leaves are the suck.

i'll leave it at that.



hiyooooooo!

[Edited on November 29, 2010 at 2:15 PM. Reason : .]

11/29/2010 2:14:47 PM

atleast you don't have to bag em up this time of year....that's what i hate most.

11/29/2010 4:18:42 PM

falling leaves are stupid.

11/29/2010 9:31:04 PM

Quote :

"^ I'm just saying "fuck it" til after new years. My neighbor has a monster tree that sheds about a trash bag's worth of leaves on my yard on the daily. Once it stops I'll get on it. But I'm not wasting a couple hours every week to do something that will be covered up in two days."

I'd like to take that approach, but every winter i end up with dead grass after we get a bunch of rain on top of fallen leaves. I'm trying to stay on top of it this year but we'll see how that goes

11/30/2010 9:01:39 AM

I did a prelim raking the other day... took me all of 10 minutes... i'm going to have to go back and do it for real though... i might just mow my lawn once more for the winter and mulch the remaining leaves.

11/30/2010 9:59:04 AM

I think I am going to mow once more as well. I have all those longer, thin leaves and they are really annoying to rake especially in a bermuda yard.

11/30/2010 10:49:35 AM

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/DN-mortgage_01nat.ART.State.Edition1.4b7c428.html


[Edited on December 2, 2010 at 1:11 PM. Reason : .]

12/2/2010 1:07:07 PM

Quote :

"The mortgage size would be capped at $500,000"

Not too worried...

12/2/2010 1:11:36 PM

What i keep hearing is everyone's interest deduction will disappear or be replaced with something not near as beneficial

12/2/2010 1:24:25 PM

I hear fire will rain from the heavens...

12/2/2010 4:20:28 PM

I know talk is cheap, but this is going up for vote along with several other proposals

12/2/2010 4:39:28 PM

i did the infamous double-mow today. mulch, then bag.

12/4/2010 7:45:15 PM

Are the patio doors that qualify for the tax credit noticeably more expensive than the stuff Home Depot/Lowes has available normally? (I'm going to run over there myself sometime, just asking out of curiosity before I go).

We really want to get rid of the patio door we have off of our kitchen. It is a pretty crappy one that doesn't slide well and most of all we are not a fan of the mounted vertical blinds that are unattractive and just get in the way.

We would like to replace the sliding glass door with either a new sliding door or a 1 operable pane/1 stationary pane patio door (No preference b/w vinyl, steel, or wood I guess...whatever is cheaper here). In both cases the key is that we would like to get the horizontal blinds in between the window panes so we can eliminate the need for any blinds physically being in the room.

Looking on the Lowes and HD sites it looks like the french doors (w/ 1 operable door/pane) are a few hundred cheaper than the sliding doors, so I'm not sure which one we'd go with (the sliding is definitely nice as far as door-swing space goes but not sure if it is worth $200.

12/7/2010 12:35:22 PM

My HVAC is fucking nuts. I sent a desperation email to my contractor this morning asking him for help (since he built the damn thing that doesn't seem to be working well). He responded that he would get right on it. I just have a feeling it's going to cost a pretty penny.

Situation re-hashed:

Old house originally built in downtown Charleston in 1891...but nobody had lived in it in 50 years and had become dilapidated. Contractor bought house on the cheap, tore it down, and rebuilt it. Unfortunately downtown Charleston has severe restrictions on building houses (no double pane windows and no AC ductwork underneath the house). My house is two stories, about 1,200 sq ft, close to equal footage on both floors. Thermostat is upstairs, 4 vents upstairs, one in 2nd bedroom, one in bathroom, and two in master bedroom. Only two vents downstairs (one in kitchen and one in den, open floorplan) and they are high right next to the ceiling.

Downstairs is dead cold. Upstairs is a fucking sauna. Started off last night with heat set at 68. Woke up 3 times...last time put the heat all the way down to 61...was still hot when I woke up. Thermostat is next to the stairs so it gets a lot of cold air coming from downstairs and just constantly blows heat.

Was not too big of a problem when it hit 50...but now that the temperature is hovering around 30 and dropping below that at night, it's become a HUGE comfort problem. I bought the most expensive space heater from Lowes last night and it barely made a difference, so I returned that this morning. Obviously there are not enough vents blowing out hot air downstairs and the ones that are, are too high. Heat is being blown out above head level and it just keeps rising. Too many vents upstairs and the thermostat is in a poor location.

Don't know how this is going to be fixed. Probably going to need a smaller system downstairs. What's my cheapest option on that front?

[Edited on December 7, 2010 at 12:45 PM. Reason : .]

12/7/2010 12:44:25 PM

you could probably go the mini split route.

does your house currently have ceiling fans?

12/7/2010 12:53:58 PM

^Yes. Fan in each bedroom and den/dining room. No fan in kitchen.

What is the mini split route?

12/7/2010 12:54:43 PM

http://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewcategory.cfm?categoryID=97

That is the mini split style. (think hotel room)

If you run the ceiling fans in reverse during the winter, it circulates the air to more evenly heat the house by mixing the extremes.

[Edited on December 7, 2010 at 1:03 PM. Reason : moar]

12/7/2010 1:02:38 PM

^Thanks. That's looking like a definite possibility unless my contractor can pull something out of his ass. I need to settle my big case so I won't feel bad about dropping a grand on something like that.

12/7/2010 1:16:20 PM

Quote :

" I just have a feeling it's going to cost a pretty penny."

I hope you are talking about the contractor here. Shouldn't cost you a dime being that it is a design issue. If he is anything like these guys doing the rehabs in my neighborhood he probably used the cheapest Hvac guy that he could find.

Just my opinion. It's also pretty standard that a builder provide a one year warranty for items such as this.

12/7/2010 3:32:01 PM

I wonder if radiant heat in the floor would be a good solution to JBrick's issue.

The "no double pane windows" rule sounds ridiculous. Any reason behind it?

What's the reason for no vents under the house? Concerns about flooding?

I'd seriously consider plumbing in my own vents under the house and just not telling anyone. You can always rip it out when you sell the house if it's an issue.

[Edited on December 7, 2010 at 3:40 PM. Reason : s]

12/7/2010 3:40:10 PM

Quote :

"What's the reason for no vents under the house? Concerns about flooding?"

I'm under the flood zone.

I'm lucky in that the neighborhood next to me is waaayyy under the flood zone so that in the heavy rains I don't even get puddles, but it keeps me from having shit like AC duct and vents underneath the house for insurance reasons (flood insurance sucks as well).

Quote :

"The "no double pane windows" rule sounds ridiculous. Any reason behind it?"

The downtown Charleston Board of Architectural Review is probably the worst in the country. You can't change shit on any old house downtown. I remember when I was renting downtown 6 years ago and my landlord was just trying to repaint his house the same color after it had faded...cops drove by and made him stop painting and he had to wait 5 hours while they went to the BAR and found out what color his house was and then allowed him to start painting again.

It's a pain in the ass, but it's also what makes downtown Charleston beautiful.

12/7/2010 5:33:37 PM

if you're doing mini-split, make sure you get a Mitsubishi. Those are amazing.

12/7/2010 6:11:56 PM

Downstairs is dead cold. Upstairs is a fucking sauna.

Same damn problem in my townhouse (built 2005) only the thermostat is downstairs.

12/7/2010 10:52:53 PM

You could always ask neighbors in similar style houses if they have the same issues. When they say no then you can rule out the windows and no vents in the floor ad being the issue. Sure they help but I bet it's a design issue.

12/7/2010 10:54:59 PM

Squirrels have found their way into my workshop attic. It's a 10'x14' or so building in the back yard...Stick built on a cinder block foundation.

I have been working in there probably 10 times in the last couple of months, but always at night when I guess they're not active. Never noticed a peep until I went in there during the day and heard what sounded like an animal dying. Couldn't find anything inside the shop. Walked around the perimeter and found that the fascia board just below the shingles on the back of the workshop had rotted a little and they ripped open a pretty wide hole. They're living in the space between my ceiling and the rafters. I have no way to access that space...The ceiling is basically sealed with no cutout for entry from the inside of the shop or anything like that.

The hole is actually big enough that it could be opposums, but I saw a bunch of squirrels eyeing me from the trees and I'm pretty sure they were the ones up there until I disturbed them. So, obviously I need to fix this asap. I hope they haven't had babies up there. Does anyone know if Lowes/Home Depot stocks those one way door things that you put over holes so the rodents can escape, but can't get back in? I'm thinking I'll put one of those up for a week. After one week I'm throwing in a bunch of rat poison, patching the hole, and repairing the shingles. Open to other suggestions if anyone has a better method.

[Edited on December 15, 2010 at 4:11 PM. Reason : s]

12/15/2010 4:07:07 PM

you could probably just patch it during the day sometime if you're sure there aren't babies. they're ususally out and about then.

Quote :

"one week I'm throwing in a bunch of rat poison, patching the hole, and repairing the shingles"

that'd work if you don care about any stench from dead rodent


Appraiser came by yesterday...Keeping my fingers crossed that the value comes back high enough to refi w/o having to pay any more on the principle.

12/15/2010 5:09:19 PM

I'm kind of assuming that any animals that can get out will get out during that time that the one way door is up. I doubt anything will be left, but if it is there isn't a whole lot I can (easily) do about it.

12/15/2010 5:43:53 PM

Had a pipe freeze running to my kitchen sink 2 nights ago. Dad recommended I use a blow dryer to thaw it out and amazingly it worked. No leaks to speak of.

But it definitely screwed up my day, but I'm so incredibly grateful it didn't do any more damage.

12/15/2010 10:38:01 PM

^ Better open all your cabinet doors so the heat from your house gets to the pipes more easily and leave the faucets on a drip until the temps come back up above freezing if that is happening to you.

12/16/2010 1:59:25 AM

the pilot flame on my gas logs seems a bit large to me, so i've been cutting it off when i turn the logs off. is this normal size?

12/16/2010 11:27:22 AM

Update on my heat/cold situation if anyone cares...

Sat down with several HVAC guys and my contractor and we determined that I needed to get a second system for my downstairs. Cost me $1,100 but my house is now warm and cozy.

12/16/2010 12:31:52 PM

Anyone have any suggestions on how to check/fix a water heater? It seems I can only manage lukewarm in my house nowadays. I know nothing on this topic so any advice would be great.

12/16/2010 1:32:08 PM

^^$1,100 is pretty cheap for a new system. Did you get a mini-split?

12/16/2010 2:23:51 PM

^^^^ Pilot light for a gas fireplace. should have about the same size flame as a standard cig lighter

^^ Is your water heater gas? You might be able to increase the the flame size on the burner.

12/16/2010 3:01:42 PM

Quote :

"$1,100 is pretty cheap for a new system. Did you get a mini-split?"

Nope. Got another thermostat for downstairs and he put up a smaller system in the attic, cut off the entrance from the upstairs system into the downstairs vents and hooked them up to the new system.

12/16/2010 3:26:39 PM

^^ see that's what i thought

this is like 3 super lighters. one of the logs is actually red from the heat of one of the flames. i think the triple flame is normal, but i need to adjust the pilot (somehow).

12/16/2010 3:31:05 PM

^^ Sounds like you got a zone kit which is what I would have recommended you get.

12/16/2010 5:01:36 PM

I am looking into installing an own alarm system into my prewired home:

message_topic.aspx?topic=606347


Help my thread in Tech Talk if you have any input

12/16/2010 5:12:43 PM

^^^^If I were your GC I would have paid. Irritates me that some of these guys charge a premium price for these remodels and cant even get the HVAC design correct. He should have stepped up to the plate IMO.

12/16/2010 8:13:52 PM

Quote :

"If I were your GC I would have paid. Irritates me that some of these guys charge a premium price for these remodels and cant even get the HVAC design correct. He should have stepped up to the plate IMO."

i didnt read the whole thread but this depends on who did the design. GC's arent engineers. also, if it was determined up front that the customer needed it, he wouldve paid for it in the initial estimate. its not as if the customer paid for the same thing twice. further, you have be careful that you dont overkill a design up front and cost people unnecessary money either. i hate when engineers do that.

now if the GC screwed something up, he should pay for it but HVAC can be a little tricky and thats why people go to school to be ME's. i wouldnt put that on a GC.

12/18/2010 11:00:13 AM

^ you act like this is some huge amount of square footage or some crazy design... it is a simple design that any reliable HVAC sub should be able to design in house. More than likely he went with the cheap guy and he got the cheap product/service.

I was just saying that if it were me it would have been my cost. At the very least my hvac sub and I would have split the cost.

12/18/2010 11:30:11 AM

^I'm a little torn on the situation myself.

I've lived in houses in downtown Charleston, and the heating problem I faced is fairly common. It almost always happens in houses that are below the flood zone (such as mine) where you can't have vents on the floor or duct work underneath the house. And add that to the fact that the B.A.R. doesn't allow double-paned windows and that all these old homes are quite drafty...and you see where the problems comes from.

Do I think he could have done a better job with the initial work?? Probably...but I don't think it would have made that big of a difference. He was handcuffed on where he could put the thermostat upstairs (there's a small hallway between both bedrooms). IMO, it has to go in the hallway, but that position is what made the upstairs so hot because the freezing cold air from downstairs was hitting the thermostat, therefore making the vents blow tons of hot air in the bathroom. I think another vent in the hallway would have controlled the thermostat a little better...but still not enough.

His options downstairs were limited as well. I'm definitely not an expert, but considering the design of the house, he was handcuffed on where he could put those as well.

Just the combination of everything multiplied the problem. Bottom line was that I think had he known it was going to be that bad, he should have put in the second system before I bought the house. But it's kind of a guess to whether not it was going to be necessary and I feel like he probably didn't think it was going to be considering the small dimensions of the house...and the profit on that house had been dwindling, so I can't blame him for not wanting to put another grand into it.

Of course I didn't like shelling out the $1,100...but I think in the long run it's going to make the house that much more comfortable and probably keep the electric bill down (although the bill has been awesomely low to begin with).

12/18/2010 2:29:13 PM

So if it is a common problem, should they have known upfront?

I guess since I see what goes on in my neighborhood from day to day these kinds of situations frustrate me. People pay a premium for these homes that have been fully renovated but don't exactly get a premium product. Not saying thats what happened to you but I dont think $1100 will break the guy. Why not at least offer to pay for half?

[Edited on December 18, 2010 at 5:07 PM. Reason : ..]

[Edited on December 18, 2010 at 5:08 PM. Reason : ...]

12/18/2010 4:57:23 PM

I'm looking at starting a compost pile with all of these damned leaves I have in the backyard. Any suggestions? I know some of you people have done this. Did yall buy a fancy tumbler, or what?

12/19/2010 6:59:59 PM

Do i need to get a building permit if i plan on replacing the decking boards on my patio? The structure is sound but the decking boards are in poor shape and I want to replace them with weather treated decking boards.

12/19/2010 7:18:01 PM

^No. You're not changing the structure so you don't need a permit.

12/19/2010 8:41:28 PM

Appraisal came back ~$10,000 more than I expected

12/21/2010 11:21:07 AM

Quote :

"I'm looking at starting a compost pile with all of these damned leaves I have in the backyard. Any suggestions? I know some of you people have done this. Did yall buy a fancy tumbler, or what? "

composting leaves doesn't work so well because of their high lignin content.

12/21/2010 12:33:54 PM

Hmmm I better tell that pile of leaves in my back yard that turned into dirt that they shouldn't be composting!!

12/21/2010 7:35:06 PM

How long were they there? Leaves will compost, it just takes so long that it isn't worth bothering unless you just have space you don't care about and can leave them there all year. While that is happening, you have an ugly pile of leaves to look at.

12/23/2010 7:58:46 AM