<sub>9

Been helping a friend paint so I can still feel no rush to buy something yet</sub>

4/21/2009 11:50:23 PM

My mother once protested the overinflated value of a rental property. The lowered the value. they then came to her main home, and raised it more than they lowered the rental property. True story.

4/22/2009 2:38:52 PM

Why would they come to her home if she just appealed the rental property value?

4/22/2009 5:03:24 PM

Well they tend to go around and appraise all the properties in the area at roughly the same time, I thought.

4/22/2009 7:45:37 PM

Or the guy looked for a way to screw her over.

4/22/2009 7:57:52 PM

Yeah, could be. But then if she wanted to she could probably pursue legal action against the city. I imagine the people working there aren't that moronic.

4/22/2009 9:29:58 PM

We're about to order some hardwood flooring and I was wondering if any of you have ever done any business with Dynamic Flooring Supply in Garner...they're offering pretty nice prices ($1.75 / sqft for 4" unfinished oak, delivered).

4/23/2009 12:23:42 PM

is that 3/4"?

if so doesn't sound bad

4/23/2009 5:12:24 PM

Yeah, 3/4"...we went with unfinished so we can match everything up when we do the addition.

4/24/2009 8:08:33 AM

Not a woe, but this seems like the best thread to put this.

1.5/1.05gal dual flush toilet - $102 at the Sam's on S Saunders

4/24/2009 10:38:08 AM

^^ sounds like a good deal - as long as its not their knotted wood.

4/24/2009 11:41:44 AM

My father-in-law went and got the quote from them the other day and said it was a real good quality for the grade we were getting.

4/24/2009 11:49:37 AM

Rebuilding the deck this weekend. It's mushy and sagging in a couple of spots. I'm looking forward to drinking a cooler of beer with some friends tomorrow though. Not really a "woe" except for the cost.

4/24/2009 1:57:04 PM

Painting and replacing the vanity top in the guest bath. Took the popcorn down last night. Primer's going up now.

4/25/2009 10:17:56 AM

Located rotting wood along the floor next to the dishwasher in the kitchen. Opening the cabinets under the sink reveals a bit of a mildew smell, which you can also smell if you run the dishwasher.

Looks like I'm going to replace the appliances and the cabinets and countertops sometime in the future. This place is an apartment, and it's not even mine, but that's not gonna stop me. (Dad bought it and I take care of it however I can.)

Now, back to using a magic eraser to cover up the fact that we beat the shit out of these walls.

4/25/2009 12:13:04 PM

anybody had their home broken into? my neighbor 2 houses down got robbed yesterday. our neighborhood doesn't have a history of robberies but it makes me a little uneasy

4/30/2009 11:58:37 AM

Will probably be replacing the AC unit upstairs at some point this summer. It was the original unit with the house, 20 years old.

I'll be seeing if I can get a "green" unit for the tax credit.

Also, i'm seriously considering tearing up my deck in the backyard to do something about the drainage. I believe she just built is without worrying about pooling water, so the mosquitoes are already horrible (breeding in standing water under deck)

Doesn't help that the wife has all these potted plants on the deck and waters them daily.

4/30/2009 1:53:39 PM

^^I've got a shotgun within arm's reach of my bed. I'm a light sleeper. If someone should try to break in, they'll soon be in a world of trouble.

That's all you need.

4/30/2009 2:54:30 PM

^^ I have the same problem with water pooling under my deck after ANY amount of rain and there isn't really an easy drainage solution. I thought about a french drain, but it would have to go right by my Willow tree and I'd destroy a good chunk of the root system. I thought about a dry well too, but I know far less about the cost and work involved and that doesn't mean that I do know much about the same for french drains.

To top it all off, the economies prevents me from doing jack shit about it. I need to find a job soon

4/30/2009 3:23:23 PM

^^ i generally try to resist the urge to kill people. and also, she got robbed during the day while she was at work. shotgun's not gonna help you there

4/30/2009 4:35:34 PM

i also resist the urge. i do, however, understand protection of my family if threatened, which i would consider myself should someone break in during the night.

that being said, doesn't help during the day. i really wouldn't know what to recommend other than a security system, but i don't have one. my in-laws do, but i'm not sure what company they're with...but the fire dept. shows up ultra fast whenever she burns something in the oven.

4/30/2009 9:00:31 PM

Ive always kind of operated under the mantra that I just need to make my house less attractive/a harder target than all of my neighbors to help prevent a break in.

I keep all my shrubs trimmed, have a lot of outdoor light. Fence gates are padlocked, etc....


Im actually really happy my neighbors never turn on thier outside lights, etc...

Let thier asses get robbed.


(As a side note, I do have a security system and guns).

4/30/2009 10:00:30 PM

seems like all the home break ins i've heard about happen during the day.

how many have you all heard about happening during the night (friends, family, tdub etc...not on the news)

4/30/2009 11:15:23 PM

the one that happened in my neighborhood happened over the summer in the middle of the day

4/30/2009 11:17:44 PM

They say most break-ins do happen during the day, but my wife is a stay at home mom.

5/1/2009 11:36:25 AM

most break-ins do happen in the middle of the day when ppl are at work. RMPD has been telling us to take different routes home occasionally and pay attention to people, keep an eye out for groups of 2-4 people with bookbags that you don't normally see around, lock all windows and put a screw in to keep them from being pried open, report ANYTHING AT ALL suspicious to the non-emergency police number. they said don't worry about bothering them, you're not, they would much rather come out and find nothing than the other way around.

oh and leave exterior lights on all the time, put lamps on timers (buy the ones that let you program for different time each day and switch them around sometimes), get motion sensing lights outside, and let the police know when you'll be out of town for an extended period (RMPD has a vacation watch program, dunno about raleigh/elsewhere).

[Edited on May 1, 2009 at 11:44 AM. Reason : ]

5/1/2009 11:43:30 AM

I always come in here looking for pictures of lawn sucess stories or renovations. I die a little bit each time I scan through an entire page with no photos. More photos of your home improvements please!

5/1/2009 7:26:53 PM

my lawn looks relatively nice and i finally had to mow it today (wisconsin snow helps put that off). now my muddy fucking pit is a different story.

i have a rock retaining wall about 8-10ft from my walk out lower level and it had terrible drainage. the area above it had a drain pipe to help but the dirt around it had eroded. so my plan has been...
1. plant grass at top of wall where it was mud to help avoid eroding
2. even out the dirt at the bottom to help it drain properly and not pool
3. plant some part-sun bushes down there (i've got 2 hosta, 2 bleeding heart, a lily, and an iris)
4. hope for the best

so far 1 has worked decently, 2 helped, 3 is done, but i need to weed more and put some mulch over the place so it isnt such a mess. maybe ill take a pic now (no befores but you can trust me it was bad).

5/1/2009 8:23:58 PM

moved into our new house thursday. wife was back in charlotte and stayed home (charleston) to do yard work. i pulled up a bunch of shitty bushes and planted some knockout roses, dwarf mondo grass and then picked up a pickup truck full of mulch. i will post pics when the wife gets back with the camera.

ohh and i also hung the fan in the bed room and living room. i am a productive bitch today.

5/2/2009 6:15:46 PM

I'll probably purchase ceiling fans in the next two weeks. Any suggestions?

5/3/2009 1:04:40 PM

hunter is the only ones that do not wobble

5/3/2009 9:27:00 PM

meh...they all wobble and are a bitch to get weighted correctly

oh, and you get what you pay for

5/3/2009 10:00:39 PM

Yeah, you do get what you pay for with ceiling fans. Of the hunter fans I have installed (three at my dad's rental house), none wobbled. Not even the ones I had that I buggered up the installations with. Didn't need to use the weights they came with or anything, they just worked like champs.

Also, make sure you pick the right size fan for the room. We just grabbed 2 hunter fans that were on sale plus one hunter fan which looked nicer for the master bedroom. Turns out that they were all a bit powerful for the rooms they were in. It was pretty sweet to run them on the highest speed and feel the wind go, though. Absolutely amazing fans (they threw the instructions manuals/plastic trash I had all around the room when I cranked em up to max, totally freaking awesome).

I'd put another vote in for hunter as they're quiet and good looking. Hit up the Lowe's or Home Depot clearance sections and keep an eye out for any deals. Also, anything mid-range or better at the store will probably be quite pleasing to you as far as quality goes. The cheapest are cheap for a reason.

5/3/2009 11:16:43 PM

Another vote for Hunter. I've had a few of several brands and Hunter was the most quality and not one ever wobbled.

5/4/2009 3:17:22 PM

Can anybody recommend a local contractor/construction company? I want to have a recessed cabinet to house components put in below where my TV is hanging in my den. The wall in question is shared with my garage, and there's plenty of space in the garage along that wall for something to stick out. I called one company today and described what I want, and I'm waiting to hear back from them but if anybody can recommend a specific company or give me ideas for this, I'd appreciate it. One question I have is what to do with my sub; will it work OK in the cabinet, or should I just leave it sitting out in the corner of the room?

5/4/2009 7:56:01 PM

Quote :

"I'll probably purchase ceiling fans in the next two weeks. Any suggestions?"

yeah get remotes. they are awesome.

5/4/2009 8:03:27 PM

^^ you would probably get better results from a cabinet maker rather than a general contractor.

i would hate for you to pay markup on someone that is just going to pick up the phone and call someone else.

5/4/2009 9:08:55 PM

Would the cabinet maker be able to cut a hole in the wall? Worried about structural integrity and I'm pretty sure they're going to have to move an electrical outlet.

5/4/2009 10:06:38 PM

that shouldn't be a problem with cutting a hole in the wall...

moving an outlet is no big deal either, they just have to make sure the circuit is off.

5/4/2009 10:19:01 PM

This isn't a load-bearing wall we're talking about, yeah?

5/5/2009 3:38:03 AM

don't put the sub in a cabinet. it will sound like shit.

and yeah, moving an outlet is trivial. I just did this for the first time a few weeks ago.

5/5/2009 7:40:54 AM

I would agree that you probably dont need a GC do that work for you, unless you are just uncomfortable managing the subs and want someone with some experience on your side.

I would further advise to also not simply take the cheapest number you get if you price it. There are a lot of factors to consider.

If you or anyone else decide you would like a GC to help with a remodel or renovation, I will shamelessly plug myself.

http://www.homescapeonline.com

[Edited on May 5, 2009 at 8:37 AM. Reason : link]

5/5/2009 8:37:00 AM

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5080837/

5/5/2009 9:14:57 AM

according to my crystal ball, this will be story June 1st 2010:

Durham to announce higher water tax rates due to budget shortfall

5/5/2009 9:22:56 AM

Quote :

"This isn't a load-bearing wall we're talking about, yeah?"

It actually might be. I honestly have no clue how to tell. My den is a large room with a lofted ceiling, and the wall in question goes all the way to the roof and is shared with the garage. It might say something about it on the blueprints I guess, I could check. I need to get the digitally scanned anyway I think.

5/5/2009 11:46:59 AM

if the wall is pentagonal, chances are it is not load bearing, but i can't say for sure without looking at it

by pentagonal i mean:

/\
|_|

5/5/2009 11:51:41 AM

you need to see if there are any joists bearing on it on the blueprints. sometimes you can also tell which way the joists are running by any nail pops.

5/5/2009 11:56:22 AM

This may be a stupid question, but the above conversation got me thinking.

How would I go about getting the blueprints for my house? Im not the original owner, but I am pretty sure I know who the builder is.

Is there some public office that has them on file?

5/5/2009 12:08:15 PM

I think builders are required to keep them on file 7 years. Some do, some dont. I doubt the town will have them.

If the builder doesnt, the next best bet might be to try and find out who the architect was and get the plans from them.

5/5/2009 12:09:20 PM

Yeah, my house is 30 years old or so, and fortunately I found the blueprints on a shelf in the garage. I imagine they haven't been well looked after, and they're in pretty terrible shape, but I should still be able to take them to Kinkos or something and get digital copies of them I think.

5/5/2009 2:33:43 PM