Otis in the Suburbs (2 Viewers)

[Otis]

Any chance you can grow some pot in that lot?

I'm nearly certain we could.

 

[Otis]

sonofa

So those stupid things are just there as decorations??? Out neighbor put that in the front yard just for kicks??

 

[urbanhack]

sonofaSo those stupid things are just there as decorations??? Out neighbor put that in the front yard just for kicks??

Ummmm. Yes!

 

[gianmarco]

Put a half dozen of these around the perimeter too imo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirligig

What's it going to cost to have these beauties installed?

$5k or a couple thousand raccoon pelts...

 

[Britney Spears]

I'm not even sure it's worth changing the subject back to house crap, but I might as well try.Siding job completed today. It looks like a completely different house. Absolutely thrilled, they did a nice job. Will post up a pic or three when I get a chance. Even got the siding guys to hack down a metal pole and rotten basketball hoop that has probably been there since circa 1950. Roof railing will be up on around Monday. Masonry guy won't be here for a few weeks, but once that's done we're all set with the exterior.Side note/question on the exterior -- our painter offered to paint the chimney, since it looks like crap and is definitely needed since right now the coating of white paint (probably done 30 years ago) is just flaking off all the way around. I suppose another option would be to try and have all the paint just removed and expose the brick -- how difficult is this?Downstairs bathroom fixtures have been ripped out, old nasty flooring came out (after initially disagreeing with me that the floor needed to come out, the carpenter did an about face and said the smell of the rotting whatever from down there hit him like a brick wall when he opened it up. Floor replaced with new tiles. Once the painter clears through that room they will come back to install the new fixtures.Laminate kitchen flooring is being shipped now. Once it's in, they will come back and install that for us. Still need to figure out what we are doing about the countertop.Painting continues on the kitchen and other rooms. Sounds like we'll have the painter out early next week.Landscaper dude re-planting the leylands and bringing in 7 new ones probably some time next week.Saw our raccoon friend last evening. Waltzed right by the sliding doors, wasn't even dark yet. First time the wife saw him. She wasn't happy. I compounded it by saying that I heard something to the effect that if they come out before dark, they probably have rabies. Can you hicks verify?

1. Please be sure to get pics of the siding and masonry stuff when it happens. This is great info.2. I think constantly painting the bricks will be a PITA (I can't imagine a paint job would last long on exterior masonry that expands and contracts with heat and takes abuse from the elements), but it's probably a quick easy fix if it looks bad. I think you can strip paint off with a pressure washer. This seems like a project that would be tougher than it look though IMO. I believe a heat gun also would loosen the paint, and there are paint stripper chemicals (LINK). Some combination of those things should get it removed. You must seal the bricks afterward though. I put Thompson's water seal on mine a couple times a year cause we have a big chimney that's pretty old. They also have stuff especially for brick I'm sure.3. As mentioned, you need to get the mold eliminated from your bathroom. It's bad for your health, and will eventually cause damage to the house. I can't think of a better time to figure out what the problem is than when you have the floor up. Grab your camera and get in there and find the source of the water.4. Raccoon rabies thing sounds like a myth to me. I've seen them in the day many times. I'm not sure what the problem with having raccoons is though? Can you just secure the garbage and ignore them? They will go to someone else's house where food is available.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

sonofaSo those stupid things are just there as decorations??? Out neighbor put that in the front yard just for kicks??

Ummmm. Yes!

When I walk Friday morning I'll take some pics of puzzling stuff people display in their yards.

 

[Otis]

Grab your camera and get in there and find the source of the water.

Effin Brit

 

[shuke]

OH get this. I noticed the neighbors have one of those giant mirrored crystal balls in front of their house. It wasn't until recently that I discovered those things aren't some dorky spiritual D&D decoration for hillbillies, but rather they are used to scare off dumb animals that get spooked by their own reflections.

Where do you get info like this?

 

[OC Zed]

A trapper? Jesus.

OH get this. I noticed the neighbors have one of those giant mirrored crystal balls in front of their house. It wasn't until recently that I discovered those things aren't some dorky spiritual D&D decoration for hillbillies, but rather they are used to scare off dumb animals that get spooked by their own reflections.

Will one of these things strategically placed near the garbage pail do the trick?

wtf

I'm trying desperately to Google image search for this to show you an example, but my search for "mirrored ball to scare animals" gets about a million hits of this.

ETA:

 

[Otis]

OH get this. I noticed the neighbors have one of those giant mirrored crystal balls in front of their house. It wasn't until recently that I discovered those things aren't some dorky spiritual D&D decoration for hillbillies, but rather they are used to scare off dumb animals that get spooked by their own reflections.

Where do you get info like this?

 

[Otis]

For Brit, Flickr updated with some

You can see before pics earlier in the stream, but here's the after. Looks like a totally different house. We still need to paint those sidelights black to match the door, and I have a new brass hanging light fixture that goes at the overhang in front of the door along with new brass hardware for the rest of the door (knocker, kickplate, etc.). That whole walkway up will be redone with nice masonry in the weeks coming up, and I think will really tie up the front of the house. Some other new pics include:

The two sides of the house that face the street have shutters -- didn't bother on the two sides that face the yard.

New andersen window in the bathroom

New tile floor in the bathroom along with some primer paint. And there's that nasty hole where the toilet was.

Picture of the chimney that needs some paint or something here. A little scraping and new coat of white paint sounds easiest, at least for now? And should look nice enough. Also a white wrought iron railing is going around that flat roof part next week. Will be a nice touch I think.

Stained roof is here. I will give that Brit detergent thing a shot and see how it works out. If these buffoons hadn't done a grey roof you wouldn't see it. We'll probably need a new roof in ten years or so, and at that point we'll go jet black. Will look better with the house and will better hide stuff like that.

Oh and here's what the stupid raccoon left me this morning.

 

[gianmarco]

I think we need an official Otis vs. the raccoon thread

 

[lumpy19]

Oh and here's what the stupid raccoon left me this morning.

Is that a soda can!!???

 

[Otis]

Oh and here's what the stupid raccoon left me this morning.

Is that a soda can!!???

Yes. And those are a bunch of bag lunches. FROM THE WORKERS

 

[Otis]

We pulled out all the nasty overgrown shrubs and stuff on this side of the house. We'll eventually, later in the summer, plant some shrubs and a flowerbed there, but something a little smaller/more in control.

 

[belljr]

For Brit, Flickr updated with some

You can see before pics earlier in the stream, but here's the after. Looks like a totally different house. We still need to paint those sidelights black to match the door, and I have a new brass hanging light fixture that goes at the overhang in front of the door along with new brass hardware for the rest of the door (knocker, kickplate, etc.). That whole walkway up will be redone with nice masonry in the weeks coming up, and I think will really tie up the front of the house. Some other new pics include:

The two sides of the house that face the street have shutters -- didn't bother on the two sides that face the yard.

New andersen window in the bathroom

New tile floor in the bathroom along with some primer paint. And there's that nasty hole where the toilet was.

Picture of the chimney that needs some paint or something here. A little scraping and new coat of white paint sounds easiest, at least for now? And should look nice enough. Also a white wrought iron railing is going around that flat roof part next week. Will be a nice touch I think.

Stained roof is here. I will give that Brit detergent thing a shot and see how it works out. If these buffoons hadn't done a grey roof you wouldn't see it. We'll probably need a new roof in ten years or so, and at that point we'll go jet black. Will look better with the house and will better hide stuff like that.

Oh and here's what the stupid raccoon left me this morning.

Even though you deserve some grief and some is in jest - looks way better with the new siding You may rememebr being confused by a picture I posted a while back when I MADE SOME OWNAGE ON A GROUNDHOG You joked if it's a pet. WELL SUCK IT RACCOON BOY...

Seriously rent a trap or call an exterminator.

 

[Tiger Fan]

Siding looks great Otis

 

[urbanhack]

We pulled out all the nasty overgrown shrubs and stuff on this side of the house.

Amittyville?

 

[The Commish]

Looks good Otis Did you happen to have them put a leaf guard system on your gutters when they replaced them? With all those trees, it would be well worth the money.

 

[Otis]

Looks good Otis Did you happen to have them put a leaf guard system on your gutters when they replaced them? With all those trees, it would be well worth the money.

Yup They did the "commercial grade" wider gutters with the screens over the top.

 

[Otis]

We pulled out all the nasty overgrown shrubs and stuff on this side of the house.

Amittyville?

I'm pretty sure this was a page 2 Tanner post. But yeah, it looks especially creepy without any shrubs or flowers or anything. And with that dark attic window :shudder:

 

[The Commish]

Looks good Otis Did you happen to have them put a leaf guard system on your gutters when they replaced them? With all those trees, it would be well worth the money.

Yup They did the "commercial grade" wider gutters with the screens over the top.

THAT my friend, is money well spent. I'd pay thousands not to have to climb up on a roof (scared of heights). I'm so glad we don't have a ton of trees close up to the house.

 

[YSR]

Night and day with the new siding. Looks really good.

 

[ODoyleRules]

For Brit, Flickr updated with some

You can see before pics earlier in the stream, but here's the after. Looks like a totally different house. We still need to paint those sidelights black to match the door, and I have a new brass hanging light fixture that goes at the overhang in front of the door along with new brass hardware for the rest of the door (knocker, kickplate, etc.). That whole walkway up will be redone with nice masonry in the weeks coming up, and I think will really tie up the front of the house. Some other new pics include:

The two sides of the house that face the street have shutters -- didn't bother on the two sides that face the yard.

New andersen window in the bathroom

New tile floor in the bathroom along with some primer paint. And there's that nasty hole where the toilet was.

Picture of the chimney that needs some paint or something here. A little scraping and new coat of white paint sounds easiest, at least for now? And should look nice enough. Also a white wrought iron railing is going around that flat roof part next week. Will be a nice touch I think.

Stained roof is here. I will give that Brit detergent thing a shot and see how it works out. If these buffoons hadn't done a grey roof you wouldn't see it. We'll probably need a new roof in ten years or so, and at that point we'll go jet black. Will look better with the house and will better hide stuff like that.

Oh and here's what the stupid raccoon left me this morning.

Looks great. Well done.

 

[ODoyleRules]

before

after

still funny.

 

[Wrigley]

We pulled out all the nasty overgrown shrubs and stuff on this side of the house.

Amittyville?

I'm pretty sure this was a page 2 Tanner post. But yeah, it looks especially creepy without any shrubs or flowers or anything. And with that dark attic window :shudder:

get out

 

[Otis]

New hanging light fixture I installed this morning.

SUCK IT FRED!!11



5k 0

Of course, I ended up missing my train to work as a result. Effing once-an-hour commuter trains...

 

[Otis]

Siding looks great Otis

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

sonofaSo those stupid things are just there as decorations??? Out neighbor put that in the front yard just for kicks??

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

For Brit, Flickr updated with some

You can see before pics earlier in the stream, but here's the after. Looks like a totally different house. We still need to paint those sidelights black to match the door, and I have a new brass hanging light fixture that goes at the overhang in front of the door along with new brass hardware for the rest of the door (knocker, kickplate, etc.). That whole walkway up will be redone with nice masonry in the weeks coming up, and I think will really tie up the front of the house. Some other new pics include:

The two sides of the house that face the street have shutters -- didn't bother on the two sides that face the yard.

New andersen window in the bathroom

New tile floor in the bathroom along with some primer paint. And there's that nasty hole where the toilet was.

Picture of the chimney that needs some paint or something here. A little scraping and new coat of white paint sounds easiest, at least for now? And should look nice enough. Also a white wrought iron railing is going around that flat roof part next week. Will be a nice touch I think.

Stained roof is here. I will give that Brit detergent thing a shot and see how it works out. If these buffoons hadn't done a grey roof you wouldn't see it. We'll probably need a new roof in ten years or so, and at that point we'll go jet black. Will look better with the house and will better hide stuff like that.

Oh and here's what the stupid raccoon left me this morning.

siding and the shutters look great. Black and white is the way to go. I need to bite the siding/roof bullet very soon. Judging by the info in here, it will be well worth it.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Siding looks great Otis

World of difference...

 

[Otis]

Siding looks great Otis

World of difference...

I know I'm getting my balls busted in here, but some of these projects, like the siding, feel like they are worth every penny.

 

[The Commish]

Siding looks great Otis

World of difference...

I know I'm getting my balls busted in here, but some of these projects, like the siding, feel like they are worth every penny.

They absolutely are for quality of life purposes. Just when it comes to resale, they don't always give back what you put in. That's all.

 

[ShaqAttaq]

huge improvement

 

[St. Louis Bob]

Looks good Oat.

As far as the raccoon, I would suggest hiding in the trash can all night and grabbing him when he tries to get in.

 

[Otis]

Siding looks great Otis

World of difference...

I know I'm getting my balls busted in here, but some of these projects, like the siding, feel like they are worth every penny.

They absolutely are for quality of life purposes. Just when it comes to resale, they don't always give back what you put in. That's all.

Yeah, that much I understand. We're not looking at this so much as an investment though -- we hope to be there 30 years or beyond.

 

[Otis]

Looks good Oat. As far as the raccoon, I would suggest hiding in the trash can all night and grabbing him when he tries to get in.

Oat in the Box

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

Looks like it will be a nice place for your wife and kids to live with her second husband.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Siding looks great Otis

World of difference...

I know I'm getting my balls busted in here, but some of these projects, like the siding, feel like they are worth every penny.

They absolutely are for quality of life purposes. Just when it comes to resale, they don't always give back what you put in. That's all.

and 100% maintenance free ...bonus!

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Looks great oat!

I'd do the chimney brick myself, I think if it was a bright red brick it'd be a Sweet contrast

 

[Britney Spears]

For Brit, Flickr updated with some

You can see before pics earlier in the stream, but here's the after. Looks like a totally different house. We still need to paint those sidelights black to match the door, and I have a new brass hanging light fixture that goes at the overhang in front of the door along with new brass hardware for the rest of the door (knocker, kickplate, etc.). That whole walkway up will be redone with nice masonry in the weeks coming up, and I think will really tie up the front of the house. Some other new pics include:

The two sides of the house that face the street have shutters -- didn't bother on the two sides that face the yard.

New andersen window in the bathroom

New tile floor in the bathroom along with some primer paint. And there's that nasty hole where the toilet was.

Picture of the chimney that needs some paint or something here. A little scraping and new coat of white paint sounds easiest, at least for now? And should look nice enough. Also a white wrought iron railing is going around that flat roof part next week. Will be a nice touch I think.

Stained roof is here. I will give that Brit detergent thing a shot and see how it works out. If these buffoons hadn't done a grey roof you wouldn't see it. We'll probably need a new roof in ten years or so, and at that point we'll go jet black. Will look better with the house and will better hide stuff like that.

Oh and here's what the stupid raccoon left me this morning.

Dang, that siding is super awesome. Really does look like a new place. I agree now that the chimney needs to be addressed. I personally think brick would look best, but paint might be easiest.

If that little greenish area on the roof is your only concern, you are in pretty good shape. I get stuf growing like that every 10 minutes up here with all the moisture.

Andersen winders are dope. I wanted them, but wimped out and went vinyl cause it was cheaper and easier to install myself.

Did you ever find the source of the smell in the bathroom?

 

[Otis]

Chimney in brick might look nicer, but sounds like a bunch more work. I wonder if I could pull it off myself. I can get a ladder up on that flat roof, and scrape, maybe some solvent too? Even if it's a darkened, weather brick it might look really nice. But sounds like a lot more trouble...

Re: the bathroom smell, it was supposedly something at the junction between the toilet and the old linoleum flooring. There was a wood shim in between to level the toilet, and apparently when that all was ripped out, the smell hit like a wall. Since everything was gutted, no more smell.

 

[Britney Spears]

Looks good Otis Did you happen to have them put a leaf guard system on your gutters when they replaced them? With all those trees, it would be well worth the money.

Yup They did the "commercial grade" wider gutters with the screens over the top.

Can I request pictures of this gutter guard setup? What are commercial grade gutters? Most I see around here are 5" K style. I am literally pulling my gutters and fascia off the house today. I'm replacing all the fascia today and have 5 quotes out for gutters and leaf guard systems. I'm very interested in some sort of leaf guard but don't want to pay for some crap that will just get clogged.

 

[YSR]

Chimney in brick might look nicer, but sounds like a bunch more work. I wonder if I could pull it off myself. I can get a ladder up on that flat roof, and scrape, maybe some solvent too? Even if it's a darkened, weather brick it might look really nice. But sounds like a lot more trouble...Re: the bathroom smell, it was supposedly something at the junction between the toilet and the old linoleum flooring. There was a wood shim in between to level the toilet, and apparently when that all was ripped out, the smell hit like a wall. Since everything was gutted, no more smell.

That happened to us recently, only it was because the guys who reset our toilet didn't do it right and some sort of receiver cap wasn't put into place. Smelled horrible in there.If this is the same bathroom, I would definitely heed others' warnings in re: finding the source of the water/mildew/mold. Having someone come out to inspect for black/problematic mold now will save you in the end.

 

[Britney Spears]

Chimney in brick might look nicer, but sounds like a bunch more work. I wonder if I could pull it off myself. I can get a ladder up on that flat roof, and scrape, maybe some solvent too? Even if it's a darkened, weather brick it might look really nice. But sounds like a lot more trouble...Re: the bathroom smell, it was supposedly something at the junction between the toilet and the old linoleum flooring. There was a wood shim in between to level the toilet, and apparently when that all was ripped out, the smell hit like a wall. Since everything was gutted, no more smell.

Can you try scraping the paint on a small area or something? It honestly could be very easy or a nightmare.I would be wary of a ladder ON TOP OF THE ROOF. That's much more scary than a ladder to the roof IMO.

 

[Otis]

Looks good Otis Did you happen to have them put a leaf guard system on your gutters when they replaced them? With all those trees, it would be well worth the money.

Yup They did the "commercial grade" wider gutters with the screens over the top.

Can I request pictures of this gutter guard setup? What are commercial grade gutters? Most I see around here are 5" K style. I am literally pulling my gutters and fascia off the house today. I'm replacing all the fascia today and have 5 quotes out for gutters and leaf guard systems. I'm very interested in some sort of leaf guard but don't want to pay for some crap that will just get clogged.

I'll get up there on the roof and get you some shots.

 

[Otis]

Chimney in brick might look nicer, but sounds like a bunch more work. I wonder if I could pull it off myself. I can get a ladder up on that flat roof, and scrape, maybe some solvent too? Even if it's a darkened, weather brick it might look really nice. But sounds like a lot more trouble...Re: the bathroom smell, it was supposedly something at the junction between the toilet and the old linoleum flooring. There was a wood shim in between to level the toilet, and apparently when that all was ripped out, the smell hit like a wall. Since everything was gutted, no more smell.

Can you try scraping the paint on a small area or something? It honestly could be very easy or a nightmare.I would be wary of a ladder ON TOP OF THE ROOF. That's much more scary than a ladder to the roof IMO.

Yeah, I don't know, the more I think about this, and think about paralysis, and the fact that we're already getting a hefty bill from our painter and he offered to do it, I'm thinking I'll just let him do it. It'll probably take him a day at the end of the job, and it'll look fine enough in white I think. Maybe one day we'll get fancy.

 

[The Commish]

Chimney in brick might look nicer, but sounds like a bunch more work. I wonder if I could pull it off myself. I can get a ladder up on that flat roof, and scrape, maybe some solvent too? Even if it's a darkened, weather brick it might look really nice. But sounds like a lot more trouble...Re: the bathroom smell, it was supposedly something at the junction between the toilet and the old linoleum flooring. There was a wood shim in between to level the toilet, and apparently when that all was ripped out, the smell hit like a wall. Since everything was gutted, no more smell.

The easiest way I have found to remove paint from brick is to sand blast. It might cost more to do, but you'll be done in an hour or two.

 

[Otis]

Chimney in brick might look nicer, but sounds like a bunch more work. I wonder if I could pull it off myself. I can get a ladder up on that flat roof, and scrape, maybe some solvent too? Even if it's a darkened, weather brick it might look really nice. But sounds like a lot more trouble...Re: the bathroom smell, it was supposedly something at the junction between the toilet and the old linoleum flooring. There was a wood shim in between to level the toilet, and apparently when that all was ripped out, the smell hit like a wall. Since everything was gutted, no more smell.

The easiest way I have found to remove paint from brick is to sand blast. It might cost more to do, but you'll be done in an hour or two.

Me two stories up with a sandblaster. lol

 

[Chaos Commish]

To me that chimney doesn't look like brick that has just been painted. I can't tell what it's covered with but it looks like more than peeling paint. If the roof is flat, putting a ladder against the chimney is safe enough. Not saying I would diy anything if I had a painter handy, especially anything that didn't exactly match the new siding.

Agree the place is looking great O.