TrainFan73
Frothy
My right arm hurts like I’m 13.
Home Improvement Thread 2: Electric Redo the Loo
- Thread starter Corycm
- Start date
Djxfactor511
Well-Known Member
Finally got around to landscaping around our back patio. Basic stuff and will fill with flowers at some point. Against the wall of the house wanted to put something that will grow and cover the Radon pipe. The weedy path is going to be pavers at some point.
Also strung some patio lights, which I think is a perfect addition. We just had my son' 1st birthday party so still some remnants of that.
The "Big" project this year is starting today. Replacing the fence in the backyard. The previous owner apparently installed it themselves according to our neighbors. It's not up to code, wasn't maintained and has been dry rotted since we bought the house. A series of wind storms this winter pretty much knocked down a few sections and completely detached them from their posts. Made replacing this year a necessity.
Also strung some patio lights, which I think is a perfect addition. We just had my son' 1st birthday party so still some remnants of that.
The "Big" project this year is starting today. Replacing the fence in the backyard. The previous owner apparently installed it themselves according to our neighbors. It's not up to code, wasn't maintained and has been dry rotted since we bought the house. A series of wind storms this winter pretty much knocked down a few sections and completely detached them from their posts. Made replacing this year a necessity.
Dtknuckles
Well-Known Member
The loan contingency should get removed today. In a couple of weeks I will have made about 90k because I owned a house for 5 years.
Owning a house was a lot of stress that I’m glad I don’t have to deal with. I’m going to sit on the money for a bit. Next year start looking for a condo.
Owning a house was a lot of stress that I’m glad I don’t have to deal with. I’m going to sit on the money for a bit. Next year start looking for a condo.
TrainFan73
Frothy
Finally finished the electrical and put in the new overhead lights: I would post pictures, but the kitchen is done.
Djxfactor511
Well-Known Member
Fence is down!
Djxfactor511
Well-Known Member
Dtknuckles
Well-Known Member
I just got notice that my homeowners insurance was canceled. It’s a good thing I sold it!
folsom_lives
Well-Known Member
Got some new outdoor lighting to replace the 40 year old fixtures that were really stinking up the joint. Just don’t ask how long I agonized drilling holes into the stone wing walls.
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We got our bathroom remodeled!
We’re happy with the end result but the path to get there was really frustrating. They essentially underbid on the project and then slowly added new charges so that the final cost was out of our budget and the same as what every other company had bid. I get that things cost what they cost but we wouldn’t have gone with this company if they had bid more transparently. Their sales person/project manager also constantly laid it on thick that every issue that came up was because they’re working in our budget and they’re saving us so much money, which was really annoying. Last I checked, you are not saving me money if you simply charge me for the thing 2 weeks later rather than in the initial bid. They also tried charging me for a clear mistake on their end that necessitated work being redone, which I pushed back on and they agreed to drop. It also took 5 weeks to do a job quoted for 2 weeks and so we had no tub to bathe our toddler for over a month (thankfully grandma’s house is close by).
Anyway, in the last days of the project, the project manager had asked me point blank 4-5 different times if I will leave them a positive review. Each time, I either just chuckled, said nothing, or deflected (I want to be done with this company forever, not entwined in a post-job Yelp review battle). This weekend, when my wife stopped by to drop off the final payment, the sales person/project manager told my wife “Why doesn’t your husband want to leave me a good review?” Lol.
Sorry for the diary entry. I’m very happy I’m able to give my kid baths again.
We’re happy with the end result but the path to get there was really frustrating. They essentially underbid on the project and then slowly added new charges so that the final cost was out of our budget and the same as what every other company had bid. I get that things cost what they cost but we wouldn’t have gone with this company if they had bid more transparently. Their sales person/project manager also constantly laid it on thick that every issue that came up was because they’re working in our budget and they’re saving us so much money, which was really annoying. Last I checked, you are not saving me money if you simply charge me for the thing 2 weeks later rather than in the initial bid. They also tried charging me for a clear mistake on their end that necessitated work being redone, which I pushed back on and they agreed to drop. It also took 5 weeks to do a job quoted for 2 weeks and so we had no tub to bathe our toddler for over a month (thankfully grandma’s house is close by).
Anyway, in the last days of the project, the project manager had asked me point blank 4-5 different times if I will leave them a positive review. Each time, I either just chuckled, said nothing, or deflected (I want to be done with this company forever, not entwined in a post-job Yelp review battle). This weekend, when my wife stopped by to drop off the final payment, the sales person/project manager told my wife “Why doesn’t your husband want to leave me a good review?” Lol.
Sorry for the diary entry. I’m very happy I’m able to give my kid baths again.
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Melt Face Molly Drop
Well-Known Member
The journey seemingly is always terrible. I had similar things happen during our remodel and I had to take a step back and ask myself if I was being too high maintenance. I concluded no, but that I was rather just being very involved, which these companies do not like. They think they can work without being bothered and have inconsistent schedules and shady communication.
Anyways, at the end of the day if I'm satisfied with the end product, I do feel I need to let go of whatever issues I had during the project, for my own sanity.
You could always give 4 or 5 stars but kind of write a backhanded review "we were very pleased with our final product but they did not stay within budget" etc. etc. You might get an owner response, but at least you put it out there.
Yeah. For real, I thought of doing the exact same secret negative review hidden in a 4 star review but I was talked out of it by my wife and in-laws. I didn’t even mention in my long post the day the workers stopped working at noon to drink beers in my garage until 7pm…lol.
dbarila
Well-Known Member
Sort of in the lines of home improvement, but anyone really get into their lawncare? I turned 40 and all of a sudden I'm researching fertilizers, sprinklers and grass seed.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
I really need to re-seed our lawn at some point. It's a bit of a mess...
But we do have a ridiculous sprinkler system that one of the previous owners installed. It's 14 zones or something and they pop out of the ground. I have it hooked up to a wifi module that connects to the weather service so it won't turn on if there's been x amount of rain in the past few days.
folsom_lives
Well-Known Member
I just pay a lawn company... It's expensive but saves me from having to do all the research and apply it all at the right time. Gives me more time to spend on the veggie garden and flowers.
dbarila
Well-Known Member
Nice. I am going to overseed this fall for the first time but don't have a nice sprinklers system so may have to do it over the next couple of years. We moved in 2 years ago to a nice thick lawn and I'm trying to keep it that way. I've just been brushing up on the basics.
I fertilized a couple times this summer and I can already see my lawn is a bit greener than my neighbor's. He couldn't believe I don't use a lawn service (he does). I said I just threw some fertilizer down a couple times and run my sprinkler (that I have to move around the yard manually) a once a week if there hasn't been any rain.
dbarila
Well-Known Member
I kind of like doing it. Gets me out in the fresh air. So far I've been strictly organic but may need to venture to the dark size to get a better control on weeds next year.
My neighbor has a ton of trees and she's been removing the leaves that fall in my yard for me to compost since I don't use chemicals. I hate to mess with a good thing there.
folsom_lives
Well-Known Member
It helps if you already have a good lawn to start with. I inherited creeping charlie, violet, and nimbleweed. I gave up after 3 years of DIY since what I really needed was broad spectrum and a few good years of aeration and overseed.
dbarila
Well-Known Member
I have a ton of nimblewill in my backyard that I sprayed with Tenacity a few times and I finally seem to be winning the battle. I do have a bunch of wild violet in the front yard that I'm working on now. I'll do a dethatch and overseed in the fall and hope for the best.
Bull Shannon
Well-Known Member
Our lawn thrives in spring, gets scorched in summer, and turns into a mud pit for fall/winter. I'd have to water daily to avoid the scorching, and a combination of guilt and laziness keeps me from fighting to keep it alive. The last two springs I've tried scattering clover seed, as my understanding is it needs less water. I've basically resigned myself to just trying to improve anything that's not lawn.
debianlinux
Well-Known Member
Lawns are for people who hate nature.