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Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

No foundation issue, just a drainage issue. Much easier fix. Signs of some termite damage near the garage though.
 
tiltdeac said:
What's the going rate/linear foot for a 6 foot cedar board on board fence, including labor? Anything in particular I should be looking out for?
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Haven't checked cedar prices lately. You can do a rough estimate of material cost by looking at the current price for cedar 1x4 and figuring each 1x4 gives you about 3 inches (1/4 foot) of fence length with 1/2 inch overlap. If you want a bigger overlap, each board will cover less fence length. Your call. Some people are good with 1/2 inch. Others like 3/4 or even a full inch overlap.

Aesthetically, you need to decide if you want 6 or 8 foot (or some other distance) spacing between posts. 6 foot post spacing gives you square panels. Other spacing gives you rectangles. Installing posts is a big part of labor costs, which is why 8 foot post spacing is seen more than 6 or 7 foot spacing. Also, cedar should be available in either smooth or rough sawn surface. Decide which you like.

The things to watch for: board on board fences have a lot of surface area for wind to catch. Make sure your posts are pressure treated and put in the ground deep enough and well anchored (gravel and concrete). Deep enough means at least 1/3 of the post should be in the ground. e.g. for a 6 foot high fence, at least three feet of post should be in the ground. I would probably use 10 foot posts, put 3 feet and 9 or 10 inches in the ground and have the bottoms of the pickets 2 or 3 inches from the ground. That leaves enough space for string trimmers etc to keep the grass and weeds under the fence controlled. If you you need the bottom of the pickets closer to the ground, do what works for you

Three rails are better than two (but costs more).

Don't let the bottoms of the pickets rest on the ground. leave a gap of at least an inch to let the rainwater drip off the bottom of the pickets. Unless you have some need to have the fence tight to the ground.

Don't skimp on hardware and fasteners. Nothing more annoying than having a relatively good fence start falling down because nails rust and no longer hold. It will cost more, but if you want to keep the fence for a long time, I'd use stainless steel screws. If you plan to be gone in 5-7 years, galvanized will last at least that long.

If you plan to stain and or seal, you might want to do that before you install the pickets. That will be the only time you can easily get to the rails, and also the easiest time to do the inside surface of the pickets.

If your contractor is using prefab panels, make sure they are really cedar and not some cheap white wood for which you are paying cedar prices.

Make sure the posts and pickets are vertical, even if the ground is not and the rails need to run at an angle to match the slope.This is hard to do with prefab panels.
 
RubbinsRacin said:
No foundation issue, just a drainage issue. Much easier fix. Signs of some termite damage near the garage though.
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Glad to hear you don't have a big problem. The poor drainage probably encouraged the termites. Get a pro to get rid of them.
 
Getting ready to start a half remodel of the master bath, where we're keeping the existing tub and shower but redoing the floor and vanity. We're using vinyl plank flooring which looks pretty good for the price and should be very easy to install (floating instead of glue down, can cut with a utility knife vs sawing, etc).

Just need to get it done in a reasonable amt of time so I'm not living out of the hall bathroom for long, and also need to not fuck it up. No big deal.
 
06deacon said:
Getting ready to start a half remodel of the master bath, where we're keeping the existing tub and shower but redoing the floor and vanity. We're using vinyl plank flooring which looks pretty good for the price and should be very easy to install (floating instead of glue down, can cut with a utility knife vs sawing, etc).

Just need to get it done in a reasonable amt of time so I'm not living out of the hall bathroom for long, and also need to not fuck it up. No big deal.
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buck up, be tough.
 
It'll be fine, I just don't feel like starting it because I'm lazy.
 
We've got a storm related leak that came into our bedroom ceiling this past weekend - I have no idea if it's the roof, siding, or even the chimney since all three are right near that area.

Any recommendations for a contractor/handyman in Winston who can diagnose and fix this? Thanks.
 
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I've got two HVAC units, one for each floor of my home. On the main level, I have a 7 day programmable thermostat, and upstairs a standard digital thermostat. Due to a large foyer that both untils heat/cool, I'm wanting to upgrade the upstairs thermostat so the temps will be in sync with the main floor, hopefully reducing energy consumption and having a uniform temperature throughout the house. The current programmable thermostat sells for ~$175, so I'm debating whether or not to just bite the bullet and get a Nest/Lyric for downstairs and move the 7 day programmable upstairs. I know a few people have the Nest, anyone have the Lyric or can provide any tips or suggestions?
 
tsywake said:
I've got two HVAC units, one for each floor of my home. On the main level, I have a 7 day programmable thermostat, and upstairs a standard digital thermostat. Due to a large foyer that both untils heat/cool, I'm wanting to upgrade the upstairs thermostat so the temps will be in sync with the main floor, hopefully reducing energy consumption and having a uniform temperature throughout the house. The current programmable thermostat sells for ~$175, so I'm debating whether or not to just bite the bullet and get a Nest/Lyric for downstairs and move the 7 day programmable upstairs. I know a few people have the Nest, anyone have the Lyric or can provide any tips or suggestions?
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There are multiple brands of programmable thermostats available at big box stores for under $100. Do your HVAC units have special needs that can't be met by one of these lower priced devices? Many of these are pretty easy DIY installs. Just pay attention to wire colors.

Would "sneaker net" connection work - that is, set the two thermostats to the same temperature and times schedules without electronically linking them. Just program the two alike.
 
Deaconblue said:
There are multiple brands of programmable thermostats available at big box stores for under $100. Do your HVAC units have special needs that can't be met by one of these lower priced devices? Many of these are pretty easy DIY installs. Just pay attention to wire colors.

Would "sneaker net" connection work - that is, set the two thermostats to the same temperature and times schedules without electronically linking them. Just program the two alike.
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A sneaker net connection is what I was thinking about doing until the WiFi thermostats popped into my head. The downstairs unit is a dual fuel heat pump with an outside temperature sensor whereas the upstairs unit is purely electric with no outside sensor. Ideally, I'd like to be able to set the thermostats to the same time points, which was leading me to purchase the same style thermostat for the upstairs as I have downstairs. To be honest though, if the time points are the same across all platforms of the devices, I am all for saving some $$ and getting one at a big box store.
 
nice job, sport

anyone have any recommendations for a hedge trimmer? While trimming some bushes on Sat. I fucking cut my longest extension cord with my old one, which also shorted out the trimmer.

ToolTime4.JPG



Cordless would be nice but I don't mind the cord (despite my wizardry)
 
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I purchased this one last fall and have been happy with it so far. Easily powerful enough to handle bushes and such. Battery lasts a pretty good while typically.
 
I am thinking about having a ~250 sq ft brick patio put in at my house. Going with brick because I can get them from free from my parents (taken up when they remodeled years ago, sitting in stacks since) ... I was quoted at around $1000 for the install. Is this reasonable? I really have no idea other than some quick internet research where it looked like it would be multiple thousands for install + bricks.
 
elquintodeac said:
I am thinking about having a ~250 sq ft brick patio put in at my house. Going with brick because I can get them from free from my parents (taken up when they remodeled years ago, sitting in stacks since) ... I was quoted at around $1000 for the install. Is this reasonable? I really have no idea other than some quick internet research where it looked like it would be multiple thousands for install + bricks.
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Standard brick costs about $2.00 - $2.50 per square foot, so you would be looking at ~$500 - $625 if you bought the bricks. Rule of thumb on brick installation is 2x cost of bricks so $1000 is in the ball park. Make sure your contractor puts down a good sub bed of sand beneath the bricks.

Added

Do you have enough bricks? 250 sq ft will require over 1000 bricks of the standard 4 inch by 8 inch size. (4 and 1/2 bricks per square foot) You don't want to be surprised at the end of the job and find yourself short by some number of bricks.
 
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06deacon said:
Getting ready to start a half remodel of the master bath, where we're keeping the existing tub and shower but redoing the floor and vanity. We're using vinyl plank flooring which looks pretty good for the price and should be very easy to install (floating instead of glue down, can cut with a utility knife vs sawing, etc).

Just need to get it done in a reasonable amt of time so I'm not living out of the hall bathroom for long, and also need to not fuck it up. No big deal.
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Bathroom turned out great. Finished the floor and the vanity/plumbing last weekend, now the only thing left is deciding whether or not to install a backsplash. The countertop has a beveled edge so I feel like putting one in aftermarket will look stupid. Plus unless I can nail the countertop marble pattern it will look really stupid. So I'll probably just put in a wall mirror that comes down almost to the counter.
 
Deaconblue said:
Standard brick costs about $2.00 - $2.50 per square foot, so you would be looking at ~$500 - $625 if you bought the bricks. Rule of thumb on brick installation is 2x cost of bricks so $1000 is in the ball park. Make sure your contractor puts down a good sub bed of sand beneath the bricks.

Added

Do you have enough bricks? 250 sq ft will require over 1000 bricks of the standard 4 inch by 8 inch size. (4 and 1/2 bricks per square foot) You don't want to be surprised at the end of the job and find yourself short by some number of bricks.
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Ok thanks. And yeah, I've got more than enough. My parents had 2 patios that were each bigger than the one I'm thinking about taken up.
 
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