Home Improvement/Repair Questions

[wilheldp_PE]

The stove top works but the oven does not?  I guarantee (not valid in lower 48 states) that it's the bi-metal gas valve.  I've replaced one (easy) and the oven lasted for years.  Finally replaced the oven entirely since it wouldn't get up to or hold temperature and I wanted something that wasn't made in 1990.

I would also check the hot-surface igniters on the oven burners.

@leggo PE is correct...new appliances suck.  I don't see any old ranges with infinite switches (electrical) or gas valve controls fail.  I see all sorts of digitally-controlled ranges catching fire because the controls were designed by electrical engineers that think 120 VAC is high voltage.

 

[Road Guy]

The broiler still works! I may do some poking around this weekend -

 

[Master slacker]

Anyone ever screen in an open porch?  I'm diving in and trying to keep it simple since I over-thought the deck and roof builds (but dammit they're sturdy!).  I have four sections roughly 8' wide and 7' tall.  My original thought was to use 2x2's to split them into 4' wide sections and then add 2x2 "handrails" at about 4' height.  Up to the "handrail" would be pet screen, and from the "handrail" to the header would be insect screen.  This framing is "ONLY" to put up screen and hold a screen door to the yard.

The deck is 16'x10'.  Do y'all think 2x2 is good enough to use or should 2x4 be used?  IMO, 2x4's take up more visible area and I'd like to see more yard than board from the chair.  Thoughts?

 

[Road Guy]

Well the good news is that I finally signed up for the lowes veteran discount and got 10% off the new stove / oven. The bad news is that I "saved" $200 on the stove / oven this past weekend

Apparently now its cool to have a stove that allows you to see your backsplash and have a double oven instead of just one door?

:violin: :whipping: :suicide1:

 

[Supe]

Anyone ever screen in an open porch?  I'm diving in and trying to keep it simple since I over-thought the deck and roof builds (but dammit they're sturdy!).  I have four sections roughly 8' wide and 7' tall.  My original thought was to use 2x2's to split them into 4' wide sections and then add 2x2 "handrails" at about 4' height.  Up to the "handrail" would be pet screen, and from the "handrail" to the header would be insect screen.  This framing is "ONLY" to put up screen and hold a screen door to the yard.

The deck is 16'x10'.  Do y'all think 2x2 is good enough to use or should 2x4 be used?  IMO, 2x4's take up more visible area and I'd like to see more yard than board from the chair.  Thoughts?

I'd go as small as you can get away with.  Serves no purpose other than to hold up screen, you could even just use trim boards.  Have you considered just screening right across the existing frame work and then just hiding the stapled areas with trim pieces?  That's normally how I see it done.  For the handrails, I would use a 2x4 but turn them on edge to match the existing framework.  As humid as it is where you are, I'd worry about a 2x2 mounted horizontally having a propensity to sag?

 

[jeb6294]

So update on the house situation.  Just to recap, the three prices we got were $5,200, $3,900 and $3,300 to get the sewer lateral fixed.  $3,300 guy called last week to tell me they weren't going to be doing anything because of the corona nonsense.  Seriously dude? You work in **** for a living.  I know Ohio is telling everyone to shelter in place, but I'm pretty sure that fixing the lake of sewage in our front yard could be considered "essential".

So today a different guy comes over, a friend of a lady my wife works with.  Guess he's laid off with everything shut down.  He came over and measured some stuff and scratched his head and does that deep breath like he's fixing to give me bad news and tells me, "you're probably looking at $800". Uhhh, how soon can you start?

 

[Road Guy]

lol - (i guess not really funny) but hope you can get it taken care of!

I want the economy to come back quick- but I also sort of want to call the many people who told me they wouldn't waste their time on my basement project since it was under $50K- 

 

[P-E]

I called a roofing contractor to treat the north roof for moss.  I hope I haven't waited too long.  They were more than happy to set up a time tomorrow to stop by.

 

[Supe]

I called a roofing contractor to treat the north roof for moss.  I hope I haven't waited too long.  They were more than happy to set up a time tomorrow to stop by.

Just chuck a package of Bonnie seedlings up there and call it a living roof.

 

[Master slacker]

Screening in a porch that was not designed / built for that intention or, for that matter, not designed / built originally to have a roof over it, is a total pain in the ass.

Original - design / build deck.  Success!... "let's add a roof!"

rev 1 - design / build roofing and support system to work with deck as it was designed / built.  Not great, but it works... "let's screen it in!"

rev 2 - design / build screen attachment points that don't look like total sh*t on deck that had no intention for screen.  I've seen worse... "we have to extend the deck!"

rev 3 - :suicide1:

 

[jeb6294]

Ran up to the bank to get some cash at the ATM to pay the plumber and came home to this welcome sight.  I just wish I would have known he was going to be able to get here this early...I would have worn something besides my pajamas.  I had to park halfway up the street and walk back to the house in PJ pants.

 

[Supe]

In these times, pajamas and a gas mask are perfectly acceptable attire.

 

[jeb6294]

I actually laughed out loud at guy at Lowes the other day.  He was walking around wearing a dust mask. Might as well have been wearing a little incubator on his face.

 

[Supe]

I actually laughed out loud at guy at Lowes the other day.  He was walking around wearing a dust mask. Might as well have been wearing a little incubator on his face.

That probably exceeds the level of protection most hospital staff have right about now, so if it prevents a "say it don't spray it" droplet from going in or out, more power to him!

 

[jeb6294]

'Bout two hours later and he's backfilling the hole and we are not living like cavemen anymore.  I'm really glad I had him do it because he actually found a new break in the line about 8-inches outside the foundation.  I would have found the original break and called it fixed without even knowing it.

Even if he sticks with his original $800, I'm giving him $900.

 

[Road Guy]

hell give him a grand!

 

[jeb6294]

Ended up charging us $1,000 since they had to go all the wall to the foundation and had to roll around in the mess under the patio.  I was still just fine with that, gave him the thou plus whatever I cash I had in my wallet and told him I was sorry the ATM limit was $500 a day or I still would have given him the extra $100.

I also passed his number on to a neighbor who needs to get some work done that wouldn't be nearly as messy/complicated as ours.  Maybe I'll see him up there.

 

[Road Guy]

seems like I always ponder doing this this time of year but looking at whole house fans - Seems like a no brainer here in Denver since we dont really run the AC until July but there seem to be two options, one $300 and one $1200 - anyone got any intel on the more expensive one?  maybe it puts a smaller hole in your ceiling?

$300 one:

$1200 one:

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

I've only ever seen the 300$ one... my mother's house has one like it. it's noisy.

 

[snickerd3]

I've only ever seen the 300$ one... my mother's house has one like it. it's noisy.

this.  There was one in our house when we moved in.  We took it out since it draws air from the outside in to create the breeze and living next to farmland that is bad news for allergies.

Very noisy.