The New "Home Improvement" Thread

[siddious]

18 hours ago, The Dude said:

Well pressure tank quit. It's been done for a while.

 

Easy job, but everything that could go wrong---- did.  Fuck well water in its ass. And fuck plumbing in general. Copper sweat unions ARE NEVER A GOOD IDEA! Resist the urge to make servicing a unit easier.

I feel you. 
 

fridge went out on us the other day. Was a 2 min easy fix but still $400 of repairs. Been a brutal summer in terms house stuff for us.

Edited September 11, 2023 by siddious

[Pete]

So the bottom closer in my storm door is attached by 2 screws, that go directly through the closer into the metal door. The hole on the door is so how stripped so the screw won't tighten.

 

Any ideas? I was going to fill with an epoxy putty and then re-screw but open to other options. 

[jsm7302]

3 hours ago, Pete said:

So the bottom closer in my storm door is attached by 2 screws, that go directly through the closer into the metal door. The hole on the door is so how stripped so the screw won't tighten.

 

Any ideas? I was going to fill with an epoxy putty and then re-screw but open to other options. 

Go to the hardware store and go one size up on the screws. Second option is to stuff newspaper into the holes and give that a shot.

[siddious]

17 minutes ago, jsm7302 said:

Go to the hardware store and go one size up on the screws. Second option is to stuff newspaper into the holes and give that a shot.

Or a match stick or a broken piece of shin. Just enough to jam the screw up a bit when you screw it in. 

[Pete]

1 hour ago, jsm7302 said:

Go to the hardware store and go one size up on the screws. Second option is to stuff newspaper into the holes and give that a shot.

 

1 hour ago, siddious said:

Or a match stick or a broken piece of shin. Just enough to jam the screw up a bit when you screw it in. 

We'll give it a shot. Right now I tried plumbing tape and it didn't really do much. 

[siddious]

Not home but car… dropped my Jeep off this morning to get serviced and the guy was trying to sell me New tires. Do these look like they need to be upgraded? 
 

i don’t know shit about tires but they don’t look THAT bad to me

 

[Ozzy]

Still have decent tread there Pete...I'd keep those babies through winter, and get new ones in the spring.

[Albatrosss]

rotate them.  are these front tires?  if so, switch them with the back ones.  Front tires get worn out faster than back ones.  

you got another 20-30K miles in them

[siddious]

43 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

Still have decent tread there Pete...I'd keep those babies through winter, and get new ones in the spring.

 

thank you I didn’t think they were so bad but I’m no car expert

15 minutes ago, Albatrosss said:

rotate them.  are these front tires?  if so, switch them with the back ones.  Front tires get worn out faster than back ones.  

you got another 20-30K miles in them

That’s exactly what we did! 
 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by siddious

[Albatrosss]

1 minute ago, siddious said:

 

thank you I didn’t think they were so bad but I’m not car expert

That’s exactly what we did! 
 

 

you're golden

[jsm7302]

1 hour ago, siddious said:

Not home but car… dropped my Jeep off this morning to get serviced and the guy was trying to sell me New tires. Do these look like they need to be upgraded? 
 

i don’t know shit about tires but they don’t look THAT bad to me

 

Did you drop your car off to a chain car repair shop like Mavis or Midas?

 

They are known to work for up selling customers.

[siddious]

5 minutes ago, jsm7302 said:

Did you drop your car off to a chain car repair shop like Mavis or Midas?

 

They are known to work for up selling customers.

Yea it was a Midas. I take my fleet car for work there because I don’t have a choice and the guy who usually runs it is pretty decent so I started taking my jeep there too. Never had an issue (and pay a lot less than I used to at a regular mechanics) but it was some other dude today. 

[Cash or Czech]

Whoever thought it was a good idea to move to a townhome community with an HOA, be asked and then join said HOA board, and then realize prior boards fucked you financially and you need roofs, is fucking stupid.

 

Oh yeah, I'm that fucking stupid.

[siddious]

2 hours ago, Cash or Czech said:

Whoever thought it was a good idea to move to a townhome community with an HOA, be asked and then join said HOA board, and then realize prior boards fucked you financially and you need roofs, is fucking stupid.

 

Oh yeah, I'm that fucking stupid.

I can’t think of one good reason to live in a HOA neighborhood 

[Cash or Czech]

1 hour ago, siddious said:

I can’t think of one good reason to live in a HOA neighborhood 

 

Well, living in Westchester and not paying $20k in property taxes is nice. Having the roofs and all exterior of my home be the HOAs responsibility was in theory really nice. And now cleaning up the mess these assholes have created for the last 5 years is nice, I guess. And since I'm on the board, I get to help pick the vendor and we picked a damn good one.

[siddious]

1 hour ago, Cash or Czech said:

 

Well, living in Westchester and not paying $20k in property taxes is nice. Having the roofs and all exterior of my home be the HOAs responsibility was in theory really nice. And now cleaning up the mess these assholes have created for the last 5 years is nice, I guess. And since I'm on the board, I get to help pick the vendor and we picked a damn good one.

What you pay in HOA fees is significantly less than taxes? 

[Cash or Czech]

29 minutes ago, siddious said:

What you pay in HOA fees is significantly less than taxes? 

Taxes and HOA are about $15k combined but includes all exterior house elements (roof, siding, deck, masonry), trash removal, snow removal, landscaping, pool and a clubhouse

[Pete]

3 minutes ago, Cash or Czech said:

Taxes and HOA are about $15k combined but includes all exterior house elements (roof, siding, deck, masonry), trash removal, snow removal, landscaping, pool and a clubhouse

But the offset is you don't actually own much property. 

[Cash or Czech]

31 minutes ago, Pete said:

But the offset is you don't actually own much property. 

Correct. I basically own everything in my four walls and can do whatever I want with that. Outside, not mine. But clogged gutters? Submit a ticket. Wasp nest building on the garage door? Submit a ticket. Cracked boards on my deck? Ticket. 
 

And if you don’t trust the chucklefucks in charge, become a chucklefuck in charge. Until you deal with the minority of chucklefucks that are upset about everything and then wanna chucklefuck off to 100 acres of privacy. We got fucked from prior boards and a bad management company. Digging out has not been fun. Which is why I came here to rant about roofing lol

Edited December 8, 2023 by Cash or Czech

[Albatrosss]

Thats like owning a co-op. You own a co-op but you dont actually own anything. 

[Cash or Czech]

7 hours ago, Albatrosss said:

Thats like owning a co-op. You own a co-op but you dont actually own anything. 

 

Kind of but not exactly. A co-op you own a % of the property. In this community I own everything within my walls.

[siddious]

12 hours ago, Cash or Czech said:

Taxes and HOA are about $15k combined but includes all exterior house elements (roof, siding, deck, masonry), trash removal, snow removal, landscaping, pool and a clubhouse

I can see the allure of not having to be responsible for all of that. I re did my roof, drive way, fence, and my garage as soon as I bought this house and it wasn’t cheap. I just always hated the idea of someone telling me what I can and can’t do with my house- especially since the general idea of moving out of the city for me was to have space and do cool stuff in the backyard. I plan on building a small (roller) hockey rink out there in the next couple of years for my kid. But on the flip side this house has been nothing but stress since I got it so I guess your way isn’t so bad lol

[Pete]

11 minutes ago, siddious said:

I can see the allure of not having to be responsible for all of that. I re did my roof, drive way, fence, and my garage as soon as I bought this house and it wasn’t cheap. I just always hated the idea of someone telling me what I can and can’t do with my house- especially since the general idea of moving out of the city for me was to have space and do cool stuff in the backyard. I plan on building a small (roller) hockey rink out there in the next couple of years for my kid. But on the flip side this house has been nothing but stress since I got it so I guess your way isn’t so bad lol

If You lay down sport court, you should look into making it the same size as one of those quick rinks so you can drop ice on top of it in the winter if it gets cold enough. 

 

When we redid our patio we resodded our entire back lawn, but there are some areas where we just don't get great grass because of the shade. I'm now kicking myself for just not building a mini rink.

 

I still can, but I'd have to rip out some shrubs and put it in the back corner... I'm just too lazy to do it. 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Pete

[siddious]

Just now, Pete said:

If You lay down sport court, you should look into making it the same size as one of those quick rinks so you can drop ice on top of it in the winter if it gets cold enough. 

Thats exactly what I was going to do. BUT in 2 years of living on the island now I have counted 1 stretch of time where it remained below 32degrees for more than like 3 days and that was around last xmas so I dont even know how viable an ice rink would be here.

 

Was also considering doing blacktop asphalt instead of sportcourt as its probably cheaper and i think its actually a better surface for roller blades than sport court (at least in my experience). I know they sell those tarps you can put over concrete, where you can then pour water on it to create ice. But I am not entirely sure if that would still damage it or not.

[Pete]

4 minutes ago, siddious said:

Thats exactly what I was going to do. BUT in 2 years of living on the island now I have counted 1 stretch of time where it remained below 32degrees for more than like 3 days and that was around last xmas so I dont even know how viable an ice rink would be here.

 

Was also considering doing blacktop asphalt instead of sportcourt as its probably cheaper and i think its actually a better surface for roller blades than sport court (at least in my experience). I know they sell those tarps you can put over concrete, where you can then pour water on it to create ice. But I am not entirely sure if that would still damage it or not.

Personally, My experience is quite the opposite and wouldn't do asphalt. Why bother with all that wear and tear on sticks and wheels? You'll be going for new wheels every 3 months. I just got my kid rollerblades a few weeks ago and he plays every day and is already grinding the shit out of the wheels that came with them. 

 

That said, if it's outdoor and uncovered then asphalt seems the path of least resistance in terms of getting it dry and playable.