Conversation started Jun 21, 2012 at 18:56.
Jun 21, 2012 18:56
Welcome to Project Update Thursday
How goes the gable fan shopping @Aaron
I think this might do the trick
I need to find out what flipping breaker that outlet is on though
I think the previous occupants had a fan, because there's an outlet right next to the gable vent already
HI TEAM
Look! My apartment is done!
and the door is BLACK i.imgur.com/IqA0z.jpg
@BMitch should I hard-wire it or buy a plug and replace the outlet with a GFCI outlet?
@Aaron I like GFCI in the attic, not sure it's required by code. I'd also hardwire everything, but include a switch in the hardwire.
A timer switch is my preference, but a simple light switch could be placed adjacent.
so existing cable -> j-box -> thermostat box -> fan ?
with just a switch in the j-box
A timer switch?
The only reason I'd turn it off (the way I'm thinking this would be used) is to service the fan so it doesn't turn on or when it's winter
Jun 21, 2012 19:07
Switch for the winter and servicing. Timer is nice if it gets hot enough to trip the thermostat early in the day when it's pulling in as much hot air as it's exhausting
Ohhh ok
I thought you meant like a timer switch that they have for the heat lamps in bathrooms and I did not get it at all
I've had my attic exhaust fan die from a failed bearing, they run so long in the heat of the summer that a timer could give you a longer lifetime.
Speaking of bathroom timer, I need to put one of those in.
@Aaron Will you spend a lot of time near or touching the fan? If not, probably no need for GFCI.
I don't ever expect to be anywhere near it. The attic is only used for storage
@Tester101 What about blown rain?
Jun 21, 2012 19:16
@BMitch So what? If the rain shorts the receptacle, the breaker will handle that.
I agree it may be overkill, but I tend to err on the side of extra safety
@BMitch The leviton (?) ones with the 2/5/10/15 or 5/10/30/60 minute buttons are nice
there's also humidity-sensing ones, but i've never tried them
@gregmac I've been eying them, future project on my todo list
This weekend was spent replacing fence boards
And I finally found someone to take my old 32" CRT TV
\o/
ha, i tried for a couple months to find someone to take mine
finally.. dropped it off at the scrap electronics depot
Jun 21, 2012 19:19
btw, did we all oogle over @Aarthi's pics?
with a pile of other CRT TV's
My wife loves the bathroom fan timer switch in our new bathroom. she has said it is her favorite part of the remodel.
and this is with granite vanity, granite shelves in tiled tub surround.
:o
sounds pretty
so my fence has a bit more life added to it with stained PT wood, just watching how fast it all warps now
Where the blogs at?
Jun 21, 2012 19:22
to this gregmaclellan.com/blog/wp-content/uploads//image186.jpg .. one of the best upgrades ever, according to my wife
@gregmac is that rated for motor load?
Anyone know what's up with the deck screws changing from the large philips bits to the hex bits?
@Tester101 yes, though I couldn't tell you what size
hex bits? really?
star bits? I love the star bits
someday you americans will learn that robertson is superior
Jun 21, 2012 19:24
well, a hex like bit, yeah, star bits are probably more accurate
torx?
robertson == the square heads?
Hex? Are you sure i'ts not Torx
Torx is way better than philips, no cam out.
Torx, yup, so I'm not up on my screw head terminology (hangs head in shame)
Jun 21, 2012 19:26
i basically stopped buying philips head screws
though when I get the screws for mounting the kitchen cabinets they only came in philips
its so weird. here (canada) it's hard to buy any screw that's not robertson (square)
yup, torx it doesn't cam out, but it seems to be a much shallower making me wonder how long the bit will last
philips is used only really for visible screws sometimes.. and included in the box on some american-made switches
americans are slow to adopt better technology, plus there's probably a patent or something
that explains why my scew bit set came with 1/2 philips and 1/2 robertson. I don't think I have ever used any of the robertson heads
Jun 21, 2012 19:29
I've only used robertson for countersinking finish screws
Those pesky Canadians are way ahead of us Americans in screw technology.
Someone should make a blog comparing screws, obviously not me :)
Americans are so resistant to change, they have to provide a Torx or Robertson bit in each pack of screws.
I have a drawer full of these little bits.
the only problem you can run into is if you use a smaller size or worn out bit, or don't put the bit in all the way and let it strip the head/bit (which really, is the only way to wear it out), you can easily turn the square head into a circle
but that only happens if you let the bit get stripped in the first place
With the old Phillips, I would worry about destroying the screw and have to replace the screw (which I have a box of). But with the new Torx, I worry about destroying the bit, which I only have the few that came in the box.
I'm not thinking of the #2 bits, those are a dime a dozen, but the blue deck screw bits were pretty solid.
Jun 21, 2012 19:35
@BMitch, just get @Tester101 to mail you a bunch of his bits
or just buy some titanium tipped bits. They seem to last a lot longer
Hmm, why did I just get notified of a spam flag for the word press chat room?
I think I'll just buy a bigger hammer :)
@BMitch you're a 10k user
I'll give one free Torx or Robertson bit for every blog entry written in the next 6 months.
3
oh wait i still have pencils
Jun 21, 2012 19:39
I'm a 10k in DIY, never been on the word press site, does my 10k status carry?
@forestman @Mario welcome!
@BMitch in chat, yes :)
hi
Ohh, shinny, more power!!!
@Mario How goes the deck building?
on vacation next week - we'll see
Jun 21, 2012 19:41
hey everyone
primary task - finish remodeling 2nd bedroom (just needs drywall - done otherwise) - 2ndary task = new deck or build a brick pizza oven
just lurking for now
Lurk away, but @Aarthi will try to get you to do otherwise
leaning towards brick oven fireplace - just gatta find someone that sells refractory bricks here
ooo brick pizza oven. i smell party at @mario's
Jun 21, 2012 19:42
f' - i keep saying it wrong - brick pizza oven
hell yeah
there on the left hand side - there was a gas grill inside of it
gonna line the inside with firebrick, etc..
oooo, i could write a blog post about that
that'd make @Tester101 happy :)
@forestman welcome
i'm going to write about restoring/painting my door, @Tester101
@Aarthi I'll believe it when I see it.
Still waiting for IKEA post.
@Tester101 /hides!
Jun 21, 2012 19:46
thanks @aaron
@Aarthi, you can't hide from us, we know where you work ;oP
hahaha fair enough!
i should clarify above - i take vacation to remodel my house :( the never ending pit
I was on here a couple of weeks ago talking about pulling up my gf's kitchen linoleum tiles to find a hardwood floor
Project is still not done. can't decide on whether to just sand and finish or put another floor back over top
few more rooms left and i will have built a brand new house minus foundation and frame with my bare hands...
Jun 21, 2012 19:50
I bet in some ways, that takes more skill than a new construction, @Mario
did you use any tools, or was it really just your bare hands?? :-P
@forestman If the hardwood is in decent condition, sanding and finishing would look nice - what is the rest of the house?
definately extra effort trying to retrofit new stuff into old designs. reframing window openings, creative ways to run electric to the basement from 2nd floor while staying within code - walls go unfinished as to not to have to reopen them while working on another room above it...
@Mario that's amazing.
i get shit from my friends alot - i'll never get my money out of it - i enjoy doing it i guess
time to go home. later guys.
/me waves
the living room is the same hardwood, but the thing about the kitchen is that her dogs have peed on it to the point that the linoleum tiles were peeling and the underlayment was rotting, so that hardwood is kinda soft and warpy
my fear is that if we try to sand it, it'll just disintegrate where it's soft
and it's a budget project, so cost is one of the foremost factors
otherwise we'd just get some nice vinyl floating floor planks and toss that down.
Jun 21, 2012 20:02
@forestman If the dogs can smell the urine, they'll likely continue to pee there. Is tile an option?
yeah, that's the other problem, either getting the smell out, or sealing it in
If it's soaked into the wood, it's not likely you'll get it out.
that was the original idea, but if we can use the wood floor, it'd be gobs cheaper
yeah, it's definitely soaked
so we're thinking oil-based primer and just painting it
you might be able to find replacement planks at a re-store in your area, but it might not match well enough to finish.
Jun 21, 2012 20:05
on the other hand, the mismatch could be a part of the charm.
the area with the baking soda is all black.
I don't think I have the time/skill to replace individual planks
If you're going to tile or cover it with any other floor covering, it might be worth it to cut it out and replace with plywood.
Or rent a floor sander, and see how it goes.
will a floor sander cover everything in the room with a nice layer of sawdust?
more like everything on the whole floor of the house.
haha
(as an aside, since many of you are also SO users, you may find this interesting -- banane.com/2012/06/20/… )
Jun 21, 2012 20:16
that's what I'm afraid of
the sawdust, not women on SO.. :-P
yes, i understood :P
@Aarthi all the women are in pinterest?
@forestman yes, a floor sander will cover ceiling fixtures with sawdust (ask me how I know)
@Aaron i don't think developer-ladies are using Pinterst for their code issues :P
I sense a new mash-up!
yeah, that's one of the reasons I want to avoid sanding, because it's the kitchen. I suppose I could do the whole clean-room taped plastic sheeting thing, but that just seems like overkill.
Jun 21, 2012 20:24
Refinishing is a fair amount of work and not everyone loves hardwood floor in a kitchen (I do, in fact we refinished our original floors on the whole first floor).
if you don't want to refinish it might be best to go with a different floor covering
particularly for a kitchen
that's kinda my thinking as well. It's actually a "breakfast nook"/dining room kind of space. the kitchen is behind the island in the top left of the picture
Women don't use SO because they don't ever make mistakes and need help, so they've never stumbled upon the site.
@forestman we redid our kitchen and went from old old hardwood to cork
I was looking at that on Lumber liquidators, what's cork like as a floor?
It's not terribly expensive and comes with tongue and groove edges for easy installation
Lumber liquidators is where we got ours as well
Jun 21, 2012 20:26
+ eco friendly
is it like walking on a bulletin board?
It's working out well so far. We're not sure whether the proper thing to do with it is seal it or not, though, esp in the kitchen
@forestman no, it has a little bit of a finish on it, so it's not quite like that
It's also supposed to be easier on your feet for standing
Poor naked cork trees.
Jun 21, 2012 20:30
it's only about 80 ft.^2, so we could really put just about any floor we want without breaking the bank, but she keeps talking about the $.89 laminate floating floors at Lowe's, and that's her baseline, but everything I've read says to stay away from them, especially for a potentially wet area
I don't think nude photos are appropriate in the chat room
@BMitch heheeh
maybe it's not eco"friendly". but at least it is renewable :)
but for the $2.60-ish of vinyl floating planks, we could get really nice tile
so then the labor comes into play
obviously budget is important, but don't be so shortsighted that you do something dumb
you'll be using this kitchen for a decade at least
don't cheap out for a few hundred bucks
Jun 21, 2012 20:31
the other thing is that she's renting the place
:-)
but she's lived there for 8 years
so she does not own it? I assume the landlord knows of this plan?
@forestman Have you talked to the landlord about chipping in, or maybe offering a break on the rent?
@Aaron, that's my thinking too. My philosophy on most any investment is go for a couple steps down from the best, or
AFAIK, the landlord is cool with any improvement she wants to make.
I've never rented from a private owner, but I fail to understand why anyone would improve the property in such a situation when they would gain 0 financial benefit
He's been real cool with her in the past, put a shed on the property at no cost to her, other stuff too
Jun 21, 2012 20:35
@forestman as long as you're increasing his property value on your dime, why would he mind.
@Tester101: exactly.
my gf's thinking is that she's the one who has to live there, so might as well make it halfway decent
On the other other hand, if I had a renter for 8 years, I'd throw up a shed to make them happy as well
yeah, I put up a fence around the back yard, she's painted the walls
I dunno, we'll probably just seal it all in and paint it.
in other news, I'm moving into a house that was built in 1920 and added onto about 3 times, best I can tell, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of projects to talk about in the coming year. :-)
That should keep you busy. I'd be tempted to do a full gut before moving in.
again, rental. it'll probably be little things for my own edification and building karma/rapport with the landlord
it's a solid little house
probably will want to work on the wiring/fixtures a little, the switches feel like they were built in the 50's
well, I've gotta go. thanks for the advice everyone, @Aaron, @auujay, @Aarthi, @BMitch, @Tester101
/me waves
Jun 21, 2012 20:50
have a great one
thanks, you too
wow, 1920
ours is 1942 and we're .. keeping busy
in other news, apparently charged garden hoses can burst in the sun
@forestman highfives
yeah, I'm gonna look up the deed when I get some free time and see if I can find some of the history
hehee, that's better than the can of biscuits that burst in that lady's car
"Hello, 9-1-1."
"My garden hose exploded and now it's alive!!!!!"
ok, now I'm out.
it's alive!
alright, I'm going to turn the lights out since we started a few minutes early
Thanks for joining this week's PUT!
 
Conversation ended Jun 21, 2012 at 20:56.