Home Improvement Today?

Damn , you ever smelled an otter den ?

 

Nope, City and County trapping services discontinued during the recession, they had a contract with the Feds to do it, and...that got fucked up and is no longer offered. Every person for his self. Could hire a private trapper, but that would cost a bunch and won't stop all the other skunks waiting in line.

Apparently each, uh, pack, or "gland" of skunks rotated among 4 or 5 dens. So the goals is really to make yours the least attractive.

The drought caused flea infestation to skyrocket because the soil is so dry that the eggs aren't killed. Double whammy.

 

You use hardware cloth Scott ?

 

Under the CR yes. Galvi lag bolted a 4x4 to the shed's 4x4 sleeper, then built off that.

I drove 1/2-in x 2 ft rebar through all the other 4x4s to anchor them to earth.

 

Yeah, I think they will find it enough of a pain to move on, but good idea. I still need to give it a good tamp, but it was more important to carry on with the other barrier before they opted for that route over night. Even the night after I got the rock in, I saw evidence of burrow under the fence adjacent (you can make out a bit of dirt on the 4x at left), but there was no evidence of the rock being disturbed.

The best part were the 3-in diameter fig roots throughout the trenched area. Sawzall is a standard trenching tool in these old yards, LOL. Found a golf ball and a perfume bottle too.

Shame is, if I get my way, the shed will be gone and replaced by a 3-bay garage in a couple years.

 

That sounds like a nightmare.

 

When do we design the new building

 

Yes, indeed.
I think we will be extending one of the existing bedrooms first. It will be easier, faster, and cheaper to do, and most easily address immediate needs while adding SF to the main house in the simplest manner possible. Hard to explain, but basically it now has a covered deck (about 6x12) off one end. Above that covered deck is part of the master suite. The decking and railings are poorly constructed and we never use it, sooo...

It was last year, that's what motivated me now...before spring and baby skunks arrive.

Um, in the future...yes, that is definitely when.

 

question for you guys...

My house is in need of 2 major things:
- Roof. Not sure if I can get away of just a repair or if I will need an entire new roof.
- entire HVAC unit (including AC condensor, heater, and probably new ducts). Currently have a swamp cooler on the roof, but doesn't work.

My question is I'm not sure the best order of operation to do these things? I really don't want the new AC unit on top of the roof. Should I plan on getting the roof done first, or the HVAC system?

 

What kind of roofing ?

 

asphalt shingles

I know my roof is the original roof (built in '64). We live in a very windy area and have lost some tiles over the years. Was even lucky enough for one of the tiles to fly into the Taco leaving a nice dent/scratch.

I don't think the roof is leaking yet (that I can tell), but it is hard to access since I have a 2 story and don't have a proper extention ladder to investigate (not to mention I don't like heights).

 

Holy shit , you sure it's original ? 50 years is a long long long life for asphalt

I would suggest having your HVAC guy check out the house and come up with a plan of attack first , then if that means putting anything on the roof you can discuss exactly what potential penetrations would be required and where but with asphalt retrofitting onto the roof won't be a big issue

 

yea fairly sure, but not 100% that it is original. I know there are a couple houses in my area that have never been remodeled, and it appears their roof is the same as mine. When I examine the shingles that fall, a lot of the sand on the shingles is gone, leading me to believe it is pretty old.

Was thinking I should talk to the hvac guy first as that would need to be delt with before the roof can be installed.

 

Yeah , if it was me I would have the HVAC guy come out and quote the job , you can discuss your options for maybe not having to have any equipment on the roof , and then go from there .

 

I would do the HVAC first. I have a metal roof, variety of colors and styles. They even make them to look like shingles. Mine was surprisingly affordable.
Here in WI we put our AC units on the ground next to the house. Furnace in the basement. (That's a hole in the ground under the house )

 

Which one is more pressing for you to do in terms of importance? But are major things cost wise and simply matience wise. You could look into the insurance company maybe covering a replacement roof but since its so old I doubt they would cover it.

 

Why would his insurance replace his roof ?

 

He mentioned high winds and missing some tabs on his shingles. It's going to depend on his insurance company and his policy but I've seen insursnce compnaies fix roofs due to storm damage.

 

Not sure if insurance will cover it, especially since it is just old, not failing prematurely or by an act of god.

I will look into though, so thanks for the recomendation.

 

Outside of any warranty that would be on those shingles by like 40 years , lol