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Have electric lawn mowers caught up to gas powered ones yet? I'd like a good self-propelled electric mower that could do my front and back yard (about 5000 sq ft) in one session.
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Sep 19, 2020 16:12
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stealie72 posted:Yeah, even upgrading our 90s forced air furnace to a new 95% efficient one will pay for itself over 10 years. Its not apples to apples as I did houswwrap/insulated siding and windows at the same time but my new furnace paid for itself in one season and I still haven't finished insulating the attic. Best I could tell the old furnace was from 1966 and when new was 72% efficient, it was also easily 3x the size of the new one.
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Sep 19, 2020 16:38
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Pigsfeet on Rye posted:It sucks, but you might be able to reap benefits of greater efficiency. I had to replace my 1967 boiler a few years and got a Energy Kinetics, went from 3 or 4 fill-ups per year to one every 9 months. Sadly, this one is from 2011 and is already a 95% efficient. No efficiency gains to be had.
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Sep 19, 2020 21:09
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When I looked a few years ago at furnace upgrades the higher the efficiency seemed to get diminishing returns for the investment, is 95% still the sweet spot? I recall the higher efficiency required changing to the different, narrower vents.
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Sep 19, 2020 21:26
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Bioshuffle posted:Have electric lawn mowers caught up to gas powered ones yet? I'd like a good self-propelled electric mower that could do my front and back yard (about 5000 sq ft) in one session. There’s been a bunch of talk about it in the tool thread lately but yes, the new electric mowers are quite nice and should last pretty long on a mow.
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Sep 19, 2020 23:26
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priznat posted:When I looked a few years ago at furnace upgrades the higher the efficiency seemed to get diminishing returns for the investment, is 95% still the sweet spot? Not sure about the vents, but doing the math last year, 95% was the sweet spot for sure. It was something like 40% more expensive for the next one up (97? 98?).
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Sep 19, 2020 23:43
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I had one of those plastic hooks that glue on to the wall, pulled it off the wrong way and it took some paint with it. Now I can see the dryall under. Should I just fill that with hole with spackle so it's smooth before painting? Also I'm noticing my walls have kind of a texture to them. It's not a huge blemish but it's right next to the front door so it's noticeable.
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Sep 19, 2020 23:53
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Jaxyon posted:I had one of those plastic hooks that glue on to the wall, pulled it off the wrong way and it took some paint with it. Now I can see the dryall under. You won't notice it once it's painted. You have the general idea though. Spackle it in, feather it out while doing so, sand it levelish, paint. I just do as many coats of the tinted as it takes for those quarter sized patches rather than bothering with any kind of primer.
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Sep 19, 2020 23:55
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I hung 4 sheets of drywall today. Gonna start mudding it tonight. I'm hiring someone next time I have to do something like this. 
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Sep 20, 2020 00:54
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Bioshuffle posted:Have electric lawn mowers caught up to gas powered ones yet? I'd like a good self-propelled electric mower that could do my front and back yard (about 5000 sq ft) in one session. The E-Go will do .25 acre on a charge.
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Sep 20, 2020 01:11
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Bioshuffle posted:Have electric lawn mowers caught up to gas powered ones yet? I'd like a good self-propelled electric mower that could do my front and back yard (about 5000 sq ft) in one session.
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Sep 20, 2020 01:13
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stealie72 posted:Not sure about the vents, but doing the math last year, 95% was the sweet spot for sure. It was something like 40% more expensive for the next one up (97? 98?). Thinking about it I think the furnaces that support the narrow vent + ducting (something like 3" pipe?) have to be the 96% efficiency or higher, not that the higher efficiencies have to have those. Apparently those small vents are really not worth it. Even talking to the furnace sales guy they don't recommend for most installations.
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Sep 20, 2020 01:32
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Elder Postsman posted:I hung 4 sheets of drywall today. Gonna start mudding it tonight. I'm hiring someone next time I have to do something like this. Any tips? Hubby and I are putting up cement board for tile on a wall I framed out. I'm thinking we might put it on while the wall is still flat on the floor and just do the very top and bottom after the wall goes up.
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Sep 20, 2020 03:52
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BonerGhost posted:Any tips? Hubby and I are putting up cement board for tile on a wall I framed out. I'm thinking we might put it on while the wall is still flat on the floor and just do the very top and bottom after the wall goes up. Not really, it's not super difficult, just messy and annoying. Lots of dust, and I made a heck of a mess all over the floor mudding it. I'd definitely recommend spring for the drywall t-square, it's like $15 and very much worth it.
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Sep 20, 2020 04:05
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Elder Postsman posted:I'd definitely recommend spring for the drywall t-square, it's like $15 and very much worth it. Also a sharp knife so you can just score the board and snap it rather than having to actually cut it fully. And one of these to save your back. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003CT4DAE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Sep 20, 2020 14:29
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Oh, and get a jab saw, and if you're feeling fancy an oscillating multi-tool, both excellent for when you really need to cut it, e.g. cutting out for sockets or whatever.
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Sep 20, 2020 14:37
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I replaces my 1960s furnace with a 96% and it runs pvc outside. My chimney is no longer used. I went 96 because it was like um $100 more and I got more in rebates than if I went with the 95.
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Sep 20, 2020 15:51
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We have all those things except the carrier, we just carry the sheets together. Is the T square significantly easier to use than a speed square and long level for scoring?
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Sep 20, 2020 16:58
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BonerGhost posted:We have all those things except the carrier, we just carry the sheets together. With a T square I can measure on the end of a sheet (standing on it's side), hook the T on the the end I just measured, bend over the sheet and score along it upwards, smack it from the back, cut the remaining paper, sand/scrape the cut edge and head for the wall. Once you do this a few times it becomes a pretty smooth process that greatly reduces the mess and space requirements on the floor where you're cutting.
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Sep 20, 2020 17:08
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BonerGhost posted:We have all those things except the carrier, we just carry the sheets together. It's not a requirement, but if you're likely to be carrying sheets by yourself, pretty great addition.
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Sep 20, 2020 17:15
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Whoever came up with orangepeel/knockdown texture/whatever should be shot on site.
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Sep 20, 2020 18:57
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Omne posted:Whoever came up with orangepeel/knockdown texture/whatever should be shot on site.
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Sep 20, 2020 19:01
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Omne posted:Whoever came up with orangepeel/knockdown texture/whatever should be shot on site. Uh, isn't knockdown super easy to blend in when you're patching (I thought that was the case at least - we have skip-trowel everywhere and it is loving impossible to match/blend). Why the hate for knock-down? Or purely an aesthetic hate? And yeah, drywall, if you're talking more than one or two sheets - just hire that out. Easily worth the cost. Pros will be way better and way faster than you, the cost isn't that bad, and the end result will be better. ROJO fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Sep 20, 2020 |
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Sep 20, 2020 23:33
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Omne posted:Whoever came up with orangepeel/knockdown texture/whatever should be shot on site.
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Sep 21, 2020 00:16
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ROJO posted:Uh, isn't knockdown super easy to blend in when you're patching (I thought that was the case at least - we have skip-trowel everywhere and it is loving impossible to match/blend). Why the hate for knock-down? Or purely an aesthetic hate? No, it is not easy to match when you're patching. It is drat near impossible. I hate it. Also, I have a door that sticks a bit, at the bottom. I tried tightening the screws at the bottom, but some of them just spin. I guess I need to go to the hardware store and get longer ones?
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Sep 21, 2020 02:11
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Get a long screw, like a deck screw, and sink it into the middle hole in the plate. It’ll bite into the frame more to help square the door. You can also use the toothpick and glue trick to add some material to the screw holes.
Tiny Timbs fucked around with this message at 02:15 on Sep 21, 2020 |
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Sep 21, 2020 02:12
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Knockdown is pretty easy to match and you can get orange peel texture in a can at the big box places. I used some diyer's tutorial off of YouTube for a hole in my ceiling. She used regular joint compound, a plastic grocery bag, and a scraper.
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Sep 21, 2020 03:09
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What’s the bag for?
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Sep 21, 2020 03:45
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You apply the joint compound with the bag to draw down peaks, then use a light light touch with a scraper to "knock down" the peaks. Here's my lovely tutorial from Fix It Fast: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2734407&pagenumber=2&perpage=40#post506885402
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Sep 21, 2020 04:24
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The t square was worth it, thanks for the recs
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Sep 21, 2020 06:03
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So my house was built in 1971 and I plan to paint and re-floor 3 bedrooms. Should I just paint over the existing color and stick my metaphorical fingats in my ears or should I get it checked for lead paint?
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Sep 21, 2020 14:47
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Deviant posted:So my house was built in 1971 and I plan to paint and re-floor 3 bedrooms. That's not sticking your fingers in your ears. Both lead paint and asbestos that are in good condition can be properly abated by coating/encapsulating. In fact, that's suggested in a lot of areas because disturbing it and transporting to a land fill is riskier in general that just leaving it in place.
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Sep 21, 2020 14:52
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Motronic posted:That's not sticking your fingers in your ears. Both lead paint and asbestos that are in good condition can be properly abated by coating/encapsulating. In fact, that's suggested in a lot of areas because disturbing it and transporting to a land fill is riskier in general that just leaving it in place. Another layer of paint it is! I do wanna tear up the carpets and do laminate, and the rest of the house has had that done, so I imagine the floors are probably not hiding any surprises.
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Sep 21, 2020 15:13
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Deviant posted:Another layer of paint it is! I do wanna tear up the carpets and do laminate, and the rest of the house has had that done, so I imagine the floors are probably not hiding any surprises. Make sure you test first: most lead pain can only be covered with oil based paint. You want to do a test patch and MAKE SURE it bonds. If you want to use something other than (what will likely be high gloss oil paint) there are primers that will stick to both lead paints and latex paints that you'll need to use as a mid coat. Clean the lead paint with TSP but obviously do not sand it.
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Sep 21, 2020 16:20
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Motronic posted:Make sure you test first: most lead pain can only be covered with oil based paint. You want to do a test patch and MAKE SURE it bonds. If you want to use something other than (what will likely be high gloss oil paint) there are primers that will stick to both lead paints and latex paints that you'll need to use as a mid coat. The rest of the house has what looks like a latex based interior paint like any other, so I'm prooooobably ok, but I'll check. Edit: oh, the default paint is in the garage i can just check the can.
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Sep 21, 2020 18:29
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I've got a 6"x6" wood post that's got an ugly crack forming. I know that these are typically not anything to be concerned of, but the issue is that the bolts for the hinge that holds the 6' gate happens to land directly in the crack. You can see what I mean in the photo below. What's happening is that the weight of the gate, combined with the extremely unfortunately located screws, is slowly worsening the crack. This is causing my gate to dip, and I'm concerned could lead to serious damage to the post. My dad and I spent some time batting this around and I think my best bet would be some sort of metal brace that wraps around the post that I can tighten with a bolt (second image below.) Do these things already exist in this fashion? Do they have a name? If not, how would one fashion something like that themselves?  
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Sep 22, 2020 16:30
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Greetings fellow homeowners! DIY Secret Santa signups are now open! https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3941260
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Sep 22, 2020 19:28
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Has anyone done a patio rebuild/extension and screened in addition? Somewhat of a cross post from landscaping, but I sketched up what it would look like. Other than the usual find a good contractor advice, anything in specific to think about? I would want to attach the roof to the side of the second floor.
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Sep 22, 2020 20:46
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The Wonder Weapon posted:Do they have a name? If not, how would one fashion something like that themselves? I don't know what the exact thing you drew would be called, but you can probably get a post band or slightly modify a post base (or cap, maybe) to hold this together.
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Sep 23, 2020 00:35
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A real doozy popped up in the home improvement subreddit today. Like I’m certainly an amateur myself but holy poo poo. https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeImprovement/comments/ixlz2y/diy_beginner_i_attempted_to_do_my_own_laminate/ https://imgur.com/gallery/lyX03IE 
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Sep 23, 2020 04:19
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