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Post by Floyd Diabolical Barber on Dec 3, 2016 23:57:01 GMT -5
I don't know if it was due to fatigue, the lateness of the hour, undiagnosed dyslexia, or wishful thinking, but I opened the main page, and the thread with the most recent posts on each board popped up as usual, and at first glance, I read this one as "flamethrower thread". I am almost ashamed to admit how cool I thought that was.
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Dec 4, 2016 8:05:40 GMT -5
I don't know if it was due to fatigue, the lateness of the hour, undiagnosed dyslexia, or wishful thinking, but I opened the main page, and the thread with the most recent posts on each board popped up as usual, and at first glance, I read this one as "flamethrower thread". I am almost ashamed to admit how cool I thought that was. Never made a real flamethrower as a kid, but my favourite aerosol-can-and-a-lighter flamethrower was always WD-40. |
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Post by Nudeviking on Dec 5, 2016 2:33:55 GMT -5
I don't know if it was due to fatigue, the lateness of the hour, undiagnosed dyslexia, or wishful thinking, but I opened the main page, and the thread with the most recent posts on each board popped up as usual, and at first glance, I read this one as "flamethrower thread". I am almost ashamed to admit how cool I thought that was. Never made a real flamethrower as a kid, but my favourite aerosol-can-and-a-lighter flamethrower was always WD-40. Allow me to combine homeownin' and flamethrowin'. We once had a wasp nest in a one of those prefabricated steel sheds we had out in the backyard for random swimming pool stuff. This was completely unacceptable as people wanted to swim and needed to get the pool noodles out of that shed, and so it was decided that we needed to have the wasps disposed of. When my father got a quote from an exterminator he got a pair of lighters and a couple cans of WD-40 out of the garage and together dad and I flamethrowed the fuck out of some wasps. Best homeownership task ever! |
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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Dec 5, 2016 11:16:53 GMT -5
Hey, guess whose fridge is getting fixed today! They're replacing a sensor in the cooling panel part of the tall-fridge part of my side-by-side, so I might not need to get my hairdryer out to melt the wall of ice that was growing on the back panel anymore! (I was instructed to turn the fridge off on Saturday, so it would be fully defrosted by today for the repair dude. But I'm a rebel, man, and I'm not about to go a full weekend without a fridge, so I just waited until I was ready to go to bed last night and then got all cranky about still having to empty out the fridge and blow-dry the ice off it. That's always a good action plan: "I don't want to do this thing, so I'll put it off until the worst possible time.")
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Dec 6, 2016 7:53:23 GMT -5
I am so over Decora switches and outlets.
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Post by ganews on Dec 6, 2016 8:49:43 GMT -5
The other day when Wifemate was leaving the house she yanked the doorknob off in her iron grip. We only lock the deadbolt, leaving the knob as nothing but a handle. When we got home we had to pinch the mechanism just so to get back inside. So, that was a little trip to Home Depot to get a new knob.
We really need to replace the front door and screen. They don't look bad from a distance, but they're pretty poor up close. The seal around the screen door is really bad, so it serves no function except to be propped with your butt while you lock/unlock the door. Replacement was originally on the goals list for autumn when temperatures were nice and moderate, but then it was hot through September (plus laziness) and then I had surgery in October. Now it looks like this has to be put off until spring.
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Post by Buon Funerale Amigos on Dec 6, 2016 10:28:11 GMT -5
I am so over Decora switches and outlets. Ugh. Idiot POs put them everywhere. In a Victorian! |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 6, 2016 10:54:20 GMT -5
The other day when Wifemate was leaving the house she yanked the doorknob off in her iron grip. We only lock the deadbolt, leaving the knob as nothing but a handle. When we got home we had to pinch the mechanism just so to get back inside. So, that was a little trip to Home Depot to get a new knob. We really need to replace the front door and screen. They don't look bad from a distance, but they're pretty poor up close. The seal around the screen door is really bad, so it serves no function except to be propped with your butt while you lock/unlock the door. Replacement was originally on the goals list for autumn when temperatures were nice and moderate, but then it was hot through September (plus laziness) and then I had surgery in October. Now it looks like this has to be put off until spring. Have you considered refurbishing the screen door instead of replacing it? Usually it's pretty easy to replace torn screens and panels. I have an aluminum one that I'm planning to spray paint and replace the screening when I refinish the front door. |
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Post by ganews on Dec 6, 2016 11:09:46 GMT -5
The other day when Wifemate was leaving the house she yanked the doorknob off in her iron grip. We only lock the deadbolt, leaving the knob as nothing but a handle. When we got home we had to pinch the mechanism just so to get back inside. So, that was a little trip to Home Depot to get a new knob. We really need to replace the front door and screen. They don't look bad from a distance, but they're pretty poor up close. The seal around the screen door is really bad, so it serves no function except to be propped with your butt while you lock/unlock the door. Replacement was originally on the goals list for autumn when temperatures were nice and moderate, but then it was hot through September (plus laziness) and then I had surgery in October. Now it looks like this has to be put off until spring. Have you considered refurbishing the screen door instead of replacing it? Usually it's pretty easy to replace torn screens and panels. I have an aluminum one that I'm planning to spray paint and replace the screening when I refinish the front door. The screen and panel are intact, but the seal and doorframe are misshapen. Honestly, I kind of think that even new and good screen doors over a solid door look a little trashy. If we end up getting a nice front door with windows, I don't even want the screen door. I already have brand new front windows and sliding glass doors with screens. |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 6, 2016 12:34:41 GMT -5
Have you considered refurbishing the screen door instead of replacing it? Usually it's pretty easy to replace torn screens and panels. I have an aluminum one that I'm planning to spray paint and replace the screening when I refinish the front door. The screen and panel are intact, but the seal and doorframe are misshapen. Honestly, I kind of think that even new and good screen doors over a solid door look a little trashy. If we end up getting a nice front door with windows, I don't even want the screen door. I already have brand new front windows and sliding glass doors with screens. Depending on your climate, you may need them though. In Chicago, we need the extra layer of insulation at the door opening, especially since I have a nice old door with stained glass and a mail slot. |
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Baron von Costume
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Post by Baron von Costume on Dec 6, 2016 13:26:25 GMT -5
The screen and panel are intact, but the seal and doorframe are misshapen. Honestly, I kind of think that even new and good screen doors over a solid door look a little trashy. If we end up getting a nice front door with windows, I don't even want the screen door. I already have brand new front windows and sliding glass doors with screens. Depending on your climate, you may need them though. In Chicago, we need the extra layer of insulation at the door opening, especially since I have a nice old door with stained glass and a mail slot. Yep, there's a reason we have the heavy duty storm door types  |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 6, 2016 13:55:01 GMT -5
Thoughts on HGTV (aka, MTV for yuppies):
Every time I watch Flip or Flop, I think to myself, "these people are such whiners!" which reinforces certain stereotypes about Southern Californians. Along the same lines, I marvel at the popularity of Fixer Upper, the blandest show about the blandest white people in Texas remaking every house to look the same. At least Love It or List it had some crackling chemistry between the hosts and Property Brothers have a (somewhat forced) sibling rivalry--being Canadian though, everybody still comes across as genial.
Rehab Addict is my favorite because it's educational, in the vein of the classic, This Old House. Plus, she's a plucky single mom and as an atypical American homeowner (single, childless, POC) she's the only host I can kind of relate to.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Dec 6, 2016 14:06:31 GMT -5
Thoughts on HGTV (aka, MTV for yuppies): Every time I watch Flip or Flop, I think to myself, "these people are such whiners!" which reinforces certain stereotypes about Southern Californians. Along the same lines, I marvel at the popularity of Fixer Upper, the blandest show about the blandest white people in Texas remaking every house to look the same. At least Love It or List it had some crackling chemistry between the hosts and Property Brothers have a (somewhat forced) sibling rivalry--being Canadian though, everybody still comes across as genial. Rehab Addict is my favorite because it's educational, in the vein of the classic, This Old House. Plus, she's a plucky single mom and as an atypical American homeowner (single, childless, POC) she's the only host I can kind of relate to. Have you seen Listed Sisters? It's like Property Brothers but with women, in Nashville - I think they are Indian? So far I think there's only been one season, but they're pretty cute. |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 6, 2016 14:22:03 GMT -5
Thoughts on HGTV (aka, MTV for yuppies): Every time I watch Flip or Flop, I think to myself, "these people are such whiners!" which reinforces certain stereotypes about Southern Californians. Along the same lines, I marvel at the popularity of Fixer Upper, the blandest show about the blandest white people in Texas remaking every house to look the same. At least Love It or List it had some crackling chemistry between the hosts and Property Brothers have a (somewhat forced) sibling rivalry--being Canadian though, everybody still comes across as genial. Rehab Addict is my favorite because it's educational, in the vein of the classic, This Old House. Plus, she's a plucky single mom and as an atypical American homeowner (single, childless, POC) she's the only host I can kind of relate to. Have you seen Listed Sisters? It's like Property Brothers but with women, in Nashville - I think they are Indian? So far I think there's only been one season, but they're pretty cute. Oh neat! Yeah, they definitely might be Indian. And they are cute. I'm watching now. |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Dec 6, 2016 14:23:46 GMT -5
Have you seen Listed Sisters? It's like Property Brothers but with women, in Nashville - I think they are Indian? So far I think there's only been one season, but they're pretty cute. Oh neat! Yeah, they definitely might be Indian. And they are cute. I'm watching now. And I apologize wholeheartedly if I got their ethnicity wrong, there isn't a lot of background info about them online. But either way it's nice to see more WOC on HGTV. |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 6, 2016 15:06:28 GMT -5
Oh neat! Yeah, they definitely might be Indian. And they are cute. I'm watching now. And I apologize wholeheartedly if I got their ethnicity wrong, there isn't a lot of background info about them online. But either way it's nice to see more WOC on HGTV. Under the circumstances, it's not that important. At least, I think if it was important to them, they would say so. |
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Post by Dr. Rumak on Dec 7, 2016 6:19:08 GMT -5
Thoughts on HGTV (aka, MTV for yuppies): Every time I watch Flip or Flop, I think to myself, "these people are such whiners!" which reinforces certain stereotypes about Southern Californians. Along the same lines, I marvel at the popularity of Fixer Upper, the blandest show about the blandest white people in Texas remaking every house to look the same. At least Love It or List it had some crackling chemistry between the hosts and Property Brothers have a (somewhat forced) sibling rivalry--being Canadian though, everybody still comes across as genial. Rehab Addict is my favorite because it's educational, in the vein of the classic, This Old House. Plus, she's a plucky single mom and as an atypical American homeowner (single, childless, POC) she's the only host I can kind of relate to. What I like about Flip or Flop is that it gets done in 30 minutes what the others seem to take a full hour to do. I like Love It or List It (although apparently it may just be complete staged), but I can just watch the first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes and not feel like I missed anything. |
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Post by Not a real doctor on Dec 7, 2016 10:14:01 GMT -5
Thoughts on HGTV (aka, MTV for yuppies): Every time I watch Flip or Flop, I think to myself, "these people are such whiners!" which reinforces certain stereotypes about Southern Californians. Along the same lines, I marvel at the popularity of Fixer Upper, the blandest show about the blandest white people in Texas remaking every house to look the same. At least Love It or List it had some crackling chemistry between the hosts and Property Brothers have a (somewhat forced) sibling rivalry--being Canadian though, everybody still comes across as genial. Rehab Addict is my favorite because it's educational, in the vein of the classic, This Old House. Plus, she's a plucky single mom and as an atypical American homeowner (single, childless, POC) she's the only host I can kind of relate to. Goddamn do I hate Fixer-Upper. The whole recent "oh, and they belong to a conversion-therapy church" thing just adds to it. It's almost always on at the gym when I go there in the late afternoon and yes, it's just the whitest white that ever white-ed. I'll have to check out Rehab addict if it's in the vein of TOH. |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 7, 2016 11:36:17 GMT -5
Thoughts on HGTV (aka, MTV for yuppies): Every time I watch Flip or Flop, I think to myself, "these people are such whiners!" which reinforces certain stereotypes about Southern Californians. Along the same lines, I marvel at the popularity of Fixer Upper, the blandest show about the blandest white people in Texas remaking every house to look the same. At least Love It or List it had some crackling chemistry between the hosts and Property Brothers have a (somewhat forced) sibling rivalry--being Canadian though, everybody still comes across as genial. Rehab Addict is my favorite because it's educational, in the vein of the classic, This Old House. Plus, she's a plucky single mom and as an atypical American homeowner (single, childless, POC) she's the only host I can kind of relate to. Goddamn do I hate Fixer-Upper. The whole recent "oh, and they belong to a conversion-therapy church" thing just adds to it. It's almost always on at the gym when I go there in the late afternoon and yes, it's just the whitest white that ever white-ed. I'll have to check out Rehab addict if it's in the vein of TOH. Yup. In one show they mentioned off-hand that they home school their kids and I thought, "of course you do". Unfortunately, I think what repels me (the WH-WH-whiteness) is what appeals to a certain surprisingly large segment of the population. They're Genericana. The TV equivalent of The Lumineers. |
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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Dec 7, 2016 17:15:39 GMT -5
What I like about Flip or Flop is that it gets done in 30 minutes what the others seem to take a full hour to do. I like Love It or List It (although apparently it may just be complete staged), but I can just watch the first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes and not feel like I missed anything. I don't watch any of the renovation shows currently on TV, but I do have a fondness for the genre. Reading that link to the Love It or List It story on TOC, though, reminded me of when Hugs was finishing up her time in college, at a top theater school. She was in the technical theater program (as a stage manager), and around her senior year Trading Spaces became hugely popular. Her last semester, there were job postings all over the department for people with set design and set building experience, to be the builders for the stream of knock-off shows that followed. So, again, I've always really liked seeing remodel TV shows, but have always been highly suspicious of the build quality. Knowing that they didn't have house builders working for them -- they had set builders. (Anyone remember waaaaaay back in the day, pre-Trading Spaces [when the short-turnaround remodel thing took off], when HGTV had a show called "Before & After"? Where they featured what seemed to be actual home remodels that they admitted took, like, 24 months and went 600% over budget all the time? I always loved that show, especially because the before house would be this modest little three-bedroom ranch or something, and they'd end up with a 30,000 square foot, 8 bedroom neo-Tudor monstrosity without a single recognizable remodeled element.) |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 7, 2016 17:57:00 GMT -5
What I like about Flip or Flop is that it gets done in 30 minutes what the others seem to take a full hour to do. I like Love It or List It (although apparently it may just be complete staged), but I can just watch the first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes and not feel like I missed anything. I don't watch any of the renovation shows currently on TV, but I do have a fondness for the genre. Reading that link to the Love It or List It story on TOC, though, reminded me of when Hugs was finishing up her time in college, at a top theater school. She was in the technical theater program (as a stage manager), and around her senior year Trading Spaces became hugely popular. Her last semester, there were job postings all over the department for people with set design and set building experience, to be the builders for the stream of knock-off shows that followed. So, again, I've always really liked seeing remodel TV shows, but have always been highly suspicious of the build quality. Knowing that they didn't have house builders working for them -- they had set builders. (Anyone remember waaaaaay back in the day, pre-Trading Spaces [when the short-turnaround remodel thing took off], when HGTV had a show called "Before & After"? Where they featured what seemed to be actual home remodels that they admitted took, like, 24 months and went 600% over budget all the time? I always loved that show, especially because the before house would be this modest little three-bedroom ranch or something, and they'd end up with a 30,000 square foot, 8 bedroom neo-Tudor monstrosity without a single recognizable remodeled element.) I'm afraid I don't remember this show, but it did remind me of, in my opinion, the best renovation show of all time (not counting TOH): Daikazou Before & After, a Japanese show I used to watch on Sunday mornings when I was an English teacher in rural Kagoshima prefecture. Things to love about this show: the gentle narration, the humility of the participants, the real life problem-solving, the 'barrier-free' design philosophy and innovation, the dioramas! Too bad I can't find an English sub anywhere...but at least my Japanese is still good enough to follow it on youtube. |
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Dec 7, 2016 19:41:05 GMT -5
The only reno show I used to watch regularly (other than TOH) was the one with that really beefy guy in the overalls who constantly whined about other contractors work. My favourite part was when he was talking about things like choice of tiles - there's a reason you don't hire contractors to do interior design. It reminded me of working construction when you'd be on-site and a big arguments would break out over things like the aesthetics of sconces. Let a contractor do your design work and you'll get walls in eggshell Landlord White and fittings from the 90s.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 7, 2016 20:00:38 GMT -5
The only reno show I used to watch regularly (other than TOH) was the one with that really beefy guy in the overalls who constantly whined about other contractors work. My favourite part was when he was talking about things like choice of tiles - there's a reason you don't hire contractors to do interior design. It reminded me of working construction when you'd be on-site and a big arguments would break out over things like the aesthetics of sconces. Let a contractor do your design work and you'll get walls in eggshell Landlord White and fittings from the 90s. Mike Holmes? That guy is awesome. I have one of his books. |
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Dec 7, 2016 21:31:46 GMT -5
The only reno show I used to watch regularly (other than TOH) was the one with that really beefy guy in the overalls who constantly whined about other contractors work. My favourite part was when he was talking about things like choice of tiles - there's a reason you don't hire contractors to do interior design. It reminded me of working construction when you'd be on-site and a big arguments would break out over things like the aesthetics of sconces. Let a contractor do your design work and you'll get walls in eggshell Landlord White and fittings from the 90s. Mike Holmes? That guy is awesome. I have one of his books. Yeah, that's the guy. I'd totally hire the guy if I knew I could go 20 times over budget. He's very "there's some moisture here - we'll need to get an excavator and completely replace the foundation", which is way too privileged for my blood. |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 7, 2016 21:43:03 GMT -5
Mike Holmes? That guy is awesome. I have one of his books. Yeah, that's the guy. I'd totally hire the guy if I knew I could go 20 times over budget. He's very "there's some moisture here - we'll need to get an excavator and completely replace the foundation", which is way too privileged for my blood. Yup, now I can't stop myself from demanding vapor barriers everywhere. Still, his righteous indignation is a welcome departure from most HGTV hosts, who clearly cut corners and give no thought to long-term problems. I have The Holmes Inspection and it's a good handbook that describes in detail how a house is put together (or should be put together). |
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Dec 7, 2016 22:09:18 GMT -5
Yeah, that's the guy. I'd totally hire the guy if I knew I could go 20 times over budget. He's very "there's some moisture here - we'll need to get an excavator and completely replace the foundation", which is way too privileged for my blood. Yup, now I can't stop myself from demanding vapor barriers everywhere. Still, his righteous indignation is a welcome departure from most HGTV hosts, who clearly cut corners and give no thought to long-term problems. I have The Holmes Inspection and it's a good handbook that describes in detail how a house is put together (or should be put together). Yeah, vapour barrier is great until it isn't and you end up with a sick building. I'm really not liking the thing lately where houses are sealed so tightly that they need to have mechanical systems for cycling air out, lest you get moisture build up and rot. A house shouldn't stop breathing if it gets unplugged. (NB - my house is 120 years old and is draughty as hell. I may freeze to death, but at least it won't be stuffy) |
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Baron von Costume
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Post by Baron von Costume on Dec 8, 2016 10:14:11 GMT -5
Holmes seems like a genuinely good dude and has done a ton of great charity work and raised a lot of awareness/scholarship money for skilled tradespeople in Canada.
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Post by Albert Fish Taco on Dec 9, 2016 19:22:22 GMT -5
The only reno show I used to watch regularly (other than TOH) was the one with that really beefy guy in the overalls who constantly whined about other contractors work. My favourite part was when he was talking about things like choice of tiles - there's a reason you don't hire contractors to do interior design. It reminded me of working construction when you'd be on-site and a big arguments would break out over things like the aesthetics of sconces. Let a contractor do your design work and you'll get walls in eggshell Landlord White and fittings from the 90s. I thought that as a Canadian you were required to watch Holmes On Homes? |
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 11, 2016 18:50:52 GMT -5
OK, I just checked Amazon for rock salt, thinking I could save myself the trouble of going out in the cold to track it down locally and I could utilize my Prime membership to order a heavier quantity than I would want to handle in person. The 10 lb. jugs that are easy to spread are $12-20, which is double the price at Lowe's or even Walgreens. What up with that? Is Amazon jacking up the price because much of the country is under snow?
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Post by Ben Grimm on Dec 11, 2016 21:31:37 GMT -5
OK, I just checked Amazon for rock salt, thinking I could save myself the trouble of going out in the cold to track it down locally and I could utilize my Prime membership to order a heavier quantity than I would want to handle in person. The 10 lb. jugs that are easy to spread are $12-20, which is double the price at Lowe's or even Walgreens. What up with that? Is Amazon jacking up the price because much of the country is under snow? The margin on that stuff tends to be razor thin, so Amazon is probably upcharging what they do on most items. Amazon's prices on most things that you can get at a grocery store are terrible, in my experience. |
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