I'm guessing not. Almost always against code to run cable in a duct or air plenum now. The only reason is if there is something in a duct that must be wired. Even then it needs to be within some short distance. Plenum-rated wire won't cut it.
I think "mechanical chase" is a better description. It will run vertically from the mechanical room into the main and upper levels.
Wow! Amazing and very thought provoking list, thank you so much!
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm guessing not. Almost always against code to run cable in a duct or air plenum now. The only reason is if there is something in a duct that must be wired. Even then it needs to be within some short distance. Plenum-rated wire won't cut it.
OMG GO4's list is so great it makes me want to build a house now.
May I add underground gutter drainage? We had to add drain tile around the perimeter of our house and into the back yard a few years ago and part of the job was having our downspouts and sump pump house connected to the drain tile. I now have no downspout drains sticking out of the house nor and sump pump house laying in the yard. It's quite a simple pleasure. But if you have sandy soil, you may not need it anyway.
*I would absolutely love to have multiple zones for our HVAC.
*I would, and am still considering installing a whole house natural gas generator, for when those Russian Hackers or AI bots decide to turn off my electricity in the middle of winter.
*Ethernet and power to security cameras so you can get top quality video.
Things I had at my old house that I wish I had on my current house;
One thing about floor drains in garages is that not all cities allow those to connect to your sewer line. Check with your plumber to see if that is allowed.
I am theofficial Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
One thing about floor drains in garages is that not all cities allow those to connect to your sewer line. Check with your plumber to see if that is allowed.
My brother-in-law put one in and it drains to the outside.
My old house had a garage that was 2 deep and 2 wide. It didn't look obnoxious from the street but holy hell, did it have great storage. If I had that today I'd likely own a boat and a riding lawn mower.
My old house had a garage that was 2 deep and 2 wide. It didn't look obnoxious from the street but holy hell, did it have great storage. If I had that today I'd likely own a boat and a riding lawn mower.
I'm saving money to build a shed for more storage. And to make more room in my 3rd stale for more of a shop. Ideally, I'll put the snow blower in the shed in summer and the lawnmower in winter. Though my next big purchase would be a riding lawnmower/snow blower combo... lol!!!
Generator is on the list for sure.....well and septic makes a generator a no brainer.
Due to lot configuration we cannot do a walkout but will have direct access to the basement next to the garage and there will have to be a floor drain there so hopefully a garage floor drain can be included.
Wish we had space for a larger garage but space won't allow it but we can keep the old garage which is basically a shed. This is huge since I won't have to rent a pod or storage unit for all the lake stuff in there. Once we sort out storage I'd love to turn the existing garage into a bar/bunkroom/hangout area.
One thing about floor drains in garages is that not all cities allow those to connect to your sewer line. Check with your plumber to see if that is allowed.
Septic City for us....
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One thing about floor drains in garages is that not all cities allow those to connect to your sewer line. Check with your plumber to see if that is allowed.
You could have it drain into a rock garden. Or also if I could have a trench dug 6 inches deep, 4 inches wide and maybe 8 feet long under the parking spots with a long drain cover, the water could drain into that and evaporate over time and I can vacuum out any residual water and sand every other month. I just want the water to go somewhere so the floor stays dry.
Even so, you may have building codes covering what can be drained into a septic system. The big thing is that they worry about you dumping oil or coolant and the like down the drain. I know, some household cleaners could be just as harmful.
I am theofficial Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
Just had the city forestry dept. come out and tell me my maple tree in the front yard is healthy and no concerns. The ash tree in the back does have signs of EAB, though they feel it's savable. Already been on the phone with the tree company they recommend and have someone coming out to give an estimate on injecting the tree. So far, good news. It's a large ash tree and provides lots of shade in the summer. Hopefully the tree can be saved!!!
Just had the city forestry dept. come out and tell me my maple tree in the front yard is healthy and no concerns. The ash tree in the back does have signs of EAB, though they feel it's savable. Already been on the phone with the tree company they recommend and have someone coming out to give an estimate on injecting the tree. So far, good news. It's a large ash tree and provides lots of shade in the summer. Hopefully the tree can be saved!!!
I was given a quote for injecting our ash and it was about $300 per year or every other year. [I can't remember if that also included our oaks]. Tough choice. It's expensive, but not as expensive as cutting it down.
Just had the city forestry dept. come out and tell me my maple tree in the front yard is healthy and no concerns. The ash tree in the back does have signs of EAB, though they feel it's savable. Already been on the phone with the tree company they recommend and have someone coming out to give an estimate on injecting the tree. So far, good news. It's a large ash tree and provides lots of shade in the summer. Hopefully the tree can be saved!!!
I was given a quote for injecting our ash and it was about $300 per year or every other year. [I can't remember if that also included our oaks]. Tough choice. It's expensive, but not as expensive as cutting it down.
Rainbow Treecare has us at $375 every 3 years for our largest ash, and $260 every 3 years for the smaller (but still large) one.
Quotes for tree removal have been insane. We lost a silver maple in a storm (struck by lightning and split in half), it was it between the two ash trees in size, and it was just shy of $2,200 for removal and stump grinding.
My dad has a dying 6' diameter willow in his back yard... The cheapest quote he has received for it to be removed was $8,000+ a couple years ago.
I've also planted a couple smaller trees, and am less than 50% on getting them to last past year 2... Bigger trees have done better, but we're also about $300 a pop as well.
I'd recommend the EAB treatment if your trees are still in good shape. We can pay for the treatment about 6 times (18 years) before we get to the cost of removal.
Rainbow Treecare has us at $375 every 3 years for our largest ash, and $260 every 3 years for the smaller (but still large) one.
That's the tree company the city of Lakeville gave me. Though I was told it might be cheaper than that, cause the city has a deal with them. I guess I'll find out in the next 15-day window when they come out. Though I would still pay those prices every 2 or 3 years vs. losing the tree and paying for it to be cut down.
Quotes for tree removal have been insane. We lost a silver maple in a storm (struck by lightning and split in half), it was it between the two ash trees in size, and it was just shy of $2,200 for removal and stump grinding.
My dad has a dying 6' diameter willow in his back yard... The cheapest quote he has received for it to be removed was $8,000+ a couple years ago.
I'm in the wrong field... for those prices I should be lumberjack... lol!!!
Those prices are insane. $8,000 to remove a single tree?
20 years ago I worked with a guy that paid 12k to remove a large cotton wood between two houses. It took a crane to get that down and a crew for two days.
Depends on the age and type of the furnace/fan. Old and inefficient? (Mine) Lower and replacing often is recommended so you don’t burn out the motor. Could be tough to do to while trying to alleviate allergies, though.
Those prices are insane. $8,000 to remove a single tree?
It is a MASSIVE willow tree. It is also at the bottom of a pretty steep hill, and it will require a crane. Several places declined to even give a number, the ones who did likely priced it as a "we don't want to do this, but if you're willing to pay this much then we can figure out a way to get it done" type of thing.
@karlsson Furnace was replaced 10 years ago, along with the AC unit. I was thinking an "8"?
Do you have a 1" deep filter or is it a deeper filter? In my old furnace I tried to run a 10, and then an 8, and both had significant bowing to them when replaced after 3-4 months. I wouldn't recommend high MERV filters in a 1" (or less) deep format.
If my new furnace, it is a 4" deep filter, and I can run an 8 no problem, but still replace every 3 months. I tried a 10, but when I closed it up I could hear the fan shift to a higher speed to compensate for reduced airflow. Decided it wasn't worth it. If I switched to a 6 I could probably go 6 months but that is minimal cost savings.
@fightclub30 It is a 16"x20"x1" filter. I want to get the most efficient for cleaning, but not to the point of adversely restricting the air flow and taxing the motor
I have a new High efficiency furnace as of a year and a half ago. 1-inch filters that I use MERV 8 on. I leave the fan running 24/7 when I'm not out of town for an extended period, so my Nest thermostat pings me to swap filters about every 3 weeks, and there's always a noticeable bow in it when I swap, and can hear the airflow increase as soon as I pull it out (the new one swapping in decreases airflow a little, but not much).
I know the Nest thermostats remind to swap the filter based on how much the fan is running, so I just go off of that.
The relatively weak gust front we had last night was enough to take down a massive limb from one of the big maples I mentioned a while ago. I’m moving away from trying to save them, they are too big and too close to the house. Time to rip them out. I’m sick of being on pins and needles every time a thunderstorm wanders close. This is going to hurt the wallet. I have an appointment with rainbow to come out and look at them in a week that I made almost a month ago, they are that crazy busy. Thinking if I just want them taken down I should use someone cheaper.
The relatively weak gust front we had last night was enough to take down a massive limb from one of the big maples I mentioned a while ago. I’m moving away from trying to save them, they are too big and too close to the house. Time to rip them out. I’m sick of being on pins and needles every time a thunderstorm wanders close. This is going to hurt the wallet. I have an appointment with rainbow to come out and look at them in a week that I made almost a month ago, they are that crazy busy. Thinking if I just want them taken down I should use someone cheaper.
Rainbow has great service, but they charge a ton. I used them for some selective trimming of some large trees and they did great. But I am sure you can find a cheaper company to chop the trees down. Just make sure they have insurance.
My former neighbor wanted a tree cut down that was close to power lines. The power company came and cut them down below the height of the lines and he was able to do the rest on his own. It was a genius way to do it.
Ironically the neighbor behind him tried to cut their tree on their own and it landed on the power line and ripped main line out of their house....LOL. It caused an outage for the neighborhood and likely cost thousands of dollars to get a new line strung to the house. Another example of why these tree companies need insurance.
I couldn't find a better thread to put this in as I think the "...Dumb Question" thread is no longer around.
I'm on my 5th Subaru Legacy. The last three have had automatic transmission. They also have a sport shift mode where I can use paddle shifters on the steering wheel and use them to upshift/down shift if I move the the gear shift over to "manual mode".
I've never used this feature before. Anyone else have a similar feature and if so do you ever use it?
I have an HP laptop that's been idle for about a year. I've been thinking of gifting it to someone in need but would need to wipe it first. If it's been stored in a relatively dry and cool spot, should I have any concerns about firing it up again? Yes I know it would require software updates.
I couldn't find a better thread to put this in as I think the "...Dumb Question" thread is no longer around.
I'm on my 5th Subaru Legacy. The last three have had automatic transmission. They also have a sport shift mode where I can use paddle shifters on the steering wheel and use them to upshift/down shift if I move the the gear shift over to "manual mode".
I've never used this feature before. Anyone else have a similar feature and if so do you ever use it?
Yes, my Equinox has this, and other than testing it out right when I got the vehicle to see how it functioned, I've never used it.
I have an HP laptop that's been idle for about a year. I've been thinking of gifting it to someone in need but would need to wipe it first. If it's been stored in a relatively dry and cool spot, should I have any concerns about firing it up again? Yes I know it would require software updates.
I wouldn't have any concerns over turning it on, as long as it's stayed reasonably cool (like, under 130F) and hasn't gotten actually wet.
I couldn't find a better thread to put this in as I think the "...Dumb Question" thread is no longer around.
I'm on my 5th Subaru Legacy. The last three have had automatic transmission. They also have a sport shift mode where I can use paddle shifters on the steering wheel and use them to upshift/down shift if I move the the gear shift over to "manual mode".
I've never used this feature before. Anyone else have a similar feature and if so do you ever use it?
It's kind of fun to use, especially when I had my Acura TSX, it seemed to be about 30% of the fun of driving a manual. I used it a lot if/when driving in the mountains. Also in snow - but I didn't have AWD on the car so this may not help you.
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
it’s on eBay, the exact same one AND you can paint it with your kids! If the link doesn’t work for you, just go to eBay and search gopher garden statue. There’s several options.
Note: Due to inflation dirty deeds will no longer be done dirt cheap.
I couldn't find a better thread to put this in as I think the "...Dumb Question" thread is no longer around.
I'm on my 5th Subaru Legacy. The last three have had automatic transmission. They also have a sport shift mode where I can use paddle shifters on the steering wheel and use them to upshift/down shift if I move the the gear shift over to "manual mode".
I've never used this feature before. Anyone else have a similar feature and if so do you ever use it?
I don’t currently have a car with these, but have in that past. I gave them a go, but it just made me want a true three pedal manual more, so I didn’t use them often.
According to GM, most use them less than twice a year.
I couldn't find a better thread to put this in as I think the "...Dumb Question" thread is no longer around.
I'm on my 5th Subaru Legacy. The last three have had automatic transmission. They also have a sport shift mode where I can use paddle shifters on the steering wheel and use them to upshift/down shift if I move the the gear shift over to "manual mode".
I've never used this feature before. Anyone else have a similar feature and if so do you ever use it?
I don’t currently have a car with these, but have in that past. I gave them a go, but it just made me want a true three pedal manual more, so I didn’t use them often.
According to GM, most use them less than twice a year.
My Acura has these as well. I generally only use it for long descents in the mountains so I can keep it in 3rd or 4th gear and have less wear on my brakes.
Coming from a true manual it seems wrong to use it and I miss the clutch and shift sensation so it’s mostly useless to me when I drive around town.
'29, '40, '74, '76, '79, '02, & '03
GPL's Resident Cabin Enthusiast & Cadets Hockey Fan
I have the paddles option, but I figure a computer is smarter than I am, so I just go automatic. Yes, this statement is wide open for a tee-ball shot. 😉
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
I couldn't find a better thread to put this in as I think the "...Dumb Question" thread is no longer around.
I'm on my 5th Subaru Legacy. The last three have had automatic transmission. They also have a sport shift mode where I can use paddle shifters on the steering wheel and use them to upshift/down shift if I move the the gear shift over to "manual mode".
I've never used this feature before. Anyone else have a similar feature and if so do you ever use it?
I don’t currently have a car with these, but have in that past. I gave them a go, but it just made me want a true three pedal manual more, so I didn’t use them often.
According to GM, most use them less than twice a year.
My Acura has these as well. I generally only use it for long descents in the mountains so I can keep it in 3rd or 4th gear and have less wear on my brakes.
Coming from a true manual it seems wrong to use it and I miss the clutch and shift sensation so it’s mostly useless to me when I drive around town.
I don’t have this option but I can still drop my car into a lower gear for steep/long decents. The paddle shifting is a worthless gimmick.
I have the manual option on the gear shift itself. I can move the gear to the left, and in that mode I can manually change gears, which I'll often use in situations when I need to pass someone.
My house has some hail damage to the shingles, gutters and siding. My insurance company wants my contractor to patch everything. Though my contractor after taking off some shingles and siding can't color match and would it look odd to just to patch it with the closest match. So now it's a waiting game between my insurance company and the contractor going back and forth. I'm not in a big hurry, cause even with the hail damage, it's still a good roof. No leaks and the no significant shingles are wilting.
My big ash tree in the my backyard has EAB and is to far gone. Got 3 quotes to cut it down, haul it away and grind the stump. First quote was $1,500, second quote was $700 and the third quote said he would match the $700. All three said it would be a month or 2 out and my reply is no problem. I'll wait, cause the kid's tree swing uses that tree and I wait till fall. Though next spring I'll have build a swing frame.
My house has some hail damage to the shingles, gutters and siding. My insurance company wants my contractor to patch everything. Though my contractor after taking off some shingles and siding can't color match and would it look odd to just to patch it with the closest match. So now it's a waiting game between my insurance company and the contractor going back and forth. I'm not in a big hurry, cause even with the hail damage, it's still a good roof. No leaks and the no significant shingles are wilting.
we had a hail storm about 5 years ago that cause significant damage throughout the area. My siding was discontinued. The had the same color but different texture from the same company. My insurance thankfully paid for a complete residing. Many neighbors were not as lucky. They had patches which were slightly different color (non faded), in addition to having slightly different texture (vinyl).
An insulated, tempered glass garage door sounds like trouble to me. Looks nice, but way too much risk in my opinion. I don't like garage doors with two or three panes windows.
btw this what I went with and it's awesome. Plenty of space, I love the different compartments/features within, you can tell it's a quality made product and it's very light.
An insulated, tempered glass garage door sounds like trouble to me. Looks nice, but way too much risk in my opinion. I don't like garage doors with two or three panes windows.
This would warm my garage up very nicely in the winter!, but turn it into an oven in the summer.
I would not want people being able to see into my garage. Too much stuff in there to look organized. I also don't want people to see what valuables I may have and where they are kept. Cleaning would be a pain in the ass. I don't think I want people knowing when cars are both gone either. Too many cons.
The garage door we had growing up had 2 similar windows about eye level. To no one’s surprise, we broke them quite a bit. Hockey sticks, pucks, balls, being kids. They weren’t as strong as one would think. Just know that if you get a garage door with glass windows, you will have to replace them at some point.
I would not want people being able to see into my garage. Too much stuff in there to look organized. I also don't want people to see what valuables I may have and where they are kept. Cleaning would be a pain in the ass. I don't think I want people knowing when cars are both gone either. Too many cons.
Ding, ding, ding... Same. I wouldn't wanting people driving past to see what all I have in valuables in my garage. And if I have one, two or two vehicles in their stalls. Plus the cleaning and worry about a kids running into the glass and getting hurt. Yep... way too may cons.
The garage door we had growing up had 2 similar windows about eye level. To no one’s surprise, we broke them quite a bit. Hockey sticks, pucks, balls, being kids. They weren’t as strong as one would think. Just know that if you get a garage door with glass windows, you will have to replace them at some point.
We had a single stall garage with 3 panes of glass growing up. And I would practice pitching with baseballs if I had a catcher or tennis balls if I didn't in the driveway with the garage door as the backstop. I think I broke a pane once. Had to pay for it, so I was A LOT more careful not pitching... LoL!!!
