Home "Improvement"

[bens197]

31 minutes ago, edingc said:

Unreal how much some places want to charge for replacement parts. I had a local chain tire store quote me $360 to replace the front pads and rotors on my car. The line-item quote showed they wanted $115 just for the set of pads! Instead, I got a brand new set of ceramic pads and drilled/slotted coated rotors delivered for $110 total and did it myself.

My wife laments that I drive an older car (it's going on 17 years old this year), but the parts are cheap and it's relatively easy to work on. Easy savings if you can get a few standard tools and a warm-ish place to work.

Money not spent on depreciable assets is money saved for future retirement

[GolfSpy BOS]

Money not spent on depreciable assets is money saved for future retirement

... Orrrr golf gear.

But that’s one thing I keep telling myself I’m going to learn how to do. [mention]edingc [/mention] I’m always nervous that I’ll end up spilling brake fluid all over the place.

[MattF]

1 minute ago, B.Boston said:

I’m always nervous that I’ll end up spilling brake fluid all over the place.

Can't do that if you're just replacing the pads and rotors. I've replaced my front and rear calipers and barely spilt a drop, but I've got the right tools.

[GolfSpy BOS]

Can't do that if you're just replacing the pads and rotors. I've replaced my front and rear calipers and barely spilt a drop, but I've got the right tools.

I know that I don’t have the right tools... but I’m 100% positive my neighbors do. They do racing (stock car, I forget which class) and are constantly working on the car. And they’re nice people so they share with me.

[tony@CIC]

21 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

I know that I don’t have the right tools... but I’m 100% positive my neighbors do. They do racing (stock car, I forget which class) and are constantly working on the car. And they’re nice people so they share with me.

Plus I'll bet a great resource if you have car questions. 

[GolfSpy BOS]

Plus I'll bet a great resource if you have car questions. 

Absolutely! Plus my kids love it when they’re working on it and we can go see. He’s basically a superhero because he’s a racer.

[MaxEntropy]

3 hours ago, edingc said:

Unreal how much some places want to charge for replacement parts. I had a local chain tire store quote me $360 to replace the front pads and rotors on my car. The line-item quote showed they wanted $115 just for the set of pads! Instead, I got a brand new set of ceramic pads and drilled/slotted coated rotors delivered for $110 total and did it myself.

My wife laments that I drive an older car (it's going on 17 years old this year), but the parts are cheap and it's relatively easy to work on. Easy savings if you can get a few standard tools and a warm-ish place to work.

My car has Brembo brakes on it - I needed brakes last Spring, but because of COVID-related shipping delays, I could not find pads anywhere. I called the dealer and they wanted $700 for just the pads. I laughed and told the guy I was on the Brembo site and could get the pads for $135. He was convinced I was looking at the wrong pads, but I read him the Hyundai SKU. I suggested they should be embarrassed with that amount of mark-up. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

Tell me about it! I used to work in automotive. We made the fuel systems for many OEM's. This included the gas tank, fuel pump, heat shield, and quick connect lines. As an example we sold a complete system to Dodge for the Durango for $110.00. I priced replacing this system from the dealer (I had a Durango). They were going to charge me $1,100.00 not including installation.  After researching other parts it turns out that they just add an extra zero at the end. Criminal I say just criminal! Nothing but pure price gouging. They should be held to a certain profit margin.  

[tommc23]

Did a skim coat of spackle on all seams and screws in one room today. Will tape and do second coat and hopefully final coat tomorrow. If it isn’t the final coat I’ll do a coat over top of the tape after that if I feel it is necessary. Going to have my dad finish the last few pieces of drywall in my closet tomorrow while I spackle. We are too similar but have different ways of doing things so we tend to butt heads so if working on different things means I get help but no arguments which is key.

[tony@CIC]

Guess what I've been doing this past week. Fortunately I've got a young man to do the install. However, I am doing the trim. Changing it from the 90's builders grade 3 1/2" to 5 1/2". Got the thicker version so I don't have to put 1/4 round around the base.



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[bens197]

4 minutes ago, tony@CIC said:

Guess what I've been doing this past week. Fortunately I've got a young man to do the install. However, I am doing the trim. Changing it from the 90's builders grade 3 1/2" to 5 1/2". Got the thicker version so I don't have to put 1/4 round around the base.



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I can smell these pictures

 

[Shapotomous]

16 hours ago, tommc23 said:

Did a skim coat of spackle on all seams and screws in one room today. Will tape and do second coat and hopefully final coat tomorrow. If it isn’t the final coat I’ll do a coat over top of the tape after that if I feel it is necessary. Going to have my dad finish the last few pieces of drywall in my closet tomorrow while I spackle. We are too similar but have different ways of doing things so we tend to butt heads so if working on different things means I get help but no arguments which is key.....

Good planning on the different work zones for you and your Dad!!     I've been getting a lot of small mudding repair side jobs lately since they are too small for the real drywall guys to want to bother with.  Mostly seams or corners that cracked they want repaired prior to a repaint but there was one where the guy put his foot through the ceiling while in the attic.  I am redoing our hallway ceiling corner joints prior to a repaint too, one more skim coat and I'll call it good.  

[tommc23]

7 hours ago, Shapotomous said:

Good planning on the different work zones for you and your Dad!!     I've been getting a lot of small mudding repair side jobs lately since they are too small for the real drywall guys to want to bother with.  Mostly seams or corners that cracked they want repaired prior to a repaint but there was one where the guy put his foot through the ceiling while in the attic.  I am redoing our hallway ceiling corner joints prior to a repaint too, one more skim coat and I'll call it good.  

I did the skim coat yesterday on all the seams and screws. Today was taping and doing the coat over the tape. Going to do another coat or two over the tape to make it look good depending on how it looks. Hoping to keep in under 4 coats total but if I need more I’ll do more. My dad never came didn’t want to do spackling so had 3 people on one room which we got most of it done today only a few ceiling corners and seams to do with tape.

[dlow206]

Got an interlock kit and power inlet installed today for a portable backup generator by an electrician.

I am always down for tinkering around with things around the house, but two things i will not work on: anything involving electricity and anything involving going on the roof. 

I don't really think we need a backup generator for the house but my wife really wanted it. She probably doesn't think I need as much golf equipment as I buy either. When she asked for the generator, my response was "okay, i will call the electrician"

[yungkory]

19 hours ago, dlow206 said:

Got an interlock kit and power inlet installed today for a portable backup generator by an electrician.

I am always down for tinkering around with things around the house, but two things i will not work on: anything involving electricity and anything involving going on the roof. 

I don't really think we need a backup generator for the house but my wife really wanted it. She probably doesn't think I need as much golf equipment as I buy either. When she asked for the generator, my response was "okay, i will call the electrician"

I was gonna ask why not go with a PV battery type backup solution, then I remembered you live in the grey sky part of the country

[dlow206]

37 minutes ago, yungkory said:

I was gonna ask why not go with a PV battery type backup solution, then I remembered you live in the grey sky part of the country

How many watts do those things put out?

[yungkory]

7 hours ago, dlow206 said:

How many watts do those things put out?

13.5 kWh capacity

Power

7kW peak / 5kW continuous Seamless backup transition Pure sine wave output

I'm not an electrician or an electrical engineer so I have no idea what any of this means

However, it would take you a decent amount of time to break even on this purchase, for something that you might make use of once over that period of time.

[edingc]

On 3/8/2021 at 9:04 PM, dlow206 said:

Got an interlock kit and power inlet installed today for a portable backup generator by an electrician.

I am always down for tinkering around with things around the house, but two things i will not work on: anything involving electricity and anything involving going on the roof. 

I don't really think we need a backup generator for the house but my wife really wanted it. She probably doesn't think I need as much golf equipment as I buy either. When she asked for the generator, my response was "okay, i will call the electrician"

This is on my list for when we have our 1970s panel upgraded to 200 amp service. A few years ago we lost power for almost two days during an ice storm with temperatures in the 20s. I was able to wire an appliance plug into our furnace that time, thankfully, but having an interlock kit would have saved a ton of headache.

We've talked about getting an inline natural gas generator also. A co-worker of mine had on installed for about $7,000 last summer. His could do his whole house and hot tub; we wouldn't need that big of one.

[bens197]

8 minutes ago, edingc said:

This is on my list for when we have our 1970s panel upgraded to 200 amp service. A few years ago we lost power for almost two days during an ice storm with temperatures in the 20s. I was able to wire an appliance plug into our furnace that time, thankfully, but having an interlock kit would have saved a ton of headache.

We've talked about getting an inline natural gas generator also. A co-worker of mine had on installed for about $7,000 last summer. His could do his whole house and hot tub; we wouldn't need that big of one.

Transfer switch is all you need. I work with two guys who own their own standalone generator business. As great as they are, the portables hooked into a transfer switch is all most of us need. I paid $300 to have my switch installed with a sub panel and it’s been there waiting go he used ever since. 
 

Hopefully it’ll never be used

[PMookie]

Wow.... This thread. I have NO idea how to do all of these things y’all are doing! Home repairs, cars, etc. I was never around to see anything fixed when I was a kid, so I never learned. Outside of putting-in new toilets, there isn’t much I know how to do around the house. Sucks

[tony@CIC]

4 hours ago, edingc said:

This is on my list for when we have our 1970s panel upgraded to 200 amp service.

One of the key improvements we just made to our 'new to us' Florida condo were electrical (3) panels - main plus 2 secondary panels at the inside and outside HVAC units. We contracted for this to be done even before we started on the cosmetic changes. Pic of the panel (getting ready for County Inspector) is a 40/30 panel. 30 current circuits with expansion slots for 10 more. I can't think of a more important thing to do in a house. 

 

[Shapotomous]

5 hours ago, PMookie said:

Wow.... This thread. I have NO idea how to do all of these things y’all are doing! Home repairs, cars, etc. I was never around to see anything fixed when I was a kid, so I never learned. Outside of putting-in new toilets, there isn’t much I know how to do around the house. Sucks

YouTube University and practice on somebody else's project will get you proficient in a lot of things.  Just don't let people know you can do this kind of stuff or you will get calls about fixing things  all the time.  I think I have my "keep me busy retirement business" set up already. 

[tommc23]

Tomorrow I have solar panels being installed so if I get power issues due to electrical lines going down I should not have as many issues. I’ll eventually get some batteries as the backup 

[TBT]

Tomorrow I have solar panels being installed so if I get power issues due to electrical lines going down I should not have as many issues. I’ll eventually get some batteries as the backup 

I’ve been looking at Solar Panels, who are you getting them from, what size system?

It’s my understanding have to have some sort battery and a gateway to be able to use power from the solar panels during a power outage


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[TBT]

Just finished a kitchen project. My wife wanted the cabinets extended to the ceiling and painted and she wanted a “faux” vent hood cover.

BEFORE



AFTER




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[tommc23]

11 hours ago, TBT said:

 

I’ve been looking at Solar Panels, who are you getting them from, what size system?

It’s my understanding have to have some sort battery and a gateway to be able to use power from the solar panels during a power outage


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So the solar panels are being hooked up to my electrical panel and I’ll be getting some batteries in the future. The brand panels I don’t remember the company that is installing them is called Renu.

[tony@CIC]

14 hours ago, TBT said:

Just finished a kitchen project. My wife wanted the cabinets extended to the ceiling and painted and she wanted a “faux” vent hood cover.

BEFORE



AFTER




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That looks awesome! We're doing a kitchen reno in our Florida condo next winter - hope it comes out as nice as yours. 

[fozcycle]

Now just waiting for tile guy to install the backsplash....going with Grey subway tile.


Using a Cobra F8 with MItsubishi Tense ck Blue regular shaft; Cobra King F8 4W & 6W w/Mitsubishi Tense ck Blue regular shaft; Cobra F8 19* Hybrid w/Recoil 460 shaft, Irons 5-PW Wilson Staff D-7 w/Recoil 460 regular shafts; Cleveland Zipcore 50*, 54* & 58* wedges & EVNROLL E-6R putter.

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[yungkory]

20 hours ago, TBT said:

 

I’ve been looking at Solar Panels, who are you getting them from, what size system?

It’s my understanding have to have some sort battery and a gateway to be able to use power from the solar panels during a power outage


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The way it works here in Hawaii is that you "sell" the energy you create from your panels back to the power company for rebates. If you can create enough energy during the day, and use less than that amount during the night time, you usually pay the minimum fee to have your house hooked up to the grid.

The batteries like Tesla power walls and stuff will charge during the day and I don't believe you "sell" as much back to the electric grid, but you'll use your battery power first at night before tapping into the grid, so you might balance the savings out? I was set on getting a battery or two but then I realized I wouldn't make my money back until like year 20 so I'll deal with the occasional outage.

19 hours ago, TBT said:

Just finished a kitchen project. My wife wanted the cabinets extended to the ceiling and painted and she wanted a “faux” vent hood cover.

BEFORE



AFTER




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Jeez, that's a dreamy kitchen

[tony@CIC]

Now just waiting for tile guy to install the backsplash....going with Grey subway tile.


Using a Cobra F8 with MItsubishi Tense ck Blue regular shaft; Cobra King F8 4W & 6W w/Mitsubishi Tense ck Blue regular shaft; Cobra F8 19* Hybrid w/Recoil 460 shaft, Irons 5-PW Wilson Staff D-7 w/Recoil 460 regular shafts; Cleveland Zipcore 50*, 54* & 58* wedges & EVNROLL E-6R putter.

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Another good looking kitchen


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