Home Improvement
- Thread starter Picasso3
- Start date
-
Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!
Go here and give us your nominations!Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
Hateyou
Not Great, Not Terrible
- 16,639
- 43,292
Nice work, get ready for a couple years of annoying watering and care before it looks decent. What state are you in? I’m in Indiana, and it’s too late to seed here, October frost would kill the new grass.
- 1
Dandai
<WoW Guild Officer>
- 5,918
- 4,503
Hurricane Florence happened :/ The neighbor has a poplar tree that sheds limbs every time there’s a strong windstorm. I haven’t gotten around to replacing the top rail yet.
Dandai
<WoW Guild Officer>
- 5,918
- 4,503
North Carolina. It’s fescue and our first frost isn’t typically until 2nd week of November.
Lanx
<Prior Amod>
- 65,259
- 147,115
GuardianX
Perpetually Pessimistic
- 7,164
- 18,153
They do, the trash heap.
LOL, my grandfather would always buy the grand-kids tools for christmas to put in stockings. When I was like 10 I couldn't care less about them but then later he started giving us better and better ones until he started his downward trend, from that point on it was all harbor freight and those tools were garbage. They usually broke either MID first use or after 4-5 uses.
If you are "one time use"-ing the tools then sure...maybe those tools are worth it but, honestly, I would just advise spending the extra money and getting tools that, if you aren't re-using, you can sell. OR...just rent some tools from a place like home depot or lowes.
That is a beautiful plot of land you have there!
---
Found out this week that the home that the wife and I have a bid on basically has a fireplaace / wall that is going to need some major repair. Home inspector came in and basically said, "No never light a fire in this til it's been repaired" which blew me away because I have no clue where to even start on something like a full brick fireplace / wall.
Basically internally it has cracked bricks, mechanical issues and missing / recessed mortar.
Externally some of the bricks are basically turning to dust, "Missing mortar" is a joke because in some places you literally have 0 mortar.
I'm looking at this thing HOPING that I can salvage some of it, but if not I may just go with a small wood-burning stove similar to what my parents have in their woods home.
Structure to the left that touches the brick needs to be re-done because of rot, I think I'll just be replacing the vertical beams though, the top looks good and it's tied into the home via the roof / composite shingles.
- 1
BrutulTM
Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
- 14,671
- 2,528
DeWalt USED to be good. Since they got bought by Black and Decker it's been a race to the bottom between them and Milwaukee. Now they have plastic and powdered metal gears and bushings where they should have bearings just like B&D or Harbor Freight junk. If you're not going to buy the super cheap junk, you should spring for Makita. It's really not that different price wise but they haven't cheaped out on their quality yet like DeWalt and Milwaukee.
- 2
Dandai
<WoW Guild Officer>
- 5,918
- 4,503
About 15-20 years ago my family sold their BBQ to an employee and they were lax on maintaining the pit. It was concrete blocks and they weren't burning it out as frequently as required. The fat and grease had collected over who knows how long and gotten deep into the cracks and crevices of the blocks.
One night they decided they should burn out the pit (basically throw a bunch of cardboard in the bottom and allow the fire to rage to consume all the flammable material that doesn't combust during normal use). The explosion that happened miraculously didn't kill anyone, but it threw open the plate iron doors, put a 45 degree bend in the thick iron bar that holds the doors shut, and put a huge crack from floor to ceiling on one wall of the pit.
tl;dr: don't light a fire in that fireplace until you get it repaired.
- 1
GuardianX
Perpetually Pessimistic
- 7,164
- 18,153
100% agreed, the plan is, we are going to shut it til we fix / remove it.
I was thinking, if I remove it it would likely have to wait til summer next year since temps are dropping and I don't want to have an open wall during winter.
My goal, if we remove it, would be to put a BIG window there. The back yard at this home is amazing plus being able to see the kids out playing would be nice. I could then put a stove type fireplace somewhere that makes sense.
What I figure is that I would need to basically take out some wall, insert supports, take out more wall, insert MORE supports...ect, til the wall was gone and then I can re-frame that wall on the floor, lift it into place and then start the sealing. That is a 100% WIP idea and in no way final.
---
Hopefully this works and is readable:
Vinen
God is dead
- 2,790
- 495
I'm sticking with 1 product line. Anyone have suggestions? Price is not really an issue. Quality is #1
- 46,611
- 214,438
Craftsman is pretty good.
As far as the fireplace - if it's an older, brick chimney it's worth having a pro put in a steel liner all the way to your flue. Then, get the right materials and close in all the holes in the firebox. As far as the facade goes, either repoint it, or cover it with something new. I had ugly field-stones on my fireplace, built it out with steel studs, and covered that with cement board. Then I put 2 foot slate tiles up to the mantle, and then a nice wooden facade above that. I left the old fire box intact, but built it a bit smaller with steel studs, cement board, and fire bricks. I've been using it for six years now with no issues. I was intimidated by it, too, but do your research, take your time, and you'll be fine.
As far as the fireplace - if it's an older, brick chimney it's worth having a pro put in a steel liner all the way to your flue. Then, get the right materials and close in all the holes in the firebox. As far as the facade goes, either repoint it, or cover it with something new. I had ugly field-stones on my fireplace, built it out with steel studs, and covered that with cement board. Then I put 2 foot slate tiles up to the mantle, and then a nice wooden facade above that. I left the old fire box intact, but built it a bit smaller with steel studs, cement board, and fire bricks. I've been using it for six years now with no issues. I was intimidated by it, too, but do your research, take your time, and you'll be fine.
- 2
Fight
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
- 4,640
- 5,560
Dandai
Get ready for an absolutely gorgeous lawn. I have done exactly what you did on 3 different lawns in the past 4 years and my houses have the nicest yards on the block. I hope you got a good quality grass seed, because it is worth it. The cheap shit has weeds in it and will brown up fast without water. And by the way, this is a good time of the year to re-seed a lawn. Mild weather and a good amount of water is what grass seed needs to take off. Even if it snows before too long, the seed will do just fine over the winter time and flourish come Spring.I swear by this stuff. Twice a year, once in the spring, once in the fall. Cost like $10 a bottle, takes about 10 minutes to apply to the lawn and you will never see a clover, dandelion, or any other weed again.
Ortho Weed B Gon 32 oz. Max Plus Ready-To-Spray Crabgrass Control-999411015 - The Home Depot
Dandai
<WoW Guild Officer>
- 5,918
- 4,503
Thanks broseph. I’ve actually got a local mentor that showed me the potential of turf type tall fescue here in the transition zone. GCI Turf is the name of his company. He sells his hand picked blend of TTTF cultivars that he’s selected after years of experimenting on test plots and uses in his own yard.
I swear by this stuff. Twice a year, once in the spring, once in the fall. Cost like $10 a bottle, takes about 10 minutes to apply to the lawn and you will never see a clover, dandelion, or any other weed again.
Ortho Weed B Gon 32 oz. Max Plus Ready-To-Spray Crabgrass Control-999411015 - The Home Depot
He also sells a lawn renovation guide and a cool season turf lawn program. Both are very detailed and simple enough to follow for anyone who’s new to lawncare.
This is actually the second time I’ve renovated the yard. The first time failed because I used the wrong cultivars for my climate and I didn’t maintain it like it needed. I started my own business while working full time for another business and the lawn fell very low on the ever growing list of priorities. I’m all in and way more informed and prepared this time around so I’m quite confident this will take.
I finished seeding the entire lawn today and sprayed the Greene County “biostimulants” (Air8, RGS, and Humic12) over most of the lawn. Need to finish spraying the rest of the yard in the morning and spread the Hybrix granular fertilizer. I’m expecting to see some germination as early as Monday, maybe Sunday in the back yard!
- 1
Ronaan
Molten Core Raider
- 1,092
- 436
Makita builds some sturdy stuff, we use them at work a lot.
Then there's Festool but that's a whole different ballpark.
- 1
Vinen
God is dead
- 2,790
- 495
Going to checkout Makita. Those are at least sold at home depot. Have one 2 minutes away. Easier to get related parts if needed.
- 1
- 1
- 46,611
- 214,438
Makita isn't what it used to be, either. But I think for people like us, either DeWalt or Makita will serve you well. I got the DeWalt drill and impact drill set about 5 years ago, and with it I have built a massive tree house, two large out-buildings, redone a huge section of my house, and am currently doing my kitchen. Two batteries, have never had one die before the other is charged. They've served me very well, and show virtually no signs of wear. I'd buy them again in a minute, and Lowes has the set on sale for a good price pretty often.
I've done a lot of stuff with a router, and for that I bought a Porter Cable. It is fantastic.
I have three power tools from harbor freight. One is the stand sander. I've used it for years. It works like a champ.
6 in. x 9 in. Combination Belt and Disc Sander
I also have a drill press from them. I don't use it a huge amount, but it is really good to have, and this one is actually really good. Adjustable speeds, easily adjusted deck height, pretty great.
13 in. 16 Speed Drill Press
And I also have their band saw. I use it a lot. It also is pretty good. Especially when you get good-quality blades for it. Also good adjustable speeds, and an adjustable deck, though the deck accuracy is not amazing.
14 in. 4 Speed Woodworking Band Saw
I'd never buy any of their hand power tools. I find they are sloppy, and lack precision, and by all accounts they don't last.
But if you need clamps for gluing, you'll never find as good a price as you do at Harbor Freight. All of my clamps are from there, with the exception of a few speed clamps I got at Lowes.
Just some information for anyone who is interested.
I've done a lot of stuff with a router, and for that I bought a Porter Cable. It is fantastic.
I have three power tools from harbor freight. One is the stand sander. I've used it for years. It works like a champ.
6 in. x 9 in. Combination Belt and Disc Sander
I also have a drill press from them. I don't use it a huge amount, but it is really good to have, and this one is actually really good. Adjustable speeds, easily adjusted deck height, pretty great.
13 in. 16 Speed Drill Press
And I also have their band saw. I use it a lot. It also is pretty good. Especially when you get good-quality blades for it. Also good adjustable speeds, and an adjustable deck, though the deck accuracy is not amazing.
14 in. 4 Speed Woodworking Band Saw
I'd never buy any of their hand power tools. I find they are sloppy, and lack precision, and by all accounts they don't last.
But if you need clamps for gluing, you'll never find as good a price as you do at Harbor Freight. All of my clamps are from there, with the exception of a few speed clamps I got at Lowes.
Just some information for anyone who is interested.
- 1
Dandai
<WoW Guild Officer>
- 5,918
- 4,503
AvE’s done a few tear downs of Harbor Freight tools and has been very surprised at the quality of the NEW product lines they’ve put out. Sadly, I don’t recall the tools off the top of my head, but the videos were within the last 6 months iirc. He speculated that as time goes on they’ll gravitate towards value engineering and continually replace the higher cost components with powdered metal and plastic, but the first generation is actually quite robust and as good as any high end consumer grade tool.
Dandai
<WoW Guild Officer>
- 5,918
- 4,503
Below is a picture of my mentor’s yard. He lives about 90 minutes from me, so climate is essentially the same. This picture was taken BEFORE he installed a well and an irrigation system (his lawn was 5 years old before he irrigated in fall 2017). Lots of folks around here think it’s impossible to maintain a turf type tall fescue yard that looks good year round.
I swear by this stuff. Twice a year, once in the spring, once in the fall. Cost like $10 a bottle, takes about 10 minutes to apply to the lawn and you will never see a clover, dandelion, or any other weed again.
Ortho Weed B Gon 32 oz. Max Plus Ready-To-Spray Crabgrass Control-999411015 - The Home Depot
- 2