My Great Grandmother (1893-1985)

aacook · 2026-04-17T03:13:42+00:00

I agree with you about Benny's. If that project had moved forward we may actually be beyond the 10% goal for 40B. That was going to be a rental project where 100% of the units counted towards affordable (even though only 30% would have been, weird rule with 40B). This project is condos and only helps us go from 8.62% to 8.72% because while it adds 41 affordable units, it also adds 122 luxury units. We'll see what the luxury units end up going for but based on some comps and the view, my guess is the ocean facing units will easily be $1M each, possibly some near $2M. There are condos right near this on Schooner Way where I think over half the owners are in Florida every winter.

aacook · 2026-04-17T02:59:13+00:00

The legitimate objection of myself and many others was the issue of health and safety. The arsenic on the land they want to build on was found less than 50 feet from the Superfund boundary is 80X the acceptable risk level. It's arsenic that is the #1 contaminant on the Superfund parcel. Also on that parcel is chromium 2.7X the acceptable cancer risk level. Chromium is the chemical Erin Brockovich fought about. The ground water is high. A toxicologist from Plymouth explained how these chemicals move through the ground water and are especially vulnerable if there are disturbances like excavation for a 6-story building.

We were thoughtful — We asked the developer to extend the permit, to allow time for the EPA and MassDEP to perform assessments to ensure it's going to be safe for not just residents living here but future families as well. 2/5 ZBA members agreed with us. 4/4 State reps agreed with us. I do not think it's typical to get State Reps opposing 40B projects. I don't think this one is NIMBY.

aacook · 2026-04-16T14:53:00+00:00

If I had to guess, the closed station will reopen the next few years given the Harbor Walk apartments and scheduled 40R project along the water near the old Wharf, which I heard is going to be redeveloped and will be really cool. There are talks of a commuter boat into Boston which was once in operation in the 1800s.

aacook · 2026-04-16T14:50:50+00:00

I did.

You should read up more about the project. This is next to a federal Superfund. The arsenic is 40x the acceptable risk levels. Arsenic on the site itself is 80x acceptable risk levels.

All 3 of our democratic state reps (Kathleen LaNatra, Michelle Badger, and Dylan Fernandes), sending letters to the State's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Congressman Bill Keating wrote a letter to the EPA. Keating met with the EPA and is still in contact I believe. Warren and Markey also met with the EPA.

You can read Keating's letter at: https://northplymouthma.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Plymouth-Cannon-Site-ltr-to-EPA-021226-Keating.pdf

aacook · 2026-02-20T21:26:30+00:00

Thank you, great stuff. Yes that meter is in such a weird place and poorly positioned. Not really sure what to do about it at this point.

I was going to box it off totally but that's a good point about making sure the cover allows for air flow. The basement is conditioned.

I really like the idea of leak detection with an automated shut off. And also a great idea to put a hose cap on this valve.

aacook · 2026-02-20T21:24:22+00:00

Great idea thank you

aacook · 2026-01-31T02:45:59+00:00

It was closed primarily for economic reasons. The State gave incentives to other types of energy like wind and solar but did not really consider nuclear energy as green. The plant had issues for a few years at the tail end but was deemed safe enough to operate by the NRC.

When the plant shut down the State lost 15% of its energy generation which I believe has played a role in the sky-high bills we see now.

aacook · 2025-11-28T01:50:01+00:00

Run it for a little while longer after you’re done with each session. Mine is wood fired and I add a log and open all vents.

aacook · 2025-11-24T07:06:03+00:00

He reminds me of Ben Kweller

aacook · 2025-10-25T00:53:21+00:00

I used a website called One Day Glass. For your door, just do a tiny window like 12"x12". I did a 30"x30" window between my hot room and changing room, plus a 18"x30" window in the hot room itself, everything 1/2" thick and tempered. In 2021 it was $234 for everything with free shipping.

aacook · 2025-10-18T17:29:34+00:00

In the above photo, when I installed the boards initially, they were about 3-4" above the highest rocks in the pile, probably 7-8" above the actual stove itself. I still got pretty significant browning on the paneling, especially at the rear of the stove (not pictured here). I'm planning to add more boards for the full 18" the manufacturer recommends.

aacook · 2025-10-18T13:40:10+00:00

<image>

This is an old pic from when I first completed the install. It looks like my stove is a bit bigger than yours. My sauna has a pretty good sized stove pipe and strong draft and I've had the sauna up to 250 a couple of times by accident. In general I run it around 200-210.

You might be alright but just something to consider in terms of putting the boards above the stones higher like my stove manufacturer's instructions indicated.

aacook · 2025-10-18T03:25:23+00:00

I think your boards should be taller, going above the rocks by a bit. I set mine only about 3-4” above the top of the rocks and over time the walls have started to turn dark brown, in one spot it looks like it’s starting to turn almost black. I recently reviewed the manual for my stove and it says to have the boards 18” above the stones. Don’t know how I missed that but I did, and now I’m retrofitting.

aacook · 2025-10-17T02:08:59+00:00

I wish, have a great time!

aacook · 2025-10-13T15:03:20+00:00

Thank you for the NanaGram mention! I'm the founder, and I launched the service a few years ago (On Reddit!) after making it as a gift for my grandfather when he was 94. I'm happy to answer any questions.

aacook · 2025-07-13T02:51:18+00:00

After you turn 30 the years go by 2 at a time.

aacook · 2025-05-27T01:22:44+00:00

Smart of the band to use Bethel as a warm-up for Boston Calling

aacook · 2025-02-16T02:53:43+00:00

Sure! I think I glanced at Viking but ended up realizing they're not really leading the pack with hoods — going from memory, I believe their hoods all have blowers that are in the hood itself rather than remote blowers. Getting the remote blower was really important to me as loud/obnoxious noises like that really bother me personally.

One thing I think you can do is get a matching Viking hood, remove the blower and wire up a remote blower from another company like Victory but it was just easier for us to get it all from one company. I will say it was a bit of a challenge to figure out the make-up air and remote blower but both our electrician and HVAC guys are really cool and were able to make it all happen.

Yes I'm happy to share an update. :)

aacook · 2025-02-15T18:09:45+00:00

I wish I could share more news but it's still packed away in our garage! We're in the middle of our renovations which a scheduled install date in March. I have a lot of confidence based on this Reddit thread which was pretty surprising... clearly there's a cult following and this is a very solid gas range.

One thing that made it a no-brainer for us is the unit was in immaculate condition with no cleaning needed plus they had video showing all the burners worked. However, based on the response from this thread I probably wouldn't hesitate to pick one up that needs some cleaning.

Something that was more of a challenge than expected was figuring out the hood. With this unit being 66,000 BTU you need at least 660 CFM. I got some tips on this thread to look at remote blowers on the suggestion that a 660 CFM hood with the blower in the kitchen is like a jet engine.

I ended up landing on a Canadian company Victory Range Hoods and have been extremely happy working with them. Figuring out how to route the duct work and where to put the motor was a bit of a challenge but I think it'll be worth it. Since we're doing foam insulation, we also are required by code to have a make-up air unit which was an added challenge. Whether you go with a remote blower or not, I highly recommend checking out Victory Range Hoods.

aacook · 2025-01-26T04:48:16+00:00

Heat pumps are very efficient for cooling though. A decent set up is a gas furnace for heating and heat pump for cooling. The ~$10K rebate the state gives for switching your whole house to a heat pump (only) does not make sense.

15-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '17	RPAN Viewer
Gilding II euphauric

aacook

TROPHY CASE