El Floppo
Footballguy
gl.
leaks are the worst... start opening up things and whammo, who knows what you find other than an outpouring of $$.
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Home-owners...What are your current projects? (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter wilked
- Start date
leaks are the worst... start opening up things and whammo, who knows what you find other than an outpouring of $$.
matttyl
Footballguy
As you aren't suppose to drive on it for 2 days or so after doing it, I'll likely tackle the project in a few weeks when the wife and kid are out of town visiting family - and I'll just park on the street. It doesn't look that difficult, just a bit time consuming to do it properly (I have to patch a few cracks and stuff first - and then power wash the whole thing down very, very well). I just hate paying people to do something that I can theoretically do myself.
I'll post again half way through the project when I no longer want to do it....
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
Did the water level in the pool drop to a particular point when the circulation was turned off? Keep an eye on it and if it drops to a light or return, etc. then that is probably where the leak is. If it only leaks when the circulation system is on then it is likely in a return line to the pool unless you see a lot of air bubbles in the pump strainer basket that would indicate a suction side leak. Or if it is a sand or pressure DE filter you could have a bad backwash valve that is allowing water to go to waste when in filter mode.
www.troublefreepool.com for the best way to maintain with cheaper chemicals. Just follow the basics of testing and design and it will make life with a pool much easier.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
When the guys did mine, they used this propane torch to burn off any oil stains on the driveway, and also spots where the grass started growing over the driveway.
I hear you re. hating to pay people to do something you can do yourself. I'm 100% that way...but now with 2 little kids and my job taking up more of my time, I find myself putting a higher $$$ on my time than I did a few years ago.
Keep us posted on when you get tired of doing it.
Brony
Footballguy
If you are talking about patching cracks and laying down a couple of layers of blacktop sealant, it's pretty easy. In fact, I kinda like doing it - it's similar to doing the relaxing rolling part of wall painting with very little of the annoying trim work. Having done it a couple of times - use old shoes that you don't care about, get a pair of gloves and use some cardboard to protect areas when applying around sidewalks or garage. Lastly, having some mineral spirits and an old rag will allow you to clean up at end of day and reuse the squeegee.
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
Da Guru
Fair & Balanced
Need to strip and stain my deck. Two years ago it looked pristine but now not so good. We entertain quite a bit outside so it is really bugging me.
Need to figure out to use an oil or stain. Saw Cabot Australian Oil that looked interesting. I love sealing but hate the stripping part.
Need to figure out to use an oil or stain. Saw Cabot Australian Oil that looked interesting. I love sealing but hate the stripping part.
Franknbeans
Footballguy
like chicken
berndog
Footballguy
I used the Cabots and it looked great when I put it on but it seems to attract dirt. I have applied a lot of stain and I didn't over apply it where it becomes sticky. I have done it twice and had the same experience both times. I love the original color but cant recommend it.
Da Guru
Fair & Balanced
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Parents use some linseed oil mixture and it seems to work well
http://www.dummies.com/home-garden/exteriors/how-to-preserve-your-deck/
http://www.dummies.com/home-garden/exteriors/how-to-preserve-your-deck/
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adonis
Footballguy
matttyl
Footballguy
Mario Kart
Footballguy
I'm looking to replace a stone sidewalk. I want to pick the stones up and fix underneath them because the previous owner just laid the stones on the grass. Grass and weeds are coming up between the cracks. The walkway is a good 30-50 feet away from the house so I'm looking to dig an inch or two down, lay plastic or some kind of liner, place gravel or something for the stones to sit on, then fill in with smaller stones/sand or something. How to make it so water doesn't stand in the path or what kind of drainage should I worry about? I don't think it would cost much because the materials are there except for the plastic and small gravel. Other thoughts?
Da Guru
Fair & Balanced
Don`t want it to be half assed. Did it before without removing all the previous product and it did not turn out as good.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I need a bigger shed. I have a 3 car garage (with 3 cars in it) that is so tight with cars that there just isn't room for all the crap my now-3-year-old is accumulating. I rearranged this weekend so he could get his wagon and bike out without demolishing my car, and now I find out that my parents are getting him another big toy for his birthday.
I currently have a shed that's ~12'x20' with a garage door on one end. It's mostly jam-packed with lawn equipment (big zero-turn mower, wheelbarrow, wood chipper, small engine yard tools, etc.) I need more space. I'm to the point where I think my only option is to upgrade my shed with a larger one.
Anybody have any tips/thoughts on building or buying a larger shed? I need to measure to be sure what fits, but probably 16' x 30' or so...Is it really cheaper to get a pre-fab vs. build it myself (assuming I could even find time...).
I currently have a shed that's ~12'x20' with a garage door on one end. It's mostly jam-packed with lawn equipment (big zero-turn mower, wheelbarrow, wood chipper, small engine yard tools, etc.) I need more space. I'm to the point where I think my only option is to upgrade my shed with a larger one.
Anybody have any tips/thoughts on building or buying a larger shed? I need to measure to be sure what fits, but probably 16' x 30' or so...Is it really cheaper to get a pre-fab vs. build it myself (assuming I could even find time...).
lumpy19
Footballguy
My pre-fab showed up on a flat bed at 8am and the guys were gone by noon. I think I got it 5 years ago and no problems since. Mine is much smaller than you want but my time is too important at this point and I'm really glad I went pre-fab.
glvsav37
Footballguy
Mario Kart
Footballguy
Finished this. Started last night by removing and placing the blocks in order away from where they'd be. Freaking heavy ones too. Tried to get as many weeds out last night before dark. Finished removing the rest of the blocks this morning. Raked and got as many weeds' roots as I could. For the area in question, I think the weeds/grass are gone from the walkway. I can't stress enough about the raking. Rake every which way because you never know what roots/stems might pop up. Had the walkway plastic stuff and laid that down, overlapping and such. The walkway turns and I didn't get cute with the stuff, just laid it out, cut it, and overlapped more than if I had tried to turn it. Laid the blocks down and went to the store to get some small rocks for the cracks and the sand that helps to hold the blocks in place. Came back and poured that on the walkway, used a broom to help it in the cracks. I was getting anal about the blocks moving. Trimmed the plastic where I didn't need to see it but left about 6" on the one side of the walkway because that part of the walkway turns into grass. I don't think I'll be getting any blocks or border wall or anything like that so I may have to redo the sand every year after winter and rain.
http://imgur.com/a/TJ1UM
Osaurus
Footballguy
I'd say it's more a retention pond by the looks of it.
Looking forward to seeing the finished product (as you undoubtedly are).
glvsav37
Footballguy
@Fat Nick 2 things I have for my shed to help with space is
1. A loft. If your ceiling is high enough, I have a loft over 1/2 the shed that I use to store the deck chairs and stuff.
2. A covered area off to the side. It's open on 3 sides and just has a roof. In the summer I leave it open, and in the winter I have a white tarp that encloses it to keep the weather out. If you look at my link a few posts above you can see my shed in the background.
1. A loft. If your ceiling is high enough, I have a loft over 1/2 the shed that I use to store the deck chairs and stuff.
2. A covered area off to the side. It's open on 3 sides and just has a roof. In the summer I leave it open, and in the winter I have a white tarp that encloses it to keep the weather out. If you look at my link a few posts above you can see my shed in the background.
wilked
Footballguy
agreed, I don't know how anyone can survive without minimum 3 car garage and 500 sq ft shed. You considered a second floor and elevator for ease yet?
Fat Nick
Footballguy
As far as efficiency...Probably as efficient as anyone can get. I pride myself on my ability to fit tons of stuff in small spaces. My Garage has 12' ceilings...I've got floor-to-ceiling heavy duty wire shelves along the whole back wall, and my extension ladder, 2 kayaks, and a car roof pod are on pulley systems up to the ceiling above the garage doors when open. I can drop them down as needed. That's about all I can fit up there. There's zero room for anything on the side walls with the cars in there.
The shed is pretty well arranged too...already built the loft above 2/3 of this that holds lawn chairs, hammock, tents, spare lumber, etc. It's mostly full now. Lawn tools hanging on one wall, mower parked on the other, and some big shelving units to hold the gas cans, and all that kind of stuff. The only thing I need to do is build a big shelf over where I park my snow blower/edger/power washer...that'd give me ~2'x6' of space for some pots and soil and stuff...that's it. Long story short, there's no way organization is going to help me any more.
I measured some and I think I'm just going to suck it up for a year or two and then get a new shed when we repave our driveway. I'll have them actually alter the shape some so I can fit a bigger shed (hopefully at least 30x16) at a slightly different angle. I'm, basically going to have to park a car outside and put my shed stuff in the garage for the month or two transition, but I think I can make it work.
matttyl
Footballguy
I'm in a similar situation with my place, and my kid is only two so I'm sure it will get worse. We're also a big biking family and until recently when I sold 2 of them I had 7 bikes either in garage or shed. First things first - maximize the space you currently have. I got a bunch of bike hanger / pulley systems to store bikes on the ceiling - same idea with the kayak. We also got two huge ceiling mounted storage racks (each are 4'x8' and hang down about 4 feet or so - great for boxes of kid clothing/toys that he's either not yet big enough for, or already outgrown, maternity stuff, x-mas decorations and the like. Shelving units down one side of garage, and one of those wall/hook deals down the other side. Really helps with the clutter. In the shed I try to hang stuff as much as possible (shed is maybe 8'x16' or so).
ETA - sorry, should have read on further.
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Godsbrother
Footballguy
My son, his wife, 3 little kids + large dog are moving into their new home after being with us 3+ months. First step for us is to get all of the carpets cleaned. Does anyone have recommendations on which cleaning companies to avoid/exploit?
matttyl
Footballguy
Saturday morning I was up in my attic fishing 14/3 electrical wiring from an existing wall switch to the dead center spot of each room for ceiling fans. Installed 3 "saf-t-bars" between joists - cut out holes in each ceiling, and had all 3 ceiling fans up and running by mid afternoon. Thank goodness I had all attic work done by about 10:30 before it was too hot to be up there.
Did have some slight electrical wiring issues as the existing wall switches each had gone to half of a duplex wall outlet (for lamps I guess). So I had to replace each of those wall outlets with new and alter the switch wiring a bit. All working just fine now - and now my soon to be 2 year old can sleep with a ceiling fan on at night.
Did have some slight electrical wiring issues as the existing wall switches each had gone to half of a duplex wall outlet (for lamps I guess). So I had to replace each of those wall outlets with new and alter the switch wiring a bit. All working just fine now - and now my soon to be 2 year old can sleep with a ceiling fan on at night.
matttyl
Footballguy
You don't have a carpet shampooer of your own for this. Ours came standard with the first pet.
Godsbrother
Footballguy
Well up to 3 months ago the only pet we had was a few fish in a tank and they tend to shed very little
. I have been doing a little looking and a place called zerorez is getting pretty high marks. My daughter had them in and thought they did a great job so I'm going to give them a call.
matttyl
Footballguy
I used to do the rental thing at my local grocer before getting one of my own. I think the unit would rent out for ~24 hours for $25 or so, then whatever cleaning stuff you needed after that.Well up to 3 months ago the only pet we had was a few fish in a tank and they tend to shed very little
I have been doing a little looking and a place called zerorez is getting pretty high marks. My daughter had them in and thought they did a great job so I'm going to give them a call.
Godsbrother
Footballguy
Yeah I know I could save $ doing that but I think I would rather have a professional do the dirty work. It would probably take me 2 days to do 8 rooms + 2 stairs...
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I already purged some smaller stuff - got rid of a generator, an extra table saw, an extra edger, some random yard stuff. My issue is the big stuff takes up all the walk-able space. Between my mower, aerator, wood chipper, snow blower, and wheelbarrow, I've used up 50% of my floor space.
Kind of like matttyl just said, I've got a son who JUST turned 3, and a 1 month-old daughter. For his 3rd birthday, my son got a bike, AND a big wheels to go along with his wagon and tricycle...not to mention that he has 2 hand-me-down powerwheels. One of them is in the shed...the other is wrapped in a tarp behind it because I literally have no place for it.
The writing is on the wall - Kids have a LOT of stuff...and I don't want him trying to squeeze his bike out of the garage BETWEEN vehicles...I think I just have to come to terms with the fact that I need to figure out the logistics of a bigger shed.
Just re-did my ensuite. it's not very large, just a 3 piece but turned out really nice. I can upload pics if anyone wants to see (and tells me a good free place to upload them to).
LVT flooring, solid wood vanity and Quartz top. Love working with LVT (Luxury Vinyl tile). Glue down and is grouted. Looks like ceramic but soft and not cold. Easy to work with - cut with utility knife or jigsaw for non straight cuts. Highly recommended. Did my kitchen with it in the winter. Will do my other bathroom with the same stuff I used in the ensuite.
LVT flooring, solid wood vanity and Quartz top. Love working with LVT (Luxury Vinyl tile). Glue down and is grouted. Looks like ceramic but soft and not cold. Easy to work with - cut with utility knife or jigsaw for non straight cuts. Highly recommended. Did my kitchen with it in the winter. Will do my other bathroom with the same stuff I used in the ensuite.
matttyl
Footballguy
As someone mentioned above, you may want to first look into "lean to" options of your current shed (depending on how that would look). I'm thinking of doing this myself as from the house you can't see the backside of the shed, which is a 16' side of it. Back there is roughly a 4' wide section before a 3-board fence that encircles the back yard. I can continue the roof line of the shed (likely at a shallower pitch) attached to some 4"x4" posts nailed to the fence posts themselves. Would give me about ~60 sq. feet of additional space - enough for aerator, dethatcher, wheelbarrow and other (non-motorized) type things. Maybe even enough for my (non-zero turn) mower during the mowing season so I don't have to deal with the ramps to get it up and down the shed steps. Could even work for some kid bike/powerwheel type stuff if done nicely.
glvsav37
Footballguy
this is the reason I built the overhang for my shed. We had 2 of those big power wheel cars and they took up sooooo much space, and I didn't just want to leave them outside in the rain.
So we put an overhang on the shed, its in the back corner of the yard so there is 2 sides of fencing, then in the front I installed a 4ft fence with a gate so you can't see in there and then put stones on the floor. This became their power wheels garage. and they could drive in and out in the summer along with their other toys.
Then in the winter, I built a frame to stack one of the PW's over the other to save space and then put some of my pool and lawn furniture in there and covered the open sides with a white tarp just to keep the snow and stuff out.
so its like an extra shed w/o actually building another shed.
here is a better pic
now that we don't have the power wheels anymore, I use it for my lawn mower, gas cans and other stuff I use often and that i'm not worried about anyone stealing and can be outside, but under cover and not get ruined.
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mrip541
Footballguy
Previous owners put Thompson's Water Seal on the fence. It's paraffin wax dissolved in mineral spirits, as opposed to a normal stain/sealant. It's wearing off in spots, but I cannot for the life of me get the rest of the stuff to come off. I spent a couple hours scrubbing a relatively small section with various chemicals. Sanding it off would take a lifetime. I may have to use the same crap again instead of using a proper sealant.
wilked
Footballguy
I may have just realized...do you not have a basement?Fat Nick said:
If so I can understand... I have a ton of stuff in my basement that I would be up sh##s creek without
edit to add: here's an 18x26 shed. 18x30 would give you plenty of space!
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7mOSJOm2Su4/TrlZU9cIgCI/AAAAAAAAAM0/WC3hVs-zvBY/s1600/garage%2Bdoor.jpg
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kneeshooter
Footballguy
I'm replacing a recessed light with a ceiling fan in a sun room with no attic. Any experience using one of these working from the room up through the ceiling?matttyl said:
The Youtube videos make it look so easy but I'm sure it will be a dozen MF'er job easy
matttyl
Footballguy
There were two models at the home depot. I got the one where you had access from above, as I did. There was another model where you don't have access, but I didn't get that one.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I've considered a lean-to...this is a really nice implementation of one. Thanks. I may have to reconsider that option. You raise a good point that it can house a lot of the bigger stuff that can be a bit more exposed. I also like that my kid can get his stuff in and out as he pleases. I could probably implement one on my shed. albeit not up to code as my shed already is super close to the property line setback...but it'd be basically unnoticeable to anyone.
@wilked - I DO have a basement. It's 75% finished. That's where the home theater is, along with a little gym and a general use space for the kid, bathroom, and a small bar skin and fridge. The unfinished 25% is probably 10% unusable space (dual-zone HVAC, hot water heater, and oil tank), 10% my wood working shop, and 5% storage. My storage down there is also packed. I bought 6 of THESE massive rolling shelf racks, each one holding 8 giant plastic bins that fit the shelves perfectly. Because they roll, I stack them tight on each other, and move them around to get to what I need. These are for long-term storage...stuff I need 1-2x/year (holiday decorations, obscure tools, old electronics, etc). I also put lumber storage for my wood shop back behind the furnace. Admittedly, I should purge maybe 25% of what's in those bins because, while still good, it's useless to me. That would free up some space for smaller things.
lumpy19
Footballguy
Buy a bigger house, you're JUST getting into kids stuff, it's going to get infinitely worse.
matttyl
Footballguy
So last year I redid my "upper deck" with Trex and put down some Trex rainescape underneath of it so that the "lower deck" would be a dry area (though there are no "walls"). Today I'm installing 8 low profile can lights and brackets for 2 outdoor ceiling fans. Hope to have beadboard plank ceiling totally installed by this weekend.
glvsav37
Footballguy
weren't you asking about this stuff a while back?
Either way, very cool, i'd love a covered area to relax in while outside.
