^^ You could do that 20 years ago. You install actuated dampers and each zone get's it's own thermostat. There's a circuit board you install which handles the opening and closing of the dampers depending on the combination of thermostats calling for cooling/heating. Combine with a unit with a variable speed compressor and enjoy the energy savings.

The only thing novel that nest does is act preemptively based on learned trends. If you live a fairly regular life, a standard programmable thermostat will give you a similar experience.

12/18/2013 4:32:36 PM

Quote :

"The only thing novel that nest does is act preemptively based on learned trends. If you live a fairly regular life, a standard programmable thermostat will give you a similar experience. "

Agreed completely. They're cool but most people would get by just fine on a nicer programmable. They are pretty though.

12/18/2013 4:34:07 PM

Any recommendations in the Raleigh area for a crawl space expert? Looking for moisture control, possible mold identification and remediation as well as insulation remediation.

12/18/2013 6:49:57 PM

it may be DIY pretty easily, depending on the issue. You can easily do a dehumidifier and insulation yourself.

Is it moisture build up, seepage, or actual water flow entering your crawl space? If it's the first two, then you'll likely need a permanent dehumidifier at a minimum. Do you have plastic sheets on the ground? That's another easy DIY. If it's flow entering, then you need a contractor to install a drain and to find the inflow point (you could do a drain DIY, but it can be a bit risky due to drilling a hole through your masonry). I have no recommendations for who. I can just help with the why & how. Do you open/close your crawl space vents? I know these are horribly ineffective, but I can't help but to think that if you are having issues, you need to do the opposite of what you've been doing


[Edited on December 19, 2013 at 9:28 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on December 19, 2013 at 9:28 AM. Reason : .]

12/19/2013 9:25:38 AM

I understand what nest does... If you don't have automatically adjustable dampers already, nest could make peripheral sensors to help you manually adjust registers and trend room temperatures with historic data... Without retrofitting your HVAC system. That's the point I was trying to make.

12/19/2013 5:30:23 PM

I had some issues with standing water in the crawl space after a big rain but I'm pretty sure I've fixed it. I have thick plastic down. I leave the vents open year round. I've heard so many different opinions about to close or leave open during certain times of the year. I want the mold cleaned that's already developed because of previous standing water issues. I also notice condensation on the hvac ducts. So something else is going on with humidity under the house that I'd like to fix.

12/19/2013 6:19:08 PM

^^ ideally, you'd already have balancing dampers in your ductwork and could re-balance your system there if your nest trends showed a need for it. The registers in houses are very poor for any real balancing other than on and off/almost off

12/19/2013 7:57:34 PM

I me tioned dampers previously, but yes.

12/19/2013 9:16:30 PM

welp, looks like the freezer in my kenmore fridge kicked it.


fffffuuuuuuuuuu when the fuck will it stop?

there's another $2500 I wasn't planning on spending...

12/20/2013 12:50:07 AM

So I've been in my house for a little over 1 year now. It's in a new neighborhood that's still being built. Most, if not all of the homeowners have gone with the same preferred lender and they use the same appraiser. The appraisals are the normal bullshit... show up, see house, take a picture, and slap the same price (almost) on every house, no matter what's been added (not accounting for all options, additions, etc.)

I'd tend to think that because homes are still being built and the builder is trying to keep prices down to maintain interest, that the values are artificially low for the now "existing homes" since the closest comparables are being built and prices held low.

I'd like to get a real appraisal so that I know the worth and so that I can know when I can open a home equity line. Is it worth it to get a new/better appraisal now, or just wait it out? My neighbor said a friend of his in real estate thought his home would be worth $20-$30k more than the appraised value when purchased. I think mine would be similar, as we both have similar upgrades/additions; though I have a concrete driveway and he does not; I'm also fencing in a huge backyard soon.

Depending on the appraised value, I'm not far from the minimum LTV ratio needed to open a home equity line.

[Edited on December 20, 2013 at 9:36 AM. Reason : .]

12/20/2013 9:35:30 AM

You don't need to spend $2500 on a fridge. We got a $1300 stainless side by side Samsung and it's amazing. Best features on the market for anything within a grand of the price. RS265TDRS is the model # if you want to look it up to get started.

^ I would definitely wait until at least after you fence the yard to get the appraisal.

I just noticed that when we had a party a couple weeks ago and someone spilled red wine, it got ON THE WALL and she didn't clean it up. Got to repaint that portion now when I do some other stuff.

[Edited on December 20, 2013 at 9:58 AM. Reason : ...]

12/20/2013 9:56:09 AM

yeh, I would certainly wait until after the yard is fenced.

12/20/2013 11:17:25 AM

yeh, I would certainly wait until after the yard is fenced.

12/20/2013 11:17:47 AM

Has everyone out there gone and replaced all their bulbs with CFLs? If so, have you noticed a decent decline in your energy bill? I ordered a bunch of discounted CFL bulbs through Duke Energy and have been installing them throughout in the new house, just wasn't sure if it was worth it to buy replacement bulbs for everything.

The bulbs are discounted about 75% from retail based on what I can tell.

12/20/2013 2:21:36 PM

Discounted? Dang, they used to hand those things out for free. I got two big boxes of them in 2010 and still haven't used them all.

12/20/2013 3:01:42 PM

I got a bunch from Duke but not in the right sizes and some were better than others (color distribution and instant on). In several rooms we also want dimmable. We've used some of the free ones but also bought some. I don't mind buying them. Not cheap but once we buy them we never really place them. I've never had one die on me that I have purchased (yet).

12/20/2013 3:53:03 PM

^^ I'm talking like exterior floodlights, interior recessed lights, etc. Not just standard bulbs.

12/20/2013 3:57:59 PM

Do you need the home appraised for any reason? Do you need a home equity loan?

I guess, why bother, unless you're trying to specifically get something

12/20/2013 11:34:00 PM

Quote :

"Has everyone out there gone and replaced all their bulbs with CFLs? If so, have you noticed a decent decline in your energy bill? I ordered a bunch of discounted CFL bulbs through Duke Energy and have been installing them throughout in the new house, just wasn't sure if it was worth it to buy replacement bulbs for everything. The bulbs are discounted about 75% from retail based on what I can tell. "

I got a big box of them from Duke Energy for free when we changed the power bill into our name (after our roomate moved out). First month after wechanged them our power bill went down $8, but who really knows how much of that was the lightbulbs.

12/21/2013 4:06:15 AM

Quote :

"Do you need the home appraised for any reason? Do you need a home equity loan? I guess, why bother, unless you're trying to specifically get something"

Quote :

"I got a big box of them from Duke Energy for free "

12/21/2013 4:08:27 PM

http://www.brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=640138

bobbydigital?

12/22/2013 12:11:00 AM

I didn't know what thread to post this in, but I have an odd problem... There is bird who constantly attacks our bay window when we open the blinds... I think it's territorial and sees our dog inside and tries to get at her.

The bird is fairly small and causes no damage, but it scares the SHIT out of my (german shepherd mix) dog. She literally hides behind furniture and shakes. I don't see a nest in the hedge outside of the window that I can remove, but has anyone had a pest bird like this before and know of a way to get rid of it? (sans shotgun)

12/22/2013 2:56:51 PM

Quote :

"Do you need the home appraised for any reason? Do you need a home equity loan? I guess, why bother, unless you're trying to specifically get something"

I said why in my post - a home equity line. Interest paid on equity lines is tax deductible. I could pay off my auto loan from my equity line and get a tax benefit. I could get a loan to do some fencing (huge cost). Lots of reasons.

[Edited on December 22, 2013 at 5:35 PM. Reason : ,]

12/22/2013 5:14:03 PM

If you have a feeling you are close, then do it. I know you said a home equity line would be something you'd want know how close you were... But unless you had a reason to use it, I'd have said screw it and wait. But you've got plans for that money, so go for it

^^my aunt and uncle had a bird that smashed into a bay window of theirs multiple times a day for weeks. I don't remember what they did, but nothing they tried worked. I'm not sure if they shot the bird with a bb gun, but it was getting to the point where they seriously considered it.

[Edited on December 22, 2013 at 10:01 PM. Reason : .]

12/22/2013 9:57:13 PM

i doubt that it's attacking your dog. it's probably attacking its own reflection.

[Edited on December 22, 2013 at 11:50 PM. Reason : just shoot it]

12/22/2013 11:49:45 PM

it only attacks when the blinds are open and the dog is in the room. i can't legally shoot it being in the city limits. i tried to find its nest in the holly bush but didn't see one.

12/23/2013 1:06:54 AM

If your dog is a GSD mix then it sheds a lot. Next time you brush it put all that extra fur in the bush in front of the window. Smell might help scare off the bird and it's free so might as well try.

12/23/2013 8:24:25 AM

Use your dog as bait, and catch the bird in a net?

12/23/2013 8:49:56 AM

Put sticky stuff on the window so the bird sticks to it and you can deal with it

12/23/2013 9:04:54 AM

He's talking about semen.

12/23/2013 2:43:04 PM

Quote :

"You don't need to spend $2500 on a fridge. We got a $1300 stainless side by side Samsung and it's amazing. Best features on the market for anything within a grand of the price. RS265TDRS is the model # if you want to look it up to get started."

yeah, i just guessed a number before looking at anything. Also, I hate side by side fridges. My parents have one and the freezer part is so narrow. can't even put a frozen pizza up in there. I've always had and prefer bottom freezer fridges.

my current fridge was built by Samsung, and three repair shops all told me they don't work on anything made by LG or Samsung due to difficult supply chain. I ultimately called sears and the guy diagnosed a failed compressor. Anyway, I asked one of the people i spoke to and the sears guy what fridge they'd buy based on their repair observations.


One guy said Whirlpool, and the sears guy said LG, with whirlpool being his second choice. Research told me Whirlpool stuff is pretty solid overall, reviews are good pretty much everywhere. The only 'downside' is that they have fewer bells and whistles than the Samsung/LG type fridges. I don't need hot water from my fridge or a built in sodastream machine, so that doesn't bother me. I just want a fridge that will work for 10-15 years without breaking.

Lowe's is doing a 10% off sale, and the wife settled on this one. Thank god our fridge opening is small because the ones that she really wanted were waaaay more, but wouldn't have fit.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_480819-46-WRX735SDBM_0__?productId=4740414&Ntt=whirlpool+fridge&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dwhirlpool%2Bfridge&facetInfo=

ended up at about $1900 after I spent the $150 on a 5 year extended warranty, which gives me 6 years total without having to pay for anything that breaks.

12/23/2013 2:51:36 PM

Gotta replace the garage door within a year. Gotta get it painted within 2, gotta get a new roof within 7. Ugh. And our HVAC could go at any time.

12/28/2013 9:53:42 PM

^welcome to home ownership. I can point you in the direction of a very reasonably priced and high quality roofer (just got hooked up with a 50 year roof) if you are in the triangle area

12/28/2013 11:21:55 PM

The shelves are far enough apart on ours to get a frozen pizza in there, and I like having the ice in the door. That's a pretty good price for a french door one, so at least you didn't have to spend 3 grand.

12/28/2013 11:47:50 PM

My outside flood lights weren't working since we moved in a couple months ago. Had a power outage for about an hour the other day and when the power came back on, the lights outside started working again. Anyone know what that could be?

12/29/2013 9:55:23 AM

as long as voltage is supplied to the fixture, there isn't much that can fail on a flood light. motion sensor, photocell, and lamps (bulbs) are pretty much it.

the motion sensor and photocell are a single unit on most fixtures and it's usually replaceable. try replacing it. it's cheap.

[Edited on December 29, 2013 at 11:21 AM. Reason : fdas]

12/29/2013 11:20:59 AM

Some squirrels have taken up residence in my shed. Time for an eviction to take place.

12/29/2013 1:30:54 PM

^^^^^I wouldn't mind getting the contact info for your roofer. I'm thinking I have a leak in my roof and I'd like to get someone out to check it out.

I've noticed what appear to be water stains on my walls/ceiling and I haven't been able to trace it to anything inside the house. I first noticed them on the ceiling in my kitchen that is below my upstairs bath. I re-sealed around all of the fixtures in the tub and around the toilet thinking that was the problem. I now have noticed on the wall in between the upstairs bath and a bedroom (directly above the stains in the kitchen ceiling) stains are starting to show up. One is about 4' up from the floor and another is at the seam between the wall and the ceiling so it must be coming from the roof.

12/29/2013 2:08:37 PM

Thanks NRR

12/29/2013 4:55:58 PM

^^^ Have you tried fire?

12/29/2013 7:38:51 PM

Thanks smath...we live in southern wake, about 5 minutes from the Harnett Co border. We've had somebody come out and replace some shingles after a pretty bad storm moved through. They seemed alright, but I'll certainly take suggestions.

12/29/2013 8:24:38 PM

Paul Otto is the guy's name... his family-owned company is "Otto's Exteriors"

http://www.ottoshomeremodeling.com/

I have a fairly complex roof and had it completely replaced with 50-year shingles for around 4500... less than half the price of Kingsford out of durham.

12/29/2013 9:19:37 PM

Quote :

"Have you tried fire?"

Long ago, by accident. Might try it on purpose this time

12/30/2013 10:35:35 AM

DO NOT BUY A VENT-CLEANING DEAL ON LIVINSOCIAL, GROUPON, etc.

Just bought a house, and found the dryer vent was badly clogged. Now, I know how to clean one, but it was like $40, and I had a dozen other projects I wanted to get started on. I knew there would be serious upselling by the techs (because they're making no money on the deal). But it was really atrocious.

Summary: the techs were talking about my mold problem in the heating unit within 30 seconds of arrival. They pulled out a prepared invoice for almost $1000 worth of work that would fix it. They talked about the threat to my kids, and used every high-pressure used car salesman tactic they could find, all while pacing on my new carpets in their filthy shoes. They got more aggressive with every 'no' I gave them.

I had two home inspections in the past month as part of the buying process. There was no mold of any kind, and they aren't mold experts anyway.

I told them to clean the vent and leave. Once they found out I couldn't be extorted, they pretended to work with a shop-vac for a few minutes and bolted. They did absolutely nothing.

I've reported it to the BBB, local news stations, FB and twitter. I'm even considering a small claims suit just to make a point and cause them trouble. Anything else I can do?

I do have a positive part: The Linteater is cheap, easy, and it WORKS. http://www.amazon.com/Gardus-RLE202-LintEater-10-Piece-Cleaning/dp/B0014CN8Y8



That doesn't include something the size of my arm that was compacted and wet (my vent goes to the roof not the side of the house). These things are fire hazards when they are clogged. Make sure you clean it. Drying time before cleaning: 2.5 hours. After: 40 minutes.

Oh, the company was A Breath of Fresh Air in Greensboro. But it's safe to assume all the companies doing this deal are the same.

[Edited on January 2, 2014 at 4:08 PM. Reason : d]

1/2/2014 4:00:46 PM

I assume by your post you hired them to clean your AC/heating duct as well as your dryer vent duct?

I know people who have tried the rotary cleaners and had them break off in their dryer vent duct and thus have more of an issue. Did the thing you used feel sturdy? My dad always has good luck just using a shop vac as far as the hose would fit in the dryer vent inside in the wall and then at the outside vent. They had a fairly short run though, but I've always been told the biggest build up is within the first few feet of the dryer anyway.

1/2/2014 4:24:57 PM

They said duct-cleaning was part of the deal, but I didn't even want that. And they claimed they couldn't do it anyway because it would just spread mold. So they couldn't do anything unless I paid them 25 times more than I already had.

The biggest was in the first few feeet, and you can get 80% of the job done that way. But mine probably had never been cleaned. I was still getting lint from the very top. Most probably don't need it. You can definitely do an adequate job on most vents with some home-spun solution.

The whole linteater did feel sturdy at the connections. It screwed in well. Plus, they recommend you duct-tape on top of the connections (which I didn't). It has a 50 to 1 ratio of 5-star to 1-star ratings on Amazon, which is probably more unanimity than you could get to a poll of "do you like breathing air?" That, and being only $30, is why I bought it.

They do have some complaints about it breaking off, but after seeing it, I chalk that up to improper setup.

With as badly as mine was plugged with lint, I don't think any vacuum would have done the job.

[Edited on January 2, 2014 at 4:37 PM. Reason : a]

1/2/2014 4:35:29 PM

I haven't tried it myself but I've heard this actually works fairly well.

http://www.amazon.com/Dust-Lizard-Dryer-Lint-Attachment/dp/B0091IOOEU/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1388698522&sr=1-9&keywords=dryer+vent+cleaning+tool

1/2/2014 4:38:37 PM

^^ Have you contacted Living Social about this?

1/2/2014 7:08:05 PM

Yeah, they gave me a credit worth about half of what I paid. That's a quality move in my mind. It wasn't their fault.

The company in question, however, hasn't even responded to emails and hung up on my phone calls.

1/2/2014 7:27:23 PM

Anybody know a good tile/grout person/company in the Fuquay or Raleigh area? Google didn't turn up much.

1/2/2014 9:17:27 PM