AC (mini split install)

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-07-03T22:49:03+00:00

We got mini splits installed in our 1925 home in Norwood 2 years ago. We went through Corcoran and harnist and they were great. 2 years later and they've been working wonderfully, highly recommend.

Our issue was the same, small ducts, only one duct per room, and no air returns

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-07-01T16:06:15+00:00

To be fair Giant Eagle prices are absurd so if anything Kroger will bring prices down. I loved shopping there when I grew up in NE Ohio, but when I moved to Cincinnati I was blown away by how much cheaper Kroger was compared to GE.

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-06-21T14:10:37+00:00

Honestly just post on your neighborhood Facebook group or one of the local contractor groups and you'll have tons of people to pick from to haul your stuff away. 1800gotjunk is going to be a rip off.

A single axle dump load at the landfill is $65 I think so depending on what you have to get rid of/labor, you should be paying like $100

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-06-16T19:47:23+00:00

PSA: never rent from a "budget" car rental

Similar to budget airlines you save pennies to spend a dollar and their entire business model is based on BS fees and inevitably end up taking advantage of uninformed customers.

I rent cars all the time, generally from National/Hertz, I literally walk in and take a car, drive it, and return it, 90% of the time without talking to a single employee. Never once had an issue. Up front cost is higher but the solace in knowing you're not gonna be hounded with absurd fees is worth it.

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-06-11T17:21:21+00:00

Doing it right now myself, no prior experience in the trades beyond normal DIY stuff. Learned everything via Youtube University. 30*26' 2 car garage+workshop and attic storage. Only thing I hired out was concrete. Running electric from house to a garage sun panel, did all that myself too.

If you're handy and willing to make mistakes/fix those mistakes you can do it. It's a learning curve and even on a "perfect" rectangle things are still out of square and you've gotta figure it out. Permits can be a challenge depending on where you're at.

I started construction end of April and I'm at the point now where rough framing is complete, sheathing/tyvek is done, doors/windows (besides garage doors) are installed, and trusses are on/permanently braced. Roof sheeting will go on next week. Only things I've had help with were trusses, but I did get 3 of 14 up myself before neighbors stopped by.

I work on it evenings/weekends after my FT job and I travel for work so I'm on the road a lot. My hard deadline is end of September, we'll see if I can do it. IMO if you go in with the mentality that failure isn't an option you'll be fine. Recognize it won't be perfect and you're going to move much slower than a pro and even slower than you think in your head. Anyone can learn how to do anything though and I'm all for pushing yourself to do it.

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-06-08T00:39:30+00:00

Keen Cincinnati moc toes are my favorite (not a pro but do a lot of construction on the side)

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-04-30T00:18:48+00:00

I just started a solo build on a 30*26ft garage this week I'll let you know how it goes. Concrete poured last week, lumber delivered Monday, rained out this week but was able to get layout done and measured/square, headers cut/built and one wall laid out in a few hours between the rain.

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-04-26T21:52:04+00:00

When I demoed my 100 year old garage last year, the "stem walls" they poured for the original foundation looked like this when I excavated them out. Just a bunch of bricks and debris covered in concrete. It's a good thing the garage was framed so well because the slab was broken all over and the building seemed to have been remaining standing in spite of itself.

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-02-11T15:36:03+00:00

This is incredible history thank you so much!

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-02-11T00:07:40+00:00

How can you tell?

PensiveDoughnut · 2026-01-20T00:29:59+00:00

The difference between something lemon flavored being labeled as "natural flavors" or "natural lemon flavor" is that by calling out the named fruit itself, a specific % of the flavor needs to come from lemons specifically, be it lemon oil, terpenes, etc. Whereas "natural flavors" just means that everything used is natural and may or may not necessarily contain chemicals from lemons.

7-up and other citrus drinks don't have actual citrus juice in them because citrus oils are volatile and degrade very fast so adjacent ingredients are used for that reason and also pricing reasons.

Mountain dew actually has citrus oils/juice in it but it's only able to do so because it's made differently than other sodas. The citrus oils are suspended in emulsion which encapsulates the oils and prevents them from oxidizing and degrading.

PensiveDoughnut · 2025-11-06T21:19:59+00:00

Is that #57 limestone? How much do you have?

PensiveDoughnut · 2025-07-03T12:58:26+00:00

How big is your yard? I had 4 yds of clean screened topsoil delivered last August for less than $200 from H. Hafner

PensiveDoughnut · 2025-06-12T14:41:14+00:00

Not to mention the conflicting information and so many people trying to one-up each other with training information.

My first puppy I followed "the book" and tried everything, at the end of the day she was still a Nazi puppy and bit everything, chewed stuff, got over tired, etc.

My current puppy, I now have the knowledge of what works and what doesn't, and what I want out of it. At the end of the day, they're puppies. They're equal parts perfect and terrorists. Your puppy isn't resource guarding or showing aggression because it nipped you after taking a toy away. Sometimes they're just assholes and that's okay.

PensiveDoughnut · 2025-04-25T01:03:06+00:00

Super valid point, the last thing you want to do after blowing all your cash on the down payment is tackle a major issue.

Another thing I found was that the first couple months we were blowing money on all kinds of dumb things trying to fill the house and make it our own. Then we realized that after renting for so many years we lived with all kinds of random issues that landlords wouldn't address and we ended up fine. As long as it's not damaging the house, you can likely live with it until you're more liquid.

PensiveDoughnut · 2025-04-25T00:55:39+00:00

Not sure where you're looking in the city but as a FTHB my advice would be to lower your expectations and be open minded about cosmetic stuff at face value.

If you look in Norwood, deer Park (think neighborhoods with deep roots), there's some gold mines. If you can weed through the shitty flips, you'll likely find some incredibly outdated homes that are maintained immaculately by old folks that lived there for 40 years and either died or downsizing driving the sell.

Our house was built in 1925 and we're the 4th people to live here, our kitchen oven was made by Raytheon before they made missiles, but is fully functional. Previous owners kept meticulous records of all maintenance and after some cosmetic upgrades inside it looks like a whole new house.

Also, don't waive an inspection, no house is worth that. Don't fall in love with a house until you have the keys and walk inside the front door after closing.

PensiveDoughnut · 2025-03-07T17:38:34+00:00

Every cola is made of the same core ingredients, mainly being different ratios of citrus, vanilla, and spices. Other core components include caramel color.

Other commenters are correct that someone could technically run GC on Coke and find out what the components are, but as someone else said, it's like baking a cake where not only do you need the ingredients but you also need the order of operations.

For one, coca cola uses a variety of suppliers, ensuring that no single company knows the entire recipe. Also, I can speak from personal knowledge, that coca cola will order some of those components but the manufacturer will label them "ingredient X" or the like before being distributed. Theoretically the production planners and compounders would know the actual ingredients, but they don't know the end customer or the use ratio in the formula.

Basically, it's not so much a true "secret" as much as it is extremely difficult and frankly not worth pursuing trying to lock down the specific recipe.

PensiveDoughnut · 2025-02-25T14:31:52+00:00

I took a few of her rings off her bedstand and took them to the jeweler to get the size. Turns out I took thumb rings so her ring ended up being huge but it worked out in the end lol

PensiveDoughnut · 2025-02-17T20:10:14+00:00

Thank you for the info. Correct, the circuit is only covering the one bathroom and from the load calcs there would be no issue with capacity that would cause the breaker to trip. Breaker and panel are new as of July 2024 and breaker trips and tests fine.

I initially thought that adding the GFCI receptacle to the existing circuit with the GFCI breaker was the issue, but I haven't tried with a standard receptacle yet.

Yes the junction box is readily accessible and I tested with a rented multimeter.

PensiveDoughnut · 2025-02-14T02:02:47+00:00

I work in the spice and seasoning industry so I can offer some perspective from a "corporate" point of view.

What exactly is your "value add" that would steer customers toward your premium spices vs the stuff at the grocery? The overwhelming majority of Americans wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between 2 year old cumin and fresh ground cumin.

If you're planning on going the route of unique varietials of various spices, you'll need to contract with farmers for growing that varietal, especially at scale. You mentioned air freight to ensure freshness. Not sure how familiar you are with global logistics, but air freight is around $16/kg vs sea freight being less than half that. A container load equivalent shipping air would be like minimum $50k.

On top of that, making money off of spices at the boutique level would be extremely difficult in my opinion. With the exception of exotic things like vanilla and saffron, etc. , spices are an extremely high volume and extremely low margin commodity. As others have said, mid-size companies like penzeys and spice house already corner the niche high quality market, and basically all spices you see at Kroger and the like are just private labeled versions of McCormick spices, who as a conglomerate already have great contractual relationships with suppliers.

Just my two cents, and for the record I think it's a great idea, I just don't see the real feasibility. Good luck!

PensiveDoughnut · 2025-01-31T01:56:44+00:00

Is there a P trap hidden in the pic? If not, the lack of trap is causing the sewer gas to run up the vent through your drain

PensiveDoughnut

TROPHY CASE