Home Projects (upkeep/repair/mods/cool sh*t/advice/question)

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Tue Nov 07, 2023 7:05 pm

Just about ready to connect the drain line under my bathroom sink. I really hope that chrome drain thru the granite doesn't leak. Seems like they could design those a little better. Connecting the supply lines under there was a pain, just had to give up on the idea of me contorting enough to Teflon tape those threads, they'll just have to get by with the plumbing thread sealant stuff. I was afraid if I squeezed my second shoulder into that opening I wouldn't be able to get back out.

Giving it a few more hours for the silicone to dry totally before I go yanking on that drain.

Did my last circular sawing today. I really really really hate when I have the guard tied back, and then forget about it when I sit the saw down. I put a little scuff in my porch tile when I sat the saw down.

On the plus side I'm probably the only person who would notice. You can't really trim a 1/4 inch off a board without tying the guard back as it gets caught up on the discard otherwise.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Nov 07, 2023 8:56 pm

Im going to need a new toilet next year I think. This one is from 1993. I remember when they put it in. Its scratched and the tank stuff is flaky.

Do they still make the ones that use lots of water? Are those that let you choose small flush or large flush good?

Just curious about toilets .

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue Nov 07, 2023 9:14 pm

Daehawk wrote: Tue Nov 07, 2023 8:56 pm Im going to need a new toilet next year I think. This one is from 1993. I remember when they put it in. Its scratched and the tank stuff is flaky.

Do they still make the ones that use lots of water? Are those that let you choose small flush or large flush good?

Just curious about toilets .

I've only reseated them (and done all the internals replacement of course), never replaced one. If I were buying new, I would certainly get one with racing stripes, or maybe a flame down the side...not sure who keeps buying the gloss white, milquetoast ones.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Nov 07, 2023 9:25 pm

Toto bidet toilet or nothing!

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Tue Nov 07, 2023 10:26 pm

Replaced toilets but I’ve had a plumber who was a big guy like me and knew his stuff. We thought we had issues with a toilet seal, but it turned out the builder didn’t put the glue in both parts of the PVC piping to that bathroom so it wasn’t secure (aka only dry fit). Replaced the whole run of pipe as well as the toilet, and moved a closet wall so he could get access.

I still ended up with an elongated, sturdy toilet in the master bath.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 2:03 pm

Just moved this into the flower bed that goes along the middle and side of our house.

I have another 5 yards coming tomorrow. The first load took me a week to move out of the driveway and then into the flower bed. I have to get the next load in by Monday night as it's going to rain all week.

Then I'm hiring a landscaper to run a water line from the front of the house to the flower bed and install the drip system for future planting.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 3:44 pm

naednek wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 2:03 pm Just moved this into the flower bed that goes along the middle and side of our house.

I just see a white screen with a minus sign in the middle.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 3:54 pm

I see nothing.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 4:59 pm

I see dead people.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 5:08 pm

All the guts for a toilet are available. They just aren't quite as cheap as they used to be, but cheaper than buying an entire toilet. If the seal between the tank and seat isn't leaking don't mess with that. Those can be fickle. Either an aftermarket bidet or a bum gun is definitely a worthwhile addition. You can save a good deal of money on toilet paper with either of those. They're good for people who are getting too fat to be able to get at their junk, I should have one. LOL

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 5:45 pm

naednek wrote:Just moved this into the flower bed that goes along the middle and side of our house.

I have another 5 yards coming tomorrow. The first load took me a week to move out of the driveway and then into the flower bed. I have to get the next load in by Monday night as it's going to rain all week.

Then I'm hiring a landscaper to run a water line from the front of the house to the flower bed and install the drip system for future planting.

Let's try this again

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:21 pm

FWIW the pics showed up fine for me, the first time you posted.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 7:42 pm

First time I've seen them. Don't raise the ground level above the top of your slab or crawl space. Don't cover any crawl space vents either.

Made the fourth or fifth trip back to Lowes and finally got the last piece I need for the sink drain. Put it all together and hurray! No leaks anywhere. Really happy about that, you never know until the end. Faucet works good, little bit worried about that since I got it off facebook marketplace.

Grind a bit of old caulk off the tub and put the new non-slip down and I'm done. Oh, and put some Tapcons in where the screen porch metal came loose I'm guessing from Irma.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 7:42 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:21 pm FWIW the pics showed up fine for me, the first time you posted.

Same

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 9:38 pm

I see them now. Find any dinosaurs in there?

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 3:10 am

Oh, and don't pile the dirt up around the plants or trees. Make it sort of like an empty bowl so the dirt level remains the same around the base of the plants. They'll probably die if you don't do that. Think about is as not covering their root ball with any extra dirt.

I spoke too soon. I have a tiny leak on my darn p trap. I'm going to get some new sealing rings and try that as I used the original ones from the 1980s. If that doesn't work I'll resort to a little Teflon tape too. Good thing I keep a great big tub under my sink. That's a sink tip, never know when something might happen. My line is just pvc and it's pretty long, pretty easy to bump it with something getting stored under there which might knock things out of alignment. So one more trip to Lowes.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Fri Nov 10, 2023 5:44 am

$8.00 more in parts with one more trip to Lowes and finally my "new" p trap doesn't leak. I guess those 80s seal rings were past their prime. They had some new red seal rings marked "heavy duty" so I went with those.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Dec 15, 2023 3:52 pm

I tried this on Reddit, but didn't get any hits, thanks to the practice of people voting down every post to promote their own. I thought I'd try here:

I have a hobby lamp, a nice one. It's the type that has a post (1/2" / 12.7mm) on the bottom, normally mounted on a C-clamp around the back of the desk that has a hole in it for the post.

My desk is positioned poorly for it, leaving it too close to the wall without a lot of room to retract without scratching up said wall.

I'd like to drill a hole in the top of the desk and put it in there. That part's easy enough. The problem is that my desk is an old prefab from the 90s made of cheap particle board, and the top's only about 1/2 an inch thick. The stress of moving the lamp around in the hole would cause it to crumble.

I am posting to find a way to reinforce the hole without just strapping huge chunks of wood to the desk. Ideally it would be some sort of tall gromet with an interior the right diameter that is threaded on the outside (so that I can put washers/bolts on it above and below the desk), but that's an awfully specific thing, and I haven't been able to find anything. The closest I've been able to find to improvise this is lamp rods, which are hollow rods that are threaded for their entire length, but they're the wrong size.

I've also seen various commercial products that are similar, but none of them give the inside diameter - they're made by lamp companies for their own lamps, so they just give compatible numbers (for products that don't list post size.)

Does anybody know where to get such a thing, or an alternate solution?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Dec 15, 2023 4:04 pm

Huh, after two days of searching, I've finally found something that would at least work.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 4:59 pm

Looking for advice or experience with preventing thieves getting through plywood boarded up doors and windows in a vacant (but not empty) house.

My childhood home, which should have been sold years ago...but my Mom won't let it go even though she can't stay there. She has had a guy redo the locks, and after several break ins, put plywood over the doors and windows and screw into woodwork.

I was up there a couple days ago and they got in again...simply unscrewed the screws, removed the plywood, and broke a door panel to reach in and unlock.

No wifi on site, and I think we have discussed trail cameras at one point on here, but that requires frequent trips to replace batteries, view footage, etc. Not to mention anything reachable (by her) would be easily visible by the thieves.

I know what the actual answer is here (clear out house, sell house), but just looking for a temporary solution to prevent continued break-ins if possible. I fixed the motion sensor light that shines brightly on the door they broke in, but that didn't even deter them apparently, as they broke in again since I left.

My uncle was telling me about one way screws but then how would they be removed by us when we want to get in? I guess I am looking for anti-tamper options maybe.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:05 pm

Install security doors?

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:14 pm

This may sound like a strange question, but why are people continuing to break into it? Is it clearly abandoned and people think there is something valuable inside?

At this point, would installing an actual alarm system be worth it? That isn't going to stop someone from breaking in, but it might discourage them to move on to another house. If you go that route, I'd just let local police know what the plan is.

Stessier's plan would work, but then you need to also put bars over the windows (I'd think) as they'd just try to gain entry through an easier method. And that would include windows on another floor. If they think something valuable in in there and there's no risk for taking their time? Anything short of metal bars will likely be defeated - and even there, what's stopping them from using a grinder?

Sorry you're dealing with it; has to be insanely frustrating.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:20 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 4:59 pm Looking for advice or experience with preventing thieves getting through plywood boarded up doors and windows in a vacant (but not empty) house.

…

My uncle was telling me about one way screws but then how would they be removed by us when we want to get in? I guess I am looking for anti-tamper options maybe.

Reinforce the doors by installing deadbolt locks with a minimum 1-inch throw and a reinforced strike plate. Better yet, add sufficient door reinforcement kits to reinforce all weak points on your doors, and make it much harder to kick them in.

For the windows? Install window key-operated locks on all accessible windows. Consider also installing window security bars or grilles on vulnerable windows, especially those on the ground floor or basement. Applying window security film will make it more difficult to break the glass, too.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:23 pm

I nailed plywood to the framing inside the front door instead of outside on a friend's empty house. Hung a curtain up between them behind the glass so you couldn't even tell it was a boarded up door. Even if you uses screws they won't be able to get at your screws that way. If you use ring shank nails instead of screws they won't be pulling those off very fast. Problem is they'll probably bring a stolen battery powered circular saw with them and just cut their own little dirty skank criminal door in your plywood. Otherwise you might choose screws with star or square drives instead of phillips or flat tips, but the scum might have tips for those types of screws as well.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:29 pm

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:20 pm
Carpet_pissr wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 4:59 pm Looking for advice or experience with preventing thieves getting through plywood boarded up doors and windows in a vacant (but not empty) house.

…

My uncle was telling me about one way screws but then how would they be removed by us when we want to get in? I guess I am looking for anti-tamper options maybe.
Reinforce the doors by installing deadbolt locks with a minimum 1-inch throw and a reinforced strike plate.

Use double cylinder dead bolts that require a key from either side to be operated, and use some blue (medium strength) thread lock on the bolts that hold the two cylinders together.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:31 pm

em2nought wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:29 pm Use double cylinder dead bolts that require a key from either side to be operated.

Potentially against state/local fire code; might be an insurance issue if something untoward happens.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:33 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:31 pm
em2nought wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:29 pm Use double cylinder dead bolts that require a key from either side to be operated.
Potentially against state/local fire code; might be an insurance issue if something untoward happens.

Hmm, never heard of that, but I don't doubt it. You'd think it would be required to be noted on the packaging in states that it is so.

They don't care about the plywood being present?

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:51 pm

em2nought wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:33 pm They don't care about the plywood being present?

I could totally imagine a scenario where someone breaks in through a plywood-sealed window and then while inside, there's some type of fire and for whatever reason they die trying to get out the door with a keyed deadbolt. At that point, their surviving family sues our Tinkle-Rug friend and we're all scratching our heads.

Brian · Post by **Brian** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 10:52 pm

Our bathroom remodel project took a step forward.
We met with the contractors to pick out the shower tile, shower floor, bathroom floor, grout, and fixtures.

Deposits will be made on Monday and materials ordered.

Project should be completed by mid February.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Sat Jan 06, 2024 1:41 am

One of these trip alarms would sure be a fun totally illegal way to deter a break in

https://farmmachinery.tv/shotgun-shell- ... at-happens

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Sun Jan 07, 2024 12:59 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2024 5:14 pm This may sound like a strange question, but why are people continuing to break into it? Is it clearly abandoned and people think there is something valuable inside?

At this point, would installing an actual alarm system be worth it? That isn't going to stop someone from breaking in, but it might discourage them to move on to another house. If you go that route, I'd just let local police know what the plan is.

Stessier's plan would work, but then you need to also put bars over the windows (I'd think) as they'd just try to gain entry through an easier method. And that would include windows on another floor. If they think something valuable in in there and there's no risk for taking their time? Anything short of metal bars will likely be defeated - and even there, what's stopping them from using a grinder?

Sorry you're dealing with it; has to be insanely frustrating.

Very, very frustrating, thanks. My mother is the clinical defition of a hoarder (and has two houses, an apartment, and at least three large storage units). She's 83, now requires a walker or at least a couple of canes to get around, and still insists that she's going to "clean up" the house one day and move back in. It will never happen. The house needs probably $60K worth of work, and that does not include cleaning out the stuff that is literally about 1/4 to the ceiling (higher in some places). I would post pics but it's too depressing honestly. Just trust me that it's as bad and much worse than many of the episodes I've seen on the Hoarders TV show.

ANYway, to answer your question: they are breaking in because they can:
1. Very little lighting.
2. Corner lot with no house to one side
3. She refuses to have the MASSIVE tea olive bush cut that hides and darkens the rear entrance to the house (their preferred break in spot because of this reason). The thing is probably as old as me, and literally arches OVER the house at this point. Getting rid of that thing, or at least cutting it WAY back would probably decrease the odds of further break-ins by 30% or more. But cutting it also means she loses her "privacy" and she would be able to see the town homes they built pretty close behind her. Note that she does not live here.
4. There's a LOT of stuff in there! It's like breaking into 4 houses for the price/time/effort of one in terms of booty. How much is actually valuable is debatable I guess, but I guess it's just the sheer volume of stuff vs the value of any one or few pieces/items. A LOT of it is just junk she's bought from Goodwill/thrift stores.

I thought about an alarm, but again, since no one lives there, it's going to be set off and no one to know, or turn it off. No internet there, so this is challenging as well. I would not want her to be slapped with a "nuisance" citation or worse from the police for letting her alarm just...alarm for hours or whatnot. Neighbors complaining, etc. As determined as the thieves have been, I don't think a smaller, localized alarm (like those doorstop/touch activated) alarms at 120dB would do much good either.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:06 pm

Insanely bright motion sensor lights?

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:08 pm

Which house does your mom live in? If she doesn’t live there, cut back the bushes and it’s not like they’re going to grow back. Who is going to tell her?

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:15 pm

em2nought wrote: Sat Jan 06, 2024 1:41 am One of these trip alarms would sure be a fun totally illegal way to deter a break in
https://farmmachinery.tv/shotgun-shell- ... at-happens

As a kid me and my cousin would take a shotgun shell and cut the actual shot part off from the primer part. Then we'd set the primer up on something and shot at it wit ha BB gun. Whoever could make it pop first from furthest away won. It was me. I was a dead aim shot wit ha bb gun from a long way off. Also I use to sit and shoot apples off the apple tree from at least 200 feet.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Sun Jan 07, 2024 2:26 pm

Zarathud wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:08 pm Which house does your mom live in? If she doesn’t live there, cut back the bushes and it’s not like they’re going to grow back. Who is going to tell her?

Perhaps it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission in this case?

My cousin is a hoarder. It's funny to see good tools rotting in the weather in favor of totally useless stuff being sheltered under roof. At least she doesn't hoard garbage like some on those TV shows, but her entire house has like a forest path thru it, every room is just a path that's barely wide enough for me to navigate when she asks me to look after her place while she's away.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Jan 07, 2024 4:51 pm

Zarathud wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:08 pm Which house does your mom live in? If she doesn’t live there, cut back the bushes and it’s not like they’re going to grow back. Who is going to tell her?

Or just wait for a strong wind to 'accidentally' blow it over...

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Sun Jan 07, 2024 5:38 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2024 4:51 pm
Zarathud wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:08 pm Which house does your mom live in? If she doesn’t live there, cut back the bushes and it’s not like they’re going to grow back. Who is going to tell her?
Or just wait for a strong wind to 'accidentally' blow it over...

That's even better. Little white lie that only helps fight against her destructive nature. Buy her some kind of dwarf plant afterwards to make up for what the wind did. So much winning!

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Sun Jan 07, 2024 5:42 pm

Yeah, given what you've said I think anything you can do to keep people out of there is going to be worth cutting down a shrub (at a minimum). If someone actually starts a fire in there, the shrubs are going to be an afterthought...

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Jan 10, 2024 3:49 pm

Are mailbox flags all a standard fit? Can I just order any flag from online and put it on? Ive had mine patched with a red solo cup piece cut to fit lol.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Wed Jan 10, 2024 4:59 pm

Daehawk wrote: Wed Jan 10, 2024 3:49 pm Are mailbox flags all a standard fit? Can I just order any flag from online and put it on? Ive had mine patched with a red solo cup piece cut to fit lol.

EDIT: Double post.