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willie_dee posted:I am having some doubts now, everyone in the UK is doing this, and I just wanted an answer to see if my math was right, but now I have got a few people telling me what an awful idea it is, even though I don't understand why. Maybe we can figure it out itt. I think the general gist of it is that you're needlessly entering into a financial contract with your girlfriend for...no real reason? If you're not married, and this isn't a business venture/flipping situation, and you don't need her input for a down payment, then there seems to be no upside for either of you and only needless complications. Also while I'm hardly a fan of current new construction in the US, I'm sure that the homes in the UK aren't some kind of super structures that don't require maintenance or renovation. New construction is one thing, but you'll need to save for future repairs or updates, home warranty or no.
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Feb 20, 2017 18:08
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willie_dee posted:Yea, the city centre where we are looking to buy is being flooded by new style NYC style apartments, property prices have gone insane, and we want in. Ahahaha this gets even better: 1) Mortgage with no-savings girlfriend as co-applicant. 2) "We don't need to worry about maintenance". 3) "Housing prices are skyrocketing, gotta get in before WE'RE PRICED OUT OF THE MARKET!" More seriously, are you buying a house or an apartment? Because the way maintenance costs are spread out between the two can be quite different. This could explain why we're all giving you poo poo about maintenance costs.
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Feb 20, 2017 18:33
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Droo posted:While we're on the topic of how great EU construction is (??), what is up with the stupidly tiny washer/dryer units that every Euro apartment I rent seems to have? Is doing 3 loads of laundry instead of 1 some kind of soothing family activity where people watch the tiny bin spin around for 3 hours? I know those tiny units can't possibly be that much cheaper or save much space compared to a normal sized one. I actually bought a European washer-dryer set for my last apartment because they were designed to fit under a standard height countertop. I had a small place and the kitchen was actually the old converted laundry room. So the ability to reclaim every square inch of counter space was worth the reduced wash size. For two adults, it wasn't too bad. My understanding is that most Europeans tend to do more frequent, smaller loads, but a Eurogoon can probably give a more accurate explaination. If space isn't a limitation, then I don't really see the advantage. I believe the larger machines are more efficient per weight and certainly more convenient to do a weekly load of laundry.
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Feb 20, 2017 19:08
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RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS posted:My impression was that any kind of fence was going to be really expensive. Putting in a simple split rail fence is relatively cheap, certainly cheaper than having giant rocks delivered and moved. You can DIY it with a manual post hole digger and stuff from a material supply (or farm supply if you're more rural). Fancy vinyl or panel fencing gets expensive. Simple split rail might cost...$10/foot if you go simple.
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Mar 3, 2017 15:42
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RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS posted:The soil is really hard after the first few inches and I thought putting up a mailbox was gonna kill me (also it came out really crooked) so I don't have a lot of confidence in this as a DIY job. Couple options: rent a power auger, or hire someone who knows what they're doing. Either way a split rail fence is probably going to be your cheapest, easiest to maintain option that doesn't look like poo poo and doesn't involve delivery of large rocks.
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Mar 3, 2017 20:24
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:Do it and also get the landscaping finished the same year before it frosts (I don't know if it frosts where you are). The house I grew up in had to have the main replaced and we dallied on redoing the grade on our lawn and it literally never looked the same. It probably knocked 10k off the eventual valuation of the house. Not sure if this has to do with the frost or if it's the soil type and grass species. A lot of folks backfill improperly (over/under compaction) or with poo poo soil. If anything, a few frost cycles should even out any slight imperfections in grade.
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Mar 10, 2017 17:19
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(in eastern PA) "I'll wait a bit to get a snowblower until post season sales" 
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Mar 14, 2017 02:47
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QuarkJets posted:I don't think anyone is actually complaining about smells, that seems straightforward to address. The main concern is pests showing up I guess, though if everything is composting correctly and you don't put in stuff like animal fats, etc., then the draw for pests is quite low. Although we don't have the aforementioned centipede problems around here that much (PA).
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Mar 26, 2017 22:32
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QuarkJets posted:We don't have cooktop ventilation and I'm not sure why that would be a problem. Any kind of high heat frying, searing, etc. tends to produce a fair amount of smoke. With a strong vent hood, you can suck it all out without filling the place up with smoke and odor. The little re-circulating things they often install instead work to a small degree, but it's world's away from a proper vent. QuarkJets posted:What happens? The kitchen smells like delicious bacon. Delicious bacon often turns into stale bacon and instead of being vented out, the atomized grease that wafts with the smoke ends up on everything. LogisticEarth fucked around with this message at 23:14 on Apr 2, 2017 |
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Apr 2, 2017 23:10
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minivanmegafun posted:Do you people not have windows in your kitchens? Did you ever take chemistry class and work under a fume hood? It's the same idea. Yes, opening windows can "work", using a recirculating hood can "work", but it's a world of difference between that and having a good, externally venting range hood. I'm betting you guys either don't do that much high heat cooking on the range, or have never used a good hood, because the utility of it is absolutely apparent once you use one. One of the things we were always looking for when homebuying was 1) the presence of a vented hood or 2) the practicality of installing one after the fact. Luckily, we found a home with one already. After living in apartments either with no hoods or the recirculating ones for a decade, I am ecstatic to finally be able to cook without smoking/stinking the place up. Also, "Just open the window" doesn't work so well when it's twenty degrees below freezing and you want to cook some goddamn bacon.
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Apr 2, 2017 23:25
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brugroffil posted:I also don't sear steaks because it isn't necessary. You missed the most important part of the article: quote:That doesn't mean that we should not sear. Searing produces brown products by the Malliard Reaction and carmelization Searing steak in a 500°F cast iron pan is the only way to fly.
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Apr 3, 2017 11:45
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therobit posted:One wonders how people managed to cook meat indoors for loving centuries without a vent hood. Y'all have had too cushy a life if you have never had to smell dinner cooking. If only our forbearers could have invented some kind of rectangular masonry structure designed to create draft to vent hot gasses and smoke from the structure. LogisticEarth fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Apr 5, 2017 |
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Apr 5, 2017 04:19
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baquerd posted:You sure that's not just a large grill? I'm trying to wrap my head around what that actually looks like as a house. Between the trash can in the foreground and the concrete ramp/driveway it looks pretty small, and the pitch of the roof looks weird. Is this some tiny house deal, just odd perspective from the camera, or some wierd moon house in New Zealand or wherever?
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Apr 6, 2017 13:29
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Alereon posted:Mulch mow at the upper-end of the recommended height for your grass, this shade from the taller grass will reduce both weed growth and moisture loss. If you're really lazy/green, add in some clover to outcompete weeds and fertilize your lawn for you. It'll attract bees unless you get a non-flowering dwarf clover (Microclover). Bingo. Most grass keeps the majority of it's strength/energy in the first 3" or so, so if you only mow after your grass gets around 3", you'll help keep the grass healthy, strong, and weed resistant. Clover is kickass too. Only worry about fertilizing if you actually see a problem, or have taken a soil test. Pro-tip: Most state land-grant universities have soil testing kits for cheap that will give you N-P-K numbers. In PA Penn State Extension charges $9 Completely unrelated question: What's the deal with interior paints? I'm trying to figure out the real difference between something like Sherwin-Williams, which is like $60-70/gallon, or Behr or one of the other big-box brands, at ~$30-40/gallon for the "premium" stuff. I've painted many times before, but always for apartments or friends and such. So I'm OK with the methods, but my paint selection experience beyond "whatever is moderately cheap and looks ok" is lacking. I have an approximately 12x15' room with wood paneling that I'm turning into the nursery. I already primed over the paneling with Killz for...some reason. I know it helps to prime dark wood paneling. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to buy a good, durable paint that can withstand kid abuse and time.
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Apr 7, 2017 22:02
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Typically for concrete, rebar, wood, etc. small amounts are acceptable. They just don't want someone loading the can to overflowing with drywall, framing, concrete, etc. Generally, construction debris is OK to landfill. I'd look into craigslisting a "couple of guys and a landscaping dump truck".
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Apr 10, 2017 13:23
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Buca di Bepis posted:Has anybody gotten their dirt floor crawl space encapsulated? I had an estimate done with a quote of $3,000-4,000 to cover 900sqft and that seemed pretty insane. Since all I care about is setting up a moisture barrier I was considering doing it myself with some plastic sheeting but I don't know if there's some other aspect to it that I'm missing. $3000-4000 is pretty high, but not bonkers. I have an approximately 400sqft crawlspace, and was quoted about $2800 for a radon system, which also included the full part of the basement, fan, piping, etc. In my experience, about $1000-1500 of that price is probably encapsulation of the crawlspace, so for double the square footage, $3,000 isn't awful. That said, you could do it yourself, but it won't be fun.
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Apr 10, 2017 19:00
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Motronic posted:If you are having a specific problem right now with the lawn that prevents this from being the case you should describe it. This. Wed probably need a bit more info. Generally, you'd probably want to start off with a soil test (often like  from your state ag extension), then maybe apply a round of fertilizer as needed, and maybe reseed if you have a lot of patches. In New England, that'd probably be some kind of cool season mix (e.g. rye/fescue/bluegrass), clover mixed in also good, and plant in the fall.
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Apr 17, 2017 02:20
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:The lawn people just called me and apparently I am the first customer in their history to request overseeding with white clover. They wanted to confirm that I was absolutely sure that I wanted this before going ahead with it, and had to hang up to tell me "they'd look into it." Most lawn companies are poo poo and will sell you way too much fertilizer, pesticide, and other expensive stuff while simultaneously turning your lawn into a barren monoculture that is unable to support itself. Again, start off with a soil test. Always. They're relatively simple and you can get it done in like half an hour. Then look up "organic" lawn care. The organic part isn't so much important, just that you are applying a base level of nutrients and organic matter, overseeding with an appropriate mix (with clover), mowing "high", and mulching. Then things will generally take care of themselves with minimal maintenance. Mowing two times a week is kinda par for the course though. You don't want to hack off too much at once since that stresses the plant. If that's too much maintenance, then you need less lawn and should convert it to other cover (pollinator garden!) until it seems manageable. I really do want to stress a soil test though, especially with new construction. So many contractors will put down "topsoil" that is just fill from construction sites elsewhere. Most of which isn't actually topsoil, but subsoil that doesn't have as much organic matter or available nutrients. If you have mediocre soil, you get mediocre plants.
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Apr 17, 2017 18:16
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Steampunk Hitler posted:Although if I was mowing my own lawn I would get a gas powered because the trade offs change when you're mowing an almost 2 acre plot. Get rid of some of that lawn, yikes. What's the point of 2 acres if you keep it all turf grass?
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Apr 18, 2017 01:16
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QuarkJets posted:That's interesting I'm assuming you live in some kind of cold or dry climate because waiting for a month around me means your grass is like a foot long and has gone to seed.
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Apr 19, 2017 23:16
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At first I was thinking that people were complaining about fiberglass batting, but I didn't even know they frequently used blown in fiberglass. The batting is easy enough to work with, but lol blowing that stuff in sounds like a nightmare. What's the advantage of blown in over batting anyway? Ease of installation, or is there an efficiency boost?
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Apr 24, 2017 23:23
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Leperflesh posted:If you guys haven't actually measured the angle of your slope, how do you know it's 45 degrees? Because that's very, very steep. Steep enough that your knees tend to buckle trying to walk down it. Yeah, I'm pretty sure none of these folks are mowing a 45 degree slope and are just badly eyeballing it. Trying to move any kind of equipment on a 20-30% slope is tricky. A 45 degree slope is 100% grade, which would be nigh impossible. Maybe if it's only one mower deck width or something.
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May 1, 2017 02:25
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How big of a yard do you corded mower guys have? Because it just seems like it would be a huge hassle to truck the cord around, worry about it snagging on stuff, etc. For reference I have a third of an acre and maybe a quarter acre or less of that is lawn. I also have three outbuildings, so I'm probably not in the same boat as you guys. Modern 4-stroke gas push mowers are way more pleasant to use than what I grew up with. My biggest problem is the new goddamn EPA mandated gas cans. Leak everywhere.
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May 2, 2017 23:06
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Problem! posted:Anyone buy appliances from Costco? We need to buy a fridge for our new house and want something nice and new but don't want to pay a poo poo ton for it. Costco sells major appliance brands, so there's no real concern for quality. Prices are generally good, but selection is limited. Basically, it's whatever Costco was able to get a deal on. So if you have something specific in mind, then you should definitely shop around. I've found that that's generally the story with ALL things Costco. In general it's good prices on large/bulk goods, but you're not always getting the best price, sometimes by a fair margin.
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May 14, 2017 11:29
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While we're on appliance-chat, does anyone have recommendations for window-unit air conditioners? Our house came with four, but they're kinda clunky and old. We need cooling for at least 2 regular-sized bedrooms (~200sf each), and about 750sf downstairs. Might go without saying, but it'd be great if the bedroom ones were quiet.
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May 15, 2017 20:39
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Those look like your standard wall hangers and pretty much any hardware store or Big Box will carry something similar.
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May 30, 2017 15:43
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Omne posted:We've been without power since Saturday night, and it doesn't look like we'll be getting it back until Thursday at the earliest. We've been surviving on take-out and cell phone lights, but it's getting old. Plus, it's getting hot out. Upstairs was at 85 degrees, and downstairs 77. Any ideas on cheap-ish lighting and cooling options? Open up the windows at night, close them earlier in the morning. Keep the cold air in and it won't be too bad. My home has no central AC so 85 is standard fare. I don't usually bother with AC until it stops cooling off at night, it get up to 90 inside, or the humidity gets ridiculous.
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May 31, 2017 01:56
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Thesaurus posted:Putting up a nice big pergola this weekend. Just got the posts cemented in (4"x6" cedar, 12' long), and my god is that exhausting work to do solo. Digging holes at least 3' deep and 12" wide by hand is brutal. It's certainly not easy. For future reference Lowes and such often rent power augers for exactly this kind of thing. Ye olde post-hole digger is better than a shovel too.
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Jun 10, 2017 00:39
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Pryor on Fire posted:Ah only the 1st time new homeowner could possibly want more instead of less grass. Counterpoint: "mulch/stone walkway" sounds like a weedy pain in the rear end to maintain.
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Jun 20, 2017 19:18
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I have a question about hiring contractors for total room remodeling. Specifically, for a bathroom. When approach contractors to start getting estimates, should you already have an idea about what colors or fixtures you want, or is that part of the discussion? This may seem like a stupid question but I'm so used to doing stuff DIY. My bathroom is looking like there's enough work to be done that it's worth just gutting it and starting over. I could do it myself with enough time...but we just had a baby three weeks ago and this is a one bath house.
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Jun 21, 2017 15:24
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CloFan posted:You guys who don't like grass are silly Seeing a yard like this, I see some usable space, and a bunch of "maybe use this giant lawn on occasion if I throw a big party" waste that needs to be mowed all the time. I'd go about planting shrubs and native herbacous plants to get some pollinators and songbirds in there, keeping a smaller lawn for day to day enjoyment. But yeah, to each his own.
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Jun 26, 2017 13:26
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Leperflesh posted:Really? The sidewalk is on your property? In most places a sidewalk is public property and a public right of way. Are you, for example, responsible for repairing the sidewalk if it's damaged? Yes, and this isn't just a Philly thing, it's been like this wherever I've lived. Maintenance, snow removal, etc. are often or always on the property owner. We just had a big to-do at a town near me because the city was planting a bunch of free sidewalk shade trees, and a significant portion of residents were threatening to cut them down because they didn't want to be liable for their sidewalk repairs not the roots caused heaving. Likewise, you can be fined if you don't clear snow, or potentially liable big it's not maintained and someone trips.
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Jun 29, 2017 19:38
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Leperflesh posted:...Huh. If I recall correctly, you're in California? Might be confusing you with another regular poster though. If so, state law is the same, that cities are not by default liable for sidewalk maintenance: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/sidewalks-considered-homeowners-property-56365.html Same in PA and NJ at least. Some cities have cost share programs. The liability issue is more murky though. Alleys are another grey zone. Most town and cities don't own the alleys, and maintenance and snow clearing can fall into a grey zone.
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Jun 29, 2017 20:14
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Cannon_Fodder posted:Any tips on setting down sod? The ground right now is some weedy beat up lovely mulch/dirt the length of the yard (but in a thin strip). Don't try and do it in the middle of the summer, wait for fall or spring. Getting grass established in the mid summer heat is a nightmare and require huge amounts of water.
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Jul 5, 2017 23:57
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Buca di Bepis posted:I'm open to it but I've mostly seen those installed in kitchens. I'm kind of tight on space in the area so I need something that's basically just wide enough to hold a standard bathroom sink, but deeper and with a tall faucet without looking like your standard plastic mop tub. Google "utility sinks". There's a fair variety available. From stuff that looks like your standard plastic mop sink to stainless steel or ceramic ones. Example: https://www.rejuvenation.com/catalo...88-adType%5EPLA
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Jul 7, 2017 10:49
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Really what owning does is give you a more stable monthly cost, especially if you have a fixed-rate mortgage. Rents can swing wildly depending on what the market will bear, while mortgages are much more predictable. What the hell? Owning is way more unpredictable. You can stumble your way into thousands or tens of thousands of dollars worth of repairs or upgrades. Renting is far more stable cost-wise, even if rent is swinging with the market. Hell, the fact that costs fluctuate with a market, and not the random forces of entropy or misfortune that lead to home maintenance, makes it slightly more predictable. Renting is "cheaper" in the short term, although if you rent for years upon years you *might* be losing out on the potential to build equity in your home. If it's such a hot market that rents are fluctuating that badly, that's a sign that property values could tank as well and you end up underwater. Hughlander posted:Pretty much. Two homes here in a hugely increasing market. Renting one out that appreciated 300% since I purchased it. The rent is covering the 15 year mortgage on it and then some. The higher of the two has a mortgage for less than its current rental value and two houses sold in the development in 2017 for 140 and 160k more than what I paid last year. Same model in nearby developments are going for 350k more than I paid. Go Amazon! Stuff like this is ultimately unsustainable, and at a certain point the price will peak and then some folks will get screwed. You had the luck/foresight to end up on the good end of the curve, but by no means is it a given that it's always good to buy rather than rent in a hot market. It's cheaper to own BEFORE the boom, of course, but if things are already screaming hot, only a fool would buy without understanding that there is a great deal of speculation involved. LogisticEarth fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Jul 9, 2017 |
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Jul 9, 2017 04:38
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TuringM posted:
Get a five gallon can and it will probably last you all summer if you're just using a push behind. As for features, look for a mulching lawnmower and blade (blades can be changed out), and self propelled if you hate mowing. You might not need the latter but it makes it more pleasant if your yard is sloped or it's 95 degrees.
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Jul 12, 2017 20:22
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Count me in as another "many"-years-old Toro 22" Recycler owner. My dad bought it off some guy who never changed the blades or oil years ago. I got it off of him for this year. While both myself and my dad changed the oil and kept the blades in good repair, it's seen it's fair share of abuse and still starts up easily on one pull and can chew through grass without leaving too many clippings even if I skip a week. My yard is about a quarter acre, grass-wise. I don't get the other posters here who are like "UGH GAS MOTORS", but then truck a cord around for a plug in. The maintenance on a push mower is nil. I get one five gallon can of gas, fill it (maybe) twice a year, and change the oil once a season. It's dead simple.
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Jul 13, 2017 15:21
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WarMECH posted:Gas mowers are noisy and smell bad. I like my Ryobi 40V mower. And the batteries fit my blower and trimmer so I have absolutely no gas/oil in my garage. Battery powered is a little better, but you're still lacking in power and most don't have self propelled options. Also, the batteries are like $100-140. Which is like a over a decade's worth of gas and oil costs for a walk behind mower. How long do the batteries last before they need replacement? I mean, electric is better in theory, but I don't think they've surpassed gas yet unless you have a small, level yard.
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Jul 13, 2017 17:45
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For what it's worth I have a cheapo battery powered Ryobi lightweight trimmer and blower as well, although they're 18v. But I'm not sold on the mowers. Maybe in another 5 years of development or battery advances. I have a feeling they'll always be limited to small level yards though. Really, the battery replacement is what I think will do you in, even if you have an appropriate yard. From my experience with cordless tools (and from reviews of the Ryobi batteries online), battery lifetimes are somewhere between 1-3 years of regular use. That's going to be costly, and battery powered electric mowers are already significantly more expensive than gas powered ones. My overall point is that the glowing reviews electric mowers get in this thread are pretty situational and should be taken with a grain of salt. LogisticEarth fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Jul 13, 2017 |
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Jul 13, 2017 18:24
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