The Home Improvement Thread

AlienXtx

Nignog
composite decking FTW
I looked into that, but I only plan on living with this porch another 3-4years so I'm not gonna dump the extra $ into that just yet. I'll just use regular treated stuff for now.
 

Anathollo

Armorall is my choice of lube
Staff member
I looked into that, but I only plan on living with this porch another 3-4years so I'm not gonna dump the extra $ into that just yet. I'll just use regular treated stuff for now.
10 years later..."I should redo this deck"...
 

AlienXtx

Nignog
10 years later..."I should redo this deck"...
That's just it, it will be gone completely in 3-4 years anyway so it dont matter.
 

Oswego

n00b
10 years later..."I should redo this deck"...

No more PT decks for me after this. This was a mistake and I knew it when I was building it. I used "budget" as my reason for pushing forward.

Hindsight being 20/20 I should of saved up and poured the concrete slab I wanted. Now if I stay here that's what will happen when this deck is toast in a few more years. Buy once cry once also pertains to decks for sure.

Every time I work on a car it the dirt in my backyard I punch myself for not giving myself a nice slab to work on.
 

CowboyTaco

Well-Known Member
No more PT decks for me after this. This was a mistake and I knew it when I was building it. I used "budget" as my reason for pushing forward.

Hindsight being 20/20 I should of saved up and poured the concrete slab I wanted. Now if I stay here that's what will happen when this deck is toast in a few more years. Buy once cry once also pertains to decks for sure.

Every time I work on a car it the dirt in my backyard I punch myself for not giving myself a nice slab to work on.

How's the Tacoma coming?
 

Taco Loco

Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
Life happened and it hasn't moved yet. Less than 30 days left....tick tock

14day self Quarantine yourself and get that towed to the dealer for frame replacement.
 

Oswego

n00b
14day self Quarantine yourself and get that towed to the dealer for frame replacement.

Pretty much been doing that less the dealer part lol

Can't bring any illness back to my mom this week (taking care of her at her house during her hip replacement rehab).
 

balakay

BabyMax
Finally getting around to doing some landscaping at the house after nearly two years. Started on a flowerbed up by the house today. Will finish up tomorrow. Didnt go in with any sort of plan. Just gonna wing it and see how it turns out. Once it's done, I'm going to plant a new tree and replace our junky plastic mailbox post that is falling over with a cedar one and a larger mailbox.

20200310_160629.jpg
 

Anathollo

Armorall is my choice of lube
Staff member
Stayed home yesterday to wait for a FedEx package to arrive.

So I got a bunch of stuff put away in my garage, threw away a bunch of stuff I should've thrown away a long time ago and wired in 5 new outlets that's hooked up to it's own 20A breaker in my garage. So now I have another circuit in the garage.
 

balakay

BabyMax
Looking for suggestions for trees for my front yard. I have a pretty small front yard so of course all the trees I want are way too big for my place. I have 24' from house to street and about 28' from the front door (dont want it in front of the door) to the property line. I'd like to plant it smack dab in the middle but I need to confirm theres no sewage lines or anything in the way. Little Gem Magnolia was suggested by a local nursery but they're a little bushier than I want. Would prefer something that would grow up and out a bit to provide some shade to my two big 5'x6' windows in the front of the house that are in direct sunlight the majority of the day. I'm leaning toward Vitex but they're a pretty penny from everywhere I've looked.
 

AlienXtx

Nignog
Post oak. They grow pretty fast and make decent shade.
 

tex

That's Mr Asshole to you
Whatever tree you get will require regular pruning for it to grow like you want.
 

CowboyTaco

Well-Known Member
Looking for suggestions for trees for my front yard. I have a pretty small front yard so of course all the trees I want are way too big for my place. I have 24' from house to street and about 28' from the front door (dont want it in front of the door) to the property line. I'd like to plant it smack dab in the middle but I need to confirm theres no sewage lines or anything in the way. Little Gem Magnolia was suggested by a local nursery but they're a little bushier than I want. Would prefer something that would grow up and out a bit to provide some shade to my two big 5'x6' windows in the front of the house that are in direct sunlight the majority of the day. I'm leaning toward Vitex but they're a pretty penny from everywhere I've looked.

Texas Tree Selector
 

Taco Loco

Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
Looking for suggestions for trees for my front yard. I have a pretty small front yard so of course all the trees I want are way too big for my place. I have 24' from house to street and about 28' from the front door (dont want it in front of the door) to the property line. I'd like to plant it smack dab in the middle but I need to confirm theres no sewage lines or anything in the way. Little Gem Magnolia was suggested by a local nursery but they're a little bushier than I want. Would prefer something that would grow up and out a bit to provide some shade to my two big 5'x6' windows in the front of the house that are in direct sunlight the majority of the day. I'm leaning toward Vitex but they're a pretty penny from everywhere I've looked.

shumard red oak, adapts to many different soils, fast growing, very nice fall colors, great shade tree, you can pick them at HD, Lowe’s etc, try and pick one that the top has not been clipped/chopped. ~$80
 

Oswego

n00b
Got another mouse. Think that's #8 or 9....IDK Ive lost count. They must have chewed a freaking superhighway into my house. Good news is I am only catching them in the basement now and the last one I got was a few days before this guy got the axe.

Ready to buy a pet snake and let him loose in my basement lol
 

TacoXpo

HOAX DENIER
Sorry....I had to....lol. Codes are part of my daily routine. Pretty much all residential code calls for the same as listed below (not sure about TX)

P3002.3.1Drainage.Drainage fittings shall have a smooth interior
waterway of the same diameter as the piping served
. All fittings
shall conform to the type of pipe used. Drainage fittings
shall have no ledges, shoulders or reductions which can retard or
obstruct drainage flow in the piping. Threaded drainage pipe fittings
shall be of the recessed drainage type, black or galvanized.
Drainage fittings shall be designed to maintain one-fourth unit
vertical in 12 units horizontal (2-percent slope) grade.
Code are part of my life too. I guarantee I can interview a home owner and find various code violations. Example, most cities have a code requiring a permit to change a lights switch, garbage disposal, etc. When I get reports talking about not to code. I agree with them and explain most all homes have code violations - even new ones in most cities. I use those reports as a disclosure not a repair list.
 

Oswego

n00b
Code are part of my life too. I guarantee I can interview a home owner and find various code violations. Example, most cities have a code requiring a permit to change a lights switch, garbage disposal, etc. When I get reports talking about not to code. I agree with them and explain most all homes have code violations - even new ones in most cities. I use those reports as a disclosure not a repair list.

Is it rare to have a house sold or bought by you that's "as is". I suspect so with your market being so $$$.

I bought "as is" and in foreclosure but that's also why I got it so cheap. I got my inspector through my agent (I know thats big no no now), but he did a really good job. 15 years later his report is still 99% accurate. The 1% that was wrong was me limping along with the water heater and heater that eventually blew up a few years past when he told me they would need to be replaced.
 

TacoXpo

HOAX DENIER
Is it rare to have a house sold or bought by you that's "as is". I suspect so with your market being so $$$.

I bought "as is" and in foreclosure but that's also why I got it so cheap. I got my inspector through my agent (I know thats big no no now), but he did a really good job. 15 years later his report is still 99% accurate. The 1% that was wrong was me limping along with the water heater and heater that eventually blew up a few years past when he told me they would need to be replaced.
Every home sold using our standard contract, is sold "in its current physical condition. "
 
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