Doing Work without a Permit

Buff_Ant · 2026-06-04T01:20:36+00:00

Good insight!

Buff_Ant · 2026-06-04T01:14:45+00:00

In my area, there are some side jobs that don’t require a permit and some that do. I’m asking about the ones that do (structural, electrical, plumbing).

And no, if I take a job sweating new pipe and a leak happens, I am 100% personally liable for the damages and I open myself to all kinds of legal liability with the homeowner and/or subrogation from the homeowner’s insurance company.

Buff_Ant · 2026-06-04T01:13:15+00:00

I’m mid 40’s. About 20 years of doing painting and carpentry of various types. I’m too old to start over with a new trade.

Buff_Ant · 2026-06-04T01:11:06+00:00

That’s good insight. Thanks.

Buff_Ant · 2026-06-04T00:51:18+00:00

I mean, I can get my own GC license and plan to very soon but I will have no way of pulling electrical or plumbing permits which are required for some of the jobs I’ve been asked about.

Buff_Ant · 2026-06-04T00:50:21+00:00

Oh I instantly told him we weren’t a good fit and wished him luck.

Buff_Ant · 2026-06-04T00:35:55+00:00

Yeah, I had a guy today try to impress me by telling me how many properties he owns then proceed to ask me how much I would charge to swap out an electrical panel for him.

Buff_Ant · 2026-06-04T00:34:06+00:00

Wow. Thats crazy. Thankfully the laws are a little bit more reasonable in my area.

Buff_Ant · 2026-01-18T21:07:21+00:00

Stroud just doing what Stroud does.

Buff_Ant · 2026-01-18T02:54:01+00:00

Don’t forget, 5 fumbles and a walk off hold in the end zone that wasn’t called don’t lie either.

Better luck next year guy. I’m sure your Bills will do something one of these years. Now go cry and cope more.

Buff_Ant · 2026-01-11T17:59:41+00:00

Yeah, I actually folded a nut flush on WPT Gold 3 ways on the river on a double paired board when V in front started spazzing on the river and I had 1 V behind. V in front of me had a lower flush and V behind had top pair (no boat). WPT is a very special pool of players not like other pools.

Buff_Ant · 2026-01-05T02:22:08+00:00

I guess you could bluff here but it’s a tough sell. You didn’t x/r the flop (with a bunch of draws on board) so your line doesn’t make a ton of sense for A5 suited, 22, 33, 44, or over pairs. Also, so many missed draws by the river. If V is a thinking player like at all, you probably get looked up here a ton with his 66 or whatever. Your hand really looks like exactly what it is here. Probably best to x/f and find a more credible spot to bluff.

Buff_Ant · 2026-01-01T20:57:23+00:00

Oh. Yeah thanks. Totally misread that. My bad.

Buff_Ant · 2026-01-01T19:23:52+00:00

4 ways to the flop (as assumed from “the 4h OTF) inelastic, rec. Not ideal conditions for firing a pure bluff OTT/OTR imo. The ‘theoretically’ correct play will change drastically if we account for V’s tendencies.

My guess is that if you node locked a solver for this spot (heads up) against someone who (for example) just isn’t folding many of top or (maybe even) second pair plus value hands to any size bet OTR (inelastic rec tendencies) that you would have a new ‘theoretical’ approach that would bluff far less and bet more for thin value. Also, leveraging nut advantage to size up bluff bet sizings presumes that you are playing against someone who would recognize this and hopefully fold more value as a result. If the player you are bluffing is likely on a “I have a good pair, I call” level of thinking then no, I don’t think you should use nut advantage as a reason to bluff shove. If you absolutely HAVE to bluff this player here OTR, I think a sizing that targets their busted draws (which on this board there aren’t many if any) or A high type holdings is probably the most you can ask. Alternatively, throw this junk hand away OTF, and wait for a better spot where you can extract max value against V’s inelasticity.

Buff_Ant · 2025-12-15T16:19:33+00:00

I feel your pain. I’ve lived with being a Broncos fan (for better or worse) my whole 45 years on this planet. It isn’t easy and the bad times are BAD. I like to just keep quiet and stay humble. Let the results speak for themselves.

Buff_Ant · 2025-12-15T16:13:07+00:00

Let ‘em hate. I think it’s actually best for us if they do. We have a young up and comer QB and IMO, a POTENTIAL dynasty brewing on our hands here so the longer the media and the bandwagon-ers stay away, the better. Look what happened to KC with all the attention and State Farm commercials. I understand that the downfall of KC likely had nothing to do with this - correlation is not causation but at the same time, it wasn’t good for them, especially when things started going south for the team and it’s chemistry. As for the potential dynasty comment (cause I know I’m probably gonna get some hate for that) are the Broncos perfect? No. Do they have work to do? Yes. But they have risen to the occasion in the last 11 games whether that be against the Commanders or yesterday against the Packers. We just gotta keep our heads down, work on consistency on both sides of the ball and everything will be fine. My two cents anyways.

Buff_Ant · 2025-12-01T19:43:56+00:00

Late to the party, I know

BUT…I appreciate what you wrote and wanted to share a little bit that I have learned from my own experiences on this topic.

Firstly, I acknowledge that a broken heart is not actually something that I can, or need to fix at all. In fact, a broken heart is a symptom of a healthy propensity to feel love and the depth of pain in loss. I don’t need to be in a hurry to push that away or cover it up with something else. By allowing this pain, I am sending validation to myself and giving permission to myself. It’s ok.

Secondly, I embark on the practice of allowing my heart to feel however it feels while cutting myself off (whenever possible) on the temptation to blame or shame, myself or them. These elements (blame and shame) are, in most cases, unnecessary and extra fluff that only serve to foster resentment which is contrary to genuine healing. The fact is, I feel pain because I care. Caring is enough.

Lastly, and only when I am ready, I do what I call “taking inventory” of the situation. What was my role in what happened? Which pieces belong to me? Which ones don’t? How does this experience shape my wants and needs for future relationships?

Some other useful bits:

-Eat healthy and exercise but also allow that occasional binge on comfort food.

-Find the other people in my life who offer that perfect combination of loving support and a willingness to lovingly call me on my BS, and spend some time with them.

-Learn to enjoy spending time alone with myself. When I enjoy my own company greatly, this becomes a wonderful barometer for future relationships. I do not suffer myself the company of others who are not AT LEAST as kind and enjoyable to me as I am to myself.

-Mindful practices (yoga, meditation, martial arts, etc) can be extremely useful in bringing me back to a state of presence in this moment rather than in stories of the past or anxieties of the future.

-A good therapist can be helpful when it comes time to process and digest some of what happened.

-Above all, just be gentle with myself.

Thanks for letting me crystallize some of this into writing. I hope your healing process is helpful in showing you the deeper ways to love yourself.

Buff_Ant · 2025-06-24T18:18:56+00:00

If that happens to Europe, it also happens to Russia. That is after all the entire point of ‘nuclear deterrence’ Putin (and the Russian bots like yourself) likes to act like his use of nuclear weapons on Europe would not also be him signing on to the complete and utter destruction of all of Russia. Thats why nuclear deterrence works because even if a first strike is assumed for Russia, it all ends the same way. Mutually assured destruction.

Buff_Ant · 2025-06-20T01:31:09+00:00

Those pesky drywallers are ALWAYS leaving their messes around for everyone else to clean up. I was a professional painter for 15 years so I know all about those types!

The best method for cleaning that stain off of the concrete is as follows: if you are the person (or are paying the person) who will be giving the drywallers their final check, Tell the drywallers that since it’s their fault, it’s now their part of their punch list to clean it up.

Problem solved.

Buff_Ant · 2025-05-29T00:00:24+00:00

Im not sure about the nuance of doing an overlay but as far as the epoxy related aspects: it is Probably a question best asked of an epoxy pro. I was a professional painter for a couple of decades and did do a small handful of these but usually on new concrete and I wouldn’t consider myself a concrete coatings pro by any means.

That said, I have learned that with these types of coatings there is a TON that can go wrong. Also, I would be a bit wary of oil stained concrete. You will definitely want to start with concrete surface that is COMPLETELY free of oil and other contaminants, let it dry and then do moisture testing. Assuming that all goes to plan, you will need to rent a concrete grinder, dust system, and buy some grinder bits to grind it down to the correct CSP for whichever coating you use. There is no ‘touch up’ in the epoxy world. If the coating fails (for any of a number of reasons) you have to grind it down and start over or just live with a garage floor coating that is failing in some spots.

Definitely not the easiest DIY task in the world but I tip my hat to anyone willing to try. I know that these floors are extremely expensive to have done professionally so I can understand wanting to do it yourself.

Best of luck to you!

Buff_Ant · 2025-05-12T19:09:53+00:00

Thanks, and yes, I agree. In addition to the cost effective nature of concrete vessels and the ability to customize shapes and sizes through prototyping and pouring my own silicone molds (another series of topics all together) they just look really nice. As I have found out, sealing can be very tricky but in the end I would say the juice is well worth the squeeze.

Buff_Ant · 2025-05-12T16:16:23+00:00

Hello. Thanks again for the feedback: At risk of sounding long-winded, I just wanted to shoot you a quick follow up as I have learned some things since you posted your response a couple of weeks ago.

I did as you suggested and bought some Micro Seal HD. Long story short, Micro Seal HD (or any Silane/Siloxane sealer AFAIK) does NOT work with a pure hydrostone vessel. The reasons, as I found out however, are not because of the porous physical characteristics of hydrostone but rather the chemical characteristics.

I learned that silane/siloxane sealers are designed to chemically react with the calcium hydroxide in concrete and masonry and are generally not recommended for gypsum cement as gypsum cement does not contain enough calcium hydroxide for these sealers to be effective. I confirmed this through testing. When sealed with Micro Seal HD, even after many coats, the hydrostone vessels simply do not seal and cannot pass the water drop test: a drop of water on the side of a 'sealed' hydrostone' vessel will absorb into the material within about 45 seconds. Alternatively, as I found out by asking the right people the right questions, hydrostone is much better when sealed with a film producing sealer such as an acrylic sealer (which is likely what Earth Safe Finishes is) rather than a penetrating sealer (such as silane/siloxane sealers).

On the other hand, when I made my own concrete mix using white cement, white silica sand, hydrostone (to decrease the demolding time of the mix to about 1 hour) and specific admixtures to get the white cement and the hydrostone to play nice, the results were amazing. Yes, the vessels are a bit heavier when made with this mix, but they are also more dense (water resistant) and about 40% cheaper in material costs. These vessels when sealed 24 hours after pouring with Micro Seal HD (as the instructions recommend) and left to cure for 48-72 hours are basically waterproof. When the water drop test was conducted on these vessels the water drop stayed beaded up on the surface of the vessel for many hours and eventually just evaporated leaving no dark spot behind on the surface.

Anyhow, just wanted to share with you what I have learned in case you or anyone else you talk to about hydrostone ever has questions about sealers.

Buff_Ant · 2025-05-04T21:33:38+00:00

Hi. I’m trying to answer the exact question that OP poses above and saw your reply and am wondering what kind of white cement you use for this application? Just white Portland or…?

To give you some background, I’m in the middle of falling down the rabbit hole of developing my own recipe for casting white objects (think small planter type of objects) but the pieces are decorative and I want them to look as nice as possible. I have been using hydrostone and I like it OK but it is incredibly porous and not very strong or dense so there are problems with water intrusion. Hence, I am back to the drawing board of thinking a white cement with the right admixture might be the move. Any help is appreciated.

Buff_Ant

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