The Home Ownership Thread

[Omega Male]

Walking the dog around the neighborhood enjoying the fall colors. Atlanta sux etc.

 

[deepitm]

Re: corrugated drain pipe. At our lakehouse, we had a tremendous amount of water that would flow downhill and toward the house (which sits in between the lake and the hill). As a result of the house being there, it was hard for the water to go around it and to the lake. Natural springs in the hill compounded the issue.

I had a number of landscape people pitch different ideas and ultimately went with a landscaping company that used corrugated plastic / composite drain pipe (not PVC) for ~ 100 feet of French drain toward culverts on either side of the property (and then onto the lake). I was very vocal with them about my concerns that corrugated drain pipe would get crushed, clogged, or both (after watching several DIY videos as well as reading online). My landscaper was insistent that he had had much better results using the corrugated stuff versus other options. He also buried some for me that went across our drive but you could see from the side (ditch on either side of the drive) and then drove a huge landscaping truck over it a bunch of times. It seemed quite crush resistant.

Honestly turned our yard from being a swamp to being dry enough where I needed to start watering the grass.

This is just an anecdote, but I think the online hate of corrugated drain pipe may be overblown.

 

[bicycleradical]

It's "storm" and "sewer" rain goes in one and sh1t goes in the other. The only place I have ever heard of them still being combined is in the city of San Francisco.

Alexandria, VA is finally dealing with their combined system. DC dealt with its old sewers recently and they finally stopped dumping sanitary sewer water into the Anacostia River.

 

[jbarwick]

Maybe there is a stronger corrugated drain piping than the cheap plastic stuff at the hardware store? We used PVC when we updated our drain piping away from the house but as mentioned, it also backs up but is quick to clean vs. corrugated.

 

[deepitm]

My guess is they have varying grades of corrugated drain piping, and I bet the default is that cheap guys use the cheapest version.

 

[Numbernine]

Here's a pretty good rundown on pros and cons:

Corrugated vs PVC Pipe for Exterior and French Drains

I recently tackled installing some french drains and exterior landscape drains to help direct the many pints of water that sometimes fall from the sky here in San Diego. One section of french drain was ... Read more

homefixated.com

 

[Van Veen]

prob also not great to have trades come in at the end that give zero ***** about the work done before them.

speaking of fences, the developer put up a 6’ wooden fence right up against the existing 4’ chain link fence (which is right on the property line, but part of that property) so now I have to call the guy and see if he’ll take the chain link fence out. I need to deal with it now since the property was subdivided and the fence spans multiple lots.

 

[Mujib]

What do y'all recommend I do with this fireplace? I want to add builtins (two shelves high) on either side of it eventually, but I'm thinking that means the ceiling high brick's got to go.

For the railing, I'm thinking of doing something like this:

 

[RedLantern]

Proposed new railing looks good to me, and in keeping with the 70's vibe. I don't think you'd need to remove the brick to add built-ins.

 

[gettoasty]

What's everyone's preference when it comes to a tub spout with diverter? The pull up type seems to get more wear and tear, people tend to yank it hard over time i.e., me. The pull down seems like a better option. Noticing there's new types of pull up diverters (see below). I think I may opt for a pull down diverter still, it'll be to replace the hall bathroom that hasn't been in use since the 3 years I moved in. Expecting some house guests staying over though so need to get it fixed ASAP. Small home improvements here and there...


Exhibit A

edit:
Having the same problem as this vid so actually might give the WD-40 a try first lol

 

[gettoasty]

Insinkerator Badger 5 pooped out for some reason. I think it's just old. The disposal hums when powered but then starts smoking. Reached in and couldn't really find anything stuck. Left it unplugged and will give it this weekend to try the manual maneuver. Otherwise, I imagine this is needing replacement.

It's odd because I just don't recall using it a whole lot in the last 3 years since moving in. So, I think it's just age from previous homeowner.

Was searching this thread because I recall there was a discussion about garbage food disposal before. I see some people don't even use one or prefer not to or the building is not to code? On one hand I am inclined to just leave it as is. On the other hand, I don't want to leave loose ends and want to learn how to fix this or new install (looks pretty straightforward per videos online).

The dishwasher seems fine and as far as I can tell, and will continue flowing through the food disposal regardless if the disposal is functioning or not. No leaks right now.

And a quick update, tried to manually rotate the blades using an Allen wrench and there was zero give. So, that means I'll be shopping for new one this coming Thanksgiving. Something tells me to unrack the garbage disposal and take it apart some more but I just don't feel like it...perhaps it is time to replace.

Tangentially, I looked up my home on Redfin and was able to go all the way back in time to see the 2009 and 2013 listings and descriptions. This was helpful to get more color of how old the HVAC really is among other items i.e., roof and gutter. There were also pictures! I need to reflect on those some more, the home sure did change a lot (mostly cosmetic with biggest remodel in the kitchen from 2009 to 2013). In hindsight this should've been homework I did prior to purchase in 2019. I guess luckily it's not like I dug up some big surprises. My guesstimate now is the roof & gutters are 19 years old (prior thinking was in the 20s). HVAC needs to be replaced but already sort of knew that after the first FW here, airflow for heat and A/C not optimal. All kitchen appliances are about 10+ years old now I figure minus the stove exhaust. I'm glad the carpet was taken out after looking at the old pics, the hardwood is much nicer granted still old (1955 property).

I'm not sure how often people generally have inspections done, but I'll probably schedule one end of the year or sometime in Q1 2024. There's things I want to plan for and I'm figuring an inspection can provide added perspective and prioritize per se. Also, might rent the place 🤷‍♂️

 

[beargonefishing]

Interesting.

Industrial Designer Stefan Diez's Prototyping Shots of the Fuld Nesting Chair - Core77

For their first foray into nesting chairs, Herman Miller turned to German industrial designer Stefan Diez. The result is the Fuld Nesting Chair, designed to save space when not needed: "Designed for practicality, it features flip-up seats and wall-saving legs that prevent the

www.core77.com

 

[Omega Male]

All they do is win, win, win no matter what.

 

[jbarwick]

But but but what about the impending housing crisis and 40% drop in housing prices?

 

[Darkside]

What do y'all recommend I do with this fireplace? I want to add builtins (two shelves high) on either side of it eventually, but I'm thinking that means the ceiling high brick's got to go.

View attachment 2070187

For the railing, I'm thinking of doing something like this:

I would leave the fireplace and consider filling in the gap in the middle with a matching brick.

But but but what about the impending housing crisis and 40% drop in housing prices?

Maybe this was sarcastic but the correction will probably be very location dependent.