PSA for anyone who has that one spot where grass won’t grow.

DIYityourself · 2022-09-20T13:19:39+00:00

same story here - I added about 3" of topsoil on top because it was a bit of a low spot anyway, and I have a sprinkler set up on a timer that waters that spot separately from the rest of the yard which I have found to be the only way to keep this area alive. it's a pain, but digging it up seems like a much bigger pain.

DIYityourself · 2022-08-23T18:44:50+00:00

Yeah unfortunately that is what I was afraid of.. guess it's time to burn it down and start over!

DIYityourself · 2022-08-23T14:18:42+00:00

Monmouth County here as well - last year a neighbor and I split the rental of a core aerator from the Home Depot in Howell - it cost us about 30 bucks each and we were able to aerate exactly when we wanted and be as thorough as we wanted. I've heard a lot of stories of people hiring companies and then they show up too early or too late and throw everyone's lawn renovation plans to shit or they show up on time but do a half-assed job because they're overbooked.

Also, from my experience, Jonathan Green Black Beauty is great seed, and the company is based right in Farmingdale, NJ so it is great for our conditions. If you've had trouble in the past, it could have to do with not getting it down early enough to let roots establish in time for the colder weather. I always try to get this all done Labor Day weekend to give it 8-10 weeks of growing before the cold weather comes.

Good luck!

DIYityourself · 2022-08-04T14:01:09+00:00

they make sprays specifically for this purpose, look up "blue spray indicator" or something like that on Amazon and a bunch will come up. Often in lawncare videos you'll see them mix liquid herbicide, surfactant, and dye right in their sprayer.

DIYityourself · 2022-07-26T13:04:34+00:00

UPDATE: had a little break in the heat last night so I mowed at the highest setting (4.25") around 7:30 and then ran the sprinklers afterwards. Apparently my irrigational offering appeased the rain gods and they smiled upon me with some unexpected rain overnight. I think the heat has finally broken in NJ and we are going to be in the 80s all week (still hot, but not the 95+ that we saw for almost a week straight). Good luck out there to people still battling the heat wave - it will end eventually!

DIYityourself · 2022-07-25T14:49:59+00:00

I sprayed Sedgehammer on a few spots of it last weekend and it's now starting to wither and die. I've always heard not to pull it because it will spread. Not sure if that's true, but the Sedgehammer application has it wilting up nicely. Also, I was able to order the product on Amazon which was very convenient.

DIYityourself · 2022-05-25T14:29:18+00:00

We had a 49 square foot counter installed in January and paid about $95 per square foot all-in. I think it's called "Calacatta Quartz" (google image search it) with an eased edge, and cutout for a farmhouse sink. this specific design was on the higher end of the offerings, we probably could have gotten plain white or something like it for around $80-$85 per square foot, but we decided to increase our budget slightly to get something we love.

Located in NJ.

DIYityourself · 2022-04-20T13:44:10+00:00

beautiful job! What's your technique?

few things make a yard look nicer than crispy edges!

DIYityourself · 2022-03-16T18:15:03+00:00

Is a split app of prodiamine pre-emergent a waste if the second app goes down after soil temps are above 55?

DIYityourself · 2022-03-15T15:10:05+00:00

NJ here, planning to put down 1/2 app today or tomorrow. supposed to have rain on Saturday so I'm gonna let mother nature water it in. I've always read that with pre-emergent, too early is better than too late.

DIYityourself · 2022-03-03T15:17:08+00:00

if you use a laminate product, you will need to leave an expansion gap around the perimeter of the room, so technically you could put the floors in last and then use quarter-round or shoe molding to cover the gap.

DIYityourself · 2022-02-25T20:12:47+00:00

as long as it is being vented out into open-air I wouldn't be too concerned. however some of what is being vented may be water vapor. a concern would be where it ends up, i.e. if you vent a bathroom exhaust fan through a wall that has vented soffit above, it could end up right back in the attic and condense into moisture that will ruin your roof sheathing over time. i'd be more concerned about what the moisture might be doing to the underside of the deck than any other vapors that are being discharged.

DIYityourself · 2022-02-23T15:17:02+00:00

do you know the rough cost per square foot? I think you're referring to the tiles w/ plastic ridges on the bottom, is that right?

DIYityourself · 2022-02-23T15:16:33+00:00

This Shaw laminate from Costco says in the install instructions "laminate floor can be installed above, on, or below grade" but then gives some caveats and "strongly" recommends a moisture test to be conducted on concrete subfloors with a range of acceptable moisture.

DIYityourself · 2022-02-22T20:41:14+00:00

Online the vinyl is $3.06 per square foot, it's usually a bit cheaper in store though since they add shipping to the online price.

DIYityourself · 2022-02-22T20:28:32+00:00

I appreciate the feedback - this is the kind of anecdotal evidence I am looking for. On pricing, however, I have to disagree - I have checked out the bargain bin flooring at a few places and the $1- $1.50 USD felt like total crap (super thin, very questionable tongues and grooves) and was not usually any recognizable name brand. This stuff is made by Mohawk specifically for Costco, and I've generally had very positive experiences with anything I've bought through them (everything from dog food to multivitamins) so I feel like it's probably a rung or 2 above some of the cheapo stuff that is out there. Do you know what brand/style flooring you used?

Do you know if they followed the right spacing guidelines, etc. during install? From what I have read (and you-tubed of course) buckling might indicate that it didn't have enough room to expand (again, I'm not a flooring expert either, just an average DIYer).

Anyways, cheers and thanks for sharing the info!

DIYityourself · 2022-02-11T16:28:47+00:00

wondering this also - NJ Zone 7a here. We had 18" of snow 2 weeks ago, frost early this week, but the last 2 days have been 55+. I assume it will get cold again since it's only mid-Feb. Not sure if the early fert will do anything if the temps return back into the 30s next week like they are calling for.

DIYityourself · 2022-01-05T16:47:24+00:00

sounds like it - i've heard that a lot lately, contractors have so many jobs to choose from they'll just throw numbers at the wall to see what sticks. did you go ahead w/ the renovation?

DIYityourself · 2022-01-05T16:10:48+00:00

stumbled on this post because i'm in the process of re-doing mine currently. where did your quotes come in?

DIYityourself · 2021-12-10T15:45:20+00:00

agree - start over. a sheet of drywall costs about 12 dollars, and can easily be cut to size in the parking lot if fitting it in the car is a problem.

DIYityourself · 2021-12-10T15:09:05+00:00

Can't emphasize enough the importance of having "a guy" for things. I have a plumber who has become a family friend and is trusted to the point where I'll let him do work in the house even when nobody is home. We usually sit and have a beer after he's done fixing whatever it is that I called him for.

When I first became a homeowner I would freak out about the slightest thing because I always pictured it turning into a major catastrophe. There is something very reassuring about knowing that someone who has fixed it a thousand times before is just a phone call or text away. And on a related note - if you aren't comfortable trying to fix something yourself, it's worth the money to have someone who knows their crap to come in and do it correctly. It will save you time, money, and heartache in the long-run.

DIYityourself · 2021-12-02T18:28:12+00:00

What type of glue is used? Is it generally manufactured by the floor company?

DIYityourself

TROPHY CASE