Home Improvement Today?

My approach since becoming an expert by watching a youtube: don’t sand the first or second coats, just chisel down any high spots with a drywall knife. Save the sanding for the final coat(s)

 

My method also, although I had to learn it myself many years before youtube.

That is either or I'm not sure which...

 

Slow but progress. Drop ceiling all done, vinyl flooring installed, now for trim and some paint. Then what’s left is windows/trim and a closet system.

 

Looks awesome!

 

Thank you, it’s perfect for a home office for sure.

 

What started as "I should over seed the lawn" turned into "lets add a drain to the low spot", cause ya know, home ownership...

LUCKILY, there are already drains around our pool deck, and it was highly likely that the drain line ran near the low spot.

After digging up the area this is what I found... 2" PVC duct taped to 3" corrugated drain... Good to see that the folks putting this together really put the effort in...


Easy fix.... got a flexible coupling for the transition, might not be perfect, but way better than duck tape...



As you can see, is was very much a "use what ya got" project, as I didn't have a 2x4" scrap long enough for the span, so attached two scraps together for the form.

Either way, got a new drain set at the low point in the pool deck.




Drilled into the existing slab and epoxy'd in some 3/8" rebar, which was probably completely overkill, but doubt my little addition will have ANY problems... Been awhile since I've tied rebar- used to do that all day long like 20 years ago, but totally forgot everything...



1.5 bags of concrete + some concrete dye... I used to be able to finish slabs like a pro, but I was working with a minimal tool set here... Turned out well. It's been raining since setting this, so haven't really gotten to see how close the color match is... I couldn't come up with an easy way to match the salt finish, so just skipped that...

The goal here was to catch water running off the pool deck before it hit the lawn. This accomplishes that, but find out with this rain, that a lot of other areas drain to here.

All in all, calling it a complete success.

 

Following on from the drain project... I've replaced all the sprinkler valves on the property, except this one:




This one HAD/HAS SOME PROBLEMS. The feed to this was directly connected to the supply without a shut off valve. So if anything broke on the manifold side, it would have just leaked until we turned the water off. So obviously mission number one was to add a valve. The next mission was... this valve feed what really should have been two zones. I was a little unsure before I dug what I was gonna get, but digging answered all my questions. The grey 3/4" conduit feeds an upper bank, and the white 1/2" feeds the side lawn. The lawn sprinklers ALWAYS struggled.. which is obviously because the upper bank would have had to have enough back pressure to force pressure to the lawn, which it didn't, cause there are like 20 non-pressure-regulated heads on the bank.

ANYWAY.... the goal here was to install a shutoff valve to this manifold... and it turned into update the whole manifold.



And here is the result. What used to be a single zone, split into two, an additional zone for some hanging plants, and... the wire to this manifold had four conductors (+ common) so I added an extra riser, but just capped it off until I find a use for it.

I say HAS issues, because that gray electrical conduit is significantly more brittle than the white pvc. When I used the Husky pipe cutter on it, it just shattered... I was able to carefully cut it with a hacksaw before connecting the new pipe to it.. But it stands in my head as a potential leak issue. At least it's all on the non-constant pressure side...

 

Nice setup but am I just missing the vacuum breaker/backflow valve?

 

Why not paint before installing the floor? Then you don't have to worry about drop cloths or protecting anything.

 

One way valve is installed on the supply side dropping from the hose bib.

 

I just spent 7k, to have them replumb my main water line to my house because the prior owner ran 1 inch farm pipe to the main feed, and then when i got the okay to dig the gas company let me know they needed to be there too because the main gas line at the road was next to my water line.

 

I’ll pre paint all trim then only paint the caulk and touched up areas after install. The doors are easy to paint without making a mess but I small piece of plastic under them is easily done.

I did flooring first mainly because of timing. Flooring had to be installed with the 2 year old wasn’t home or sleeping, but paint can be completed any hour of the day.

edit: I realize my first post might not have been clear, the walls are fully painted.

 

Sunk the first of 7 posts for my side fence, 6 to go. Been setting for 1.5 hours, at what point can I remove the 1x2 supports, safely?

 

When I did my last fence and set posts in concrete I did 24 hrs possibly over kill but they were set 3.5 feet.

 

24-48 hours to cure

 

Strong. I took them down, didn't want some moron to sit on one and take the post down with it. It's pretty solid and tomorrow morning should be stronger, and Saturday should be ready for the panel hanging. Thanks.

 

Cleared a 30'x30' area of blackberry bramble. Man, I am glad I bought a brush cutter years ago. I'll take that 2 stroke stick of mayhem over a machete any day.

 

Use to do this for a living. I have a hedge trimmer on the end of my weedeater. Gives me seven foot reach. Knock them down to the last leaf give them 1 week to recover and then spray them with Crossbow 24D kills them dead to the root.

 

Don't want to use chemicals. So, cleared the pile and going to clear out the rocks so it can get mowed regularly with the rest of the property.

 

Put the old garage door strut on the 3rd. panel which didn't need it, just for the extra stability. And I didn't toss it in the dumpster.