Custom homes discussions and local services.
joshua_chef
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RE: If you had to rig up your own home security on a tight budget, what would you do?
Honestly, I think you nailed it with the longer screws and the rebar trick. When I moved in, the first thing I did was walk around with a screwdriver and just tightened everything up - door hinges, strike plates, even wi...
RE: When “Smart” Devices Aren’t So Smart After All
WHEN “SMART” DEVICES AREN’T SO SMART AFTER ALL I totally get that - my first attempt at automating the house was a bit of a letdown too. I mapped out everything, set up routines, but then the WiFi would drop or the app ...
RE: Switching to energy-saving bulbs: how many of your lights are actually LEDs?
I get what you mean about the “clinical” feel, even with the lower-K LEDs. I swapped out all my bedroom bulbs to 2200K LEDs and while they look warm, there’s something about the way shadows fall that just feels off. I di...
RE: Cramped spaces and weird tile choices - anyone else?
I get where you’re coming from, but I actually had decent luck with the stick-on tiles in my pantry - not much heat or steam there though. For laundry areas, I’d go with a floating vinyl plank floor. It’s not too pricey,...
RE: Casting vs injection molding - which method works better?
Casting vs Injection Molding - Which Method Works Better? Totally get this. I tried injection molding for some custom cabinet pulls and the prep took way longer than I expected. If you’re only making a handful, castin...
RE: No more dead zones: how I got wifi in my backyard shed
NO MORE DEAD ZONES: HOW I GOT WIFI IN MY BACKYARD SHED I went the conduit route, but only because I’m paranoid about squirrels and shovels. It was a pain - trenching, gluing, all that jazz - but now I don’t worry about ...
RE: Smart home ecosystems worth checking out
Standardizing was a game changer for me too, but I’ll admit, I got a little stubborn at first and tried to make everything “talk” to each other. Ended up with a Frankenstein setup - some stuff on Zigbee, some on WiFi, an...
RE: No more dead zones: how I got wifi in my backyard shed
That’s exactly what I was thinking when I ran ethernet out to my shed. I used direct-burial Cat6, but I also wrapped it in conduit just in case - probably overkill, but I didn’t want to dig it up again. Six inches deep w...
RE: Anyone else feel awkward talking to their TV?
That’s been my experience too, especially when I first moved in and set everything up. I was excited about the idea of telling the TV to pause or dim the lights without moving, but it didn’t quite go as planned. The firs...
RE: Anyone else feel awkward talking to their TV?
I totally get the awkwardness you're feeling. When I first moved into my new place, I splurged on one of those smart TVs with voice control built-in. Thought it'd be cool to just say "Netflix" or "volume up," but honestl...
RE: Digging into property easements - anyone else find online tools confusing?
Yeah, ran into something similar when we were planning our custom build. The online easement maps were way off - like, several feet off. Ended up having to physically go down to city hall, request the official plat maps,...
RE: Appraisal came in lower than expected - now what?
Had a similar issue when we built our place - installed triple-pane windows and a rainwater harvesting system, but the appraiser barely noticed. One thing that helped was providing a short, clear list of features with ap...