We have officially moved in! There is a lot of shit that we still need to unpack and sort but like, bed is in the right place, couches are in the right spot, washer and dryer are hooked up, etc.
Except the dryer vent may need more fucking with. Not got a great fit on there, but whatever.
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Real duct tape is foil tape. Vinyl coated cloth tape is usually called gaffer tape where I'm from. And that grey vinyl tape is just tape. Then there's packaging tape, sellotape, tailers tape, masking tape, painters tape...
Real duct tape is foil tape. Vinyl coated cloth tape is usually called gaffer tape where I'm from. And that grey vinyl tape is just tape. Then there's packaging tape, sellotape, tailers tape, masking tape, painters tape...
Also the other name for gaffer tape is duck tape, but it got misnomered as duct tape because duck tape sounds weird.
Nashua 357 4lyf.
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Gaffer tape is often a different product from duct tape as well. Different adhesive, and usually a heavy cotton without that polyethylene coating, so it isn't shiny or anything.
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FishmanPut your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain.Registered Userregular
Saw a quite promising house today in our search for a bigger place.
It's not perfect; there's a few things about it that make me uncertain.
It's a bit tired looking and in need of a bit of fix-up; that's not really a problem as it's on an expensive street (it's literally next a multi-car mansion with tennis court), so you couldn't over-capitalise on work. So everything inside; the layout, the dated decor, the heating and indoor/outdoor flow... all really easy to do something about, provided you're happy to drop the cash to do so.
The stuff you can't fix, though... the house is positioned to make the most of the Sun available. Unfortunately, that means the house blocks the sun from the yard and grounds, so they're a bit on the shady and muddy side; not a complete bog, but enough to mostly write off doing anything outdoors in winter. I guess you might avoid dead brown lawn in Summer though?
The location is a mixed bag as well. It's on the far side of the valley from where we are now, which means it's less handy to public transport, shops, main road, playgrounds, schools, etc. On the other hand it's on the quiet side that backs on to the massive bush reserve with birdlife and walking trails. You'd lose the great afternoon sun we get here, but theoretically get good morning sun instead. There's also less of a view - instead of living near the train station and motorway and looking at the bush, you'd be living next to the bush and looking at the motorway.
Yeah. Not big problems, but slightly less than perfect. Are they deal breakers? Not certain. I'm thinking this one over more than I have many recently.
I've often heard 'worst house on the best street' as being good buying advice, cos as you say you'll get a better ROI on improvements. Also probably better property value trends, or at least more stable ones.
Morning sun vs afternoon sun, having only lived in hotter cities, afternoon sun is the bane of my summer afternoons. The only place that I've lived in in the past 20 years that didn't have afternoon sun beating down on it was also the nicest to be in on a warm evening. Not sure that would be too much of an issue for you though. Shady gardens can work, you'll just have to give up any dreams of a decent lawn. If you want outdoor winter entertainment, you can do like what the previous owners did here and install outdoor blind deals around the sides of the back porch and plumb in a gas heater (if you have gas there) to increase toastiness.
We have officially moved in! There is a lot of shit that we still need to unpack and sort but like, bed is in the right place, couches are in the right spot, washer and dryer are hooked up, etc.
Except the dryer vent may need more fucking with. Not got a great fit on there, but whatever.
Duct tape. That's what it's for!
Ehh, it's no long circular, it's more oval, so the vent has a hell of a time getting over that lip. Also, the clamp I'm using is slightly uncooperative and won't give me enough room to get up on the vent, and finally, the fucking workspace that I have for my hands is super small.
However, I am going to go ahead and get a new clamp ring and try that out if I can't get that on better, failing that I may get tin snips out and try first to cut the wire on the vent foil to get it up around the lip, and then go from there.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
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JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
As for the shady lawn: you can get a pretty badass lawn with basically no direct sunlight as long as you care for it properly, especially since you describe it as "muddy." Shade grasses depend on deep root systems, so naturally soggy soil is a benefit.
The main differences between a sun lawn and a shade lawn are:
1. You mow a shade lawn about twice the length of a sun lawn (keep your shade lawn between 2.5 to 3 inches tall, and never cut more than a third of its length in one week. It needs more surface area for photosynthesis, and a shade lawn has trouble recovering from scalping)
2. A shade lawn requires less fertilizer. Use a good pre-emergent weed & feed in the spring for hot climates or a winterizer in the fall for cool climates, but not both. Use about half the amount indicated on the bag unless it has specific shade instructions.
3. Annual aeration is a necessity rather than a luxury for most shade lawns. Rent or hire a good core aerator for best results.
4. Thatching is more of an issue for shade lawns, since clippings decay more slowly. You're best off bagging your clippings and spreading manure or mushroom compost every 2-3 years.
5. If you're starting out with bare patches, cover them with topsoil (or manure/compost if you're in an area with high levels of clay or sand) and overseed your lawn with a shade-loving seed blend. You should start with a blend with the widest range of varieties until you can identify the grass that does best in your area.
6. If you do end up having to water, you'll want to soak the hell out of it every 3-5 days rather than watering a little bit every day. Remember: deep root systems.
Source: 4 years in an Oklahoma garden center. I know I'll go to heaven when I die, because I've done my time in hell.
As for the shady lawn: you can get a pretty badass lawn with basically no direct sunlight as long as you care for it properly, especially since you describe it as "muddy." Shade grasses depend on deep root systems, so naturally soggy soil is a benefit.
The main differences between a sun lawn and a shade lawn are:
1. You mow a shade lawn about twice the length of a sun lawn (keep your shade lawn between 2.5 to 3 inches tall, and never cut more than a third of its length in one week. It needs more surface area for photosynthesis, and a shade lawn has trouble recovering from scalping)
2. A shade lawn requires less fertilizer. Use a good pre-emergent weed & feed in the spring for hot climates or a winterizer in the fall for cool climates, but not both. Use about half the amount indicated on the bag unless it has specific shade instructions.
3. Annual aeration is a necessity rather than a luxury for most shade lawns. Rent or hire a good core aerator for best results.
4. Thatching is more of an issue for shade lawns, since clippings decay more slowly. You're best off bagging your clippings and spreading manure or mushroom compost every 2-3 years.
5. If you're starting out with bare patches, cover them with topsoil (or manure/compost if you're in an area with high levels of clay or sand) and overseed your lawn with a shade-loving seed blend. You should start with a blend with the widest range of varieties until you can identify the grass that does best in your area.
6. If you do end up having to water, you'll want to soak the hell out of it every 3-5 days rather than watering a little bit every day. Remember: deep root systems.
Source: 4 years in an Oklahoma garden center. I know I'll go to heaven when I die, because I've done my time in hell.
I know it's minor, but I absolutely despise hanging blinds and curtains
Only a couple of fuck ups though. One will be filled/covered with soap and the other...won't be realized until we move which is hopefully a loooong time from now.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
I know it's minor, but I absolutely despise hanging blinds and curtains
Only a couple of fuck ups though. One will be filled/covered with soap and the other...won't be realized until we move which is hopefully a loooong time from now.
If you're willing to throw down extra money, you can get some that are magnetic now. You install the two pieces above the windowsill then snap the blinds to them.
not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
I know it's minor, but I absolutely despise hanging blinds and curtains
Only a couple of fuck ups though. One will be filled/covered with soap and the other...won't be realized until we move which is hopefully a loooong time from now.
If you're willing to throw down extra money, you can get some that are magnetic now. You install the two pieces above the windowsill then snap the blinds to them.
That's awesome, because I was wondering what to do with our back door since it has a large window where everybody can see in to the house.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
So finding a new house and selling our old house was a relative breeze - there were some headaches arising from agreeing to do some repairs to the old house but nothing major. However, ever since our mortgage application process started in earnest, it has been one headache after another. First of all, our appraisal (we got a VA loan) came back low, resulting in nearly a week of back and forth between the appraiser, seller, and us. Next came the better part of the week getting the updated paperwork back through the underwriter for approval. Now, at long last, our loan has been approved, and we are only waiting on the closing disclosure to be released to us. We were told the loan was finished Monday evening, and we still have no idea when we'll get the disclosure. We need them before COB today in order to close Monday like we have scheduled. Neither our loan officer nor anyone else we have contact with at the bank are able to tell us anything. Hooray extant anxiety! Oh, and if we close on Monday? That will still be two weeks later than our originally scheduled closing date. It's like every time we set up plans for closing and moving, we have to re-do them all a few days later when the bank inevitably fucks something up and it all gets pushed back again.
As a personal favor to me and to yourself, future homebuyer, do not consider BB&T if you're looking for a mortgage lender. It's not even strictly the delays in closing, but their complete inability to appropriately manage our expectations and communicate in a timely manner with us that has me seething.
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Garlic Breadi'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm aRegistered User, Disagreeableregular
Ya, I'm not looking forward to dealing with a bank AT ALL.
We accepted their counter offer, but just looked at their initial contract stipulating all manner of penalties and fees against us even for things that could be their fault.
Like, if I were to end up in Keith's position, I would owe them at least $9,000.
So uhh, ya, our realtor's attorney is taking a look.
Oh, and if we close on Monday? That will still be two weeks later than our originally scheduled closing date.
Today is three months exactly since we were supposed to have closed...
Looks like it's actually going to happen on the 29th but I won't believe it until it's done
Edit: not trying to be like "two weeks? stop crying" or anything; any extra time during this process is super fucking stressful
No I totally get it. You have my sympathies. I've been in, or nearly in, a heightened state of anxiety over everything for this entire time period. At the very least I am hopeful that my bank is running out of ways to extend this nightmare, though so far they've managed to surprise me on a regular basis.
not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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StraightziHere we may reign secure, and in my choice,To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered Userregular
It appears my fridge is leaking out some of its sweet sweet cold air
It's pretty minor, it doesn't seem to be affecting my electricity bill and the only issue it's causing is some condensation on the inside roof of the fridge
But if I wanted to not have my egg cartons get wet all the time, how would I go about fixing this? It's just like, a one inch section of the rubber thing that isn't sealing properly - I can't identify anything clearly wrong with, but it's never quite flush with the fridge
It appears my fridge is leaking out some of its sweet sweet cold air
It's pretty minor, it doesn't seem to be affecting my electricity bill and the only issue it's causing is some condensation on the inside roof of the fridge
But if I wanted to not have my egg cartons get wet all the time, how would I go about fixing this? It's just like, a one inch section of the rubber thing that isn't sealing properly - I can't identify anything clearly wrong with, but it's never quite flush with the fridge
The gasket is probably loose somewhere. Worst case you'll need to replace the door or just buy a new fridge.
No mowing, better for erosion/compaction, nitrogen fixing, needs less water (will be greener in droughts). It looks "different" from a lawn though and HOAs are likely going to shit all over it. Super low maintenance. Looks better than a paved lawn.
not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
What a strange place to put a water heater: the attic.
Also interesting is the fact that I do not have a ladder tall enough to change what I presume to be the vent for the air conditioning filter.
Things I hadn't considered when we said we liked this house.
My house had two compressors and furnaces. My upstairs furnace is in the attic. Was a pain in the ass for fat, old and out of shape me to climb through the access on the last step of my ladder. But looking forward to changing the filter again.
What a strange place to put a water heater: the attic.
Also interesting is the fact that I do not have a ladder tall enough to change what I presume to be the vent for the air conditioning filter.
Things I hadn't considered when we said we liked this house.
My house had two compressors and furnaces. My upstairs furnace is in the attic. Was a pain in the ass for fat, old and out of shape me to climb through the access on the last step of my ladder. But looking forward to changing the filter again.
I'm incredibly grateful the attic ladder at this place has a 300# weight limit. Makes it much less intimidating for me to get up there at 250 hauling up crap.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
Automatic with a battery back up and shouldn't have any trouble fitting in my basin. I'd have to buy the battery separately but I think that covers what everyone mentioned earlier.
That's a back up pump. You'll still need to buy a hard wired pump.
Designed to be used in conjunction with a primary 120V sump pump.
Automatic with a battery back up and shouldn't have any trouble fitting in my basin. I'd have to buy the battery separately but I think that covers what everyone mentioned earlier.
That's a back up pump. You'll still need to buy a hard wired pump.
Designed to be used in conjunction with a primary 120V sump pump.
Upstairs heatpump is not cooling after a year. Not the best time of year for that sort of thing
That's some bullshit. I spent most of a month trying to keep a single room habitable with a $120 window box while the repair guys ordered apparently random parts last year. It worked pretty well, and it was a really satisfying thing to donate to Habitat for Humanity at the end of it all.
Automatic with a battery back up and shouldn't have any trouble fitting in my basin. I'd have to buy the battery separately but I think that covers what everyone mentioned earlier.
That's a back up pump. You'll still need to buy a hard wired pump.
Designed to be used in conjunction with a primary 120V sump pump.
Posts
Duct tape. That's what it's for!
Also the other name for gaffer tape is duck tape, but it got misnomered as duct tape because duck tape sounds weird.
Nashua 357 4lyf.
It's not perfect; there's a few things about it that make me uncertain.
It's a bit tired looking and in need of a bit of fix-up; that's not really a problem as it's on an expensive street (it's literally next a multi-car mansion with tennis court), so you couldn't over-capitalise on work. So everything inside; the layout, the dated decor, the heating and indoor/outdoor flow... all really easy to do something about, provided you're happy to drop the cash to do so.
The stuff you can't fix, though... the house is positioned to make the most of the Sun available. Unfortunately, that means the house blocks the sun from the yard and grounds, so they're a bit on the shady and muddy side; not a complete bog, but enough to mostly write off doing anything outdoors in winter. I guess you might avoid dead brown lawn in Summer though?
The location is a mixed bag as well. It's on the far side of the valley from where we are now, which means it's less handy to public transport, shops, main road, playgrounds, schools, etc. On the other hand it's on the quiet side that backs on to the massive bush reserve with birdlife and walking trails. You'd lose the great afternoon sun we get here, but theoretically get good morning sun instead. There's also less of a view - instead of living near the train station and motorway and looking at the bush, you'd be living next to the bush and looking at the motorway.
Yeah. Not big problems, but slightly less than perfect. Are they deal breakers? Not certain. I'm thinking this one over more than I have many recently.
Morning sun vs afternoon sun, having only lived in hotter cities, afternoon sun is the bane of my summer afternoons. The only place that I've lived in in the past 20 years that didn't have afternoon sun beating down on it was also the nicest to be in on a warm evening. Not sure that would be too much of an issue for you though. Shady gardens can work, you'll just have to give up any dreams of a decent lawn. If you want outdoor winter entertainment, you can do like what the previous owners did here and install outdoor blind deals around the sides of the back porch and plumb in a gas heater (if you have gas there) to increase toastiness.
still green!
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
(I kid, I kid!)
I'm currently looking at flats to rent, its exciting! The area I'm looking is affordable and seems to tick all the boxes of what I want.
Ehh, it's no long circular, it's more oval, so the vent has a hell of a time getting over that lip. Also, the clamp I'm using is slightly uncooperative and won't give me enough room to get up on the vent, and finally, the fucking workspace that I have for my hands is super small.
However, I am going to go ahead and get a new clamp ring and try that out if I can't get that on better, failing that I may get tin snips out and try first to cut the wire on the vent foil to get it up around the lip, and then go from there.
The main differences between a sun lawn and a shade lawn are:
1. You mow a shade lawn about twice the length of a sun lawn (keep your shade lawn between 2.5 to 3 inches tall, and never cut more than a third of its length in one week. It needs more surface area for photosynthesis, and a shade lawn has trouble recovering from scalping)
2. A shade lawn requires less fertilizer. Use a good pre-emergent weed & feed in the spring for hot climates or a winterizer in the fall for cool climates, but not both. Use about half the amount indicated on the bag unless it has specific shade instructions.
3. Annual aeration is a necessity rather than a luxury for most shade lawns. Rent or hire a good core aerator for best results.
4. Thatching is more of an issue for shade lawns, since clippings decay more slowly. You're best off bagging your clippings and spreading manure or mushroom compost every 2-3 years.
5. If you're starting out with bare patches, cover them with topsoil (or manure/compost if you're in an area with high levels of clay or sand) and overseed your lawn with a shade-loving seed blend. You should start with a blend with the widest range of varieties until you can identify the grass that does best in your area.
6. If you do end up having to water, you'll want to soak the hell out of it every 3-5 days rather than watering a little bit every day. Remember: deep root systems.
Source: 4 years in an Oklahoma garden center. I know I'll go to heaven when I die, because I've done my time in hell.
That has gone straight to the Onenote*.
*This is praise and thanks for great advice.
Only a couple of fuck ups though. One will be filled/covered with soap and the other...won't be realized until we move which is hopefully a loooong time from now.
If you're willing to throw down extra money, you can get some that are magnetic now. You install the two pieces above the windowsill then snap the blinds to them.
That's awesome, because I was wondering what to do with our back door since it has a large window where everybody can see in to the house.
I know home depot carries at least super easy to install ones that can be sized to your window itself.
As a personal favor to me and to yourself, future homebuyer, do not consider BB&T if you're looking for a mortgage lender. It's not even strictly the delays in closing, but their complete inability to appropriately manage our expectations and communicate in a timely manner with us that has me seething.
Today is three months exactly since we were supposed to have closed...
Looks like it's actually going to happen on the 29th but I won't believe it until it's done
Edit: not trying to be like "two weeks? stop crying" or anything; any extra time during this process is super fucking stressful
We accepted their counter offer, but just looked at their initial contract stipulating all manner of penalties and fees against us even for things that could be their fault.
Like, if I were to end up in Keith's position, I would owe them at least $9,000.
So uhh, ya, our realtor's attorney is taking a look.
Steam - Talon Valdez :Blizz - Talonious#1860 : Xbox Live & LoL - Talonious Monk @TaloniousMonk Hail Satan
No I totally get it. You have my sympathies. I've been in, or nearly in, a heightened state of anxiety over everything for this entire time period. At the very least I am hopeful that my bank is running out of ways to extend this nightmare, though so far they've managed to surprise me on a regular basis.
Replace it with clover.
It's pretty minor, it doesn't seem to be affecting my electricity bill and the only issue it's causing is some condensation on the inside roof of the fridge
But if I wanted to not have my egg cartons get wet all the time, how would I go about fixing this? It's just like, a one inch section of the rubber thing that isn't sealing properly - I can't identify anything clearly wrong with, but it's never quite flush with the fridge
The gasket is probably loose somewhere. Worst case you'll need to replace the door or just buy a new fridge.
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fix-gaps-refrigerator-door-gasket-43724.html
http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/clover-seed/miniclover.html
No mowing, better for erosion/compaction, nitrogen fixing, needs less water (will be greener in droughts). It looks "different" from a lawn though and HOAs are likely going to shit all over it. Super low maintenance. Looks better than a paved lawn.
Also interesting is the fact that I do not have a ladder tall enough to change what I presume to be the vent for the air conditioning filter.
Things I hadn't considered when we said we liked this house.
Hmmm...
Texas?
mine is in my attic
drain pan and a line outside should take care of most potential problems
Yep. I'm used to them being in a utility closet.
yeah up here they're either in a utility closet or in the basement.
I guess it makes sense to put it in the attic, logistically, but hot water heaters usually leak every decade or so.
Tankless hot water makes sense!
My house had two compressors and furnaces. My upstairs furnace is in the attic. Was a pain in the ass for fat, old and out of shape me to climb through the access on the last step of my ladder. But looking forward to changing the filter again.
I'm incredibly grateful the attic ladder at this place has a 300# weight limit. Makes it much less intimidating for me to get up there at 250 hauling up crap.
Alright let's try this again.
Looks fine and Wayne is a decent brand. You may be able to get away with a 1/3 HP pump. Do you know what's already installed?
That's some bullshit. I spent most of a month trying to keep a single room habitable with a $120 window box while the repair guys ordered apparently random parts last year. It worked pretty well, and it was a really satisfying thing to donate to Habitat for Humanity at the end of it all.
Sorry about your current sweat situation.
Eh, already bought that one. I'm kinda antsy with the other one broken and don't want to put it off.
Also @Radiation house thread here.
Fortunately @Radiation is baller and helped me tamp down on it. Getting a plumber asap.