! I'm never going to hear the end of it now! 
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May 3, 2021 20:56
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Anonymous Zebra posted:Oh no! She was right?! This is the worst possible outcome guys! I'm never going to hear the end of it now! You are doomed now, forever cursed.
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May 3, 2021 21:26
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Anonymous Zebra posted:Oh no! She was right?! This is the worst possible outcome guys! I'm never going to hear the end of it now! Also I like the paver and garden work. Good job.
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May 3, 2021 23:08
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Ugh. We have a Timberlake double wastebasket drawer in our kitchen, and the unit has someone come apart from the slides (which still work perfectly fine). It cannot seem to go back on, and it's driving us crazy. The mechanism just doesn't seem to work. Anyone have a recommendation on soft-close undermount slides?
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May 4, 2021 00:53
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Today I spent about $80 in hardware, $100 in tools, and 2 hours of time to fix my garage door, after having two different guys come out and try to give us quotes for >$3000 for a full door replacement (what the gently caress, no, stop trying to sell me a new garage door). Eat poo poo, thread title!
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May 4, 2021 01:45
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On the topic of DIY home improvements/repairs, I've found it way the gently caress harder to get anything done now that I have a toddler around the place. Need to rip up the carpet to see what's going on with the weird floor spot? Not unless I can get it done during a single nap time, because it's right in the main area of the living room. Drilling holes? Only while she's awake and mom's around to keep an eye on her. Painting? Sure, but leave the paint unattended for even half a second and... So on, so forth. I might as well just put a wet floor sign over that spongy floor section and leave it until she goes to college.
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May 4, 2021 02:03
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Okay, financial question.... my wife had a condo hoisted onto her that we cannot afford. We'd love to sell it, but we can't even afford temporary rent for somewhere else, even for long enough to move out and show the condo to buyers. Not confidently, anyway. What kind of options exist for people to escape house-poor situations? Are there special loans for it? I suppose the bank that owns our mortgage would be the most eager to maybe help us out of it. Mostly because they know that the money to pay them back exists, because the collateral (the condo) is right there in front of them on their own books! Maybe they'd even buy the condo back from us? I dunno about that because the condo went up in value quite a bit since we obtained it. For more background info, the terms of our mortgage say that our outstanding balance to pay can be transferred to someone else who buys the condo. How do people get out of this?
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May 4, 2021 03:49
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Happy Thread posted:Okay, financial question.... my wife had a condo hoisted onto her that we cannot afford. We'd love to sell it, but we can't even afford temporary rent for somewhere else, even for long enough to move out and show the condo to buyers. Not confidently, anyway. Back way the hell up. How did you wind up owing money on a condo? You can't just dump real estate in someones lap without their consent unless someone dies, and even then there is still a lot of paperwork. You can sell the condo while you live in it, that's how most people sell their homes. Where were you living previous to this mysterious condo? Why didn't you keep living there? Where would you go to live once you sell it?
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May 4, 2021 03:59
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I'm going to guess Family gave them some money with strings attached (it must be used for a down payment on This Condo)
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May 4, 2021 04:01
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Happy Thread posted:Okay, financial question.... my wife had a condo hoisted onto her that we cannot afford. We'd love to sell it, but we can't even afford temporary rent for somewhere else, even for long enough to move out and show the condo to buyers. Not confidently, anyway. There are several things you need to explain. Like how was this "hoisted" on her? What can't she afford? The mortgage? Repairs? An HOA assessment? What is the condo worth and what is the payoff amount of the mortgage? And why do you think you need to move out to show/sell your home?
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May 4, 2021 04:01
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:I'm going to guess Family gave them some money with strings attached (it must be used for a down payment on This Condo) Bingo. They wanted to "invest". Now they've ghosted us and the property is fully legally in her name. So we see no longer see a need to keep the money locked up the way they wanted it to be, especially during a personal/worldwide emergency when being this broke is dangerous. I don't think these particulars really pertain to the basic question though, of what options exist for people to get money up front to liquidate their houses?
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May 4, 2021 04:08
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Happy Thread posted:I don't think these particulars really pertain to the basic question though, of what options exist for people to get money up front to liquidate their houses? Those may not, but they are questions that lead to other questions depending on how it gets answered. That's why you were asked. And if you want real answers you need to answer more questions. Like the ones I asked. The fact that you didn't post that information to begin with indicates you are starting at absolutely zero knowledge on this process so the specifics are required.
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May 4, 2021 04:18
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BTW our plan is to use money (if we had it) to rent somewhere toward the outskirts of the city where everything's not so inflated for at least several months. During that we would transfer all out stuff, our cats, and start showing the condo. I otherwise do not trust a bunch of strangers to come in and out of the place I am actively living in, for a whole lot of reasons that are not part of the question because this is a problem that the money exists to solve if someone will explain how to get fronted some of it.
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May 4, 2021 04:23
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Happy Thread posted:Bingo. They wanted to "invest". Now they've ghosted us and the property is fully legally in her name. So we see no longer see a need to keep the money locked up the way they wanted it to be, especially during a personal/worldwide emergency when being this broke is dangerous. I don't think these particulars really pertain to the basic question though, of what options exist for people to get money up front to liquidate their houses? Frankly, you should gather up your mortgage docs and talk to a real estate attorney. How are they “invested”? Do they own a % on the deed? You’re well into “I’m risking loving over my financial future” territory and you should not follow dead gay comedy forum advice, and get advice from a professional. Lawyers are expensive but you may be in a “can’t afford to not afford an attorney” situation. Happy Thread posted:BTW our plan is to use money (if we had it) to rent somewhere toward the outskirts of the city where everything's not so inflated for at least several months. During that we would transfer all out stuff, our cats, and start showing the condo. I otherwise do not trust a bunch of strangers to come in and out of the place I am actively living in, for a whole lot of reasons that are not part of the question because this is a problem that the money exists to solve if someone will explain how to get fronted some of it. This is dumb. Stop thinking this way. You do not seem to be in a position to be acting like that. Pilfered Pallbearers fucked around with this message at 04:27 on May 4, 2021 |
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May 4, 2021 04:24
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Okay, how would I leverage the condo to get fronted money for an attorney? Literally the same question. No, the other family does not have a percentage. 100% in my wife's name.
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May 4, 2021 04:26
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Happy Thread posted:Okay, how would I leverage the condo to get fronted money for an attorney? Literally the same question. Then was the money a gift? Did she sign a paper saying they own 20%? No one invests money in real estate then forgets it exists. They will come eventually. You are going to make your situation so much worse.
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May 4, 2021 04:28
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:Frankly, you should gather up your mortgage docs and talk to a real estate attorney. Yeah, based on these responses this is the only answer. There is nothing this thread can do with the information given. "I want to do this thing but there are undisclosed reasons why I can't do this thing!" Hire a lawyer. Happy Thread posted:Okay, how would I leverage the condo to get fronted money for an attorney? You can try a cash out refi or a HELOC, but since you won't answer basic questions like "what is it worth" and "how much is the mortgage payoff" nobody can give you specific advice.
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May 4, 2021 04:29
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The condo increased in value by 400k since we obtained it. We are not "underwater" on it or whatever. I do not know how much is paid off, but it has been several years of payments made. The other family members are foreign non-citizens who just wired her the money from abroad no strings attached. They have no legal claim to the money whatsoever that I know of.
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May 4, 2021 04:34
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Happy Thread posted:The condo increased in value by 400k since we obtained it. I do not know how much is paid off, but it has been several years of payments made. "Obtained". Go hire a lawyer. There is no way you can't come up with the money to do that if you're paying for a $1M+ condo mortgage.
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May 4, 2021 04:37
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You sound like you're in a panic. Stop, take a breath. Then call a real estate attorney and explain things - but don't hold anything back, they are legally bound to never tell anyone unless you invite an unrelated third party - in plain factual terms. Let them ask you questions. You are not the first broke person to call them. If you're serious about selling, are well above water, etc, they can just place a lien on the title and get paid out of the proceeds of the sale. Contractors do it all the time and unless there is some ethical reason they cannot (as in, State Bar Association ethical reason, not "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism" reason) they will probably just charge you a small premium to do it that way.
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May 4, 2021 04:40
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QuarkJets posted:Today I spent about $80 in hardware, $100 in tools, and 2 hours of time to fix my garage door, after having two different guys come out and try to give us quotes for >$3000 for a full door replacement (what the gently caress, no, stop trying to sell me a new garage door). Eat poo poo, thread title! So how much worse is it now than when you started?
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May 4, 2021 05:42
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Alright, I've given up with the plan to have a contractor refinish the engineered hardwood floor. First I thought screen/recoat would be an option, but a couple guys said they couldn't do it on this type of floor, which is floating on cement. I'll just live with the scratches. I like the current aged color and there's no guarantee after this big $3k refinishing job the color will be as nice. I got a quote for ripping out all the engineered hardwood and putting in vinyl flooring instead (SPC apparently?) and it was $6k, so there's no reason to go that route either. ~780 sq ft of wood in case anyone wants to compare to their quotes in the future. If I was doing a new build on cement, I would probably put in vinyl... more durable, seems like a lot less trouble and headache overall and I'm guessing only the most pedantic of people would tell / care that it's not actual wood, including resale down the line. Some total jerk PO dragged a piece of furniture throughout nearly the whole condo, leaving a drat worn-in scuff / fine scratch mark like .5inch wide and 100 feet long curving through multiple doorways. No one's going to notice it except me, but it sucks! Inner Light fucked around with this message at 17:45 on May 4, 2021 |
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May 4, 2021 17:40
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Inner Light posted:
Do one of those stain pens make it blend in better?
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May 4, 2021 17:53
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H110Hawk posted:Do one of those stain pens make it blend in better? I'm going to pick some up and see. After googling I also got this from Home Depot and will give it a try: https://www.amazon.com/Rejuvenate-Hardwood-Professional-Restorer-Polish/dp/B08N7T7WHG Will dab it on a Swiffer and go to town. There's also a long 1 inch wide line from where the PO's big-rear end area rug rubbed on the floor and has a similar scuffed look. Scrubbing the line with whatever I could find did nothing. Banking on it all being a lot less noticeable once I have the place furnished in a couple weeks. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 18:02 on May 4, 2021 |
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May 4, 2021 17:55
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Is the wood dented in? It may be tedious but you can iron the indentations with a wet rag and lift them back up to the height of the floor. Apply a little stain over it again. I had to do this to a front door in an apartment when our puppy scratched at it. Floors might be tough though with all the finishing.
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May 4, 2021 18:58
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Verman posted:Is the wood dented in? It may be tedious but you can iron the indentations with a wet rag and lift them back up to the height of the floor. Apply a little stain over it again. I had to do this to a front door in an apartment when our puppy scratched at it. Floors might be tough though with all the finishing. Nope not dented at all, just the smallest layer (less than 1mm) of the top finish is scratched. It's in the unfortunate valley where anything I do to remediate will probably end up highlighting the area more than the scratch itself. At some level I'll have to let it go. Also my fridge water dispenser doesn't work! Time to unfreeze and see if that fixes it, or maybe it's a filter thing.
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May 4, 2021 20:54
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Inner Light posted:Nope not dented at all, just the smallest layer (less than 1mm) of the top finish is scratched. It's in the unfortunate valley where anything I do to remediate will probably end up highlighting the area more than the scratch itself. Mine sputtered, then stopped working after a couple years, and I'm assuming the tiny tubes inside just got so limed-up that they plugged up and died. I think I kinda regret having that built into the fridge, and in the future I'll just get some sort of under-sink cooling/filtration/RO unit or whatever.
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May 4, 2021 20:58
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A pitcher of tap water in the fridge works too. Only slightly less convenient than an in-door dispenser but doesn't contain any moving parts that might break in weird stupid ways or get gunked up and require expensive repairs or whole fridge replacement. We do this with our old simple fridge and will continue to do it with our eventual new nice fridge (which will definitely not have a dispenser in it). Also I've known about instant hot water faucets for the sink but not the chilled water counterpart. Hmm.
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May 4, 2021 21:28
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Can you get a fridge that includes an ice dispenser without water? Or I guess you all are ok with ice trays, certainly nothing wrong with those. I didn't know chilled faucets were a thing either. The tap water is really good here though (fed by the great lakes), so I just don't see the need for filtered water, RO or otherwise! It is a huge huge placebo thing for lots of people, though I know water quality is a real deal in other cities or more rural places.
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May 4, 2021 22:19
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You can get an ice-maker that just fills up a bin in the freezer. Not sure if you can get a thru-the-door ice dispenser without the water dispenser part. Or maybe that's what you meant.
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May 4, 2021 22:25
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Main problem with water in a lot of places is now if PFAS aka the stuff they make nonstick stuff with. It has been leaking into rivers and ground water from chemical plants, airports etc... for years and only now are people waking up to that air force base that has been dumping tons of fire retardant chemicals during drills or real emergencies has poisoned their water. Most of the populated areas on the Merrimack River in New Hampshire have had a factory leaking it into the river for years and a lot of houses are older and have wells but now have to go on town water because of it.
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May 4, 2021 22:27
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Inner Light posted:Can you get a fridge that includes an ice dispenser without water? Or I guess you all are ok with ice trays, certainly nothing wrong with those. My GE french door fridge has ice maker but no door water. It's not hooked up. You cas hook yours up and eventually if you go I to the future you won't have an ice maker.
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May 4, 2021 22:45
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I ordered a whirlpool fridge recently with an interior water dispenser and an ice maker in the that dumps into a bucket in the drawer. I think it’s about the least moving parts you can get in a standard consumer-grade fridge and still have water and ice making. Now I just need to find a plumber who thinks it’s worth their time to come out and install a proper water line and shutoff behind the fridge, instead of the copper tube that comes up from a hole in the vinyl tile.
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May 4, 2021 22:58
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StormDrain posted:So how much worse is it now than when you started? It's actually much better now! The repair was straightforward, I just didn't want to spend several hours in a hot, enclosed garage doing it.
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May 4, 2021 23:24
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