thanks! we will be careful. we have 3 big burly men working on the project... i'm not sure what style the auger is, but our soil is fairly sandy.

5/20/2014 6:12:34 PM

Quote :

"we have 3 big burly men working on the project"

and you....so 4 total right?

5/20/2014 7:28:15 PM

went and looked at the fridge tonight. Nicer than I thought it would be. The drawers and bins seemed nicer quality than other things in the price range and the layout was pretty efficient. On sale for memorial day from about $2000 ($2300 MSRP which of course means nothing) to $1618 and then my Chase card has 10% cash back for buying it via Lowes.com right now making it essentially $1558 all-in including taxes.

There is only one of them left at any local Lowes for delivery by this weekend and of course Lowes online checkout has an error when completing tonight Guess I'll try first thing in the morning.

[Edited on May 20, 2014 at 10:54 PM. Reason : ]

5/20/2014 10:54:17 PM

5% cash back

5/21/2014 12:52:48 AM

Right now it's 5% cash back for the quarter plus an additional 5% for buying Lowes.com via the reward mall. So technically I guess it would be a fraction less than 10% since I would only get the full 10% bonus points on the first $1500 of my purchase since that is the maximum I think.

[Edited on May 21, 2014 at 6:35 AM. Reason : ]

5/21/2014 6:26:58 AM

Can you work in one of those 10% coupons?

5/21/2014 10:45:47 AM

We're moving in about 2 weeks and will be buying a bunch of new appliances...should be able to time it all out to take advantage of the lowes sale I hope.

That being said - I found this online and it seems to work for 10% off

47000RRRRR9986R

5/21/2014 2:24:19 PM

10% off http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/120702/ebay---100-lowes-gift-card

[Edited on May 21, 2014 at 3:26 PM. Reason : .]

5/21/2014 3:25:44 PM

^^^
The moving one? I thought about doing that but didn't :/

^^
And dangit, I just tried that and it worked Already ordered this morning though. I searched last night and didn't find any working coupon codes so I just ordered first thing this morning when the servers were back up since there was only 1 in our area. Would have been nice to get that 10% and then get the almost 10% back from Chase!

Might call them anyway and see if I can use it. Worst thing they'll do is laugh at me and I'm still getting the fridge I was planning to get anyway.

[Edited on May 21, 2014 at 4:33 PM. Reason : ]

5/21/2014 4:21:59 PM

My wife called in this afternoon and got the extra 10% applied Delegating to my wife was a good move; she has had a much higher success rate with customer service lately.

Thanks for the heads up!

5/21/2014 5:38:03 PM

We have drainage issues in our yard, and I have not the slightest clue as to where to start tackling the problem.

5/22/2014 11:53:33 AM

got any pictures or description?

5/22/2014 1:13:13 PM

It's regrading time! Whee! Or storm drain time. But yeah your options will vary based on your lot and what you've got going on around you. If you don't have anywhere to send that water your main option might be "move dirt from edge of property to raise elevation by the house and create slope so water drains but create nasty muddy ditches around my property".

5/22/2014 11:55:08 PM

I'm guessing he wants no help

5/23/2014 8:41:02 AM

french drain ?

5/23/2014 10:03:52 AM

I need to do a french drain in my front yard - it almost never dries out now.

Good thing the utilities are running right where I need to put it

5/23/2014 11:18:08 AM

Fence built. Thank god for gas powered auger.

5/25/2014 9:56:11 PM

The siding is coming off near the roof on one side of the house. Recommendations for repairmen to come work on it?

5/26/2014 2:14:31 PM

Any of you all own a townhome with an HOA that covers the outside through dues? If so, who do you use for your HO-6 policy that covers the inside and do you like the rates?

6/3/2014 8:33:36 AM

upstairs A/C issues.... such a bummer.

6/4/2014 9:55:07 AM

So it appears some termites are nesting in one of my potted plants. I should probably call someone right?

see pics here: message_topic.aspx?topic=629281&page=1

6/4/2014 12:24:00 PM

yes.

do you get annual checks? ever had a termite service?

6/4/2014 12:35:10 PM

no, no

I go down in my crawlspace pretty often to do stuff, but I probably don't do a proper termite check.

6/4/2014 1:34:26 PM

well, if you do indeed have termites, you may want to look into getting a house/foundation service. expensive as hell though.

6/4/2014 1:38:45 PM

Better get that termite bond, yo.

6/4/2014 1:53:32 PM

Quote :

"So it appears some termites are nesting in one of my potted plants. I should probably call someone right? see pics here: message_topic.aspx?topic=629281&page=1"

I don't see why you'd need to call someone unless you just really don't want to spray insecticide yourself.
Spray the hell out of it with a can of termite killer and make sure to leave no survivors.
Then do a heavy treatment around the foundation (inside + outside), windows, doors, etc. with something like Ortho Home Defense.
I've killed a couple termite nests this way. One was in a stump in the back yard and one was in a landscaping timber about 6' from my foundation. It's really not surprising to see a termite outside of your home. They're a common insect in nature. It's when they try to make your home into their home that you might want to drop everything and get a professional in there.

[Edited on June 4, 2014 at 2:28 PM. Reason : l]

6/4/2014 2:25:49 PM

Yeah, termites are common, especially in NC. It is not a concern to see them in the yard (other than to remind you that you need to protect your home against termites).

I paid $500 to have a termite treatment applied in my crawlspace (the hell I am digging along the foundation to spray chemicals in a tight ass space). It warranties my house for 5 years for any termite damage and the company comes out once a year to do a termite inspection for $100.

It is well worth it.

** My new Home Ownership Woe **

My chase cover on my chimney is rusted (the metal flashing that goes on top of the chimney and under the flue cap) and the rust is starting to run down the chimney and stain my siding. The lazy shit who installed the last one never painted the top of it, so of course it rusted over time. It is going to cost $700 to get a new painted chase cover, or $900 for a stainless steel one. I only have a couple fires a year, but I enjoy them.


[Edited on June 5, 2014 at 11:32 AM. Reason : my woe]

6/5/2014 11:28:56 AM

I did some logic and figure they (or just their eggs) must have came in the dirt of the plant I purchased at the farmer's market. I got two tomato plants from this one guy, and I guess just one of them had the eggs, as all my other potted plants are fine. My pots have always been on concrete and I used bagged soil, so I'm thinking they came from the original grower.

6/5/2014 11:35:25 AM

A large convenience store/gas station is trying to go up in our neighborhood. 200 feet from my front door (less even).

6/5/2014 9:26:54 PM

Anyone know anything on fixing squeaky floorboards? Keep finding more and more upstairs.

6/6/2014 11:45:24 PM

Do you have access to the floorboards at all?

6/7/2014 2:56:48 AM

There is an angry petition going around my neighborhood.

6/8/2014 9:35:31 PM

One of the two AC units isnt working. Thermostat shows "Cool On" but no air is blowing. Any recommendations on HVAC companies?

6/9/2014 7:59:33 PM

Allan Kelly, but have you tried to fix yourself?

6/9/2014 10:47:47 PM

/check all breakers/GFCI's etc

6/10/2014 7:02:41 AM

How old is the system? My money would be on a fan capacitor. If it is just a cap, they're really easy to diagnose, cheap replacement parts, and are easy to replace. If you do try to tackle yourself, do research and remember that capacitors store energy even after you cut the power to the unit; you MUST discharge them properly for safe handling and storage.

6/10/2014 8:49:26 AM

Checked the breakers and even flipped them off and back on. No luck. System is 6 year old Trane. Hoping it is a simple fix - I would try to resolve it myself but with a pregnant wife she wont have the patience to wait in a hot house. Thank goodness the AC unit for the bedroom level is still working.

6/10/2014 6:04:35 PM

Figured it out. The condensation pan had filled with water because the GFCI had tripped for some reason and knocked out power to the pump.

6/10/2014 8:20:16 PM

^ Yeah that's been the exact problem for me the last two times mine's went out.

6/11/2014 11:49:56 AM

I need some advice for what kind of person to call for this job. We have our HVAC in our closet and the ceiling is all messed up in there causing heat to come pouring out of the attic into the house. I am guessing there was a leak at some point and it just was never fixed. We would basically need the ceiling replaced and insulated. I could probably do it myself but it is hot as hell in the attic and I got plenty of other things to do. Is this the kind of job for just a general contractor or is there a type of company that would work on this? I am not looking for references since I am in TX, just don't know where to start really.

6/23/2014 2:22:57 PM

Well, you can rent an insulation blower and blow stuff up there manually if you have the time. If you have a cheap infrared thermometer you could check the ceiling for hot spots and find the areas which really lack insulation. You could pick one of those, cut a hole in it with a little drywall saw (preferably a square one I guess), and then pop your head up there and start laying out more insulation. You don't want to totally inhibit airflow in that space as it sounds like it's a finished attic (and that little space might be the only free air flow through what was once a totally open area). You could then patch the drywall back into place (various DIY guides exist for making this not look bad) and mud and sand it again. If you have a popcorn ceiling you would then pay somebody who specializes in that to come out, staple up a little plastic barrier, shoot the ceiling to roughly match the texture of the existing, then be on his way. At that point all you have to do is repaint the entire ceiling to make it a consistent color (assuming it looks blotchy at this point).

Also, a general contractor with experience in construction including small homes should have adequate experience with insulation, drywall, and framing to be able to figure out how to get access to a space to reinsulate it and then seal it back up to look nice again. If you're concerned you could find a company that specializes in finding and remediating energy loss problems (folks who perform an energy audit and offer services to replace windows/doors/insulation) in a house as they would definitely be able to do it (but they might not be your cheapest option). I'd say with a GC you also run the risk of the guy charging you a fixed price and subbing out the work that needs to be done (extra $$$ for same results). I'm not an expert by any means, that's just what I think your options are.

[Edited on June 24, 2014 at 12:33 AM. Reason : I'm also a little confused as to what the problem is in the HVAC closet.]

6/24/2014 12:32:34 AM

if you have popcorn ceilings, scrape them while you're at it.

6/24/2014 8:57:32 AM

^^ Thanks, the problem is that there used to be a full ceiling that was insulated but sometime before we bought it it fell down in spots to where I can see directly into the attic. Obviously that is bad because whenever I walk by that area during a hot day you can just feel the heat coming out from the closet.

I think I found a GC that I can trust, I called one of those energy solution places and they won't come out for less than $750 so that is obviously not going to be the route I go.

6/24/2014 9:18:55 AM

Two woes:

1 - I think my roof is leaving. Who knows a good roofer?

2 - My dishwasher is getting shit like 70% clean, when it used to be 100%. It's about 4-5 years old, was a fairly nice one when I got it, $700-$800. Any ideas on what it could be? The sprayer holes aren't clogged or anything and it seems to be draining well.

6/24/2014 10:35:40 PM

put a lowball offer on a place today and it needs some fairly minor work that we'd have done prior to moving in

3 of the bedrooms needs the popcorn ceiling removed

upstairs bathrooms are done well but don't have fans

kitchen is smaller than we'd like but nice except they refinished the front of the cabinets and left the crappy old sliding drawer hardware and hinges - also there is no built-in microwave - there is a small hood vent above the gas range and it seems like we could add one

basement is finished well except the drop ceiling is rough to say the least and we want to move the duct work and put drywall ceilings in

6/24/2014 10:54:32 PM

Im finally mortage free! YES!

6/24/2014 11:24:07 PM

^^^ Dunno about the roofer, the guy my dad used was an ex-con scamming his disability benefits from the government while funneling all his roofing business money through his brother who was not on disability. For your other question, do you use a spotless rinse cleaner like jet dry? You may also be able to run a solution like CLR through it on an empty cycle and help it to run better.

Quote :

"I think I found a GC that I can trust, I called one of those energy solution places and they won't come out for less than $750 so that is obviously not going to be the route I go."

Yeah I know a business in NC that does a free energy or much-lower-price-than-that energy audit then provides you the results as well as a line item cost for each repair. I think that model gets them so much business that they can afford the initial check. Good luck with the GC, he can probably fix it in a day with a fairly small crew (or maybe even by himself).

[Edited on June 25, 2014 at 12:26 AM. Reason : ^ Also congrats. I'm mortgage free right now but don't have a house any more. :V]

6/25/2014 12:26:07 AM

Quote :

"For your other question, do you use a spotless rinse cleaner like jet dry? "

No. I'll look into the calcium/lime/rust stuff. Thanks.

6/25/2014 9:40:44 AM

I know you said you think the sprayers and drain are fine, but it would be worth it to give both of those a deep clean, as I think even the slightest build up at least in the sprayers can reduce the flow/pressure. Is the soap dispenser clean & working? Any build-up or residue anywhere inside the washer? When you say not clean, do you mean particles on the dishes going in are still there or is it possible that particles are being transferred from dish-to-dish or washer-to-dish?

6/25/2014 10:32:20 AM

On the downside, my dickhead upstairs neighbor in my building suddenly realize the rate on his ARM was about to go up and apparently wasn't able to take the hit so he decide to sell off quickly and do a leaseback with the buyer for a few months, potentially leaving tens of thousands of dollars on the table.

On the upside, there is a near identical building coming on the market about a block and a half away with units going for non-Manhattan New York sq ft prices, so that's softening the blow of his lack of foresight

[Edited on June 25, 2014 at 12:20 PM. Reason : .]

6/25/2014 12:20:03 PM