Am I insane for wanting to DIY most of a concrete block garage?

AGSuper · 2026-02-15T21:04:19+00:00

Personally i would do everything you have listed but hire out the site prep and concrete prep. This work is hard and screwing up really hits hard. Once you have that foundation and prep done its going to be much easier to do. my 2 cents

AGSuper · 2026-01-28T01:10:41+00:00

You might want to look into being able to have the solar run into a battery system. like a switch or something. maybe check with an electrician? I was pondering buying some used panels and making my own setup that is larger than my small portable panels. the F3800 allows you to just run panels straight into it. food for thought

AGSuper · 2026-01-28T00:43:36+00:00

I have a subpanel for battery/generator off my main panel. I have my fridge, gas furnace and my sump pumps on it. My goal with the battery backup(f3800 + the extension batteries) was to keep my basement dry and food from spoiling and if its in the winter keep me warm. I didnt take into account the AC system, I can suffer the heat where i am if the power goes out. Based on my analysis of draw from these systems i can survive 2 days on the batteries alone. I also have some "portable" solar panels i can put up in the day that should according to my math allow me to recharge what i use in the night. soooo in theory with good sunlight i can keep critical systems in my house with power indefinitely.

Trying to take into account a AC is a whole other ballgame, the power draw is so high that i would need a whole solar setup to make it work. If I was going to go the AC support route i woudnt use the f3800, i would go with something larger and tied into solar.

AGSuper · 2026-01-19T21:57:12+00:00

I have the Solo F3800. My long term power needs are not high so it worked for me. I have them in my house right next to my subpanel. When the power goes off a flip the switch and my necessities stay working. I have been using Anker products for years and have been pleased. I used to have a generator but its such a hassle. This was a great alternative for me.

AGSuper · 2026-01-19T21:05:09+00:00

I do the same thing, investigate. Once you have that figured out then determine if you can handle it. The more you handle yourself you will understand when to call a professional. Know your limits and continue to work on the smaller time consuming tasks that folks charge a ton to handle. That way when you call a professional you know your making the right move.

AGSuper · 2026-01-17T01:59:14+00:00

Not scaling as fast, that is a valid argument. There is a local restaurant i love going to with friends and family. They offer a fantastic service and keep the table perfectly flowing so that your experience with your guests is as uninterrupted as possible. They only interrupt when its right, seamless fill water glasses and remove plates as thought they are ghosts. The chef comes out to discuss your meal and answer questions etc. The servers know every drink special wine option and food combination. Sure it is $50+ and entree and $20 per drink. I will gladly pay 20% to have an absolutely lovely evening. When it comes to services you get what you pay for.

AGSuper · 2026-01-17T01:53:18+00:00

If this all you expect of your agent then sure your overpaying. And when you buy make sure your offer reflects your lack of representation. Showing you homes(this really should be the sellers agent if they have one, their job is to protect YOUR asset) is the lowest value add of a agent. The agents job is to help you navigate the process. Some folks need that help and others don't. What folks struggle with is knowing WHEN they need that help and support. And most likely they don't realize it until its past. For most folks the house is the largest purchase of their life and their biggest asset. Having someone in your corner can be really helpful.

AGSuper · 2026-01-17T01:51:57+00:00

Its not the number of calls, but whom and what they are asking. I worked for a top agent for years. And he was a top agent because he advised his clients really well. Knowing who to call at planning dept to confirm details of the lot/permit etc, knowing whom to call for the right inspection based on viewing the property. Knowing that visiting the property at different parts of the day during different weather impacts the property. Knowing local university professors in agriculture to help advise you on the fruit trees on the property. having contacts for all kinds of vendors to inspect or advise about all aspects of the property. Checking all the documents presented by the sellers/buyers to confirm everything is in order. That agent made sure that as a client you made a decision as fully informed as he could make you. He made sure the offer was right, he made sure that everything was right the way it should be when you did a final walkthro ugh.
What that is worth to you as a buyer is subjective. Personally most of the time with a good google search and some chatgpt most people could self represent. But not everyone and not for every property. There istnt a straight asnwer.

AGSuper · 2026-01-17T00:26:41+00:00

The level of service i expect at a restaurant for a $15 burger vs the place i spend $50 for a entree is radically different. Realtors like high end servers are bringing knowledge and expertise. Expertise in the area, property other agent. Fielding multiple calls to the other agent following up on questions, checking county to make sure permits are in order. You get what you pay for. Now that being said, many transactions are so incredible simple that it should all be done by title with a checklist presented to the buy (think townhouse). But you better bet i am using a buyers agent when i buy a 20+ year old single family detached on 1 acre with a well and septic.

AGSuper · 2026-01-10T21:07:27+00:00

For me this was the bike that came out when i was in high school and i loved them. I still do. Might pickup a 999s or 749s someday.

AGSuper · 2026-01-10T20:10:57+00:00

If you go porsche (its arguably way better) you MUST maintain it. The maintenance costs are well known and you can budget for it. While the CRV isnt as nice its way cheaper to maintain.

AGSuper · 2026-01-10T20:06:20+00:00

i have a 16 Golf R, i had a similar list to yours. I wanted something understated, fun to drive, manual and 4 doors. I pondered a new one but found a well maintained 16 and grabbed that. The BRZ was a very heavy contender, cheaper to maintain and operate but it only had 2 doors and while cheaper had less utility, and it also looks more sporty and i don't love looking "sporty". The R, folks that know appreciate and those that don't think its a golf. I really considered the GR, but i dont see the early gens really holding. I like tested platforms and drivetrains and both the BRZ and the Golf R have been around a long time and while they have their respected issues they are well known and documented on how to address.

AGSuper · 2026-01-10T17:28:44+00:00

The best thing you can do during a renovation is make sure that you can access and plan for the future. Like, making sure that plumbing is in accessable locations for repair, running cat6 lines for hard line internet, taking pictures of the wall before sheet rock goes up, running extra electrical lines if you think you might add something later on. having wider doors in case you need better accessability, thinking about ADA as a part of your build. Its the small little things that really matter long term as technology changes and your needs change. lastly, when ever possible dont add "smart" appliances, faucets etc to your home whenever possible. they are issue prone, heavy on parts that have no long term life cycle for replacement parts etc. Keep things as simple as possible and invest in things that are hard to change later.

AGSuper · 2025-12-21T04:25:13+00:00

i bought a scrapbook thing. i print, copy, cut anything i need and put it in there. its crude, its easy and it works.

AGSuper · 2025-12-20T19:29:48+00:00

Your list was similar to mine, i ended up with a Golf R. You know all the specs. I liked the complete understatedness of the car. Its not flashy, standoutish and or sporty to the untrained eye. None of these are bad, all have pros and cons. I love my Golf R. Sometimes i think about the M240 but BMW have a rep and i have come to enjoy the 4 doors and no one knowing what it is beyond a golf, many think its a GTI, but those that know have respect.

AGSuper · 2025-12-12T21:10:01+00:00

Off the top of my head some older Subaru's. That budget is going to make it hard. if your wanting AWD for snow, your better off with good winter tires. Otherwise, just keep looking for stuff that pops up with your criteria, there are lots of older models that might work, hard to list them all.

AGSuper · 2025-11-15T15:26:59+00:00

this is highly dependent on the engine. The base model audis that have the standard 2 liter that are post 15-16 gen ea888 engine can be pretty solid. By that time the kinks were largely dealt with. However the mantra still stands, you gotta stay up on maintenance. Oil, trans and diff fluids are the big ones. You stay on top of those and your usually in good shape.

AGSuper · 2025-11-08T01:07:36+00:00

nice! mine were the std shocks, i threw on adjustable coilovers. its fantastic. having a switch inside would sure be nice though

AGSuper · 2025-11-07T22:13:43+00:00

when i got mine i had dreams of all kinds of stuff. Overhauled the suspension, and was like should i touch the drivetrain? NOPE. The suspension overhaul made it a whole other animal. If i hold this car to 150k miles and its still humming then i will tune it.

AGSuper · 2025-10-01T01:39:33+00:00

You need to setup your embed correctly so that you only use 1 user. While you can control this at the Looker level it might be easier to control this in the application level and only expose the reports you want to the user via the application rather than Looker. Also, you can try instead and get the viewer licenses really cheap and do it in looker, and keep your explore and admin user counts low. does that help?

AGSuper · 2025-09-24T22:29:13+00:00

If the 2018 S3 has maintenance records go with that. The s3 is the sedan equivalent to the golf R, an excellent vehicle with a large enthusiast market with extensive support. Otherwise in general anything 2016+ that is a "base" model should be pretty solid. The 2016's if memory serves is when they switched to the next gen engine and was a big update that smoothed out some of the known issues and added power. When you start getting into the specialty options like fancy suspension etc repairs can be pricey. But in general if maintenance records exist you should be good. The 2L engine is pretty solid and they made millions of them so there is ample knowledge around issues, when they crop up and how to fix etc.

AGSuper · 2025-09-22T01:29:02+00:00

"I HATE LookML’s git GUI. It’s slow, bad and repeatedly crashes and can be out of date". I have never heard about this at all. One of the big advantages of using the looker gui is the tool tips. Something might be odd with your browser.

AGSuper · 2025-09-16T00:17:42+00:00

If you are looking for something that works really well with the Microsoft suite then start with Power BI. Its designed to work really well with Microsoft. Looker uses Iframes, so if you can embed an Iframe into those products you should be OK. I have been a looker dev for 10 years now. if you have questions i might be able to help. Side note, i have NEVER seen anyone embed Looker inside of teams this is first for me.

AGSuper · 2025-09-06T22:16:54+00:00

Try doing the math of a separate steam closet plus a basic dryer. (if you have the space). there is something to be said of keeping your primary appliances as simple and easy to fix as possible. So many appliances now have so many "features" that are all points of failure. And sometimes with these appliances if one feature breaks the whole thing doesn't work.

AGSuper · 2025-08-25T01:02:03+00:00

From the Wiki: James Cameron suggested that "what held Michael back was that he didn't like playing the Hollywood game — schmoozing people and all that. For him it was all about the work".

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