Home Repairs

Keg · Post by **Keg** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:36 pm

Sounds like you gave them bargain for all 4 pieces.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:45 pm

Keg wrote:Sounds like you gave them bargain for all 4 pieces.

We went with Craigslist because we needed whoever took it to come and get it.

We listed it at $450. No hits.

Down to $300. No hits.

Down to $200. No hits.

My wife wanted it out the house before Thanksgiving (it was just piled up in the living room) and had been trying to get in touch with charities to come and pick it up. This gentlemen got in touch Tuesday evening, and came to see it tonight. We ended up on $170.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 10:26 am

Not so much a repair as some advice.

I've got something in my wall/attic and it's becoming a problem. At first I figured it was a mouse and it was in the wall so I wouldn't fuck with it and it would die. It ain't that.

3 straight nights now I've woken up to intense pitter-patter and scratching right above my bed. It was so bad last night we got up in the middle of the night and moved to the guest bedroom.

Guess right now is squirrel maybe? I've got a fuck ton of oak trees around here. Could be a mouse, if it was, he is on Adderall.

Poison the fucker? Set a trap? Anyone else ever run into this?

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 10:35 am

We had a problem with that that we were convinced was something in the attic. What we eventiully figured out was that it was squirrels running across the electical line that attached the house at the corner of our bedroom and then running across the roof to the oak trees on the other side.

We trimmed the oak trees back from over the roof and the problem stopped as they could no longer use the roof as a shortcut.

Post by **Shirley** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 11:05 am

BSF21 wrote:Not so much a repair as some advice.

I've got something in my wall/attic and it's becoming a problem. At first I figured it was a mouse and it was in the wall so I wouldn't fuck with it and it would die. It ain't that.

3 straight nights now I've woken up to intense pitter-patter and scratching right above my bed. It was so bad last night we got up in the middle of the night and moved to the guest bedroom.

Guess right now is squirrel maybe? I've got a fuck ton of oak trees around here. Could be a mouse, if it was, he is on Adderall.

Poison the fucker? Set a trap? Anyone else ever run into this?

I've had squirrels get into my attic in both houses I've owned. I've also had some mice. If mice are chewing on something up there, it sounds a hell of a lot louder at night (when the house is otherwise quiet) then you think it would.

When I had squirrels, I called a wildlife exterminator guy. He didn't actually kill them - he put out traps and caught them. Then he took them away (or cooked them for dinner - I don't know) and sealed up the holes. It was actually fairly cheap.

For mice, mousetraps have always worked pretty well for me. Use peanut butter as bait.

Post by **brian** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 11:47 am

After four straight days of a rain a couple of weeks ago, discovered that we had a small leak in the roof. The roofers came out on Friday and I wrote a $XXX check to fix the repairs and then Saturday won the EXACT same amount of money on a video poker jackpot. Nice that sometimes things even out like that.

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 2:29 pm

rass wrote:
Keg wrote:Sounds like you gave them bargain for all 4 pieces.
We went with Craigslist because we needed whoever took it to come and get it.

We listed it at $450. No hits.

Down to $300. No hits.

Down to $200. No hits.

My wife wanted it out the house before Thanksgiving (it was just piled up in the living room) and had been trying to get in touch with charities to come and pick it up. This gentlemen got in touch Tuesday evening, and came to see it tonight. We ended up on $170.

I bought a leather sectional off craigslist last week for $150. Just a great deal. Was in good shape and once I got the wife to be ok with the used nature, I must have saved $2000+ off the one she was looking at in the store. And the leather seems more durable than the fabric one we would have gotten.

All that to say that it is pretty impressive how accurate the prices on ebay and craigslist are. And with bulky items that require significant labor to move, there is a large margin between sale price and consumer value. Appliances are close to free and large-ish furniture not far behind. Im sure people already do it but im pretty sure you could keep yourself clothed and fed with a truck and storage unit.

phxgators · Post by **phxgators** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 2:45 pm

HaulCitgo wrote:Appliances are close to free and large-ish furniture not far behind. Im sure people already do it but im pretty sure you could keep yourself clothed and fed with a truck and storage unit.

Or make a living at buying/reselling/installing appliances: http://recraigslist.com/2012/08/how-i-e ... raigslist/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Keg · Post by **Keg** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 3:48 pm

I sold a fully functioning washer/dryer pair on CL for $50 a couple of months ago. We converted our garage to a gym and needed to stack our washer/dryer to free up some space. I was going to give them away for free just so that I didnt have to make the trip to the junkyard myself, but figured I'd try to sell them first. They were listed for about 10 minutes before I found a buyer. I am sure the guy who bought them from us tripled or quadrupled his money.

(I had originally bought the pair for $50 from a friend who was in a tough situation)

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 3:11 pm

I mentioned elsewhere that we're getting our basement remodeled this week. I finally had to throw away the copy of Gallery I found stashed in the ceiling years ago. It had always annoyed my wife that I left it there, and she was too short to reach it herself, but disturbing a previous occupant's spank mag sort of felt like digging up a burial ground

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 4:15 pm

"THEYYYYY'RREEEE CUUUUUMMMMIIIINNNNNG"

rass · Post by **rass** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 4:15 pm

Make sure I never do this again.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 1:00 pm

Anyone have any hot and trendy painting tips? I don't tape because taping f'ing sucks, but other than that, I'm willing to listen.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 1:01 pm

mister d wrote:Anyone have any hot and trendy painting tips? I don't tape because taping f'ing sucks, but other than that, I'm willing to listen.

Pay someone else to do it. I suck at edging. I have a great referral if you want.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 1:57 pm

The Sybian wrote:
mister d wrote:Anyone have any hot and trendy painting tips? I don't tape because taping f'ing sucks, but other than that, I'm willing to listen.
Pay someone else to do it. I suck at edging. I have a great referral if you want.

I think the edging things are worth it. You have to be a bit patient and not splatter the paint, but it beats taping.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 2:00 pm

I don't even use the edging things anymore. Just get a good brush (seriously, spend the 15-20 bucks) and go real slow.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 2:05 pm

I pair my painting with beer and weed, so I tape. Pulling it off is fun.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 2:12 pm

Brontoburglar wrote:
The Sybian wrote:
mister d wrote:Anyone have any hot and trendy painting tips? I don't tape because taping f'ing sucks, but other than that, I'm willing to listen.
Pay someone else to do it. I suck at edging. I have a great referral if you want.
I think the edging things are worth it. You have to be a bit patient and not splatter the paint, but it beats taping.

It's the patience and inability to not splatter that do me in.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 2:21 pm

I'm with Sybian. I hire people for that sort of thing. I am not a do-it-yourselfer regarding any kind of home repair/improvement beyond changing batteries in the smoke detectors. We have a decent, not-too-expensive handyman that occasionally does work for us. A man's got to know his limitations.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 2:41 pm

I can paint, I just don't like to. But I like paying a painter even less.

Weatherfrog · Post by **Weatherfrog** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:10 pm

Just paid $7,800 for new windows in the house (actually 11 windows and a door). Too much? They are really nice for what that's worth. I don't know. I can't help but feel fleeced every time I pay for anything.

Post by **Sabo** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:15 pm

Weatherfrog wrote:Just paid $7,800 for new windows in the house (actually 11 windows and a door). Too much? They are really nice for what that's worth. I don't know. I can't help but feel fleeced every time I pay for anything.

We paid something like that to have 12 vinyl windows at our old house. We found the windows to be high quality and they looked great. I never thought I overpaid for them.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 10:11 pm

Weatherfrog wrote:Just paid $7,800 for new windows in the house (actually 11 windows and a door). Too much? They are really nice for what that's worth. I don't know. I can't help but feel fleeced every time I pay for anything.

We got an estimate to replace the windows in our family room. $23,000. We still have the old windows.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 6:37 am

Holy fuck. I'm not gonna tell you what I paid per window.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 7:33 am

AB_skin_test wrote:Holy fuck. I'm not gonna tell you what I paid per window.

NOT EVERYONE HAS COAL MONEY!

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:04 am

Weatherfrog wrote:Just paid $7,800 for new windows in the house (actually 11 windows and a door). Too much? They are really nice for what that's worth. I don't know. I can't help but feel fleeced every time I pay for anything.

Those double-sided Champion window type dealies?

When Jen and I put the windows in the bonus room in Memphis back in 2003, cost us $7500 for 12.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 10:54 am

My driveway needs a sealcoating. It seems like an easy enough task to handle myself, anyone ever done it? How difficult/time consuming is the process, how horrible is it inhaling the fumes all day? I'll have to get some estimates to see if it is worth the hassle to save some money.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:13 am

The Sybian wrote:My driveway needs a sealcoating. It seems like an easy enough task to handle myself, anyone ever done it? How difficult/time consuming is the process, how horrible is it inhaling the fumes all day? I'll have to get some estimates to see if it is worth the hassle to save some money.

I've done mine myself a couple of times. I think my driveway is considerably smaller than yours, and it's just a standard rectangle shape. The fumes were not bad, but you'll definitely ruin whatever shoes you end up wearing, and probably your pants and shirt, too.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:27 am

He said seal coating #tbt

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:31 am

Does anyone have any ideas for what I can do to my dog pen so it doesn't look like this and prevents her from being able to dig but is still comfortable for her and easy to pick up shit?

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:37 am

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:45 am

If you don't want her to dig, you probably have to go with cement, or pavers or maybe artificial turf. If she's a really dedicated digger she'll find her way through anything else (I'd maybe even worry about the turf in that case, though).

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:05 pm

rass wrote:If you don't want her to dig, you probably have to go with cement, or pavers or maybe artificial turf. If she's a really dedicated digger she'll find her way through anything else (I'd maybe even worry about the turf in that case, though).

She just digs a hole that she can sleep in but she's good at it. Do you think it would look okay if I put pavers down symmetrically but a couple feet apart from each other and just pushed them down low enough so I could still mow? My wife thinks rocks but they'll end up all over the place.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:07 pm

This may sound like I'm being snarky, but I don't mean it that way. Seriously, take your dog on a morning walk and an evening walk every day - one of them fairly lengthy. Exercise burns up a lot of nervous energy that leads to digging. As for the yard, I would re-sod it completely with new grass.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:08 pm

Jerloma wrote:Does anyone have any ideas for what I can do to my dog pen so it doesn't look like this and prevents her from being able to dig but is still comfortable for her and easy to pick up shit?

Astroturf would work for shit, but I guess piss might be a problem. Maybe drill holes through it or put a crest in the middle.

And by astroturf I mean some kind of turf-type artificial product, not the stuff that you tee off from on par 3 courses that looks like green velcro. Something like this.

Looks like there are even some pet options that allow flow-through. This is a google search result but I'm not tring to be a dick, because I got curious about the piss standing on artifical surfaces, and the first few results were for pets.

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:14 pm

sancarlos wrote:This may sound like I'm being snarky, but I don't mean it that way. Seriously, take your dog on a morning walk and an evening walk every day - one of them fairly lengthy. Exercise burns up a lot of nervous energy that leads to digging. As for the yard, I would re-sod it completely with new grass.

I do. She needs to run and I have a place I take her to do some laps and then she's done. I fenced in the pen because she was turning my back yard into a race track. Like I said above, she doesn't dig because she's high-strung, she makes huge holes so she can sleep in them.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:14 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:This is a google search result[/url] but I'm not tring to be a dick, because I got curious about the piss standing on artifical surfaces, and the first few results were for pets.

I had to click that link to make sure you didn't google "piss artificial surfaces" and ended up with results for anything other than pets.

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:16 pm

That turf looks great but I don't trust things where I have to email them to get a free quote.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:17 pm

Jerloma wrote:
sancarlos wrote:This may sound like I'm being snarky, but I don't mean it that way. Seriously, take your dog on a morning walk and an evening walk every day - one of them fairly lengthy. Exercise burns up a lot of nervous energy that leads to digging. As for the yard, I would re-sod it completely with new grass.
I do. She needs to run and I have a place I take her to do some laps and then she's done. I fenced in the pen because she was turning my back yard into a race track....

You've posted pictures before. Greyhound, right?

Jerloma wrote:...Like I said above, she doesn't dig because she's high-strung, she makes huge holes so she can sleep in them.

Maybe you could invest in an artificial tauntaun.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:18 pm

Jerloma wrote:That turf looks great but I don't trust things where I have to email them to get a free quote.

Oh no, I'd think find something that drains at home depot or lowes. Or put down some paving sand underneath with a bit of a crest even. I wouldn't do one of the companies that specialize in it for that small of an area.