New England B.S. Thread

I had my pellet insert install inspected since that is the only thing I have heard of coming up as part of a sale.

I fear plumbing a little more too, because if I mess it up and can't figure out how to fix it, I have no water. Electrical is mostly making the right connections, sizing wire correctly, etc. You can do things that will be dangerous and not trip a breaker, but simple things like replacing a light fixture or switch, maybe adding another outlet on a circuit, is just a matter of wiring it correctly and making sure connections are secure so they can't arc.

 

I think it was the angle. So you may be right--the chop saw I have is second hand and a Harbor Freight brand. I mostly just use it for straight cuts and it works fine for that.

 

yeah. My house is wired funky. The lights are wired in series with the outlet. Tried to tie an outlet off from a light switch, tried the vacuum. The light didn’t work until we turned on the vacuum, which didn’t work since it was just acting as a relay.

so we had to pull that wire down from the attic space instead of off the outlet right above it. I’m thinking this house won’t be a long term residence, might make it a rental property and buy another house that isn’t as janky with electrical. Problem is we have a third of an acre here, this lot is one of the biggest in the neighborhood! Which is why we bought it, the house was an added bonus. So we could also raze and do a modular setup, would allow us to dig out and do a full basement instead of just a crawl space. Problem is to do that it would cost ballpark 100 grand and the property value would go up maybe 10 or so. Which is why I’m also considering just pitch it and move to a newer built house. That will happen if and when I get a new job though, this house is a great location and a great lot. Wicked easy access to highway. Next job I look for will be toward Fall River/Bedford area.

how the hell did I end up here. Oh right. Electrical. Yeah every time I work on a branch or plumbing I put a ball valve into that new section. That, I’m fairly good with. So if it does get all janky I can at least close off the section and work on it while the rest of the house has water.

 

I can at least replace a switch or fixture, otherwise I call someone. Never touched plumbing in my life and I'm not about to start now, in part because some fool who was here before me did a hack job that even I can tell is not right. Running a pipe along a cold outside wall in a crawlspace is just asking for disaster.

THIS. I always tell people, look at your phone and tell me how long you've had it..now how long did you have a phone for 20 years ago?

I couldn't do more than pound a nail and carry stuff in 2004 when we bought a house. I've gotten better at it but some things it still is better to just pay someone to do..speaking of, anyone wanna replace a spigot for my garden hose?

 

I know a guy who jokes, the only thing he keeps in his tool box is his check book

 

Smartest route of all at times, if one isn't confident in the abilities..plus the potential for real issues if one screws up

 

yeah contractors have insurance. If someone screws up and floods your kitchen and living room, suddenly their insurance pays for a whole new living room and kitchen floor plus labor.

if you flood your kitchen and living room, your homeowners might cover it but might not and your rates may probably go up too.

 

I thought my electrical was odd! I do have a 150 amp service and a good sized panel which is somewhat unusual in a house of this size built in the late 50s. I've found some horrors, though. My den/mud room (added on in the 70s) is powered by adding a second wire to the always hot side of a light switch in another room. The thing that frustrates me is given the location of the panel it would have been easier to just do it right and run a new circuit to that room. I also have a lot of stuff on 20 amp breakers but 14 gauge wire--I've swapped in 15s for most of it, but keep finding sections where he ran 12 gauge out of the panel but a junction changes it to 14 later on. I also had flood lights on the garage that relied solely on motion. No switches--they were permanently wired into the circuit that feeds most of my kitchen outlets. I ended up removing those wires and wiring them off a circuit on my garage subpanel with a switch in between.

My house is on about 2/3 of an acre, which is a small lot for this area. It's a pretty nice spot--it's all lawn with trees on both sides and behind for privacy and the rear property line is a 60-ish foot wide river. Most people on my road have at least a few acres, though, and several have 30+. I'd like 5+ at some point with a long driveway set way off the road. I figure in about 5 years I'll start looking for my permanent home in the same area and probably sell this one.

 

It's getting real now! The governor of Massachusetts has closed the school's for 3 weeks now.

 

Yeah the switch in series was how they used to do it. My house is built 55 but a lot of work was done over the years so the bathroom for example is all up to modern code. I’m not finding weird stuff like that but I did find someone along the way used a purple wire, 12g so it can handle it, but I think bennys just had it on sale one day so that’s what they ran with.

unfortunately the outer shell is particle board not plywood. So the big project would be replacing that. And well while that’s out might as well do the wiring with easy access. And along the same vein time to do the windows and make sure they’re frame right. And with that much activity level the house and sister the joists. And since I’m doing electrical and the timing would make sense do the roof and add solar at the same time. And since I’m doing the roof anyway I can replace the chimney (that ones a maybe but unlikely) and since the roof is being done the mud room can be built gable end instead of flat roof. It snowballs it feels like that episode of Malcolm in the middle. So that’s why I’m thinking just chuck it and start new somewhere else.

but we have location location location and an amazing plot both size and growth (none). So I’m thinking one year I might have to either rent an apartment or a camper or something, level the house, dig out to a full basement, and just build from scratch. But as mentioned that would cost an arm and leg and give next to nothing for property value, and we don’t want to add a floor or anything so we would basically just build the same house we already have. Just new.

I sort of wish I had tried the roomba lawn mower. I got a regular push mower paid probably way too much for it. But I mow my own lawn it’s not bad takes about 2 hours all things said and done with weed trimmer along the fence if I’m not bagging it. 3 if I bag the clippings. I won’t be bagging the clippings this year I don’t think.

about time. They had shut down everything but mayor Marty was like naaaahhhhh we gonna leave the schools open in Boston because hell why not.

honestly grade schools are so local that I don’t think cancelling schools at that level is doing much of anything to combat the virus.

 

-School closed for 3 weeks
-No gatherings more than 25 people
-6 foot distances
-Restaurants and bars that serve food can only do take out only
- People are selling their souls to get childcare
-And I have 80+ clients freaking out , and blowing up my phone with High Anxiety
And this us just the start of my week....FML..

 

FIFY

 

Morning all. Happy Monday.
Things are SLOOOOOOW in the tire business this morning. Everybody blew all of their 'car' budget on Toilet Paper & Hand Sanitizer.

 

I got my new tires two weeks ago

 

Normally on a Monday morning all the lines light up as soon as the phones turn on at 7:30; so far today we've had 7 calls split between 8 people

 

What's up virus carriers. Wife wanted a new tv stand (to replace the perfectly good one that was maybe 3 years old...). Went and got some reclaimed wood and harnessed my inner instagrammer.

Making miter cuts with just a circular saw, jig saw, a few clamps, cutting fence, and a triangle sucks but is doable albeit less than ideal.

Old perfectly fine stand...


New stand fo' the gram

 

I had to go in this morning to change voicemail greetings--on the older phone systems I can only do that from a specific extension in each building, unfortunately. Our buildings smell like swimming pools--they sprayed a disinfectant solution everywhere.

 

The commute home at 7am was eerie this morning... then spending half the day with the two minions while wifey works from home was certainly an experience... can’t wait to do it again for the foreseeable future....

 

My commute in was awesome. Thanks corona virus.

 

Happy Friday everyone. I am officially leaving this madness and going snowmachining for the next week. I can't take all this crazyness. Leaving in a few hours, hope they don't shut down the Maine border by then