tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post3830915801477792332..comments2024-03-26T20:17:30.126-07:00Comments on Every Blade of Grass: Bathroom Update and Basement Work Continuesdrjimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-13954462763329372832018-01-02T22:06:37.317-08:002018-01-02T22:06:37.317-08:00Yup. It's like this with ANY new domicile you ...Yup. It's like this with ANY new domicile you set up, new, used, rented, etc, etc.<br /><br />The first six months after I moved in with the wife-to-be was spent doing things like this to her place, and she prided herself on keeping a well-maintained house.<br /><br />This place has been like stepping into The Twilight Zone for a while. I shudder to think of what a few of the places we looked at needed that we didn't know about....drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-23988266774092723002018-01-01T13:57:54.318-08:002018-01-01T13:57:54.318-08:00Ah yes, the 'joys' of new home ownership.....Ah yes, the 'joys' of new home ownership... Sigh...Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-36423887194067504152017-12-31T14:38:37.464-08:002017-12-31T14:38:37.464-08:00And the people that bought our little place in Lon...And the people that bought our little place in Long Beach got the same deal.<br /><br />I still marvel that our little place went for over $500k.....drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-30182316949116955242017-12-31T12:13:12.720-08:002017-12-31T12:13:12.720-08:00Yep! With the outside temps dropping to near zero,...Yep! With the outside temps dropping to near zero, the garage temp drops to under 40*, and it gets too uncomfortable to do anything in there. I'm very seriously considering shortening the garage workbench by a couple of feet so I can squeeze one of my two rollers over there, and use the 30" of resulting empty space along the South garage wall for a small pellet stove. I might only run it 10 or 15 days per year, but if it will get the garage up to 50*~55* I'm thinking it might be worth it.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-5944887109647726292017-12-31T12:08:20.089-08:002017-12-31T12:08:20.089-08:00The Home Inspection guy mentioned 150 Amp service ...The Home Inspection guy mentioned 150 Amp service was standard for this area, but that <b><i>he</i></b> thought it was a bit light, and I agreed with him.<br /><br />I have a slight tendency to over design stuff, and if we're going to spend the money to upgrade the service, I'd just as soon spend the money and go straight to 200 Amps. I doubt if the cost between 175 Amps and 200 Amps is very much. I'm going to be paying mostly for labor; the parts cost is essentially the same....<br /><br />My parents house was advertised as being "100 Plus", which meant it was 100 Amp service, with 220 available. The sad thing here is that every available slot in the panel has a breaker stuffed into it. *IF* I really want to get 240 Volts in the shack I'll either have to have a sub-panel installed, or replace the existing panel. I'll have to talk to our "General Contractor's Electrical Guy" and have him come by and take a look.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-15509029313888728472017-12-31T11:59:47.429-08:002017-12-31T11:59:47.429-08:00I agree, Nick, it makes no sense. "Penny Wise...I agree, Nick, it makes no sense. "Penny Wise and Dollar Foolish" as my Dad used to say.<br /><br />The basement bathroom fan/light I "remanufactured" must have been way beyond the previous owner's ability. The one in the wife's bathroom was at least the correct size, but what a prime example of "It's the right size. Make it fit!".drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-22756583728373435032017-12-31T08:54:24.217-08:002017-12-31T08:54:24.217-08:00I spent a few days changing out things in my paren...I spent a few days changing out things in my parents' Florida condo. It's a 40+ yo unit. EVERY wall outlet was worn out. I replaced 14 of them. Some were so bad, plugs would literally fall out of the socket. <br /><br />NO GFCI outlets at all. So the baths, kitchen, and balcony all got GFCIs, with the balcony getting an "in use" cover too.<br /><br />The kicker was the bath exhaust fan that was, like yours, frankenstein'ed together. No reason for it either as the replacement fan motor and blades were available at the local Home Depot. Of course they'd gone too far for me to simply do it right. I ended up putting in wood backing, remounting their much smaller back box and fan, with the correct duct reducer, clamps, etc, and jury rigging a new grill. The old grill wouldn't fit on the new box, and the new grills wouldn't cover the hole. I ended up using aluminum flashing pieces, metal duct tape, and a whole lot of patience to connect the box to the ceiling plane, and install a heating return grill to cover the hole. What a mess that could have been avoided for $50 and the correct part.<br /><br />I really don't understand that sort of cheapness...<br /><br />nickAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-58593341000770594492017-12-31T08:38:14.048-08:002017-12-31T08:38:14.048-08:00The 150A service is normal for an older home with ...The 150A service is normal for an older home with baseboard heat versus a force-hot-air system. Wouldn't hurt to upgrade to 200A if/when you can afford it, just the same. New bath looks nice, btw.Rev. Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588179227576383679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-25964660414454909022017-12-31T08:22:45.208-08:002017-12-31T08:22:45.208-08:00The (rag heads) people who bought my last house lu...The (rag heads) people who bought my last house lucked into a place that was done right and maintained meticulously. As you state, not all people do that and when you have to fix their F-Ups, it's a genuine pain.LLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05538854359365988863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-70745588306860984222017-12-31T06:50:28.196-08:002017-12-31T06:50:28.196-08:00All inside projects where it is warm.All inside projects where it is warm.Well Seasoned Foolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16670165728759453075noreply@blogger.com