The Home Improvement Thread

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Is it in conduit? That seems ridiculous. Enmax didn't actually charge me anything when I went from 100A to 200A. I was also moving the meter from the house to garage, but the transformer is just above that corner, so they didn't have to go far.

There are barely any single home residential services that are ran in conduit all the way to the transformer in Calgary. Directional drilling is unlikely to be an option depending on other utilities in the area. A mix of digging / non destructive exposure methods would likely have to be done, plus any additional repairs to sidewalks, roadways, etc. It is a big job and not a cheap one

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

There are barely any single home residential services that are ran in conduit all the way to the transformer in Calgary. Directional drilling is unlikely to be an option depending on other utilities in the area. A mix of digging / non destructive exposure methods would likely have to be done, plus any additional repairs to sidewalks, roadways, etc. It is a big job and not a cheap one

Agreed. I saw some posts about someone who got quotes in Calgary in the last 2-3 years that made me somewhat optimistic for a potential long shot at a $10-15K project, even though it was underground.

I paid the deposit for the detailed quote. Worst comes to worst, I paid a grand for some neat blueprints that can go with my house and my itch for an explanation is scratched. Best case scenario, the quote comes in at a cost I cannot help but hesitate to consider.

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Agreed. I saw some posts about someone who got quotes in Calgary in the last 2-3 years that made me somewhat optimistic for a potential long shot at a $10-15K project, even though it was underground.

I paid the deposit for the detailed quote. Worst comes to worst, I paid a grand for some neat blueprints that can go with my house and my itch for an explanation is scratched. Best case scenario, the quote comes in at a cost I cannot help but hesitate to consider.

You made the same choice I would have made then. Get a firm price on it, maybe you’ll luck out and it’s an easy job. Fingers crossed.

Something you may be interested in is talking to your nearby neighbours and see if anyone else is interested in upgrading their services to 200A and you may be able to split the costs of the excavation and repairs that way. If you want some more info send me a PM and I can probably help you with some background stuff.

[photon]

Anyone have a good deck building company they can recommend?

Anyone ever put something on their deck to keep out the sun? First thought of an awning but the main part of the deck would probably stick out as far as 16' and that seems unreasonable for an awning.

A built in gazebo with a roof is interesting, but then you don't get the sun if you want it.

I saw something like this online (fabric on a track) and thought that might work really well, anyone ever done something like it?

[Flacker]

Originally Posted by photon

Anyone have a good deck building company they can recommend?

Anyone ever put something on their deck to keep out the sun? First thought of an awning but the main part of the deck would probably stick out as far as 16' and that seems unreasonable for an awning.

A built in gazebo with a roof is interesting, but then you don't get the sun if you want it.

I saw something like this online (fabric on a track) and thought that might work really well, anyone ever done something like it?

Power retractable awning probably the best option, looks like they are available with 13' 1" reach as a maximum.

https://www.sunsetter.com/

[Fuzz]

Have you considered planting a tree 30 years ago?

[photon]

I did! Well almost 20 years ago. Unfortunately two of the columnar aspens died like 10 years ago.

So one of them is great and casts a nice shadow on where the deck would be for about 20 minutes every day at 2pm. The other two gotta wait for a while.

[jwslam]

need someone to re-grout my tile shower. Any recommendations?

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by photon

Anyone have a good deck building company they can recommend?

Anyone ever put something on their deck to keep out the sun? First thought of an awning but the main part of the deck would probably stick out as far as 16' and that seems unreasonable for an awning.

A built in gazebo with a roof is interesting, but then you don't get the sun if you want it.

I saw something like this online (fabric on a track) and thought that might work really well, anyone ever done something like it?

Have no idea what this costs (and I assume a lot!!!) but is pretty amazing
https://struxure.com/

[photon]

Yeah I saw those and they look super cool. No idea how they'd hold up to our winters and yeah, probably big $$

[Zary's-Mustache]

Costco had one of those gazebos with the roller blinds a few weeks ago I saw them.

[photon]

https://www.costco.ca/yardistry-11-f...100537124.html

$3800..

I guess I could just bolt it onto the deck

[Zary's-Mustache]

There was another one in store, I didn't catch the price as wasn't paying much attention but the sides even could close not just the roof.

[BlackArcher101]

Would a shade sail work?

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...ail?item=BL681

[Whynotnow]

Originally Posted by photon

Anyone have a good deck building company they can recommend?

Anyone ever put something on their deck to keep out the sun? First thought of an awning but the main part of the deck would probably stick out as far as 16' and that seems unreasonable for an awning.

A built in gazebo with a roof is interesting, but then you don't get the sun if you want it.

I saw something like this online (fabric on a track) and thought that might work really well, anyone ever done something like it?

We used this for ours. https://www.nesling.ca/assortment/co...armonica-shade

It runs in aircraft cable and we installed 2 of them, gives great shade, the instructions to install are a bit ikea like so just take your time. There’s a distributor in Regina, I think they were called the Rusty Shovel.

If you want pm me for photos and other details,

[DylanScores]

Does any member of this forum upgraded to heat pump? Have seen so many cons vs pros in our climate. Thanks!

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by photon

Anyone have a good deck building company they can recommend?

Anyone ever put something on their deck to keep out the sun? First thought of an awning but the main part of the deck would probably stick out as far as 16' and that seems unreasonable for an awning.

A built in gazebo with a roof is interesting, but then you don't get the sun if you want it.

I saw something like this online (fabric on a track) and thought that might work really well, anyone ever done something like it?

I've seen a few variations of retractable awnings before in Calgary. Pergolas with the correct angle slats I've seen too. Patio umbrellas are another option as are pop up canopies.

Just make sure to retract them all and put them away at the end of the day. You don't want an errant wind storm, hail storm or even snow storms like today to damage any mechanisms. And for the latter, if there's a wind storm, humans aren't heavy enough to not get taken away with the canopy. Don't attempt to use human weight to prevent the canopy from flying off like a kite.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by DylanScores

Does any member of this forum upgraded to heat pump? Have seen so many cons vs pros in our climate. Thanks!

You will still need something else to heat your house when it gets below -15C.

[puffnstuff]

Bigtime had one installed. Check the Solar Power thread, starts around post #380

[photon]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Would a shade sail work?

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...ail?item=BL681

That's cool, like the retractable shade but simpler! The advantage there too is could play with the angles to make it cover more for more of the year when the sun is lower.

Originally Posted by Whynotnow

We used this for ours. https://www.nesling.ca/assortment/co...armonica-shade

It runs in aircraft cable and we installed 2 of them, gives great shade, the instructions to install are a bit ikea like so just take your time. There’s a distributor in Regina, I think they were called the Rusty Shovel.

If you want pm me for photos and other details,

That's awesome thanks! Will check it out and contact you if I've got any questions.

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Just make sure to retract them all and put them away at the end of the day.

Yeah for sure we used to have a big offset umbrella and making sure it was closed and tied down was super important. It almost went over a few times while we were using it when a sudden wind kicked up.