[fliptuner]

I thought there was already a thread like this but I couldn't find it.

Anyways, since most of us are homeowners, I figured it'd be nice to see what people are up to, in terms of repairs, maintenance and upgrades.

Last month, I got a pinhole leak from my hot water piping (fucking Poly B). Good thing it was just in a closet on the first floor, above the crawlspace and I have vinyl flooring.

Replaced both lines in the closet and cleaned some bullshit coming off the HW tank. Fucking copper/sharkbite/PEX/Poly B, all within 12".

https://i.imgur.com/Adedv0v.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vpMdlch.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/OeffyNn.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/UF5vyS6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/i8nCL22.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HbW8CL3.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/LUB27ki.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/6f4FxFS.jpg

[fliptuner]

Since I was already down there, figured I might as well seal up the ductwork, good and tight.

https://i.imgur.com/2LFFh8j.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Lt5V4xP.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FylkStE.jpg

[fliptuner]

Last night, the GF tells me the dryer is running but not blowing any heat. Yay #dadjobs :rukidding:

https://i.imgur.com/45qkUE4.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/nxfcfK1.jpg

Whew. Just a heating element. Full kit, with thermostat, thermistor and fuse, $50 on Prime. Luckily, a serviceable part that's readily available.

I was looking at new washers and dryers but cotdamn, everything uses proprietary circuits and computers and shit. I just want an old fashioned timer, don't need fancy shit.

I also hate washing machines on the 2nd floor. If I didn't have to sacrifice, precious garage space, it'd be in there.

[!Aznboi128]

Good on you for tackling all of this, most would just replace it as that's the type of world we live in these days.

[fliptuner]

Thanks.

Yeah, we live in a disposable world - just throw it out and buy a new one. Problem is, it's a waste of resources, costly and there's down time. Of course, it depends on the cost of the parts, which is another reason I prefer old tech. I don't need bells and whistles. If it's clean and works, I'm good.

[SSM_DC5]

In your first pic, did they put a shut off inside the wall or was there an access panel?

[Kilinim]

Simple one yesterday, replaced the discharge hose on my samsung washer. Should have done this sooner, the old hose was filthy.

[tiger_handheld]

why do you have vinyl flooring? and is it the old vinyl or like vinyl plank?

we are considering changing carpet to vinyl plank....

[gilly]

why do you have vinyl flooring? and is it the old vinyl or like vinyl plank?

we are considering changing carpet to vinyl plank....

Just redid my flooring for my entire kitchen and all my washrooms with vinyl plank. Vinyl plank is great... water resistant and durable.

[bcrdukes]

How do you like it so far? My designer is pushing me to get what they call here "luxury vinyl." I'm not opposed to it but I'm still a fan of a good engineered laminate.

[underscore]

We did all the bathrooms with vinyl plank, mainly because young kids = lots of water going everywhere. It was amazing to work with, a little fiddly keeping the first few pieces locked together but once you get going it's a breeze (especially compared to the headaches of installing our bamboo flooring). Aside from all the usual advantages of a manmade product, you can cut it with a box cutter. No running outside to use a saw, no duct to clean up, no noise. You could do your entire place at 3am in the middle of a blizzard.

[Tapioca]

Right on for getting rid of that polyB. Since most of these systems are coming up to the 25-30 year mark in age, I'm hearing more and more failures these days.

I had a professional crew re-pipe our whole house last year. It wasn't cheap (over 10K), but piece of mind is pretty important.

[gilly]

Installed 2 things today.

Eufy Smart lock and a new furnace. Costco has a promotion for the month of February. Up to $1500 giftcard and Fortis BC has a rebate until March.

Eufy smart lock is awesome too. Pin pad, traditional key and fingerprint. Fingerprint unlocking and locked is super fast.

https://i.imgur.com/JUtJ5ga.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wp2hEqF.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wOIXEaq.jpg

[BIC_BAWS]

Oh hey I got the Eufy doorbell too. 4K, no subscription. It's great! I haven't installed yet tho, because I need to figure out how to mount it to siding LOL

[fliptuner]

why do you have vinyl flooring? and is it the old vinyl or like vinyl plank?

we are considering changing carpet to vinyl plank....

Vinyl plank. Did the whole main floor including kitchen and powder room. It's nice to not have any transitions. Not only is it waterproof but the joints are so tight that water doesn't go through them. Another cool thing is that it hardly expands or contracts, like wood or laminate. So it's not a big deal to install fairly tight against walls that can't be covered by trim (think closet J beads. Hell, I didn't even undercut some door jambs and it looks good.

If I do tile the main bathrooms (just for esthetics), I'd be comfortable butting up the vinyl to the metal edging - maybe a 1mm gap, caulked.

[bcrdukes]

Glad to know vinyl plank doesn't expand/contract like wood and laminate - I didn't consider this. I put more thought on this for my main floor because it's the coldest as it's on concrete.

[Tapioca]

We have vinyl plank above sheet vinyl in our kitchen (from the previous owner) and in our basement on top of concrete. Vinyl plank is a maintenance-free product, but it's pretty thin and so you have to be mindful if you want to place it on an existing hard subfloor, like concrete or tile. You might want to add another insulating/padding layer in between your subfloor and the layer of vinyl.

[bcrdukes]

Will be getting heated floors.

[gilly]

One important thing to mention about vinyl plank is to make sure your floor is leveled before installing. A disadvantage of vinyl planks....don't think it is possible to rip off just one plank if you want to redo it after being installed.

If you are having contractors do it for you. Make sure to tell them to level the floor before installing..because mine didnt tell me and the corner of my powder room is creaking. They are coming back to try to glue or nail it down to fix the creaks.

My friend who is also renovating had unleveled floors. His contractors didn't tell him too but my friend caught it just in time before they installed. It was an extra charge for him if he wanted it leveled.

Just a FYI

[winson604]

Good on you for tackling all of this, most would just replace it as that's the type of world we live in these days.

IN my last place where we had the washer and dryer side by side I tackled it and fixed it. Now that I'm in a townhouse where it's stacked and almost no room to really work on it even if I could get it down myself fucking no way lol.

[SSM_DC5]

bought a new bathroom fan and relocated it so it's more centralized in the room.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50932546361_065853444b_b.jpg

[bcrdukes]

Which make/model and CFM is your bathroom fan? I'm looking to switch mine out to Panasonic units.

[winson604]

Which make/model and CFM is your bathroom fan? I'm looking to switch mine out to Panasonic units.

Also interested I need to replace the fans because the cheap ass developer didn't install the wind flap and you can't buy the part alone. It's cold as fuck during cold days/nights

[gilly]

Which make/model and CFM is your bathroom fan? I'm looking to switch mine out to Panasonic units.

I replaced all 3 of my fans with these panasonic ones. Very quiet. Not too hard to install. Have 2 fan settings... 80 or 110 CFM.

$150 at homedepot

https://i.imgur.com/p7mJbxc.jpg

[SSM_DC5]

Which make/model and CFM is your bathroom fan? I'm looking to switch mine out to Panasonic units.

So many different ones offered by Panasonic. I did quite a bit of research before I bought mine. I removed my current one to see how the old one was installed. I needed to measure my clearances, the current ducts, and read the instructions of the ones I was thinking of buying.

I ended up buying 3 different models based on the access I had to work on it, clearances, ducting, cfms.
The one in the pic is 290 cfm, 2 sonnes, requires attic access, 6" duct for about $250. All my old ones were 90 cfm, 2.5 sonnes and couldn't be removed from the ceiling hole, so I needed to cut the ceiling to get to the mounts. Paint was peeling on the door trim to the washroom, so I had to make some upgrades.

Also interested I need to replace the fans because the cheap ass developer didn't install the wind flap and you can't buy the part alone. It's cold as fuck during cold days/nights

What size duct? My old one was 4 inch. Maybe you can make the duct work on yours.

[BIC_BAWS]

New homeowner here, what can I use to seal this hole up? I didn't see it when I did the deficiency report, so now I gotta do it. It lets in spider LOLhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210213/b6d04b6fa900aba8b163e400fb49a2c9.jpg

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

[bcrdukes]

The one in the pic is 290 cfm

Thanks for sharing.

Any reason you got a 290 cfm? That's a big jump from a 90. Only reason I I would guess is the size of your bathroom where a 90 cfm is not strong enough. Or bigger is better? LOL!

Based on the size of my bathroom, 100 cfm is fine but I would prefer something f more than that. All the contractors and vendors are saying don't do it. The only exception is my powder room because it's pretty small and 50 cfm is all it can do. I don't want to rip out the entire 3" piping for marginal gains.

[SSM_DC5]

New homeowner here, what can I use to seal this hole up? I didn't see it when I did the deficiency report, so now I gotta do it. It lets in spider LOLhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210213/b6d04b6fa900aba8b163e400fb49a2c9.jpg

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk
Get a cat to eat the spiders.

Thanks for sharing.

Any reason you got a 290 cfm? That's a big jump from a 90. Only reason I I would guess is the size of your bathroom where a 90 cfm is not strong enough. Or bigger is better? LOL!

Based on the size of my bathroom, 100 cfm is fine but I would prefer something f more than that. All the contractors and vendors are saying don't do it. The only exception is my powder room because it's pretty small and 50 cfm is all it can do. I don't want to rip out the entire 3" piping for marginal gains.

I went with the 290 because
1) 90 wasn't enough since I found paint flaking on the door. I equated the flaking to moisture issues.
2) I had the clearance, it's a big beefy one, 9-10 inches depth.
3) I was able to easily run all new 6 inch duct
4) I grew up with noisy bathroom fans, so even though it's 2.0 sonnes, I'm still quiter than the one I replaced.

Perhaps your contractors are saying don't do it because they know how much harder it is to take out the old one and put in a new one since you potentially deal with cutting, drywall work and repainting. And the marginal gains if you kept the 3 inch. 4 and 6 inch was very common for the Panasonics that I looked up and some models come with adapters in the box.

I didn't mind all that work because I'm already doing drywall and paint work.

[bcrdukes]

Interesting take on the choice for 290 cfm. My contractors don't have an issue doing the work because this is actually a new install (the main floor bathroom does not yet exist.) The piping is already there and it's 6" so no issue there. I'm planning to build a new washroom on the ground floor because there's so much wasted space in my utility room. It will become a dedicated office and potentially for when my parents visit, they'll have their own space without having to run up and down the place.

Any how, the contractors are not recommending a larger fan because of the space of the bathroom and the location - The air that gets pulled from the room needs to come from somewhere, and if the air being pulled doesn't get replaced, the fan is ineffective and can't do its job due to the lack of make-up air. How big is your bathroom? My contractor told me take L x W x H (in feet) x 0.13 = minimum CFM

And with that, their position was why spend the extra $100 or so if it isn't necessary. I went through the same situation when I replace my hood range (it was some cheapo 150cfm hood range) with a 800 cfm Sakura. It pulls so much air out of the kitchen and living room, you can feel a strong breeze. I sometimes wonder if my hood range's capabilities are too big. (Perhaps not in an Asian household lol) I love Indian food and will sometimes make curries and whatnot. With the Sakura hood range, my house does not smell like an Indian restaurant whatsoever. With a 400cfm hood range at my condo, I couldn't get rid of the smell for days.

What kind/brand of paint will you use for your door? I may reconsider re-painting the bathroom doors at my place. I will also likely re-paint the ceilings as well. A few of my colleagues swears by Benjamin Moore. I used a small bit of it at my previous condo and it held up pretty well. All in all, the place I live in now is nice, but I just wished the previous owner went the extra mile to use better materials and did a better job at the little things.

[SSM_DC5]

Interesting take on the choice for 290 cfm. My contractors don't have an issue doing the work because this is actually a new install (the main floor bathroom does not yet exist.) The piping is already there and it's 6" so no issue there. I'm planning to build a new washroom on the ground floor because there's so much wasted space in my utility room. It will become a dedicated office and potentially for when my parents visit, they'll have their own space without having to run up and down the place.

Any how, the contractors are not recommending a larger fan because of the space of the bathroom and the location - The air that gets pulled from the room needs to come from somewhere, and if the air being pulled doesn't get replaced, the fan is ineffective and can't do its job due to the lack of make-up air. How big is your bathroom? My contractor told me take L x W x H (in feet) x 0.13 = minimum CFM

And with that, their position was why spend the extra $100 or so if it isn't necessary. I went through the same situation when I replace my hood range (it was some cheapo 150cfm hood range) with a 800 cfm Sakura. It pulls so much air out of the kitchen and living room, you can feel a strong breeze. I sometimes wonder if my hood range's capabilities are too big. (Perhaps not in an Asian household lol) I love Indian food and will sometimes make curries and whatnot. With the Sakura hood range, my house does not smell like an Indian restaurant whatsoever. With a 400cfm hood range at my condo, I couldn't get rid of the smell for days.

What kind/brand of paint will you use for your door? I may reconsider re-painting the bathroom doors at my place. I will also likely re-paint the ceilings as well. A few of my colleagues swears by Benjamin Moore. I used a small bit of it at my previous condo and it held up pretty well. All in all, the place I live in now is nice, but I just wished the previous owner went the extra mile to use better materials and did a better job at the little things.

Using that equation, 80 cfm is the suggested minimum, but being tucked in the corner behind a wall has to hinder its performance to work on the entire washroom.

I haven't thought about what paint I'm going to use.

[Hondaracer]

New homeowner here, what can I use to seal this hole up? I didn't see it when I did the deficiency report, so now I gotta do it. It lets in spider LOLhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210213/b6d04b6fa900aba8b163e400fb49a2c9.jpg

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

How deep is the hole? If it’s fairly deep fill the cavity up with somthing just to take up some space could be paper towel etc. So you don’t have to pump a shot load of silicon in thereOR just buy a large tube of white silicone and keep filling until it’s over flowing. Then use a razor blade etc. And scrape the top of the hole until it’s flush with the rest of the floor. Let it set for 3 day or so until it’s no longer tacky and it won’t hold dust etc

[underscore]

Wouldn't paper towel be a bad idea if moisture gets in later? If spiders are coming in it's open to the outside somewhere.

[sonick]

Seems like the perfect opportunity to do the thing you see on chinese tiktok/instagram videos where people fill holes with random shit like instant ramen, with epoxy and finish it like it was brand new.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3h1_j3XnjM

[BIC_BAWS]

Spiders won't be my only problem :badpokerface:

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

[fliptuner]

Just pound a bunch of caulk in your crack.

[!Aznboi128]

^ :accepted::heckno:

[Hondaracer]

Wouldn't paper towel be a bad idea if moisture gets in later? If spiders are coming in it's open to the outside somewhere.

Yea might not be the best material but basically just gotta get somthing in there to allow the caulking to build up and dry and not just sluff off into the void lol

[underscore]

Just pound a bunch of caulk in your crack.

https://youtu.be/tbazGVrbN-g?t=84

[jing]

Bought a new washer/dryer from HD in early January and it's been a nightmare one after another. Was hoping that we could finally close this chapter today after HD sent someone out to install a side vent for our dryer and I thought they were OK until I looked over their work in detail after I noticed not all the parts were installed.

#1: Rear vent cover not installed
https://i.imgur.com/jEPbaij.jpg

#2: Scratches all around the side vent opening
https://i.imgur.com/RN73SCD.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/beO5698.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZAxzSgS.jpg

#3: Steam hose kit not installed properly (shortest hose should be connected to the wall, not to mention I had another new hose with 90 deg head that they didn't ask me about even though I provided it to them)
https://i.imgur.com/SmQ7U36.jpg

The moving guys that brought up my washer/dryer also damaged my newly painted walls and dropped my old washer/dryer on my brand new hardwood oak flooring leaving 2 large dents and other scratches on one of the stairway steps.

Worst customer experience ever. Luckily these are mostly cosmetic issues and simple enough to fix but I've wasted too many hours of my life dealing with this shit. Very frustrating, to say the least.

[bcrdukes]

Wow, that sucks. Sorry about your mishap.

I got my GE washer / dryer today. The guys hauled my old stuff away (good riddance) and loaded the new stuff into my utility room. I installed it myself as I wanted to simply to avoid what you went through.

In hind sight, the washer was so heavy, I should have let them install that lol. They were pretty good through and through and had all the right tools for the job. And yeah, that steam hose install - what a disaster. :facepalm:

Edit: BTW, if you have steel braided hoses, you should replace the rubber ones. Effort could be worthwhile for insurance purposes, should anything happen (heaven forbid.)

[jing]

Unfortunately a DIY install was out of the question since I couldn't stack it myself and didn't want to call in any favours due to how heavy the dryer is. I also didn't want to take the dryer apart and install the side vent myself, mostly for liability reasons.

Good catch on the rubber hose; I forgot about the shorty. Looks like I'll be supporting Bezos some more.

[bcrdukes]

Since you're looking at supporting Mr. Bezos, for reference, I bought the Eastman hose kits for both my washer and dryer. They both have an orange rubber gasket at the hose end. So far so good. Just don't reef at the connections or you risk breaking the ends.

And yes, the washers these days are heavy as fuck. The dryer is still okay but you'd need two people. Took me forever to push the washer into its final location. Easy, they said. :cry:

[GIZZ]

New homeowner here, what can I use to seal this hole up? I didn't see it when I did the deficiency report, so now I gotta do it. It lets in spider LOLhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210213/b6d04b6fa900aba8b163e400fb49a2c9.jpg

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

If spiders can come in, mice and rats can come in too. Fill it with cement with a cake icing bag, and because they can eat through the cement, put it over steel wool and a bunch of nails.

[BIC_BAWS]

If spiders can come in, mice and rats can come in too. Fill it with cement with a cake icing bag, and because they can eat through the cement, put it over steel wool and a bunch of nails.MICE AND RATS CAN EAT THROUGH CEMENT???

man this summer I'm gonna fill up every hole I find.

Thanks for the recco everyone. My knowledge of fixing house things is limited. One time I found my attic hatch was letting ants into the house. So I just taped it shut LOL and it worked

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

[GIZZ]

My old detached garage in Burnaby had cinder block walls. I really don't know if they were going in or out, but they made it through both sides of the cinder block. I'll post up a pic of the critter from about that time, it's bad. Tiny little hole, bit rat.

[GLOW]

when i replaced my dryer at my old place the HD delivery guys took the old, placed the new but would not attached vent duct or plug it in, liability issues...so i had to go buy a clamp and connect it. it was really easy as i got the cheapest model they had in the store

[SSM_DC5]

I changed out the toilet. Also had the tub refinished using Fafine's recommendation :thumbsup:

Still need to clean off the mark left behind from the old toilet. Elbow grease didn't cut it.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50980647731_6546f43602_c.jpg

[Hondaracer]

magic erasers or scrubbing bubbles seem to work really well on tiles, might work in your case

[SSM_DC5]

Removed the granite fireplace surround. Shit was heavy!. Trying to level the floor again was tedious too. Anyone got recommendation on someone to service the fireplace, it currently doesn't fire up.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51029374178_e1e26c6d04_h.jpg

[bcrdukes]

Installed the Panasonic bathroom fans and a few of the Legrand Adorne collection switches. So awesome. :sweetjesus:

[mc.]

Any idea how to remove this screw? It is being blocked by the window hinge. Trying to take it out to allow the window to open more.

https://i.imgur.com/eOpHlod.jpeg

[G]

Currently living in an apartment with Central Air, one room is a bit smaller so whenever the heat is on it gets stuff whereas the larger areas such as living and master are cold. Anyone have any solutions or ideas? Was thinking of changing out the vent to something that I can open and close to push the flow to other areas?

[SSM_DC5]

Installed the Panasonic bathroom fans and a few of the Legrand Adorne collection switches. So awesome. :sweetjesus:
How many cfm did you end up using? Are those switches what hipsters are using these days?

Any idea how to remove this screw? It is being blocked by the window hinge. Trying to take it out to allow the window to open more.

..

Is there a cleaning mode on your window? It might open it up more to let you remove the screw.



Need a bit of help from you guys/girls.
I'm prepping the wall for wall mount tv and want to put wires in the wall before I put up my drywall. What should I put? I don't know what I'm connecting to my tv yet for my final setup. Also not sure if I'll be able to leave string in the wall to fish wires in the future because all the wires won't be in the same studs.

[bcrdukes]

How many cfm did you end up using? Are those switches what hipsters are using these days?

I ended up getting one that's 150 CFM and it works quite well. I love the timer switch that we got so no need to worry about ever leaving it on or anything since it's timed. The 150 CFM is a huge improvement over the POS Nutone or Broan or whatever was in there before. It really pulls the air through the door and pulls up all the moisture no problem.

I'm not sure if this is what hipsters use these days seeing as I'm not one, although another member on here would know better. Username is TOS'd.

[underscore]

No matter what cables you run, at some point they'll be out of date or you'll need another. You can run plastic conduit, which fits a few cables, but you may want to run more than one. Are you crossing studs at all or is it straight down?

[SSM_DC5]

I ended up getting one that's 150 CFM and it works quite well. I love the timer switch that we got so no need to worry about ever leaving it on or anything since it's timed. The 150 CFM is a huge improvement over the POS Nutone or Broan or whatever was in there before. It really pulls the air through the door and pulls up all the moisture no problem.

I'm not sure if this is what hipsters use these days seeing as I'm not one, although another member on here would know better. Username is TOS'd.
What was the recommended cfm using your contractor equation? I have no moisture issues either but air flow is quite large and it can get cold if I'm sitting on the throne too long.
No matter what cables you run, at some point they'll be out of date or you'll need another. You can run plastic conduit, which fits a few cables, but you may want to run more than one. Are you crossing studs at all or is it straight down?

Crossing quite a few studs. If you go back to my fireplace pic on page 2, I'm thinking of running the wires down and to the left of the fireplace.

[underscore]

What's below that room?

[SSM_DC5]

What's below that room?

Basement living room with a similar fireplace setup.

[Zedbra]

I'm in the process of ripping down and replacing all my fascia and gutters, they were getting rotten and though you never want to have to spend the $20k for an item that appears to make no difference, if you let water seep up into your rafters, it is a much steeper bill.

[GLOW]

What was the recommended cfm using your contractor equation? I have no moisture issues either but air flow is quite large and it can get cold if I'm sitting on the throne too long.


Crossing quite a few studs. If you go back to my fireplace pic on page 2, I'm thinking of running the wires down and to the left of the fireplace.

i assume you're not going to cross the fireplace vent - i agree with underscore, throw in a conduit, flexible (ENT) is easiest. 1" or 1.25" minimum.

[bcrdukes]

What was the recommended cfm using your contractor equation? I have no moisture issues either but air flow is quite large and it can get cold if I'm sitting on the throne too long.

We ended up using my contractor recommended L x W x H (in feet) x 0.13 = minimum CFM. It worked out be pretty much dead on 150 CFM and the air it pulls in gets pretty cold.

[stewie]

Currently removing some outdated popcorn ceiling in my place. Going at it room by room so I don't have a war zone of a place and can tackle it slower but at a pace that fits our schedule.
1 of the rooms was a breeze to take of, sand, prime and paint. Room I'm on right now, not so much. There were several gouges in the drywall that need patch jobs that I filled up and sanded down to make it all smooth and even. Primer went on and it looked fine. Put on a cost of paint a day later and the spots that were patched up are sticking out like a sore thumb. Flashing is what I'm told.

Solutions? I don't want to do a second coat and hope it sorts itself out only to end up being a waste of time. Luckily its on a small bathroom ceiling and not a living room/dining room ceiling.

[GLOW]

can you skim/blend in those gauge spots?

IMO imperfections in a smooth ceiling finish are easily highlighted by by light & shadows. since it's a small bathroom, if you can hide/blend light/shadows i think that will help (even casting of light so fewer shadows casted on uneven surfaces).

[parm104]

How deep is the hole? If it’s fairly deep fill the cavity up with somthing just to take up some space could be paper towel etc. So you don’t have to pump a shot load of silicon in thereOR just buy a large tube of white silicone and keep filling until it’s over flowing. Then use a razor blade etc. And scrape the top of the hole until it’s flush with the rest of the floor. Let it set for 3 day or so until it’s no longer tacky and it won’t hold dust etc

Why don't you try adding another transition piece on top of it going full length left to right. Silicone around the transition.

[SSM_DC5]

Why don't you try adding another transition piece on top of it going full length left to right. Silicone around the transition.

Looks like the current transition piece is under the door frame. Filling the gap as is is definitely the easier route when compared to redoing pieces.

[Acura604]

backyard kept getting flooded with standing water...poor drainage ... so it was just a waste as you couldn't get any enjoyment out of it.

soooo.... $3000 later....CEMENT DAT BITCH.

the concrete is slightly angled both ways to facilitate water drainage when it rains... solve my issue!!!! plus MASSIVE PATIO PARTY!!!!!

FLOODED YARD VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/DbOu6_X3ZTc

CONCRETE:
https://i.imgur.com/WQlShVZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/d5sMCZn.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/aroQ4kE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zu0Glpl.jpg

[snowball]

Who the hell built your house? Is it new? Definitely shouldn't have draining issues like that if done properly.

[bcrdukes]

I recall he posted about this issue a while back.

[SSM_DC5]

I recall he posted about this issue a while back.

I think his fix at the time was throwing the gravel down.

[Acura604]

I think his fix at the time was throwing the gravel down.

yup gravel didnt do jack.... the flooding could be a number of factors apparently..i.e. soil type... poor drainage...shitty landscapers.

[GIZZ]

I hope the house has a perimeter drain, it has to. Otherwise it's going to eventually have water in the basement. I wouldn't have put cement there. But now that it's done you should dig out all around and see if there is maybe a blocked drainage pipe that can be cleaned out. If you don't see anything it's not too late to run some perforated drainage and connect to the perimeter drain or out to the storm drains. I'd get a pro in to check it before you have issues.

[BIC_BAWS]

Boss gave me a lawnmower after I got a warning from bylaw. Never have I ever mowed the lawn in my life (first house) this shit is hard work. And how do people have those picture perfect lawns? How low/high should it be? Do I look it up in the bylaws? There needs to be a first time house owner guide somewhere LOL

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210512/c53057fb7c1fad50697fadea86ed3311.jpg

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

[underscore]

it's a shitload easier if you stay on top of it lol. just leave the mower at medium height and do it a couple times a week and you'll be fine.

[GIZZ]

Those beautiful golf course lawns are really flat. I've levelled out my lawn a bit by mulching the last few years. A tip for less yardwork, keep it wall to wall grass, forget about flower gardens and paver stones. And keep your mower blade sharp.

[roastpuff]

So I took possession of the new place and I'm getting ready to go to ham on the kitchen...

But what do people do with the old wood paneling? I know the old cabinets can be posted on Craigslist and people will buy it or haul it away.

Same with the flooring I guess - do people buy older laminate flooring?

[6793026]

Boss gave me a lawnmower after I got a warning from bylaw. Never have I ever mowed the lawn in my life (first house) this shit is hard work. And how do people have those picture perfect lawns? How low/high should it be? Do I look it up in the bylaws? There needs to be a first time house owner guide somewhere LOL

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210512/c53057fb7c1fad50697fadea86ed3311.jpg

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

don't know if i shoudl laugh or if you're serious.
Spring / summer days... will require attention / mowing at least once every 2 weeks. 3 weeks per mow is a bare minimum.

What you have from the length of the grass looks like it hasn't been mowed for months (easily 3 months)

[GIZZ]

So I took possession of the new place and I'm getting ready to go to ham on the kitchen...

But what do people do with the old wood paneling? I know the old cabinets can be posted on Craigslist and people will buy it or haul it away.

Same with the flooring I guess - do people buy older laminate flooring?

Nobody wants that stuff.

Did you see that post on Facebook where the local kid is trying to give away sections of rotted old fence.

[winson604]

Boss gave me a lawnmower after I got a warning from bylaw. Never have I ever mowed the lawn in my life (first house) this shit is hard work. And how do people have those picture perfect lawns? How low/high should it be? Do I look it up in the bylaws? There needs to be a first time house owner guide somewhere LOL

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210512/c53057fb7c1fad50697fadea86ed3311.jpg

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

No specific height but when it stands out from the crowd that's when it's an issue.

[SSM_DC5]

So I took possession of the new place and I'm getting ready to go to ham on the kitchen...

But what do people do with the old wood paneling? I know the old cabinets can be posted on Craigslist and people will buy it or haul it away.

Same with the flooring I guess - do people buy older laminate flooring?

Probably all garbage. Gotta consider how fast you want things gone. Could try to sell things, but it might sit there for a while. Could even try to give it away for free to avoid garbage fees, but that might take time too.

I'd imagine the wood panel is 100% garbage cuz it's ugly. And the laminate if glued or nailed will be 100% garbage cuz i sure wouldn't want to even attempt to scrape the glue and pull nails out to reuse them.

[Kilinim]

So I took possession of the new place and I'm getting ready to go to ham on the kitchen...

But what do people do with the old wood paneling? I know the old cabinets can be posted on Craigslist and people will buy it or haul it away.

Same with the flooring I guess - do people buy older laminate flooring?

Haul the old flooring to the dump!

[Hondaracer]

Post the cabinets on CL, if there’s no hits just bring it all to the dump imo.

And that Lawn..come on man, don’t leave that eyesore for your neighbours ffs.. lol

[fsy82]

New homeowner since January 2021, previously lived in a townhome and had everything done for me..LOL

I'm one week into our deck build and its going quite well. Decided to go with Composite instead of lumber. The deck is about 350 square feet. Cant wait for it to be finished

[lowside67]

don't know if i shoudl laugh or if you're serious.
Spring / summer days... will require attention / mowing at least once every 2 weeks. 3 weeks per mow is a bare minimum.

What you have from the length of the grass looks like it hasn't been mowed for months (easily 3 months)
If you are only mowing every 2-3 weeks, you are not doing your lawn any favors and it probably doesn't look great either. Most people are on a 7-10 day cycle.

It's not good for your lawn to let it get super long and then cut it crazy short; the best thing for your lawn would actually be leave it a slight bit longer, but mow it very regularly - every 5-7 days. But most people prefer the super short look.

-Mark

[Traum]

How does a working family find time to mow the lawn every single week? Not to mention that the working home owner would probably prefer to do it on a non-raining weekend. A frequency like that is just unrealistic.

[Kilinim]

How does a working family find time to mow the lawn every single week? Not to mention that the working home owner would probably prefer to do it on a non-raining weekend. A frequency like that is just unrealistic.

Train kids from a young age lol

[lowside67]

How does a working family find time to mow the lawn every single week? Not to mention that the working home owner would probably prefer to do it on a non-raining weekend. A frequency like that is just unrealistic.
We have a pretty healthy amount of lawn, for sure more than a Vancouver special etc, it takes me 20 minutes if I am hauling ass and treating it as exercise or 30 minutes if I am being slow. I often do it on a weeknight after dinner before people go to bed while it's still light out.

-Mark

[Hondaracer]

How does a working family find time to mow the lawn every single week? Not to mention that the working home owner would probably prefer to do it on a non-raining weekend. A frequency like that is just unrealistic.

Lol.. if a home owner cant find time to mow the lawn, i really hope they bought a house that wont need a thing for 10-15 years

[GIZZ]

I did a solid 8 hrs on the backyard yesterday, my right forearm is still buzzing from the weedwacker. The whole time I was thinking I have to get up on the roof, clean the skylights, fix the chimney stack, plan out kitchen and bathroom renos, get a price on paving the back driveway, kill all these ants.

So, there's always something to do on the property which doesn't leave much time for wrenching, working out, whatever your other hobbies are. Part of the reason my wife wants to move to a condo, if I find a 4 car enclosed, ocean view strata unit in the same price range I'll take a hard look at it.

[Hondaracer]

You build sweat equity.

You plant gardens for what they will look like in 3-4 years, you landscape for the following 2, you clean your gutters so you don’t have to next year.

All you’re doing is biding time for yourself. I spent almost 3 years renovating so that I can finally kick my feet up and do the maintenance and aesthetic work I want.

I think I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again, if you aren’t capable of minor fixes and maintenance work, paying someone to do this type of work will become overwhelmingly exhaustive/prohibitively expensive.

This is moreso a vanity item but I’ll give an example. I just had the company that Costco works with that does closet organizers etc. I have a fairly basic open closet right now that’s about 8’ wide by 3’ deep. I also got a quote on a little corner unit for the wife’s makeup stuff etc.

I thought an “excessive” quote would be around 3500-4000 as I figure I could build what I asked for myself for around $1000-1500. This company got back to me with a quote of 6450...

To really dumb it down, if you can’t build a book shelf or a TV console from ikea etc. You’re best bet is to find a strata property which will handle the maintenance for you.

[6793026]

7 - 10 day mowing cycle is freaking crazy. that's assume epic weather condition and doign during covid stay at home is do-able.
i can't imagine if someone had to to work and still do a 7-10 day cycle.

fuck.. now i keep looking at my lawn thinking if i should mow it or not ahhaahahha

[underscore]

I have to mow mine 2x a week or it gets so long it'll stall the mower if I try to go too fast.

[Traum]

That is literally me, although I suck at all the handy work that needs to be done, so everything ends up looking ghetto, but at least it gets the job done.

I already do what I can to get rid of weeds and dandelions on a regular basis, but some of my neighbours, including those from a few houses down, don't really give a damn about weed, so they end up sprouting up all the time. FailFish Mowing the backyard alone takes up to 4 hrs, since I am seeing all those weeds that I couldn't see before and it annoys the heck out of me to just leave them there.

Now that I am a homeowner myself, I realize I really gave too little credit to my old man for keeping the house together in a decent shape all these years...

I did a solid 8 hrs on the backyard yesterday, my right forearm is still buzzing from the weedwacker. The whole time I was thinking I have to get up on the roof, clean the skylights, fix the chimney stack, plan out kitchen and bathroom renos, get a price on paving the back driveway, kill all these ants.

So, there's always something to do on the property which doesn't leave much time for wrenching, working out, whatever your other hobbies are. Part of the reason my wife wants to move to a condo, if I find a 4 car enclosed, ocean view strata unit in the same price range I'll take a hard look at it.

[tiger_handheld]

Taking names for

1) deck, glass railing, glass patio cover, fiberglass/vinyl floor cover guy
2) vinyl fence guy
3) landscape guy
4) roof sweeper guy for regular sweeping

[fliptuner]

Replaced the clunky, builder quality, garage door opener, with a super quiet, belt driven unit. So nice!

https://youtu.be/FVhCJriw1Hs

[roastpuff]

What do people do for corner cabinets? We are thinking of 45 degree cabinets, and installing D-shaped lazy susans to maximize space/usage. Trying to figure out the two corner cabinets in our kitchen's layout.

A quick sketch of the proposed kitchen layout:

https://i.imgur.com/zgT0zE5.png

[lowside67]

Mowing the backyard alone takes up to 4 hrs, since I am seeing all those weeds that I couldn't see before and it annoys the heck out of me to just leave them there.
4 hours!?!? Do you have a football field?!? I can certainly appreciate why it's harder to fit that into your schedule.

My lawn generally takes between 2-3 full bags of clippings, for "scale" and that is genuinely 30 minutes of mowing if I am taking my time.

-Mark

[Traum]

4 hours!?!? Do you have a football field?!? I can certainly appreciate why it's harder to fit that into your schedule.

Between the bumpy terrain, the PITA edges around various stuff, and all the weed that I notice only when I am mowing the lawn (where I just have to go dig them out), it's usually in the 2+ hours range. The weeding is really the worst and most time consuming part, and I'd have to say that compared to last year, I'm spreading more of the weeding part over the course of the week instead of doing it while I was mowing the lawn, so I haven't pulled any 4 hour stints so far this year.

[underscore]

Hire a fertilizer/weed control company to come do your lawn. I don't know if Nutrilawn is down there but we get them to do our grass and it only costs a little more than fertilizing the lawn myself, and there's maybe 3 weeds a year.

[vancitylove]

Anyone renovate a washroom recently? Wondering how much it costs to hire a contractor to rip it out completely and put in a new one

Thanks

[fliptuner]

Anyone renovate a washroom recently? Wondering how much it costs to hire a contractor to rip it out completely and put in a new one

Thanks

Give a dog a bone, man.

What size? Moving any fixtures/drains? 1st/upper floor? Crawlspace underneath? What finishes/fixtures?

[fliptuner]

My unit is getting pressure washed and painted this coming week. I went around and trimmed hedges for access, hammered in some popped nails, removed nails and hooks left by the PO, filled them and repaired some caulking around windows and doors. If you think the contractors, strata hired are gonna do that shit... :lol

[punkwax]

Did a bunch of pressure washing this weekend. Neighbour leant me one of these for the driveway:

https://www.pressurewasherlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Best-Pressure-Washer-Surface-Cleaner.jpg

Holy shit did that make life easy. I had to break up our concrete pad in the backyard over two days with the wand because my hand would get stiff/sore. I did my whole driveway in maybe 30-45 mins, which is at least 2-3x the size of my concrete pad, using this attachment.

Never again will the wand be used for concrete surfaces lol

[fliptuner]

Nice. I was debating buying one of those.

I think I'll get the style with 3 or 4 in a row, on wheels. Then I can flip it upside down, to wash my undercarriage.

https://www.amazon.ca/ZALALOVA-Pressure-Undercarriage-Cleaner-Under-Attachment/dp/B085HJLSWY

[roastpuff]

Give a dog a bone, man.

What size? Moving any fixtures/drains? 1st/upper floor? Crawlspace underneath? What finishes/fixtures?

I'm looking to re-do my washroom as well. Upper floor of a townhouse, about 12x9? I can get better measurements.

Would like to swap a tub (60x30) for a shower, tile. Would like to re-tile the floor, and get rid of the ugly tile that the previous owner left on the wall in crooked patterns. We have already picked out the vanity, faucets, etc.

Does anyone have any recommendations for tile guys? I have a plumber friend who can handle setting up the Kerdi kit and the vanity etc, but need a tile guy to do the shower and floor tile...

[Liquid_o2]

Bought a new track light for my kitchen that I am going to install this weekend. It simply attaches in the center of the track where the electrical portion is.

I need to fill two holes in the ceiling where the current track light is attached to. It uses the v shaped toggle bolts, and the builder created some decent sized holes in the ceiling for them.

What is the best way to patch these holes? It is a popcorn ceiling.

[SSM_DC5]

Scrape off the popcorn, then mud the hole. Unless you don't care about matching the texture, cuz then just fill the the hole and paint

[Hondaracer]

Bought a new track light for my kitchen that I am going to install this weekend. It simply attaches in the center of the track where the electrical portion is.

I need to fill two holes in the ceiling where the current track light is attached to. It uses the v shaped toggle bolts, and the builder created some decent sized holes in the ceiling for them.

What is the best way to patch these holes? It is a popcorn ceiling.

Fill it first with mud or glue or anything that will create a solid fill below the level of the popcorn

Matching the popcorn is a bit of an art but the best way I can describe is it get some drydex or finishing mud, put a bunch on your finger and then dab and twist your finger in an attempt to match the texture

It takes a bit of work but you can get it close. If you think you fucked up though let it dry and then chip away at it/touch it with a sanding sponge etc. Don’t try and pull it all off when it’s still wet if you think it didn’t work out. Let it dry first then mess with it

[Liquid_o2]

Can you fill the hole with Drydex as well? Or would that go on top of the filler? From what I have read, spackling paste doesn't shrink like mud when filling a small hole.

Edit: Or is it important to use a joint compound to fill the hole?

[Hondaracer]

You can use drydex as well no biggy but it may take a few applications to fill a decent hole. Don’t try snd fill it all in one shot if you’re using drydex

[mk1freak]

I borrowed a gas weed trimmer from someone here to edge my lawn. Holy shit did it look easier and nicer in the YouTube tutorials.

[SSM_DC5]

Show us your fine work of art :suspicious:

[fliptuner]

How many rock chips on the neighbors car?

[bcrdukes]

So gents, what do you think?

Can I use PB B'laster or equivalent penetrant and drill out this little nubby bit holding the adapter using a cobalt drill bit?

Previous home owner tightened / threaded this on all wrong (you can kind of see it if you look closely) and every time I turn the water on, it sprays water out. Thanks in advance!

https://i.imgur.com/SmPwtsi.jpg

[fliptuner]

It's probably only brass, so should drill out easily.

Worst case, shut off the water and replace the valve. Easy enough to access.

[bcrdukes]

It's probably only brass, so should drill out easily.

Worst case, shut off the water and replace the valve. Easy enough to access.

Will a general purpose drill bit work or is a cobalt drill bit recommended?

Trying to get in some garden work while the weather is good. It's been total shit this past month here in Toronto and its 30+ degrees out right now. :heckno:FailFish

[HKS PWR]

So gents, what do you think?

Can I use PB B'laster or equivalent penetrant and drill out this little nubby bit holding the adapter using a cobalt drill bit?

Previous home owner tightened / threaded this on all wrong (you can kind of see it if you look closely) and every time I turn the water on, it sprays water out. Thanks in advance!

https://i.imgur.com/SmPwtsi.jpg
If you know how to solder, it will be quicker if you just cut off the existing hose bibb and replace it with a new one
FYI that broken bolt that's stuck in there is design like that. The head is suppose to break off so that you can't remove the vacuum breaker from the hose bibb

[bcrdukes]

Oh interesting. I did not know that.

Can I simply remove the entire hose bib by twisting it off and replacing it along with the vacuum breaker? Turns out everyone here has the vacuum breaker and it's required by law by the municipality. If yes, will I need any kind of sealant etc?

[HKS PWR]

Can I simply remove the entire hose bib by twisting it off and replacing it along with the vacuum breaker?

Looks like your hose bibb is soldered on to the copper pipe coming out of the house, so you can't just twist it off. Cut off the old and solder in the new one. You can buy the vacuum breaker separately.



Turns out everyone here has the vacuum breaker and it's required by law by the municipality. If yes, will I need any kind of sealant etc?

No sealant or teflon required. The new vacuum breaker comes with a new flat garden hose gasket/washer. Just spin the new one on to the hose bib. Just don't install the breakaway bolt this time.

[roastpuff]

Spent the weekend doing some light demolition work at the new townhouse. Ripped down the wood paneling - the previous owner really loved his glue. He literally glued everything to everything else. The cabinets were built in place as well, it was a total pain in the butt to remove in one piece (a friend claimed it for his basement workshop area). We got the cabinets out with no major damage, thankfully there's only one section. The guy had built it behind and around the drainage which was a major headache, we had to carefully snip a section to get it out.

Even with the ugly marks on the wall, the wood paneling getting removed improved the room by a huge margin.

https://i.imgur.com/n9NCl1Gl.png

https://i.imgur.com/AuxJBnRl.png

https://i.imgur.com/9ZZeCrOl.png

https://i.imgur.com/6F1WoINl.png

[Hondaracer]

How can you tell it’s soldered on?

Where the CSA and X Mark are located you should be able to use some WD or somthing and loosen those threads then just hold the pipe and back off the entire bib. Some Teflon tape and a replacement bib and you’re good. I did one of mine not too long ago

[HKS PWR]

How can you tell it’s soldered on?

That's how these hose bibbs are installed.
That threaded portion that you see is all part of the hose bibb body. You either solder the 1/2" copper pipe inside the thread part or you thread in the hose bibb into a 1/2" female fitting.

[SSM_DC5]

Spent the weekend doing some light demolition work at the new townhouse. Ripped down the wood paneling - the previous owner really loved his glue. He literally glued everything to everything else. The cabinets were built in place as well, it was a total pain in the butt to remove in one piece (a friend claimed it for his basement workshop area). We got the cabinets out with no major damage, thankfully there's only one section. The guy had built it behind and around the drainage which was a major headache, we had to carefully snip a section to get it out.

Even with the ugly marks on the wall, the wood paneling getting removed improved the room by a huge margin.

...

Seeing some real positives! Tiles under the cabinets = just put new ones in and don't need to worry about retiling. Just some mud work to fix up the drywall before painting. Nice simple DIY projects.

[roastpuff]

Seeing some real positives! Tiles under the cabinets = just put new ones in and don't need to worry about retiling. Just some mud work to fix up the drywall before painting. Nice simple DIY projects.

But we're going to change out the laminate for vinyl plank everywhere else, and so the tile might as well come out so that we can just do vinyl plank in the kitchen to update the look and match the new cabinets better... That'll be a fun job. :concentrate:

Oh, the transition and the "molding" is absolutely terrible, I'll take pictures next time to show you guys. Part of why we're going to re-do the floor in the kitchen as well.

[Great68]

Nice. I was debating buying one of those.

I think I'll get the style with 3 or 4 in a row, on wheels. Then I can flip it upside down, to wash my undercarriage.

https://www.amazon.ca/ZALALOVA-Pressure-Undercarriage-Cleaner-Under-Attachment/dp/B085HJLSWY

Surface cleaners and water brooms (the other name for the "undercarriage cleaner") don't really do the same job, the water broom doesn't have enough pressure to really "scrub" concrete clean like the surface cleaner. I have both.

The water broom also broke my wand. The wand isn't really designed to handle the weight of the thing bumping around on the end, it led to a hairline crack that constantly leaks water now, and the brass fitting holding it together gets absolutely pounded.

[roastpuff]

https://i.imgur.com/VcVj7FEh.png

Goodbye and good riddance, tile floors. Was not too bad overall to get off, but did take a lot of muscle and elbow grease. Thanks to my friend who helped me and provided the giant crowbar (5ft long and about 50 lbs) to take the tile out easier than what I was planning lol. The PO laid the tile on OSB so it was more work than if it had been on plywood.

[Great68]

Just finished a refresh of our master bedroom.

Installed 3 new electrical outlets, 1/4 round moulding around the baseboards (hid some gaps at the edges of the wood floor)

Fixed the shitty paint job the previous owners did, they slapped latex paint on old glossy oil base trim without scuffing or primer so it was peeling off like saran wrap. They also never painted the crown moulding that they installed

So Sanded it all down, 2 coats of primer on everything, trim, walls, ceiling. Then 2 coats of topcoat on everything.

https://i.imgur.com/OsCUSgO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1WEFOJ1.jpg


New fixtures, new furniture, new bed, new mattress.

[fliptuner]

Resealed half the driveway. Not sure how long it'll last til I have to replace it with concrete.

https://i.imgur.com/3MuIWnV.jpeg

[roastpuff]

Does anyone have any tips for removing laminate stair treads that are glued on? They are being a total pain in the ass, have to hammer in pry bars in order to separate the laminate from the sub floor....

[mk1freak]

Does anyone have any tips for removing laminate stair treads that are glued on? They are being a total pain in the ass, have to hammer in pry bars in order to separate the laminate from the sub floor....I've had to do this job, it sucks but the easiest way we got it done was heat gun and pry bars. Lift and heat, lift and heat. At one point we used an iron to get it started faster. Damn just thinking about it sucks. Good luck.

[roastpuff]

Yeah, and it's OSB underneath and not plywood so it's just coming up in chunks... Gah.

[mk1freak]

Ewwww even worse I'm sorry man.

[underscore]

Air hammer?

[fliptuner]

Is the OSB nailed to the stringers? If so, pull up the whole tread and replace them.

I feel sorry for whoever has to redo my stairs. PL, screws, plywood, PL, flooring. :awwyeah:

[SSM_DC5]

What are options for changing to smart thermostat (ie nest) when someone currently has 2 wire running to 5 zones.

Buying 5 thermostats seems expensive... :concentrate:

[sonick]

Our garburator that has been flaky on and off and leaky since we moved in 6 years ago finally crapped out in a fairly hilarious fashion:

https://youtu.be/yQjOuQuaEbs

Anyway, quick trip to home depot, bought a new one, and swapped it in super easy. Less than an hour from checking out at home depot to it working again.

However we then ran into an issue with the drain being clogged as my wife decided to clear out the sink gunk, which she ended up pushing some into the drain catch elbow. Nothing a bit of plunging couldn't fix once I sealed off the exits.

[roastpuff]

So it's been a while since my last update (how time flies) and I thought I should post something in this thread.

Floors are in! Kitchen is mostly in (need appliances and sink and some piping in, cabinet had a few doors that had to be refinished due to dings/misalignment). Paint is progressing, and the master bathroom is tiled now, just needs the fixtures installed.

We're about 80% done I would say - need finishing electrical work, swap out the fixtures in the other bathrooms, and then we're on the home stretch of finishing touches.

Stairs finally done - this took a lot of backbreaking work to chip off the old laminate and OSB before replacing with new OSB and 1/4" plywood topper.

https://i.imgur.com/XJfakjRl.png
https://i.imgur.com/Ml4D4rxl.png

Floors are done!
https://i.imgur.com/hHQaL28l.png
https://i.imgur.com/K69IFMol.png

Cabinets, countertops and backsplash in. I'm so happy with how the colour turned out and how everything looks.

https://i.imgur.com/p97vKxal.png
https://i.imgur.com/xv1Ucw0l.png
https://i.imgur.com/qZ55cRCl.png
(Missing door up top, need them to come back after fixing it)
https://i.imgur.com/khh6iAUl.png

I haven't taken pictures of the bathroom yet as the tile guy is still finishing up but it's also a huge difference.

This project has been the bane of my life but also I have learned a lot in terms of how to do drywall repair and drywall replacement, mudding, painting, floor patching, and many other home improvement things.

EDIT: The floor guys have to come back for the stairs, it's done. Some before pictures for those that forgot. (https://www.revscene.net/forums/717205-what-did-you-do-your-house-today-5.html#post9029828)

[SSM_DC5]

Any troubles removing the wall with sliding doors and the pony wall?

[roastpuff]

Any troubles removing the wall with sliding doors and the pony wall?

A few things, yes - the pony wall had wiring in it (why???) that I nearly cut through with a sawzall before my friend told me to stop as he found it while breaking up the drywall.

https://i.imgur.com/8XfBQ7ll.png
https://i.imgur.com/6egfAnJl.jpg

And the sliding door had the strongest box-out known to man, as it was screwed and glued to the beam above so hard that when we struck it with a hammer it didn't move but the rest of the townhouse did. :lol We basically had to use the sawzall to remove it piece by piece.

https://i.imgur.com/PlihtrIl.png

It does look a lot better with the sliding doors gone though. So much better.

https://i.imgur.com/XxGcZail.png

[Hondaracer]

cabinet color looks great

We were going to do a blue/green type of cabinet as well but Merit had it as their "premium" product color even though its the same cabinet as the lower priced ones, ended up not using Merit anyways but it wasnt a great experiance being told a specific color was a 25% premium over another color lol

[Koflach]

We did some updates to our house over the last little while. We replaced all the door/window casing & crown moulding, wrapped a wall with shiplap and added a wainscott feature wall to our master bedroom. If any of you need any advice on moulding, feel free to send me a PM as I work for a moulding company in sales.

https://ibb.co/nM6bTcN
https://ibb.co/94rvL1n
https://ibb.co/sWrYm0K

[SSM_DC5]

What are options for changing to smart thermostat (ie nest) when someone currently has 2 wire running to 5 zones.

Buying 5 thermostats seems expensive... :concentrate:

bump, hoping for an answer

[Great68]

bump, hoping for an answer

What's your heating system? Hydronic rads (IE boiler + 5 zone valves)?

[SSM_DC5]

What's your heating system? Hydronic rads (IE boiler + 5 zone valves)?

Hydronic radiant floor heating

[Great68]

So for your scenario I'd personally be looking more into a centralised control system. For an off the shelf solution, something like Tekmar's product offerings (Made in Kelowna!).

I'd start with their Model 400 boiler/4 zone house controller:
https://www.watts.com/products/hvac-hot-water-solutions/controls/boiler-mixing-controls/400/400

Add a Model 323 4 zone expander
https://www.watts.com/products/hvac-hot-water-solutions/controls/zone-controls/313/313

Add 5x Model 532 Tekmarnet 2-Wire Thermostats (allows you to reuse the existing wiring in your wall)
https://www.watts.com/products/hvac-hot-water-solutions/controls/thermostats/532/532

Add Model 486 Gateway for IP connection
https://www.watts.com/products/hvac-hot-water-solutions/controls/control-accessories/486/486

Not going to be cheap, probably looking at a couple grand all in, but you'd get superior control of your system than any other "smart thermostat" solution out there. Like the ability to do water temperature scheduling based on outside air temp (IE if it's warmer outside the system will reduce water temps accordingly, saving you energy)

Just FYI hvac control/building automation is what I do for a living, albeit on a much greater scale (IE institutional buildings etc) with much more complex systems.

[GLOW]

what would you suggest for a 2-wire digital/smart t-stat in a single zone hydronic radiant floor heating system? seems like a lot of fancy stats want that 3rd wire which would not make things easy.

[Great68]

Yeah your options are pretty limited, and for a single zone that whole system that I described above is overkill.

This one looks like a Wifi stat that runs on batteries that would work:

https://www.amazon.ca/GEO-WH-Connected-Thermostat-Standard-Plumbing/dp/B010PTKWW6/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1IACGENKTT4KJ&dchild=1&keywords=lux+wifi+thermostat&qid=1633099916&s=hi&sprefix=lux+wifi%2Ctools%2C219&sr=1-4

To be honest though, these smart T-stats are a bit overrated in my opinion. I replaced my old faithful Honewell VisionPro 8000 with an EcoBee3 that I got free through work. Other than the initial setup, I can't remember the last time I opened the app or accessed it through the online service.

Just get a basic battery powered t-stat that allows you to program and occupancy schedule, that's really the most important feature for "saving energy".

[GLOW]

thanks for the reply.
i have a $30 uber basic one but mine's been going a little wonky resetting, i think bad connection, and if figured instead of getting another $30 to splurge and get something a little nicer, maybe wifi etc, but they either get quite more expensive and/or won't fly with a 2w system, or if it did, the batteries die fast as the battery was meant as a backup upon power loss to the home.

[sonick]

Finally closed on a detached home in Coquitlam after actively looking since July!

Already thinking of repairs and updates, if anybody has any recommendations for the following things that services Coquitlam, would love to hear it:

- garage door replacement
- concrete patio pouring and patio cover
- natural gas fitter to install natural gas line to kitchen and deck

[bcrdukes]

For your garage door...

https://www.revscene.net/forums/695651-garage-door-openers.html#post8480610

https://www.caspenterprises.com/

Old thread but business is still in operation and garage door is as good as new.

[Traum]

Gonna need a recommendation for a roofing company to help me put a tarp over my roof so that I can get through this winter before replacing it in spring / summer time. FailFish

We noticed 2+ weeks ago during that first catastrophic atmospheric river event where our asphalt shingled roof is leaking. Since the discovery, I have attempted to patch the roof up 3 times using those brush-on type roof leak sealant. Initiallly at the edges of the loose shingles in the area. And when that didn't stop the leak, I painted / sealed all the shingle edges in the vicinity of the leak in an area bigger than before. And when that still didn't stop the leak, I painted / sealed the a yet larger area (and not just the edges now) around the wet spot.

None of that has been able to stop the leak yet, and I am just about ready to throw in the towel. It almost feels like I should have hired the pros from the get go to save myself all that agony...

So would anyone have a lead on a roofing company they've used before, and is happy with?

[GIZZ]

What's your heating system? Hydronic rads (IE boiler + 5 zone valves)?

I'm looking at replacing a 13 year old triangle tube combi boiler, 3 zone to baseboards. Every year it needs something, I'm just waiting for it to fail completely. My buddy says electric but I'm not so sure. Do you have any suggestions?

[Great68]

Like replace your hydronic baseboards with electric baseboards?

I mean electric baseboards are reliable and simple but running wiring in a finished house to facilitate that would probably be a huge pain. And expect your power bill to increase quite substantially.

What has been your main points of failure with your existing system that has you thinking of changing?

[HKS PWR]

I'm looking at replacing a 13 year old triangle tube combi boiler, 3 zone to baseboards. Every year it needs something, I'm just waiting for it to fail completely. My buddy says electric but I'm not so sure. Do you have any suggestions?

It'll be impractical to put in electric heating at this point (unless your buddy was referring to an electric hydronic boiler)
The most practical solution would be replacing the current combi-boiler with another combi boiler. The Navien NCB-E series and Rinnai I-series are the two more popular ones (made in Korean and Japan, respectively). There are North American brands as well (Noritz, Rheem, IBC, NTI.....) or European (Bosch, Viessmann.....)
In the end, you would want to pick a manufacturer that has good tech support because chances are, you or your plumber/gasfitter will be calling at some point.

[GIZZ]

Yes I was talking electric hydronic boiler, that would have lower operating costs and installation than running electric baseboards. But still higher cost to run than gas combi boiler.

The other half of it is that I read Vancouver and likely surrounding areas will be making a shift to zero emissions space and water heating. That will surely make repairing my already rare gas boiler even harder to find parts for. I'm replacing the low water cut off switch every other year. I changed out the blower once, the new one is loud and I fear it will fail again. This is just the most unreliable and difficult to service thing I've ever dealt with.

[HKS PWR]

Yes I was talking electric hydronic boiler, that would have lower operating costs and installation than running electric baseboards. But still higher cost to run than gas combi boiler.

That's only half the problem. You still have to figure out how to heat your domestic water.
I've never like the idea of using combination boilers because once you have an issue and it stops running, you lose both space heating and domestic hot water
More often than not, combi-boilers are installed for a lack of space (not sure if this is your case)


The other half of it is that I read Vancouver and likely surrounding areas will be making a shift to zero emissions space and water heating. That will surely make repairing my already rare gas boiler even harder to find parts for.
I wouldn't worry about that for the time being. It would take YEARS to implement such a thing. Imagine getting 2.5 million people in the lower mainland to retrofit their gas fired appliances to electric? And where does it end? Gas stove/ranges, gas fireplaces, gas BBQ???

[tdeweyn]

Clearing the junk in the garage. Need more empty space.

[fliptuner]

Tell me about it. Had to pull everything out of the garage, to upgrade my compressor in the back corner. Reorganized and junked a bunch of stuff. Now I just need to sell a few things to get a car inside.

https://i.imgur.com/NeAPeW1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NGqPtuo.jpg

[bcrdukes]

I see a motorcycle back there :suspicious:

[fliptuner]

Rebuilding the carb this weekend. 127CID hard tail lol

https://i.imgur.com/WjCq9lu.jpg

[Great68]

Yes I was talking electric hydronic boiler, that would have lower operating costs and installation than running electric baseboards. But still higher cost to run than gas combi boiler.

The other half of it is that I read Vancouver and likely surrounding areas will be making a shift to zero emissions space and water heating. That will surely make repairing my already rare gas boiler even harder to find parts for. I'm replacing the low water cut off switch every other year. I changed out the blower once, the new one is loud and I fear it will fail again. This is just the most unreliable and difficult to service thing I've ever dealt with.

If I were shifting off of gas, I'd be doing a air to water heat pump over an electric hydronic boiler.

https://www.daikin.com/products/ac/lineup/heat_pump

[GIZZ]

That looks expensive too. I'd need the high temp unit for my baseboard radiators.

And my boiler failed last night, the blower motor failed again. it tries to move so I'm guessing the plastic blades cracked. I hate this thing. Going to be a challenge getting parts, and its so damn cold in here.

[HKS PWR]

And my boiler failed last night, the blower motor failed again. it tries to move so I'm guessing the plastic blades cracked. I hate this thing. Going to be a challenge getting parts, and its so damn cold in here.
Just curious, where does the exhaust vent to? The roof or the side of the house? Do you have a picture of the mechanical room where this combi boiler is installed?

[GIZZ]

The flue run is about 15' to the side of the house. It's a no fan direct vent, sloping downwards with the final outlet much lower than the boiler. I bought the house like this. There is a capped stack for the old conventional furnace in that room, but earlier this year when I had the roof done I had them shaved the old stack.

I have the same unit in my garage, that exhaust is about 30 ft in length also exiting lower than the boiler. I haven't taken any good pics of the whole room.

[unit]

i want to hide the wires from my tv/soundbar/appletv but i want to keep it as neat as possible below.

i've seen these kits but you always have to install the power inlet into the wall, then connect it to a regular outlet. usually people hide this behind their entertainment unit, but i don't plan to have anything down below to hide wiring. is there any way i can make these connections behind the wall and just sacrifice the power outlet?

[Great68]

It would be against code to put a power plug inside a wall.

But what you could do, is install a new receptacle at the TV level and fish down a length of loomex/romex, and connect into the receptacle box below. May require some drywall cutting/patching to facilitate getting into the existing receptacle box, but this will be your cleanest solution.

[unit]

hmm that's not a bad idea, i think that would be the cleanest way without getting in over my head.

[snowball]

You can fish a flexible plastic conduit/raceway that will make fishing all your power/video/audio cables easily. The hardest part is installing it since you'll need a conduit with a diameter thicker than the power plug.

[Hondaracer]

Unit, I may have the kit to install a power plug as you said above. I bought it for my last place, basically just creates an approved junction from below to above. You can have it if I can find it.

It’s kind of hokey now as I would just wire in a new actual outlet but this is a good solution when you can’t fish a wire run

[Great68]

Unit, I may have the kit to install a power plug as you said above. I bought it for my last place, basically just creates an approved junction from below to above. You can have it if I can find it.

It’s kind of hokey now as I would just wire in a new actual outlet but this is a good solution when you can’t fish a wire run

If I understand his issue correctly, he doesn't have a piece of furniture under the TV and therefore if uses one of those kits the cord from the extended junction to the actual power receptacle will be visible, and he wants that hidden.

[unit]

^exactly!

thanks for the offer honda, i still might take you up on it if i do decide to go that way and just connect the plugs together.

[unit]

on another note, i took possession of my condo last week and move in is in about 2 weeks.
the first thing i did was buy 2 new toilets, because they bought these lame designer square ones that my bidets don't fit on, so i bought 2 american standard elongated ones.

since there is no strata yet i have nobody to ask, but do you normally have to let the strata know if you are changing the toilets? if so then i'll probably have to wait until the strata is formed before doing it, but if it's unnecessary then i'll just change them now. i plan to do it myself since it seems straightforward but was also wondering if it's typical for a strata to expect you to get a licensed and insured plumber to do the job since it involves water. any thoughts?

[fliptuner]

Lol I saw your ad on FB this morning

[unit]

haha! i had like 15 messages in an hour

[bcrdukes]

In my experience, if you are replacing something like-for-like with no modifications, you are good to go. Your only other option is to check with property management. I don't think you need a certified plumber for something like this.

Which American Standard toilet did you get? We're trying to get the Tofino for our renovation, but man, it's jumped in price since last year. :okay:

[unit]

thanks that makes sense.

i got the decor, i like the flush sides. especially since i have pets and they tend to leave pet hair in nooks and crannies.

[Eff-1]

You shouldn't need strata approval to swap the toilets out. No common pipes are affected. That also means you don't need any kind of licensed trade to do it. Of course if there's a problem and it causes water damage to other units, just make sure you have your own personal homeowner insurance policy in place in the event the worst case you have to cover the costs of damages to other units.

[unit]

thanks! should have thought of you before i asked since you're the strata guy haha

[320icar]

Random question, when should my first grass cut of the year be

[Great68]

For me, when it's dry enough to run my lawnmower over it.

Right now, walking through my grass just turns it into mud. I'm still probably a few weeks away from the first spring cut.

[Hondaracer]

Random question, when should my first grass cut of the year be

When it’s grown enough thay irs actually standing up in the sunlight etc. my whole fucking yard is mud now so not sure when that will be.. :okay:

[320icar]

Yeah I just went into the backyard and shit is pure mud. So that’s not gonna be a worry of mine for a while

[GLOW]

if you're like me, when it's about 3' tall :badpokerface:

[GIZZ]

I wait until the grass is dry enough to catch in the bag/box. I'd have to sweep it now, but that ends up being back breaking work getting grass into the bins.

[tdeweyn]

Finally a somewhat sunny day to get some of the fallen leaves.. Left it since fall but better late than never I suppose. Thank god I only have grass in the front yard. In the back is all either paved, concrete or fake grass :D

[SSM_DC5]

I feel bad if my neighbor raked the leaves and I don't causing my leaves to blow all over their lawn. But you left it for a whole season! :okay:

[Acura604]

I sold my detached and purchased 2 properties...

1 townhouse (4yrs old with a low strata of $244) - 1984sq ft/3 levels
1 2bedroom condo (1yr old but wtf strata $468) - 1400 sq ft/ 1 level


the townhouse after only 4yrs looked so bad once the previous owners moved their shit out...the walls were all marked up...i saw some sort of water stains on alot of the walls ...i got all depressed thinking i gotta live here?

F DAT...so got the entire place PAINTED...never wanted to see those marked up walls ever again plus hey, the smell of fresh paint! total cost $3,600.

SUMMER PROJECT: rip out stairwell carpeting and replace with laminate.

https://i.imgur.com/xMFvHrt.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/joJYHCF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/2X1NJZZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/i5ERgEQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/eqVJ8i7.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Hm7uWpv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/f8uXH1p.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/v45Y0v9.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/SzqCX4H.jpg

[GIZZ]

12.3c/sq ft maintenance, damn that's cheap. I've seen as high as 71c, way too much.

[SSM_DC5]

Scraped the texture off the ceiling and ripped up the tiles. A lot of the tiles popped right up. If someone here wants them, come get them before they go in the garbage. I think I have some spares too

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51959813199_a9bc6082ec_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51959519046_c621fe0175_c.jpg

[tdeweyn]

12.3c/sq ft maintenance, damn that's cheap. I've seen as high as 71c, way too much.

Some new high rises are getting beyond 70c / sqft.

$ / sqft all in is way too high now.

800,000 for roughly 800 sq/ft on a high rise plus their strata roughly around 400-500 for an 800/sqft. Making that like what roughly 63c?

[sonick]

Took a few days off to crush through a project I've been meaningful to get to before the cooler months, to replace a fixed work bench in the garage from the previous owner and make a fold out work bench so that I can fit two cars in the garage for the winter.

This was my first woodworking project from scratch and I'm pretty proud of how it turned out!

Before:
https://i.imgur.com/UCabolx.jpeg

After demo and clearing out all the spiders and cobwebs:
https://i.imgur.com/EQYhNm2.jpeg

Folded up:
https://i.imgur.com/4GQgllk.jpeg

Folded down:
https://i.imgur.com/DOh4K7B.jpeg

In action
https://i.imgur.com/sqloJmT.jpeg

Some finishing details I'm quite happy with, the radius at the top for the legs, and the cutout in the horizontal support to fit the legs. Oscillating tool came in clutch for this:
https://i.imgur.com/IancK71.jpeg]

[G]

Not sure if this thread is the right place, but anyone have recommendations for grill cleaning brushes?

[sonick]

Not sure if this thread is the right place, but anyone have recommendations for grill cleaning brushes?

Wirecutter suggests this Grill grate brush

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-grill-tools/amp/

[fliptuner]

Finally finished up the stairs. Just have to caulk and paint the trim.

https://i.imgur.com/1G1jQPX.jpg

[Hondaracer]

Looks great

[Gumby]

Kudos to any of you that complete DIY projects around the house! I'm always scared of screwing up or doing a crappy job.

The paint on the frame around the door leading to my detached garage was flaking off, so over the weekend, I removed the loose parts and sanded most of it before painting. I thought I did a OK job, but my wife disagreed...

[smoothie.]

I vacuumed.

[Traum]

Stripped some paint on the outdoor staircase + deck yesteday. The weather was awesome and the work didn't even seem strenous.

But then when I woke up this morning, my whole body felt like I got run over by a truck. I thought I slept well last night, but both me and my muscles were all tired AF when I woke up. The whole body was achey and sore too. Been having a low energy day all day as a result.

WTF... FailFish

[snowball]

Sounds like you got covid, man

[fliptuner]

Awkward posture, using different muscles, age.

[sonick]

More along the theme of maximizing space after the folding work bench, got this cool bike hoist for $20 from Canadian Tire. Now I'm thinking what else I can hoist to the ceiling with this....

https://i.imgur.com/IVCLcUu.jpeg

[underscore]

I've been redoing the floor in my basement and I just pulled out the second to last piece of the old carpet to find this (click to open the fullsize picture)

https://i.imgur.com/uCjbed6.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Rwx87Sx.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/LAVXO3u.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/F51TLZF.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/15yqjpy.jpg

The carpet looked dirtier than the rest under the baseboard but otherwise looked normal in that corner. Does this look old enough to not worry about or should I be tearing the wall open to look for foundation issues?

[Hondaracer]

What you could do is cut out some of the drywall a few inches off the corner to have a look. Keep the hole below the baseboard line. That way you won’t need to have any major drywall repair and baseboard will just cover the hole you cut

Imo it doesn’t really look like it’s been consistently wet but it’s kind of hard to tell. The tack strip does look like it has been wet before though

[underscore]

That's what I was thinking too, so I cut it open.

This is the underside and backside of the left wall. It looks dirty but not really damaged.

https://i.imgur.com/CuIyHJa.jpg

I pulled back the vapour barrier and the wood looks fine. It feels normal when I stab it with a screwdriver too, it's not mushy or anything.

https://i.imgur.com/clonG0Z.jpg

The nail holding that bit of drywall on was rusty though.

https://i.imgur.com/IGHjH8a.jpg

I'm leaning towards it being something that only happened once. The discolouration around the crack in the floor and how well it aligns with where the staining on the tack strip starts makes me think it came in through there. Which has me wondering if I should seal that crack with something or just leave it. This corner will be the finishing end of the flooring so it'd be easy to remove later if needed, just pop the trim off and unclick a few planks.

[Hondaracer]

Maybe have a look outside and dig a little if possible around that point

It could even be sonthing like a few times in super heavy rain the drain tile isn’t keeping up and it comes in a little bit to cause a wet spot which I probably wouldn’t worry about

[underscore]

That corner is about 5' below ground level so it'd be a lot of digging lol. There is a downspout on that corner that gets the end knocked off pretty easily since it's also the walkway to the backyard. So a heavy rain after it got kicked off would probably do it.

[TOS'd]

Anyone build a platform bed with storage before? Looking at making one that'll fit a queen size and then some, along with some storage options (ie. drawers + removable platform top). Something that looks more built-in rather than a standalone bed frame with drawers under it.

Just started going down the rabbit hole of fully custom or a mix of IKEA-hacking and custom.

[Hondaracer]

The ikea hacks might be your best bet. It makes things wayyyy easier to use their hinges and drawer sliders etc. then figuring it out on your own.

I built my own floating platform bed, it’s a bit of work but it’s generally much cheaper than comparables of inferior quality. I’d post a pic but I’m not at home

[tiger_handheld]

looking for ideas (if wrong thread pls move)

Our bathroom has no heating vent and its cold af. What options are there to get heat?
floor is tile.

[snowball]

Electric radiant floor under new tile.

[Traum]

When our kid was much younger, we used to bring a portable resistive heater into the bathroom during his showers. It warms the washroom right up.

I know it isn't the suggestion you were looking for, but hey, this could be done for as little as $50. :lol

[SSM_DC5]

Anyone know if low voltage wiring (ie cat 5e) will have interference if run right beside high voltage wiring? I want to run both inside the same Cor-Line.

[Traum]

This is a quick guide that I've found:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0014/6404/1539/files/General_Guidelines_for_Safety_and_Communications_C able_Data_Integrity.png

Depending on how "high voltage" your electrical line is, it may or may not be OK.

[Hondaracer]

Anyone know if low voltage wiring (ie cat 5e) will have interference if run right beside high voltage wiring? I want to run both inside the same Cor-Line.

It’s definitely not best practice.

You can get Ethernet cables with a heavier jacket which can help, but when pulling new cables I would never run them through joist holes or studs that are the same hole power cables run through imo

[jing]

Running comm and electrical in the same pathway would fail any inspection

[bcrdukes]

Ditto to the above. Not a great idea in general and if requiring an inspection, will fail. There will be some level of interference (not favourable in most situations) but that depends on what your level of tolerance is.

[sonick]

What's the proper way to run power + video for cable management on wall mounted TVs? Two separate bays?

I've used kits like this before at my old place, i guess they are technically not to code?

Arlington TVBR2505K-1 Flat Screen TV Recessed Kit with Outlet and Wall Plates, 2-Gang, White, 1-Pack https://a.co/d/aP2ShI9

Good to know if / when I decide to do it at my new place.

[Hondaracer]

Those kits do claim to be to code i believe

I’ve wired outlets behind all my TV’s now but honestly while it’s not to code I don’t really think it’s that big of a deal to run a cord in a wall. Maybe get a heavy duty extension cord to feed down instead of the TV’s cable

[sonick]

Those kits do claim to be to code i believe

I’ve wired outlets behind all my TV’s now but honestly while it’s not to code I don’t really think it’s that big of a deal to run a cord in a wall. Maybe get a heavy duty extension cord to feed down instead of the TV’s cable

These kits actually use in-wall rated Romex for power, so that's fine.

Meant moreso how compliant it is running low voltage along the Romex in the same bay.

[Hondaracer]

If it’s just in the cavity of the wall I’m pretty sure that’s fine, maybe some Division if you can use seperate pass through wall plates to at least hold them separately. But even in brand new construction I see it’s basically a blank plate on the top and bottom and just passing cables within the same stud space as the power for the TV

[jing]

Comm and electrical on opposite sides of the stud. Super easy to fish as well. Easy to line up the mud rings as well, even in a retrofit Within the same stud space is also OK as there should be enough separation between the two.

[Hondaracer]

That’s a good idea in theory but it’s hard to do with a TV mount

[Great68]

Running comm and electrical in the same pathway would fail any inspection

No, not necessarily. As long as insulation rating and wiring class are the same then perfectly OK by code. However, yeah it would be tough to make Network Cat 5 meet class 1, to be able to do so.

Note, electrical code does not care about the "EMF" levels of running Cat5 beside line voltage power.

When I wired my garage I buried #8 3c teck for power and placed a direct burial Cat5 beside it in the same trench in the ground. About 100' run, no issues in terms of noise.

[jing]

Out goes the POS builder special dishwasher that was louder than my dryer
https://i.imgur.com/Dtk7Wcl.jpg

In goes new Bosch... courtesy of sweet corporate discount
https://i.imgur.com/J53dRnu.jpg

We couldn't even watch TV in the living room ('open concept') while the dishwasher was running before so this is a huge upgrade. Don't mind the dirty ass grout.

[SSM_DC5]

^looks just like the one I got. It's really quiet! Loudest part of the cycle is when the water drains and I hear it through the sink drain.

[supafamous]

^looks just like the one I got. It's really quiet! Loudest part of the cycle is when the water drains and I hear it through the sink drain.

Same, when I hear the drain going is when I realize the machine is running. Bosch dishwashers are fantastic in every way.

[bcrdukes]

Damn, you guys are making me jealous with your Bosch dishwashers (signs we are growing up and getting older!)

I picked up a builder special/surplus Whirlpool for $250, similar to the one I have now but for our lower level renovation. I suspect I may regret it but for $250 and it comes with a 5-year aftermarket warranty, why not? (Until I get tired of the noise.)

[Great68]

I'll put my Kitchenaid up against any Bosch... It's practically inaudible

[whitev70r]

just as a point of reference what is your model's decibel rating? I'm due to get rid of builder special soon as well. Just wanted to know what approx range db rating to get . saw a lot at 55db.

[bcrdukes]

Not sure who the question is directed to but mine is rated at 50 db. It seems like a lot of the Bosch sit in between 44, 48, and 50 db.

Come to think of it, when we moved into this town house, the dishwasher that came with the place (also a Whirlpool) is rated at 50 db. It's not super loud and I only really hear it at the very beginning of the wash cycle and when it drains the water.

[Great68]

Mine's rated at 44db. Literally the loudest part of the cycle is the sound of it filling with water and the gurgle from the sink when it's draining.

[jing]

Bosch 300 series... 44db

Old Whirlpool model.. 69db :ifyouknow:

In all fairness, I probably wouldn't have bought a Bosch DW if it weren't for the discount. Retail price is $1590 + tax... but my all-in price was less than $1k

If I had bought it a year earlier, I think it might've been another 15-20% cheaper as I helped my family member buy a 500 series for what I paid for mine now.

[Hondaracer]

Mine's rated at 44db. Literally the loudest part of the cycle is the sound of it filling with water and the gurgle from the sink when it's draining.

I think we have the same one. Same thing the only time I hear it is when it’s draining

[punkwax]

Bosch 300 series crew checking in. Agreed, the loudest part is during draining on my garburator side. Super quiet machines overall.

[supafamous]

44db Bosch here too. Our is a 500 series top control with the auto air function - it pops open when it's done to help dry the dishes better (particularly the plastics and cups). Works pretty well.

I've found that other dishwashers who claim the same sound level can't maintain it throughout the wash cycle (my Fisher & Paykel that I had would get loud during parts of the cycle) while the Bosch stays at 44db the whole way.

[bcrdukes]

@supafamous - What was the issue with you F&P again? I recall you posting about it somewhere but wasn't sure if it was this thread or not.

We were thinking of getting a F&P for our lower level renovation but a few things detracted from the decision:

1. Getting one was tough due to supply chain issues (at least in the GTA, of all places)
2. They were only selling at MSRP with no discount / negotiation room
3. Would have been an outlier compared to the dishwasher in the main kitchen; The space below is meant for our home office

The idea of having a dish drawer would have been a neat, novel idea given our use case and size factor, but after thinking about it, this isn't going to be our forever home so we settled for whatever we found was cheap and worked. I don't expect to run the dishwasher during business hours. :lol

[supafamous]

@supafamous - What was the issue with you F&P again? I recall you posting about it somewhere but wasn't sure if it was this thread or not.

We were thinking of getting a F&P for our lower level renovation but a few things detracted from the decision:

1. Getting one was tough due to supply chain issues (at least in the GTA, of all places)
2. They were only selling at MSRP with no discount / negotiation room
3. Would have been an outlier compared to the dishwasher in the main kitchen; The space below is meant for our home office

The idea of having a dish drawer would have been a neat, novel idea given our use case and size factor, but after thinking about it, this isn't going to be our forever home so we settled for whatever we found was cheap and worked. I don't expect to run the dishwasher during business hours. :lol

For the money the cleaning performance was pretty terrible - I'd say that we had dishes come out dirty at least every second wash and would regularly have to rewash entire loads b/c there was still so much food on the dishes. The drawers seemed like a cool idea (my wife was stoked) but it wasn't really that useful as it made loading larger bowls a real pain (the organisers were shit). The lack of a cutlery tray (3rd rack) also meant cutlery didn't clean well either. Finally, it wasn't actually as quiet as advertised - it's rated at 45db but that was only true during the slowest parts of the wash cycle. It was easily the worst dishwasher I've ever used in terms of performance and usability.

It came with our house and we gave up on it after about 3 months and sold it for close to retail to someone who came from Victoria to get it (along with some other appliances).

[SSM_DC5]

42db 800 series Bosch for me.

[donk.]

God dam you guys are old

[bcrdukes]

It came with our house and we gave up on it after about 3 months and sold it for close to retail to someone who came from Victoria to get it (along with some other appliances).

WTF...:ahwow:

How? Why? I don't even...:fulloffuck:

[SSM_DC5]

^supply and demand. Could have been the matching dishwasher to the rest of the appliances. My search for appliances wasn't the smoothest. Stores would tell me things were multiple months wait for arrival or simply unknown when it will be back in stock. I came across my fridge on craigslist. The seller bought a set during reno's, the reno's completed and store couldn't deliver 1 of the pieces, so he sold what he had to buy a different set that was in stock.
Then for my oven, I ended up finding a small store in the eastern Canada and had it shipped to me.

[bcrdukes]

I get that, but I don't think I would (literally) go that far to buy one at retail. That's just me.

[punkwax]

Somewhat recently upgraded the old school washer/dryer set that came with the house for Bosch 500 series units and they are remarkably quiet in comparison as well.

Just had dinner with the in-laws and they said they prefer their Bosch fridge over their sub-zero (they have condos on the island and mainland). I didn’t get the chance to ask why but I’ve been told that produce lasts much longer in a sub-zero. Their claim is that over time, the cost premium could essentially pay for itself by reducing food waste. I’ll have to circle back on that one to find out why they like the Bosch better.

Bosch appliances FTMFW it seems.

[supafamous]

WTF...:ahwow:

How? Why? I don't even...:fulloffuck:

Supply chain is rough. Lady who came said she couldn't find one on the island at all (for months). She was also picking up a used set of laundry machines from someone and was on her way to pick up cabinets from IKEA too. One big supply run with a trailer attached to her pickup.

[roastpuff]

My Bosch fridge (800 series dual compressor) definitely keeps produce fresh much longer than my parents' or my wife parents' fridge.

[bcrdukes]

Good to know and will consider Bosch for future home. The Blomberg we had at the condo was just awful. Produce, meats, and whatnot would go bad within days.

[sonick]

Finally updated my ugly house numbers with a more modern look.

Got the numbers 3d printed and then painted since buying off the shelf is like $20 per number.

Really updates the look for not much effort or cost

https://i.imgur.com/q43TgPl.jpg

[EvoFire]

Didn't even realize there was an appliance chat going on (god I feel old).

The Bosch is good, we have a 500 and it's pretty quiet. We also had a KitchenAid at our townhouse that I liked as well. Maybe it's just a habit thing but I actually liked our KitchenAid more. They racks fit our needs better and we can just run the wash cycle and air dry the dishes. The Bosch always runs the drying cycle and there's no option.

[TOS'd]

Question about heat pumps, theres one in a condo unit that was leaking water, the therostat was set to cool and they noticed a build up of water on the floor. Water was pooling up around the red circle and then coming out of the metal vent cover and on to the floor. Could it have been a clogged furnace filter causing the machine to "work harder"? The furnace filter looked pretty used and was probably due for a new one. I went out and bought some more filters and will have it replaced for the tenant.

https://i.imgur.com/0VeBjQbl.png

https://i.imgur.com/rr4i9jml.png

[320icar]

Nothing I’ve done yet, but fucking ANTS! Those god damn sugar ants just came out of no where the last week. Usually if they show up it’s the coldest part of winter, not now. GRRRRR

[Gerbs]

Man, I remember there were a few years where they'd be everywhere in my mom's living / dining room, sofas, tables, entrance, some were even beginning to make it's way up the stairs.

Not sure how you get rid of it.