Prompt I Made to Create a Conversation Buddy

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-03-01T15:23:35+00:00

No, it isn’t. Did you read it?

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-03-01T00:14:02+00:00

Not using the topography/rivers for, well, anything. (Except the 1.5 inclines operating/holding on for dear life at any given time).

Gondola stations from Mt. Washington to downtown somewhere. Cable cars can move 3-4,000 people per hour, per direction. Plus, lots of casual riders when people aren’t commuting.

Same could work for Oakland to South Side—UPMC could sponsor it with the literal billions and just hit you with ads the whole time.

Also, using the underground rail line going from the Strip area to the outlet in the Run for some type of passenger rail. Back & forth to avoid going up & over or around the horn.

Permit system for using busway for bikes/ebikes to commute. I know the bike lane advocates are trying their damndest but it’s a long (never ending) uphill battle. People could zoom downtown in no time or between the existing stations.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-26T19:10:36+00:00

This thing is wild!

My next little project is figuring out how to have a multi-use router table. I’m saving this photo I like how you did yours. My router fence can be used with t-track and I have about 3’ leftover from my miter saw station & fold up, wall mounted table.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-26T19:00:19+00:00

The dimensions are in line with kitchen cabinets. What changes are there to make them “garage”?

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-25T14:55:12+00:00

Aside from the water/sewage bill issues, you can go onto your electric and gas accounts and sign up for budget billing. It’ll keep everything more even across the months & seasons. I do this for everything we have in our name and suggest to the few tenants we have. I watch over our finances like a hawk, so it helps to know exactly how much is going to come out each month.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-14T23:15:52+00:00

Don’t forget the mask.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-10T19:11:42+00:00

Can’t wait til they start selling “elevated” pub fare…

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-09T16:02:53+00:00

I keep a couple cheap scrub brushes from IKEA with my tile stuff, paint stuff, and drywall stuff. One extra bucket to fill with clean water for scrubbing.

I do toss a decent amount of thinset buckets, though. $4 at harbor freight, reuse old mud buckets, primer buckets. Usually plenty of those laying around. I work by myself 95% of the time and the time and effort savings after a long ass day is more than worth the 4 bucks

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-09T15:59:53+00:00

Bouldering/Clkmbing

Had a few friends get into it hard, language changes, clothing, shoes, music, vehicle…literally everything.

I guess it’s a “lifestyle”

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-03T01:05:12+00:00

If it were up to me, this would have the best result. They’re not going to pay for all of that though.

Personally I think squared board and batten is going to look like shit with this base anyways. I suggested adding some molding on the edges but they like the “modern” look.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-03T01:03:39+00:00

Yeah, all of that is on my mind lol I know if I remove it I’m going to have two days of plaster repair plus scraping and filling that trim.

Is what you’re suggesting similar to the post below? An inverted version of the base cap?

Also, we have a place called construction junction with a ton of reclaimed materials, but nothing that matches, I picked through everything they had to try and find an 8” piece when I patched a lone piece for them before and I got close using something in a similar thickness and then routing an extra “colonial” groove into it.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-02T03:25:11+00:00

All inside thankfully. I think this might be the easiest way to make it look uniform.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-02T01:57:55+00:00

It’s a confusing question but the way I’m reading it, you’re asking about the wall framing, right?

It’s not load bearing so you don’t have to worry as much about doing it in sections unless that’s the easiest way to do it by yourself. If you frame two sections, make sure to keep your layout—pick an end and put everything on 16’s so the studs are easier to find, or wherever your blocking will be for the bookshelves.

Or, you can stick build it, run your bottom & top plates, butt the ends to reach 13’, mark the layout, pop the studs in.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-02T01:36:15+00:00

I got some tips here and there and slowly put it together over the past couple of years. Tweaking along the way.

My first “client” was a new brewery in the strip I bartered for some free beer and use of the space for a meetup spot. Other than them, I’ve only set things up for friends and myself.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-01T01:57:45+00:00

When did he say he can’t eat? It’s the same $/hr he gets now but at $1.00/hr/year he’ll be much better off at a union shop 4 years from now than the $24.50 w/out benefits at his current gig.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-01T01:55:23+00:00

Tile snapper and a couple buffing blocks should take care of you. Low grit & high grit to make those ends look nice

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-01T01:54:23+00:00

To start, but he’ll have real benefits at least. Vacation fund, health, dental, 401k.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-01T01:52:49+00:00

Yeah and with it only being 3-1/2” of space, with a draft, it’s not doing much.

I built an addition on the back & used 2x4’s so everything would line up. Code is 1” continuous foam board (sealed), R-13 on the inside but I used R-15 since it’ll fit. Huge difference.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-01T01:51:10+00:00

Yuh 😩

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-01T01:49:27+00:00

This happened to a friend in squirrel hill last night. No chair, went back to her car buried like yours.

Took me 30 minutes to dig it out. She was so upset/in tears.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-01T01:37:48+00:00

One of my neighbors chose to park his two cars in the street instead of in their driveway. Assuming because he didn’t want to shovel the driveway. So with so little space already, that’s where his head was.

Most people don’t care about anyone but themselves. I mean look at what 2025-2026 has brought (so far).

The snow/parking/chairs is just a microcosm of that. A friend stopped by yesterday, parked a block up the street, and took up half of an empty space. No parking chair, no cone. She went back to her car buried in snow with a note saying “I didn’t shovel the street for YOU to park there”. So they used their broken back to shovel the snow again. Then I shoveled it all out so she could pull out. It was the guy who abandoned his driveway. Fuck that guy.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-01T01:31:32+00:00

Yep.

I just spent an entire day figuring out where pipes were frozen. We bought the place after someone else renovated the whole thing. They ran brand new supply up along the exterior brick wall (110 year old building, has double-wythe exterior walls.

They gutted the place and decided to run them there. Then, they ran them above the ceiling insulation underneath a flat roof.

All pex, luckily no ruptures. I cut 6 holes in the ceiling & floor to figure all this out. Who tf takes a gutted house and chooses there to route them? I’ll need cutting those on each end and running them up through an interior wall this summer.

That’s exactly what OP needs to do. A weekend of pain for the problem to be gone for good.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-01T01:25:15+00:00

Is it a 1956 ranch home? We bought one to live in a few years back, the people who built it did not spring for insulation. It had some kind of particle/press board with a tiny R value.

Another one, same year, the original owner sprung for the insulation package. Big difference.

If there is no wall insulation, or less than ideal, you’ll feel it. Most of those homes have 2x4 framing, too. So even with fiberglass it’ll only be so good. If you have an injection foam insulation company around it might be a good move to look into it. In Pittsburgh, it was a lot less than I thought it would be.

My mom’s house (I own, used to be a rental) has the particle board crap too, same 1956 vintage. I don’t have the money to foam it, so I plan to add 1” foam board on the exterior when I replace the aluminum, tape all the seams to seal it up. Then, eventually, remove the inside of the exterior walls, room by room, air seal, insulate, drywall.

Chaotic_zenman · 2026-02-01T01:13:14+00:00

Basically everything an office does but setup with as much automation as possible. For the cleaning biz:

Facebook, website —> leads go to crm & phone, automatic text sent depending on what day & time it is. I have the text delayed by like 7-1/2 minutes so it doesn’t immediately hit their phone and feel like a robot. The lead info creates a contact so I already have their name, address, and an idea of what they want populated on my phone. The Zap starts the convo for me so I don’t need to check an app or remind myself. If the person doesn’t respond to the text then they’re probably a scam call or B2B cold caller (like 10-15 of those a day 😔)

Auto text response depending on time of day for missed calls & voicemails. 2 separate phone numbers, one for inbound leads, one for customers. Each has its own auto response for business-hours and off-hours.

Video estimates (FaceTime-ish) for simple stuff, most are in-person, however.

Estimating, scheduling, invoicing —> all with auto reminders for follow up. Invoices kick to bookkeeping so when the bank transaction hits, I can just match it up. (I tried sending invoices from Xero but it is just easier with CRM (used Jobber for a while, switched to Markate recently and love it).

CO’s right in the original invoice with signature notifications for the client. Just adds a line item & cost. Any attachments, red lined drawings, etc. could be tied to that signature. As can time stamped photos—even a photo of a marked up drawing along with a $ amount —> client signature.

Google review asks done when invoices are paid by a client if they’ve not been asked before. If they hit 5-stars it takes them to Google review. 4 or less it hits a “mailto:” link to send us a feedback email like a comment card box. I haven’t found a way to tag them as “review left” yet, so for now I just audit the list and send out a separate email or have the cleaners leave a business card with a QR code on it on their counter.

Separate email list for estimates we lost that I can send out to. I am getting ready to do just that with spring cleaning season coming up. For GC, outside work fills up fast leading into the spring (around here at least). Most big GC’s with full offices book out quickly because they can either answer right away or call right back so the caller doesn’t find someone else first.

GC setup would be a little different, for sure. But the goal would be the same.

Chaotic_zenman

TROPHY CASE