yeah I did something similar to that, but the space around my alcove was stone rather than drywall, so I framed it, wired it up, and and hung MDF which is strong enough to support the weight of the TV by itself.

See the previous page 2 pages back for pics.

[Edited on February 9, 2015 at 1:38 PM. Reason : fuckin' new page]

2/9/2015 1:37:50 PM

can make some recommendations for TV stuff now that my brother helped me hang mine this past weekend.

if you're looking for an articulating mount, i recommend this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LL5JDA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

it was easy to hang with two people, and with everything adjustable, you can get it perfect. it has a 15 degree front/back tilt range and a 6 degree side to side. so if it's just a little off, you can slap a level on it and get it fine tuned with an allen wrench. also includes a 10 ft HDMI, so that's like $7 in savings!

for cable management, I used this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JJ57CR6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

pre-wired with a connector in the wall. plenty of room for cables. no need to have an electrician come in. a drywall saw and a screwdriver gets it done.

2/9/2015 11:09:25 PM

that's an expensive mount

2/10/2015 9:34:57 AM

i have that one as well. it's fantastic for accurate positioning in a 3D space, i.e. not right up against a wall.

2/10/2015 4:07:19 PM

fully articulating mounts aren't cheap. the way our living room is set up, we can't have a straight-on view of a TV unless we were to put a couch on the corner (it doesn't have a single continuous wall - think open tuscan interiors)

so as it is now, we can have it slightly angled to face where our couch is. or, if we have a lot of people over, we can pivot it out further to give the entire room a good view of the TV

2/11/2015 9:05:23 AM

meh, I've had two fully articulating mounts from monoprice... paid around $40 for both

2/11/2015 9:37:30 AM

I have this mount, it works just fine:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MYQTEI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2/11/2015 11:08:44 AM

cool. invent skynet to create a lethal robot assassin to send back and warn me not to overpay by $30...

2/11/2015 12:37:00 PM

I'm sure if anyone browsing this thread is in the market for a TV mount, they may appreciate saving nearly 50%. Maybe not. It's just good information for the shopper. Way to take it like a douche.

2/11/2015 12:57:42 PM

^^^that's a great mount. quick question - do you have a hacksaw so I can cut my 60" TV down to fit it?

what's douchier? the comment above or someone telling me i over spent because I didn't buy a mount that wouldn't fit my tv?

[Edited on February 12, 2015 at 11:34 AM. Reason : .]

2/12/2015 11:07:26 AM

what's douchier, that, or assuming that the poster implied you had to buy the mount posted?

2/12/2015 11:37:32 AM

So which one do I get? Because I am getting a TV this weekend!

2/12/2015 9:13:00 PM

I tend to trend cheaper. I've got a few mounts from Monoprice and haven't been disappointed yet.

2/13/2015 12:10:19 AM

so with teh weather getting into single digits later this week... does dripping a faucet actually make a difference? should i drip more than one? how fast?

2/16/2015 1:49:31 PM

I think it makes a difference. We forgot to drip last year and our pipes froze (thankfully didn't burst). Same temps this past year and we dripped...no frozen pipes.

So we'll drip again later this week when things chill down again.

2/17/2015 8:14:02 AM

Isn't letting it drip actually so that if it does freeze, the ice has room to expand and won't bust the pipes? I guess the moving water helps too.

I always just shut the water off at the street and leave my faucets open. No water in the pipes to begin with = nothing to freeze.

2/17/2015 1:48:58 PM

seems hugely inconvenient when you don't have water to use.

just leave a drip from the cold and hot and that's enough to relieve the pressure of freezing pipes to prevent a rupture.

some good reading:

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-blog/jeffrey-gordons-paper-bursting-pipes

2/17/2015 2:20:35 PM

Where am I supposed to be worried about freezing pipes...from the road into my house?

2/17/2015 11:18:13 PM

ok this is going to sound SUPER stupid to most of you, but it bugs the hell out of me when my light switches in a house (if off) aren't in the down ("off position")

How the hell does someone fix where all lights are off/things are turned off with the switch turned down and turned up when on? Silly I know, OCD, whatever....I just want to know if i can fix it? Thanks.

2/18/2015 3:04:24 AM

If it's a 3-way switch, I think you're out of luck. That's just the nature of the way they work.

2/18/2015 8:14:01 AM

^^
This^. 3-ways by nature will always have 1 switch with opposite control.

Standard 2-ways can simply be rewired at the switch or just turned upside down* and don't worry about rewiring. It's a 5 minute job and simple as shit. Just throw the breaker first, else it becomes a slight bit more challenging task.

*some switches do have a top & bottom (e.g. some say off and on) - you could still flip these, but the text/markings would be upside down/wrong.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2313797_fix-reverse-polarity-receptacles.html

[Edited on February 18, 2015 at 8:42 AM. Reason : /]

2/18/2015 8:41:11 AM

Quote :

"Where am I supposed to be worried about freezing pipes...from the road into my house? "

Not so much there as in your crawlspace or where you might have pipes near exterior walls. The point is to relieve pressure at the furthest downstream point.

I should have mentioned in the above post to go straight to part three and page 46 of the PDF goes into the recommendations.

https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/Jeffrey%20Gordon%20-%20report%20on%20burst%20pipes%20-%203.pdf

2/18/2015 10:57:31 AM

^good info. I've thought about adding pipe insulation in my crawlspace, but haven't because I didn't know if that would be sufficient by itself (house temp during the day is set to 64, so hopefully no worries from that angle).

2/18/2015 11:07:35 AM

How cold do your crawlspaces get?

Mine stays about 60 in the winter and 70 in the summer (which is why I ferment my beer in the crawlspace). I don't see any way the pipes under my house could freeze.

I installed the longer freeze resistant spigots for hoses outside (I had a couple break the first few years I lived in my house).

2/18/2015 11:22:52 AM

no clue, though I need to find out.

I have anti-freeze spigots... probably the cheapest things out there though... I assume they're good enough

2/18/2015 11:32:04 AM

To update, an inverted bar clamp and a length of 3/4" galvanized steel pipe mounted up against a couple 2x10 6 ft boards to distribute force did the trick. TV is in place and enough pressure was exerted on the drywall on each side of the alcove to not damage the TV in any way. There's a tiny hairline fracture at the top corner that I will just patch over, but structurally everything seems good to go and the TV now fits.

2/18/2015 11:38:51 AM

^^^

It all depends on how cold it gets where folks are located and what kind of crawlspace they have. prior to having my crawl fully encapped and sealed, it was no warmer than the outside air.

Think of where you have unconditioned space in your house (garage, attic, crawl, unfinished basement, etc). If there are water pipes there, freezing pipes are a risk once temps drop into the teens or below.

Central VA is slightly cooler than Raleigh-- enough that we generally get snow when you get ice. Tomorrow's low is -8F, which is certainly a pipe burst risk for a lot of folks. even with a faucet drip, certain pipes might still freeze, but the pressure relief should prevent any bursting.

^^ yeah those anti-freeze spigots are worthwhile. the only frozen pipe i ever had was from water in a spigot valve that caused the pipe it was on to crack, resulting in an inch of water on my main floor. I've only used the anti-freeze ones since then.

2/18/2015 3:59:15 PM

I've got a 4-5 foot crawlspace, brick exterior and I leave the vents closed year-round. I assume it's fairly warmer down there than it is outside to to HVAC ductwork etc, but perhaps I need to investigate...

2/18/2015 4:11:28 PM

i have one of those wells in my front yard with the little rock over it. Should I be putting some heat on that? I checked it out over the summer, has a lot of insulation in there around the pipes.

2/18/2015 4:39:40 PM

The rock should provide enough insulation. I wouldnt worry about it.

2/18/2015 6:02:17 PM

^^^Same for me, but no ductwork in the crawlspace (attic). And I haven't found any spigot covers that fit the siding trim around my spigots

2/18/2015 6:22:34 PM

Quote :

"I've got a 4-5 foot crawlspace, brick exterior and I leave the vents closed year-round."

Sounds like what I have, plus with the duct work. My crawl space is sloped, about 5 feet on one side and 2 feet on the other side of the house. Like I mentioned before, it rarely gets out of the 60-70 range and I have checked it through the years as I ferment beer in the crawl space.

I always assumed it was because the crawlspace was mostly below ground, but I have always wondered if my insulation was just pretty poor in the flooring.

2/19/2015 9:17:50 AM

measured my temperature this morning since I figured it would be a good barometer for how cold my crawlspace gets, it was 46 degrees at the lowest point in the crawlspace.

2/20/2015 8:59:48 AM

Anyone worked w/Covenant Roofing before? They only have a few reviews online that I can find.
http://www.mycovenantroofing.com/

They're doing an insurance claim for a guy around the corner from my house, and of course came around hanging flyers on doors. One of their guys caught me last weekend while I was outside in the yard, and gave me the sales pitch of "well your neighbor had hail damage, so we got him a free roof (plus deductible), and I'd say your chances are pretty good too." They claim they handle everything through your insurance, my insurer would stroke me a check if they honor the claim, then they go to work.

It sounds too good to be true but at the same time if they have insurance and are a reputable company, what's the risk in at least letting them do an inspection? My roof is original to the house so it's getting near the end of it's lifespan. My parents did this in Charlotte a while back but they had legit damage and like half the houses in their neighborhood had roof work done.

2/20/2015 9:40:48 AM

do you have legitimate damage to your roof that's pretty obvious?

If so, yeah go for it.

If not, you're talking about potentially conspiring with this company to engage in insurance fraud. Ignoring the potential legal implications, do you think this shady company wouldn't then screw you over in the process?

2/20/2015 10:15:39 AM

If there is damage, there's damage (and you have insurance to cover that). Sometimes it can be hard for non-roofing people to recognize hail damage. Have them take a look and see what they say.

I couldn't find covenant roofing on angies list for Raleigh.

[Edited on February 20, 2015 at 10:27 AM. Reason : ]

2/20/2015 10:19:08 AM

i went through this a few months ago but with a different company. I got a free roof out of it. I'd say that about 75 percent of my neighbors had enough damage to get a new roof. The rest had much newer roofs.

2/20/2015 10:56:24 AM

Welp...no hot water this morning.

Stankin' it at work.

2/20/2015 11:03:10 AM

I have abandoned my basement due to these temps, not worth doubling my gas consumption to keep it warm for one room. Working upstairs on a laptop today.

2/20/2015 11:17:21 AM

Quote :

"do you have legitimate damage to your roof that's pretty obvious?"

I have no idea, because of this:

Quote :

"Sometimes it can be hard for non-roofing people to recognize hail damage."

And the fact that I'm not getting up on the main (high) part of my roof for fear of falling and lack of a 30' extension ladder. How would it be insurance fraud anyway? The insurance company would have to assess any damage and approve the claim...it's not like I'm asking the dude to go up on the roof and throw golf balls at it to simulate damage.

^^^, ^^^^ thanks, I couldn't find them on Angie's List just Yelp. They are a "preferred contractor" on Owens-Corning's websites.

2/20/2015 12:38:33 PM

I'm always a bit skeptical of unsolicited work offers

2/20/2015 12:46:30 PM

Thanks for the info DonMega

2/20/2015 1:46:07 PM

Several trees fell in my yard and one is currently up against my house. No major damage immediately apparent, but I called my insurance agent to make sure it was OK to cut the tree down without having someone come look at it (she said as long as I am preventing further damage to my house I can do whatever is necessary, just take plenty of pictures). Unfortunately the trees are on the side of the house that never sees sun, so the ground has the ice from Tuesday still and a thick covering of snow. I'm hoping it melts some more today so that I don't have to operate the chainsaw while standing on ice.





[Edited on February 27, 2015 at 12:00 PM. Reason : ]

2/27/2015 11:59:28 AM

My dishwasher is frustrating the fuck out of me. It will start on a "Normal" cycle, but then stops after the water fills. I drain it and try again...same thing happens. So I originally thought it was something mechanical. But then I try it on a "Pots and Pans" cycle...and it works fine. So is it something electrical?

Any appliance experts out there?

2/27/2015 12:06:07 PM

Anyone ever replace their recessed lighting bulbs with LED? We have a lot of things on the same breaker and if we run the microwave with the lights on (15 recessed 65w lights) it can trip the breaker. Doesn't always happen but it is annoying enough and I was thinking it would be a lot easier and cheaper to replace the lights with LED since it would cause a much lower power draw and likely would trip the breaker anymore than get an electrician to put the microwave on its own.

Just wasn't sure if they worked that well and considering I would be spending hundreds on light bulbs I was hoping to get some first hand experience first. Obviously I would buy one or two and try them out before all 15.

2/27/2015 4:25:52 PM

^^ leave it on pots and pans cycle?

Barring that, check out http://www.searspartsdirect.com/...there are appliance repair forums too.

2/27/2015 8:03:31 PM

Quote :

"Anyone ever replace their recessed lighting bulbs with LED?"

I did. I used the Cree retrofit ones they sell at Home Depot. They are great. Light is warm and they dim very well. What size are your cans? I think they are available for 4" and 6".

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cree-6-in-TW-Series-65W-Equivalent-Soft-White-2700K-Dimmable-LED-Retrofit-Recessed-Downlight-DRDL6-06227009-12DE26-1C100/205337184

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cree-4-in-TW-Series-65W-Equivalent-Soft-White-2700K-Dimmable-LED-Retrofit-Recessed-Downlight-DRDL4-05727009-12DE26-1C100/205337185

2/27/2015 10:13:53 PM

Not sure on the size I will have to check. I thought it would be easier to just get the kind that is a light bulb and put it in my current recessed area, is there any benefit to those types though?

2/28/2015 8:41:52 AM

I'm not 100% sure, but a couple of thoughts:

1.) do you like your current trim? That stuff gets dated fast.
2.) The trim affects how the light is disbursed. LED lightbulbs are more directional, so what you have today may not be appropriate.
3.) There are a lot of crappy LED bulbs out there. You're going to have to do some experimentation.

So I think the benefit is it is the complete system and trim is already set just right. You might want to go to home depot and buy a couple of options and try them out. They are good about returns, so just take back whatever doesn't work out.

2/28/2015 11:31:42 AM

Gotcha thanks. I wasn't sure if there was a big difference between the different lights but I assumed some were dog shit. I will probably give one of those a try.

2/28/2015 11:38:52 AM