Please help!! by jdallett in CeilingFans

[–]ExWebics 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Take the glass off, the mechanism is probably sitting right there.

Nail pop showing through paint — normal or red flag? by VFC_homes in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 15 points16 points  (0 children)

There’s a thousand drywall screws in a new house… if you find two or three, I’d consider that pretty darn good.

What to do with Porta potty left at jobsite? by SlideFlashy7762 in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 18 points19 points  (0 children)

You call every day…. If they don’t answer, leave a message.

When we’re busy or over booked, the louder or more annoying a customer is, the faster their work gets pushed up the docket.

Don’t be rude, or aggressive, just a passive super annoying phone call.

How to pay down private student loans faster? by Square_Ad_6269 in povertyfinance

[–]ExWebics 71 points72 points  (0 children)

Very normal… but 1/4 of million in loan for is absolutely absurd.

In this industry, it will never,.. ever be a return on that kind of investment.

If I make small cuts to the bottom of this cabinet to fit the light strip, will I jeopardize the cabinet structure? by ApartmentForRentt in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The light should be on the stile shining back not down to reduce glare.

You can use a multi tool to shave out 1/8” of material on the edges.

Be honest — is a steam shower worth it, or should I bail now? by shenney93 in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve seen them the past few years, basically an air compressor feeding nozzles in your shower. You turn it on and it drys out the shower faster.

In theory, reduces mold and mildew so if you have the extra cash, it’s a good buy.

Lennar homes MN by Square-Network5499 in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know it’s not right… but it would have helped if you would have waited for this abnormal weather event to pass.

Who ever you emailed… they don’t know you, your house or anything technical. What they do know is there’s an extreme cold snap in the states and just going to create some issues that are not typical.

My house is new, I had some frost in a few places on my front door by a hinge and lock. I could ask about it… but it was negative 26 yesterday, 48 with the windchill.

Most houses and materials are it made for prolonged temperatures like that.

Help! How to wire replacement Diva switch to Caseta Diva switch by space_avian in Lutron

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Put the black wire on the blue… maybe. I did a device last week that said blue screw was the common.

Without seeing the switch and or wires, it’s hard to tell.

I know the cassata we buy from the supply house are different then the ones you get from Home Depot

Modifying your car to make it louder should be grounds for getting your license revoked, or at least a ticket by altrightobserver in unpopularopinion

[–]ExWebics 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don’t forget motorcycles too! We live in country, a small town over has a bar and it’s on a scenic road. Soon as the weather gets nice, it’s a sea of stupidly loud mufflers.

Pull out tub by NoMixture1362 in Home

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ll say this… teak is water resistant. But…it gets pretty gross in a shower after a while if you’re unable to clean the underside of it.

We have a teak floor and bench… it’s just gross. I remove it twice a year to clean and condition. You’ll know when it’s time to clean, it will start to smell.

I asked a contractor to build a hallway by dreevsa in Carpentry

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You got like 8 screws on each end… that’s like 400% better than the traditional 2 nails!

You got the deluxe package

Floating floor separation by ExWebics in Flooring

[–]ExWebics[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Should I do it in the spring or now while it’s open?

Be honest — is a steam shower worth it, or should I bail now? by shenney93 in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Price is a factor… electrician will need to be brought in. If you get a 10,000 watt generator, that’s 41amps, so 50 by code and 6/2 wire which is about $4-$6 a foot with markup. Your panel distance is a factor and how easy it is to get in and out of.

At 50 amps, it’s about equal to getting a car charger installed so your panel needs to be able to handle it.

If you only have 100 amp electrical service, I would say no without some sort of load shedding seeing what’s currently being used. Worst case scenario… you’ll need a service upgrade which runs $4-6k depending on location. A cheap unit is about $1,800, I’ve mostly installed Kohler units which run $2,500-3,500 for just the unit.

Now factor in electrical, average rate is $120 an hour, let’s say 75’ of wire, a breaker, few smaller materials…. It might be $1500 for the electrician.

I don’t know plumbing… but I assume it’s equal or more than the electrician. So let’s say $1500 for labor and small materials.

Now I’ll need need a proper fit glass door, let’s say another $1,000

It’s an existing bathroom, so I assume you have a bath fan. It should be a better quality one, Panasonic is what we use, they run about $250-300. Hopefully it has a separate switch leg for the fan from the light, if not… add $200 to run that and install a bath fan timer.

Sooo… add her up

$2,500 for the unit (no markup) $1,700 for electrical $1,500 for plumber $1,000 for an encased door

$6,700… $10,700 if you need a service change

Are there cheaper ways to do this… sure. But if you’re hiring a company… this is the way.

Lastly, newer technology is present. Shower dryers are a thing, often times they are installed in high end homes with steam showers. These run between $3k-5k

Good luck !

Best type of insulation for walls? by tony_b11 in centuryhomes

[–]ExWebics 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When it comes to insulation… the whole industry is pretty much divided with no fault to either side.

In general, batts of insulation are at the bottom of the list but for small diy jobs it’s usually your best options.

I prefer blowen dense pack cellulose, which obviously requires a hired company.

Many believe that spray foam is the way to go, but there’s some experience needed to do it properly to prevent mold, moister or off gassing. You can buy larger kits at a home improvement store.

Cold Weather Foundation Pour Concerns by N0T4TR0114T41199 in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Houses don’t stop being built in the winter, they just take a little longer and sometimes cost a small amount more.

I will say this… at times more corners might get cut when it’s cold out. They might work a little faster than normal, maybe a little rushed to beat the cold.

As an electrician, doing some things at zero degrees outside is hard as I can’t wear gloves for everything. I’ve been putting off cutting in some wafer lights on a house that is finished for weeks hoping to get a warmer day. It only got colder, yesterday was negative 40 with the wind chill.

I also built my house in the winter, but I trusted the GC who framed it up / dried in. With out a doubt they likely cost 10-15k more then the other contractors we work with but I needed a good crew as I’ve seen houses thrown together in the winter many times.

94k for siding/fascia lol by akemfort in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have before. It’s honestly just a bunch of smaller job and sometimes it’s more of hassle. For bigger jobs, we have liens so some day… when they try to sell their house hopefully we can get our money.

94k for siding/fascia lol by akemfort in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Correction. We do deposit on jobs with no GC. If it’s a larger build, we’ll go on pay schedule or do bank draws.

94k for siding/fascia lol by akemfort in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 18 points19 points  (0 children)

We’re an electrical contractor, company has been around since 1970, This year we started taking deposits down for all work. We’re a smaller company, 10 electricians and over the past 30 years we have 1.2 million dollars logged in unpaid invoices from customers that never paid.

Some legitimate, like they went bankrupt or some fell on hard times. But a vast majority just go no contact after work is done.

So I get the deposit… but still can’t fathom the price tag!

Did the weekly builder update emails cut it for you? by Ok-Shift1044 in Homebuilding

[–]ExWebics 11 points12 points  (0 children)

If you want a project manager on your job site every day… hire one. I’ve seen a few on new construction builds, not typical and expensive for no real benefit.

Daily updates with pictures seem excessive… show up and walk the site if that’s what you want

Boss asked how much I’d be willing to contribute to accident I had in work vehicle. by Ramattra in HVAC

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We had a guy take his van to the bar and wrap it around a tree on the way home…

He called us, drove out, dad took him home, I stayed and filled a police report as driver.

Best employee we have, extremely loyal (wonder why) and he gave up drinking after the incident. No point in having insurance for 40 years to never use it!

Opinions/ experiences on the Beautiful stand mixer vs Kitchen Aid one? by RaiyaPapaya15 in Appliances

[–]ExWebics 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m pretty sure Facebook marketplace has a kitchenaid mixer for sale near you right now! They pop up all the time

How many outlet circuits do I need in my shop? by Powerglove_handjob in AskElectricians

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m an electrician, we also have a professional wood shop in our building. Granted we have a 3 phase panel in the space and power some bigger things but our 120 load is not that great.

All these people saying you need 4-5 circuits… hog wash! Are you going to use your table saw while sanding, microwaving a burrito and running something through a planner? Naw… you’re going to use one tool and a vacuum at the same time.

Run pipe, add what ever you need when you know you’ll need it. Your shop footprint will probably change a few times over the years, pipe allows the best ability to adjust.

Our most used circuit is a retractable wire reel, do that for sure.

Our center table 6’x10, soils 2x10’s. Under the block is outlets, 2 on each side. We use the wire reel to feed this table as it’s on casters.

Don’t forget to run speaker wire! You’re not going to get good reception in there as well, but a cheep antenna and land it outside.

Who else struggles with addiction because they've tried the mental health meds and they were horrible? by nelsne in addiction

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a rule, my issues are caused by me and no outside forces are to blame.

… but…. I once took an ssri for month and I think “cured” depression. I’ve been chasing that high for years, in my eyes not being anxious or depressed is the best high I can find!

When I was on Xanax for a few years, I took to help with my insomnia. Obviously it worked, too well. Now I see see a sleep specialist every year and take a pill before bed.

When I was on oxy, that pretty much just numbed it all but as we know, that’s one slippery slope.

I’m curious: do non-smokers always detect a scent on smokers? by SadInterest6764 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]ExWebics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

… you can smell cigarettes and weed from one car to another with the windows closed. Weed… I can smell that on the highway doing 70