The Home Improvement Thread

[Bammer]

I typically get a statement in about September/October from my mortgage company wanting a check to cover my escrow shortage for the year; typically a couple hundred dollars.
Imagine my surprise when I got my statement today. Imagine my double surprise when I saw that my shortage this year is $836, almost entirely because of a local tax increase.
Of course that means my mortgage is going to increase as well.

Why would your mortgage increase?

If you roll your property taxes into your monthly mortgage payment it translates this way. It’s a half accurate statement. (As opposed to paying tax directly every 6 months … at least that’s how it is done here)

[Chris_H_2]

I typically get a statement in about September/October from my mortgage company wanting a check to cover my escrow shortage for the year; typically a couple hundred dollars.
Imagine my surprise when I got my statement today. Imagine my double surprise when I saw that my shortage this year is $836, almost entirely because of a local tax increase.
Of course that means my mortgage is going to increase as well.

Why would your mortgage increase?

If you roll your property taxes into your monthly mortgage payment it translates this way. It’s a half accurate statement. (As opposed to paying tax directly every 6 months … at least that’s how it is done here)

I understand the mechanics. But the phrase "increase as well" distinguishes the two and makes it sound like both the taxes have increased and the mortgage will increase (hence my question).

[Bammer]

I typically get a statement in about September/October from my mortgage company wanting a check to cover my escrow shortage for the year; typically a couple hundred dollars.
Imagine my surprise when I got my statement today. Imagine my double surprise when I saw that my shortage this year is $836, almost entirely because of a local tax increase.
Of course that means my mortgage is going to increase as well.

Why would your mortgage increase?

If you roll your property taxes into your monthly mortgage payment it translates this way. It’s a half accurate statement. (As opposed to paying tax directly every 6 months … at least that’s how it is done here)

I understand the mechanics. But the phrase "increase as well" distinguishes the two and makes it sound like both the taxes have increased and the mortgage will increase (hence my question).

I don’t have time to sit here and explain all of Biff’s shortcomings, OK?

[Chris_H_2]

I typically get a statement in about September/October from my mortgage company wanting a check to cover my escrow shortage for the year; typically a couple hundred dollars.
Imagine my surprise when I got my statement today. Imagine my double surprise when I saw that my shortage this year is $836, almost entirely because of a local tax increase.
Of course that means my mortgage is going to increase as well.

Why would your mortgage increase?

If you roll your property taxes into your monthly mortgage payment it translates this way. It’s a half accurate statement. (As opposed to paying tax directly every 6 months … at least that’s how it is done here)

I understand the mechanics. But the phrase "increase as well" distinguishes the two and makes it sound like both the taxes have increased and the mortgage will increase (hence my question).

I don’t have time to sit here and explain all of Biff’s shortcomings, OK?

valiant effort though

[Self]

Thought I had to replace the flush handle on the toilet. The plastic nut had worked itself off and when I tried to put it back on, it wouldn't go. Stripped, dry rotted, whatever. Brought home the replacement, and the same thing. wtf. Reverse threads. They always get me.

[Mickey]

for ants, i've used the Max Force gel

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BS ... UTF8&psc=1

and the Advion

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TX ... UTF8&psc=1

both were used outdoors and knocked out the colony by like 90%

they came back

but it was outdoors, so a little ambitious to think it could take them down forever

they were living under my pavers and then coming up between the cracks (eventually i just sealed the pavers... they are probably living it up underneath now)

there were shitloads of them though, and it really did level them for a while

if you are doing indoors, will prob finish the job

some people suggest using both bc some ants respond to one more over the other

Cool, I'll try them both. We did Raid traps (totally ignored) and Terro baits (feasting on them for a week now but to no effect). I think they're coming from both out back and the house next door so I'm a little limited in where I can place bait but hopefully this helps.

Forgot to respond but Advion totally worked

[96583UP]

F*ck yeah

[wease]

Just finished the second (and last) coat in the oldest Weaseling’s room. Tomorrow will be changing out the light fixture in her room. Never done that before.

[wease]

Finally got the light fixture switched out. Got the huge fucking mirror hung in the dining room. Now getting ready to start to put together a wall mounted floating desk. Which I have no choice in doing now because Mrs Wease decided to unpack the whole goddamn thing and now every piece to it is lying somewhere.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Pete

[Norah]

what?

[Bammer]

just ordered replacement filters for the vent our 2010 microwave

BALLER

[Strat]

How tall can i let my rose bushes grow?

[E.H. Ruddock]

Kinda depends on the variety but a general rule of thumb is about chest high

[wease]

Had a guy come out to start refinishing the floors in the three upstairs bedrooms. Two were wood floors and the other had carpet. The flooring guy was going to remove the carpet and he asked us what was under it. We told him we didn’t know so he pulled a corner up and underneath was that pressboard subflooring. So the plan was for him to pull that carpet and just lay new wood flooring on top of that. Mrs Wease did not like that plan. It bothered her all day. He went ahead and started sanding the other two rooms and after he left for the day, Mrs Wease went to work. (More accurately put me to work). So we peeled back a significant section of the carpet and started pulling up that pressboard subfloor to see what was underneath. Her suspicions were confirmed. It was the same wood floor as the other two rooms. That’s when the job got tougher. We went ahead and pulled the carpet and I set about pulling up the subfloor. After making little progress in three hours due to the subfloor being glued down, please finally texted the floor guy and told him of our discovery and basically begged him to finish pulling it up. He said “sure”. Relief. The next day after he got all of the sub pulled there were patchwork boards that had to be replaced and to replace them we’d need to have a framer come in and do some work. We told him fine and he went ahead and finished the other two rooms and they look fucking great. we’re ready to move stuff back in them today. The framer came yesterday and did his work so we’re hoping floor guy can come back and finish the last room next week but it’s dependent on his schedule.

[wease]

Here’s one of the rooms after he replaced some boards but before the refinishing.



And here it is finished.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Looks good.

The guys doing our floors this week are taking their time. I swear they only got the upstairs hallway done yesterday and nothing else. Good thing they charge by the square foot and not the hour.

[wease]

Thanks. It’s hard to believe these floors are 118 years old. But they’re supposed to be the ones that were built with the house in 1903. We have no real way of verifying it of course, but I guess we have no real reason to doubt it either.

[washing machine]

About to drop $99/month on termite prevention service. We don't have termites but we've got a wood house with a crawlspace. Suddenly, overnight, termites are a big fear for at least one of us in the home...

Feels like a good investment but man it sucks watching money debit from your account for preventative anything.