The DIY thread

[jmdirt]

My DIY this weekend lef me with a less skin and a big bump on my head!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

My DIY this weekend lef me with a less skin and a big bump on my head!

Egads, what were you working on?

 

[jmdirt]

Egads, what were you working on?

A fence. The neighbors (very nice people), had four rotten posts that broke off so they replaced them, but in so doing I had to redo a little of my fence too. They had left an 8' 2x4 leaned/wedged up that I ddin't see untill it cracked me in the head.

 

[jmdirt]

Maybe this could go in the cat thread, but cat posts are expensive so I decided to put new sisal on our cat's mutilated post. $4.50 for 50' of sisal, and an hour removing the massive amount of staples in the old post! They lost their profit in the amount of staples they used!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Not a major project, I'm just working on replacing some hard-wired motions sensor lights for the patio and the driveway. I hate messing around with electrical wiring, it makes me nervous!

 

[Unchained]

Maybe this could go in the cat thread, but cat posts are expensive so I decided to put new sisal on our cat's mutilated post. $4.50 for 50' of sisal, and an hour removing the massive amount of staples in the old post! They lost their profit in the amount of staples they used!

I buy carpet scrap mats whenever I see them, usually @$1-3 bucks and using the old scratching post..dry wall screws and fender washers I give the jagged beasts something to shred for a bit..I actually get 2 carpet refills out of one carpet mat..
Best thing about cool temps is watching dogs flip a coin about getting cats out of their bedding.. Neither dog has much courage and cat claws appear to be part of genetic programmed fear response in our dogs..the cats just need to stare them down and dogs lay down somewhere else..

 

[jmdirt]

I buy carpet scrap mats whenever I see them, usually @$1-3 bucks and using the old scratching post..dry wall screws and fender washers I give the jagged beasts something to shred for a bit..I actually get 2 carpet refills out of one carpet mat..
Best thing about cool temps is watching dogs flip a coin about getting cats out of their bedding.. Neither dog has much courage and cat claws appear to be part of genetic programmed fear response in our dogs..the cats just need to stare them down and dogs lay down somewhere else..

I don't use carpet for scratching posts because I don't want the cat to get any ideas about putting their claws in carpet. My wife always has beautiful throw rugs (Two thoughts: why are they called throw rugs? And why do we have beautiful hardwood covered by them?

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Winter is coming to a close, anyone been working on any indoor DIY projects before it gets all warm and sunny and we find ways to maim ourselves outdoors again?

I had to replace a patio door mortise latch again because the old one went all to ***, those latches last only a few years. And I had to replace a Moen shower faucet cartridge again... the last one was actually a cheapy aftermarket part I got on Amazon and it lasted barely a year. So this time I actually spent the money on a "genuine" Moen part that cost twice as much at Home Depot, but even Moen won't guarantee the part past a year. So we'll see; I've ordered an extra "genuine" Moen cartridge from Amazon already because it's cheaper than Home Depot because I know I'll be needing it sooner or later again and I want it in my personal, handy stash of parts. And I've been painting some doors and doorways because I live with a person who uses a walker on a good day and a wheelchair on a bad day, the doors and doorways take quite the beating when the steering isn't quite right.

I didn't mind the painting but the other two projects were fairly innocuous but sort of annoying, living in an older home there is always something to repair. Stay tuned!

 

[scribers]

Bought some blinds today. Going to make some missing window screens. Lots of little things going on

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I've been wrestling with the garage door opener lately because sometimes it opened the door and sometimes it didn't... I thought it might be frequency interference from the neighbors or even from my own house, but the whole unit is pretty old, so I initially thought maybe everything needed to be replaced.

However, now I'm thinking I might only have to replace the wall console because the light on it started flickering and now it isn't on at all. If it's just that it would be a massive relief because that's a pretty easy (and cheap) fix, replacing the unit that hangs from the ceiling would be a different story though. I had already bought one from Home Depot that I have to return because it's the wrong one, but, even if it was the right one that thing is so heavy I don't see being able to install it on the garage ceiling myself!

Anyhoo, I'm hoping I can get away with just replacing the wall console and that'll fix it, and if that doesn't work I'll have to hire a costly pro to have everything replaced because the heavy ceiling unit itself is faulty. (About $190 for the garage door opener, and $150 for labor. It's always the cost of freaking labor that kills me, it's almost as much as the part itself! )

 

[scribers]

I love YouTube for deep diving the troubleshooting of specific equipment. Seems like someone out there cares to make a video for every particular issue

 

[scribers]

Installed articulating tv mount today. New tv will have to wait but the nasty tv stand had to go

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I love YouTube for deep diving the troubleshooting of specific equipment. Seems like someone out there cares to make a video for every particular issue

Absolutely! I watched about half a dozen youtube vids on how to replace the whole garage door opener mentioned upthread because merely replacing the wall console didn't work. And on that note picture this...

I wanted to reuse as many parts from the prior garage door opener as I could because it would save on time and labor, but only about two small parts were actually compatible and the rail wasn't one of them. So I had to take most of the heavy old stuff down and install new stuff - all in all, and with frequent breaks, it took me over 8 hours!

I installed it yesterday and today I'm walking around like a zombie because I'm sore from having to install (for me) heavy stuff while holding it over my head - but I got it done and had saved almost $180 in labor cost! (While Home Depot had Father's Day sales on merchandise the cost of pro installation went up from $150 to $178 during the week prior to Father's Day, and the garage door opener itself was only $170. Over my dead body will I pay more for installation than the part itself!)

Anyhoo, youtube is great for DIY stuff and the new garage door opener works, so I'm a happy camper.

 

[scribers]

Good job!

I find myself working on mechanical repairs which is well outside my comfort zone due to YouTube videos. What a time to be alive!

 

[scribers]

I am taking up grafting of trees! I don't want to pay $3,000 for as many red buds as I need. I figure I'll buy one and graft them! Sure it will take 3-4 years to get them on track, but a $20 is a $20

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I am taking up grafting of trees! I don't want to pay $3,000 for as many red buds as I need. I figure I'll buy one and graft them! Sure it will take 3-4 years to get them on track, but a $20 is a $20

Grafting can be a bit tricky, I presume, but just planting something like a lilac bush you get at the store will take some patience before it will actually blossom for you. Mine took about 4-5 years before it felt comfy enough in its environment to actually blossom.

So yeah, trees, bushes, whatever, patience is key with them.

 

[jmdirt]

We got some water damage last winter that I've been working on for a couple of weeks. Just basic stuff: lots of scraping, some sanding, lots of caulk... Very little of it is reachable from the ground, and the ladder is tricky because I have to work around plants, land scape rocks, etc. Scraping/sanding the side of a house is tough on the hands no matter what, but because of limited ladder moves my neck, shoulders, arms, back, hips and feet are also trashed now. I'm ready to paint now, but the heat wave is on so I might wait...

We had a gutter issue so every time that it rained, water just ran down the side of the house (early 1900s siding).

 

[jmdirt]

I also did some sprinkler valve repair a few weeks ago. They are pretty low tech. but super finicky.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

We got some water damage last winter that I've been working on for a couple of weeks. Just basic stuff: lots of scraping, some sanding, lots of caulk... Very little of it is reachable from the ground, and the ladder is tricky because I have to work around plants, land scape rocks, etc. Scraping/sanding the side of a house is tough on the hands no matter what, but because of limited ladder moves my neck, shoulders, arms, back, hips and feet are also trashed now. I'm ready to paint now, but the heat wave is on so I might wait...

We had a gutter issue so every time that it rained, water just ran down the side of the house (early 1900s siding).

Kudos for putting in the hard miles and doing some hard work!

I just hate it when something like plants, trees, other structures, or just junk get in the way while I'm working on something, my pet peeve! I will have to re-do the deck and I'm contemplating giving the fence another rainproofing coat, they too have bushes and plants in the way. (I love plants and trees otherwise!)That'll have to wait till the end of summer though because right now it's too hot, and I'm anticipating some ash coming down from the skies due to wildfires. So yeah, those projects I will happily postpone.

 

[scribers]

I had to remove a bed of invasive knotweed someone had an idea to plant. The bed was triple lined with weed fabric. But even so it’s a miracle it didn’t take off down the hell and up the creek. I burned all of the roots it’s that evil

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I had to remove a bed of invasive knotweed someone had an idea to plant. The bed was triple lined with weed fabric. But even so it’s a miracle it didn’t take off down the hell and up the creek. I burned all of the roots it’s that evil

I had to google knotweed because I'm not familiar with it, but it sounds like it's very invasive and next to impossible to get rid of. So good job removing it even if you had to burn the roots!

 

[jmdirt]

I had to remove a bed of invasive knotweed someone had an idea to plant. The bed was triple lined with weed fabric. But even so it’s a miracle it didn’t take off down the hell and up the creek. I burned all of the roots it’s that evil

Keep on top of that stuff!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Keep on top of that stuff!

Indeed!

I had to do some more googling because this knotweed is interesting, here's one article that mentions how difficult it can be to get rid of.

• A very invasive plant, a weed. In the 1960s it was listed as "one of the most persistent and aggressive of all perennial weeds". The plant was and is still used as a landscape and garden ornamental. Through this activity it has spread across the United States and occurs from the Northeastern states to California, as well as in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Canada. It is a significant weed in Britain, Europe and Russia, and most of Asia also reports having Japanese knotweed. The spread of Japanese knotweed has been swift and unstoppable. Not only an issue in the United States, "the eradication of this weed has stumped many a farmer, gardener, and herbicide in many countries." (Doll and Doll, 1998, Univ. Wisconsin).

Polygonum cuspidatum | Landscape Plants | Oregon State University

landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu

So yes, keep on top of it, scribers!

 

[scribers]

It is evil. You cut it, it will set roots on the ground. Cut it on a waterway the shoots take off downstream. I put round up on the bed starting two years ago. It usually kills the roots. These roots were still active. I spread the medium in an area of the yard I could contain. Burnt all the tubers I could screen out

 

[scribers]

Time to pick the cherries. This is the first time it’s bear fruit. I knew it was cherry but didn’t know what. It’s right off the deck so I’m sure I was spitting pits there that took hold. It’s a nice dark sweet cherry and I don’t know what to do with them all! My gut can’t take anymore!

I cut some lower limbs off to promote growth upward (to reach the deck). That only yielded 6 quarts! I pitted for 2 hours. Making pies now. Cutting the limbs into bits for smoking meats.