LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Mar 13, 2017 10:25:02 GMT -5
This weekend is the big estate sale at my grandmother's house (she now lives in assisted living). The family already got their chance to browse through and take what they wanted, which wasn't much for me honestly, but AFTER the sale I can have my prize: SHELVING! Her garage is absolutely to the ceiling with crap, none of which I want, but all of that crap is sitting upon these awesome wire shelving units that I dibs'd on first sight. We've given the estate people instructions, so I'll be so pissed if they sell those shelves to someone!
Once I have those I'll commence with a major clean up and organization project in my garage. I'm going to pull everything out, thoroughly clean it (again, it has to be de-catted), paint the floor, throw a bunch of shit away, remove some existing shelving to replace with my new shelving, and return everything in an orderly, organized fashion. It will finally be a space I won't feel gross walking in barefoot. It will be glorious.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 13, 2017 13:05:35 GMT -5
On Thursday March 2 our water heater leaked all over the floor right as we were trying to finish packing for vacation. Thankfully I think it's just a washer on the intake pipe but we soaked it up and turned the water off and will deal with it tomorrow. It was a weird night. We are now getting a new water heater with new valves etc to the tune of $1200. In case you missed it I also got laid off on March 2 so this is fun slash terrifying.
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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Mar 15, 2017 13:00:35 GMT -5
This weekend is the big estate sale at my grandmother's house (she now lives in assisted living). The family already got their chance to browse through and take what they wanted, which wasn't much for me honestly, but AFTER the sale I can have my prize: SHELVING! Her garage is absolutely to the ceiling with crap, none of which I want, but all of that crap is sitting upon these awesome wire shelving units that I dibs'd on first sight. We've given the estate people instructions, so I'll be so pissed if they sell those shelves to someone! Once I have those I'll commence with a major clean up and organization project in my garage. I'm going to pull everything out, thoroughly clean it (again, it has to be de-catted), paint the floor, throw a bunch of shit away, remove some existing shelving to replace with my new shelving, and return everything in an orderly, organized fashion. It will finally be a space I won't feel gross walking in barefoot. It will be glorious. OMG, an orderly garage is the GREATEST THING EVER. Our whole big garage adventure is juuuuuuuuust about over now, and I can't even begin to describe how happy it's making me. And I'm not even thinking about the amazing gym space we built upstairs. It's the garage itself that's surprising me. Over a decade's worth of junk piled up in a disorganized heap because we couldn't really park the cars in there anyway... now all weeded out mercilessly. We had so much crap out there, mostly because we had all that space, so we didn't need to go through it all. Extra furniture from combining two households? Put it out in the garage -- maybe we'll find a use for it someday. Bikes no one ever rides? Eh, they'll fit out there. Rusted-out, broken, and unusable garden supplies and tools? Just shove them onto the shelves in the back and ignore them. ALL OF THAT STUFF IS GONE NOW. The shelves in the back room have been cleared out and organized! The things we need access to are easily accessible! The things we don't need immediate access to are accordingly stowed! The things that seemed to exist solely as a place for mice to piss and poop all over ARE GONE! It is no longer cobwebby and terrifying to reach for the light switch! The garage door isn't two extra feet wider than standard, so it can be lifted without calamity by a motor! And for the first time in over 11 years, I am parking my car indoors! It's HEAVENLY.
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Mar 16, 2017 17:53:53 GMT -5
On Thursday March 2 our water heater leaked all over the floor right as we were trying to finish packing for vacation. Thankfully I think it's just a washer on the intake pipe but we soaked it up and turned the water off and will deal with it tomorrow. It was a weird night. We are now getting a new water heater with new valves etc to the tune of $1200. In case you missed it I also got laid off on March 2 so this is fun slash terrifying. Gas? I've replaced a couple electric water heaters myself and they're like a third of that price. And not that difficult to replace, though awkward as fuck to get in place - it's really a two-person job.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 16, 2017 18:13:14 GMT -5
We are now getting a new water heater with new valves etc to the tune of $1200. In case you missed it I also got laid off on March 2 so this is fun slash terrifying. Gas? I've replaced a couple electric water heaters myself and they're like a third of that price. And not that difficult to replace, though awkward as fuck to get in place - it's really a two-person job. Yes, ours is gas. That included a new valve and the labor, but one guy did it in about an hour. it's certainly possible it could've been done for less but I trust this plumbing co as much as one can and we were really in a bind.
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Mar 16, 2017 18:23:56 GMT -5
Gas? I've replaced a couple electric water heaters myself and they're like a third of that price. And not that difficult to replace, though awkward as fuck to get in place - it's really a two-person job. Yes, ours is gas. That included a new valve and the labor, but one guy did it in about an hour. it's certainly possible it could've been done for less but I trust this plumbing co as much as one can and we were really in a bind. Yeah, gas is not something to fuck around with. Electricity just shorts out when you do something stupid - gas fills your house with CO.
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Post by ganews on Mar 16, 2017 18:46:39 GMT -5
Yeah, gas is not something to fuck around with. Electricity just shorts out when you do something stupid - gas fills your house with CO. When my good friend and fellow homeowner was re-tiling his kitchen himself, he had to move the stove and discovered that it was connected to the gas main without a valve. Unwilling to risk it himself, he paid a professional to cut the line and install a valve. Sure enough, the pro did what anyone of us would have done: cut the pipe and hold his thumb over the end while putting the valve in place.
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Baron von Costume
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Post by Baron von Costume on Mar 17, 2017 15:59:18 GMT -5
So much snow melting, poor dog is just trying to find anywhere she can stay dry while pooping which is of course making trying to get at said poop to clean it just a joy. Still spring may be in sight now... countdown to a mad race to getting my garden wall built the moment the ground is thawed enough to tamp it down properly as a base. Much as I'm going to enjoy when that's done it's going to be a four day weekend of backbreaking labour I think
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 19, 2017 21:43:17 GMT -5
Our dryer is now 5 years old and has a convoluted ducting system and things are taking forever to dry (I'm pretty sure shoving a ton of towels in with clothes isn't helping either). Aside from balancing the loads better I would like to vacuum out what I can from the lint trap/vent. Has anyone had any experience with the various kits on the market?
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Mar 22, 2017 19:51:35 GMT -5
Our dryer is now 5 years old and has a convoluted ducting system and things are taking forever to dry (I'm pretty sure shoving a ton of towels in with clothes isn't helping either). Aside from balancing the loads better I would like to vacuum out what I can from the lint trap/vent. Has anyone had any experience with the various kits on the market? Never used a kit, I always just periodically unscrew as much of the machine as I need to and use the crevice tool and upholstery brush on the vacuum. If it's not too out-of-the-way, you might want to confirm how much hot air is coming out of the outside vent, just to confirm if there's a bad blockage or not. And because it's now a habit with me, I'll just point out that it is IMPORTANT TO CLEAN YOUR DRYER DUCTS. In the short time I was in the fire service here I was to more house fires that started in clothes dryers than fires from electrical shorts or pots left on stoves.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 22, 2017 20:41:38 GMT -5
Our dryer is now 5 years old and has a convoluted ducting system and things are taking forever to dry (I'm pretty sure shoving a ton of towels in with clothes isn't helping either). Aside from balancing the loads better I would like to vacuum out what I can from the lint trap/vent. Has anyone had any experience with the various kits on the market? Never used a kit, I always just periodically unscrew as much of the machine as I need to and use the crevice tool and upholstery brush on the vacuum. If it's not too out-of-the-way, you might want to confirm how much hot air is coming out of the outside vent, just to confirm if there's a bad blockage or not. And because it's now a habit with me, I'll just point out that it is IMPORTANT TO CLEAN YOUR DRYER DUCTS. In the short time I was in the fire service here I was to more house fires that started in clothes dryers than fires from electrical shorts or pots left on stoves. I need to get back behind the dryer and get the ducting, for sure. I had the vents cleaned a few years ago, sure we're due again, but the ducting is hella convoluted (I'm not entirely sure how it goes through the ceiling, but it's kinda long) and I don't think it vents very well to begin with. The guy said he didn't feel much hot air coming out after he cleaned it in the first place. there is a lot of stupid design in this town home, for sure
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Mar 23, 2017 9:07:28 GMT -5
Never used a kit, I always just periodically unscrew as much of the machine as I need to and use the crevice tool and upholstery brush on the vacuum. If it's not too out-of-the-way, you might want to confirm how much hot air is coming out of the outside vent, just to confirm if there's a bad blockage or not. And because it's now a habit with me, I'll just point out that it is IMPORTANT TO CLEAN YOUR DRYER DUCTS. In the short time I was in the fire service here I was to more house fires that started in clothes dryers than fires from electrical shorts or pots left on stoves. I need to get back behind the dryer and get the ducting, for sure. I had the vents cleaned a few years ago, sure we're due again, but the ducting is hella convoluted (I'm not entirely sure how it goes through the ceiling, but it's kinda long) and I don't think it vents very well to begin with. The guy said he didn't feel much hot air coming out after he cleaned it in the first place. there is a lot of stupid design in this town home, for sure
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 23, 2017 11:03:08 GMT -5
Welp, I climbed behind the dryer, removed the venting from the wall, and removed about two baseballs worth of dryer lint.
In addition to the long vent to the exterior (up a wall, through a ceiling and out) the tubing is that bendy kind and I know that tends to collect lint well; it's also not super-tightly sealed. So it's definitely inefficient. But hopefully getting a good chunk of lint out will help a bit.
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Post by chalkdevil 😈 on Mar 23, 2017 11:11:55 GMT -5
Our dryer is now 5 years old and has a convoluted ducting system and things are taking forever to dry (I'm pretty sure shoving a ton of towels in with clothes isn't helping either). Aside from balancing the loads better I would like to vacuum out what I can from the lint trap/vent. Has anyone had any experience with the various kits on the market? Never used a kit, I always just periodically unscrew as much of the machine as I need to and use the crevice tool and upholstery brush on the vacuum. If it's not too out-of-the-way, you might want to confirm how much hot air is coming out of the outside vent, just to confirm if there's a bad blockage or not. And because it's now a habit with me, I'll just point out that it is IMPORTANT TO CLEAN YOUR DRYER DUCTS. In the short time I was in the fire service here I was to more house fires that started in clothes dryers than fires from electrical shorts or pots left on stoves. So, this is a thing I should be doing? Huh. Well I've only been in the house for 8 years, should be fine...
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Post by ganews on Mar 23, 2017 12:38:29 GMT -5
Never used a kit, I always just periodically unscrew as much of the machine as I need to and use the crevice tool and upholstery brush on the vacuum. If it's not too out-of-the-way, you might want to confirm how much hot air is coming out of the outside vent, just to confirm if there's a bad blockage or not. And because it's now a habit with me, I'll just point out that it is IMPORTANT TO CLEAN YOUR DRYER DUCTS. In the short time I was in the fire service here I was to more house fires that started in clothes dryers than fires from electrical shorts or pots left on stoves. So, this is a thing I should be doing? Huh. Well I've only been in the house for 8 years, should be fine... Incorrect. I lived in my townhouse for 2.5 years, and when I did an inspection while trying to sell I found great wads of dryer lint in my duct. Some of it might have been from the previous owner, but either way it was not reported to me when I had a home inspection before buying. Check it out.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 23, 2017 12:51:48 GMT -5
Never used a kit, I always just periodically unscrew as much of the machine as I need to and use the crevice tool and upholstery brush on the vacuum. If it's not too out-of-the-way, you might want to confirm how much hot air is coming out of the outside vent, just to confirm if there's a bad blockage or not. And because it's now a habit with me, I'll just point out that it is IMPORTANT TO CLEAN YOUR DRYER DUCTS. In the short time I was in the fire service here I was to more house fires that started in clothes dryers than fires from electrical shorts or pots left on stoves. So, this is a thing I should be doing? Huh. Well I've only been in the house for 8 years, should be fine... Ideally they should be cleaned once a year. (I'm a hypocrite on this, but I'm gonna schedule a cleaning as soon as is feasible after I'm working again.)
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Post by Dr. Rumak on Mar 23, 2017 20:13:42 GMT -5
Urgh, so I reported the new neighbours to the town because they keep piling the snow from their driveway on my side yard and blocking access to my furnace oil tank. I told them in person and sent them a letter last month but they haven't gotten the picture. I keep wondering, is it me? Is shovelling your snow onto your neighbour's property a thing that everyone else but me does? I mean, it would be easier for me - I have to carry snow from the front of my house all the way to my back yard because the layout of my lot is so tight in the front. Nobody in my neighborhood would ever shovel snow in anyone else's yard.
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Post by Floyd Diabolical Barber on Mar 23, 2017 22:49:28 GMT -5
Urgh, so I reported the new neighbours to the town because they keep piling the snow from their driveway on my side yard and blocking access to my furnace oil tank. I told them in person and sent them a letter last month but they haven't gotten the picture. I keep wondering, is it me? Is shovelling your snow onto your neighbour's property a thing that everyone else but me does? I mean, it would be easier for me - I have to carry snow from the front of my house all the way to my back yard because the layout of my lot is so tight in the front. Nobody in my neighborhood would ever shovel snow in anyone else's yard. In my neighborhood you'd have to shovel your snow up into a truck and haul it 1/2 mile, and shovel it out again to put it in the neighbor's yard, so that rarely happens around here.
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Mar 28, 2017 11:23:37 GMT -5
Nobody in my neighborhood would ever shovel snow in anyone else's yard. In my neighborhood you'd have to shovel your snow up into a truck and haul it 1/2 mile, and shovel it out again to put it in the neighbor's yard, so that rarely happens around here. But its a total dick move when they do it though, right?
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GumTurkeyles
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Post by GumTurkeyles on Mar 30, 2017 9:04:52 GMT -5
Urgh, so I reported the new neighbours to the town because they keep piling the snow from their driveway on my side yard and blocking access to my furnace oil tank. I told them in person and sent them a letter last month but they haven't gotten the picture. I keep wondering, is it me? Is shovelling your snow onto your neighbour's property a thing that everyone else but me does? I mean, it would be easier for me - I have to carry snow from the front of my house all the way to my back yard because the layout of my lot is so tight in the front. I used to not do it, but my neighbor never goes to the 1 1/2 feet of property they have between my driveway and their house (to the point where I mow that small section of land), and that snow piles up pretty high, so I use it. However, I don't block/cover their meters, or their basement windows.
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GumTurkeyles
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Post by GumTurkeyles on Mar 30, 2017 9:09:22 GMT -5
So I'm getting my house staged to be put on the market for next week. I've been taking pictures of each room. Only around half-done, but I'm sneaking in this little statue of someone who needs to pee in every picture. Examples: Look in the bedroom on the right, on top of the cabinet. I'm having fun doing this, though it's hard in the completely empty rooms.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 30, 2017 10:42:24 GMT -5
Our roof was replaced last year, in late July. Last night it rained hard, and overnight I heard the distinct drip-drip-drip of a roof leak. Greaaaat. (We had one a few years ago, but it got fixed and I chalked it up to the old roof.)
The good news is we have an HOA that covers this sort of thing, so they've put in a work order with the roofers.
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Post by nowimnothing on Mar 31, 2017 14:54:01 GMT -5
So I am in the market for a new mattress. I refuse to go in any of the many many many mattress stores in the area, figuring that would be just asking them to rip me off. There are some shady discount stores around, I got my last mattress from one of them and it has been fine really. But I also do not want to look like I am being a cheapskate or my wife will complain. Should I just go to a big box store?
Any tips for mattress shopping?
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heroboy
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I must succeed!
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Post by heroboy on Mar 31, 2017 15:41:17 GMT -5
So I am in the market for a new mattress. I refuse to go in any of the many many many mattress stores in the area, figuring that would be just asking them to rip me off. There are some shady discount stores around, I got my last mattress from one of them and it has been fine really. But I also do not want to look like I am being a cheapskate or my wife will complain. Should I just go to a big box store? Any tips for mattress shopping? Seriously, if you have an Ikea in your area, check out their line of mid-priced foam/vinyl mattresses. They are surprisingly comfortable or the price, and you could likely fit a Queen-size in a car so you don't have to deal with deliverators.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Mar 31, 2017 15:41:59 GMT -5
So I am in the market for a new mattress. I refuse to go in any of the many many many mattress stores in the area, figuring that would be just asking them to rip me off. There are some shady discount stores around, I got my last mattress from one of them and it has been fine really. But I also do not want to look like I am being a cheapskate or my wife will complain. Should I just go to a big box store? Any tips for mattress shopping? We bought ours a year or so back - we wanted something very firm, and ended up getting one from Macy's (which was expensive as hell), but we got a great mattress that has done wonders for my back. What we found was that, for comparable mattresses, the price was about the same everywhere, and that the cheap ones were shit.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 31, 2017 16:08:41 GMT -5
So I am in the market for a new mattress. I refuse to go in any of the many many many mattress stores in the area, figuring that would be just asking them to rip me off. There are some shady discount stores around, I got my last mattress from one of them and it has been fine really. But I also do not want to look like I am being a cheapskate or my wife will complain. Should I just go to a big box store? Any tips for mattress shopping? the "price" on the tag is basically never what you pay, it's sort of like car shopping that way. And if you have a lot of competing stores you might actually be better off, although the models are always slightly different so you can't compare exactly. but basically don't be afraid to negotiate with the salespeople, there's a big markup on mattresses. make sure you get free delivery and haulaway and all that (IKEA notwithstanding)
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Post by nowimnothing on Mar 31, 2017 16:29:00 GMT -5
So I am in the market for a new mattress. I refuse to go in any of the many many many mattress stores in the area, figuring that would be just asking them to rip me off. There are some shady discount stores around, I got my last mattress from one of them and it has been fine really. But I also do not want to look like I am being a cheapskate or my wife will complain. Should I just go to a big box store? Any tips for mattress shopping? Seriously, if you have an Ikea in your area, check out their line of mid-priced foam/vinyl mattresses. They are surprisingly comfortable or the price, and you could likely fit a Queen-size in a car so you don't have to deal with deliverators. Nearest Ikea is about 2.5 hours, so a bit far just for a mattress. But I am curious about these newfangled foam and vinyl options. I worry about their firmness over time, how strong the edges are and if they retain heat more. Damn, I am probably going to have to go in a showroom aren't I?
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Baron von Costume
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Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
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Post by Baron von Costume on Mar 31, 2017 16:43:01 GMT -5
So I am in the market for a new mattress. I refuse to go in any of the many many many mattress stores in the area, figuring that would be just asking them to rip me off. There are some shady discount stores around, I got my last mattress from one of them and it has been fine really. But I also do not want to look like I am being a cheapskate or my wife will complain. Should I just go to a big box store? Any tips for mattress shopping? Hereabouts we have a local company that sells off show home furniture in an auction once a month. Among those things are still wrapped mattresses that have never been slept on that go for 20% of retail sometimes (for ridiculously good beds, I don't really get why the show homes put a $2000+ mattress in the bedroom...) May not be that way round where you are but worth a look probably. Especially if you're willing to do your research on what you like beforehand.
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Post by chalkdevil 😈 on Apr 3, 2017 15:19:06 GMT -5
Seriously, if you have an Ikea in your area, check out their line of mid-priced foam/vinyl mattresses. They are surprisingly comfortable or the price, and you could likely fit a Queen-size in a car so you don't have to deal with deliverators. Nearest Ikea is about 2.5 hours, so a bit far just for a mattress. But I am curious about these newfangled foam and vinyl options. I worry about their firmness over time, how strong the edges are and if they retain heat more. Damn, I am probably going to have to go in a showroom aren't I? We went with an Ikea hybrid mattress (spring with latex foam on top). We wanted a firm bed, liked the foam but felt they were overall too soft, and we were worried about the heat. So, the hybrid was the best option. It had the foam (although latex vs memory foam which was supposed to breathe more) and it is not as thick since the springs are underneath. We ended up really liking it and it help both our backs but probably anything new would have done that since we were on a 10 year old spring mattress. I guess you have those online mattress too. Like Casper or whatever podcasts are telling us to buy this week. I can't say I've ever used them but the people paid to talk about them like them.
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GumTurkeyles
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Post by GumTurkeyles on Apr 4, 2017 7:55:37 GMT -5
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