Let's assume you can save $10,000 to do it yourself. If you could do it yourself in 10 days you're in essence paying yourself a grand a day. What side gig could you do that would pay you that or even half that with little risk?
If the grand a day is a tempting saving consider that a WSIB certified contractor assume the risks if someone gets hurt. How's a broken arm going to affect your short and long term life? What if it's a friend that falls or throws out his back? $10,000 doesn't go far.
The small section I did has me aching and burnt and bruised. Today is a write off and probably tomorrow. Theoretically I could buy another 45 bundles of shingles and do the rest of the house but there is a difference between a challenge and a suicide mission.
Side gigs are interesting but I don't tolerate fools gladly. Too many people equate small jobs to small hourly rates for precision work.
Let's assume you can save $10,000 to do it yourself. If you could do it yourself in 10 days you're in essence paying yourself a grand a day. What side gig could you do that would pay you that or even half that with little risk?
If the grand a day is a tempting saving consider that a WSIB certified contractor assume the risks if someone gets hurt. How's a broken arm going to affect your short and long term life? What if it's a friend that falls or throws out his back? $10,000 doesn't go far.
The small section I did has me aching and burnt and bruised. Today is a write off and probably tomorrow. Theoretically I could buy another 45 bundles of shingles and do the rest of the house but there is a difference between a challenge and a suicide mission.
Side gigs are interesting but I don't tolerate fools gladly. Too many people equate small jobs to small hourly rates for precision work.
My adventure started with the wind storm but it appears a widow a few blocks away fell for a scam. A couple of guys in a pickup conned her into a $1700 cash fix up. They spent an hour or so banging around and left.
She's lucky someone didn't hurt themself and go after her house. WSIB has a lot of problems but not having WSIB is worse.
You should be working with a rope grab that lets you shorten the lead and if the roof is dodgy, multiple anchor points are a good idea. A big swinger could be worse than a straight fall. Ideally keep the rope short enough that you are dealing with fall prevention instead of fall arrest. Keeps the forces lower on everything (including you).
Buddy fell off and the ladder fell or he fell off and the ladder stayed up? Depending on the ladder construction, if it fell it may be time for a trip to the dump.
When I work on a steep roof I wear a harness fixed to the ridge. I lengthen and shorten the rope by winding it around my waist and reclipping the loose end into a carabiner.
Think of yourself as a bobbin.
For ladders, simple rule is 1' out for every 3' up. Never seen this fail.
Re: roof over shingles, you have no warranty ( may not care) , it will not last anywhere near as long as the other roof. In some cases it has affected home owners insurance. For me it also would take 25-30K off a house value, since that would be on the list of things to change stat. The heat trap that creates is significant.
Shingle warranties are pretty hard to claim, I don't consider them in a buying decision.
Shingles overs work reasonably well if the old shingles are not missing, badly curling or buckling. My house was born in 69, a single over was done in '90, it lasted 25 years.
When I work on a steep roof I wear a harness fixed to the ridge. I lengthen and shorten the rope by winning around my waist and reclipping the loose end into a carabiner.
Think of yourself as a bobbin.
For ladders, simple rule is 1' out for every 3' up. Never seen this fail.
I went down in a ladder in my younger days. Slope was fine but ground under one leg was too soft. Ladder went sideways and I went with it. Tried to jump free amd didnt make it. My legs were through the rungs when it hit. Thankfully the soft ground that caused the fall also prevented major injuries.
I guess using yourself as a bobbin can work but I dont like it. You could become the prey and the rope acts as a boa constrictor. Rope grabs are cheap.
I went down in a ladder in my younger days. Slope was fine but ground under one leg was too soft. Ladder went sideways and I went with it. Tried to jump free amd didnt make it. My legs were through the rungs when it hit. Thankfully the soft ground that caused the fall also prevented major injuries.
I guess using yourself as a bobbin can work but I dont like it. You could become the prey and the rope acts as a boa constrictor. Rope grabs are cheap.
Steel wool and spray foam? They will make new holes. A friend built a shed I like. Basically an above ground poured concrete building for the bottom 3'. Conventional above. Rodents dont try to chew their way in.
Helped a buddy do a large shed at his country house , we dug 24”d x 6” perimeter footings then poured the slab. Reclaimed concrete block made the first row and then framed from there up. It’s not rodent proof or porcupine safe , but it’s 95% better than the shed it replaced.
I was sort of concerned about frost but an architect who drew it on a napkin said , big bed of crushed stone and forget it , and it’s a country house shed…..
I went down in a ladder in my younger days. Slope was fine but ground under one leg was too soft. Ladder went sideways and I went with it. Tried to jump free amd didnt make it. My legs were through the rungs when it hit. Thankfully the soft ground that caused the fall also prevented major injuries.
I guess using yourself as a bobbin can work but I dont like it. You could become the prey and the rope acts as a boa constrictor. Rope grabs are cheap.
I've only had one ladder incident. 20 years ago I was reshingling my 2-story house, it was on Leslie street in Sharon (across from the temple). I finished all but the ridge row on Saturday with a helper. Sunday I went up alone to hammer on the ridge row - while I was working the ladder blew over leaving me no way down. It was blistering hot, there was no shade and the roof was black.
I baked on the roof for almost an hour -- frantically waving at every car that passed, hoping someone could help with the ladder. All I got was people smiling and cheerfully waving back - I guess they thought I was some nutbar spreading Sunday morning cheer.
So this one is a weird one. We’ve got one of those above ground pools. 48” x 14’.
We didn’t set it up this year due to kids and no MIL, but def planning on it next year.
Questions are:
1. Is it possible / advisable to drop the pool into the ground about 1/3 to 1/2 of the height? Basically reduce the height that’s above ground?
2. Any relatively inexpensive way to heat said pool?
I’m thinking of digging about 2-3ft into the ground, laying some sand, and putting the pool in. Then building a deck around the pool to have better access. Not sure if rigid side pool would be better for this task?
Can’t justify an in ground pool, but have seen some being done like this.
So this one is a weird one. We’ve got one of those above ground pools. 48” x 14’.
We didn’t set it up this year due to kids and no MIL, but def planning on it next year.
Questions are:
1. Is it possible / advisable to drop the pool into the ground about 1/3 to 1/2 of the height? Basically reduce the height that’s above ground?
2. Any relatively inexpensive way to heat said pool?
I’m thinking of digging about 2-3ft into the ground, laying some sand, and putting the pool in. Then building a deck around the pool to have better access. Not sure if rigid side pool would be better for this task?
Can’t justify an in ground pool, but have seen some being done like this.
The interesting part of your idea is how to accommodate the flexible side pool. I suspect that if you let the backfill contact the sides it won't last long. Deck over partially solves the problem of people collapsing the dirt. This is a damned expensive project for a temporary setup. When setup on the ground, pull the ladder and I don't think you need a fence. How are you dealing with fences when it's easy to fall in?
As far as heating, what's relatively inexpensive? What do you have available as far as gas or power? Often getting the energy source to the project can be a significant expense. Solar blanket is the cheapest and most important by far. Don't expect miracles but it buys you at least a few degrees and maybe almost double digits depending on the exposure and nighttime temps. Solar on your roof has reasonably low up front and operating costs but feasibility depends on proximity/exposure and I'm not sure an above ground pump has the power to push through hundreds of feet of pipe (and pump must run during peak hydro rates to make it work). They sell small solar domes that you put in a sunny spot in your yard but I have little faith that they would get you much). I like the small heat pump but it is still ~$2000 plus installation. Gas would be similar price to purchase but it would heat faster and cost more to run. Propane is probably the cheapest heater to install that lets you pick the temperature but the highest operating costs.
Fwiw, we use the pool far more now that I keep it at 85 (climbs to 87 on sunny days). With the gas heater, I would only heat above 80 on rare occasions. Little kid has spent six hours in at a time and doesn't get cold.
My house is on hold for now. I'm working at my parents' house in the basement. Tearing out old carpet and faux wall paneling. I'm installing Dricore and 3/8" plywood on top and then it will be 3/4" engineered hardwood. Instead of trying to repair all the drywall issue behind the faux panels, I'll be putting up MDF panels and hopefully will be doing some sort of board and batten style deal.
The most time consuming part of this whole ordeal is shuffling junk around from one part of the basement to another. I could get twice as much accomplished if I didn't always have to pause to move junk around.
My father has Parkinsons so he's somewhat limited for what he can do, especially for intricate work so I'm going there once a week. The engineered floor will be ready in four weeks. I'm hoping I'll be ready to install it then and not have to play catch up.
My house is on hold for now. I'm working at my parents' house in the basement. Tearing out old carpet and faux wall paneling. I'm installing Dricore and 3/8" plywood on top and then it will be 3/4" engineered hardwood. Instead of trying to repair all the drywall issue behind the faux panels, I'll be putting up MDF panels and hopefully will be doing some sort of board and batten style deal.
The most time consuming part of this whole ordeal is shuffling junk around from one part of the basement to another. I could get twice as much accomplished if I didn't always have to pause to move junk around.
My father has Parkinsons so he's somewhat limited for what he can do, especially for intricate work so I'm going there once a week. The engineered floor will be ready in four weeks. I'm hoping I'll be ready to install it then and not have to play catch up.
I would not be putting mdf in a basement. That is asking for troubles imo. Or are you talking about hardboard panels that look like board and batt? I probably wouldn't be doing them either with current house prices. I'd pull down the existing wall, fix any insulation or vapour barrier problems and then put drywall back up.
I would not be putting mdf in a basement. That is asking for troubles imo. Or are you talking about hardboard panels that look like board and batt? I probably wouldn't be doing them either with current house prices. I'd pull down the existing wall, fix any insulation or vapour barrier problems and then put drywall back up.
So this one is a weird one. We’ve got one of those above ground pools. 48” x 14’.
We didn’t set it up this year due to kids and no MIL, but def planning on it next year.
Questions are:
1. Is it possible / advisable to drop the pool into the ground about 1/3 to 1/2 of the height? Basically reduce the height that’s above ground?
2. Any relatively inexpensive way to heat said pool?
I’m thinking of digging about 2-3ft into the ground, laying some sand, and putting the pool in. Then building a deck around the pool to have better access. Not sure if rigid side pool would be better for this task?
Can’t justify an in ground pool, but have seen some being done like this.
So this one is a weird one. We’ve got one of those above ground pools. 48” x 14’.
We didn’t set it up this year due to kids and no MIL, but def planning on it next year.
Questions are:
1. Is it possible / advisable to drop the pool into the ground about 1/3 to 1/2 of the height? Basically reduce the height that’s above ground?
2. Any relatively inexpensive way to heat said pool?
I’m thinking of digging about 2-3ft into the ground, laying some sand, and putting the pool in. Then building a deck around the pool to have better access. Not sure if rigid side pool would be better for this task?
Can’t justify an in ground pool, but have seen some being done like this.
1. You can drop the pool 24" below grade fairly easily at low cost. First you excavate a cylinder 24" down and 15' in diameter. That's 13 yards of dirt to remove.
2. Erect the pool in the hole, fill it to grade with water. If you have sharps in the ground (roots, sharp rocks), you might need to lay 3" of sand or 1" of EPS to protect the liner. 3. Wrap 1" styrofoam around the steel walls. You'll need 3 4x8 sheets.
4. Backfill the remaining 4" trench with sand, then water the sand in for a compact perimeter
If it's all vinyl, it will last the same as if it was on grade. Steel walls on small pools are pretty light, they will rust below grade. You can extend their life by coating the part below grade with asphalt sealer.
When you winterize, the pool must be kept with water to grade and it's a good practice to toss in a few pool noodles to absorb the expanding ice.
As for heat, the best thing is a solar blanket. Pools lose a ton of heat thru evaporation, you probably won't need heat from mid June to mid Sept. If you want supplemental, a 100' coil of black poly left coiled on the ground will be plenty.
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