Home Buyin/Maintenance Thread - Where most of us are 30ish but act 47. Oh, and fuck home inspectors

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Swim Cantore, May 4, 2015.

  1. DetroitNole

    DetroitNole Well-Known Member
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    Didn't know where to put this question, here or random thoughts. Has anyone ever built a homemade ice rink in their yard in the winter? My son is learning to ice skate and loves it and my wife suggested it, just wondering how much of a job I'm looking at. I'm guessing you can probably just throw some stakes into the ground, nail boards around it for the edges, throw in a tarp and that should do it. One of my neighbors growing up dad used to do it. There are kits online to do it but they all seem unnecessarily expensive
     
    #41401 DetroitNole, Oct 16, 2024
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2024
  2. texasraider

    texasraider thanks
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    I've seen some cool videos of people doing it when falling into YouTube rabbit holes hth
     
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  3. Snakes

    Snakes clumsy interloper
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    there is a guy who did it in this thread a year or so ago
     
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  4. Baron

    Baron Well-Known Member
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  5. Lip

    Lip Well-Known Member
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    my neighbor usually does it and it is super involved. It also needs to be very cold to be operable and the last two warm winters have resulted in very few skating days

    my advice: don’t do it
     
  6. DetroitNole

    DetroitNole Well-Known Member
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    I live right off Grand River near Lake Michigan so our winters usually a little colder /more snow than when I lived in metro Detroit, but I was trying to think of last year and I'd guess we are talking two months max where it's consistently cold enough
     
  7. ned's head

    ned's head Well-Known Member
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  8. Lip

    Lip Well-Known Member
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    I don’t think the amount of snow matters but I think it needs to be consistently cold enough that it doesn’t turn to slush and then you have to re do it all the time
     
  9. DetroitNole

    DetroitNole Well-Known Member
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    Yea Michigan weather is pretty fucked up, but I think we are usually consistently in the 20s or lower in January-February here since I've moved to this side of state
     
  10. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    I know a guy in Minnesota that his neighbors all participate in making one in a neighborhood park or something.
    Sounded pretty involved to keep watering it, etc. So dividing up the work among neighbors Sounded like a great idea
     
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  11. Killy Me Please

    Killy Me Please I lift things up and put people down.
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    You need 3 days to freeze. My 30x60 takes like 12 -15 hours to fill via hose. Im getting a water truck if i do it again.

    Id rec leveling your yard enough that itll be around 3-4 inches of ice. If its uneven more water = more time to freeze.

    NY weather sucks so i only get a few days of this fucking thing

    You can Google diy using a mop and a hose to make a little Zamboni. I haven't needed to do it. I just hose down an extra layer
     
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  12. Lip

    Lip Well-Known Member
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    so is it worth it?
     
  13. fish

    fish Impossible, Germany
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    Buddy, the answer is clearly no. Freaking global warning ruining everything.
     
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  14. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    Is that like the national weather service warnings?
     
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  15. fish

    fish Impossible, Germany
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    I'm not gonna edit it.
     
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  16. Killy Me Please

    Killy Me Please I lift things up and put people down.
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    No. Its not just the air temp. The ground temp has to keep it cold. NY simply doesnt get cold enough anymore. So if you think youll get consistent sub like 30 degrees youll be ok. Barely freezing isnt enough. The direct sunlight melts it etc.
     
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  17. Killy Me Please

    Killy Me Please I lift things up and put people down.
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    Yeah I might convert to GLICE. Its a huge investment though.
     
  18. Russellin4885

    Russellin4885 Well-Known Member
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    We're cruising now. Started back filling yesterday. Getting slab poured today or tomorrow and framing starts Monday. Should be dried in by around Thanksgiving.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  19. Barves2125

    Barves2125 "Ready to drive the Ferarri" - Reuben Foster
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    Relevant

     
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  20. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    So the plumber came by and did what I did, turned everything off, checked around and then told me to call a leak detection service (their website says they are a leak detection service, that is apparently a lie) but he didn't charge me anything so cool. Leak detection guy came out today and determined it is right by the meter out by the street on my side. Says there is a coupler in there that is prone to leak. Charged me $500 for about 25 minutes of work. Need to start a company doing this.

    Called the plumber to come fix it and waiting on them to call me back.
     
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  21. milquetoast

    milquetoast Firm Security
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    Squirrel update:

    Critter company lady comes in and explains everything they'll do...inspect roof, attic, all possible entryways and then provide an estimate. I'm thinking "perfect...there's only that one spot so once they're evicted, they seal the hole...I'm golden. In and out under $600." But I'm naive.

    She comes out of the attic and off the roof and brings me a list of repairs that looks like what I'd get from my mechanic after totalling my car. Not only did these bastards chew a hole IN MY ROOF they're also zipping around unfettered in my attic and have organized a primitive colony with aspirations of growth. So with the eviction, repairs in the roof, the sealing of other possible entry points, repellent in the attic and around those points and other odd, assorted tasks...$2,600. After the sticker shock wore off I realized that if you don't fix it all, it will all come back. Hole e shit.jpg
     
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  22. Lip

    Lip Well-Known Member
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    We should probably kill all the small animals
     
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  23. Doc Louis

    Doc Louis Well-Known Member
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    That seems almost reasonable, especially with that roofing gap the squirrel turned into a hole. B
     
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  24. texasraider

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    yeah that's not a bad price at all assuming they mitigated all active and potential entry points
     
  25. GrizzliesDrew

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    NEVER buy a Samsung washer. Those shits are basically disposable. Mine lasted just past the 5 year warranty and died. Got myself a Speed Queen now. I’ll have that shit until I’m dead.
     
  26. Redav

    Redav mostly cows and rocks
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    Phew, I just have a Samsung dryer
     
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  27. B-Boy $P1

    B-Boy $P1 This space for rent
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    Bought split-level house two years ago. Concrete, concrete, wood floors upstairs.

    • Previous owners had cats
    • We have cats
    • Previous owners were absolute shit homeowners and pet owners and their cats pissed everywhere and they seemingly had litter boxes everywhere based on where we found litter after taking possession.
    • I've replaced all carpet, including Killz'ing the concrete beneath it in the basement and main floor.
    • Completely tore out downstairs bathroom that had some wood paneling that we think had been just soaked in cat piss at one point. This was the major lingering source of random cat urine smell.
    There's still a touch of lingering smell and I think it's coming from ducts. I think their cats pissed in the fucking vents. Short of replacing all of the duct work (or taking it out and scrubbing it) the only suggestion I can find is to try and Ozone the entire house (while we and the pets are gone, obvs)

    Any other ideas?
     
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  28. milquetoast

    milquetoast Firm Security
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    There's always that stuff they put under their noses like in the autopsy scene in Silence of the Lambs.

    Cats are fantastic but suck at the same time.
     
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  29. ned's head

    ned's head Well-Known Member
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    There isn't anything in this world that would make more sense to me than a cat figuring out a way to piss in a vent.
     
  30. Simon Templar

    Simon Templar Well-Known Member
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    I think from what’s readily available the only way to really attack it would be ozone. There are so other options but more difficult to get easily.
     
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  31. Simon Templar

    Simon Templar Well-Known Member
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    Just thinking if the cats did piss in the vents chances are it didn’t go too deep. You could go with something that has a digestive enzyme and put it in a pump up sprayer and then remove the vents and spray. We use digestive enzymes a lot in healthcare spaces to get rid of the uric acid and fecal matter that gets left behind from standard cleaning.

    just a thought….
     
  32. B-Boy $P1

    B-Boy $P1 This space for rent
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    Yeah should have added that to the post...we've done that and tried to use a long brush to try and scrub what we can reach from vent openings. Have tried a couple different kinds
     
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  33. dump

    dump #1 sabrina ionescu and oregon duck hater
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    its probably pretty easy assuming you have a vent in the floor
     
  34. WillySaliba

    WillySaliba Well-Known Member
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    I’ve seen people selling the whole home scent things that attach to your HVAC. Guess hotels use them primarily, but now they are moving more into residential use?

    First time I’ve seen it was in the last year although maybe it’s been around for a while. Think I’d do the cleaning people recommend and then maybe look into this to mask any lingering smell.
     
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  35. Lip

    Lip Well-Known Member
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    I’d probably move or burn the place down and rebuild
     
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  36. Russellin4885

    Russellin4885 Well-Known Member
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    Would be very careful with going ozone route. Have heard some pretty awful stories of it going bad. If I had natural gas it would be 100% no for me, it eats rubber and and can cause gas leaks or carbon monoxide leaks from combustion
     
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  37. B-Boy $P1

    B-Boy $P1 This space for rent
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    Would be a once/twice usage, not continuous...would that change your opinion?
     
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  38. goheels10

    goheels10 Well-Known Member
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    Lip gives great advice. I endorse thisnpost
     
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  39. gritzy

    gritzy I am a hurricane on the golf course

    Was gonna post this
     
  40. infected donkey

    infected donkey Arkansas Razorbacks
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    Yea our old one the spindle broke. They use dissimilar metals and promote galvanic corrosion that basically has the life span of 3-5 years depending on water quality. Shit ass design with the spindle/barrel assembly. They know they can keep getting repeat customers with that bullshit.
     
  41. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    Damn, chemistry
     
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  42. infected donkey

    infected donkey Arkansas Razorbacks
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    IKR
     
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  43. infected donkey

    infected donkey Arkansas Razorbacks
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    Stainless Barrel, Galvanized spindle assembly has been the design since 2008ish with the front loaders. If you make them both stainless then the machine will last longer until the board eventually shits out because that's how most electronics go these days.
     
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  44. goblue31602

    goblue31602 Well-Known Member
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    Nature's Miracle makes a cat piss cleaner that's supposed to react with cat piss. Maybe dump it down the vents? Dump Killz down the vents? Dump gas down the vents and light it? Just spitballing here.
     
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  45. goblue31602

    goblue31602 Well-Known Member
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    Scents over cat urine smells like the scent plus cat urine. We tried that when we had cats. It's the absolute worst. Killz works decently on subfloor but man, the vents is a new power unlocked by these damn felines.
     
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  46. goblue31602

    goblue31602 Well-Known Member
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    Buy a cat, let it live in your attic. Seal vents so they can't piss in them.

    Profit.
     
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  47. WillySaliba

    WillySaliba Well-Known Member
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    So Michaels has their sale going on right now. We had a bunch of stuff from traveling this year and took it all in. Got six items lined up and on the receipt it says…….

    IMG_9280.jpeg

    Thanks Michael.
     
  48. Carl Brutananadilewski

    Carl Brutananadilewski do what now?
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    Picture frames are a fucking racket
     
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  49. WillySaliba

    WillySaliba Well-Known Member
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    It is, but it does look nice when it’s done.
     
  50. Carl Brutananadilewski

    Carl Brutananadilewski do what now?
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    Don’t disagree but it’s crazy how much they charge at regular price, and Michael’s on a sale really seems like your best bet, which as your receipt shows, still ain’t cheap
     
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