Gooncave & Gardens: Moving & Apartment Living, Hunting, & Furnishing

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Gooncave & Gardens: Moving & Apartment Living, Hunting, & Furnishing

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

I'm moving halfway across the country from Orlando to Kansas. I'm debating selling my large items and packing everything else (TV, computer, receiver, clothing, speakers, etc) into my wagon and just going out there because I'm getting a generous relocation allowance.

Besides a heavy couch, and a queen sized bed, everything else would fit without a trailer, at most a roof pod thing. Not knowing anyone there would make moving stuff in a pain. Am I crazy for considering the thought of buying mostly new? Or should I just rent a small trailer?

# ¿ Apr 19, 2012 02:52

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 13:24

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Ctrl_Alt_Delete posted:

I'm in the same boat. I'm moving from NC to TX and what makes the most sense to me is to sell everything. The cost of a trailer isn't worth it for me. I'm planning on getting rid of everything but what I can fit into my car. I'm keeping my TV, some clothes, a ton of books, some nicer kitchen stuff, and my cat. I figure I can just buy what I need when I get there. I'd rather get where I'm going and then buy things as I need them. If you see a crazy lady with a cat in her lap singing along to the radio in your travels, be sure to honk!

I'm going to Wichita, what part of TX? We could have a mini camp.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2012 04:11

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

BirdOfPlay posted:

Slight cross post from the law thread.

The place I'm currently living at with a couple of other people is in need of a couple repairs. We've told the management company about these things several times now for a couple of months, but nothing has been done to resolve them. So, to make them pay attention, I told them last month that we wouldn't be paying next month's rent if they didn't fix these problems.

I'll be calling them tomorrow/today to remind them of that fact, but I just wanted to check here and see if there are better ways to get the company's attention. To be fair, they aren't a fly-by-night company and, previously, were prompt with making repairs (this is the third time the dryer has crapped out on us), but they've been ignoring these issues since August. And, truthfully, I don't want to have to move out or get evicted or make a fuss that would give me a "black mark," I really like this place and the issues have been mostly minor.

Also not a lawyer, but are all of these notifications in writing? Not having that precious paper trail will ALWAYS bite you in the rear end.

# ¿ Oct 23, 2012 15:34

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Zillow and Trulia both let you search for single family rentals as well.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2013 14:43

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Budget Bears posted:

My garbage disposal suddenly stopped turning on altogether. Doesn't even make any kind of noise when you flip the switch. I've been googling for like two hours and everything has just been telling me, "check the circuit breaker, check if it's plugged in, try pushing the reset button." Nothing is working. I live in an apartment complex so it's their garbage disposal, not mine; if the thing is completely busted, they're the ones responsible for putting a new one in/getting it repaired, right?

I'm just worried that my sketchy rear end apartment complex is going to pull something dumb and I'll wind up paying for a new one out of my own pocket.

Does it have an Allen key-hole on the bottom? It could just be jammed on something, if you have an Allen wrench that fits, see if it rotates.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2013 00:01

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

razz posted:

Yeah you can take a lot of them apart by yourself. I did that once when mine was clogged. SO MUCH ROTTING FOOD was trapped inside. It was the worst thing. Have a big bucket/bowl ready in case a wave of brown sludge comes flowing out like it did on mine.

Oh no, the key hole on the bottom is just to rotate the motor/blade head, not for taking it apart.

Taking them apart is a wholly different level of suffering.

Don't panic about making a mess. Yet.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2013 02:01

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

marb posted:

If there is a big post on smoke-chat somewhere, someone can direct me to it, but here goes:

Is there any possible remedy that will eliminate the odor from tobacco smoke or at least save all my stuff?

I moved into a room in a student house; the property manager told me that the basement tenants (separate apartment) don't smoke... they do. Of course that wasn't in writing, the lease doesn't mention smoking, and the landlord doesn't give a poo poo. They are allowed to smoke down there. My roommates and I have talked to the basement tenants a bit about it, and they have agreed to try and smoke outside but the fact is that they are both chain smokers and with winter coming it's just going to get worse and worse.

I've looked into air purifiers, vinegar, febreeze, sealing cracks. Whatever. The main floor constantly reeks of cigarettes and the upstairs (where my bedroom is) vaguely does. The more worrying thing is that all of my possessions are slowly starting to smell like tobacco, which to me is loving annoying. Crawling into bed and having all my sheets smell some lovely motel is a pretty big buzz kill.

Has anyone found good results with any situation like this? The air purifiers excited me a bit initially but then I read a lot of pessimistic stuff about how they aren't very effective for tobacco. Thanks

edit: I've been doing some research and apparently a carbon filter is necessary to filter smoke with a purifier - if anyone has any experience with that I'd be grateful for some anecdotal advice

Is the air return/filter in the basement with them? If so get one of the better filters from 3M and see if that helps. otherwise you'll probably need an ozone generator when people/they aren't home.

# ¿ Oct 1, 2013 03:17

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

FISHMANPET posted:

I'm moving out of an apartment that has a ton of roaches, and I don't want to bring them with me. I've got the luxury of living in Minnesota and we have been beset by winter. So I think if I just keep all of my stuff outdoors probably stored in a not-climate controlled storage unit) for long enough, that should kill everything, right? Or should I load up a truck and bug bomb it? Something else?

Nuclear option: Get a card table or plastic table. Put it outside. Assemble and pack your boxes on this table and don't put them back in the house. Clean EVERYTHING as you put it into the box. (if you do, put them on a tarp inside a ring of diatomaceous earth, like a ward but for roaches. then move them to your storage unit.)

# ¿ Nov 25, 2014 16:46

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Ciaphas posted:

Yeah, I changed it last week to see if it would help; no dice. Maintenance is coming round today to take a quick look at the central unit, but I'm not expecting much anymore.

If you don't have a fancy laser thermometer, stick a kitchen one in a vent. If the air isn't coming out around 50 or lower your AC ain't going so good.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2015 21:23

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Hardwood or laminate?

Either way, it's MUCH easier to clean. Sweep and your done, with the occasional mop vs never ending vacuuming.

You can always get area rugs in places where you don't like the wood flooring.

It also increases the hilarity of running pets.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 23:52

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

The Ferret King posted:

Any idea why Penske is more than twice as expensive as Uhaul?

No idea. but uhaul beat my budget quote and they also have the low deck trucks which is a great benefit.

I wonder if'll they'll match the 35% off coupon for budget. I got it from the post office for setting up mail forwarding.

toplitzin fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Oct 22, 2015

# ¿ Oct 22, 2015 00:52

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

The Ferret King posted:

How'd you go into that negotiation? Did you speak with the local pick up office or call their 800 number on the website?

I called the 800 number because i need an extra week of rental/storage time between when i pick up and move and when the lease/move-in on my new place starts.
Uhual beat the quote only by $20, for a 15ft truck and car dolly vs a 16' and dolly from budget.

# ¿ Oct 22, 2015 01:23

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

photomikey posted:

I have moved a lot of stuff a lot of times over a long distance. You could make the Uhaul free and the Budget or Penske $1000 and I'd cough up the grand without a second thought. I prefer Penske over Budget, but would take either over uhaul.

Also, interstate moves are like insurance quotes. Sometimes one is sky high for no particular reason, it's just that truck between those two locations on those dates. The next week it might be cheapest.

I've found the seats in a uhaul to be more comfy on my cross country moves.
I've also driven a 20'+ international box truck for a few years. so :shrug:

# ¿ Oct 22, 2015 02:20

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Oh joy, the house I've rented and just moved into appears to have black mold.

Oh happy day. Stay tuned for adventures in mold remediation.

# ¿ Nov 12, 2015 03:13

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

this_is_hard posted:

So, my landlord has contacted my fiance and I and is thinking of putting the property up for sale. From the sounds of it, she wants to do it ASAP. We are getting married in September and are currently incredibly busy with wedding planning, etc, and also are obviously spending most of our money on wedding poo poo.

The only mention of putting the unit up for sale in our lease is this:

Am I reading this right in thinking that if she puts the unit up for sale before the last 60 days (our lease began November 1) that constitutes a breach and we can then move out?

We really do not have the time/money to wait around for the unit to sell, especially as it gets closer and closer to our wedding. Thanks goons!!

The landlord can list the property but they or the new owner will have to honor the current lease. So it kind of depends on when your lease ends.

# ¿ May 5, 2016 18:45

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Anne Whateley posted:

Yes, of course the bank can do poo poo. The bank is legally required to do a lot of poo poo. They aren't just going to be like "yeah bummer I guess"; you're going to get the $4k back from them ASAP while they go after the bad guy.

It's such a weird myth that debit cards don't have fraud protection. I think in like the '80s-'90s it wasn't as robust as credit cards? But now in practice it's been on par for decades, but the weird nonsense keeps going strong.

You get fraud on your CC, the card is cancelled, a number is generated and life goes on.

You get fraud on your debit card, you wait until the bank opens an investigation, wait for them to confirm that it's fraud, and then 7-10 business days later you have half the money back in your account.

# ¿ Jun 4, 2016 02:24

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Terminus posted:

Hey Goons, figured this might be the thread to ask for some pest control advice.

I've been living in my current apartment(top floor of an old, think 1915, building) for about 3 years now and never saw any roaches until this May when we had an extended period of rain. There were two large ones each on separate days and both were easy to catch and get rid of. I put down some cheap bait I bought at the grocery store and figured it was just a fluke. Two months later, this weekend, I found two more, again both big and slow and on different days, easy to catch, etc and this time it was during a bit of a heat wave in the area. Are these just random roaches looking for water/food or is it more of a problem? I've already bought some higher quality bait from Amazon that I plan to put down, but I figured I might ask some opinions.

Are you a filthy slob? Do you leave food/dishes out for days?

If not, they're probably exploratory roaches.

You can put diatomaceous earth around your baseboards for cheap. Buy a bag and pantyhose and use it like a chalk bag around the entire perimeter of your place and it will help. (also dust some inside wall plates, window sills/seals, and inside the back/top of cabinets/sinks and stuff if you're extra paranoid). Pest control guys still use it but their formulas have added polymers and poo poo so it stays longer and can be sprayed higher up surfaces. You'd just wanna re-apply every 60-90 days.

Alternately, a yearly pest control contract isn't that bad, something like $50 a quarter for small places.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2016 21:52

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Your Dunkle Sans posted:

Not exactly sure where to ask this, but what are good resources/websites to consider in making a budget cross-country move with a roommate? I'm looking to move from the Midwest to Seattle and will realistically be able to save $1k-$1.5k between the two of us by January.

Any idea on whether traveling in winter makes a damper on things? Should I just push it back to March or April? I'll probably be using my car plus a trailer hitch for what little things we disassemble and bring with us.

Have you towed in winter downhill? If you're serious, invest/plan on spending money on proper winter tires for the drive.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2016 02:20

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

And really, if you are expecting a large amount of snow travel, get winter tires.
Even the cheapest snow/winter tires will be better than the all seasons you likely have on now.

# ¿ Jul 29, 2016 18:21

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Free ladder!

# ¿ Sep 13, 2016 13:59

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Pittsburgh Lambic posted:

Well, two of my three roommates are moving out on fairly short notice. I like the house we've been renting, but having the rent double on the remaining two of us is going to be a pain in the rear end.

Anyone here have any experience with hunting down new roommates? The craigslist "room wanted" ads are loving hilarious but not much use otherwise, at the moment.

Ideally, they pay their rent until new roommates are found since sounds like they are lease jumping.
Will your current landlord let you alter the lease to change or sublet?
In a perfect world, they do the legwork and start to setup group screening of possible new tennants up until they move out/hand the keys over.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2017 20:26

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Pittsburgh Lambic posted:

I actually could use some advice on this, I think. In a 4-person household, two are leaving, and I'm taking over responsibility for paying the rent and utilities. The remaining roommate I get along with well, though it does mean I have to put up with a lot of kitchen messes.

The people moving in, however, are unknowns. The last person in charge of paying rent was a shut-in who didn't have any rules for literally anything, except "pay rent and utilities when I give the total i guess." (I needed a place on short notice okay) Atmosphere around him has always been kind of uncomfortable and awkward, and I'm tired of that poo poo. The last thing I want is a household where people can't stand each other.

After one of the new roommates moves in tomorrow, I'm planning on having a little meeting where we can agree on a few rules, but I also wanted to ask people in the thread who've been in this situation: What have you done in the past that made a household work?

Assuming you find that not everyone is onboard for the responsible thing balance, i found great success with the rotating whiteboard of House Things. (Also works with google sheets if you are all tech savvy)

Whiteboard lists each roommate, portion of the rent, portion of the utilities, and which House chores are on rotation (week/two weeks).
Ideally, you all settle on terms IE: Rent is due on the 1st. I'll pay it, all rent is due to me by the 28th.
X util is due Y date, your portion is due 3 days ahead.
if you have any temperamental cookware, now would be a good time to mention it (IE: Cast iron vs "I like to let things soak.")
Also, air out any "do you have any smells you hate?" prevents candle/cooking/air freshener anger.
Are you a clean person (things are clean, but may be messy/cluttered scattered around) or are you a neat person (things look neat and organized, but not actually clean)?
Do you all have normal/matching shifts or will you have to double check the clock before watching that show saturday morning?
Do you use the dishwasher or hand wash as you use things? IF you all used the dishwasher, will it get run more than 2x a week?

toplitzin fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Mar 6, 2017

# ¿ Mar 6, 2017 21:17

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

NaanViolence posted:

I'm glad I live on the top floor of my building.

Oh god the heat in the summer.

# ¿ Oct 24, 2018 20:06

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

The only good/new feature is if you can find a fridge with a Linear Compressor.

The LGs that use them are quieter and a bit more power efficient, but you can also get them rebranded as Kenmore and save a few bucks.

# ¿ May 23, 2019 19:43

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

vonnegutt posted:

Haven't LG fridges been having problems, specifically with the compressors failing?

Google says they're trying for a class action in Cali, but there are also reports of LG extending warranties out to 10 years on the compressors now.

Anecdotally, most of my social group here has purchased LC equipped LG fridges over the past 3 years as we've gotten new homes purchased and so far so good.

# ¿ May 24, 2019 16:32

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Why not just call code enforecment next time it drips.
I ended up calling the city on one of my recent landlords.

The list of poo poo got fixed fast when they got the official notice from the city.

# ¿ Jul 29, 2019 20:39

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Toshimo posted:

I was thinking hard about this before the 'roni hit, but I absolutely need a chair that isn't my office chair for sitting in to relax. I'm having a real hard time finding something sturdy (I'm a hella big dude), that isn't a recliner. I'm leaning towards a mission-style chair. Anyone have any suggestions on finding one for under $1000?

Find your local used office furnishing store and get a Steelcase task chair for $tupid cheap. they're still reasonably comfortable to hang out in for a while, vs a full on armchair or recliner, but YMMV.
They also sometimes have the more loungey office furniture too.

Like this (local to NC)
https://www.dosoffice.com

https://www.dosoffice.com/used-furniture/club-chairs-by-bernhardt

https://www.dosoffice.com/used-furniture/white-leather-club-chair

toplitzin fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Apr 23, 2020

# ¿ Apr 23, 2020 19:29

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 13:24

toplitzin: Jun 13, 2003

Spikes32 posted:

Anyone have suggestions for a roomba or other brand for a two bedroom apt with vinyl flooring and three cats? I've heard mixed reports between they do an ok job to they fill up too fast and just get a small cordless vacuum.

We got the $150 ecovac dumb bot (no app/wifi/super sensors) and it is a perfectly cromulent daily sweeper. The first few times it runs, empty it often cuz it's probably finding stuff you haven't seen for a while but after that after each run is fine for us. (Two medium+ dogs and wood floors/carpeted bedrooms)

You'll still want to weekly vacuum.

I'm not sure who hungers for cords more though, Robot vacuum or cats.

# ¿ May 21, 2020 03:08

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