The Home Improvement Thread. Successes and Failures

[The Sicatoka]

Mud and drywall are the next things to go plaid on pricing. Hearing that from the contractors at work.

I know a general (house) contractor who had his HVAC guy give him an estimate of X on April 1; on May 1, when everything was requoted because planned square footage went down, the HVAC was up 30%!

My neighbors? Wood deck quote 4/15/20: $900 materials. Same plan, same deck quote 4/15/21: $3600 materials.

[The Sicatoka]

I’d take it down and add some spacers behind the pegboard so you have room for the hooks.

Agree, with the caveat: longer screws.

[state of hockey]

Water heater bit the dust. We knew it was bad, but lost track of calling the warranty outfit earlier. We got very lucky, a lot came out when I drained the thing. I think I caught it early. Some damp carpet, already dry after a day or two of fans. No standing water down there or anything.

Had the new one installed today. Plumber said the old one was too tall. The vent didn't have enough vertical length before bending to the slanted portion. Basically melted the top of the thing. We've got a low boy now, but it is still the same 40 gallons.

[Kepler]

Water heater bit the dust. We knew it was bad, but lost track of calling the warranty outfit earlier. We got very lucky, a lot came out when I drained the thing. I think I caught it early. Some damp carpet, already dry after a day or two of fans. No standing water down there or anything.

Had the new one installed today. Plumber said the old one was too tall. The vent didn't have enough vertical length before bending to the slanted portion. Basically melted the top of the thing. We've got a low boy now, but it is still the same 40 gallons.

You're gonna be so happy.

Water heater technology has advanced faster than quad cores.

[dxmnkd316]

You're gonna be so happy.

Water heater technology has advanced faster than quad cores.

Sorry, but what? They're still just insulated vessels, a mechanical relief valve, a flame, and a temperature element. I don't see how they could have advanced that much.

[St. Clown]

While building the shelves for my shed a couple things came to mind as to why I need two or three saw horses.

1) I don’t have a proper workshop, or even a workbench, so I’m having to stack some studs on the ground to lift my sheets off the ground as I rip them with my circular saw.
2) These shelves would take so much less time if I had these theoretical saw horses.

[The Sicatoka]

Some damp carpet, already dry after a day or two of fans.

A restoration contractor told me once, run the fans until you think things are dry, and then run them that many days more. You want the moist air completely circulated out of the space.

[SJHovey]

You're gonna be so happy.

Water heater technology has advanced faster than quad cores.

Anyone else go with the tankless water heater? My wife and I needed a new water heater in 2008 and decided to go tankless. Besides the nice feature of just having a small metal box on the basement wall instead of a forty gallon drum on the floor, it's really nice with a house full of guests.

[St. Clown]

I’m looking into tankless water heater when it comes time to replace mine.

[The Sicatoka]

Anyone else go with the tankless water heater? My wife and I needed a new water heater in 2008 and decided to go tankless. Besides the nice feature of just having a small metal box on the basement wall instead of a forty gallon drum on the floor, it's really nice with a house full of guests.

I'm torn.
I love the immediate demand response of tankless and not having to keep the tank warm all day.
I love that many electric distribution companies are using traditional tanks as remote switchable off-peak time energy dumps (aka storage devices) when there's surplus electricity*.

Disclosure: I have a 110 gallon on off-peak from when I built this house. Tankless tech wasn't quite there yet at the time.


*I suspect in the future, those off-peak, normally overnight, kWhs won't be going to water heaters but charging cars.

[burd]

While building the shelves for my shed a couple things came to mind as to why I need two or three saw horses.

1) I don’t have a proper workshop, or even a workbench, so I’m having to stack some studs on the ground to lift my sheets off the ground as I rip them with my circular saw.
2) These shelves would take so much less time if I had these theoretical saw horses.

For a nonprofessional, get the plastic/pvc ones, which will fold up and hang in a small space. Also think of getting a hollow-core door from a Habitat resale store to use for a workbench. Also easy to store when you're not using it.

[St. Clown]

For a nonprofessional, get the plastic/pvc ones, which will fold up and hang in a small space. Also think of getting a hollow-core door from a Habitat resale store to use for a workbench. Also easy to store when you're not using it.

Thank you for the advice on the door, that idea never occurred to me. As to the workhorses, that was my plan. I just have to sneak into the hardware store when my wife isn’t looking.

[The Sicatoka]

Thank you for the advice on the door, that idea never occurred to me. As to the workhorses, that was my plan. I just have to sneak into the hardware store when my wife isn’t looking.

Set up the horses/door and tell her she can plant flower pots on it. You'll be in trouble for not buying the horses earlier. :-D

[dxmnkd316]

Thank you for the advice on the door, that idea never occurred to me. As to the workhorses, that was my plan. I just have to sneak into the hardware store when my wife isn’t looking.

72 hour rule

[BassAle]

Anyone else go with the tankless water heater? My wife and I needed a new water heater in 2008 and decided to go tankless. Besides the nice feature of just having a small metal box on the basement wall instead of a forty gallon drum on the floor, it's really nice with a house full of guests.

I have tankless. Works great -- plenty of hot water for all three of us to take showers at the same time.