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Corla Plankun posted:Which is honestly the right thing to do. Lawns are dumb as hell. If you have a nice shady corner of your yard that grows a lawn easily without having to throw thousands of gallons of water at it lawns are very nice. That’s only about 1/3 of my yard though so I’m trying to do other things with the rest and not force a lawn.
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Sep 5, 2022 14:31
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I've got some loose trim that's kind of concave/hollow behind it, that a couple bats are hanging out in. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be any way into the house, just sleeping behind the trim, I can see their little fuzzy butts hanging out. Obviously I need to fix the trim but I don't want to squish the bats, or yank them out of there by hand during the day. Is there something I can spray around the trim in the evening when they're out to discourage them from coming back? Just needs to work for a day or two so I can screw the trim into place during the day. I would try to just do it in the evening, but as it'll be dark I don't want to accidentally trap someone behind there if they're not all actually out.
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Sep 5, 2022 15:23
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Thank you for not trying to hurt the bats.  Instead of fixing it in the evening and depending how big this is, can you see well enough just to temporarily hang/stuff something in the gap good enough so when they leave they don't come back? And then just fix it in the daylight?
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Sep 5, 2022 16:14
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If you have enough room, fix it while they’re out & hang a bat house in front of it.
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Sep 5, 2022 17:10
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slidebite posted:Thank you for not trying to hurt the bats. I'm not quite sure, honestly I'm afraid to pull the trim back at all and get a facefull of bat. I had to deal with a poo poo ton of them as a kid and in a lovely apartment when I first moved out and honestly have a mild phobia maybe. So I really want to be sure they're gone before I go near it. I've been banging on the wall inside a bit and I think they might have left during daylight today which is a good sign. I also heard they don't like concentrated peppermint. Not enough to actually keep them away from a good nest but maybe enough to keep them from chilling behind this trim for a couple days. I can sweep away the turds and see if they reappear I suppose to be sure.
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Sep 6, 2022 02:30
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Re: heat pumps and the like, we had ductless minisplits added to the house we bought since it just had lovely electric baseboard heat that cost $LOL to run. We got 2 big outdoor units with 3 indoor units each. We had some installation woes but aside from that, we're super happy with them. Re: bats, depending where you live you may not be allowed to move them at all. Other areas may require you use professional services. Definitely check your local laws before you do anything. Disclaimer: I've never lived in an area like that myself but I have heard of it. I think UK in particular has weird bat laws.
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Sep 6, 2022 03:38
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We just had a bat removed in the States. North Carolina. Definitely could not move them from may to July. Their mating season is federally protected I believe. Also pretty expensive when you have to have gables sealed and guano removed/sprayed. But just a purely outdoor removal will probably be about $400.
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Sep 6, 2022 03:48
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In college I lived in university owned off campus housing one summer and the first night there, we had a bat in the house. I called maintenance and they said they could get someone over on Monday to look (it was Friday night) and then the guy was like, “you know I’m not supposed to say this but I bet if you just get a bedsheet ready you can trap it and let it outside.” I can’t remember if we tried but I know we definitely never saw the bat again.
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Sep 6, 2022 03:58
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JackBandit posted:In college I lived in university owned off campus housing one summer and the first night there, we had a bat in the house. I called maintenance and they said they could get someone over on Monday to look (it was Friday night) and then the guy was like, “you know I’m not supposed to say this but I bet if you just get a bedsheet ready you can trap it and let it outside.” I can’t remember if we tried but I know we definitely never saw the bat again. I recently had a bat in my attic and was quoted $4,000 to seal the house, and come back in the fall and catch/release the bat because during the summer they're protected.
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Sep 6, 2022 05:22
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SpitztheGreat posted:I recently had a bat in my attic and was quoted $4,000 to seal the house, and come back in the fall and catch/release the bat because during the summer they're protected. drat that's high. I live in a very expensive area and it just cost us $1300 all in. $400 to seal the house. $400 to remove the bat. $400 to remove the guano and spray enzymes. + Tax.
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Sep 6, 2022 12:52
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My home office has cheap old vinyl plank flooring I'd like to replace. Anyone have experience / recommendations on the various LVP options at Home Depot / Lowes?
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Sep 6, 2022 14:31
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Toebone posted:My home office has cheap old vinyl plank flooring I'd like to replace. Anyone have experience / recommendations on the various LVP options at Home Depot / Lowes? Lifeproof seems to get consistently good reviews. I've had it in a bathroom for at least 3 years and it looks brand new still.
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Sep 6, 2022 14:41
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Motronic posted:Lifeproof seems to get consistently good reviews. I've had it in a bathroom for at least 3 years and it looks brand new still.  but in my office. It's great.
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Sep 6, 2022 15:24
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Anyone have a good recommendation for a supplier/brand of subway tiles? Just your bog-standard, 3"x6" glossy white tiles for a bathroom reno. Not sure what quality differences may or may not exist in the $4-5/sq ft tiles and the $10-15/sq ft tiles. And along with that route, for subway tile, do people generally prefer adhesive/mastic to thinset? It's just going to be like a half-wall application, and not in the shower area. Edit: Oh, and it seems some tiles don't need spacers because the whole tile can be butted up flush to one another, and the actual "visible" bit is raised above the edges, which then get grouted over. Are those worth looking into? DrBouvenstein fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Sep 6, 2022 |
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Sep 6, 2022 18:35
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DrBouvenstein posted:Anyone have a good recommendation for a supplier/brand of subway tiles? Just your bog-standard, 3"x6" glossy white tiles for a bathroom reno. Not sure what quality differences may or may not exist in the $4-5/sq ft tiles and the $10-15/sq ft tiles. Dal Tile's Color Wheel should be ballpark $2.50/foot. If you tell me where you're at I can try to find you a distributor. Edit: Caught your edit. Dal's would be self spacing, so you wouldn't need shims (still strike lines and have a small can of wedges around just in case, nothing is ever perfect). If it's a man made product, I wouldn't pay much over that. $10-15 better get you stone tiles. If it's in a bathroom, I'd go thin set. Even if it's not in the shower, the room will still have high humidity from the steam. The savings from the mastic to the thinset aren't worth the risk.
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Sep 6, 2022 18:41
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DrBouvenstein posted:Anyone have a good recommendation for a supplier/brand of subway tiles? Just your bog-standard, 3"x6" glossy white tiles for a bathroom reno. Not sure what quality differences may or may not exist in the $4-5/sq ft tiles and the $10-15/sq ft tiles. Call around because $4-5/sqft seems high unless you're like buying by the tile or want something quite nice looking for subway. There is likely a "tile mart" area where like 3 tile stores have converged next to each other. Call them all and see what they've got. Use thin set even if it's a pain in the rear end on vertical surfaces. I haven't priced tile in a while but basic boring tile shouldn't be insane priced. Buy extra so when you start snapping them trying to cut the walls you aren't worried about lot codes on the color.
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Sep 6, 2022 18:57
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PainterofCrap posted:Is the floor system wood plank flooring or plywood? It's concrete. The tiles are 12"x24" I realize now that I only checked one side with a level and never checked the other where the tiles cracked. I had not finished pulling the old flooring and didn't remember to check afterward. meatpimp posted:Whatever your do, get a couple sheets of lauan and roll the refrigerator over that, it helps distribute the force. Thank you. I kinda hit it with all cannons; deflated the dolly tires a bit, laid down whatever cheap wood I could find, let the mortar dry for 10+ days while I went on vacation. Went back in without issue  
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Sep 6, 2022 19:00
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What are your favorite mortaring/tuck pointing videos? I need to tackle this before it starts getting cold. Assume I have acquired all of the tools needed, including grout/mortar bags. 
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Sep 6, 2022 20:01
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DrBouvenstein posted:Anyone have a good recommendation for a supplier/brand of subway tiles? Just your bog-standard, 3"x6" glossy white tiles for a bathroom reno. Not sure what quality differences may or may not exist in the $4-5/sq ft tiles and the $10-15/sq ft tiles. For what it's worth, I went the route of thinsetting the cheapest home depot subway tile and it was about $2.50 CAD per sqft. The tile came out looking just fine, but i did notice they did not cut or break nearly as cleanly as I was expecting (using the score and snap method) and I had found myself wondering if that isn't due to the lower quality. Someone with more experience might be able to chime in. Better tile or tools could have produced a nicer finish, but I'm overall pleased especially since it was my first time tiling.
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Sep 6, 2022 20:20
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Jenkl posted:For what it's worth, I went the route of thinsetting the cheapest home depot subway tile and it was about $2.50 CAD per sqft. See if Facebook has a "buy nothing <city name>" group and ask there for a tile saw. Save your sanity. Or buy one at harbor freight and resell it later. Or don't. Plus with a tile saw you can sand things that come out just weeeeee bit too big and get nice clean edges. Also this is what I meant behind buy extra. 10% isn't a crazy number because the cheap stuff will break but it's 50% cheaper and you only need hopefully 5% extra. Minimum one box. Lowes also let's you return tile by the tile which is nuts. Tile shops won't let you because they aren't insane.
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Sep 6, 2022 20:38
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Absolutely, I had a couple extra boxes which was instrumental. I absolutely would recommend a wetsaw (and will get one myself for future tile job) as well, everything would've been much easier and also come out looking better. Even when they snapped clean, I found the tool kind of annoying to use and line up well.
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Sep 6, 2022 20:42
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Thanks for the replies, good to know that basic-rear end subway tiles should be fine with the cheaper ones. I have a "score and snap" tile cutter I got from a local thrift store place for like $10 months ago, but maybe I'll look into trying to get a wetsaw. My local library also has a "tool library" so I'll also check with them, though typically the largest power tool they tend to have is a powerdrill. Assuming I do it the "easy way" and don't tile behind where the vanity/sink goes, then in theory all my cuts will be just straight cuts, as my toilet's water supply comes in from the floor, not the wall. Another item I forgot in the first post, what's the best wallboard to use? Should I try to get different types? Not sure if cement-board is better for the tile half, and then like green-board for the top half that's just getting paint? And this is more style opinion that construction advice...what are people's preferred method for the top row of tile? Just the easy bullnose tile? Pencil or thicker/more decorative chair rail tile? Metal edging band?
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Sep 6, 2022 20:48
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DrBouvenstein posted:Thanks for the replies, good to know that basic-rear end subway tiles should be fine with the cheaper ones. https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/power-saws/tile-masonry-saws/48-amp-7-in-table-top-wet-cut-tile-saw-69231.html What's crazy is a tile saw is under $100. The marginally (MARGINALLY) nicer ones at home depot weren't that much more last I looked 15 years ago. Those used to go on sale for $50, I assume time and inflation mean it's more like $65 these days. You will still snap and chip tiles with that thing, see if you can buy a better blade for it at lowesdepot. If you save yourself half a day loving with snapping tiles and half a box of rejects you're golden. As I recall the sides of the blades are abrasive (lol "a brassiere" autocorrected) so you can polish cuts. It's been a while.
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Sep 6, 2022 21:11
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devmd01 posted:What are your favorite mortaring/tuck pointing videos? I need to tackle this before it starts getting cold. Assume I have acquired all of the tools needed, including grout/mortar bags. How old is your brick? I'm not an expert by any means but I think that looks like Portland cement so I'm assuming your house was built after the 1930s? If so I have nothing to add I just wanted to give the obligatory "soft brick" warning to anyone with an older home.
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Sep 6, 2022 21:58
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Angle grinder with a diamond tile blade is a real help for those odd cuts that are just a little too weird for the tile saw. Some people use them for all their cuts but they must either love wearing respirators or hate their lungs.
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Sep 6, 2022 22:10
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canyoneer posted:Angle grinder with a diamond tile blade is a real help for those odd cuts that are just a little too weird for the tile saw. Some people use them for all their cuts but they must either love wearing respirators or hate their lungs. Yeah, or a dremel w/ diamond wheel or burr if you're doing super fine work. You can keep it in the bathroom and if something is out of square (everything is out of square...) you can just zip off a little bit until it fits. And yes even "wet" please wear a basic dust mask. Not one you buy at harbor freight. Oh and save yourself the hassle: Buy a drill attached mixer for the thin set. Mix it outside. This will let you fine tune it to be thick enough to not have as many problems as pre-mix for a vertical surface. Also never buy premix for more than like 1 sqft of tile.
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Sep 6, 2022 22:42
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DrBouvenstein posted:
My tiling situation was a shower, I used cement board with redguard for the walls and a mortar bed on the floor. The rest of the bathroom, not tiled, was green board plus a concrete floor. In your case I'd do what you suggest and cement board where there is tile, greenvoard elsewhere. You should check what your code requires. I believe where I am you wouldn't even need green board outside of a shower area, though that doesn't mean it's what you should do. Cement board is heavy and annoying to move full sheets around but works well. You should have the necessary respiratory gear since you're planning on doing the tile cuts and mortar mixing. All sorts of alternatives exist that are lighter or otherwise easier to use, but pricier. Realistically there's a real opportunity to spend cash to make your life easier but the value will depend on your own situation (e.g. if you have a helper it's not a big deal to work with cement board).
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Sep 6, 2022 23:01
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Awesome, appreciate the help. And mildly related, I just found out the subfloor in my bathroom is a loving inch thick. I'm guessing because the rest of the house, sans kitten, is hardwood. So I figure half inch subfloor and half inch of hardwood, so the original builders just used one inch subfloor in the bathroom (and probably the kitchen?) so it's all level since those two rooms just have thin vinyl flooring.
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Sep 6, 2022 23:29
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DrBouvenstein posted:Awesome, appreciate the help.  your house is built out of kittens?
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Sep 6, 2022 23:45
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My house (bought late last year) has a musty crawlspace I need to do something about. Looking into dehumidifiers, but working on a budget. Handful questions for when folks have the time -- 1) Can I just plop like a $200 home depot dehumidifier down there from an extension cord until it dries out? (I don't have the funds to fix the crawlspace correctly according to the internet [sealing the crawlspace, etc.] but I need to do something; I can smell the cold and damp coming up through the floor.) If so, how long would that take? Obviously it's a question of square-footage and the power of the equipment, but this is something usually measured in hours or days? 2) My oil-fired boiler is down there; is that something I need to consider when using the dehumidifier? (I can't imagine so but just want to double-check I'm not missing something.) On that note, I've read that dehumidifying the crawlspace can save on the heating bill, is that true? Trying to do whatever I can to cut down on using a lot of oil this year. 3) Is running the dehumidifier something I should make a monthly chore to keep up on the dampness, or should it be more of an ad hoc basis after heavy rainfalls/snowfalls? I'd guess the answer to this one is "it depends", but I'm mostly just looking for the ballpark obligation on something like this.
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Sep 7, 2022 03:59
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Is the crawlspace all concrete or is the base dirt or stone? Mine are dirt and I covered them both with 6-mil plastic sheeting, which was cheap if a PITA to install. I did it mostly because I wanted to store stuff in there & I also had to work on my back to insulate the floors. Cutting down on dampness & odor was an unexpected side benefit. If you go the dehumidifier route, set it up to drain somewhere, set it at, say, 50% humidity & forget it.
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Sep 7, 2022 04:32
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I personally doubt that sealing the crawlspace will fix anything, moisture moves in through the ground from below and even through the foundation walls depending on material. Sealing it will just lock that moisture in. A dehumidifier sounds like the best route to me, then you could seal it up as best you could.
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Sep 7, 2022 04:40
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Eason the Fifth posted:My house (bought late last year) has a musty crawlspace I need to do something about. Looking into dehumidifiers, but working on a budget. Handful questions for when folks have the time -- You can buy a cheap humidity + temperature sensor like this one: https://www.lowes.com/pd/AcuRite-Comfort-Monitor/1003138314 Check the humidity measurement every now and then to determine whether you need to run it. Some units need to be manually emptied, others will let you drain them with a garden hose (meaning you could put it above a sink or some other drain) I don't know if you have to worry about your boiler or if it will have much impact on your heating bill.
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Sep 7, 2022 09:50
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His Divine Shadow posted:I personally doubt that sealing the crawlspace will fix anything, moisture moves in through the ground from below and even through the foundation walls depending on material. Sealing it will just lock that moisture in. A dehumidifier sounds like the best route to me, then you could seal it up as best you could. People who personally have experience with doing so don't doubt that this works. No, you're not going to STOP moisture from entering but you are going to slow it down sufficiently that whatever meager air exchange you do have becomes sufficient. Not everything requires a powered solution.
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Sep 7, 2022 12:05
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In the humid-as-gently caress SE US, the standard for crawl space encapsulation is to: 1) Seal all the vents & add weather stripping to access doors (edit 1a) trench the perimeter and install a drainage system if necessary) 2) Install a thick vapor barrier (up to 20 mil and with an underlayment if you're going to be in there a lot for access/storage) over the ground that also goes up the foundation (stops just short of the top to allow for termite inspections) 3) Insulate exterior (non-foundation) walls (and optionally remove the insulation in the joists since it won't really be necessary any more) 4) Install a dehumidifier that drains outside 5) Add radon mitigation if necessary (because sealing the vents removes its exit, and the vapor barrier won't stop it) Optionally you can just add the space to your indoor HVAC system if it's beefy enough to handle it (instead of a dehumidifier), because by this point it's functionally an interior space. If you just install a dehumidifier without a vapor barrier and sealing everything, then it's just going to run all the drat time. The insulation isn't particularly required, but it'll help regulate the temperature for energy savings in the living space. All that said, a basic vapor barrier alone (6-8 mil) does a ton and is really the absolute minimum you need to do if it's not done already, but you have to make sure you get full coverage over all the dirt or else moisture will just creep past it. The other steps may not be necessary, but they will help a lot if you can swing it. DaveSauce fucked around with this message at 12:37 on Sep 7, 2022 |
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Sep 7, 2022 12:26
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devmd01 posted:What are your favorite mortaring/tuck pointing videos? I need to tackle this before it starts getting cold. Assume I have acquired all of the tools needed, including grout/mortar bags.
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Sep 7, 2022 13:13
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AFewBricksShy posted:Dal Tile's Color Wheel should be ballpark $2.50/foot. If you tell me where you're at I can try to find you a distributor. I looked on their website and it seems there's a few places near me that stock/sell them, but no official Dal showroom or anything where I can see them in person. But from pics I can see online, it looks like the arctic white is what I would want, because yes, I am going to be very cliché and use bright white tile w/ dark grey grout. BUT I am also trying to convince my girlfriend that one row of tiles in a bright accent color would look really good and make everything "pop." But so far she wants none of it, she just wants white+grey everything (seriously...the flooring is sort of a driftwood grey, and she is looking at a grey paint for the untiled half...I guess it would match the grout but she ALSO wants white vanity and shelves, so...uhh...yay?)
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Sep 7, 2022 14:50
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We did white tile w/ charcoal grout shower and it looks great... but we also painted the walls of the bathroom a deep dark green and had hexagonal faux marble tiling on the floor for contrast. So basically, sorry about your gf.
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Sep 7, 2022 16:01
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You may have heard me bitching This wood.  That's not a stud. That's the actual wall surface. I'm pretty sure most of the house doesn't have 3/4" old-growth redwood as the walls; most of it's merely old-growth beadboard. How thick beadboard was in the 1930s, I don't know.
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Sep 7, 2022 16:18
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DrBouvenstein posted:I looked on their website and it seems there's a few places near me that stock/sell them, but no official Dal showroom or anything where I can see them in person. If you're doing the install, you may want to consider lightening up your grout joint. The dark grey is going to highlight every slight variation in the joint size.
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Sep 7, 2022 16:41
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