Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

[californiagrown]

I've thought about the trench plates before- the outer and back sides have a high lip and would not have anything to brace them. I suppose if it overlaps enough on the front and inner side and we only keep the pressure on the front half it may work. Or I could pour a sonotube for support or something.

steel trench plate + a wheelbarrow full of coldpatch asphalt gets it done for 100% of jobs in the public ROW. Itll work for you.

[Mazderati]

Here's what it looks like.
Attachment 495327

I did check under a couple of the boards and some of the 4x8s beams on the support framing are rotted a bit- most were fine but a couple had some softness. The worst one I could dig out maybe 2" down (of the 7" dimension). Fuck. Any hope here? Sister? Mending plates?

We don't really park on that side anymore and our car is short enough to fit without going on the wood- but figure someday someone will. Should I just give up and fill the whole thing in with dirt? I like the storage underneath but not to the tune of thousands of dollars of concrete work- plus the framing that is there makes it kind of janky.

I'm no help with a solution but that definitely helps explain the situation.

Homeowner DIY goes pro [no paywall]: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/r...e=articleShare

That is unbelievably cool. They have such determination. Thanks.

Great story and awesome property.

[nickwm21]

Why not just fill that hole in and put pavers over the top?


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[dan_pdx]

Why not just fill that hole in and put pavers over the top?


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Nowhere to store the dead hookers then

[GBB]

What tools are people using to sketch out floor plans? I have a hard time visualizing what a space will look like without drawing it. But I’m a terrible artist. What I end up drawing is a far cry from what I think the space should actually look like.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Sketch Up or graph paper.

What are you trying to accomplish.

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[mcski]

There are some pretty good apps you can try out for free

[::: :::]

i've seen folks use excel before -- ends up looking a bit like minecraft

[GBB]

The house was originally built as a 2/2 in the 1950s. It’s a south facing ~950 sqft rectangle with the short sides facing east and west. 20 years ago a new master bedroom and bath was added to the east end of the rectangle. This effectively turned the old master bedroom, which was the original terminus of the rectangle on the east end, into a second living area since the hallway wasn’t continued to the new master.

We’re trying to see how we can best turn this fairly useless 2nd living area into a functional bedroom and possibly gain a small office or other bonus room to boot.

[Core Shot]

https://planner5d.com/blog/best-free...oftware-tools/

I’ve used some of them. It does help. I don’t need the 3d walk through. But you do need to see where a bed or couch fits. Mostly I just know. But sometimes it does help to see if moving that wall a few more inches makes sense.

Just finishing blowing out two bathroom walls and the plumbing stack. Didn’t use a planner. I just knew the limitations. But if you are going crazy town gut remodel on a large area with closets and living spaces it does come in handy.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I just had a new concrete patio poured. Should I have that thing sealed? My neighbor, a landscape designer, has been managing the project for us. She says it probably isn't necessary. I have no fucking idea. Thoughts?

[m2711c]

If you’re gonna do it, go with the baby seals. You’re gonna have to use a lot more of them than the adult seals, but the end product will come out looking far superior.



fact.

[skaredshtles]

I just had a new concrete patio poured. Should I have that thing sealed? My neighbor, a landscape designer, has been managing the project for us. She says it probably isn't necessary. I have no fucking idea. Thoughts?

I think it's probably a decent idea if you're concerned with staining, etc. But if you're not terribly concerned, I'd skip it - it's concrete in Colorado, after all.

[californiagrown]

I just had a new concrete patio poured. Should I have that thing sealed? My neighbor, a landscape designer, has been managing the project for us. She says it probably isn't necessary. I have no fucking idea. Thoughts?

If it is decorative concrete with colors, a nice finish, etc then you may want to seal it to prevent staining. If its just a standard brush finish concrete that is not part of any true "design" then i wouldnt worry about sealing it. If you do seal the pavement you will still have to clean it to keep it looking nice- the seal just makes it so its harder to permanently stain. How often are you realistically going to clear everything off the patio clean it all with a pressure washer and soap so you can maintain a consistent fresh look?

[ctsmith]

There’s really no such thing as a long lasting exterior sealer for horizontal concrete. If it’s normal troweled concrete a densifier may be worthwhile, like Ashford Formula.

[::: :::]

i'd put a matte sealer on it, just cuz
it will stay cleaner longer & cleaning it will be easier when it's time


(it's hard to understand how different it can be without seeing a lot of them or testing conditions in immediate proximity)

[I've seen black diamonds!]

If it is decorative concrete with colors, a nice finish, etc then you may want to seal it to prevent staining.

There is a pattern stamped into it. No color. `

[nickwm21]

If it’s not a penetrating sealer / densifier that’s applied immediately after finish - it won’t last more than 18mo.


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[toast2266]

They sealed the stamped concrete walkway into my office last summer. It looks like absolute shit now - much worse than before they sealed it.

No idea what product they used. Probably an insufficient ratio of baby to adults seals.

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[::: :::]

It’s the stamping not the sealer

[Djongo Unchained]

Fresh concrete needs to cure and breathe. I wouldn't be too hasty unless I found a product specifying for just your scenario.

[anotherVTskibum]

I know next to nothing about concrete sealant, but whatever they used on the basement floor at the local race/freestyle training building made walking in ski boots incredibly exciting when it was wet. If that's a common sealant issue, I'd be cautious about that, too; but maybe it's not and the people who picked it chose poorly.

[Hood26]

Anyone use one of these?

https://www.acehardware.com/departme...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Hard water is destroying our appliances.

Thanks!

[climberevan]

Hard water is caused by dissolved minerals. Those electronic things ionize the water, which makes it feel soft for a little while after passing through the device. So if you have an on-demand WH, it might work, but if the hot water sits in a tank for a while, it will revert to its original state.

A real softener is a hassle, and maintenance is annoying, but it's worth it in the end if your water is truly hard. Get a big-ass one like a Fleck 5600 , not one of the overpriced toy ones at the box stores.

[Core Shot]

Big fan of kinetico system
https://www.kinetico.com/water-softeners/
It uses two tanks to back flush each other with soft water.