Home Improvement Today?

You can set up a free subscription to use Sketchup from their main page but the free version is web only. If you're willing to downgrade to a few versions past and want to install it on your desktop, check out this link to download Sketchup Make 2017. After the trial period expires, you'll be asked for a subscription and some of the full features will be disabled but you can still model to scale, use layers, make components and groups and texture models. To be honest, I cant even remember what features you loose out on after the 30 day trial expires. It's what I use to model out wood working projects and I love it.

-J

 

Awesome, thanks. My wife has some crazy ideas for the kitchen and I think once I draw it to scale she will realize its not a great idea.

 

There are plenty of videos on the YT to teach you how to use it. It's simple and a little intuitive. If you decide to go that route, you can set up the scale to wood working and get used to using groups, otherwise the vertices will snap to each other and if you make changes, the whole model can get janky. Groups and layers are your best friend.

-J

 

I got the second shelf in last night, its fully cured this morning. Here's a couple pics.

 

Stained the deck yesterday.

 

I got a question for you guys, if anyone has a rough idea.

I got a quote to put in about 1750 sq ft of decomposed granite in my backyard. The contractor is quoting $15k in labor, and $5k in materials, and that includes grading/prepping the area before putting in the DG.

This seems high to me, but he also quoted some other labor that seems really reasonable, so I'm not sure where this quote lands. Is this a reasonable amount for that job? I'm in Southern California, since I'm sure location matters.

 

Not sure on the amount of prep work that has to be done, but $15,000 sounds expensive for labor.

 

I'm thinking a significant portion of it is prepping and smoothing/grading. The yard is not smooth or even/level. lot of little bumps and troughs.

 

If you are good with that amount and it is not something that you are willing to do. I say go for it. You will get years of enjoyment out of making your yard what you want it to be.

 

That's a lot of wheelbarrow trips to spread out as well

 

This was my backyard before and after.

 

thats a backyard?


haha

 

Yes, you make the most with what you have. A corner lot in town, 2 blocks from the Pacific Ocean.

 

Looks awesome. Yeah I have to do this now lol. How did you have it held against the wall until the adhesive set

 

Pics of weak spots, would you all replace or let them be?

 

haha thanks. I used an adjustable shower curtain rod I had laying around. Just kind of held it up, didn't really "clamp" it against the wall in any way. But I put some pressure on it for a minute, then while holding the pressure against the wall, I fit the shower rod in until it held it up firmly, and let it sit there for 24 hours, then caulked it, and waited until the morning to use the shower.

I'm happy with how it turned out. Adds plenty of room for all of my wife's shampoos and stuff. the construction adhesive seems plenty strong enough.

funny story though, The one on the left I accidentally used window caulking on. I only realized it after I finished, and I was cleaning up. I got two small tubes of caulking from the same box at Home Depot. Someone must have left it in there. but I picked them up thinking I was getting two tubes of bath and shower caulking. So we'll see how long the caulking holds up on that one. Worst case it doesn't, and I have to scrape it out and re-apply... oh well.

 

Id replace both springs

 

I wish stuff would last longer like it used to...

 

My 1980 garage door spring broke about 5 years ago. It shot across the garage and put a hole in the back wall. Luckily I was closing it from the outside.

 

I hope the cables running thru these prevent that, but who knows!