These flood lights are pretty easy. I've wired 1 on its own, and replace an existing single floodlight unit with a new dual lamp unit. Replacing existing is as easy as disconnecting the old lamp and reconnecting the new one.


http://www.lowes.com/pd_182155-85538-SH-5105-WH_4294857027_4294937087?productId=3018462&pl=1¤tURL=/pl_Security%2BLighting_4294857027_4294937087_

I got 100' of Romex 14-2 Simpull and started going to town. Wiring a switch may be a bit more complicated for the average person, but there are diagrams on the web to help you. If you've never done any electrical work of find any of it even somewhat confusing, definitely get an electrician.

[Edited on March 27, 2010 at 12:35 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on March 27, 2010 at 12:36 AM. Reason : .]

3/27/2010 12:35:13 AM

the house we are under contract on got approved to be removed from the seller's bankruptcy estate and we are closing/moving this coming wednesday!

3/27/2010 12:29:48 PM

everyone's lawn looking lush again?

I love this part of the year for that reason.

I also hate this part of the year because I have to mow twice a week.

FWP

3/27/2010 1:08:20 PM

i fertilized and seeded with annual rye last fall.

it got really, really green about October, then kind of went dormant December through February. Now, it is growing like gangbusters, and I can hardly keep up with the mowing.

i am looking forward to the bermuda flushing out and the rye dying off so it will be a little easier to handle.

the bad part is that i will have to do something permanent with the back yard. it was all dirt when we moved in, and the only thing back there is the rye. i am thinking sprigs, but it will be a P.I.T.A to get established with all the water that it will require.

3/28/2010 12:40:09 PM

how big is your back yard? the house we are moving into, the previous owners did NOTHING with the backyard. its just plain dirt and water eroded dirt at that. Since it is on a slope I am going to have sod installed instead of messing with seed and seed mats etc. and just having it wash away most likely. Sod is pretty cheap right now though which is why I was asking how big of a yard you have.

I am only planning to sod the part that is noticeably sloped. The other areas that are dirt that are flatter...I am just going to seed those. But I plan to sod about 3600 sf of the yard directly behind the house with bermuda and I got 3 quotes so far that have ranged from $1400-$1700 including grading, delivery, installation etc. which is about ~43 cents/sf installed. You can probably have it installed cheaper on a level lot.

3/28/2010 10:36:56 PM

my choices are sod or sprig.

i have Tifway 419 in the front yard and i wanted a hybrid in the back as well and you cannot seed a hybrid.

i may look at pricing sod, but sprigs should do just as well for much less money.

my lot is VERY flat, so that isn't a concern

3/29/2010 10:24:36 AM

If you water the hell out of the sod, you have a chance, but I think sod is better left till late fall to give it a fighting chance. I installed an irrigation system (tore my yard to shit), then waited 3 months to install the sod. Then paid the city $80 to water the yard every day legally.

Sod is just so pricey to put in at the wrong time of the year and without proper watering.

That was 2 years ago, and all of the sod survived, and my yard is now a solid 8 or 9 out of 10.

^^ I attempted to have the same hill sodded 4 years prior [no irrigation] on a steep hill because I couldnt get seed to root. It all pretty much died in under a year.

My neighbors had their backyard sodded without irrigation after spending a ton on regrading their yard. I shook my head, because they didnt bother with an irrigation system. While their back yard still looks decent, a good bit of the sod died out, and they would have been better served just to seed.

[Edited on March 29, 2010 at 11:27 AM. Reason : .]

3/29/2010 11:25:01 AM

Yea i've thought about waiting until the fall - I just hate the idea of moving into our first house and having the backyard unusable for our whole first summer . I'm guessing that you're suggesting it makes that much of a difference to wait though? Plus I plan to plant some trees for a privacy fence along the entire back of the lot, and really want to get them in ASAP to start growing. I really want to get the ground graded (and possibly a retaining wall built) and such before I plant the trees.

The house we are moving into, the backyard is nothing but water-eroded dirt right now because the previous owner did nothing with it (house is 7 years old). So it definitely needs to be graded regardless and would be a great time to install an irrigation system since the backyard is useless atm anyways-though i've debated if its really worth the money if I am diligent with the watering.

The house has a spigot on both sides of the house, and it is a long narrow lawn, so two sprinklers running at the same time would probably cover the area that would be sodded.


I guess the other option I have this spring is to get the ground graded, get a retaining wall built with some fill dirt brought in, and after that is done plant the trees/shrubs towards the back of the lot near the retaining wall. Then wait until fall to get the sod delivered and installed.

3/29/2010 1:17:58 PM

had to replace the compressor on a 5 year old heat pump 10 months ago

the startup capacitor failed now

at least this one's cheaper

3/29/2010 1:21:33 PM

Call: You have to think of the yard as a long term goal (1-2 years). It really depends on what you want.

What type of grass are you going to grow?
How good do you want your yard to look? (average/above average/envy of your neighbors)
How much time do you have to spend watering? (do you think you can drag spinklers around 2-3 times a week?- I couldnt)
How much money are you willing to spend to keep your yard looking good (small/medium/large)?

I got my irrigation installed on the cheap (6 zones), and it still cost me $3000 ($2000 for the install and $1000 for the new city meter). During the summer, my watering bill for the yard alone per month is about $60. However, with that said, although my yard is FAR from perfect, the results have been worth it. When I cut the yard, I just stand on the street and look at all my hard work and money realized.

[Edited on March 29, 2010 at 4:57 PM. Reason : .]

3/29/2010 4:54:55 PM

I really just want above average. One of the reasons I feel that we got this property for the price we did was because other people didn't want to deal with this backyard that is basically all eroded dirt as described earlier.

I'd like to level it out some, it needs some grass and a nice privacy row of trees/shrubs along the of the lot. I'm not looking to get this lawn to a 10/10 or anything, mainly just want to get it so it is usable, has a root system and grass covering most of the backyard, and overall get to a point where the yard doesn't detract from the appeal or value of the house (as it does now).

The front yard and sides of the house are very flat and, although the grass is a little weedy and not that nice, I will just be using seed and do not plan to install an irrigation system there anytime soon. The backyard is really the problem. I will obviously be planting my own trees/shrubs for the privacy, just trying to figure out exactly what to do with the rest of the area that won't be trees, a raised garden, and natural areas and what order to do it. I was originally hoping to not spend more than $5000 on this back yard this first year. Who knows though, it may be worth it to put the money into getting a nice retaining wall built and filling in some dirt so that the area isnt sloped as bad and then just trying to seed it and not worrying about an irrigation system or sod.

I'll try and take some pictures of the mess of a backyard Wednesday when we are moving in or sometime in the next week.

[Edited on March 29, 2010 at 5:19 PM. Reason : ]

3/29/2010 5:16:46 PM

i can water all of my grass from the porch!

3/29/2010 6:23:57 PM

closing in 8 days, moving a week from this weekend.

called the city of creedmoor yesterday to get the rates for garbage/sewer/ water. at least every month i'll get a bill for 64.75ish as a base rate. the break down is 11.50 for water (base rate, usage to add more to that), around 17 dollars for trash/recycling pickup for the month, and the rest for sewage.


talk about highway robbery....

MaximaDrvr, how is the new house looking?

[Edited on March 30, 2010 at 7:58 AM. Reason : slash]

3/30/2010 7:57:43 AM

^I too get raped by utilities in my house, especially since I had two roommates move in. They are essentially paying my mortgage for me though with the rent money they give me though, so I guess I can't complain.

3/30/2010 9:46:59 AM

http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/Maintenance_Calendars.aspx#000016

That says if you're gonna put down Bermuda, now's a good time.

3/30/2010 12:16:26 PM

I just have an offer accepted on a house. Quick question, did you guys go online or to a local bank for your mortgage? Is there any disadvantage of using a non-local lender? longer closing time?

3/31/2010 10:07:03 AM

I can only tell you my experiences...

DNJ Mortgage: Awesome people. I've used them to refinance several times with zero issues
BBT: Great. No problems.
SECU: Higher downpayments, more picky about insurance, and I've decided I wont use them anymore for any type of loan
SunTrust: I've heard from friends and read from others here these guys can be trouble. Really delayed closing times for a few friends.

3/31/2010 10:36:22 AM

^^You didn't have the mortgage stuff squared away before you offered on a house?

3/31/2010 10:39:23 AM

^I got pre-approved about 3 months ago. This house I bought just came on the market this past friday. I made an offer on it on monday and they accepted the offer yesterday. Anyway, I know I'm qualified for the loan. I'm just shopping around to see who can offer me the best deal right now.

3/31/2010 11:29:24 AM

weird situation because we moved in Wednesday (completely out of the apt and into the house that day) but we are closing next week. We did the walk-through first to look at any repairs, then got renters insurance for the interim time, then signed the agreement to live here until closing. Basically since everything kept getting delayed and we had to move out of our apt it just made sense. Love the house even more after actually being there. Supposed to close sometime next week.

Can't wait to make this place our own though. We really love it but we want to paint, put down hardwood floors, take care of the lawn etc.

Also, the home intercom system that the seller said she had someone look at and they "couldnt figure out what was wrong"... I unscrewed the case yesterday and reattached one wire that looked loose and it works fine now Right now it just has inside and patio call options and the FM/AM transmitter hooked up, but the board has an aux input too that I saw when the cover was off. Going to install a wall jack and run some cable in the wall from the aux input of the unit to the jack so I can hook up our ipod since there are speakers in every major room of the house. Just can't decide whether I want to put in a floating shelf to set an ipod dock (with an audio out) on in the living room, or just set it up in the coat closet that shares the wall so that it is out of site. I guess the other option is to place the jack low and next to the cable outlet behind the TV and just put the ipod dock somewhere on the tv stand.

[Edited on April 2, 2010 at 9:30 AM. Reason : ]

4/2/2010 9:28:30 AM

I'm thinking about getting the home warranty for my new house. Will the company send somebody out to inspect the house before they sell me the home warranty? What if I get them to fix stuff that's already broken in the house before I bought it?

4/2/2010 10:23:54 AM

FUCKING CARPENTER BEES

4/3/2010 11:30:14 AM

I hate when you can hear them chewing
Better get the putty out

4/3/2010 3:01:00 PM

anyone know anyone that will refill a home ac system cheap, i need my yearly 2 pounds.

4/5/2010 12:51:55 AM

yearly 2 pounds? I'd take care of the leak in your system before "recharging it" if you are adding 2lbs a year. A properly functioning, non-leaky system shouldn't need recharging for years and years. (Technically never)

[Edited on April 5, 2010 at 8:00 AM. Reason : ]

4/5/2010 7:48:23 AM

Anyone have a good HVAC person in Charlotte? My air conditioner doesn't seem to be responding and I think I'm due to get a new system. My condo was built in 1984 and I really don't believe anything has been updated on it, so I'd like to get it checked out.

4/5/2010 8:50:30 AM

^^ repairing it woudl cost 1200 to get the coil changed, recharging it for $100 a year seems to be the cheaper option, especially since its a crap system and i don't intend to live here forever.

4/5/2010 9:24:15 AM

Going back to the yard, this is how long its taken me to get the yard close to where I want it...

This is the yard and my house in 2001 (just before I purchased it)


This is my yard ruined after the irrigation install...


After the irrigation install, with the yard destroyed, I stopped caring about everything else, I rented a sod cutter, pulled up everything, and me and my friends layed new sod.


This is 1 year and a half later...




I'll be planting a lot of hydrangea's in the front flower bed, and leave the color to the window boxes. I am tired of the expenses and aggrivation of replanting the front left bed every year.

4/5/2010 9:28:49 AM

^ looking good!

Quote :

"^^ repairing it woudl cost 1200 to get the coil changed, recharging it for $100 a year seems to be the cheaper option, especially since its a crap system and i don't intend to live here forever."

Yea I guess it just depends on how long you have been living there/"recharging", how long you plan to live there, and whether you own this place or not (I am assuming you do...). Having an improperly functioning unit that is leaking also leads to increased energy consumption and cost due to inefficiencies in the system causing it to work longer and harder. (ie its costing you more than $100 a year)

Also, is this a dirty coil or a leaky coil? I'm assuming leaky, but if its dirty and you are adding refrigerant to overcome a foiled coil that isnt getting the normal heat transfer, that can be potentially dangerous.

And back to the "I don't intend to live here forever" statement. If this is a place you own and plan to sell at some point, just know that if the unit is in such poor shape you will be paying for it in the end anyway (whether a seller's offer is contingent on your replacing it or giving them an allowance to replace it). The money you are "saving" by just recharging it now could actually be extra cost as opposed to just buying a new system that you could use now and is not an issue when you go to sell. I don't know your exact situation, but just something to consider.

[Edited on April 5, 2010 at 9:47 AM. Reason : ]

4/5/2010 9:46:21 AM

^ i realize that thats the situation.

And that at some point it will cost me, although the seller i bought it from didnt disclose that it was leaking in the first place.

My AC only runs during the summer, (i have gas heat with no heatpump).

Its actually a leak, I have had the guys come out a number of times, its a leak, and it sucks.

I don't intend to keep the house forever, but i do own it. Honestly i would rather just replace the unit, but that is not what i see in the books currently.

4/5/2010 10:11:44 AM

Cool, I understand. I figured you were probably already aware of that since it sounds like you had recharged a few times before but just wanted to make sure.

and doh, *fouled not foiled

4/5/2010 10:40:20 AM

One thing to remember... The unit will get worse, and what will probably happen is you'll end up replacing it just before you sell the house, and get no benefit out of the money spent. If the unit is a crap unit, this will also come up in the home inspection, and they'll ding you big there.

I replaced my coils in my old unit for the tune of $1200. It got me by another 3 years, but the unit was such a big piece of shit, I had to get rid of it. The best $7k I have spent. Cut my electricity almost in half, and the house is now as cool as I want it.

4/5/2010 11:06:59 AM

I dont have 7k sitting around, i think i might be able to get in around 3, i would have to finance it ug.

4/5/2010 1:37:22 PM

If home equity is an option, I'd seriously consider it.

4/5/2010 2:30:19 PM

officially closed today finally

4/5/2010 2:43:55 PM

^^ nope I bought right before the crash

4/5/2010 3:06:51 PM

^^congrats. nervous at all during the signing?

closing tomorrow at 11. did the final walkthrough today, and looked good. now comes the fun task of moving...

4/5/2010 7:10:36 PM

^ a little, I was actually more nervous earlier in the day because our lawyer had us wire the money instead of bringing a certified check. So for me, that was the hard part. Sitting there and watching a good chunk of change basically disappear from my account was interesting. I held onto that receipt like my life depended on it until I got confirmation that the lawyer received the money

good luck tomorrow. the moving sucks but once you get everything at least inside the house its a huge relief. The unpacking once youre inside is the tough part imo

4/5/2010 7:56:20 PM

I'm closing on the 30th. What kind of mortgage rate have you guys been getting? I got a quote of 4.25% for 15 years.

4/6/2010 3:04:02 AM

I was able to get locked in at 4.75% for 30 years back in February and thats what I closed with yesterday.

4/6/2010 7:43:54 AM

^^ 5.125 locked for 30..

USDA loan through wells.

4/6/2010 8:24:55 AM

CarZin-- any tips on how to deal with a slope like you have?

Looking awesome, although sod is for quitters.




[Edited on April 6, 2010 at 8:55 AM. Reason : ]

4/6/2010 8:55:00 AM

Okay so I just got my $8000 first time home buyers tax credit and I'm looking to spruce up my house a bit and would like a little insight from anyone that can provide it.

1) How difficult are ceiling fans to install to regular light fixtures? There are currently no ceiling fans in my house so I'd like to put some in the bedrooms. I've never really installed anything of the sort so I have no idea how complex it is.

2) I finally got around to doing some yard work. The grass in the front yard is now short and the weeds are all gone but it still kinda looks run-down so I guess I could plant some flowers or something. Do you guys have any links or anything for us n00bs who know nothing about this sort of thing?

3) Now that my back yard has been tamed I'd like to grow some stuff like peppers or vegetables or something. Do you guys have any recommendations?

4/6/2010 9:27:40 AM

First things first, how long did it take you to receive the credit and did you send anything else in with Form 5405 besides a copy of your HUD and driver's license with the new address?

As far as the fan goes, I have never done one myself but from what I have seen they are relatively easy; you just have to make sure the fan has support. You can use those support boxes they hang between joists or a fan rated electric disc/box that is screwed to the bottom of a joist. If it is in a room where you have access to the ceiling via the attic its even easier I assume.

4/6/2010 9:39:01 AM

Boone, I tried to get grass to grow on that hill for years. I tried the stuff that looks like insulation that holds the seed to the slope. I tried regular seeding. I simply couldnt get the damned stuff to sprout. I tried watering it with regular hoses, but it just wouldnt work.

Sod is the only think that worked. The only spot I have problems with now, oddly, is at the very top of the hill by the garden. I walk on that a lot, and it can create dead spots that I have to overseed in the fall to get to fill back in. The irrigation system is also a must for a hill like this or you will need some semi permanent sprinklers on a timer.

4/6/2010 10:06:25 AM

^^It took me about 6 weeks from the time I mailed it in until the time I received the check. I got the check in the mail yesterday and I sent in all the stuff (as an amended return) around February 12. I was reading through the thread in The Lounge about the housing credit and someone said that you needed to have some utilities bills and stuff too. I couldn't find anything to support that online, but I went ahead and included it too as it couldn't hurt. I threw in a copy of two utilities bills and two mortgage statements and highlighted my name and new address on both of them.

4/6/2010 10:23:36 AM

Can anyone think of any reason I can't hack off my sewer maintenance pipe (I think that is what it is) shown in the lower left hand side of this pick so that its capped much closer to the ground? its not pretty, and I think they left it high just being lazy.

http://thewolfweb.com/photos/00514233.jpg

4/6/2010 1:47:28 PM

nah, I'd say go for it. Those things are all different heights and there's clearly no mandate for consistency.

Even if there was some sort of ordinance, given that for every 5 houses you'd see 5 different heights, and no one's going to have recorded how tall yours is, so if it were me, I'd knock that thing down.

4/6/2010 2:08:23 PM

on my old house - I didn't even know I had one until about a year before I moved. I was digging in the front and hit it. Whereas my neighbors looked like yours.

4/6/2010 3:22:19 PM

Thats what I suspected. I think I'll set it really low to the ground, and probably paint the damn thing green to boot

4/6/2010 3:28:20 PM