What was your last home project and what is your next home project?

[Fallen Kell]

Gotta hand mix 6 80# bags of concrete in the morning.

Maybe 2-3 more for another project if I get to it, but that may wait for a different day.

Go to your local tool rental place and rent a small cement mixer. Your back and arms will thank me later. Seriously this is the best $60-100 you will spend. If you were doing a bigger project, I would suggest just buying a small one, and clean it up good each day and simply resell it once you are done....

 

[Greenman]

Well, it depends more on the age of the house as to if they sealed behind the brick or not. Modern construction, there should be a seal, but older construction had it all much more open for air flow to occur which would allow the moisture that will go through the brick and mortar to be able to be dried out with the airflow so that moisture would not build up behind the brick and on any wood touching the brick preventing the mold and dry rot that would occur.

I know a bit about home construction.
This place is 2.5 years old and had some shitty subs. The HVAC and electrical contractors were on the ball, the masons just barely cracked acceptable, drywall crew and framers were good enough. The painters were third generation "I don't give a fuck".
That said, I don't know if the house wrap was correctly installed and sealed at the bottom. Clearly the superintendent never walked through this place, so there really isn't any way to tell what's behind the brick.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Go to your local tool rental place and rent a small cement mixer. Your back and arms will thank me later. Seriously this is the best $60-100 you will spend. If you were doing a bigger project, I would suggest just buying a small one, and clean it up good each day and simply resell it once you are done....

It'll take more time to rent the mixer than just doing it by hand. 6 bags isn't much. Just mix 2 bags at a time in a wheel barrow. Should be done in under an hour. Less if a second person helps.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

3 bags each mix. First batch in a wheelbarrow, but due to unlevel ground, it almost tipped over twice. Second and third batches got mixed in an FEL bucket on a small tractor.

Took all 9 bags though, so now I don't have any for the other project until I go to town again next week.



Why does it take so much more water to rinse the bucket and tools than it did to mix the goo?

 

[jmagg]

3 - 80lb bags in a wheelbarrow is impressive. You're hired.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Yeah I was recently mixing 60lb bags for deck piers and doing 3 bags at a time. It was a pain to mix and move it around at the time. I switched to just two bags and it wasn't really any slower since you could work it faster.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Week or so back, I put up about 30' of gutter guard. Ran out and had to get some more. Planned on doing it this morning. Got out there, got ready, looked at the ladder .... NOPE.

Just not in the mood.

'Nother day.

 

[Red Squirrel]

This was project I started last year and neglected while working on other projects. Finally finished my wood storage shelter, which will also add 1kw worth of solar to my shed on top of the existing 400. I still need to do all the wiring for that but at least the panels are in place now so I can start storing firewood there.

Still may do a few finishing touches to it like extra bracing and might add another coat of paint but I consider it more or less done.

End goal with the solar is to add some automation so I can transfer some house loads like server room to solar based on the battery voltage as well as have the inverter automatically turn off or on based on the voltage. Right now everything is manual and if I neglect to take a load off it will just completely kill the battery. These panels face west which is not ideal but best I could do with layout of my yard. I purposely put them more flat so they will at least get sun for most of the day just not at optimal angle. Got them for super cheap last year from a solar farm. They are 225w each but degraded slightly so probably closer to 200w. I have 4 brand new 320w panels I was debating on using but figured I'll save those for my off grid property.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Last 3 - 1/2 pieces of gutter guard are up. Used 1/4" hardware cloth (why don't they just call it screening?) cut to 1 foot strips to stuff up under the edge of the metal roofing.

Mowed a bit ... really more like chopping leaves.

Cut off a couple of stumps closer to the ground to hasten rotting over the winter.

 

[Paperdoc]

"Mowed a bit ... really more like chopping leaves."

I have a different fall routine. The Leaf Blower I have is designed so that a simple move of a baffle converts it to a leaf VACUUM that shreds the leaves (as they pass though the blower impeller) and blows them into a collection bag. So I do not merely scatter them elsewhere. Chopped leaves pack more densely than whole leaves. I use these mounded over plants as a mulch to protect from winter freezing damage. In the SPRING they are partially degraded. I remove them and they go in Yard Waste Bags to the city's mass composting facility. I don't have my own composter. Our yard has lots of trees, so lots of leaves.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Oh man I would have loved a leaf vacuum when I had a big tree. Although there are years where I didn't even bother to rake at all and just mowed over all the leaves to shred them. The snow packs down the leaves and by spring they are basically a mush that just disintegrates and becomes part of the soil.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Mom drops 'em, Mom can clean 'em up.

Some of them get chopped/blown along the fence lines to tamp down weed growth, the rest get blowed away by Mom's cold Winter breath out into the acres of fields beyond the fences.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Might have saved myself a Benny and a Quarter. I've been eyeing one of these:

Amazon.com: 3-in-1 Electric Pruner Kit for Tree Trimming & Garden Work, Cordless Chainsaw & Shears with 8ft Telescopic Pole, 6-Inch Blade, 2 Batteries, SK5 Steel, Red – Ideal for Seasonal Yard Maintenance : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com: 3-in-1 Electric Pruner Kit for Tree Trimming & Garden Work, Cordless Chainsaw & Shears with 8ft Telescopic Pole, 6-Inch Blade, 2 Batteries, SK5 Steel, Red – Ideal for Seasonal Yard Maintenance : Patio, Lawn & Garden

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com : Electric Pruner Kit for Tree Trimming & Garden Maintenance, 3-in-1 Cordless Chainsaw & Shears Set with 8ft Extension Pole, 2×21V Batteries, Blue, for Homeowners & Yard Work, SK5 Steel Blades : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com : Electric Pruner Kit for Tree Trimming & Garden Maintenance, 3-in-1 Cordless Chainsaw & Shears Set with 8ft Extension Pole, 2×21V Batteries, Blue, for Homeowners & Yard Work, SK5 Steel Blades : Patio, Lawn & Garden

www.amazon.com

I've got a few hundred feet of heavily overgrown hedge that I need to cut back this year, down to about 2-3 feet above ground so it will get a new start next year.

Much of it is too big around for the hedge trimmer, so I need to do it some other way.

I've seen lots of pole saws (even have a couple) and extended shears/loppers, but always one or the other, never both combined. Not wild about no-name battery tools though, so have been holding off. Almost bit overnight, but decided to try with what I have.

Went at it with a regular chain saw to gnaw through most of it. Used an extendable lopper to cut what bounced around too much for the saw.

Got enough done to know I can do it without spending the bux.

 

[Paperdoc]

Our lot is smallish (33' x 155') with lots of trees and shrubs. Lots of snow in the winter, and cannot park on the street in winter so parking is off the back lane at rear of our lot.

I'm sort of old-school, and have accumulated many tools one at a time over the years. For yard work almost all power tools are corded electric. (Exception is my snowblower, a gas Ariens 24" wide unit because sometimes I need to clear the width of the back lane over 200 ft long to the end street, and an extension cord and small snow thrower would never do that!) My mower, weed trimmer and hedge trimmer all are corded electric. In the Pruning Dept. I have two common garden pruning shears, two loppers (the better one has telescoping handles for extra leverage on heavy branches), a reciprocating saw with a long woodcutting blade, a telescopic pruning pole with manual rope-and-levered shearing jaw on top and a removable curved saw blade that is remarkably sharp and does the job well, and an electric chain saw. That latter is suitable for something 6" (maybe 8 to 9"), but it is NOT what any pro woddcutter would use. I'm not a pro! So with all those and a couple ladders I can handle most pruning jobs in the yard.

This summer we had an unusual downburst wind that snapped off a large Black Spruce tree (maybe 20" at base, over 50' tall) in the neighbour's yard and two large branches of cedars in our yard. I trimmed many of the fallen branches, but the main tree next door and our cedar pieces were hung up on other trees and too large (and hazardous!) for an amateur. Both of us hired pro tree contractors who really knew how to handle those for us, chipping much of the material into a truck for disposal.

 

[BoomerD]

Our lot is smallish (33' x 155') with lots of trees and shrubs. Lots of snow in the winter, and cannot park on the street in winter so parking is off the back lane at rear of our lot.

I'm sort of old-school, and have accumulated many tools one at a time over the years. For yard work almost all power tools are corded electric. (Exception is my snowblower, a gas Ariens 24" wide unit because sometimes I need to clear the width of the back lane over 200 ft long to the end street, and an extension cord and small snow thrower would never do that!) My mower, weed trimmer and hedge trimmer all are corded electric. In the Pruning Dept. I have two common garden pruning shears, two loppers (the better one has telescoping handles for extra leverage on heavy branches), a reciprocating saw with a long woodcutting blade, a telescopic pruning pole with manual rope-and-levered shearing jaw on top and a removable curved saw blade that is remarkably sharp and does the job well, and an electric chain saw. That latter is suitable for something 6" (maybe 8 to 9"), but it is NOT what any pro woddcutter would use. I'm not a pro! So with all those and a couple ladders I can handle most pruning jobs in the yard.

This summer we had an unusual downburst wind that snapped off a large Black Spruce tree (maybe 20" at base, over 50' tall) in the neighbour's yard and two large branches of cedars in our yard. I trimmed many of the fallen branches, but the main tree next door and our cedar pieces were hung up on other trees and too large (and hazardous!) for an amateur. Both of us hired pro tree contractors who really knew how to handle those for us, chipping much of the material into a truck for disposal.

I have a small (12”?) Dewalt 20v chain saw. Handles most of what I need. I have a corded Milwaukee Sawzall and assortment of blades for things I don’t want to stick the chainsaw into. (Buried roots) i have a VERY old (20+years old) corded B&D hedge trimmer. It gets used occasionally. The most handy thing I have, I just bought. Dewalt 20v pruner. That sumbitch cuts quickly and cleanly, rated for up to 1.5”, and will take off a finger in the blink of an eye.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Started working on garage again. Ran 6/3 cable from basement all the way to garage through preinstalled conduits coming through the floor, installed insulation and partially installed vapour barrier so I can put in the plywood and new sub panel. There will also be an automation cabinet there as some circuits will have automation, such as Christmas lights, outdoor lighting, the block heater outlet, heat in garage, etc. I was originally going to put the panel at the far end where the cable actually comes in from the ground, but I want to put wall to wall tool cabinets there. This location is where the garage door opens and naturally I will never want to put anything permanent there, so figured it's ideal. Kind of out of the way of where I may potentially want to put a workbench or cabinets etc.

It was getting late and I was at a stage that will require a dremel to make the knockout for the 6/3 cable slightly bigger which might get loud so will continue tomorrow and finish terminating the 6/3 cable. The next size up on the panel was too big. I will require a main panel upgrade to terminate that cable at the other end since I have no physical space in my existing panel, so will deal with that another time. For now I just want to finish up electrical and terminate everything to that panel. Once I'm done all electrical and no longer need access to ceiling I will start insulating up there. That was always the primary goal but all these steps had to be done first. Did security cameras and a bunch of other electrical previously such as soffit Christmas light outlets.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Our lot is smallish (33' x 155') with lots of trees and shrubs. Lots of snow in the winter, and cannot park on the street in winter so parking is off the back lane at rear of our lot.

I'm sort of old-school, and have accumulated many tools one at a time over the years. For yard work almost all power tools are corded electric.

I've got somewhere around 4 acres or so. Hard to get a real number due to the odd lines.


Almost everything other than the riding mowers and tractor are 40V Ryobi. Chain saw, hedger trimmers, push mower, pole saw, etc.

Does everything I need including cutting down small trees. Chainsaw did a lot better than I expected taking out 200' of hedge. Still have another 50' to go though.

 

[Greenman]

I have a small (12”?) Dewalt 20v chain saw. Handles most of what I need. I have a corded Milwaukee Sawzall and assortment of blades for things I don’t want to stick the chainsaw into. (Buried roots) i have a VERY old (20+years old) corded B&D hedge trimmer. It gets used occasionally. The most handy thing I have, I just bought. Dewalt 20v pruner. That sumbitch cuts quickly and cleanly, rated for up to 1.5”, and will take off a finger in the blink of an eye.

I recently met a woman that took of the end of her finger with that tool. She said it was literally the blink of an eye, and shortly after that a lot of pain.

 

[Red Squirrel]

More or less finished the decking for my firewood storage area, just need to screw in the boards but was running out of daylight. This is mostly just chainsaw work (didn't feel like taking the mitre saw out lol) and eyeballing, didn't put too much time on it, just want it done so I can properly store my firewood and this is better to walk on than pallets. Turned out half decent actually considering it took less than an hour.

I'm bad for jumping all over the place on projects, and also waiting last minute... right now it's crunch time trying to get all projects done that are weather dependent. Suppose to rain tomorrow so figured that will be a better time to continue inside garage and may as well get this deck done while I could today.

 

[iRONic]

Are those deck boards butted right up against each other? It’s hard to tell on this phone.

 

[Red Squirrel]

They're spaced out a little. Will have to adjust them slightly when I screw them in. I got lucky with fitment, didn't need to rip any.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Screwed down the rest and started stacking some of my firewood that I have lying around the yard just to get a feel for it. This will be next year's since this wood sat in the rain all summer, some of it for multiple years. I plan to buy a seasoned cord this year to get me by and will store that up front and I have room for 1 face cord in the basement. I can finally cleanup the "temporary" pile out that's been between the shed and house now.

I don't expect this to be 100% water tight especially from driving rain but it should at least help keep the majority of the rain off the wood at least.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Shuffling stuff around from place to place in the garage.

Decided that old peanut butter jars are just about ideal for small screws, wire nuts and a host of other stuff.

Needed a small shelf/tray type of thing under a workbench. 99% sure I have a set of drawer sliders around here somewhere, but cant find them. Not even sure they're the right length.

Ended up going the old way ... wood rails, stops and anti-tip out guides. Used thumbtacks on the bottom of the drawer sides to aid in gliding.

$0 cost since it was all bits and pieces of wood I had left over from other projects.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Last home project: overhauling the guest room into a mini photography studio (plus guest room).

New project: selling the house.

Got a new job and need to move. Luckily the new job is in a lower cost area. I can sell my house and use the profits to buy a new house with little or no balance. Saves me 25 years of mortgage payments.

 

[Paperdoc]

Small "project" done today. It was time for the yearly fall preventive maintenance on my snowblower - oil change, grease and oil and fresh gas, adjust control cables, etc. But since the unit is well over 10 years old I decided to replace the rubber-covered wheel inside that is part of the wheel drive and speed selection system. As I suspected, the rubber on it was well worn (leading to slipping and weaker drive force), so I'm hoping for better performance in deep snow this winter.