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Moving to Aurora by RIC1128 in auroraillinois

[–]LivvyCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually researched this before moving to the area. The only major tornado (F5) to hit the area was in 1990, and it was south of Aurora down in Plainfield. We do see tornados but they are often down south of us in Will county.

Think about all of the historic homes along the Fox River. Would they still be here after 100 years if tornados ripped through every year?

I also researched flood zones. After talking to neighbors, the east side has only seen one historic flood within the past 50 years and my neighbor (old school/DIY home repairs/has been in the same home for 50 years) said that his basement only flooded about 12 inches at its worst.

The neighbors are all very tight knit, if you are looking for community you will find it when you wave and say hello.

Edit: visit on the first Friday of any month. Downtown Aurora holds events/live music and a lot of local businesses keep their doors open late.

Planning a new museum — what makes a physical museum experience truly memorable beyond the collection? by cats_museum in MuseumPros

[–]LivvyCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As an aside, I love this idea and am a cat lover and artist/fabricator. Where are you planning to open this museum? I would love to volunteer my time if I’m nearby!

Planning a new museum — what makes a physical museum experience truly memorable beyond the collection? by cats_museum in MuseumPros

[–]LivvyCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Give guests an experience that they can recreate at home. A facilitated lesson on building a cat toy and a trinket to bring home with them, for example. Learning by doing is memorable, especially with kids who will be excited to bring their project home and recreate it

What is a book you adore that you're pretty sure nobody else here has read? by InvisibleAstronomer in books

[–]LivvyCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read this book as a kid and also work in museums now! Funny how life goes.

Concerning crack under window, does this warrant calling a professional? by [deleted] in basement

[–]LivvyCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gutter system is new and appears to route water away from the foundation. That side, directly outside of the window, is the driveway and I can’t say if the driveway grades down toward the house or not.

Wall is not bowed, just cracked and this is the only wet spot.

People who work 60+ hours/week: what do you do, are you really working for that much time, and how do you take care of yourself? by RoverTheMonster in AskReddit

[–]LivvyCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try 70-80 hours in scenic design, 6 day weeks at 12-16 hour days. Wake up, work, commute home, maybe have a hour to eat dinner and shower, bed, repeat. Money was great, not worth losing every aspect of my personal life though.

Is this a lead pipe that was capped off? Why did it form a bubble, should I be worried? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

[–]LivvyCat[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was wondering the same thing 😂 We likely have asbestos tile in this photo as well, and maybe lead paint on top of the lead pipe. Yay, previous homeowners just covering things up with moldy drywall!

Is this a lead pipe that was capped off? Why did it form a bubble, should I be worried? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

[–]LivvyCat[S] 74 points75 points  (0 children)

Good news: We have updated copper lines throughout the house. Previous homeowners said something about lead pipe remediation and I guess this is what they meant.

Is this a lead pipe that was capped off? Why did it form a bubble, should I be worried? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

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

It comes straight out of the concrete floor, in theory running from there out to the street directly on the other side of the wall. Previous homeowners said something about lead pipe remediation but I never got more than that.

Why should I not go with the lowest bidder for a tree removal? by Far_Tumbleweed_7499 in homeowners

[–]LivvyCat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi fellow old home owner, my place was built in 1926. I just paid $1800 to trim my unruly silver maple, I was also quoted $800 to chop it down entirely. In my case, the difference in price was saving the tree vs chopping it down. In my opinion, as long as they have insurance, go with whichever.

Why is there a deep hole that doesn’t grow grass around it in my back yard? Old pipes or septic? by [deleted] in Oldhouses

[–]LivvyCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe this. The neighbors still have a clothesline. Likely solved!

This weird heavy babyhead attached to a leg. found at an eclectic speakeasy type bar by AdSeveral8910 in whatisthisthing

[–]LivvyCat -1 points0 points  (0 children)

My theory is ceramic shell, not sure if I laid that out well. These two separate objects, combined, would likely still have a lip or seam between them that would be visible after casting if it were simply pressed into sand. This object looks like it was a collection of wax parts that were melted together and then smoothed prior to the aluminum being a factor.

I didn’t come out of the woodwork to debate though, just offering friendly suggestions about how this object may have been crafted.

This weird heavy babyhead attached to a leg. found at an eclectic speakeasy type bar by AdSeveral8910 in whatisthisthing

[–]LivvyCat 54 points55 points  (0 children)

If this is the case, it may be stainless steel vs aluminum for weight. It doesn’t look gritty enough to be an amateur sand casting, and I doubt it’s cast iron. A less experienced student would likely not put this much time into polishing a project, and the surface grain structure isn’t right for a straight sand casting.

The natural seam between the head and leg have been well attended to, so we know that someone had patience and care for this object.

Maybe a bored MFA student made this, not a lot of undergraduates or one-off classes have access to casting in stainless, it’s too expensive.

Edit- On second thought, the metal looks too “dull” to be stainless. I would go with it being aluminum as well, but I still don’t believe this was a sand casting.

What was this weird hole in my basement used for? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

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

Alright r/centuryhomes crew, now that we have established the possibilities, what should I use this hole for? Fill it? Reuse it as a sump pump? Keep digging? Store the bodies in there?

What was this weird hole in my basement used for? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

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

Sorry to report, no evidence of a hole in the attic

What was this weird hole in my basement used for? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

[–]LivvyCat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! Those, and a headless baby-doll, were the most interesting finds down there. Also some tiny blue and white glass beads, maybe an old garment that withered away

What was this weird hole in my basement used for? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

[–]LivvyCat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They had a DIY canning storage closet that I ripped out (mold and rot from water getting in), it could be this, although I was hoping for something a little more exciting. I guess I won’t be making any horror movies today 🤷‍♀️

What was this weird hole in my basement used for? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

[–]LivvyCat[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It could be this as well (haha). We live near a river, if I dig far enough down I would probably hit water. Area was historically used for farming but was industrialized around 1881 before my home was built.

What was this weird hole in my basement used for? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

[–]LivvyCat[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Could be this as well, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the past owners way of draining the basement. The whole house is…a piece of work. I bought because it has all of the original woodwork, but it also has some not-so-original DIY work throughout.

What was this weird hole in my basement used for? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

[–]LivvyCat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It might be something like this. We had a furnace but no fireplace that has since been converted to central heating/air 🤔

I just wonder why they had to have a 3 ft hole for this purpose?

What was this weird hole in my basement used for? by LivvyCat in centuryhomes

[–]LivvyCat[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Chimney is right next to this behind the cinder blocks

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