Back when I was trying to address my mosquito issues, I bought this pyrethrum concentrate:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CT9IDO

and this fogger:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HMA7OK

The pyrethrum is a little more pet and kid friendly than permethrin, though I was generally disappointed with the fogger. It could only fog a very small area and couldn't blow fog vertically. Half-decent backpack foggers were ~$250.

[Edited on August 13, 2018 at 10:01 PM. Reason : ]

8/13/2018 10:00:02 PM

ended up going with this shit...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A755Q3O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and this sprayer...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ARTX80/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

so far, so good. we'll see how it goes. I'll probably need more of the concentrate since my yard ain't small.

9/6/2018 1:34:52 PM

homeowners renewal going up by 50%

Am I expected to pay for everyone else's hurricane damage?

guess its time to play the call everyone for quotes game again

10/18/2018 8:49:40 PM

did you make any claims? holy shit...that's a crazy high increase.

10/19/2018 10:19:43 AM

hardware on undermount came loose; water has been leaking into cabinet for months probably

original double fence gate went to shit; had it replaced; one door dropped and now it won't open at all

front porch step treads are splitting and separating

needs powerwashing badly

beggining of driveway looks like a wrecking ball was dropped on it

mailbox finally got on my nerves enough to replace (was wobbly and had broken welds that held the box to post)

weeds dammit weeds

rose bush is dying, it's the centerpiece of my albeit, shitting front of house landscaping.

boxwoods in front landscaping are as big as VW bugs now

THERE'S A MONSTROUS SPIDER LIVING IN MY GARAGE AND I CAN'T FIND IT WHEN I NEED TO

10/19/2018 10:21:41 AM

No claims at all, just told them peace out today

They were all like, you have to understand recent damages in your area etc... I told them you have to understand, I like saving money

Actually got about 15% decrease now

10/24/2018 12:07:18 AM

^^burn the garage down

the other problems will sort themselves out after that.

^gg.

[Edited on October 24, 2018 at 9:24 AM. Reason : ]

10/24/2018 9:24:28 AM

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I live in the part of WACO that has high radon, etc in some wells; it's been a few years since I've had my well tested, so this was a good reminder to do so.... don't have full results back yet, but one of the fast / first tests run is for presence of bacteria (total coliforms)... which came back positive. Yay. Time to chlorinate and hope the water stays clean. The most likely reason I can think of is due to my neighbors septic field overflowing a few years ago; I'm downhill from him, though the slope doesn't run directly from his field to my well.

[Edited on October 25, 2018 at 10:24 AM. Reason : .]

10/25/2018 10:23:09 AM

How deep do you think your well is? I bet you would know better than I, but it Seems like a long shot that fecal would remain in groundwater from the 2’ deep a septic field would be down to the 100’+ your well is at?

Two things to consider:

Check the well casing/head for cracks. Water/doodoo could easily enter at a cracked casing at the ground and run down the well casing to the well intake.

Consider that fecal contamination of a water sample (by the sampler, off their hands, etc) is pretty common. Maybe it was a false positive due to bad same le technique?

10/25/2018 11:23:49 AM

Quote :

"THERE'S A MONSTROUS SPIDER LIVING IN MY GARAGE AND I CAN'T FIND IT WHEN I NEED TO"

I have a frog and a lizard. They live with us for couple of years now.

10/25/2018 12:07:46 PM

^^No clue; it may be on the well stamp though. My concern was the neighbor's septic field overflowing and draining overland into my yard, allowing it to seep along the outside of my well casing. Though it still being an issue years later is suspect I think. Nothing is cracked that I've seen, but I plan to look again. And yeh, it could have been poor sampling technique.

Now after some thought, it may not be related to my neighbor's issues - TC bacteria don't survive long in the environment, right? I seem to recall those having little viability in nature. My well hasn't been chlorinated since construction (6 years), but seeing as how the bacteria used for TC analysis don't live long and aren't naturally occurring in [non-contaminated] groundwater, I'm still curious how I've got a positive sample (assuming sampling technique wasn't the cause).


Hmm, I don't have manure mulch, but I assume plenty of material could be in the mulch I put out last spring. I've got a stone surround on my well, so mulch isn't in contact with the casing / head, but I guess some water could seep from the mulch, though the stone, and then down the casing.... hmm

[Edited on October 25, 2018 at 12:33 PM. Reason : m.]

10/25/2018 12:31:30 PM

Hot water heater has a leak. The cost for a new hot water heater (the one I want anyway) is $600. These yahoos want to do $1000 worth of code upgrades to install, not including the cost of the water heater.

WTF

10/26/2018 1:29:34 PM

Yeah, mine had the same issue last year. The service was costly. I ended it up by ordering a new one online and hired a local Asian handyman to change it.

10/26/2018 1:58:44 PM

^^If you have multiple reputable contractors identifying the same needed improvements to meet code, then I'd say you need to do that. Any professional will insist on bring all related components up to code if they are going to perform the work. Scammers will claim you need improvements to meet code when you don't; hacks will do anything for a dollar, regardless of code, safety, etc. But if you get the same story multiple times, it's most likely legitimate.

[Edited on October 29, 2018 at 4:29 PM. Reason : .]

10/29/2018 4:28:48 PM

You can do a lot of "bring things to code" for $1000.

10/31/2018 11:28:49 AM

what specifically isn't to code and what are they doing for $1,000 to bring it to code. nice even numbers like $1,000 raise red flags for me.

10/31/2018 11:33:28 AM

Anyone have experience with those companies that come through (especially after storms) and offer free roof inspections, and then help you file insurance claims to get it all done? I’ve got a whole stack of business cards from them coming through my neighborhood, and I’ve looked into a couple and was very wary because I could find no internet presence. This one guy has a company that actually is online with a good reputation, has done a few of my neighbors roofs, and finally broke me down and I’m letting them do the inspection today. Just wondered if anyone else has experience/thoughts on this. I believe my parents did it many years ago, and then their insurance dropped them the next year.

10/31/2018 3:10:41 PM

filed to evict my NC house tenant today (non-payment of rent). she has been there 2.5 years--habitually late with rent, but this time she says she's not paying.

10/31/2018 10:26:25 PM

Will NC evict in the winter? I know some areas won't let you kick folks out while it's cold.

11/1/2018 12:08:57 PM

Quote :

"then their insurance dropped them the next year."

That kinda shit infuriates me so much. Pay insurance companies for years just in case something happens. Give them hundreds of dollars without anything happening. Then when it does, and you call upon them to actually do their damn job, they drop you. Damn, you think my roof is gonna be replaced again that quickly?

11/5/2018 9:19:56 AM

^4 I'd say mostly scams

11/5/2018 10:18:04 AM

Never hire a storm chaser to do your roof. They are most likely out of state contractors who will end up hiring local guys to do the work for them, at a fraction of what they could have done for you at a still decent price.

As far as my hot water heater was concerned, I needed a steel bollard in front of the heater since it was in the line of where our cars park in the garage. I also needed a new ball shutoff valve, as my old twist valve was no longer up to code. Of course the expansion tank was dead so that needed to be replaced as well. I called around and ended up getting it installed for 800.

11/7/2018 11:22:53 AM

I HAVE WONDROUS NEWS

Quote :

"THERE'S A MONSTROUS SPIDER LIVING IN MY GARAGE AND I CAN'T FIND IT WHEN I NEED TO"

FOUND'EM, SPRAYED'EM, RAN OVER'EM. TAKE THAT FUCKER!

In more woeful news...

SO I had the kitchen sink leak back in October (undermount wasn't really mounted any more.... you get the idea)
1/2 bath sink was leaking a few weeks ago; took it apart, found nothing, reassembled, no leak. k.
The ball road on one of the master bath sinks broke and would no longer move the drain plug. Went to put in a new one last night and found a drip of water... I grasped the cold water line into the faucet and the deluge began.

3 SINK LEAKS IN ABOUT 6 WEEKS. WHAT THE SHIT?

11/9/2018 8:43:51 AM

What's the nature of these leaks? Are joints failing? Did someone now know how to installed PEX rings correctly or something?

11/9/2018 2:40:24 PM

first was due to the undermount hardware coming loose on the kitchen sink, breaking the caulk seal and letting water spill between the counter and sink

the second, I don't know. Was coming from the faucet; I did remove the aerator to clean it, so maybe it was slightly loose and allowing water to squirt up the faucet and drip down.

the third was a broken copper pipe inside the faucet

[Edited on November 11, 2018 at 1:19 PM. Reason : /]

11/11/2018 1:18:47 PM

Moved into a new house in June. Just started getting cold so on came the heater. Upstairs heater is only 2 years old but broke the other day. Thermostat was completely blank. Checked all circuit breakers and as much as I could with YouTube tutorials and couldn't find anything. Finally got an HVAC guy to take a look. One of the coils in the compressor was damaged. No problem, Trane parts typically have a 5-10 year warranty. Except this one specific part. Only an 18 month warranty. . "Cheap made in China parts, designed to fail" according to the HVAC guy.



Unrelated note: Do any of you guys have a ventless gas fireplace? I got mine running (only ever had wood burning ones before) and there is a distinct odor that comes from it. If I open the chimney then there is no problem, but that kind of defeats the purpose of a ventless fireplace since all the heat goes up the chimney. It's a slight smell of burning gas, but from what I understand, natural gas shouldn't be making any odors when it ignites. At least it doesn't when my gas stove is on.

11/29/2018 8:55:15 AM

has anybody up in here had a home addition done? we're in the process of doing a kitchen bump out and adding a master suite above it. if so, any lessons learned along the way?

11/29/2018 10:39:41 AM

^^ Make sure you have a CO detector.

I was going to tell you to check the status of the Trane warranty on their website, but it looks like if you're not the original owner and the warranty wasn't explicitly transferred to you, you're F-ed. I'm angry for you.

11/29/2018 2:32:06 PM

Our gas logs are unvented, and I hate them. They are supposed to provide more heat than vented, but the odor upstairs is something we can't deal with.

Another problem with ventless is condensation. If you run them, then you're more likely to have condensation in places you normally don't.

11/30/2018 10:38:07 AM

There is a CO detector plugged into the wall right next to the fireplace. My mother in law has a ventless fireplace enclosure, we ran hers all the time over Thanksgiving and couldn’t smell a thing. I guess some of them just smell. So it comes down to open the vent and get no heat from it or keep the vent closed and deal with the smell. It honestly doesn’t bother me too much but the wife is hyper sensitive to odors and says it stings her eyes.

11/30/2018 3:12:00 PM

Our house was built in 1966, and both upstairs bathrooms had issues. Water was somehow leaving the shower stall/bathtub (adjoining bathrooms) and rotting the drywall and subfloors. So 2 shiny new (waterproof) bathrooms!

https://imgur.com/gallery/p38fLpD

12/19/2018 3:00:53 PM

2018:

3 sink leaks
bacterial contamination in well
radon contamination in well
significant water in crawl space for long durations
water heater (in crawl space) sinking due to wet soils

12/19/2018 4:01:27 PM

Sounds like you need an archaeologist on-site to determine if you’re on an Indian burial ground.

/consulting

12/20/2018 10:21:55 AM

^^I feel you man. This house I moved into ended up being a hydra. As soon as I fix one thing, three more things break. It is a nightmare.

12/20/2018 10:49:39 AM

my water heater keeps draining a small amount of water from the PRV, I've replaced the PRV thinking it was faulty but it's still happening. it's not a lot of water, i have the PRV drain going to a small trash can and it's probably less than 1/2" of water per day but it's definitely still losing water.

does this mean i need to replace the expansion tank?

12/24/2018 9:11:37 AM

I am officially a homeowner now....kinda scared, tbh.

Also, there is a tree frog in the house and my dog keeps trying to attack it, and my husband isn't home and I really don't feel like trying to catch a tree frog and get it outside.

12/28/2018 1:55:31 PM

'grats hash!

just let the dog get the frog.

12/31/2018 10:43:13 AM

After selling the house in SC (owned it for almost 7 years), I snagged an urban studio to rent in Dallas after the move 3 years ago just to not jump into a move/new job/new mortgage immediately. Figured I'd buy again here. But honestly, after 3 years, I'm not sure when/if I would buy here even though I'm here for the foreseeable future. We just renewed the lease on the studio for the upcoming 4th year. Awesome location and love the smaller space.

We both pretty much refuse to move to the suburbs to get a cheaper house (a huge part of the move was getting back to the urban part of a larger city) and they're too big anyway. The houses/condos in our neighborhood and surrounding areas are all at least $1000+ more per month than our studio once you factor in taxes and HOAs (ignoring the significantly more expensive utilities), and most in that price range need significant renovation.

Ask me 5 years ago and I wouldn't believe that I'd be renting somewhere today instead of owning - I bought as soon as I could out of college. Now I'm happy renting long term. Funny how housing can be so location dependent.

1/3/2019 3:33:02 PM

how long is the term (if you don't mind me asking)?

[Edited on January 3, 2019 at 4:08 PM. Reason : how quickly could the rent jump?]

1/3/2019 4:08:25 PM

I really don't know how long term - that's part of the mental math that's tough with buying. I could be here for 20 more years or for 3 more years. I've really enjoyed this new company in these 3 years and am growing in it but of course you don't know how things are going to turn out. IE: Turned down offers from both Google(TX) and Facebook(SF) this year.

In terms of rent: my 2016-2018 rents were within $15 of each other. My 2019 rent I just signed for jumped $36. It's been very stable for a rent situation. In that same time period, property taxes have been skyrocketing here it seems like from friends who own houses - mostly due to valuation updates though. (We have no state income tax here)

I've done the math a few times here and really can't justify it for what I want. In SC, it was an easy choice: I was buying an inexpensive house, at historically low rates, with dirt cheap property taxes. The mortgage payments were less than the rent I was paying at the time and a lot of my mortgage payment was going to equity. Here, my insurance + property taxes alone would be 60-75% of my current rent for any area I'm interested in. Part of it is size too - I'd want a house <1500 ft2 (studio is currently 830 and it's plenty minus maybe a guest bedroom. Something like 1200ft2 would be ideal to me). The houses here are 2-4k ft2, even in the urban area. So I'd also be buying more house than I'd want to heat/cool/maintain. I've looked at the smaller, older craftsmen or tudor homes in my neighborhood, but you're literally getting outbid by people paying $400k for the land itself to raze it and build a 3500 ft2 home on. It's not necessarily a matter of affordability, I just don't want/need these huge houses.

The size issue makes it not apples to apples too. If I was renting a 2bedroom apartment here, the difference in rent to mortgage isnt that different. But it's hard to justify the rent on 830ft2 versus the mortgage on say 2500 ft2.

1/3/2019 5:25:55 PM

Anyone deal with encapsulating a crawl space? I really don't want the expense, but I have to address water seepage / standing water issues in my crawlspace. Due to high groundwater, the space stays fairly moist so I guess I'll go ahead and encapsulate.

However, I don't know what to do about my termite bond / treatment. I have 9 years left on my original treatment and my pest control company says the treatment would need to be redone if the soil in the crawlspace is disturbed (which it will be). I guess that buys me another 15 years, at which time, I'll probably have moved. The crawlspace remediation company says you don't need to treat for termites with an enclosed crawlspace... (block foundation wall).

?

1/9/2019 2:32:18 PM

Moisture flux from soil is one thing but where is that standing water coming from? You might have more fundamental water drainage issues on your property.

1/9/2019 3:20:47 PM

vertical seepage. ground level in the crawlspace is generally lower than external grade.

thought about doing an external perimeter drain, but that still may not prevent all vertical seepage, so a crawlspace drain would still be needed.

[Edited on January 9, 2019 at 3:43 PM. Reason : .]

1/9/2019 3:41:27 PM

Rot around the bottom of an exterior doorjam.

Have to replace entire doorjam

1/10/2019 10:13:36 AM

^^so will you be doing an interior tile drain and complete encapsulation? If you are doing the interior tile drain and sending that water to a sump pump would you still need to fully encapsulate?

I'm going through a similar issue where water comes into my crawlspace from a crack in the footer than can't be accessed. I've had a couple companies look at it and sounds like my solution will be installing a tile drain along the two exterior walls that allow water in. Those walls will be covered with a waterproof membrane and FRP panels which will force the water down into the tile drain which runs downhill to a sump pump. Other than that i'll just put in a new, fresh, vapor barrier and continue to run my store-bought dehumidifier in the summer months.

This is the walk-in portion of my crawlspace which is roughly 12x12. It's lower than the original foundation/crawlspace of the main part of my house.

1/11/2019 2:52:18 PM

I thought about doing an interior perimeter drain only, but event the soil in the middle / higher areas of my crawlspace have been moist and there's been evidence of water in various spots throughout, with no identifiable sources, so it may just bee seepage from multiple locations that wouldn't get picked up by a perimeter drain. I could try a perimeter drain + intermediate laterals throughout, but the cost is getting so damn close to encapsulation it's not worth it.

My other problem is, is that if I did drain only, I like a local, more affordable company who would install the systems in phases if all issues aren't solved (e.g. perimeter drains first, then if water still enters, intermediate laterals; if moisture isn't reduced, then a humidifier, and if all that doesn't kick it, finally encapsulate. But... I don't care for some of their techniques / products as much as a national company. The national company does it the way I prefer, but they're a one shot solution (interior drains, drainage board throughout, self-enclosed pump, encapsulation), which is probably where'd I'd end up anyways... hence I think I'm going drainage + encapsulation from the start with the national company.

[Edited on January 11, 2019 at 5:34 PM. Reason : .]

1/11/2019 5:32:51 PM

Quote :

"my water heater keeps draining a small amount of water from the PRV, I've replaced the PRV thinking it was faulty but it's still happening. it's not a lot of water, i have the PRV drain going to a small trash can and it's probably less than 1/2" of water per day but it's definitely still losing water. does this mean i need to replace the expansion tank?"

btw that was it, just needed a new expansion tank. i did go ahead and replace the anode and flush everything really well while i was messing with it

1/14/2019 1:02:03 PM

I just had my hot water heater replaced. I have a very small drip from the PRV as well, but the entire unit is new, including the expansion tank. I wonder if they installed it incorrectly.

1/15/2019 9:25:35 AM

Why do you wonder if they installed it correctly?

1/15/2019 1:07:00 PM

Because of the drip from the PRV

1/15/2019 9:46:05 PM