Home-owners...What are your current projects? (6 Viewers)

[Senor Schmutzig]

If you can, post progress pics

Demolition of the old house has been completed. Unfortunately I was out of town so I didn't get to take any pictures of that.

Excavation has taken place and the rebar has been placed, getting ready for the concrete pouring for foundation

Concrete has been poured for footers. There were 10 guys out there to start putting the blocks down. It was a pretty amazing operation. There was one guy transporting the blocks from the truck to the location where they were needed. One guy was in charge of making mortar, another guy responsible for filling up buckets and bringing it to the right spot onsite. Someone else was shaping the blocks for corners, sides, etc. where a complete block wasn't needed. Two guys were laying the block. They were pretty much nonstop from 8a until 4p.

Just starting to put block along the back wall.

Just starting, different angle

Later afternoon, a lot of progress

Looking from the back of the property forward

NE Corner looking SE

Putting in the forms for the footers

SE Corner looking NE

SE Corner looking NE

NE Corner looking SE

 

[Uruk-Hai]

So, you'll have a crawl space? For some reason (probably my idiocy), I always assumed houses in Florida were on slabs.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

So, you'll have a crawl space? For some reason (probably my idiocy), I always assumed houses in Florida were on slabs.

No. They are in the process of now filling in the spaces after which they will pour the slab. All that are where the rock and rubble are inside the "house" has now been filled with a very fine sand that gets compacted. After the foundation gets expected, they will pour concrete over the sand for the slab.

For the construction guys out there, I'm using very general terms here and know just enough to be dangerous so I can't guarantee that every term I am using is 100%. I'm just using layman's terms that I understand...

 

[jb1020]

I have to tackle this same project now.   Our house is 10 years old, but we noticed the trim around our bathroom door was a little wet the other day.  Started snooping and looked under the tub and the studs were soaked. 

The seal at the bottom of the glass shower door frame failed and the studs have just been soaking the water up.   Our set up is similar to this picture.   

I know i can't do it all myself, but I feel like i can do the grunt work.  The tiles are so wet the come off pretty easy.  When you said you "replaced most of the studs" do you mean you cut out the wet end of the stud and cut a new piece then braced it to the existing?  I haven't gotten that deep yet, but I'm assuming only the bottom 2 ft of the studs will need to be replaced.  Nothing here is load bearing so I'm hoping this should be fairly simple.  I'm pretty handy, but never tackled anything like this on the house. 

I'm hoping to get the bad wood out and replaced and let a good tile guy come in and finish. 

So after talking to 4 contractors, being quoted $4-5K for labor and being told it was a month before anyone could start I figured it best to tackle this myself.  

Its tedious and a lot of work, but I think I can wrap it up in another week or 2.  

Photos here, and I hope it works so you can see.    

The demo was harder than I thought it would be.  Turns out the tiles that weren't on cement board that was soaked were on pretty good.  I ended up taking down all the cement board.  May have been overkill, but it seemed the easiest route.  

Next step is to put this Schluter Kerdi system in.  Seems pretty straight forward and easy, but I've never done it.  

Then all thats left is to tile it back up.  I have a BIL that's done tile work should I need him.  I should be able to handle it.  

All in all, its been a lot of work but I think I'm saving myself about $5k.  I'm out $1200 in materials right now.  

 

[Fat Nick]

This weekend's tasks - 

Dig out the 1.5" PVC running from my sump to the 4" downspout drain and replace with 4" PVC outside the house and an air-gap from the sump exit at the house.  4" downspout drain is 3' below ground and I can't access both ends of the pipe to slip in a tee, so I'm trying this saddle fitting I found on Amazon.  Pretty cool looking.  We'll see.  Hopefully it resolves my issues with the sump drain freezing up in the winter.

Make some raised bed planters and plant some blueberry bushes that we got at Costco - Phase II of this will be to add some fencing so the deer don't eat them instead of my kids.  We have horrible NJ soil (garden state my ###) so I basically have to buy peat moss/soil for them to grow in.  I love how a simple comment from the wife of "Costco has blueberry bushes.  I bought 2 - it'd be awesome for the kid to get to pick some," turns into a full weekend of work.  Don't get me wrong - I agree it'll be cool, but amazing how much work it turns into.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

Don't think I have shared this before but we are building a two-unit townhouse on this 7300 sq ft lot (typical lots are 5000 sq ft around here. It's going to be 3 BR/4 bath each unit, about 2700 sq.ft apiece. It will also have a rooftop terrace and (hopefully) a small pool in back. Located in Miami FL. 

Starting to knock out the parts of the wall where the doors and windows are going to go.

SW corner looking NE. Sand (that ####'s expensive!) has been spread and packed. Reinforcement steel grid stuff placed over to provide a base for the cement

Looking up the middle wall of the townhouse looking north

SE corner looking NE

NW corner looking SE

Northside of house (front), looking South

Starting to buildup the rebar for the 2nd floor supports

 

[Jayded]

Our house is now 12 years old (~2.5 to us) so we’re at that point where things are starting to fail that creates a lot of fun hopping from one project to another. 

The latest fun was dealing with with some sprinkler issues and fallout. We had a zone go dead on us and by the time I realized, we had grass dying and weeds on our hands. 

I just tore up the whole flower bed: ripped out all shrubs, tilled, re-soiled, planted new plants and converted sprinklers to a drip system there. Fought with the appropriate gph needed for the right plants but I think I’ve got it now. 

Next, I’m fighting off the weeds that invaded from the zone going dead and replanting sod where patches completely died. I have a very poor green thumb so I fear it’ll be a pain to get back in order. 

 

[belljr]

Get an elbow

 

[Mr. Ected]

Didn't post this a couple weeks ago...

We are in the process of determining what we can do to update our almost 20 y.o. house. We are thinking of some work in our kitchen (painting/refinishing cabinets, backsplash, countertops) and taking a little hallway (3x3) to a dinning room that we don't use and close it off and make it an extension of our kitchen's pantry. Eventually we would like to change the dinning room to a study area for our 3 teens.

We went to a home show last weekend, and the first vendor we ran into was a roofer. After talking to them, we agreed to have someone come out to do an inspection on our house. We did this because we know we are at the end of the lifespan of our roof, and many of our neighbors that have houses that were built at the same time as ours have had to replace. We also had an incredibly windy winter with several northeaster storms that were almost hurricanes and a storm that was dubbed a "historic bomb cyclone" that had steady 90 MPH winds and gusts over 120.

Had the inspection and were told we need to replace. YEA!!! We had a hole in the roof (corner of a slab missing that could have been there forever, but the shingles and the underlayment are there so nothing came thru) and and the poor installation of insulation by the original builders is causing some water retention in the roof decking and some of the A-frames resulting in cracking and the beginnings of mold. We will need to have 1 or 2 'sistered' with another 2x4, no big deal, just good to get done.

We are also having gutters and fascia installed as well.

Luckily the vendor we chose has a no $$$ down 120 month financing, so the hit isn't as bad as it could be. (~$300/month)

All I can say to this is if your house is in the mid to high teens in age, do yourself a favor and have the roof looked at, so you avoid any big damage down the road. We did this and got lucky because we were due for some potentially heavy damage soon.

 

[Brony]

15 y o Fridge not making ice anymore. Usually if I turn it off and on for a while it resets and works again.not this time. Tried hair dryer on water nozzle. No go.

With some help from YouTube and Amazon, I replaced the whole ice maker assembly. That didn't do the trick. Next step is replacing the optics sensor. 

 

[Zegras11]

Have birch hardwoodsfloors in front entry way and kitchen that have faded after 16 years.  Having them refinished and all the carpet downstairs removed and new birch put in master bedroom, living room, dining room. The entire bottom floor will now be hardwood.  Having master bath floor tiled.  Removing old, shell master shower and having it tiled. Movers coming Saturday to move everything into the garage.

 

[shuke]

Maybe you guys can help with this issue.

Closing on a house Monday. New build and inspector suggested moving downspouts to release 4'-5' from house. Unfortunately, that would block the path and make things difficult. Spoke the with the builder and he explained that they designed it so the water drains down the cement path and exits to alley. I can see the water sediment and it looks like it's working. However, I would like to install some kind of splash guard, extender that sort of pushes the water more towards the middle of the path and less against the side of the house and then have it make its way to the middle if that makes sense at all?

Right now the spouts come down and point parallel to the house. I'd like them to point closer to 90 degrees away.

Any ideas?

Here's a photo

Your inspector told you to run downspout across the walkway?   

 

[Sand]

He just said they should run 4'-5' from foundation. I'm guessing what he meant is opening up the walkway and running pipes underneath to the alley, and relaying cement over top. 

Of course he would talk about the most expensive possible solution.

 

[IC FBGCav]

Have birch hardwoodsfloors in front entry way and kitchen that have faded after 16 years.  Having them refinished and all the carpet downstairs removed and new birch put in master bedroom, living room, dining room. The entire bottom floor will now be hardwood.  Having master bath floor tiled.  Removing old, shell master shower and having it tiled. Movers coming Saturday to move everything into the garage.

I got the movers coming Sunday to put most our stuff in storage.  We were looking to move but not for a few months and of course found a great deal we couldn't pass on Wednesday.  Builders said he would give us 2 months to sale our house if we put it on the market ASAP.  It goes on the market Monday and it is no where near ready.  Next few days will be hell, probably the next few weeks.  

Major work on the front porch, wood rot.  Stain deck and fence.  Replace flooring in 2 bathrooms and one bedroom, probably a ton of painting, fix faucet, fix stair rail, clean out shed, purchase gun and shoot myself.  

I could easily sink 10k in the house but I will let the realtor decide what really needs done.  It's a 20 year old house, things just are not going to be perfect.  Open to any insight or advice.

 

[wilked]

I got the movers coming Sunday to put most our stuff in storage.  We were looking to move but not for a few months and of course found a great deal we couldn't pass on Wednesday.  Builders said he would give us 2 months to sale our house if we put it on the market ASAP.  It goes on the market Monday and it is no where near ready.  Next few days will be hell, probably the next few weeks.  

Major work on the front porch, wood rot.  Stain deck and fence.  Replace flooring in 2 bathrooms and one bedroom, probably a ton of painting, fix faucet, fix stair rail, clean out shed, purchase gun and shoot myself.  

I could easily sink 10k in the house but I will let the realtor decide what really needs done.  It's a 20 year old house, things just are not going to be perfect.  Open to any insight or advice.

Do the porch.  Do all the painting / staining.  Skip the floors (get a rug for the bedroom).  Focus on decluttering and semi-staging (i.e. get those stupid things like "HOME" signs)

 

[Bossman]

New counter tops for the kitchen has spawned a kitchen remodel.

I talked the wife out of replacing all of the cabinets. They're high quality and still very nice;

 https://i.pinimg.com/originals/65/50/b3/6550b332bf2d1e9835dca6e9f8815b62.jpg

... but in addition to the new granite counter tops, we've decided on a new island, new tile floor, new appliances.

I didn't realize what a ##### it would be to replace existing tile. If you're considering ever doing this, pay attention.

1) First step, remove all furniture and appliances that sit on top of old tile. Includes dishwasher and gas stove.

2) Then remove all baseboard trim and doors that were installed after the original tile was installed. Yeah, some of this stuff will break. Plan on replacing.

3) Remove old tile. Chisel and hammer is what most use. I used an ice breaking tool ... like a shovel handle with a sharpened triangle on the end. Wear eye protection. Pieces of ceramic flying everywhere. Even with drop-cloths over doorways, dust throughout the house. This really sucked. I thought this was the hard part. I was wrong.

4) Now the choice of cleaning all of the tile mortar off the tile backer board  ... or replace the tile backer board. Mortar / thinset stuff wouldn't clean off and the dust was ridiculous while trying.

I opted to rip up all of the 1/4 ply tile backing board. Previous installer used giant staples about 6" apart. There were THOUSANDS. Absolutely ridiculous.

5) Down to the main subfloor. But wait, not so fast. Water damage to the 3/4 ply flooring from the old sliding glass patio door that was replaced last year.

Cut out about 15'x4' of the bad wood. Frame for new 3/4 PT plywood (won't rot again).

6) Install new tile backer board. Chose Hardie-Backer fiber cement. They say not to use high speed cutting tools because of the silica dust ... so score and snap. What a pain in the ######. Take special care to not have 4 corners meet ... creates a weak spot. Cut for vents. Oh, and the best part ... each 3'x5' board takes about 50 screws ... not exaggerating. Make sure they are recessed below the surface of the board. Yeah, I use drills every day and this job gave me blisters on my hand.

Had two drill drivers as I had to keep swapping off as they would overheat and need a break, ... and 3 battery chargers going to keep up. Had 2 boxes of 750 screws. I used all but 4 of the 1500 screws. 1496 ... ForkMeRunning!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/646336983996754570/

as you see, hung blue tapes from the light fixture as I kept walking into the dang thing looking down at the floor. Not usually an issue when there was an island there.

Next step; tile guy does his thing

 

[jwb]

He just said they should run 4'-5' from foundation. I'm guessing what he meant is opening up the walkway and running pipes underneath to the alley, and relaying cement over top. 

That's insane. First, why 2 downspouts so close together? What's the roof like?

The corner of the house is right there - maybe A) connect left downspout to right, then B) route to end of the house, then into the yard? 

 

[Chaos Commish]

Remove and replace two hot water heaters. The plumbing for inlet water leaks on one. Both are rusted on top but not all the way through. Both were purchased in 2008 and they work, but they're done, not passing inspection with all the rust. I'd hoped to be able to sell without this job so I'm dreading today and probably most of tomorrow. If I'm pulling them, may as well detail/paint the closets. Ugh. 

 

[belljr]

I still haven't put my stone down around my new deck....

lazy

 

[doowain]

2 year old home.

Top dressing lawn and seeding/fertilizing.  Builder did a #### job of putting down seed and, where I live, the soil has a HIGH amount of clay.

Aerated the hell out of it, top dressed with top soil to mend the makeup of the clay soil and have been meticulously adding seed and fertilizer (tedious process).

Rained like hell here yesterday and spent my afternoon (after it stopped raining) running off birds that were filling their bellies with the new seed.  F***ers.

 

[Hoos First]

15% off Lowe's gc's at  Dollar General this week. Some of the stores will only accept cash for them tho.

Im going to try to do the plywood plank flooring this week in a room. I have hardwood floors already but they are in bad shape. They are solid but don't think they are fixable. What size plywood should I get? I've seen people online do 1/4, 3/8, 15/32 and so on.

 

[rascal]

New counter tops for the kitchen has spawned a kitchen remodel.

I talked the wife out of replacing all of the cabinets. They're high quality and still very nice;

 https://i.pinimg.com/originals/65/50/b3/6550b332bf2d1e9835dca6e9f8815b62.jpg

... but in addition to the new granite counter tops, we've decided on a new island, new tile floor, new appliances.

I didn't realize what a ##### it would be to replace existing tile. If you're considering ever doing this, pay attention.

1) First step, remove all furniture and appliances that sit on top of old tile. Includes dishwasher and gas stove.

2) Then remove all baseboard trim and doors that were installed after the original tile was installed. Yeah, some of this stuff will break. Plan on replacing.

3) Remove old tile. Chisel and hammer is what most use. I used an ice breaking tool ... like a shovel handle with a sharpened triangle on the end. Wear eye protection. Pieces of ceramic flying everywhere. Even with drop-cloths over doorways, dust throughout the house. This really sucked. I thought this was the hard part. I was wrong.

4) Now the choice of cleaning all of the tile mortar off the tile backer board  ... or replace the tile backer board. Mortar / thinset stuff wouldn't clean off and the dust was ridiculous while trying.

I opted to rip up all of the 1/4 ply tile backing board. Previous installer used giant staples about 6" apart. There were THOUSANDS. Absolutely ridiculous.

5) Down to the main subfloor. But wait, not so fast. Water damage to the 3/4 ply flooring from the old sliding glass patio door that was replaced last year.

Cut out about 15'x4' of the bad wood. Frame for new 3/4 PT plywood (won't rot again).

6) Install new tile backer board. Chose Hardie-Backer fiber cement. They say not to use high speed cutting tools because of the silica dust ... so score and snap. What a pain in the ######. Take special care to not have 4 corners meet ... creates a weak spot. Cut for vents. Oh, and the best part ... each 3'x5' board takes about 50 screws ... not exaggerating. Make sure they are recessed below the surface of the board. Yeah, I use drills every day and this job gave me blisters on my hand.

Had two drill drivers as I had to keep swapping off as they would overheat and need a break, ... and 3 battery chargers going to keep up. Had 2 boxes of 750 screws. I used all but 4 of the 1500 screws. 1496 ... ForkMeRunning!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/646336983996754570/

as you see, hung blue tapes from the light fixture as I kept walking into the dang thing looking down at the floor. Not usually an issue when there was an island there.

Next step; tile guy does his thing

Thanks for convincing me to pay someone.

 

[rascal]

I got the movers coming Sunday to put most our stuff in storage.  We were looking to move but not for a few months and of course found a great deal we couldn't pass on Wednesday.  Builders said he would give us 2 months to sale our house if we put it on the market ASAP.  It goes on the market Monday and it is no where near ready.  Next few days will be hell, probably the next few weeks.  

Major work on the front porch, wood rot.  Stain deck and fence.  Replace flooring in 2 bathrooms and one bedroom, probably a ton of painting, fix faucet, fix stair rail, clean out shed, purchase gun and shoot myself.  

I could easily sink 10k in the house but I will let the realtor decide what really needs done.  It's a 20 year old house, things just are not going to be perfect.  Open to any insight or advice.

Skip the floors and offer a flooring allowance if they are that bad.

Do the required stuff (sink, rotted porch, etc).

 

[BigJim®]

Anyone with experience building stairs? I've got existing access to a loft bedroom that is almost ladder steep.... <> 96" height with a 65" run. While I'll definitely improve on that, I do need to keep my new run under 106" - or else I obstruct inward swing space for an exterior door. The only way to stay < 106" is with 9.5" tread depth/8" step rise.  

I understand most codes would require < 7.5" rise, but this is a code shmode access to a garage loft at a remote cabin. I'm more curious whether anyone has used irregular measures, and how noticeable the extra step height would be?  

 

[-OZ-]

I'll ask here as I'm kind of stumped on what should be an easy project.

I live on a hilltop, not incredibly steep in most places but it's s factor. Gates on both sides of my backyard. On one side the slope is really bad. Slopes away from the back patio, to the fence. It's probably a 5' drop in 7' towards the fence, around 12' along the patio towards the back. It's enough of a problem that mowing is a pain. I'm thinking of leveling it up to the patio and putting a brick wall somewhere, maybe even with the patio, maybe a little further out where it levels off naturally. 

The real problem is I think I'd have to build part of the wall next to the wooden fence. It's privacy fence so it's not a problem with out being an eyesore (HOA cracks down on that stuff) but I'm not sure I want a brick wall next to the fence. Partly in case I have to fix the fence at some point, partly because it seems like a waste. 

I'd probably plant a garden or flowers in the area. I could dig up the sod and plant the garden without the wall but when it rains that slope carries mud into our neighbor's backyard. Which I'd really rather avoid. The grass tends to negate that somewhat. 

Just looking for ideas right now.

The wife also wants a swingset, but that's not the right place for it.

 

[SWC]

That's insane. First, why 2 downspouts so close together? What's the roof like?

The corner of the house is right there - maybe A) connect left downspout to right, then B) route to end of the house, then into the yard? 

this is the answer brohan then you extend it out 5 to 6 feet off the front corner there in to the yard take that to the bank brochacho 

 

[Chaos Commish]

Remove and replace two hot water heaters. The plumbing for inlet water leaks on one. Both are rusted on top but not all the way through. Both were purchased in 2008 and they work, but they're done, not passing inspection with all the rust. I'd hoped to be able to sell without this job so I'm dreading today and probably most of tomorrow. If I'm pulling them, may as well detail/paint the closets. Ugh. 

May 7th? I'm so slow. The second one is installed and working fine as of 20 minutes ago. The first one got done a few days after that post. Just bumping this to hat tip @wilked for cluing me/us into the importance of changing hot water heater anodes from time to time. I'd changed a couple hot water heaters before and never heard of this anode thing. Well it's a metal rod designed to be eaten by the nasty minerals in you water so they don't eat more important parts of the heaters. Both of the heaters I've replaced were in perfect working order with the exception of being eaten by nasty minerals. Had the previous owner done what wilked advises they'd be running fine. 

Also, I was so slow because I had to r and r the dry wall in the second hw heater cabinet and the pipes and inlet valve were also being eaten because the anode was 9 years old. I paid a plumber to sweat the new pipe. 

 

[Chaos Commish]

I just replaced the dogs in my washing machine.

 

[stbugs]

15 y o Fridge not making ice anymore. Usually if I turn it off and on for a while it resets and works again.not this time. Tried hair dryer on water nozzle. No go.

With some help from YouTube and Amazon, I replaced the whole ice maker assembly. That didn't do the trick. Next step is replacing the optics sensor. 

Had a 12 year old fridge with an ice making and water dispensing issue so I bought a new fridge and put that one in the garage. I had “fixed” that ice maker multiple times when it stopped making ice. Final straw was a freeze mishap. Not sure what caused it but the water came on and froze and kept coming out making icicles in the freezer. Also, at this point the water dispenser was barely coming out. If you kept something there are not using it for a while, it would flow ok until you stopped and tried to to fill the next glass. Last thing I needed was to spend a ton fixing it or worrying about a leak at night causing damage while we slept and I was tired of fixing that damn ice maker. New fridge was obviously more expensive than a repair but we wanted a bigger one and the old one is great storage in the garage. It’s nice being back to a good ice maker and water dispenser. We went through so many water bottles while the old fridge’s one died.

 

[ragincajun]

So summers in Louisiana are brutal.  Upper 90’s and 100% humidity.  I decided to get my boys, 3&6, a small Intex pool.  13’ x 33”. Deep enough for the 6 year old to swim and the 3 year old to stand up and practice swimming.

Well a $100 pool turned into:

43 bags of sand $125

Saltwater Generator $150

A sun sail $50 (highly recommended so far)

4x4 and anchor $30

PVC to build my own ladder $100

Wood and SS bolts when I realized my boys can’t really navigate a PVC ladder $50

Salt $20

Cyanuric Acid $10

As of now I am around $500 in +/- $100 I am sure

I still need to buy a good test kit $100 and a vacuum $79

I will post pics at some point

 

[Bossman]

Purchased new washer / dryer. Plumbed in the new gas dryer and no heat.

Scratchin my head ... gas is on, plugged in, dryer runs, drum turns .. wtf??

Ran it several times suspecting maybe just air in the gas line but after many attempts it's obviously something else.

Listening for the "click" of the igniter ...or gas valve opening ... no click.

So I take off the little square sight window cover to get a look at the igniter ... and see that the igniter wasn't plugged in. AAARGH!

Now take apart my BRAND NEW dryer to make the connection. Reassemble and she fired right up as it should.

 

[Brony]

Had a 12 year old fridge with an ice making and water dispensing issue so I bought a new fridge and put that one in the garage. I had “fixed” that ice maker multiple times when it stopped making ice. Final straw was a freeze mishap. Not sure what caused it but the water came on and froze and kept coming out making icicles in the freezer. Also, at this point the water dispenser was barely coming out. If you kept something there are not using it for a while, it would flow ok until you stopped and tried to to fill the next glass. Last thing I needed was to spend a ton fixing it or worrying about a leak at night causing damage while we slept and I was tired of fixing that damn ice maker. New fridge was obviously more expensive than a repair but we wanted a bigger one and the old one is great storage in the garage. It’s nice being back to a good ice maker and water dispenser. We went through so many water bottles while the old fridge’s one died.

I wound up changing out the optic sensor on mine.  Still didn't work.  

Ice maker is essentially (1) water supply valve, (2) ice maker assembly and (3) optic level sensor.  I replaced 2 and 3 for $45 and $28, so $73.   I knew water supply valve would require getting to back of fridge and could turn into something more complicated, so I called in guy to replace that.  $280.  While I can do basic plumbing, it did look like pain in the ###.  Glad I got a guy for that.

Tips I got from repair guy: set freezer temp much warmer than you think (helps ice cream come out smoother and reduces chance that water supply line freezes).  Also, whatever drink you want coldest in the fridge, put on top shelf. 

 

[stbugs]

I wound up changing out the optic sensor on mine.  Still didn't work.  

Ice maker is essentially (1) water supply valve, (2) ice maker assembly and (3) optic level sensor.  I replaced 2 and 3 for $45 and $28, so $73.   I knew water supply valve would require getting to back of fridge and could turn into something more complicated, so I called in guy to replace that.  $280.  While I can do basic plumbing, it did look like pain in the ###.  Glad I got a guy for that.

Tips I got from repair guy: set freezer temp much warmer than you think (helps ice cream come out smoother and reduces chance that water supply line freezes).  Also, whatever drink you want coldest in the fridge, put on top shelf. 

Yeah, I wanted to swap out the old fridge anyway. I had the ice maker issues (still don’t know what cause the freeze/continuous water that left icicles all the way down, but the biggest problem was that the water dispenser was effed up. No idea what that would cost and I was done with it. It’s been really solid as a garage fridge.

I’ve noticed the same about the top shelf. That’s usually were the cold air comes into the fridge. My now garage fridge would almost freeze anything on the top shelf right in front of that cold air opening. 

 

[Chaos Commish]

Purchased new washer / dryer. Plumbed in the new gas dryer and no heat.

Scratchin my head ... gas is on, plugged in, dryer runs, drum turns .. wtf??

Ran it several times suspecting maybe just air in the gas line but after many attempts it's obviously something else.

Listening for the "click" of the igniter ...or gas valve opening ... no click.

So I take off the little square sight window cover to get a look at the igniter ... and see that the igniter wasn't plugged in. AAARGH!

No take apart my BRAND NEW dryer to make the connection. Reassemble and she fired right up as it should.

Man that sucks and good job. Every time I take apart an appliance it seems like it aged a little extra when I put it back together. I hate that. 

 

[ragincajun]

Other ongoing projects:

- Clean outdoor AC condenser 

- Troubleshoot my car AC, blowing warm     occasionally

- Mow tonight and cry at all the crabgrass because I couldn’t get a pre-emergent down fast enough.

- organize garage

- build “deck” for pool ladder

I am sure there is more.  I will give my wife my login and she can add to the list.

 

[Thunderlips]

Maybe you guys can help with this issue.

Closing on a house Monday. New build and inspector suggested moving downspouts to release 4'-5' from house. Unfortunately, that would block the path and make things difficult. Spoke the with the builder and he explained that they designed it so the water drains down the cement path and exits to alley. I can see the water sediment and it looks like it's working. However, I would like to install some kind of splash guard, extender that sort of pushes the water more towards the middle of the path and less against the side of the house and then have it make its way to the middle if that makes sense at all?

Right now the spouts come down and point parallel to the house. I'd like them to point closer to 90 degrees away.

Any ideas?

Here's a photo

Just buy ends that face the direction you want them to face. 

 

[Lehigh98]

Other ongoing projects:

- Troubleshoot my car AC, blowing warm     occasionally

What kind of car?  My Toyota Highlander started blowing warm air when the AC was on.  Repair shop wanted to replace some whole AC module for like $800.  Turns out it was a single poorly designed wire on the module that broke.  I had a guy a work solder it for me and it only ended up costing me a bottle of wine to fix.

 

[Lehigh98]

Wheel axle cap had popped off on my JD riding mower a while back so bought a replacement when I was at the store for a maintenance kit and the new cap popped off right away too.  Notice one axle seemed to be riding a little lower on the tire than the other so took it off to investigate,  Seems like I've worn down one of the SPINDLES over the past 12 years.  Bought a new one and new bushings and replaced and greased everything up.

Took the deck off to clean it up and change out the blades and noticed the front linkage had fatigued and extended at the first thread throwing off the leveling of the deck.  No wonder I couldn't mow at anything other than the highest setting for years.  Replaced that too.

Hopefully after those and doing the whole yearly maintenance on it, it should be good for a while.

 

[Lehigh98]

Spent 6 hours on Memorial Day extending mulch beds under four trees to a four foot radius so I could mow around them without eating tree branches.  Used a string and a spray paint can for even circles.  Edged and cut out everything with my trusty edger and then dropped off most of the sod at yard waste recycling over two loads of my FIL's pickup.  Then poured in 16 x 2 cuft bags of black mulch because it was on sale and I didn't feel like waiting to have a load delivered.  (So about 2" deep over about 200 sqft)

Need to do 8 more trees once my big shoveling blister skins back over any day now (forgot to put on my gloves right away).  Will probably call to get a load of mulch dumped in the driveway to finish those and some other stuff off.  Any tips to make cutting new mulch beds easier? 

Oh yeah, also had to replace a drywall panel in the garage that my wife drove through,  Leftover piece in background of edger pic reminded me.

 

[rascal]

Want to add a tint to our windows to help keep the living room cool.  Any suggestions?

 

[Lehigh98]

Want to add a tint to our windows to help keep the living room cool.  Any suggestions?

We did that when we moved into our house 12 years ago, still up with no issues... probably because we paid a pro to do it.

The trick is to pick a tint that blocks some sun without being noticeable compared to the non-tinted windows. 

 

[Bossman]

Purchased new washer / dryer. Plumbed in the new gas dryer and no heat.

Scratchin my head ... gas is on, plugged in, dryer runs, drum turns .. wtf??

Ran it several times suspecting maybe just air in the gas line but after many attempts it's obviously something else.

Listening for the "click" of the igniter ...or gas valve opening ... no click.

So I take off the little square sight window cover to get a look at the igniter ... and see that the igniter wasn't plugged in. AAARGH!

Now take apart my BRAND NEW dryer to make the connection. Reassemble and she fired right up as it should.

Well, seems this wasn't the finish line after all. 

Got a text from my daughter yesterday saying the dryer ran for 5 mins ... then a loud CRACK  ... and smell of something burning.

Took apart my BRAND NEW DRYER for the second time and found the output shaft on the motor that turns the drum had snapped off at the end.

The belt that turns the drum was melted and distorted. Not sure if from friction or if it fell onto the hot heating tube.

Wow. Can't just plug something in and use it. So now I wait thru the weekend for a repair guy on Monday.

Meanwhile they've already taken my old machines (which the 25 year old dryer was working flawlessly) ... so the laundry continues to pile up.

 

[Bossman]

Want to add a tint to our windows to help keep the living room cool.  Any suggestions?

Tint? ... why not blinds?

I installed the accordian style cloth blinds and they work great.

Some are light blocking and some are light filtering ... if you like it a little brighter when closed.

I prefer the light blocking as the light filtering still gives a glare off the TV during those 1pm NFL games.

 

[SWC]

Want to add a tint to our windows to help keep the living room cool.  Any suggestions?

maybe consider planting a gigantic shade tree right outside the window or build a privacy fence about 2 feet away from the window that will help keep the sun out and you can take those ac cost savings to the bank bromigo

 

[belljr]

Finally finished around the deck.    So its technically now done -lol

I put down stone around the deck where mulch used to be.  I still have to touch up a couple spots but overall very happy.

The next part will be to replace the lattice to something darker.  I literally spent a weekend  2 years ago replacing the wood lattice with pvc so I didn't want to throw it out. I'll slowly change it out with a darker color.

https://imgur.com/a/efnMBhF

 

[rascal]

Tint? ... why not blinds?

I installed the accordian style cloth blinds and they work great.

Some are light blocking and some are light filtering ... if you like it a little brighter when closed.

I prefer the light blocking as the light filtering still gives a glare off the TV during those 1pm NFL games.

Because we have a big backyard that the kids play in and the wife is always opening the blinds.

 

[mr. furley]

So summers in Louisiana are brutal.  Upper 90’s and 100% humidity.  I decided to get my boys, 3&6, a small Intex pool.  13’ x 33”. Deep enough for the 6 year old to swim and the 3 year old to stand up and practice swimming.

Well a $100 pool turned into:

43 bags of sand $125

Saltwater Generator $150

A sun sail $50 (highly recommended so far)

4x4 and anchor $30

PVC to build my own ladder $100

Wood and SS bolts when I realized my boys can’t really navigate a PVC ladder $50

Salt $20

Cyanuric Acid $10

As of now I am around $500 in +/- $100 I am sure

I still need to buy a good test kit $100 and a vacuum $79

I will post pics at some point

we opted to buy a 3 ft deep above ground pool. one of those Menard's numbers.

threw it up on Saturday when it was 96 here. 

come Tuesday we had a note from the city stating we had to take the pool down or fence it.

so now i'm putting up a fence and our central air unit blew Saturday night so replacing that as well  and planting a tree in the front yard  which will probably draw the ire of the city, too

 

[ragincajun]

we opted to buy a 3 ft deep above ground pool. one of those Menard's numbers.

threw it up on Saturday when it was 96 here. 

come Tuesday we had a note from the city stating we had to take the pool down or fence it.

so now i'm putting up a fence and our central air unit blew Saturday night so replacing that as well  and planting a tree in the front yard  which will probably draw the ire of the city, too

Ouch 

 

[leftcoastguy7]

I have an unusual situation happening with my house and was hoping someone could offer advice or tell me who to call about this.

I have a bird that decided to build her nest in an exhaust pipe of my house. The pipe exhausts from my over the range microwave to the outside, about 5 ft up from the microwave, and then 9 ft to the outside. This dumb bird built the nest all the way down to the end of the pipe, basically right on top of the microwave. We tried running the exhaust fan the other day and got a horrible noise. We have heard baby birds, but I think it will be impossible for them to get out. 

I'm sure having a bird's nest in a pipe like this could be a good cause for a fire. I might be able to remove the microwave on my own, but I would need a way to completely clear the pipe. 

 

[parasaurolophus]

I have an unusual situation happening with my house and was hoping someone could offer advice or tell me who to call about this.

I have a bird that decided to build her nest in an exhaust pipe of my house. The pipe exhausts from my over the range microwave to the outside, about 5 ft up from the microwave, and then 9 ft to the outside. This dumb bird built the nest all the way down to the end of the pipe, basically right on top of the microwave. We tried running the exhaust fan the other day and got a horrible noise. We have heard baby birds, but I think it will be impossible for them to get out. 

I'm sure having a bird's nest in a pipe like this could be a good cause for a fire. I might be able to remove the microwave on my own, but I would need a way to completely clear the pipe. 

Cook lots of chicken and turkey. They will get the hint.