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Leperflesh posted:
I had the exact same problem, on both the fifties wiring and the most recent 2007 wiring revamp. Even running new wiring is a pain in the butt from all the old poo poo in the walls, such as disconnected gas lighting lines and knob and tube insulators. The joys of living in a house built before electricity came to the area  melon cat posted:Yeah, it's very common here in Ontario Canada. Only recently have people started to question whether or not renting the heater is a good idea over the long term. I've heard pretty much the same thing about tankless, that they just don't have the proven track record of traditional water heaters. Especially gas heaters, those can go on thirty years with the right maintenance. 1800$ though is absolutely crazy... Home Depot sells a super efficient 12 year 40 gallon Rheem for 604$, and water heaters are simple to install yourself. Plus natural gas replenishes fast, so even with kids on down the line I doubt I'd need a larger tank.
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Sep 7, 2016 03:08
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Bozart posted:The 1800 one is probably the top of the line Rheem with 80 gallon capacity and a heat pump (so, much more efficient and much better first hour delivery) Well, it's a contractor's quote.... So, probably a middling builder's grade quality unit with poo poo efficiency and minimal capacity. melon cat posted:Whoh. Now that you mention it- $1800 is a lot to pay. I've thought about DIYing the water heater replacement myself, but doesn't it require all sorts of soldering and piping work?  That being said, there are all sorts of other solderless ways to attach plumbing, such as pex, or flexible water heater supply lines. The job is a lot simpler if it's just a straight gas for gas unit swap. Otherwise it gets complicated when you start having to figure out replacement air and adequate venting, and making sure you use the right vent ducting and pipe dope on the gas connections. That being said, shouldn't take you more than a few hours to replace after watching a few videos to figure things out. Hardest part is getting the new unit downstairs and in place, and the old one outside to dispose of.
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Sep 8, 2016 22:29
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Riprap won't do anything to help your backyard, that's primarily used along things like river and stream embankments to prevent erosion from the water movement. A retaining wall might not do too much if you've got improper drainage-- I've got one that's falling because it wasn't built with proper drainage, and the shifts and swelling of the dirt is causing it to buckle outwards. Not to sound too dismissive, but if you've got the money for a dock, failed sod, and two hundred bucks a month to hire someone to mow for you, you might just want to suck it up and pay the five grand for a professional to put in proper drainage and whatnot. Just look at it like paying for mowing services for two years. This is just a guess, but I'd imagine alkalinity in your soil might be because the runoff, especially if you're at the bottom and getting everyone else's yard fertilizer and junk rinsing through your yard. Seems like fixing the drainage might fix the root of your problems Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 04:02 on Sep 22, 2016 |
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Sep 22, 2016 02:35
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life is killing me posted:To put it in better perspective, our expenses are out the rear end right now; we ain't rich. Sorry if I came off like a dick, I was pretty tired when I was writing that. I completely understand, it's real easy to be overwhelmed with the never ending stream of home expenses that always absolutely need done right now. I'm in the same boat, I've got some drainage issues with my detached garage where the concrete floor is destroyed because the drainage sucks and water leaches in. I've also got to rip out a failing retaining wall, widen my driveway, replace the accumulated dirt and river gravel with limestone, put up some new privacy fencing, add a workshop to my garage, redo my front steps that are buckling along with the retaining wall, replace five more ancient windows that are rotting out, replace my breaker panel that's been jerry rigged with a sheet metal screw that long story short is effectively carrying half the current in my house, replace my leaky meter box that used to funnel water into my breaker box (and is temporarily sealed with electricians putty), etc etc etc etc etc. And all that is after the extensive list of things I have done in the time I've been here. I thought that because my mortgage was half the cost of my last rental, I'd be saving fistfulls of cash every month, but it's been a pretty even split so far 
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Sep 22, 2016 12:15
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Subjunctive posted:If I'm replacing a bathroom ceiling fan, what am I most likely to gently caress up? Buying a model with adequate cfm output, and making sure it's vented outside and not into the attic or something dumb. Presuming your house is wired correctly, black/red wires are hot and go to black/red wires. Bundle them all together if the same switch controls the light/fan, separate the connections if you have different switches for the light/fan . White is neutral, green (or bare) is ground, and they connect to their respective colors. Pretty straightforward job. If you don't want to mess with the housing, some models even have replaceable motor units you just pop into the old housing. I'd upgrade to a higher cfm/quieter fan though. Oh, biggest thing you can gently caress up, if you're buying a fan with a light, DO NOT buy the lowes utilitech fan that uses the dumbass two pin base light bulbs (like gu24 or something). Make sure it uses plain old a19 screw base bulbs, otherwise you're in a world of hurt trying to find bulbs that don't cost near as much as the drat fan itself. The loving gu24 standard was meant to make screw base incandescent bulbs obsolete and force everyone to switch to cfl's, but now it's obsolete as that was a really loving dumb idea and I don't know why lowes even sells that kind of poo poo when they don't even sell the gu24 bulbs. I had to buy a gu24 to a19 adapter and then a really expensive tiny screw base led bulb to fit inside the housing because regular bulbs were too long with the adapter in place. Dumb poo poo like that really pisses me off, and unless you know to check for it, you've already installed the fan and it's too late to return it for something that makes loving sense 
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Sep 29, 2016 17:01
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Subjunctive posted:Exhaust fan. Rule of thumb is go big or go home If your bathroom doesn't feel like someone opened the hatch on the space shuttle, you're doing something wrong 
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Sep 30, 2016 04:48
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HEY NONG MAN posted:Does getting a fan with a heating element require additional wiring or fan you put one in where a regular fan already exists? If you just had something like 14-2 you could replace it with 14-3, which would have an additional hot wire for another switched thing at the end (you'd also have to replace the box to accommodate another switch). Likely the circuit wouldn't have enough capacity for a heater though. I ran a dedicated 20 amp circuit to my bathroom specifically for this Stiebel wall mounted heater. Let me tell you, that thing is tits, especially as my bathroom doesn't have any heat ducts Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Sep 30, 2016 |
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Sep 30, 2016 18:52
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BeastOfExmoor posted:what's the advantage of being hard wired if you still need to change a battery annually? The advantage is going to replace a smoke detector in the house you bought last year, only to discover that every single unit throughout the house is dead, even though they apparently worked fine when I moved in. Who knows how long I'd been living without protection? Bought a nest protect and hardwired it in, and it's been great. Unobtrusively checks itself monthly, tells me before it checks, tells me where it detects smoke before going off, checks for monoxide, turns off the furnace if it detects any, and the lithium backup batteries last ages. It's a little spendier, but I feel a million times better having it. BeastOfExmoor posted:I finally broke down and bought a cordless drill and impact driver. I'd been holding on to the fantasy that my 20yr old garage sale Bosch and some extension cords could do what I needed, but man is it nice to be able to go anywhere with ease. Grats! Modern battery tools are the poo poo, there's nothing they can't do just as well as if not better than corded tools.
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Oct 15, 2016 13:34
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QuarkJets posted:Doomsday prepper backup generators, you fool Bingo, you set up a couple of gas generators in your basement so you can power your monoxide detector
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Oct 15, 2016 23:50
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DJCobol posted:How many of you are making extra principal payments? Yup! It's essentially a guaranteed return, so why not? I'm putting an extra hundred a month into my mortgage (750$ altogether) and at that rate I'll cut ten years off. 5% of my pay goes into my company's lovely 401k for the match, and then anther 5% into a betterment Roth IRA. I could do more, but I want to be able to enjoy myself and spend on hobbies and experiences and not be house poor. Plus it's good to build up savings for the inevitable bad stuff in life. Regularly socking away a little bit in each category puts you head and shoulders above most Americans anyways
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Oct 21, 2016 03:10
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slap me silly posted:Yup! Welcome to the One helpful tip is to just buy everything you think you might possibly need upfront, and then return what you don't use after you're done. This is especially helpful for plumbing jobs, eg just buy every fitting size you might need
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Oct 24, 2016 11:59
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devicenull posted:Another helpful tip is to buy a house <5 minutes from the nearest hardware store. I did exactly that, but the local hardware store is closed every goddamn time I need them the most. After six or seven on weekdays, closed Sundays, terrible Saturday hours, basically every time I'm actually doing something around the house. Completely negates being within easy walking distance
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Oct 25, 2016 03:36
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HEY NONG MAN posted:Ooh junction box mounting is a good idea... Then I could run the cable through some conduit and keep it protected all the way to the camera. I was not aware we had such a thing... Could you link me or tell me which subforum? A cursory google search isn't proving useful
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Nov 5, 2016 23:19
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I just ran across these infographics and thought I'd post them here since someone asked about home maintenance lists earlier in the thread. Might be worth adding to the OP http://www.todayshomeowner.com/4seasons/
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Nov 18, 2016 02:18
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Enfys posted:I take back all the good things I've ever said about trees. Stupid leaves. Hands down the BEST two hundred bucks I ever spent Don't even mess with other poo poo, get these now and marvel at how much better life is after good gutter guards. I've hosed with the cheap stuff, and it ain't worth it, especially as it's not really all that much cheaper.
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Nov 19, 2016 01:16
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Just wanted to crosspost this from the home security thread: https://www.lorextechnology.com/cyber-monday-specials/hd-security-camera-system-with-nvr-2-ptz-cameras-and-2-bullets/HDIP422Z-1-p It's a pretty great deal for a complete security camera system with four 1080p outdoor ip cameras, two of which are miniature point to zoom dome cameras. The nvr is accessible through an app as well, and everything is poe so the cameras transmit data and receive power through a single ethernet cable. The deal is good through today only though.
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Nov 29, 2016 16:50
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Economic Sinkhole posted:Is this thing any good? I'm strongly considering it but can't find much in the way of reviews. For the price, yup, it's excellent, especially if you're looking for ptz cameras. The price of the whole unit is less than what most ptz dome cameras retail for alone (eg Hikvision or Trendnet. Plus the dome cameras are really loving tiny, 2" x 5" so they're really inobtrusive, and they're even vandal proof/ip66 rated. I was contemplating buying the next step up resolution of the dome cameras alone before this deal showed up, and a single one of those was the same price as this whole package. Downside is that the the NVR is only 4 channel, but it's POE, and a switch can expand it up to 8 channels if you wanted to add cameras. Other downside is that while it's still great 1080p resolution, Lorex has newer camera systems with 2k (and soon 4k) resolution, which is just crazy. And the night vision is only 60 foot, whereas some of their other systems are 130 foot with color night vision (assuming some ambient lighting). But if you're just looking to get started with something good for really cheap, and add something to your house for peace of mind and simple setup with good remote access, this is hands down what I would start with. If you want to expand down the line, POE IP cameras are the way to go, and you can either just buy a larger NVR and reuse the cameras, or set up your own NVR software on a computer (though this is a simpler, smaller footprint with lower power consumption). What's great is that these cameras are ONVIF open standards compliant, so they're basically compatible with everything--you're not locked in to their ecosystem if you want to switch NVR's and reuse the cameras. I had been looking at other systems such as Unifi, since I'm already running their controller with my access points and router, but their NVR alone is the same price as this one (sans cameras), and you still need either poe injectors/a switch to power the cameras and transmit data, and their best camera offerings are the same resolution as the units in this kit. Personally, I wanted to get away from my old Kguard coax setup with a dvr that I had set up a private vpn to remote into. IP cameras are just so much simpler, and cabling is much less of a headache, since cat5e/6 is much cheaper and easier to run and crimp your own custom lengths. I've been waiting awhile to find something really good, and I'd say Flir/Lorex have hands down the best offerings I've seen. Other popular consumer stuff like dropcam is alright, but you still need wiring to provide power, and man are they expensive. Plus I wouldn't count on the reliability of wifi cameras, since the unlicensed 2.4/5Ghz spectrum is susceptible to interference and is really crowded as is. Plus most people's home wifi really isn't all that great and one or two of those kinds of cameras would consume most of the available bandwidth.
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Nov 30, 2016 15:37
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LogisticEarth posted:Flooring Chat: What's the real deal between solid hardwood and engineered flooring? I've read varying articles that say one is cheaper and more durable, but others say vis versa. The only consistent things are that engineered wood can be installed on concrete floors, and doesn't swell as much. I also stopped by a local flooring place yesterday and the guy seemed to push the engineered flooring. But I'm always skeptical if it's a margins thing, ease of installation, etc. Hardwood will last basically forever, and can be refinished time and again. My hardwood floors are a hundred years old, just for reference, and I know there are tons of places with flooring older than that. But you're going to pay more for the better quality. Engineered floors on the other hand, are a thin veneer of hardwood or laminate over top of a core of sawdust and glue. Once that thin veneer dents or gets worn down, it's time for new flooring. You might be able to refinish it once or twice, but there's really not much to sand down before you hit the core. Should be a lot cheaper though, but much less resilient. Chances are in your house, there's the original hardwood right under the carpets and it just needs sanded down and refinished. In older construction, your wood floors are the subfloor, the planks are laid right over the joists and stretch out underneath the walls. Newer construction will typically have joists, then osb subfloor, then your hardwood or carpet or what have you, with baseboard trim to cover the gap between the edge of the flooring and the walls. If you feel up to it, flooring is really easy to do yourself. Just measure the boards to length and cut them on a miter saw, and snap them in place. If you're refinishing your old flooring, it might be worth hiring someone to do that, or you can rent the big drum sander and go to town yourself. Just tear up the old carpet and voila. In places like the kitchen though, it might just be worthwhile to put new laminate down over the wood, since that would be more moppable and water resistant. Rurutia posted:I was just quoted $1400 for a basic 6yr warranty gas water heater from the company State. Apparently going for the higher quality 10yr warranty one. Does that sound right? Googling around is giving me much lower quotes. I've you've got basic tools, a desire to diy and don't mind watching a few youtube videos, it's really not that hard to do yourself. I'd buy something like this 12 year ultra high efficiency water heater for half that price. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-Pe...E40U0/204697784 Worst case, shouldn't be more than a couple hundred to get a plumber to swap it out for you.
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Dec 2, 2016 17:30
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^^That looks awesome! You did a great job getting that installed!LogisticEarth posted:Already planning on vinyl or laminate in the kitchen. We have delusions of a larger renovation in the kitchen when we save up a bit more, so I don't want to break the bank in flooring there. The guy I talked to also was talking up engineered vinyl tile in place of vinyl sheet flooring, saying it was essentially the same cost and easier to install. But he also said something about the underlayment for sheet flooring costing $50/board, which...seemed high. I've seen other demonstrations where they pop down a 1/4" underlayment board and install over that. There's no way that's $50 a sheet. Considering I have a level floor in the kitchen, doni really need some super robust underlayment for vinyl? If you've got the scratch, might as well hire someone and just get it taken care of, especially if you've got so much other stuff going on at the same time. I'd focus on getting the big projects out of the way before you move in, as well as stuff like painting. Consider with the kitchen, that you'll want to install flooring that you can easily add to when you remove/move cabinets during remodeling. A continuous sheet product is going to be more difficult to patch than some sort of tongue and groove/click lock type flooring. I recently tore out a few cabinets to install a permanent dishwasher and move my fridge, and best thing I could come up with on my flooring in the kitchen was to cut some plywood to fill the gap so it's level. It's underneath everything that I put in there so it's not noticeable, but it should be an upfront consideration to plan for. Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Dec 2, 2016 |
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Dec 2, 2016 20:38
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This is just spitballing, but I'd wager the difference in the pro line is essentially better QA. Because a plumber's time and effort is more valuable, they don't want to gently caress with potentially defective units and, like most other businesses, are willing to spend a small bit more for a unit that has a smaller chance of being defective. John Q homeowner shouldn't worry about that though, since worst case they exchange the unit if it's doa, and it's far far less likely they'd run into such a unit than somebody installing a dozen a week. Their time and concentration isn't with the same dollar amount
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Dec 3, 2016 05:50
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HEY NONG MAN posted:Regarding cable drops: I have them all over my house but realistically, don't I just need one drop? I don't have cable television and never plan to get it. Are you kidding?? Coax cable drops the best! In fact, I just used one the other day to pull some 12 gauge NM-B and a couple cat5e cables into my attic. I've been trying to find a good route from basement to attic for months before lucking out and discovering that run next to the plumbing waste stack. Last one I tried, I managed to get the push sticks all the way through, but couldn't get the wire through because of abandoned gas lines. ...Which, disregarding the sole cable drop for my modem, is the most use coax will ever get in my house. Patch panel + dedicated 5e/6 runs to stuff like POE wireless access points, cameras, or entertainment centers is 100% the way to go. devicenull posted:Rip them all out, replace them with nicely run cables going to a patch panel somewhere. It's the only way to be sure! This x 1000
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Dec 17, 2016 01:14
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devmd01 posted:I uh, my have gone overboard with that sentiment when we bought our house.  --I'm digging the blue cisco rj45-serial cable... You don't need one of those unless you really mean business Since then I've added a cyber power 1500va battery backup and about half a dozen more runs for wireless access points, poe cameras, and my backblazed home server. That gives me an extra two hours of wifi, internet, cell service, cameras and smart things security sensors after the power goes out. Best part of having the main network components racked and hidden away in a locking cabinet is that I can do stuff like this:  I just built these shelves incorporating a couple of cabinets my workplace was getting rid of, and with a conveniently placed pre-existing outlet and new ethernet run, my server has an inconspicuous place to live, I've got a high up spot for great networked speakers, and an open spot for my cellular booster that'll cover the entire house. Eventually I'll add some overhanging bookshelf lights up top and get it stained/polyed once it warms up enough to open the windows. Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Dec 17, 2016 |
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Dec 17, 2016 02:20
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RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS posted:My wife and I took the doors off in our laundry room because, frankly, having doors that open up to have the entrance door and toilet in their way was really obnoxious. But I'm wondering if it's at all feasible to "convert" the doors into a sliding configuration since I already have them and could presumably just get the sliders. Are you talking about a bi fold door? Pocket door? Sliding barn door style?
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Dec 27, 2016 03:39
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devicenull posted:So, my state has a program where they'll pay up to 50% of energy efficiency upgrades, and offer 0% loans in some cases. I had a contractor come out today to perform an "energy audit", which mainly consisted of him wandering around the house taking measurements of stuff. Yeah, my energy audit was free through one of my utilities, either Columbia Gas or AEP. But the guy was awesome and did the blower door test, thermal camera inspection, etc etc etc and wrote up a complete report with estimates and numbers to call for various things. Plus I got a nest thermostat for 50$ off retail. Tl;dr, check with your utilities for those kinds of programs. That guy sounds like a fraud. Unqualified people like that make me wary because occasionally they're just there to scope out valuables in your house.
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Jan 11, 2017 03:36
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Vinny the Shark posted:So, how should I handle this? Can I get away with running to home depot, buying window caulk and sealing it up? Or should I have a handyman/contractor look at it and determine what the course of action should be? Keep in mind I live in a townhouse/condo, so my options are limited- I can't alter the grading around the window, the gutters/roof are the association's responsibility, etc. Pictures may help, and try checking in with the fix it fast thread.
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Jan 12, 2017 13:22
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I think with grills, you leave anything outside, it's going to go to poo poo with exposure to the elements, from moisture, temperature, uv, etc. If you buy a nice 200$ propane grill, and actually cover it or store it in your garage, it'll last years, even more so if you clean it once a year or something. Plus you can buy replacement hoses, burners, etc for that kind of thing really cheap. People just don't take care of their poo poo
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Jan 26, 2017 20:30
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Rocks posted:
 drat you and your fantastic quality of life More pics please
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Mar 4, 2017 23:18
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dalstrs posted:Anyone have a recommendation for an outdoor security camera setup? Something secure, not too expensive, and hopefully simple to install. Look at Lorex by Flir. They've got a great selection of systems, including some of the smallest and most affordable POe PTZ cameras I've ever seen. Plus they've got some really slick 2k/4k resolution systems with good NVRs. Don't use wifi cameras since you still need wires for power, and low voltage poe ethernet cables are a million times easier to run. Drop cams and stuff are insanely expensive and honestly mediocre at best. You want something with a dedicated NVR unit, preferably with cloud support you can access from an app on your phone. Eg, here's a whole system for the price of a single POE PTZ dome camera from other places: https://www.lorextechnology.com/hd-ip-security-camera-system/hd-security-camera-system-with-nvr-2-ptz-cameras-and-2-bullets/HDIP422Z-1-p I bought this back in November and I'm loving it. Weatherproof ip66 rated, vandal proof metal domes, inconspicuous, easy to set up. Downside is that it's only 1080 resolution (720 on the domes), but that's plenty adequate for the average homeowner.
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Mar 10, 2017 22:20
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minivanmegafun posted:A lot of my neighbors on my south side Chicago street have cameras, which means I don't have to, particularly if my house continues to look like a dump. It just gets left alone. Right, I think that's a decent strategy. I have a home security camera system, but it's all exterior facing and pretty well hidden. I'm not using it as a deterrant, but mainly to check on alerts and notifications from my home monitoring. Like if I'm on vacation and I get a front door intrusion alert, I want to be able to see if that's a valid alert before asking someone to check on that or calling the cops. Same for a water leak or smoke alert. That lorex system was something like 320$ all said and done, and it does exactly that--gives me a way to check on stuff if I'm not home. It's a cheap peace of mind. dalstrs posted:This looks like a nice solution except it falls under that security issue people are posting about. Interesting article on the DVR password bypass. Stuff like that is why I won't get a iOT enabled front door lock or place interior cameras, since that kind of thing might be of interest to people who accumulate and sell that kind of information (like credit card numbers), whereas I don't see my exterior cameras being of much interest to the average hacker. If someone wants to look at my driveway and front porch, they can do that from google maps. At this point I just don't see that anyone bent on stealing my tools or whatever would be bothering to hack my diy home monitoring setup, because most property crime is opportunity based, say I left my garage door open and the wrong person drove by, or they noticed something that piqued their interest. That being said, H110Hawk hit the security solution on the head. That's how I have mine set up, with the cameras recording to the NVR on my LAN, and from there I set up a VPN to access everything on my lan from anywhere (eg cameras, server, etc). This way you still have internet enabled cameras, but that hard coded password hack just really isn't an issue because the camera system itself isn't talking out to the internet. Plus you're not reliant on others' cloud services which may or may not exist in a year or two.
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Mar 13, 2017 16:54
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Leperflesh posted:The most important use of compromised IoT devices is to contribute to DDOS attacks. I've also heard of them being used for other botnet stuff. I have no idea if IoT cameras specifically are useful for that, but, the point here is that it's not really about someone wardriving around looking for cameras to snoop on, it's someone running scripts online to compromise tens of thousands of similar devices in order to gain control of a big network of controlled internet nodes. Right, similar to the botnet with DVRs that took down VeriSign and several other certificate providers a few months back. I was just hypothesizing from a worst case scenario about the other concerns of having a home camera setup, all of which are mitigated by using a vpn to access local network contents so there's no direct exposure to the wide area network. Honestly, one of the biggest issues with a lot of these iOT enabled devices are that people just don't change the default login.
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Mar 13, 2017 18:37
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Thoguh posted:Smoke detectors really, really, really need an "I'm making bacon, please deactivate for 15 minutes" button. One reason I love the Nest Protect, if it senses some mild smoke that's below a certain threshhold, it'll give you a verbal warning where the smoke is and you can go silence the alarm with a push of a button or the app. I've had it alert me once or twice in the kitchen, but I was able to override it and go open up some windows and turn on the fan to mitigate the smoke before it went ballistic.
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Mar 14, 2017 15:08
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WarMECH posted:That reminds me, I need to pick up a nice composter. I hate throwing out veggie scraps and banana peels when I could just compost them with leaves from my backyard. Build one! Check craigslist for those blue HDPE drums, drill out a hole in the center for a length of pvc, and make some cross bracings with either treated or painted 2x4 lumber. Cut out some holes for ventilation and caulk some screen on the inside, cut out a hole to access it, add some hinges and some latches to keep it closed while you tumble, and voila! Or, you could just have a compost pile staked off where you dump everything compostable, and just turn it occasionally with a pitchfork.
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Mar 22, 2017 20:05
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therobit posted:Dont do this, it will draw rats. You wanr something that will keep rodents out. That's a really great point, I'd never considered the implications of doing this on a postage stamp lot in the suburbs. Definitely look at building a composter, it's a cheap, easy, and fun project. Just make sure the barrels you buy were used for food stuffs and not some industrial solvent.
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Mar 23, 2017 12:10
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metztli posted:I've got a farm (zoned agricultural) property in northern Illinois, there are 2 trees on one side of the house, which we might be taking down, and other than that, the closest trees are over 150' away. The mesh couldn't hurt, and is cheap enough, but it almost certainly isn't necessary. 100% get some sort of gutter guard now while it's being installed, you'll be glad you did later. I bought the black expanded metal screen type ones from home depot, and those work great, they just slide right on. Plus they were only like 10$ for 15'
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Apr 4, 2017 19:26
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metztli posted:Patio, probably hire out the leveling and bed, but would consider either hiring out or DIY for the actual surface. I don't think I could DIY, for example, concrete slab, but if pavers would meet the "durable and low maintenance" route I'd certainly consider them. Given the size, though, hiring out seems like it would reduce the risk of large mistakes from a first timer's attempt. Third option here, and this one is really simple from a permitting perspective. Build a floating composite deck, joist height off the ground. Rest the composite joists on some foundation blocks or the ground, and just build a composite deck/patio on top of that. That's what my girlfriend's dad did over a decade ago based on his builder friend's advice, and it has held up great over the years with no maintenance. It gets used all the time too, they have tons of cookouts over there. Relatively inexpensive, looks good, easy, holds up well, and because it's a floating structure not attached to the house, didn't require any permits. I know the crappy construction thread is in a tizzy over composite decking getting hot in some hot equatorial place, but I've never ever noticed any abnormal heat buildup here in Ohio, even on hundred degree days.
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Apr 7, 2017 16:23
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:How do I enact lawncare? The most important thing you can do is fertilize the grass. Mix some glyphosate with 2,4-D, add a dash of dish soap, dilute and spray  You can really go down the deep end into lawn care, but basically just don't cut it too short, make sure your mower has sharp blades by sharpening them once or twice a year, and if you want to aerate and fertilize in the spring, great. Also in the spring pull out dandelions and weeds with a tap root pulling weeder, fiskars makes a nice one and it's satisfying as gently caress to use.
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Apr 8, 2017 02:41
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Drunk Tomato posted:Just mowed my lawn for the first time! Father in law got me an electric mower as a surprise present. I've never used one before, but it was really awesome. Just charged the battery, and it was good to go. Build one! It's a simple and fun project you can do with a circular saw, drill, and dimensional lumber. Add some paint, and you've got a nice picnic table.
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Apr 10, 2017 03:47
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Elysium posted:Is there a goon recommendation for a cordless drill for various DIY house projects? The rest of the internets suggests Dewalt or Milwaulkee, although this list suggests Bosch. Most of that list also is the smaller 12v drills, and not the 18v ones. I get that they are lighter and cheaper, but should I get an 18v one just in case I do something that needs more power? Is it worth it to also get a dedicated driver? Buy into a cordless line that has a good variety of tools, such as Makita or Milwaukee. I'd also get the 18v line over the 12v, simply because there's more tools and innovation going on there. DeWalts 20v is just peak charging voltage marketing wank, it's the same 18v cells as everything else. Dewalt is ok, just not as many options available. I personally own a shitload of Makita tools and they are phenomenal, I don't think I would ever buy another corded tool if there's a decent battery alternative, just simply no need (excluding high discharge stuff like angle grinders). I would also buy a five pieceish kit, so you start out with a couple of batteries and a drill, driver, circular saw, sawzall kinda deal. Also, I would look at the Makita subcompact line if you don't need heavier duty stuff, that line looks pretty spiffy in my opinion, especially for the kinda stuff it sounds like you'd be doing. E: Also, I wouldn't be buying five amp hour battery stuff, three amp hour is a nice sweet spot between weight and longevity. I've got the 3 amp hour batteries, and I can cut down several sheets of plywood with my circular saw or use my trimmer for an hour no problem. I've spent all day on projects and had plenty of capacity to do everything I needed to, and swap out and recharge as needed. Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 13:15 on Apr 11, 2017 |
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Apr 11, 2017 13:12
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DTaeKim posted:I can't even get rid of the dandelions because of the rocks directly underneath them. I just used it to yank dandelions out of my yard yesterday, and only had a couple of shovelfuls worth, compared to the multiple five gallon buckets I collected last year, and these were mostly along the periphery of my yard where there's nothing else growing. By pulling out the taproots last year my yard is in great shape this year.
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Apr 11, 2017 19:34
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Leperflesh posted:
Alternatively, instead of stabil or equivalent, try using Seafoam to stabilize the gas. Had the added benefit of cleaning out deposits as well.
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Apr 19, 2017 03:04
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