As a breakdown bc I am cheap af, I found the same tile at Nebraska FM and it’s priced at around $5 a foot. I found a local installer and he quoted me $3 a foot to install plus $1.50 a/f for the demo. So if I go buy the tile myself and haul it home and then use a third party subcontractor I end up saving about $1,000 bucks. Not worth the headache to me. On Lumber Liquidators I found a similar tile for $4.29 a foot. You can get the price down but for our house I think the wider tiles will look better. Those of course are more expensive.
I hired a handy man to help specifically with some of the more difficult cuts. 5k for materials. 1300 for handyman at 38/hr.
Just wait until the underwriter holds it up to request 5 more documents piece meal over 48 hours instead of all at once like a normal person while on your honeymoon
Thanks for the subreddit tip. One of mine currently has a bacterial or fungal issue that I have been keeping an eye on. They are very susceptible to Pseudomonas syringae (bacteria, treatable) and verticillium wilt (fungi, untreatable) especially in damp climates. I fell in love with Japanese Maples in a 2018 fall trip to Japan. I took this picture at Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, which is widely regarded as one of the top 3 gardens in Japan. The fall colors (koyo) were stunning to say the least. I got home and bought 3 trees lol
My lending company has actually been very easy to work with. Everything is uploaded to a website and they’ve been very quick to follow up. Went under contract 6/6 and I expect final approval by the end of the day today.
Man, that is stunning. I've never been to Japan but it's at the top of my bucket-list travel destinations. If you've still got your itinerary handy please post it or send it my way if you don't mind. Our local botanical gardens includes an authentic 7.5 acre Japanese Garden that the Japanese government has designated as an official Japanese Cultural Center. It's pretty incredible. The materials used to build the structures were donated and imported from our sister city Maibashi and built using traditional methods etc... https://bbgardens.org/gardens-culture.php#Japanese https://www.flickr.com/photos/bbgardens/sets/72157632292199789/ Spoiler: Photos Spoiler: Garden History Officially opened by the Japanese Ambassador to the United States in 1967, this 7.5-acre site is actually an interwoven collection of gardens built in the Japanese style, replete with traditional architectural and garden elements. Here you can find the tea garden, the karesansui garden with its meditative compositions of boulders set amidst a bed of raked gravel, the hill and stream garden* with features such as the Seven Virtues Waterfall, and the small stroll garden set around Long Life Lake. Casual visitors will want to study the colorful koi, relax in the lakeside rest shelter, peruse the bonsai house** or take a class at the pavilion. Plant lovers will enjoy exploring bamboo groves†, examining our growing collection of momiji – the Japanese maples – and seeing prehistoric dawn redwoods and ginkgos. Designed by Mr. Masaji “Buffy” Morai, the Japanese Gardens have been one of The Gardens’ most popular features since they opened. Largely through the hard work and guidance of volunteer Douglas Moore, major modifications to the upper section of these gardens were finalized in 1993 when the Japanese government named the area as an official Japanese Cultural Center. That important designation was made because Mr. Kazunori Tago, of Maebashi, Japan, one of the finest miyadaiku, or Japanese temple and shrine builders, created a traditional tea house here. Toshin-an, whose name means, “the house where those gathered can light a wick [of understanding] in each other’s hearts”, is a 16th-century Sukiya-style tea house, made completely from materials brought from Japan and built using only traditional tools and techniques. There are fewer than a dozen such structures in the United States, and none are finer than Toshinan††. An adjacent yoritsuki, or waiting hut, was also designed and built by Tago-san, completing the tea garden structures. Materials were donated by the citizens of Maibashi and additional funding was provided by the Shades Valley Council of Garden Clubs and Gardens of Inverness; the yoritsuki was dedicated in honor of Eva Woodin Gambrell. Members of the Japanese Garden Society of Alabama assist with maintenance of the tea house and partner with The Gardens in cultural and educational programming, along with the Japan-America Society of Alabama (JASA). Delegations from Birmingham’s official Friendship City of Maebashi visit our Japanese Gardens every year or so, and especially to mark significant dates such as the 15th and 20th anniversary of Toshin-an, in 2008 and 2013, respectively. Shortly after the 15th, Mr. Tago presented a unique gift in memory of his good friend Douglas Moore, a traditional suikinkutsu, known as a “water cave” or “water harp.” Essentially a large, partially water-filled clay jar with a slotted lid, this feature is buried at the foot of the tsukubai (water basin) along the path to the tea house entrance. As water overflows the basin, it trickles through large stones and into the suikinkutsu, making subtle yet beautiful sounds. Visitors, who would traditionally be washing their hands prior to a tea ceremony, would be stooped down and only then would hear the faint subterranean music. The Japanese Gardens are entered through a spectacular curved-top torii, or “gate to heaven,” painted a traditional bright orange-red. The original torii, part of the original construction in 1967, was replaced and made more substantial as part of a entrance renovation and master plan update in 1988 through funds given by the Drummond Company in memory of Elza Stewart Drummond. The current torii was renovated in 2007 by Dean Black, Springville, AL, and a time capsule installed in the nuki (the lower of the two horizontal pieces). The entrance path is a gracefully sinuous tunnel of Yoshino cherries known as the Kayser Cherry Walk, given in 2013 in memory of Simmie Kayser by her family. The cherries include several propagated from the famous Yoshinos on the mall in Washington, DC, which were presented to The Gardens in 2012 by representatives from the office of the Consul General of Japan in Atlanta to mark the 100th anniversary of the original gift from the people of Japan. Further down the path, a tile-capped dobei (stucco) wall is punctuated by the entrance to the Japanese Cultural Center: the Taylor Gate, given by Dr. Wendell Taylor, with its heavy yet intricately joined wooden timbers. Mrs. Lamar Latimer (nee Taylor) funded a major renovation of the gate in 2011, with assistance from Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens through the Beeson Charitable Trust. Across the stream from the tea house sits the Moore Japanese Cultural Pavilion, which is based on the design of a rural Japanese theater and was built in 1993. In 2011 it underwent a major renovation at the hands of Michael Moore, and was dedicated posthumously to his father Douglas Moore, its original designer and builder, in 2012. Three sides of the pavilion are removable, facilitating seasonal open air activities like classes such as sushi-making, performances such as martial arts demonstrations, and many other aspects of Japanese culture. These activities are viewed from the Thorne Amphitheater, designed and built of Alabama sandstone slabs by ZEN Associates, Woburn, MA, in 2012. An interesting hybrid melding classic and Japanese design principles, this feature seats around 100 guests, and was funded by gifts from the estate of Barbara Drummond Thorne and daughter Beth Stukes. The central watercourse (which along with its immediate surroundings is called the Hill & Stream Garden) consists of seven waterfalls and seven pools along its course, before it empties into Long Life Lake. This numeration is based on the seven virtues of bushido, the way of the samurai; these are benevolence, courage, honesty, honor, loyalty, rectitude and respect. Three wooden and two stone bridges allow water crossings. The arching Moon Bridge sits at the far end of Long Life Lake. The Bridge of Accomplishment, renovated in 2010 by Dean Black, Springville, AL, crosses over the lake. It symbolizes the twists and turns one must successfully navigate throughout life and is also called the “zig-zag bridge.” Cut-outs in the cedar panels are important Japanese cultural symbols including fans, cherry and chrysanthemum blossoms, and the leaves of bamboo and Japanese maple. The View-Receiving Bridge lies near the Moore Cultural Pavilion and is so-called because from this vantage point, all the structures in the Japanese Gardens can be glimpsed. The current configuration, designed and built by ZEN Associates replaced the much smaller original in 2011. It was funded by a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Lamar Latimer and Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens through the Beeson Charitable Trust. Much of the recent work in this garden was called for in a 2007 renovation plan prepared by ZEN Associated. The firm’s principal landscape architects Shinichiro Abe and Peter White have an intimate knowledge of Japanese garden design and construction, and as their company’s name suggests, it is their sole specialty. * This feature is currently non-operational. ** Please do not touch the trees. This area is monitored for security purposes. † Closed during April and May to allow new growth. †† Please enjoy at a distance. This area is monitored for security purposes.
State Farm just called and said they don't like the number of trees and defensible space at our house and are cancelling the policy effective 7/1. Agent is coming out to walk the place tomorrow with me. We'll see how much this costs... But they knew the house was in the fucking forest when they agreed to insure it. They insured the previous owner.
Insurance companies are just the fucking mafia. You pay them whatever they tell you to for protection until they don't want to any more.
That's wild to me to leave someone uninsured with 2 weeks notice to find something new on a change of heart
Oh, my agent even said the timing is shorter because the person inspecting the property drug their feet for a few weeks getting the report in.
Didn’t we have someone recently looking at dishwashers? Just realized I think the door of mine is jacked up. Luckily it’s covered by the home warranty. I am almost certain they will try and bandaid fix it but if I can I am going to push for a new one.
i use the Fios modem with the WiFi turned off that goes through a Ubiquiti switch to my 2 wired satellites
A few years back in my old house I made a claim on my roof after a hail storm that also blew down a section of my fence. It was of an unknown age, but probably 15-17 years old (it’s was a heavy duty 40 year roof). Anyway, no leaks, just trying to get it replaced by insurance. They denied my claim (on the basis that the roof was at the end of its functional life) and non-renewed my policy (set for renewal a month later) causing me to have to unexpectedly pay for a new roof entirely out of pocket. Insurance companies are awful.
I fully expect my next hail storm to go this way even though the insurance company sent out an inspector a year or so ago and made no mention of it
Trust me pal, I have you beat on dumb and laziness and I had my meshes singing in 15 minutes with the Eero.
What is the best and most effective way to find a good GC in my city? Plan on doing about $150k-$200k in reno and add-on and want it to be done right but not sure exactly how to find the best gc (hopefully at a reasonable price).
“Reasonable” is relative, and with that reno budget I get the sense he’s willing to pay what it takes to hire somebody of Funshot Residue ‘s caliber.
Can anyone think of a logical reason why my AC can keep it 75 during the day when it's 100 degrees out, but takes a couple of hours to go from 75 to 72 after dusk when it's 90 out? The thermostat reading appears accurate when compared to another indoor thermometer.
when i went to get homeowners insurance, i was advised that the industry is a minefield, and insurers with the big national brands tend to be shitty, like Allstate, State farm, nationwide, farmers, travelers, etc.. idk if there are any genuinely good options but my understanding is that independent agents tend to yield better outcomes when the shit hits the fan.
If the condenser coil is freezing up its likely low on freon or the filters are clogged. Have you changed your filters recently ned's head ?
Also ned's head do you ever try running it from say 78 down to 75 during the heat of the day? Does it do fine in that scenario?
So, it wasn't even keeping up with 75 earlier in the week. I did replace my filters yesterday and it did, so I thought I was in the clear. Then I realized it was taking forever to get to 72 when it was cooler out. Would the test be to run it at 72 when it's super hot today and look for ice on the line on the outside unit? Or just call a pro at this point?