Crappy Construction: The Four POs of the Housepocalypse

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Crappy Construction: The Four POs of the Housepocalypse

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nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

orangesampson posted:

I was linked this show recently and it is like this old house but better.

His newer show, Holmes Inspection, is better (and in HD). AFAIK his newest series hasn't been shown in the US yet, only in Canada.

Also, supposedly a contractor whose work Holmes redid confronted him on the jobsite one day and Holmes punched him in the face. That may not have actually have happened, but I can believe it.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2013 23:40

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 07:20

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Bad Munki posted:

There are some floor squeak kits where you basically drive a special screw in, and the head breaks off below the board, fixing the floor to the joist underneath without leaving (much) of a visible mark.

I've only ever seen those used in areas that have carpeting because the (essentially) headless screws secure the subfloor more securely to the joists. While I can't think of any reason why those couldn't be used over a large area, I also don't see how those could be used with hardwood.

The old-fashioned remedy was to squirt a little talc/baby powder in between the subfloor and joist wherever it squeaks; it's not an actual fix, it just lubricates where the wood rubs on wood ( :quagmire:

) to stop the squeaking.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2013 22:38

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

FCKGW posted:

Does anything he's doing look right or am I expecting and update from the ICU shortly?
<snip>
He also bought a Nissan Leaf and installed the charger himself, it may or may not be related to that outlet.

I'm not an electrician, but what I can see in just this picture:
* Unsecured box
* Flying splice (the wire nuts should be completely inside the junction box just under the shelf, with a cover on the box)
* Cables not stapled or secured properly
* Cables routed in front of studs instead of through them
* Cable rubbing on the front of the metallic shelf support
* The cable feeding the unsecured junction box is probably too small
* The goofy grounding wire

This is one of those times where if it looks wrong or unsafe, it probably is.

Also, assuming the long black cable is the charging cable for the car, where does that go when it's not plugged in? Judging by the rest of this picture I'd guess the loose end sits in a bucket full of water.

# ¿ Jun 24, 2013 21:23

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

babyeatingpsychopath posted:

There's a circuit that does one outlet in every room of the house.

Maybe that was for an eventual generator? (probably not)

# ¿ Jul 18, 2013 09:30

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Yes, that meter socket is energized.

# ¿ Mar 5, 2014 01:02

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

There isn't a big enough :stare:

quote:

This is a car battery jumper cable attached to the main electric utility service line, wired to the electric panel for a house with no power. Why pay for electric service when you can do this?

# ¿ Mar 6, 2014 07:54

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

The Human Cow posted:

They're clearly not Norm Abram disciples.

Norm Abram once said that his first table saw was a circular saw bolted to the bottom of a milk crate flipped upside down, so

# ¿ Mar 26, 2014 00:01

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

neogeo0823 posted:

I hope no kids grew up around that thing.

If they did, they didn't for long.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2014 01:09

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Part of the difficulty here is that I'm currently operating out of a small garage and don't have a full-on dust collection system (just a shop vac) or several power tools that I'd eventually like to get, so any decisions I make at this point would be supposition. Assuming I'd have to set up adapters anyway, I was mostly just wondering if there was some recommended diameter for permanently-installed dust collection pipes.

Looking at Harbor Freight, Jet, Delta, and Dust Right equipment I feel confident in saying that 4" is pretty much the industry standard. Many of the setups I've seen use thin-wall PVC bolted to the walls with tees cut in where necessary.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2014 03:55

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Chauncey posted:

Mike Holmes is a wonderful man and he must have fought like hell in the beginning with whoever funds the show because he will straight up replace an entire house if that is the only good way to make it right.

When he pitched the show idea to the producer (whose house Mike built), the worry was that they wouldn't have enough material to fill an entire season. Supposedly, Holmes literally laughed in the guy's face.

Also, a lot of the show's budget overruns supposedly come right out of Holmes's pocket.

Crotch Fruit posted:

I am surprised This Old House is still produced.

Russell Morash has a second swimming pool that needs to be filled with money.

# ¿ May 30, 2014 07:08

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Dunno if this is a repost, don't really care.

quote:

1.8 Million Reasons to Measure Twice

Yesterday I cut a $50 piece of trim too short because I didn't check my measurement. I fumed for a couple minutes and then let it go because my mistake pales in comparison to what happened to the builder of a very expensive oceanside home I watched go up a few years ago.

So you're about to build a very expensive oceanside home on a small lot with a postage stamp sized building area due to wetlands, marsh and beach setbacks. You have the land surveyed and the foundation staked out by a registered land surveyor. Question is � do you measure twice before starting the foundation? Or have someone else check the surveyor's work?

In this case it seems the builder/developer didn't measure twice so now the $1.8 million house he built must be torn down or moved because it was entirely built on the adjoining parkland. The case went through a few judicial proceedings with the latest � and probably the final � at the RI Supreme Court. Sounds like the builder/developer was trying to force the private park to sell the land the house was built on.

I'm surprised that with such a tight lot and several layers of jurisdiction (DEM, CRMC, town zoning and building dept) that no one checked the survey.

There's more links to local reporting at the link.

nmfree fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Jun 21, 2014

# ¿ Jun 21, 2014 20:12

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Zemyla posted:

HOW THE gently caress

The wall just wanted to chillax for a few minutes :c00lbert:

# ¿ Sep 6, 2014 19:39

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Javid posted:

They decided to have the switch control the upper socket of two separate outlets - the lower socket is always on.

This was common when people still used table lamps to light (usually living) rooms, instead of today where living rooms generally have lights mounted in/to the ceiling like any other room.

# ¿ Oct 1, 2014 09:31

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

kastein posted:

A good sized overhang does a lot for a house in both appearance and durability, it keeps the rain from running down the siding/trim/windows/doors and also directs it away from the foundation somewhat. If I ever make good on my dream of buying land somewhere and building a house from scratch, it's going to be drat near impervious to the elements.

Here's a good video in general, with overhang talk starting at 7:20.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGG3BWRt80Y

# ¿ Oct 16, 2014 00:34

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Bad Munki posted:

It's brilliant, and you're just jealous you didn't think of it first.

I know I am.

I mean, showershitting? BRILLIANT

# ¿ Feb 22, 2015 01:53

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Manslaughter posted:

So besides the balcony of doom, why the hell do houses get built that close together? Do the residents not mind that there's about a foot of space between your home and your neighbor's and that that entire side of the house is not going to get any light at all?

It never ceases to amaze me watching videos on Jim the Realtor's Youtube channel that so many people are willing to pay $1- 2.5 million for houses that are literally 3 feet away from each other.

# ¿ Mar 28, 2015 01:10

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

It's a Saalfa Romeaab!

# ¿ Jul 13, 2015 02:06

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Who knows? Maybe they store two bicycles in that garage, in which case the driveway's perfect!

# ¿ Jul 13, 2015 05:20

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

spog posted:

That sounds like Flotex

http://www.forbo.com/flooring/en-uk/products/flotex-flocked-flooring/ctbual

Finally, carpet that matches my pink Realtree bed set:

# ¿ Oct 25, 2015 02:43

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

NancyPants posted:

This gently caress ugly bookcase:

http://imgur.com/gallery/m0k8a

In this picture:

I'm imagining his right foot on the other end of that board.

Shady Amish Terror posted:

I admit, the idea amused me, but why wouldn't you at least plane and sand them to be more uniform? Cut them down to more uniform lengths? Maybe not use the fully-rotten timbers? 'Rustic' is making a bookshelf out of recycled wood, 'exotic' is managing to put one together out of driftwood, 'ramshackle' is about where those appear to be. I'm sure they're reasonably functional, but they just look so out of place in that room.

b-b-b-but patina!

Javid posted:

[img]http://i.imgur.com/bS7xAwll.jpg][/img]

The best part of this picture is that they took the time to use a box and outlet instead of just tying the fan's power cord into the house wiring. Of course, that must have been right before quitting time, since there's no coverplate.

# ¿ Nov 23, 2015 22:06

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

DrBouvenstein posted:

What annoys me is that the house HAS gas lines! The furnace and water heater are on natural gas, have been since the place was built, near as I can tell. But I guess piping gas a few feet up into the kitchen was too much work.

It's because people of a certain age (read: Baby Boomers) think that gas stoves haven't evolved at all in the last 40 years and are still as fiddly/dangerous to use now as when they were kids.

# ¿ Dec 1, 2015 00:06

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

canyoneer posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1SOOpEXsjc

Crappy or cool?

I'm going to go with "silly idea, well executed"

# ¿ Dec 14, 2015 05:34

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

I'm pretty sure these have been talked about in this thread: Big Clive takes apart a heated showerhead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNjA0aee07k

:stare:

# ¿ Jan 23, 2016 00:28

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

HelloIAmYourHeart posted:

# ¿ Feb 21, 2016 20:42

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

GreenNight posted:

Go to Wrigley Field for this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7w24-J9aWA

# ¿ Apr 2, 2016 11:11

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3vtpGtyw1k

# ¿ Apr 15, 2016 00:10

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

FCKGW posted:

All you need is some tusks and a googly eye and you could always obliquely mention "the elephant in the room"

# ¿ Apr 23, 2016 08:31

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

kid sinister posted:

...an actual adult did this work? :ughh:

# ¿ May 17, 2016 06:49

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

MrYenko posted:

That's not a vent duct, it's a transfer pipe to move the meth from the production lab to the brite tanks.

# ¿ Jun 5, 2016 03:37

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Drake_263 posted:

DIY & Hobbies � Crappy Construction Tales: This dude's favorite architechtural style was 'Yes'.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2016 20:32

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

LonsomeSon posted:

Why would you run your multi-million dollar buisness on a jerry-rigged power box?!

"If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid."

Also, "That's future me's problem, and that guy's an rear end in a top hat."

# ¿ Jun 19, 2016 07:45

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Sormus posted:

try the self-help book

# ¿ Jun 22, 2016 03:43

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Nostalgia4Butts posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd-Z7OTAjJ0

i have doubts about this staircase

owns bones, sorry

# ¿ Aug 30, 2016 00:30

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Nostalgia4Butts posted:

how many of these are hanging up in your yard

None, but I do use this as my screensaver:

http://i.imgur.com/88OPVbj.gifv

# ¿ Aug 31, 2016 02:55

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Sagebrush posted:

What's going on with the floors in the bedrooms? Did they varnish the wood with the rug in place or something?

It was common in older homes to save money by only finishing the outer few feet of flooring around the perimeter of rooms like the living room or dining room, since there would be a rug covering the center of the room anyway.

# ¿ Sep 17, 2016 06:58

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

The Orange Mage posted:

You are the wind beneath my wings.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2016 07:06

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

kid sinister posted:

"...what the hell am I supposed to be looking a- oh." :stare:

# ¿ Nov 12, 2016 00:11

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Bud K ninja sword posted:

decent cable management though.

That's because it was always so nicely laid.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2017 00:49

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

Tunicate posted:

From my facebook

I'm trying to decide if this is awesome or awful, and I keep coming up "yes".

# ¿ Mar 9, 2017 00:31

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 07:20

nmfree: Aug 15, 2001; The Greater Goon: Breaking Hearts and Chains since 2006

~Coxy posted:

Rock Band 5 is shaping up to be a real monster.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2017 03:25

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Crappy Construction: The Four POs of the Housepocalypse

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