The Home Improvement Thread

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by photon

The enclosed fixture in my home office keeps eating LED bulbs even ones that are supposedly rated for an enclosed fixture.

And I'd like more light in my office sometimes.

Anyone put in a cool light fixture into their home office they want to show off? I figure I don't need to match the rest of the house.

Maybe something like this?



Other cool ideas?

Lamps with smart bulbs that can change color. Or change the fixture to take basic smart bulbs but you can turn the lights to "party mode".

Fun fact, I believe you should be able to use Phillips Hue bulbs in conjunction with the sleep cycle app to create a light alarm set up. Just don't turn off the power to the bulb and let the bulb turn off itself via app.

[photon]

Yeah was planning on changing the fixture, never thought of smart bulbs that's kind of interesting, though would have to get a more traditional fixture for them.

Could be fun though!

[Torture]

Any roofing experts? Looking to get roof re-done.

Narrowed down to quotes all in the same price range (+/- $500) for GAF Timberline Armorshield II, Certainteed Northgate or Malarkey Vista shingles. All are modified ashphalt class 4 impact resistant for hail.

Contractors all seem reputable, so all things being equal, which shingle would you go with? Also planning to get solar panels installed afterwards if that changes anything.

Only other major difference, and don't know how much of a difference this makes, the GAF & Certainteed contractor was talking up their breathable underlayment that was included in the quote whereas the Malarkey contractor has "Premium Synthetic Underlay (Titanium 25, FT Gold, or Equivalent)". Otherwise all the quotes seem to be similar.

Thoughts from the roofing experts or all things being equal do I just tell 'em both to give me their best price and sign on the dotted line?

[Fuzz]

If you can find any reviews for the companies maybe that would be the deciding factor.

[speede5]

As long as the shingles are rated for our climate IMO the contractor is more important than the product. Proper installation is key to longevity. I lost big sections on my roof in a windstorm and was lucky insurance covered it, there were some small sections where the nail line was right on the joint in the shiplap and several shingles weren't nailed to anything. Shingle warranties are all prorated and barely worth the paper they are written on. Hail and wind go through insurance so the warranty doesn't mean much there.

Consider upgrading on the underlay, if you have a low slope it's worth a bit more money to put on a peel and stick underlay. All the basic underlays are only good for steeper pitch roofs but roofers will use them all over.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Is anyone demo-ing a kitchen right now by any chance? I'm hoping to practice my paint spraying and would love some soon to be scrapped cabinet doors and frame to experiment on. These would be binned right afterwards, so hoping for something free (IKEA as is is a bit much for this purpose)

Hoping for 4-5 doors, and a frame in solid wood. Bonus points if it's a color other than white (as I'll be experimenting with white primer)

[powderjunkie]

Had a bit of water seep into our basement in tonight's storm...through a vent in the drywall ceiling (actually a drop down section to house some HVAC and plumbing additions...the interior vent doesn't actually make sense as a vent as much as an access panel...we seem to get a few bugs dropping through that vent cover so it makes sense that there is an imperfect seal to the outside).

It happened where the tankless hot water exhaust and A/C unit are, but those actual pipes seemed dry as far as I could tell. The tankless hot water also seemed to expel a little bit of water 10 feet away in the furnace room - there are a couple valves and a cutoff pipe that seem like they might exist for that purpose...no indication of water in that intermittent 10 feet.

So I think it's coming in related to the hot water exhaust, but that pipe itself seems dry near the main amount of water...the exhaust on the side of the house is kind of unusual with a black cover that runs all the way to the ground (but the pipe itself vents maybe 2 feet above ground). Will take a picture when it's light out, but I suspect the leak is coming from the base of that (under gravel at that side of the house).


So ultimately I need to get that sealed up better, but not sure who to call for that? Seems like a tiny foundation repair job? Or a plumber, who is presumably who installed the water tank...but not sure they really have the expertise to fix this issue?

Not sure if that makes any sense, just trying to talk it out...seems like it'll be borderline for an insurance claim ($1500 deductible), but maybe it's easiest to go that route and they'll sort me out the right specialists?

[Bill Bumface]

^ No tangible advice as I think I need to re-read that a couple times to comprehend haha, but don't make a claim. The long term impacts of having a history of claims on your house can suck too bad to be worth ever making a borderline claim, IMO.

[Fuzz]

Like they say, a picture is worth 311 words.

[calgarygeologist]

Stupid garage door torsion spring snapped this evening. I never noticed it before but my double door only has a single spring and apparently these doors should typically have two springs. I'm now surprised that the spring didn't span a long time ago as it is probably 20 years old. Hopefully this isn't going to be too expensive to fix.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Anyone ever deal with home insurance with a home based business? We have Sonnet home insurance, but I just learned that we won't qualify for any payouts because of my wife's home beauty spa business. Anyone have a recommendation for an insurance company that will cover both?

[opendoor]

I don't have direct experience, but I'm in the process of ditching Sonnet after they wanted to double my premiums. I guess they're pulling out of some or all of coastal BC for home coverage, so they're making it very unattractive for current clients from there to stay with them.

Anyway, I just got a quote from Square One which came in at about what I was paying with Sonnet for similar coverage, and they will insure residences with home-based businesses. I don't know the exact details or costs for that, and it would really depend on a lot of factors (annual revenue, how many customers you serve, whether you have separate business liability insurance, etc.) but their online quote is pretty quick and easy to get an idea.

[Weitz]

Anyone know roughly how long a smoke detector will beep with a low battery? Days? Weeks? Months? 2003 vintage if that helps…

[surferguy]

You should probably change the battery instead of trying to wait it out

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by surferguy

You should probably change the battery instead of trying to wait it out

If it was an option in the short term it would have been done already.

[Geraldsh]

If it’s hardwired as well as battery backup it will probably beep forever. In my house they start beeping at 2:00 am, my wife wakes me at 2:15 am “make it stop!”

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by surferguy

You should probably change the battery instead of trying to wait it out

He should probably take it for recycling, since they expire after 10 years.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Geraldsh

If it’s hardwired as well as battery backup it will probably beep forever. In my house they start beeping at 2:00 am, my wife wakes me at 2:15 am “make it stop!”

Yeah, this is the worst "feature".

Inevitably I just pull it off the ceiling for the night and get to it in the morning. They should let you snooze them for 12 hours or something.

[topfiverecords]

Worst was the one on our top floor. Ceiling is pitched and they put a hardwired detector way at the top of the vault. Shortly after we moved in, of course middle of the night this sucker starts chirping. So after an attempt to silence it with a garden stake, golf club, and wooden dowel rod fashioned together I learned it only lasts for 45 mins before chirping again. Which is ridiculous for a backup battery in a hardwired unit. Had to haul a heavy ladder up to the 4th floor from the garage in the middle of the night to disconnect it. Bought a wifi one to replace it so I can use an app to silence it next time.

[Brendone]

Got sick of the 2am low battery alarm a few years ago and replaced them with the hard wired, 10yr sealed battery model. Even if I only get 5 years out of them, it’s worth it.