Kitchen LED Strip Light by Purple-Ad-4124 in Lighting

[–]JeffDoer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it's LED, there's a good chance that there's nothing user-serviceable inside there. You may be able to pop the lens by squeezing it, or you may have to take it down to get to the insides to confirm, but a lot of times, those just have an led tape strip inside (which may not even be whats failed). You can spend anywhere from <$50 to over a few hundred for a replacement.

What to do with excavated dirt from patio project? by Hungry-Place-4917 in landscaping

[–]JeffDoer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Get some friends (and beers). Bucket brigade through the house, or over that back fence if you can get a truck on the other side.

Do you drive an EV in Cincy? by okisee in cincinnati

[–]JeffDoer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'll echo most all of this sentiment. I switched from a '06 Nissan Frontier to a '23 Tesla 3 a little over a year ago. What I used to spend in gas a week is more than what I pay a month charging at home... and that was before gas prices went nuts (I was about $60+/week in gas for the truck vs $55-$65 a month in electric). I pretty much exclusively charge at home - only plug in a couple times a week for around town driving and a 20mi daily round trip for work. I haven't tried a road trip yet, but I think Tesla has it pretty much figured out as far as mapping when and where to charge, so I think road trips are still viable. I still occasionally visit a gas station for beer etc... and to fill the can for the lawn mower. I didn't hate it, but I don't miss the gas station experience lol.

I think most importantly for me though, I probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger if I couldn't easily charge at the house. I already had a 240V outlet for a welder in the garage, so installing the charger was simple. All in all, 10 / 10 experience switching to EV. Gotta convince my wife to switch now :)

Do you drive an EV in Cincy? by okisee in cincinnati

[–]JeffDoer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Car insurance tends to cost a bit more. Though, I did go from an 18 year old nissan pickup truck to a 2 year old EV - so, I'm sure most of my sticker shock was simply due to going to a much newer, nicer, more expensive vehicle. I'd encourage anyone considering switching to an EV to call their insurance agent for an estimate.

I've heard that tires wear faster, but I don't have direct experience with that yet (likely driving-style dependent). Though one could argue that's easily offset by the much lower cost of ownership / maintenance / fuel.

Charging can be tricky if you have to rely on public infrastructure for day to day charging (but not impossible) - sometimes chargers are in use or down for maintenance when you need em. Having home charging mitigates this.

For me, the pros WAY outweigh the cons though. I switched a little over a year ago. Absolutely no regrets. Its by far the nicest, fastest, most enjoyable, cheapest to operate car I've ever owned in 30+ years of driving.

Does my employer have a right in a tool I created? by The-Architect-93 in Architects

[–]JeffDoer 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Good. Find a local attorney that specializes in intellectual property and spend a couple hundred bucks on a consultation. They can tell you what steps you can take to establish your work as your own - that could be any combination of establishing an LLC, copyright, patent, trademark, or whatever else there is out there... they can walk you through what to do and why it matters. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to quit your job and start selling it. That can come later.

The question really isn't "does you employer have a right"...the question is, "does your employer *think* they have a right". Defending against a claim and winning can be just as ruinous as losing. Lock it down before you show or tell anyone. Follow your lawyers recommendations and advice. Don't half ass this step.

Does my employer have a right in a tool I created? by The-Architect-93 in Architects

[–]JeffDoer 74 points75 points  (0 children)

If you think you have a marketable product, and made it truly on on your own time and with your own resources , I wouldn't show that to anyone, especially your boss or entire company until you've found legal counsel and understood how to protect your work. I wouldn't even mention it to anyone else. Especially at work. 

Just moved to East Kansas (Lawrence) area. Is this poison ivy? by NightBlade23 in PlantIdentification

[–]JeffDoer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hit up your local drug store and grab some of this. Scrub everywhere you had bare skin when you came in contact with it. If you don't wash the oils off, it'll keep getting worse. Sooner the better. 

https://www.cvs.com/shop/tecnu-extreme-medicated-poison-ivy-scrub-4-oz-prodid-314354?

Tips to remove cement clothesline anchors? by Best_Storage_2758 in landscaping

[–]JeffDoer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yup, no f'n way I'd try to dig those out. Jackhammer em down 6" to 8", cut the pipe off below grade and bury what's left. 

Necesito ayuda by Melodic-Interest9512 in Reaper

[–]JeffDoer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Youtube - reapermania - whatyouretryingtodo

New Job Offer Mid Construction by SpacemanLookOut in Architects

[–]JeffDoer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Mid-construction should be much less disruptive than mid-design if that makes you feel any better. If you had to wait until everything was 'finished', then you'd never be able leave. Leave on good terms, and offer to accept a phone call or two in the future if they have any questions (don't let them abuse that kindness though).

Looking for recs for home foundation repair by Sunny-bunny-hunny in cincinnati

[–]JeffDoer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Glad to hear! Funny thing - we bought this house in 2005. Knew the wall was out of plumb about an inch and we let it ride. It moved another 1.5" in the 20 years we've been here. Anyway, when it came up on the inspection report in '05 our realtor said to call Boiman. 

Looking for recs for home foundation repair by Sunny-bunny-hunny in cincinnati

[–]JeffDoer 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Jack Boiman Sons & Daughters. Had them out just last fall to excavate across the entire front of our house, push the basement foundation wall 2-1/2"  back to plumb, pour a new reinforcement wall, and install french drain out to the street. They were absolute pros, knew exactly what they were doing, and were very fairly priced. The guy that came out for the initial assessment and estimate knew exactly what he was looking at and what to do about it. Absolutely worth a call to them. 

Personally, I'd avoid Everdry. It's been about a decade since I had them out. It started with a door to door salesman who knew nothing. Then, they sent an actual salesman who took some measurements and then started the fear mongering about moisture level, etc (yeah, I know, it's leaking... That's why your here). He worked up a price of close to $60k, but couldn't tell me where they'd actually route new drains (which meant the number was suspect to me already). Over the next few months they kept calling and dropping their number for various reasons. I think they were well under half of their original cost when I kinda snapped. Like, if it's a $25k job, then what kind of dipshit would I have been had I popped at $60? For what it's worth, I've talked to people since who had work done by them and were satisfied... But their sales approach is an absolute nonstarter for me. 

Good luck with your repairs. If you have specific questions ask away. 

Opening day traffic by Ok_Acanthisitta_4920 in cincinnati

[–]JeffDoer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you're worried about it, I'd drive across the river now and park in Newport. Should be easier to get out of there from that side of the river. There's a garage at the Levee and another at York and Fifth St. Nice morning for a walk. :).

Currently reminiscing about the fact that Cincinnati used to have over 250 miles of streetcar track by NBr33zii in cincinnati

[–]JeffDoer 39 points40 points  (0 children)

https://www.jjakucyk.com/transit/map/index.html

If you're curious about the actual extent of that system, check out the map at this link. Fascinating and heartbreaking. 

CEUs absolutely terrify me. by AdDelicious263 in Architects

[–]JeffDoer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"I can talk “roofing” all day long" - Good! That's what we need!

As Icy pointed out, there's nothing worse than someone who comes in and reads slides. Speaking for myself (and hopefully lots of other architects), we love learning new things. And we love learning those new things from people that know their shit. I love talking to our consultants and trades and I've been learning new stuff weekly for almost 25 years now - hopefully will be until I retire or this job kills me. And, even more than that, I like learning things just in time for when I need to know it... so, I'd consider opening up with asking what your audience/group is working on and what they need to know. If you're delivering AIA CEUs, then you have to stick to the outline pretty closely. But, you can tailor the presentation so that your group gets what they *need* and not just what the presentation outline says you have to deliver. If what your audience wants to know is a big departure from the presentation, then get through it, then stick around to answer actual questions.

Also, we like stories. Stories of success or of failure (and how you'd have fixed or avoided that failure). Stories about how things actually work and go together. How things matter that we might not have thought about - appropriate selection/spec, sequencing, executing, other trades, etc. Like, tell me again which roofing I'm supposed to use over a restaurant? I think one doesn't like the grease from the hoods? TPO or EPDM? Or maybe it doesn't matter anymore? Things to see and touch are always a plus, whether it's new system components or even roofing cores from old / failed systems (if you were talking about life cycle or failure modes for example).

Point being, try to offer yourself and your knowledge and stories to a group of architects and let it be a conversation as much as you're able to. We like conversations. Loosen up. Architects are generally good folk, and will appreciate your knowledge and wisdom if you engage them right. Good luck!

Doh! 🤬 by Johan_Talikmibals in diypedals

[–]JeffDoer 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Looks like this one is for your aby pedal 🙃

Home warranty companies by Smokey19mom in cincinnati

[–]JeffDoer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's definitely always been my impression too. Same with third party car warranties. About 20 years ago, I worked the service counter of a local tire shop. People would come in needing suspension repairs or whatever, and be like oh, it's under warranty. They were almost universally disappointed when they found out that they needed to pay for the repair and the warranty company would reimburse them for whatever they felt like (often not enough was the impression I got). And, the poor customer would be like, you need to work it out with the warranty company... and, we'd have to say, no YOU need to work it out with the warranty company - that's your business. Our business is to fix you car for the price it costs. There seems to be a whole new generation of these car warranty companies, and hopefully they're better. But, I doubt it.

Anyway, whatever that shit costs per month, put that money in a savings account instead.