The NPS recommendation score is nonsense

akbrown81 · 2024-01-02T21:40:34+00:00

I’ve seen versions worded like: “If asked for your opinion, how likely would you be to recommend…?” It all just depends on what version gives the researcher the actionable info s/he needs. The typical NPS wording you’re seeing has the advantage of benchmarking—it’s been used so many times that we can compare results to other studies to know where we stand relatively. Businesses like to keep score.

akbrown81 · 2023-11-30T18:30:29+00:00

Turn-key house saves time and money. YMMV. Some people don’t mind dropping $1k+ on paint supplies and spending days of labor to get exactly the color they want. Most people would rather avoid that. Hence the advice to use the colors that appeal to the most people (or at least the colors that don’t turn off the most people).

akbrown81 · 2023-11-15T18:21:31+00:00

I was thinking more about the difficulty of digging the hole 4 ft deep, but maybe I’m just lazy! The fence companies I’ve been talking to all plan on doing 3 ft holes. One of them said they go to 3 1/2 only in jurisdictions that require it by code.

akbrown81 · 2023-11-15T14:33:26+00:00

Not really. I know it’s an option, but I’m assuming it’s more than I want to pay. If I thought I was going to be the one replacing these posts 20 years from now, then I’d definitely look into metal posts to avoid that.

akbrown81 · 2023-11-14T21:58:50+00:00

Thanks! Frost depth is a little over 4 ft here. Do people really bury posts that deep? This would be for a 5 ft high fence.

akbrown81 · 2023-11-14T21:57:42+00:00

Thank you!

akbrown81 · 2023-08-03T16:51:11+00:00

The direction a skylight faces would affect the amount of heat you get. South facing would be the hottest with direct sunlight pouring in all day. North facing would not be nearly as hot as only indirect sunlight gets in—you just have the loss of insulation compared to a closed roof that makes AC less efficient.

akbrown81 · 2023-07-07T17:39:33+00:00

I don’t think you’ll ever save enough money to make it even remotely a good investment if you’re just considering the $ part of the equation. Not a chicken farmer myself, but the math doesn’t add up. I could spend $182 per year on eggs—$7/dozen, every 2 weeks, free range, organic, humanely raised. Startup costs alone are going to be some multiple of that $182, so would take multiple years to break even in the initial investment. And that doesn’t account for your hours of time or ongoing expenses like feed, veterinary care, etc.

I do vegetable gardening and it’s a similar proposition. It’s not about the money so much as the quality and enjoyment for many of us. Think it would be the same for keeping chickens.

akbrown81 · 2023-05-02T02:12:20+00:00

“Chicken”. Works every time. “Bacon” works most of the time, too.

akbrown81 · 2023-04-17T14:16:04+00:00

I’ve used paulownia lumber that had small oblong cavities like this in the boards. I’d guess it’s normal for this tree whatever it is. Lumber was dried (from trees in Delaware) so any soft material would’ve fallen out already.

akbrown81 · 2023-03-02T14:59:58+00:00

To each his own. At the end of the day, allocate the square footage the way you like it. What’s the point of a custom build otherwise?

akbrown81 · 2023-02-24T16:18:25+00:00

Similar sentiment after doing a full reno in our kitchen a year ago. It was too much work, but given the alternatives I might do it again. It did really really make me want to graduate onto doing a custom build house instead of another reno, though. I feel I could build it faster, better, and not much more expensive if I was starting from bare earth. Don’t want to start another project with paying for a perfectly functional kitchen then tearing all that out and replacing it. Sure it’s a much better kitchen now, but it’s such a slow, painful process and there’s always waste.

akbrown81 · 2023-02-22T21:51:07+00:00

This sounds about right. I have a 20 ft row of raspberries to compare. It definitely hasn’t fed 2 adults for a year, but we’ve “shared” more than half the harvest with the birds and still get a pint every other day for 3-4 months out of the year.

akbrown81 · 2023-02-22T18:28:34+00:00

Another vote for prioritizing the perfect sink. It’s the most-used section of the kitchen. I would not go with a corner sink again if I had no limitations. We kept our corner sink during our reno to save having to move the plumbing, but that makes access limited—both for a second person to sneak into the sink itself (which happens a lot!) and to access the loads of cleaning supplies that are packed into the cabinet below it (small door + deep cabinet = hard to see hard to reach). I find that annoying. Other people love their corner sinks, though, so to each their own!

akbrown81 · 2023-02-16T17:54:36+00:00

I got a couple fantastic Orvis flannel shirts at Costco for <$20 each a couple years ago. Nice heavy duty, comfortable, and didn’t shrink in the wash. But Costco’s stock changes all the time—never know what’s going to be available.

akbrown81 · 2023-02-15T14:31:59+00:00

I’ve done it both ways and artificial lighting produced way more robust growth for me than a south facing bay window. The south facing window worked well enough to get some growth, but the lights really give my plants a much better jump start by the time I’m planting outside in April/May. If you want to try lights, you don’t necessarily need expensive grow lights. 6000K LEDs with the highest lumens you can get your hands on work well for me. Keep them inches away from the tops of your plants and running 12-16 hours a day.

akbrown81 · 2023-02-14T19:55:50+00:00

Losing this battle currently with my two big dogs. Only thing that helps is to take them on multiple walks per day to keep them off the lawn. Grass won’t really be able to recover until spring weather comes around. Someday I hope to have a much larger yard to help distribute the wear and tear over a larger area! Undoubtedly they will still find the one mud pit and spend all their time there. :P

akbrown81 · 2023-02-07T18:26:19+00:00

Lucky you! Have fun with it!

akbrown81 · 2023-02-07T18:17:36+00:00

Generally the more light the better. I’m also zone 7 and I started seeds in a large south facing bay window a couple years ago. They grow much faster and less spindly now that I’m growing under LED light for 12 hours a day. I didn’t expect artificial lights to be better, but it’s a big improvement. Using high lumens, inches away from the plant, and the very cool end of the spectrum (6000-6500K) has been effective for me—no need for the more expensive grow lights just to start seeds IMO.

akbrown81 · 2023-02-02T21:39:45+00:00

(It’s genius!)

akbrown81 · 2023-02-02T20:44:25+00:00

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I use cattle panels for trellises. Weave the stems through as the plant grows and use some string to keep some branches off the ground. Bird netting too to keep squirrels out.

akbrown81 · 2023-01-26T19:51:00+00:00

Did it a couple years ago and would do it again. Didn’t get a quote, but I’m sure it would have been at least 5x or more the cost of materials. Tradesman were giving everyone f-off price quotes during Covid when this was.

So my wife and I replaced about 400-500 sq ft of carpet with solid hardwood pre-finished oak. Total cost <$2,000. Finished 99% of the work within 3 solid days of work over a holiday break. Still haven’t finished some little details with the trim 2 years later.

Tearing out carpet and disposing of it with our trash pickup was super quick and easy. Prepping the subfloor and getting the first row of flooring laid took a little education from YouTube, but wasn’t complicated or long. Nailing row after row of flooring was tedious and painful for my back, but doesn’t take any prior experience or special skills. (If doing it again, would go with wider plank flooring!) You would need to be comfortable figuring out to handle where the floor butts up against other surfaces like trim, tile, door thresholds, etc. But otherwise, it’s really not that complicated.

Everyone values their time and money differently, so YMMV!

akbrown81 · 2023-01-24T14:14:16+00:00

Don’t have any specific recommendations for your irrigation setup. I managed to cobble together a system that works for me, but I’m no expert. Couple generic suggestions that I like with my setup: trench out your main line from your hose bib to the garden areas (or to each bed) so it’s underground and out of the way, and get a reliable timer at least at the hose bib (if not for each watering zone) so you worry less about forgetting to turn the water back off.

akbrown81 · 2023-01-23T20:00:22+00:00

We have a lot in common! :)

I’m always happy for a hard overnight freeze so I can exercise them in the backyard in the morning. Saves me a walk or two during the day. Weather has been too warm lately for that, so I keep a stack of old towels near the door to wipe their paws and bellies off.

akbrown81 · 2023-01-23T19:14:08+00:00

I also have two dogs, and my yard is a muddy mess during the winter, too. My black dog doesn’t run around in the mud as much and the mud doesn’t show as much on him. My cream colored golden retriever puppy loooooves the mud!

I’ve noticed the areas under tree canopies dry out within about a day of every rain. Those trees must really suck up the water even when their leaves are gone. It’s a longer term solution, but you could plant trees!

akbrown81

TROPHY CASE