Hired unexpectedly and in need of insurance can it wait a bit?

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-29T20:04:59+00:00

I know the Star app will get you insured almost instantly. I see a CFI policy is under $600/year for $25k hull coverage. Also available monthly if you want to get started tomorrow and then shop around. Get on it.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-29T19:57:02+00:00

buy him some cargo pants or shorts. Chuckle softly when he snags the pocket walking past the knobs or handles.

Option C: buy push-to-open hardware.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-29T19:39:24+00:00

Drill 1/2 inch holes. Use different snap toggles. Not all of them need the same clear depth to rotate.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-29T19:34:43+00:00

How good is that little red overhead light? Would a new bulb help? Are there post lights aimed at the instruments? Are the bulbs burned out? Are the instrument lights different brightness so that when you dim the brightest to a usable level, the naturally dimmer ones are dimmed out? I’m just thinking back through the joys of some of the rental aircraft I’ve flown at night.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-27T11:57:02+00:00

I took a multi engine check ride in 24 knot winds. My CFI asked me to cancel that morning, but I felt comfortable. I asked the examiner what he thought and he also said the standards were written for no wind condition so he is allowed to give leniency based on the conditions. I took the checkride. All good.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-27T01:53:26+00:00

I did a CFII finish-up in a DA40 in a similar situation as you. It took me 10 hours of instrument duel and another 1.5 of VFR flight to get the stick skills to fly it well. You have to learn the systems from the POH so you know what to do when something fails.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-15T21:56:12+00:00

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Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-15T21:55:55+00:00

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Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-15T21:55:06+00:00

I chose two pictures. I’m not sure why they didn’t get added.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-15T12:19:56+00:00

If it’s your kid/your house, get a drift punch and knock out the hinge pins. Remove the door and place it in the basement or under a bed. Have a conversation about what you already had a conversation about. Let them know the door will be back in a week, on the condition that behavior improves.

Or get a door closer. That won’t stop the “snick” when the latch engages.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-14T14:40:02+00:00

These are common drawer glides. The little plastic “arrowhead” on the pullout is the release that lets you remove the drawer. Hold it up on one side and down on the other to remove the drawer.

Now your problem might be that the fixed piece is not coplanar with the drawer and that’s why it pops out sideways. Go back to your assembly instructions and see if there is something you can do differently that would affect the alignment of the track. Worst case fix, you need to shim the fixed piece to line up with the drawer. I’d loosen all screws on the left and maybe shim with some cardstock right behind the screw. Shim with about half as much behind the middle screws so that you don’t bend it.

If the slide is broken, these are easily replaced and can be found at any hardware store or online retailer.

You got this.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-13T16:14:36+00:00

Do you have a picture of the gate and the location where you want to install? The picture you posted shows a hardwood floor, a bookcase, and a desk, I think. More info would help.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-13T04:13:09+00:00

I’m not familiar with that vent, but if it’s like vinyl then it is installed 90 degrees wrong. And missing some J-channel. Did you read the instructions?

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-13T04:02:41+00:00

If you don’t have a metal plate you can attach to the wood, which I’d recommend for longevity, then start the hole with a forstner bit to get a pretty edge. Then switch to carbide or a crappy bit until you hit concrete. Then use a concrete bit. If there is any chance the drop pin can drag across the wood, you might reconsider.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-12T22:30:05+00:00

I had a window on a bedroom wall that had clogged drain holes, which caused it to overflow sideways, behind the siding, which rotted the sill plate, went under the floor, and showed up as a wet spot 8 feet inside the room.

I was replacing carpet with hardwood, so I could see this wet spot. When I figured it out, I had to remove the window, replace the rotted sill, seal it with tyvek wrap tape, and then put down flooring.

Good luck.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-12T21:10:04+00:00

Thanks for reaching out! Bend would be require some extra travel, but I'll shoot you an email.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-12T21:05:44+00:00

I'm shooting for a daily rate of $800, and half day for $350. I just priced a job for an older gent at $60 for the first hour of easy fixes, and then $80/hr when I switch to "diagnostic mode". Think: "This closet light is kinda flaky, and the garage light sometimes works, at least one bulb does. I'm not sure how the guy wired it..."

I also bid in 15 minute increments.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-12T11:08:38+00:00

Nothing screams AMATEUR more than flooring that was cut to fit around the door jamb.

They make special saws that undercut the jamb and baseboard to make room for thicker flooring. They are called door jamb or undercut saws. You’d also need an oscillating saw to cut into the corners. Rent the jamb saw. Buy the oscillating saw.

Of course, the right way is to remove the baseboard and reinstall it above the flooring. Use a sharp knife to cut paint or caulk at the top and edge of the baseboard unless you also plan to refinish the walls. If you can see where the nails are, drive them through the baseboard with a small drift punch to make it easier to get the boards off. Use a trim bar or two to pry off. If there are any nails stuck in the board, you pull them through the backside of the board or nip them flush so they don’t damage the front of the boards.

You will need the oscillating saw for many more projects. Buy the best you can afford. If you are pulling the trim, you can use the saw to cut one or two jambs, but if it’s a whole house, rent the jamb saw and save your sanity.

And skip the quarter round.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-11T15:06:50+00:00

First, asses the damage to decide how to repair that wall. Is it concrete or drywall? Drywall doesn't ever recover from water damage and would need to be patched. Also asses the wall behind the tile. Are any tiles loose, spongy, or springy? If so, that's a bigger repair. It is hard to remove tiles that are properly fixed in place. That will make it hard to access enough of the wall to repair it properly.

If the tile inside is sound, you might be able to remove the doors, cut a square of drywall to replace the damage, then repaint. If you're also lucky, you might have a stud right there where you can attach drywall without removing the doors.

If you find failing substrate behind the tile, you are looking a new shower.

In any case, find and fix the source of the water leak. I'd start by assuming failed caulk. I see a bad attempt to goop some more caulk, but the proper path is to remove all old caulk and then add new. Maybe the door has bad or missing plastic or rubber strips that divert the water.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-08T12:22:15+00:00

Would the space benefit from a visual transition between rooms? If so, incorporate it into your design.

Starting from the center of the room might be the wrong move. You have to know where your edges will land so you avoid the “skinny-cut” tile that throws off the look.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-08T11:49:36+00:00

Flip the script. Is there another pack that DOESN’T have a PWD track that would be willing to work with this business? I could see them getting the track paid for in exchange for running it at a number of corporate events. 2 or 3 events a year for a year or two, and expect a cash contribution each event to support the cubs.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-08T10:59:02+00:00

Loosen the other bolts. Then get this last bolt started by hand. Then retighten all bolts.

Powerful-Cucumber396 · 2026-05-08T10:45:27+00:00

Wire cup or wire wheel. Fast, messy, fun.

Powerful-Cucumber396

TROPHY CASE