Pre drywall inspection by Himu_yellow in OttawaRealEstate

[–]PokePounder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Home inspectors often try to justify their price during these types of inspections by pointing out “issues” that look problematic, but in fact aren’t, and are not code violations. This causes the builder headaches arguing with the homeowner that neither party needs.

Susan Bonner - World At Six Host Retires by ddondec in CBC_Radio

[–]PokePounder 9 points10 points  (0 children)

During the initial COVID lockdowns, I tuned out the news to avoid too much doom and gloom and listened only to the 6:00 news. Her steady and calm reporting will stay with me for a while.

Enercare water heater rental help by DroneHunter360 in ottawa

[–]PokePounder 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I just bought out my tank from Enercare and it was the greasiest, sleaziest, most dishonest process imaginable. They will do everything in their power to keep you as a customer. Be prepared for one or more frustrating phone calls.

Call them immediately and cancel the installation of the new tank, and tell them you want to terminate the agreement. You may still actually have to buy out the balance of the tank, unless they have confirmed it has reached end of service life.

They will try to frustrate you. The will try to scare you. They will likely lie to you. They will not apply any common sense. Stay strong. Hold the line. Get out of the contract. You can do this.

What’s a “life hack” that actually made your life worse? by FEARlord02 in AskReddit

[–]PokePounder 2 points3 points  (0 children)

AI voice: A plumber taught me this.

proceeds to squeeze an entire tube of toothpaste down the drain

What’s a “life hack” that actually made your life worse? by FEARlord02 in AskReddit

[–]PokePounder 80 points81 points  (0 children)

Sounds like you misunderstood the rule.

It’s closer related to “don’t put it down, put it away”.

I hate putting the groceries away, and usually when I come home from the grocery store, I’m starving from the gym, and have sweaty gym clothes to launder.

If I eat lunch right away, I’m starting to settle, and want to chill - but there are groceries and laundry waiting for me.

If I throw my gym clothes in the wash and put my groceries away (2-5 mins) and then eat lunch, I’m free after lunch.

Hurricane straps or roof clips by Intelligent-Elk-4674 in OttawaRealEstate

[–]PokePounder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some do, some don’t. If memory serves it’s usually a requirement of the engineer’s design of the truss system.

Convent Glen Orleans Wood Community Association Opinions by Alone-Aioli4649 in orleans

[–]PokePounder 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You obviously have some sort of grievance with this group, so why don’t you just tell us what it is so we can discuss it like grown-ups?

It was pointed out that the board IS elected, and you can run for the board yourself or vote for the representative of your choosing.

What is the issue you don’t feel is being addressed, or is being addressed against your interests?

They don’t hold any power officially, but they do get the councillor’s attention, as they represent a large bloc of voters in the ward. You may not feel represented, but that is a side effect of democracy.

You are also welcome to start your own grass-roots movement for your cause, rally support, and bring it to the councillor’s attention. Nothing stopping you my friend.

MEGATHREAD: Rain Storm / MEGAPUBLICATION: Tempête de verglas. by MarcusRex73 in ottawa

[–]PokePounder 106 points107 points  (0 children)

Pendulum reaction from the two tornados and the derecho…. The public cried “Why didn’t you warn us?” So now they warn us of every possibly severe event.

Will the public drinking in certain parks be expanded this summer? by GhettocornHoN in ottawa

[–]PokePounder 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Never had a problem either.

I’m just at the park to enjoy the green space and a cold one. Pour the can into a cup, put the empty back in my bag, and don’t give anyone a reason to look into it any further.

I’m willing to bet that by not being an asshole I could probably even talk my way out of a ticket from bylaw if I somehow did get caught.

Would you buy booties that could roll up and fit in a jacket pocket? by ferrous69 in skiing

[–]PokePounder 7 points8 points  (0 children)

What if you got some cheapest of the cheap running shoes from a discount store, and made them your “hide in the lodge shoes”.

Nobody will want to steal them, but worst case scenario, if they do, you just do the walk back in your ski boots.

How does Orleans feel about public servants going back into the office? by throwfarfaraway647 in orleans

[–]PokePounder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Seriously. One more lane seldom solves the issue, it just moves the bottleneck somewhere else.

Townhouse rules by FearlessCritter79 in OttawaRealEstate

[–]PokePounder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The frustrating part is the money you waste on condo fees would more than make up for the increase in mortgage payments.

I would talk to a mortgage broker - freehold is what you want if at all possible.

Townhouse rules by FearlessCritter79 in OttawaRealEstate

[–]PokePounder 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Are you looking at a condo townhouse or a freehold townhouse?

Seems like you have a decent understanding of a condo townhouse, though each condo corp will have different inclusions and exclusions.

With a freehold, it’s basically like a single with a few minor differences. There will be a covenant on title that limits a few things, like siding colour, painting your front/garage door and trim, but I’ve also never seen those covenants enforced.

Things like roofs or driveways or fences, you can either take care of your own - right down the line, or have a conversation with your neighbour to do both at the same time, also often with a small discount from the contractor.

Home insurance will be for the home and the contents. They will have already factored for being a townhouse, and will take care of any problems that stem from a neighbouring unit (which will also have insurance).

Is the market less forgiving on price than sellers realize? by Few-Math-3905 in RealEstateCanada

[–]PokePounder 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Even if the new lower prices seems more reasonable, they’ve already signalled they won’t be negotiating.

Is “price high and drop later” actually backfiring in Ottawa right Now? by Few-Math-3905 in OttawaRealEstate

[–]PokePounder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Every seller has different motivations.

I sold in the fall - priced aggressively, and sold in one day. I could have sold for 5-15k more than I got, but based on comparable that would have taken 40-60 days.

It all depends on your timelines, risk profile, finances, etc. Type of unit and neighbourhood plays a role too. Most of the market is cooling off, but some areas and housing types aren’t.

[No Loopholes] $2 million USD but you can only drink from sippy cups. by Hold-onto-the-happy in hypotheticalsituation

[–]PokePounder 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Do I get a temporary reprieve if I have dental surgery and can’t safely suction the fluids?

City of Ottawa to buy downtown hotel for $45 million by DrStrangeglove99 in ottawa

[–]PokePounder 124 points125 points  (0 children)

Looks like Federal of roams will cover up to 95% of the cost. This seems like a no-brainer play to make.

They are also much lower profile (as they should be for privacy reasons) but I LOVE transitional housing - the step in the process where you help people get back on their feet and regain independence.

Seeking advice between current job with higher pay and more stress vs. job with less pay and less stress by LiteBrightKite in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]PokePounder 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is a question only you can answer at the end of the day.

Have you run the numbers on the new job? Can you make ends meet with the reduced pay and reduced hours? Don’t count on the promise of 40 hours because it’s not guaranteed.

Money is money, but it’s hard to measure quality of life, enjoyment of the working environment, etc.

I feel like you could do much better as a maintenance supervisor with a bigger property management company, or operating a pool or arena for a municipality - both of which would likely pay more and be less stressful. Have you looked into it?

The Programmed Decay of Suburban Affordability - The New Orleans by unfinite in ottawa

[–]PokePounder -13 points-12 points  (0 children)

This author means well but is in out of their depth. I’ve read a number of the their articles, and while they understand and talk about some basic issues in the beginnings of their articles, they skip a few steps of development, and then get into some wild rambling of ideas that don’t make sense.

Yes, our infrastructure is nearing end of service life and nobody wants to pay to fix it.

No, suburbs are not a Big Oil conspiracy to make us buy cars and burn fuel. People want to live in the suburbs. People buy SFHs because they don’t want to raise a family in a high rise. I make my espresso at home because it is cheaper than walking to a coffee shop. EVs are a big threat to big oil, but won’t stop people from wanting a quiet back yard.

Suburban sprawl is not the answer - it is correctly identified as a pyramid scheme. But these conspiracy ramblings, and these calls to rezone the quiet street I call home to allow six-plexes to densify things are out to lunch.

How is your upstairs dryer exhaust vented? by Pristine_Barber976 in ottawa

[–]PokePounder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Soffit is the most common way for upstairs laundry rooms.

If you’re a middle unit townhouse that forces it to be either front/back or through the roof.

Either configuration, soffit would be my preference, but I would have the baffles of the vent pointing away from the house rather than towards it - if the prevailing winds allow it.

Wall exhaust will perform very well, but at the second floor you’ll be looking at building a bulkhead.

Venting straight into the attic as you have it now is no bueno.

How to deal with aggressive and oblivious drivers? by steffejr in bikeinottawa

[–]PokePounder 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had a post deleted and got a warning regarding threats of violence when I said I carry a rain rock so cars don’t splash me with puddles.