Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

As I've mentioned, I'm currently in the process of building a house in Northern Virginia that I believe will have little to no roof shade when all is said and done. Does it make sense to entertain the idea of solar panels now before we have any concrete idea of our monthly power bills? Is it super costly to install them later rather than doing it during the build? Is it smarter to wait just to be sure of the sun/shade situation? Is it even worth it at all?

Additionally, we were planning on installing a generator as well since our area loses power fairly frequently. Would a solar setup eliminate the need for that? I honestly don't know much about how the storage aspect works.

For Christmas for the kids I am building a regulation size (46 ft mound to plate) little league pitching/batting cage in my basement. The basement is unfinished with 10 foot ceilings and concrete exterior walls with studs framed on those walls and around the staircase towards the middle - no interior walls other than the stairwell. There is one spot where the cage net will be running up against the stairwell wall for about 12 feet. The wall has open studs on the "outside" batting cage side, with drywall on the "inside" staircase side. My plan is to put 3/8" rubber padding sheets (two 4' by 12' sheets stacked so it will be 8' by 12') over the outside studs in that location to protect them and for noise reduction. Given the cost, 3/8" is really as thick as I'm willing to go. Is that a giant waste of time and should I just let them beat the hell out of the studs and drywall and replace the staircase framing if I ever finish the basement? Or is it worthwhile to try to protect them?

2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:

For Christmas for the kids I am building a regulation size (46 ft mound to plate) little league pitching/batting cage in my basement. The basement is unfinished with 10 foot ceilings and concrete exterior walls with studs framed on those walls and around the staircase towards the middle - no interior walls other than the stairwell. There is one spot where the cage net will be running up against the stairwell wall for about 12 feet. The wall has open studs on the "outside" batting cage side, with drywall on the "inside" staircase side. My plan is to put 3/8" rubber padding sheets (two 4' by 12' sheets stacked so it will be 8' by 12') over the outside studs in that location to protect them and for noise reduction. Given the cost, 3/8" is really as thick as I'm willing to go. Is that a giant waste of time and should I just let them beat the hell out of the studs and drywall and replace the staircase framing if I ever finish the basement? Or is it worthwhile to try to protect them?

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Staircase framing is usually a pain to do. I would protect the studs. Maybe use cheap plywood type material (oriented strand board, particle board to protect under the rubber.

Good idea. I was going to put plywood over the back side of cable/ethernet box which is on the inside of the studs under the staircase, but it probably does make sense to just completely cover the entirety of the wall studs with cheap plywood. My rubber idea got shot down because each roll allegedly weighed 225 lbs, so the shipping was costing more than the rubber itself. I ended up ordering several 4'x8' 3/4" neoprene rolls, which is probably more absorbent than the rubber but may result in the studs taking more impact force.

Deaconblue said:

Staircase framing is usually a pain to do. I would protect the studs. Maybe use cheap plywood type material (oriented strand board, particle board to protect under the rubber.

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Some OSB would be a good idea or maybe some more padding like egg crate foam or something like that?

2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:

For Christmas for the kids I am building a regulation size (46 ft mound to plate) little league pitching/batting cage in my basement. The basement is unfinished with 10 foot ceilings and concrete exterior walls with studs framed on those walls and around the staircase towards the middle - no interior walls other than the stairwell. There is one spot where the cage net will be running up against the stairwell wall for about 12 feet. The wall has open studs on the "outside" batting cage side, with drywall on the "inside" staircase side. My plan is to put 3/8" rubber padding sheets (two 4' by 12' sheets stacked so it will be 8' by 12') over the outside studs in that location to protect them and for noise reduction. Given the cost, 3/8" is really as thick as I'm willing to go. Is that a giant waste of time and should I just let them beat the hell out of the studs and drywall and replace the staircase framing if I ever finish the basement? Or is it worthwhile to try to protect them?

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I will not let OSDBoy read this, because he would make us buy a house with a basement. Are you going to be using a pitching machine?

HeltonCreek said:

Some OSB would be a good idea or maybe some more padding like egg crate foam or something like that?

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I thought about eggcrate foam as it is relatively cheap, but it also isn't super stiff or durable so I'm thinking a baseball will go through it relatively easily. Hopefully the neoprene will work okay.

OrigScreaminDemon said:

I will not let OSDBoy read this, because he would make us buy a house with a basement. Are you going to be using a pitching machine?

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I have a spring-loaded/machine-pitch machine that I can use at first for the younger kid, but mostly I'll just throw BP to the older one - I got a full-size L-screen to go inside it. We'll also do a lot of soft-toss, hitting off the tee, etc. I will probably get an electric machine at some point, but the good ones aren't cheap so I'll space it out for a birthday or next Christmas. The kids are equally excited for the pitching aspect, I'm building a wood mound and got a pitching net with zone targets to go behind the plate. I got 600 sq feet of artificial turf for the floor, and the cage net is pretty big, so we can also use it for fielding ground balls and I think they'll drag the soccer goal in there from time to time as well. Hopefully they'll get a lot of use out of it in the winter, rain, and at night.

2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:

I thought about eggcrate foam as it is relatively cheap, but it also isn't super stiff or durable so I'm thinking a baseball will go through it relatively easily. Hopefully the neoprene will work okay.

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Do you have any clearance around the stairway framing? If so, maybe you could hang some cheap quilts or old blankets with some space between it and the stairs and anchor to the floor to absorb some of the impact. That or maybe some sort of bungee netting the same way.

Yeah I'm thinking my best bet may be to cut the width of the cage net about 6 inches short on that side so there is at least some clearance, and then bungee or clip the bottom of the net wall tight to some weights. The net itself is a pretty thick gauge and doesn't move much from the ball when it is stretched tight, so that may be easier than trying to effectively pad the framing.

2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:

I have a spring-loaded/machine-pitch machine that I can use at first for the younger kid, but mostly I'll just throw BP to the older one - I got a full-size L-screen to go inside it. We'll also do a lot of soft-toss, hitting off the tee, etc. I will probably get an electric machine at some point, but the good ones aren't cheap so I'll space it out for a birthday or next Christmas. The kids are equally excited for the pitching aspect, I'm building a wood mound and got a pitching net with zone targets to go behind the plate. I got 600 sq feet of artificial turf for the floor, and the cage net is pretty big, so we can also use it for fielding ground balls and I think they'll drag the soccer goal in there from time to time as well. Hopefully they'll get a lot of use out of it in the winter, rain, and at night.

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Absolutely awesome!

2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:

Good idea. I was going to put plywood over the back side of cable/ethernet box which is on the inside of the studs under the staircase, but it probably does make sense to just completely cover the entirety of the wall studs with cheap plywood. My rubber idea got shot down because each roll allegedly weighed 225 lbs, so the shipping was costing more than the rubber itself. I ended up ordering several 4'x8' 3/4" neoprene rolls, which is probably more absorbent than the rubber but may result in the studs taking more impact force.

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If you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore near you, check them for sheet material (osb, plywood etc.) that might work. Their prices would beat other stores.

If you use blankets etc, one important thing is to let them move. Only attach them at the the top. Let the bottom and sides unattaced and free to move. Balls will be less likely to make holes. The movement of the blanket will help in energy absorption.

ETA: The hanging will also help the rubber/ neoprene last longer. If it swings, even just a little,upon impact, the energy of the ball will be used up in both moving the sheet and stretching it at point of impact.

I need to anchor some furniture as we’re getting ready to transition my oldest into a toddler bed; the catch is I have plaster walls, so finding a stud isn’t really something I can do.

Is using toggle bolts to drill through the plaster and lathe going to provide a strong enough anchor to prevent furniture from tipping?

leftcoastdeac said:

I need to anchor some furniture as we’re getting ready to transition my oldest into a toddler bed; the catch is I have plaster walls, so finding a stud isn’t really something I can do.

Is using toggle bolts to drill through the plaster and lathe going to provide a strong enough anchor to prevent furniture from tipping?

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Try a "deep scan" stud finder. That may help locate studs under the plaster.

Did some light improvement in the form of upgrading the home network to get off the Comcast provided equipment.

Went with an Arris sb6183 modem and Google WiFi. My house isn’t that big, but it’s old and the router was fighting thick plaster walls. So far the google mesh network seems to be offering much enhanced performance. Also upgraded our Apple TV from a first gen unit to the latest version.

one of my snowblower tires went flat and apparently broke the bead on the rim. i haven't pulled the tube out to see if it's punctured but im going to check. i've been watching videos on re-sealing this situation but does anyone have any tips/tricks related to doing this?

ImTheCaptain said:

one of my snowblower tires went flat and apparently broke the bead on the rim. i haven't pulled the tube out to see if it's punctured but im going to check. i've been watching videos on re-sealing this situation but does anyone have any tips/tricks related to doing this?

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I've used the following technique on trailer tires, but working with something so small as a snow blower may be more difficult.

Shoot some tire sealant into the void and spin the tire around a few times to disperse it. Then take a ratchet strap and run it around the circumference of the tire, ratcheting it tightly as to help push the bead out to the rim. Remove the valve stem core and inflate the tire. Once its solid, quickly add the valve stem core back in and release the ratchet.

ImTheCaptain said:

one of my snowblower tires went flat and apparently broke the bead on the rim. i haven't pulled the tube out to see if it's punctured but im going to check. i've been watching videos on re-sealing this situation but does anyone have any tips/tricks related to doing this?

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Sometimes tires on things that sit for a long time like a snow blower does go flat just because, without any holes or anything. I have a hand truck that did that. There is an engine sitting there just compressing one side of the tires all spring, summer and fall.

If you actually have a tube in the tire, the bead to rim seal shouldn't impact air holding. The inflation of the tube should push the bead against the rim properly. Now, if the tube won't hold air, that is a different story. It needs to be patched, replaced or sealed.

Assuming you really have a tubeless tire (the two on my snowblower are tubeless). Many snowblowers come with tubeless tires. All the 6 MTD brands, Troy-bilt etc.

I would try just the ratchet inflation trick first. Just put a web clamp (I used a picture frame clamp because I had it handy) around the tread and get it as tight as you can. Then just let the compressor run air into it. I left the valve stem core in place. It took a little while, but eventually the tire and rim got together and the (tubeless) tire held air. And still does. This was sufficient to reseat the bead on the rim. No issue since. A ratcheting strap (tiedown) will work just as well. Just be careful where the two ends join. Anything to get the tire more or less evenly squeezed against the rim. Some bead sealant may also help (see your local auto supply store). You need the large air supply from a compressor. A hand pump just won't do the job. Need to really be able to dump air into the system.

I also did the same thing a long time ago using a pair of woodworking bar clamps and a rubber mallet. Put enough pressure on the clamps to make sure they stay on. One bar clamp on each side, 90 degrees to each other. Some whacks with the mallet around the tread while inflating with a compressor eventually got the balky spot to seal.

ETA: Check the sealing surfaces on the rim for rust etc. If it's badly rusted you may have difficulty getting a seal between the rim and the bead.

Good luck.

leftcoastdeac said:

I need to anchor some furniture as we’re getting ready to transition my oldest into a toddler bed; the catch is I have plaster walls, so finding a stud isn’t really something I can do.

Is using toggle bolts to drill through the plaster and lathe going to provide a strong enough anchor to prevent furniture from tipping?

Click to expand...

Was reading online about this and found a site that recommended either the deep scan stud finders or take a very strong magnet and tie it to a string. Since the wood lath is nailed to the studs, the strong magnet should stick some to those nails. You may have to move the magnet around, up and down, but that might work. You could also look at your outlets as those should be mounted to studs.