Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house? | Page 225 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house?

mimico_polak said:
I can ask around @nobbie48 as some friends have had their roofs done for decent pricing recently. Typically by some good Ukrainians and top notch work.

Let me know.

As for me…BIL decided to add a basketball court to their pool installation scope so I was taking apart the swing set today and loading it up. Too heavy to lift the main piece so they’ll just get the crew to load it on the trailer tomorrow with the forklift and I’ll strap it down.

Hopefully the Volt can tow it no issue as it’s gonna have a new home at the cottage.

EDIT: @nobbie48 one problem is that your area is very nice…talked to some buddies previously and nice neighbourhoods get an automatic 20-40% bump in price…because ‘the people can afford it.’
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The sales rep was very pleasant but yeah I think a bit too elite for me. I don't need a 50 year roof or bragging rights. If selling few people are impressed by the name of the roofer

There's only one panel of the roof that worries me and I'll do an overlay myself if I need to get a few more years out of the existing one. Shingles and nails would only run $400 or so.

So many prices have gone nuts with covid. I can see some people wanting to make up for losses, others trying to bank for another potential lock down. Some people have done really well with covid and don't want to go back to their pre-covid incomes.

Apparently our house was $23,000 when it was built in 1960. Now that's a replacement roof?

I wonder how many real estate reps are seeing diminishing paycheques and increasing mortgages.
 
Mad Mike said:
250k btu off a 50kbtu heatpump would be 5 hrs x 2.7 kw = 13.5kwh of electricity at approx .13/kwh. $1.75. Gas is about
.01/1000 BTUs so 250k would cost $2.50.

Now the average July temp in barrie on is 68f. You need 10btus/hr/degree/sq' of surface area to maintain temp. Typical 16x32 is sound 500sq' and typical pool temp is 80. So 500sq'x10btux24hrx12degrees = 1400000btu/day. That means a 50kw heater won't turn off.

You must have a solar blanket or smaller pool.
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I based this round of cost by looking at the hourly energy usage. There are some hours that at $0.22 higher than most others. On nights it was cold, there are few low hours and most hover at the higher line. For gas $0.27/cu m. Energy content is ~35k btu/ cu m. Your $.01/ 1000 btu seems reasonable on the surface but by the time you add delivery and carbon tax you are about 0.70 to 0.80/ cu m (about $0.03/1000 btu). Heater is <80% efficient so it is burning about 20% more btu than make it to the pool. So that gets us to 250k*1.2*0.75/35k =$6.40 per 250k into the pool.

Both a solar blanket and a bit smaller pool (400 sq ft). Decent sun so it can easily go up a few degrees during the day from passive solar.
 
Trying my hand at interlocking the front walkway. 12x26' section I priced out materials to $3000 delivered. Maybe another $100 to rent a plate compactor for a few days. I did get a couple pricings done by "professionals" that were in the $10,000 range. Nah it's a 1-day job I'll pick away at over 2-3 days myself and I've noticed many of the "Pro Landscapers" out there these days are like painters (no job, no skills, heck they're a professional painter/landscaper now!).
 
@nobbie , call a couple other quotes on your roof , yours is about the same sq ft as mine and I was just under 10 , in Oakville . I used Cherry & Hoyle , I don’t know if they work in your area but I was very satisfied in the end .
Yes the “location” tax is real, but someone will do it fairly.


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
 
Hardwrkr13 said:
Trying my hand at interlocking the front walkway. 12x26' section I priced out materials to $3000 delivered. Maybe another $100 to rent a plate compactor for a few days. I did get a couple pricings done by "professionals" that were in the $10,000 range. Nah it's a 1-day job I'll pick away at over 2-3 days myself and I've noticed many of the "Pro Landscapers" out there these days are like painters (no job, no skills, heck they're a professional painter/landscaper now!).
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I was talking to a guy that did his own and spent the day compacting. A neighbour had theirs done by pros and they did a quick pass of the tamper plate. Five years later the "Pro" job had settled and the amateur job was still flat.

Are you using screenings or HPB (High Performance Base)?

Screenings are easier IMO to work with but HPD drains better and the pavers are less likely to deteriorate over a few decades. HPB doesn't compact like screenings so it's a pain to keep the contour.
 
GreyGhost said:
I based this round of cost by looking at the hourly energy usage. There are some hours that at $0.22 higher than most others. On nights it was cold, there are few low hours and most hover at the higher line. For gas $0.27/cu m. Energy content is ~35k btu/ cu m. Your $.01/ 1000 btu seems reasonable on the surface but by the time you add delivery and carbon tax you are about 0.70 to 0.80/ cu m (about $0.03/1000 btu). Heater is <80% efficient so it is burning about 20% more btu than make it to the pool. So that gets us to 250k*1.2*0.75/35k =$6.40 per 250k into the pool.

Both a solar blanket and a bit smaller pool (400 sq ft). Decent sun so it can easily go up a few degrees during the day from passive solar.
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I think we were both off on the gas cost calc. My current cost is .52/m3 (.277 for gas, .097 Trudeau Carb tax, .147 delivery). or about . No matter how you slice it, a heat pump appears to have leapfrogged natural gas. I'm sold, it's only going to get better when overnight electricity goes to .02/kwh. I didn't proof this graphic, but I'm guessing it's fairly close.

1657197340406.png
 
BIL is putting in the pool and he said they went gas...but hasn't considered the cost of gas v electric / heat pump as frankly...he's fairly well off and doesn't worry about such things.

Spent 15k on a pool cover with auto retract and such.

Recommendations on a robot for the pool cleaning? He said it's running around $1500 or so for a decent one but doesn't know well enough which to choose.

On another note, any HVAC can chime in....

I've got an old (10-15years) A/C up at the cottage that's just been sitting in the basement untouched. Wondering if it's worth exploring installing it...or it's junk after all this time (hoses / lines crumbling / efficiency / etc.).

Thoughts?
 
[QUOTE="mimico_polak, post: 2845964, member: note, any HVAC can chime in....

I've got an old (10-15years) A/C up at the cottage that's just been sitting in the basement untouched. Wondering if it's worth exploring installing it...or it's junk after all this time (hoses / lines crumbling / efficiency / etc.).

Thoughts?
[/QUOTE]
Efficiency will suck relative to a new one. Grab a model number next time you are up. That will give us size, seer and sound level. I wouldnt pay for installation on equipment that old. Although HVAC's not that hard, installing it yourself without a license is strongly frowned upon.
 

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nobbie48 said:
Good day: I cleaned up the bits of concrete rubble, taking them to the dump and picked up a few rolls of sod to fill in where all the junk was. Now to get rid of the composter.

Bad news: I got a price on re-shingling the roof, side split with an actual area of 1600 SF but needing a bunch to cover hips etc. It was done in 2005 for $3900. Inflation since then has been ~30% so one would think a little over $5000.

I braced for $10-12 K. Gobsmacked at $19 K plus tax, $22 K.

There's a couple of grand in vent improvements but I'm balking at all the special membranes that I've never had or needed. The shingles are heavy and come from the USA so transportation and rate of exchange affect the price.

The spec looks like something Holmes would write.

Why are there millions of houses still standing that never had all the goodies?
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Roofers are like many industries -- in short supply and therefore selling only premium products at premium prices -- they don't need the utility jobs right now. I got a couple of quotes a few weeks ago, the companies would only provide a guarantee if I bought their shingles, felts, ice demand vents etc. for a simple 1000sq' roof I had quotes between $3,600 and $13,000.
 
mimico_polak said:
It's a little unclear but:

- Model: AG018GB3
- Serial: L971668531

EDIT: I told my dad to scrap it...but he thinks it's still usable (I don't).

EDIT2: Looks like manufacture date is the 16th week of 1997....
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10 SEER, R22, 1.5 ton. Is it new or used? If it doesn't have the charge trapped in it, it is definitely scrap as a full charge of R22 is expensive. Hell, I'm not sure a licensed tech could even install an R22 system anymore.
 
GreyGhost said:
10 SEER, R22, 1.5 ton. Is it new or used? If it doesn't have the charge trapped in it, it is definitely scrap as a full charge of R22 is expensive. Hell, I'm not sure a licensed tech could even install an R22 system anymore.
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$hit totally forgot that R22 is no longer used and has been replaced with a new type. I remember we used to convert R22 Jaguars to whatever the new fluid was that wasn't as bad for the environment.

I think it's used but it's been so long I couldn't know for sure.

We have only the window air conditioner up there, and it's def not up to the task...but to put in a new air conditioner for a few times per year seems wasteful.
 
mimico_polak said:
$hit totally forgot that R22 is no longer used and has been replaced with a new type. I remember we used to convert R22 Jaguars to whatever the new fluid was that wasn't as bad for the environment.

I think it's used but it's been so long I couldn't know for sure.

We have only the window air conditioner up there, and it's def not up to the task...but to put in a new air conditioner for a few times per year seems wasteful.
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If it were me, I would buy a mini-split for ~$1000. Vacuum down the lines, pump off for a while to check for leaks and then purge with nitrogen and vacuum three times, then open the valves on the condenser. Bingo, bango, good enough a/c done. On the upside, most are heat pumps as well so heating bill is also reduced. You don't really need to triple evacuate if you get the vacuum low enough but I assume you won't have a micron gauge nor the healthiest vacuum pump in the world as a home gamer.
 
mimico_polak said:
$hit totally forgot that R22 is no longer used and has been replaced with a new type. I remember we used to convert R22 Jaguars to whatever the new fluid was that wasn't as bad for the environment.

I think it's used but it's been so long I couldn't know for sure.

We have only the window air conditioner up there, and it's def not up to the task...but to put in a new air conditioner for a few times per year seems wasteful.
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R22 was replaced by R134a which has been replaced by R1234-YF. IIRC US is no longer allowed to produce or import R22 but they can legally use up the supply that is stockpiled. Not sure about canadian details.
 
GreyGhost said:
If it were me, I would buy a mini-split for ~$1000. Vacuum down the lines, pump off for a while to check for leaks and then purge with nitrogen and vacuum three times, then open the valves on the condenser. Bingo, bango, good enough a/c done. On the upside, most are heat pumps as well so heating bill is also reduced. You don't really need to triple evacuate if you get the vacuum low enough but I assume you won't have a micron gauge nor the healthiest vacuum pump in the world as a home gamer.
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If it was my cottage...I'd probably do the same. But it's not, so need to run with parents' wishes.
 
GreyGhost said:
To support your position, find someone with a license to tell you if R22 system can be installed. I suspect the answer is no. Job done, A/C scrap.
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Now dad wants to know if you can just fill it with R134 and bingo bango lol....
 
Not a recommendation but that refrigerant they sell in the automotive sections of PA. CTC etc. called R12a etc. is mostly propane.... and it will get things way colder than any of the classic refrigerants.... lots of cars running around with it, never heard of anyone using it at home....
 
backmarkerducati said:
Not a recommendation but that refrigerant they sell in the automotive sections of PA. CTC etc. called R12a etc. is mostly propane.... and it will get things way colder than any of the classic refrigerants.... lots of cars running around with it, never heard of anyone using it at home....
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Insurance would hate you so much if they found out you installed your own A/C using a flammable refrigerant and it burned the place down. Now, I'm not sure how they would conclude that but the risk is there.
 
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