General

[usagi_tetsu]

Today's trip to Lowe's involves purchasing 3-way switches. We inherited a number of 3-way light runs that were wired incorrectly, and also have dimmer switches in them currently. Dimmers and CFLs don't mix, however, so while I have them apart to fix them, I'm switching them over to regular switches at the same time just so my CFLs will actually last like they're supposed to.

Also on the list - 4' bulbs for the kitchen, an indoor dryer vent, and spacers to help fix my garden cart. Why do I want to buy $15 replacement pneumo tires for a cart that'll just get torn up when I can get solid rubber ones from Harbor Freight (that'll never go flat) for $7 per?

Originally Posted by mustangii

Stripped cat urine soaked carpet out of Mater Bathroom, Sealed particle board with shellac based primer, Installed Laminate flooring.

I know you meant to type "Master Bedroom", but I still saw this in my mind when I read that:

The curse of having a 4-year old who loves her some Pixar goodness.

Good looking job you did, Ed, good to hear from you again, it's been a while.

[SeeK]

Originally Posted by BoBo

Do you have a good link for that grading?

I have crazy water running through my basement - so much that my 1/2 pipe from the sump pump can't keep up

My house is sitting on a hill at the bottom of a half bowl

Improving the grade away from the house - DoItYourself.com Community Forums

A French drain would be a lot of digging. How much land are you talking about around the house?

The easiest things to check first is if you have gutters and ground extenders that drain a few feet from the house. The next thing to check is if they are clean so they work.

Get a 4 foot level from Harbor Freight so you can see where the grade needs to be improved. Take pictures of the yard and around the house during the next heavy rain so you can see how large an area needs to be fixed and where the water naturally goes.

Is it possible that the sump pump was replaced with a smaller unit and really needs a larger one?

[BoBo]

Originally Posted by SeeK

Improving the grade away from the house - DoItYourself.com Community Forums

A French drain would be a lot of digging. How much land are you talking about around the house?

The easiest things to check first is if you have gutters and ground extenders that drain a few feet from the house. The next thing to check is if they are clean so they work.

Get a 4 foot level from Harbor Freight so you can see where the grade needs to be improved. Take pictures of the yard and around the house during the next heavy rain so you can see how large an area needs to be fixed and where the water naturally goes.

Is it possible that the sump pump was replaced with a smaller unit and really needs a larger one?

My gutters work and they drain ok but I'm basically a catchment for 3 houses of about 5000 sq ft behind me.

I have about 12 ft behind my house before the garden slopes up steeply and half of that is a deck. If I was to pull the deck up to slope the soil, I'd just stick in french drains. The non-deck side is where the issue really is - it's like walking on a sponge after a heavy rain.

There was no pump when I moved in, I am considering putting in a second pump just for some level of redundancy.

[canuckistani]

Lol, I built my whole house... Anything that didn't require a license/ticket, we did ourselves. We were in a group of ten families, and we all helped build each others homes. I laid my floors, built interior and exterior walls, installed windows, shingled roofs, etc. It was an incredible experience, in all we built ten houses in five months.

[BoBo]

Originally Posted by canuckistani

Lol, I built my whole house... Anything that didn't require a license/ticket, we did ourselves. We were in a group of ten families, and we all helped build each others homes. I laid my floors, built interior and exterior walls, installed windows, shingled roofs, etc. It was an incredible experience, in all we built ten houses in five months.

Thought the Amish weren't allowed to use computers?

>:-D

[Luckless]

Build co-ops were actually fairly common (at least in Atlantic Canada) 20-40 years ago. Sadly they have kind of gone by the way side, and seem to have been replaced by contractors trying to put as little time, effort, and money into their developments as they can.

But they are really a good idea, and I'm considering spearheading one in the near future as an eco-friendly community building project.

[desertT1]

Originally Posted by canuckistani

Lol, I built my whole house... Anything that didn't require a license/ticket, we did ourselves. We were in a group of ten families, and we all helped build each others homes. I laid my floors, built interior and exterior walls, installed windows, shingled roofs, etc. It was an incredible experience, in all we built ten houses in five months.

This happened in Layton when my parents moved in. Everyone was getting sod and everyone helped everyone else put it in.

[Zoo]

Originally Posted by BoBo

Thought the Amish weren't allowed to use computers?

>:-D

I also am a Youtube addict when it comes to do-it-yourself projects.

[psunitro]

I have put down laminate flooring, and am going to do my upstairs soon. Already have one floor ripped up. Damn dogs peed by the bathroom door and have to take it out.
With the help of my dad, we converted the attic to a bedroom with its own bathroom.
I had a electrician run the romex up to attic, and we wired everything up ourselves.

Nothing like doing it yourself.

[Maj Tom]

Originally Posted by canuckistani

Lol, I built my whole house... Anything that didn't require a license/ticket, we did ourselves. We were in a group of ten families, and we all helped build each others homes....

Same here, except it was just our family, so it took a while. We had the foundation poured when I was 5 and had our final inspection when I was 15.