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I guess I am an eco zealot zero, but I don't understand the preference for poisoning your yard versus having some weeds and bugs. 
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Jul 20, 2021 21:23
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Taurus SC is my go-to for perimeter protection. There's a lot of carpenter ants near me and it keeps them at bay.
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Jul 20, 2021 21:25
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They're redoing my deck and probably going to wrap it up today or tomorrow. I know they'll take me on a walk-through and then have me sign some poo poo saying "It's Great" but I don't really know what to look for. Anything I should pay close attention to in order to make sure they didn't cut corners? It's just a simple 20x10 TREX deck about 4' off the ground.
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Jul 20, 2021 21:28
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I don't agree with spraying your entire yard, but there's nothing wrong with spraying your house's perimeter, like along the foundation and all doors and windows. I use Mavrik during the summer months, it's natural or something and supposedly less harmful to bees. I wish someone would make a selective poison that would only kill the hordes of mosquitoes though. I would bathe in that.
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Jul 20, 2021 21:34
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Epitope posted:I guess I am an eco zealot zero, but I don't understand the preference for poisoning your yard versus having some weeds and bugs. Depending on where you are it's necessary to keep your house from being eaten/infested. And you don't need to "poison your yard", rather properly apply the correct amounts of the correct things at the correct times to the perimeter.
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Jul 20, 2021 21:53
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Motronic posted:Depending on where you are it's necessary to keep your house from being eaten/infested. And you don't need to "poison your yard", rather properly apply the correct amounts of the correct things at the correct times to the perimeter. Ya I'm not such a zealot that I live in a sod igloo (though that sounds like it could be fun). Perimeter application to keep out carpenter ants seems fine, and if they're eating the structural elements nuke them from orbit.
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Jul 20, 2021 21:58
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Epitope posted:I guess I am an eco zealot zero, but I don't understand the preference for poisoning your yard versus having some weeds and bugs. Lol at this. It’s like a parody of conservative humor from a lefty.  Like, yes( growing native plants in presumably a dry area (based on that yard) is good compared to spraying water everywhere while dousing poo poo within pesticide and fertilizer. I mean, yeah, I’m aware of the cartoonist, but I wouldn’t blink if I saw that in some hand-printed college town rag with the subtitle “what conservatives really believe” or something. Edit: the loving wife in the house just beaming with joy at the dude’s all American manly lawn 
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Jul 20, 2021 22:34
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Cyrano4747 posted:Lol at this. It’s like a parody of conservative humor from a lefty. It's The Onion, so yes
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Jul 20, 2021 22:41
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 I put a bunch of clover in the grass to reduce my water consumption, the side effect is I don't use broadleaf weed killer anymore. It's fine. I might target the dandelions next year but I'm not aiming for perfection.
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Jul 20, 2021 23:58
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Is there some way to murder specifically crepe myrtle? We cut down a few healthy sized ones that were planted inches from the house two years ago. The stump that couldn't be ground out is still trying to sprout and the roots that extend out into the yard keep popping up shoots too. They grow faster than the grass!
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Jul 21, 2021 01:13
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NomNomNom posted:Is there some way to murder specifically crepe myrtle? We cut down a few healthy sized ones that were planted inches from the house two years ago. The stump that couldn't be ground out is still trying to sprout and the roots that extend out into the yard keep popping up shoots too. They grow faster than the grass! I used stump and vine killer and augered holes in the trunk and filled them up with the stuff. It mostly worked but I still have some shoots coming up from one of the stumps. 
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Jul 21, 2021 01:18
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Somebody on another forum suggested planting mint in pots around the house and letting that drive the pests away, but I'm not sure how effective that would really be. The pots would be to keep the plants from just taking the yard over.
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Jul 21, 2021 01:50
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NomNomNom posted:Is there some way to murder specifically crepe myrtle? We cut down a few healthy sized ones that were planted inches from the house two years ago. The stump that couldn't be ground out is still trying to sprout and the roots that extend out into the yard keep popping up shoots too. They grow faster than the grass! Yeah plant ivy next to it.
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Jul 21, 2021 02:09
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NomNomNom posted:Is there some way to murder specifically crepe myrtle? We cut down a few healthy sized ones that were planted inches from the house two years ago. The stump that couldn't be ground out is still trying to sprout and the roots that extend out into the yard keep popping up shoots too. They grow faster than the grass! You have to get that stump ripped out then poison any of it's leftover roots and possibly dig up your lawn as needed. Those fuckers are invasive. In my backyard I had the 40 year old crepe myrtle stump completely destroyed and hauled off and still have shoots popping up, even the smallest little root bit will sleep and wait. It is down to just 4 or 5 little pop ups a year though now and completely contained to about a 8 foot wide area. In my front yard I also had one removed and had a lot problems the first year after, but not much since, so got lucky there. Also, never plant horsetail reed outside of a pot! Ask me how I know.
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Jul 21, 2021 02:18
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I plant mint, raspberry bushes, and kudzu everywhere. Can't complain about my weed-lawn if you can't get through the jungle to serve notice at my mailbox.  On a serious plant and yard note, though, my grandfather's old house had a 90-plus-year-old rose bush. It was like a loving tree at the bottom, and it was impossible to trim without losing at least some of your blood because the thorns were so thick that you couldn't even see some of the older branches anymore. It was a photosynthetic porcupine, basically. The people who bought the house from him backhoed it out rather than try to deal with it. Sundae fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Jul 21, 2021 |
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Jul 21, 2021 02:39
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Sundae posted:I plant mint, raspberry bushes, and kudzu everywhere. Can't complain about my weed-lawn if you can't get through the jungle to serve notice at my mailbox. That's tragic. Old roses are dope. Our place has a 100 year old banksia vine that snakes up the the second story and opens up above the porch there: 
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Jul 21, 2021 05:52
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The last few weeks have had me taking out a lot of neglected plants around the yard. Old rose bushes that were choked out by rhododendrons, holly bushes that I just don't like, one holly tree trunk that was about 8" in diameter in the middle of some boxwoods. Lots of ivy. I've dug up a lot of random bricks and pavers that seemed to have just been buried or discarded behind the house with no rhyme or reason. I've found no less than a dozen plastic molded squirrels and owls. I've trimmed a lot of the trees and removed quite a few large branches from the creek. Cottonwood trees are awful. The branches are incredibly easy to break off and I get sticks and leaves on my roof constantly. The Himalayan deodar cedar basically has sharp needles snowing down constantly. The city is supposed to come by and trim it because the power lines run through it. Lastly I've got a corkscrew salix matsudana willow that's touching the house. Again, constant sticks and leaves in my gutters and roof, not to mention it's literally touching the house. I'm thinking of offering the city arborist some cash on the side to take it down while they're here. Do never buy. I like tinkering and enjoy having a home so far but it's endless work.
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Jul 21, 2021 06:12
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Antifreeze Head posted:Repair? Maybe. Replace? Definitely. Someone put it in there, you can switch it out. Though finding a correct replacement and its cost may not be worth your while. So it turns out the distal hex plate on the motor pulley that keeps the drive belt in place is what broke. Tore up the belt in the process. All told it took about 4 or 5 hours and cost 70$ in parts. Much better then the 375$ the repair guy quoted me. Went fairly smooth overall!
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Jul 21, 2021 22:56
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Ordered a new range for the house we just moved in to and got a call today that it arrived at the store damaged and wanted me to come look at it and decide whether I wanted to move forward with installation at a heavy discount or get a refund since there won’t be another unit in the area until December. When I talked to them this afternoon they said it didn’t seem like it would impact the operation and I’d still be covered by the warranty/protection plan, but when I arrived it looked worse than I think I was expecting so I’m delaying delivery while I thought about it and had time to google how a back panel sent might impact an oven. Anyone have any knowledge about range functionality and the likelihood this is just cosmetic? Our current range works, it’s just not what we really want (switching from electric to induction), so I’m willing to wait for delivery at some point in the future if this is even somewhat likely to bite me in the rear end.
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Jul 22, 2021 03:06
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Can't tell without taking the back panel off. If it didn't do any damage to internals take your discount. If they won't take the back panel off.......ehhhh...as long as it's under warranty.
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Jul 22, 2021 03:38
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I’d probably be more worried about it if it were gas. But if it’s all electric…it’s probably fine.
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Jul 22, 2021 03:40
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Welp, the whole "do I refinance or not?" thing took care of itself. The points literally doubled overnight for the same rate, and I hadn't locked in yet. I told the rep on the phone that NOPE, I'll wait until rates go back down again or just not do it. I was willing to do 2.875% for $3.1K in points, but not $6.3K.
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Jul 22, 2021 05:05
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I've seen estates mentioned in this thread a couple times, and now a financial planner we talked to (about a completely different issue) just told us out of nowhere that we needed to transfer our house to an estate when they found out we just bought. What is the purpose and benefit of this?
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Jul 22, 2021 05:45
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Motronic posted:Can't tell without taking the back panel off. If it didn't do any damage to internals take your discount. If they won't take the back panel off.......ehhhh...as long as it's under warranty. Yup. If it's not damaged inside who cares, if it is it's not your range. PageMaster posted:I've seen estates mentioned in this thread a couple times, and now a financial planner we talked to (about a completely different issue) just told us out of nowhere that we needed to transfer our house to an estate when they found out we just bought. What is the purpose and benefit of this? Talk to an estate attorney. In California you want your house in trust. Costs a couple grand and saves your heir a few % of the total value. Ours is in trust.
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Jul 22, 2021 07:13
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Sundae posted:Welp, the whole "do I refinance or not?" thing took care of itself. The points literally doubled overnight for the same rate, and I hadn't locked in yet. I told the rep on the phone that NOPE, I'll wait until rates go back down again or just not do it. I was willing to do 2.875% for $3.1K in points, but not $6.3K. Check out Interfirst. They are quoting me 2.74% no points no new appraisal, loan fees all in are only about $1200.
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Jul 22, 2021 13:44
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TheWevel posted:I’d probably be more worried about it if it were gas. But if it’s all electric…it’s probably fine. yeah if it was electric I'd go for it if the inside of the oven still looks good, gas I'd probably worry a bit about for any leaks due to damage. Lowe's does pretty steep scratch and dent discounts too, I got a pretty big basement fridge from there with a 18"x2" dent on the door for $179.
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Jul 22, 2021 14:40
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H110Hawk posted:Talk to an estate attorney. In California you want your house in trust. Costs a couple grand and saves your heir a few % of the total value. Ours is in trust. You're right. I think I might have mixed up trust and estate. PageMaster fucked around with this message at 15:54 on Jul 22, 2021 |
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Jul 22, 2021 15:46
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The house I just moved into has some trees on two sides of it starting to touch the roof and gutters. I have an arborist coming over tomorrow to scope it out and give a quote. Is there any BS I should look out for when he's describing what needs to be done? This will be the first professional I've called over for any work on house ever, so it's all totally new to me. From the looks of things, he's just going to need to cut a decent number of branches, but I have no idea if they are known to try to pitch unnecessary stuff or anything. Out of all the local arborist companies, this one seems to be one of the 5 most highly rated according to the research that I've done (and were also the only ones that called me back).
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Jul 22, 2021 18:08
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PageMaster posted:You're right. I think I might have mixed up trust and estate. Also, if you have group legal plans as a benefit at your job, talk to them. Most of those plans cover establishing trusts as part of their services. It was $50 for us, so it was an absolute no-brainer.
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Jul 22, 2021 18:14
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Literally an inch of poo poo backed up in my shower in the basement. Do love owning a home
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Jul 22, 2021 18:20
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m0therfux0r posted:The house I just moved into has some trees on two sides of it starting to touch the roof and gutters. I have an arborist coming over tomorrow to scope it out and give a quote. Is there any BS I should look out for when he's describing what needs to be done? Get at least one (two would be better) more quotes otherwise you're not going to know. The best experiences I've had with contractors so far have been with arborists, they might try to upsell you on fertilizing or ongoing maintenance of your trees, but they have all seemed extremely jazzed to talk about trees and tree care. YMMV ofc
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Jul 22, 2021 19:47
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Based on what it's like to get contractors (or anything contractor/landscaping adjacent here), that tree is going to grow through my entire house before I can get someone to call me back and schedule a second appointment (seriously- this was one of the two places I found that had reviews that weren't 80% just people saying "they never called me back"). I have a price range in mind based on some research I did online though, so if he quotes me way higher than that I'll at least make the attempt. Mostly just wanted to know what other crap they might try to add on or claim I need to do- I literally just want the branches cut down. The owner of this company is my friend's neighbor, so hopefully they won't try to pull anything lovely.
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Jul 22, 2021 20:14
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Getting landscapers to respond to anything has been a fuckin' nightmare here, too. I just need to get rid of some bushes near the foundation and make sure the holes get filled/graded properly, and it's like pulling teeth to get anyone to answer the phone.
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Jul 22, 2021 20:23
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Sirotan posted:Get at least one (two would be better) more quotes otherwise you're not going to know. The best experiences I've had with contractors so far have been with arborists, they might try to upsell you on fertilizing or ongoing maintenance of your trees, but they have all seemed extremely jazzed to talk about trees and tree care. YMMV ofc This. If they're a certified arborist, they're doing this because they loving love trees. They want to make sure they leave the tree in good, healthy shape. There's not a whole ton they can really upsell you on, at least not in my experience. Maybe they'll try to sell you on some pest treatments if you have an issue, or they'll point out issues with other trees/shrubs in your yard that they think could use some work. But the ones I've worked with are generally pretty honest and won't upsell you on unnecessary work.
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Jul 22, 2021 20:25
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Sirotan posted:Get at least one (two would be better) more quotes otherwise you're not going to know. The best experiences I've had with contractors so far have been with arborists, they might try to upsell you on fertilizing or ongoing maintenance of your trees, but they have all seemed extremely jazzed to talk about trees and tree care. YMMV ofc The arborists wet had come to our house were super excited to talk about the trees and went way past their appointment time and did everything in their power to keep us from cutting any. Not saying it will be the exact same with you but they just seemed to really liked telling us about trees and didn't really force anything on us. For the trees they did confirm would need to be cut/pruned we did find that licensed landscape contractors could do it for a lot less money though.
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Jul 22, 2021 20:58
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We got quotes from 5 tree companies / arborists for a big removal job. Some were 3x times the cost of the lowest priced, but none felt scammy. Ended up picking the 2nd cheapest and were happy with the work. Also concur that tree people are good people.
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Jul 22, 2021 21:22
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Take notes of what trees you have in your yard if you're unsure or just don't know tree species. It will help when looking up how to prune and general tree care in addition to the value of knowing what's in your yard.
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Jul 22, 2021 21:23
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An arborist murdered my wife.
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Jul 22, 2021 21:58
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bird with big dick posted:An arborist murdered my wife. Don't marry birds.
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Jul 22, 2021 23:03
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Sundae posted:Welp, the whole "do I refinance or not?" thing took care of itself. The points literally doubled overnight for the same rate, and I hadn't locked in yet. I told the rep on the phone that NOPE, I'll wait until rates go back down again or just not do it. I was willing to do 2.875% for $3.1K in points, but not $6.3K. I ran in to this same thing, talking to a Mortgage broker, she said the points skyrocketed yesterday. She said it has to do with other market fluctuations, didn't retain exactly what she said but she said it can vary day to day and she often will sit on a customer request once you're approved, and when the points come back down to where you want she will lock it in. I wanted to go to a 15 year at 1.75% and the points to do that just yesterday spiked to $7k. That will only save me $11k over the life of the loan so it's hardly worth it. However, I'm currently one year in to a 30 year at 3% so switching to a 15 even at 2.2% will save me over $85k over the life of the loan (at a premium of $650 a month, which is scary but I can pull it off I think). Since I don't plan to move again I think it's worth it. And buying that down to 2% is only $2000 at yesterday's rate, so I might also do that also if it gets cheaper. On the other hand, If I pay the $650 extra on my current loan, it turns it in to a 17 year mortgage (with a year already gone) and saves about $70k in interest, costing me $15k extra but with the security of being able to pay the lower payment if I get in to a jam. Now that I analyze it I think I should probably just pay extra on my current mortgage. I'm going to run the math adding in the points and fees and see how much it diminishes the advantage.
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Jul 22, 2021 23:41
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