Putting new siding on the chimney this weekend. If anyone wants to learn how to install hardiplank let me know when you want to show up in Durham.

We got a siding nailer, so no hand nailing it at least.

8/14/2014 5:05:58 PM

I'm planning to clean out my crawlspace and lay down a thick vapor barrier. Looking for recommendations on places to get the vapor barrier. Theses are only two places I have found that look somewhat legit.

http://www.crawlspace.net/category.php/vapor-barriers/?category=2359
http://www.crawlspacevaporbarrier.net/12-Mil-Vapor-Barriers_c_63.html

8/16/2014 6:28:21 PM

Post up how it goes since we are thinking about sealing our crawl space. Right now there are a couple other things to do first.

Most of the boards are cut for the chimney siding, and about 1/3 are painted. Painting the rest tomorrow morning and installing them in the afternoon. Then the house will look a little funny for a month or so until we paint the rest of the house the same color (it was originally white but we are painting it bright blue).

8/16/2014 8:04:15 PM

Damn AC compressor quit this morning. Lovely way to start a weekend. Fortunately I have a buddy in town that can fix it tomorrow morning.

8/22/2014 9:29:20 PM

Anyone know someone who can do some what I consider carpentry? I need some siding planks and my crawlspace door replaced.

8/23/2014 7:29:55 AM

previous owner had some proprietary honeywell wiring put in for the dual fuel system and it's going to cost something like 500 to rewire and connect a new sensor just so i can have a nest installed

8/23/2014 9:13:14 AM

Where do you live? Guy who did our roof also does siding repair, we just didn't go with him because having the whole chimney resided was going to be super expensive so we are DIYing it.

Here's his business: http://thenorthgategroup.com/Roofing_and_Exteriors.html

[Edited on August 23, 2014 at 1:57 PM. Reason : ...]

8/23/2014 1:54:32 PM

Any recommendations for a landscaper/grading company?

What I need done is: till up existing soil; spread compost/top soil; then till into existing soil, all while making a few minor grade corrections. Probably looking at 20,000 sf for now. I would do this myself, but I think it's getting to be a bit much to do by hand, and I'm not sure if I can rent and DIY much cheaper than at least a half competent equipment operator.

[Edited on August 27, 2014 at 9:37 AM. Reason : so maybe I should just ask for equipment operator recommendations?]

8/27/2014 9:28:06 AM

^I second that request. I'm looking for almost the exact same service. wdprice3, if you find someone to use, please post or let me know. I'll do the same. Thanks!

8/27/2014 12:51:41 PM

Quote :

"I'm planning to clean out my crawlspace and lay down a thick vapor barrier. Looking for recommendations on places to get the vapor barrier. Theses are only two places I have found that look somewhat legit. http://www.crawlspace.net/category.php/vapor-barriers/?category=2359 http://www.crawlspacevaporbarrier.net/12-Mil-Vapor-Barriers_c_63.html"

I recently used Marks Termite & Pest Control (http://www.markstermiteandpestcontrol.com/) to seal our crawl space.

Took ~3 days of continuous work. Pulled out the prior clear liner on the bottom and used heavy duty liner to cover the entire bottom + up the walls and cement pillars. Then had a boss Sante Fe Force dehumidifier (plus a compression pump to pump the water outdoors) installed in the middle of the crawl space. We went from nearly 75% humidity under there to 55% in a week, and it has remained there ever since. That's the ideal humidity to prevent both wet mold and dry mold from growing.

It was pricey, but I've seen moisture ruin the underneath of homes and floors. I'm also in Eastern NC near the water, where humidity is a real-deal problem.

One of the best decisions I've made. It'll no doubt add value to the house and it's so nice you could seriously sleep under there.

Be extremely careful about adding vapor barrier to a crawl space without a dehumidifier. That plastic is going to attract and trap moisture, and you need a mechanism under there for piping it outside.

8/28/2014 3:10:10 PM

I just used the rolls of thick plastic sheeting, did my whole crawlspace for $100. I just overlapped the edges of the strips by 20% on each side and it does a great job sealing in the moisture. Moisture readings have been great during my termite inspections the past 10 years.

I don't have a dehumidifier either.

8/28/2014 10:02:25 PM

Sealing in, or sealing out?

Do you have insulation on the underside of your subfloor (or the ceiling of your crawl space, depending on perspective)?

My insulation was always wet prior to sealing + a dehumidifier. I would be pretty surprised if there weren't moisture on the underside of your plastic without a dehumidifier.

8/28/2014 10:53:39 PM

Anyone ever replaced a garage door spring? Doable or leave it to the professionals?

On second thought, after some research I think this is one I want to leave to the pros. Big springs and electricity aren't things I really want to mess with.

[Edited on August 30, 2014 at 7:51 PM. Reason : .]

8/30/2014 7:32:05 PM

Its not impossible to do yourself... But its definitely worth having someone else do it.

8/30/2014 8:00:58 PM

^ Yeah that was kind of what I was realizing. It is bad enough doing anything in the garage here in Texas because it is too damn hot, add in the risk of bodily injury and the fact that it isn't THAT expensive to have them fixed means I am not going to bother with it. Found a place that said they would do it for $75-$115 or so for the spring and $50-75 for labor per spring. Only one broke so if I get out of this for under $200 I will consider that money well spent.

8/30/2014 8:03:24 PM

Ouch. Air conditioning just crapped out. Evaporator coil has a leak. $3300 to repair it . Unit is 15 years old though so not much life left in it. $6000 to replace it

9/3/2014 10:03:44 AM

Replace it.

[Edited on September 3, 2014 at 10:18 AM. Reason : .]

9/3/2014 10:18:25 AM

I just got an offer for a contract for my house. I had it FSBO for most of the summer, and after not getting many bites, I decided to get a realtor. They were able to sell it within 5 days at 102% of the asking price. I am just happy to be done with the stupid thing so I dont have to worry about upkeep since I am not living there. So now my home ownership woes are limited to only one house!

If you are looking for a good realtor, I definitely recommend Jim Allen Group with Coldwell Banker.

9/3/2014 10:19:28 AM

^^Yeah that is the plan. 15 year old unit will probably break pretty soon anyway. At least a new unit will be super energy efficient so I can get some tax breaks and spend less per month on the power bill. I did find a $1050 off coupon though, which is crazy. Only planning on living in this house for another year or so too so I guess it will make the house more attractive to potential buyers.

^HCH, did you buy a new house before selling the old one? I was looking into that vs. finding somewhere temporary to live while looking for a new house.

9/3/2014 10:37:10 AM

Moved in with my fiance.

9/3/2014 11:55:03 AM

The August Smartlock I pre-ordered almost a year ago is finally shipping out sometime in the next few weeks.

Pretty excited about that.

9/3/2014 12:48:59 PM

both of my HVAC units went out on the same day for separate reasons - one was the contactor (under warranty still) and one was a clogged pipe

9/3/2014 6:12:05 PM

having all of my windows and gutters replaced today - the windows may drag in to tomorrow they said

also as a follow up from some of the stuff i mentioned earlier - here are the railing and microwave before and after pics - the rest of the stuff is fairly boring like smoothing popcorn ceilings and we ended up not doing the basement part








[Edited on September 4, 2014 at 9:18 AM. Reason : .]

9/4/2014 9:18:20 AM

Quote :

"I would be pretty surprised if there weren't moisture on the underside of your plastic"

yep, there is (as expected). It keeps the moisture contained beneath the plastic. Even if I had a dehumidifier it wouldn't prevent water under the plastic since it would only be dehumidifying the air above the plastic.

Insulation is on the ceiling of the crawlspace. It is dry.

9/4/2014 12:12:49 PM

^I am confused by that quote... duh there is moisture on the underside... that's why the moisture barrier is there...

9/4/2014 1:01:30 PM

Pavers got delivered today for the new patio....and the color is no where near the same as the display.

The pavers I got look like this:


But are supposed to look like the top row of this display...

9/10/2014 8:45:57 PM

Doh, and now I just noticed a foot wide water stain on my kitchen ceiling. Anyone have a recommendation for a roof repair guy around SW Raliegh/Garner area?

9/11/2014 9:27:22 AM

9/11/2014 9:46:08 AM

Replacing gas pack. Got quotes for Carrier, Trane and Rheem. Looks like Air Expert's quote for a Rheem 16 SEER gas pack is the best. just about ~5500 dollar bucks.

9/11/2014 2:38:53 PM

^^^^how big is the patio going to be? Cost? Process?

9/11/2014 3:34:53 PM

Its roughly 15x21...oval shaped with a kink. Guy is charging me 5400; ~850 of that is for a fire pit that we're still trying to iron out details on. Not really sure about the whole process...but i know he's laying down 8-10ish inches of crush and run, and putting sand on top of that, then pavers

9/12/2014 8:25:51 AM

^ do you know how much the pavers are?

9/12/2014 8:44:45 AM

Now that I think of it...nope. I assume they're on the pricier side of Belgard's stuff (its their mega lafitt paver). I'll ask him next time I see him.

9/12/2014 4:31:36 PM

Quote :

""

Those balusters are driving me nuts.

9/12/2014 4:57:47 PM

Quote :

"Anyone have a recommendation for a roof repair guy around SW Raliegh/Garner area?"

How big of a job is it? Someone else here recommended Otto's Exteriors for roofing. They only do full replacement but he recommended a guy named Pedro for minor work. I used him to replace a handful of singles and replace roof vent boots and I was pleased with it. It was done quickly and the price seemed fair. I can PM you his number if you'd like.

9/12/2014 5:31:02 PM

I think I solved my basement water problem with some landscaping.


Nice to know my foundation does not need to be dug out and resealed.

9/12/2014 6:19:31 PM

Fire pit on wood deck: yes or no?

(i'm not considering it but one of my neighbors build a wood burning fire pit (stone) on his deck)

9/12/2014 8:01:09 PM

uh, I don't think I've ever seen a stone, wood burning firepit on a wood deck. Propane systems, yes. Manufactured and elevated wood firepits, yes (like at lowe's). I would at least put some high quality flat stone under any pit on a wood deck

[Edited on September 13, 2014 at 1:36 PM. Reason : .]

9/13/2014 1:34:59 PM

yeah i've never seen one either. i asked him about it and he came back with a snarky "don't you know heat rises?" response. (i guess he doesn't know what radiation and conduction are... much less embers)

9/14/2014 3:45:49 PM

^x5 Its just a small leak....but yeah would be much appreciated if you could PM me those digits .

^ bahaha @ "heat rises". I agree it sounds like an all around bad idea; I'm curious what he did put as the bottom of the pit.

9/14/2014 4:27:29 PM

here's a picture he posted of it on facebook...

9/14/2014 10:21:35 PM

that's a beautiful view

9/14/2014 11:42:18 PM

anyone know where I can buy a capacitor for my heat pump? Fan stopped turning but the compressor still works.

9/16/2014 9:17:49 PM

radio shack?

otherwise, teh internet

9/17/2014 2:34:32 PM

RadioShack?

9/17/2014 3:29:49 PM

^^^ The finest cancer-inducing chinese quality. http://www.dx.com/s/capacitor?category=410

9/18/2014 1:07:28 AM

Smath, is that a metal bowl in the pit? If there's an airbream it might not be that big of an issue, but I'd still prefer to have circulation below it... Otherwise its still an oven... Better than embers on stone on wood, though.

9/18/2014 7:19:13 PM

I'd venture to say it's just a typical metal fire ring to protect that block since it likes to explode when heated enough (if there is enough moisture still in it).

[Edited on September 19, 2014 at 12:05 PM. Reason : .]

9/19/2014 12:05:20 PM

yeah it is just a ring.

9/19/2014 11:42:37 PM

Quote :

"anyone know where I can buy a capacitor for my heat pump? Fan stopped turning but the compressor still works."

maybe too late of a response but: D&L on Atlantic Ave

9/20/2014 8:29:49 AM