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

[RMC]

I'm beginning to wonder. I don't see water anywhere or erosion but in the last year my usage went from 1000 to 2000 gallons in a two month span to 3000 to 4000 gallons in a two month span and I know my increased cleaning and weaker aging bladder do not account for a 35 gallon a day every day increase to around 70 gallons of usage every single day?!? I've been thinking about calling to have someone check the through put on my meter. I have no idea how that would work or who in the city to begin with.

They have some mathmatical thing that does the check, mine was fairly easy. And all fixed today, the fitting at the main pulled apart. You could see the water streaming out of the box when the guys were working on it. I contracted with a good 'ole boy, and he even charged me almost 5k for everything. But when you have to dig like 5 feet down, and spend three hours repairing a pipe, I can understand the cost. Sigh..

[Daehawk]

I painted a small part of the side of my house today. Not as much as I had hoped to. With
my busted hands, rotator cuff inhury and bad knees it felt like everything was broken trying to go up and down on a ladder and hand paint wit ha brush. My left hand really was in severe pain...liek a crap that wasn't a crap. So didn't get a lot done. one side the chimney area. Still have the bigger other side, two more sides, and the entire back. I think I might have to put all that off and wait until i can afford a roller brush next month...really wanted to be done this month and get my home ins but that seems a major no go.

[mori]

I was not planning on this but it seems I will be getting into hydroponics. I wanted an indoor grow tent to help with my citrus and tropical trees during the winter. What I ended up ordering from Amazon was a 48"x48"x80" grow tent. Takes up about a 1/4 of a spare bedroom. I don't smoke the wacky stuff but I might as grow some since I have the set up now.

[Daehawk]

Good Lord I just had to replace 2 of the 3 bolts that hold the tank onto the toilet. The other way water started pouring out on the floor. The entire tank emptied right there. What a mess. If id had carpet I feel sick thinking about it. but i dotn so dodged that.

But I did have to repalce both bolts. the tank has 3 but only 2 broke. Well 1 broke so i ordered 2 as i planned to replace the other side anyways.

That is a back BREAKER having to reach down around behind and up under the toiler blind. I had one hand holding a screwdriver on the bolt inside the tank and with one hand I had to thread a washer and rubber washer and THEN get the wing nut started. Holy Jesus that was hard.

Then when I got the bolt in I musta jarred it cause I started letting water in ...and into the floor..wth. I looked and saw a 3rd bolt in the back that had broken and fallen out while i worked on this one. $@$%!$@%%

So had to use both new bolts and leave one old one in it and pray it holds . Ill order another bolt next month when I can spare $10. Yikes. But its working..for now. Yay me. Ouch back.

[TheMix]

... did you not turn off the water, flush, and then use a cup to empty out the tank????

There should have been no water in the tank to drain onto the floor....

[stessier]

... did you not turn off the water, flush, and then use a cup to empty out the tank????

There should have been no water in the tank to drain onto the floor....

I mean that's one way to do it. Not the only way, of course.

[Daehawk]

When the bolt failed and emptied the tank I shut off the water. I put a bucket in my tub. I have a drippy faucet in the tub so it saved the water that would normally be wasted and I used it to flush.

When I fixed the bolt i let enough water in to cover that bolt..thats when I discovered the OTHER broken bolt and lost only that small amount of water. Then fixed the other bolt....its full of water now after I let it sit a while with just a little in it.

[Daehawk]

Well it took 14 years but one of the bulbs in my outside floodlight has gone out. im very surprised they lasted so long. Luckily I have a Sylvania backup bulb to install. bad news is its in the side thats a bitch and a half to get a ladder set up to reach. I have thorn laden holly bushes in front of the house and getting a ladder leaned against them is hell. i dread tomorrow.

[LordMortis]

2025 very likely is the year I suck it up and get a new roof. How does one shop for a roofer?

[Isgrimnur]

By recommendation.

[coopasonic]

How does one shop for a roofer?

Around here they knock on the door every couple of days telling you that you need a new roof.

[Punisher]

2025 very likely is the year I suck it up and get a new roof. How does one shop for a roofer?

Find neighbors who have had recent roof work.
Get ladder
Jump up and down on their roof.
If you fall through, skip that roofer.
If the roof survives, add them to a list.

[Kraken]

My cats informed me that there are mice going about their business under our kitchen sink, dishwasher, and range. I hadn't seen them myself and my pantry is undisturbed, so that was a watch-and-wait situation. When they invaded the silverware drawer to gnaw a basting brush into its constituent atoms, they forced my hand. (The silicon brush probably held some unresistable residual oil.)

The first exterminator quoted me $6,500 to nuke them from orbit and salt the earth, plus $80/mo for one year to make sure that neither mice nor any other vermin would dare to afflict us again.

The second, whom I hired, proposed a more targeted approach that will cost $1,050 plus $90/mo for a year. If we aren't happy with the results we can still salt the earth at any time...but it's gonna be around $7,000 to completely mouse-proof the whole house.

Both plans include insect treatments as needed, which I already know will be needed because killing carpenter bees was a condition of our purchase agreement.

The second approach will cost more if I ultimately decide to turn my house into a fortress against rodents, but I don't think it will come to that because I only need to take them out of sight and mind. If the cats can't detect them, Wife won't. Even if I spent the big bucks on the impervious barrier, mice would find a way (unless I pay for the semi-monthly inspections forever). That's just the reality of having a big warm house in wintry woods.

[EvilHomer3k]

That seems crazy expensive. When we get mice I put out a live trap and keep it out until they're gone. We don't get them often but it works pretty well. When we catch one I take it a few miles away and drop it off in a wooded grassy area with some food. Yeah, I know they'll probably die of starvation but I would rather give them a chance to live then just kill them. Thankfully it's only about once per year in November. Usually when we go on vacation. It used to be more but I went around the house and sealed up a few spots where we had gaps. This year I did my garage and that helped. It's amazing how small of a gap they can squeeze through.

[Kraken]

I followed both inspectors on their rounds, and they both found the same evidence in the same places. The activity that Wife and I and our cats are aware of is the tip of the iceberg. We only have a light infestation, but they've made themselves comfortable in a lot of obscure places over the years, and mice like to return to familiar places. One thing I learned is that they don't come into your house looking for food, but rather for warmth and safety. 'Course, they'll take your food if they happen across it, but our cats discourage them from becoming too bold.

They're going to use snap traps inside the house, then set poison baits outdoors. The traps will all be placed out of sight and out of reach of the cats. They use a third-generation toxin that will only harm non-rodents if they eat a lot of poisoned mice. They'll keep refilling those feeders until mice stop taking the bait because they've died. This should all happen within 4 weeks.

[Punisher]

Couldn't you just put out traps yourself?

Or just print out a no mice sign and if they violate it call the cops to arrest them for trespassing?

[Anonymous Bosch]

I followed both inspectors on their rounds, and they both found the same evidence in the same places. The activity that Wife and I and our cats are aware of is the tip of the iceberg. We only have a light infestation, but they've made themselves comfortable in a lot of obscure places over the years, and mice like to return to familiar places. One thing I learned is that they don't come into your house looking for food, but rather for warmth and safety. 'Course, they'll take your food if they happen across it, but our cats discourage them from becoming too bold.

They're going to use snap traps inside the house, then set poison baits outdoors. The traps will all be placed out of sight and out of reach of the cats. They use a third-generation toxin that will only harm non-rodents if they eat a lot of poisoned mice. They'll keep refilling those feeders until mice stop taking the bait because they've died. This should all happen within 4 weeks.

C'mon, you reside in the land of Lovecraft; just hire a sepulchral aberration who owns ferrets, terriers, or preferably both, and they'll eliminate the problem for you in no time at all:

[Isgrimnur]

See if you can figure out when:
1) I had the initial water leak worked on
2) the new leak started



See if you can figure out when I had the new leak fixed.

[Isgrimnur]

In the three weeks since they replaced my water line and there was an open trench, I got no contact from Roto Rooter. In the two week after, I got a little bit of information from my plumber and quoted dates that were missed after I initiated repeated calls.

I called and yelled at management this morning. They had their contracted work crew at my house in under three hours.

[Skinypupy]

It is completely impossible to find anyone to hire to do home repair projects right now.

I have two fairly large projects I've been trying to get bids on. One is ripping up and leveling the yard and pouring a 2,500 sq ft concrete pad so Little B 16.0 has someplace to park the car. The second is getting about a 20 foot section of fence moved from the front to the back of the house, installing a 12' gate, and replacing a 4' gate on the other side of the house.

I've now called 13 concrete companies to get a bid, and have received a call back from ONE. The guy came out and gave me a bid (with a $30K price tag that about made me choke) but I have no idea if he's crazy high or right on target because I can't get a single other company to come out and bid on it.

The fence is even worse. I've called 15 companies, and (again) received a call back from ONE company. He gave me a bid that sounded reasonable, so I called him back 3 days later to let him know I'd like to get the project started. That was nearly two weeks ago, and I've called, texted, and emailed him several times without a single response.

So even when they do respond, and even when I accept the bid, and even when I practically beg them to let me give them my money to do the work...I still can't get anyone to come do it. I'm so fucking annoyed.

[Madmarcus]

It's trivial compared to some of the projects I see on here but I have to repaint (pigmented stain actually) the deck. I did it two years ago when we moved in and I really thought it should last more than two years!

[RMC]

My hot water tank died, knew it was going too, but still sucked. Went and watched some youtube videos, as they have really changed how to put them in since the last time I did it.

Plus this one was an electric hot water tank we put in when we put in our Geothermal furnaces. It is a big boy, at 80 gallons, and cost a lot more than the normal 50 gallon ones. But there is a supply house for mostly contractors only a little bit from my house, so got it there.

Was able to slap it in over the weekend, and no leaks, and lots of hot water again. Had to get my oldests fiance to help me move the old one out, and the new one in, but other than that, easy peasy...