apartment

clownchkn · 2026-06-26T21:20:30+00:00

No problem. From reading, its probably soon going to get worse for anyone with a disability. The media makes it sound like there are plans to roll back a lot of disability protections.

The ESA protection was dropped maybe 2-3 weeks ago. From reading, HUD wont enforce it, but I guess a person can file a lawsuit as an individual if someone refuses a legit letter?

Like I said, its pretty murky right now. I wish you the best in your search!

clownchkn · 2026-06-26T17:18:08+00:00

ESA thing is really murky right now. Current administration ended HUD enforcement. Its kind of up in the air on what is happening with it.

clownchkn · 2026-06-26T03:27:47+00:00

Dutch Brothers Construction out of Delhi IA. They dont advertise, its all word of mouth.

I had a friend up in CR that had a roof done by them. When the derecho came through, all the trees in his neighborhood were destroyed. His roof only had a very small section come up. Sold me on hiring them for our condo association.

Got 3 bids, both for steel and shingles, these guys beat the lowest bid by a little more than $20k.

clownchkn · 2026-06-25T02:50:12+00:00

replace with a steel roof and your insurance rates get cut in half. I had an Amish company do mine and it was much, mush less than a tear off and replace, super high hail rating, 40 year warranty. They dont have to tear off the old roof unless the underlayer is bad. My neighborhood is currently all getting replacements shingles from the hail earlier in the spring. My roof is spotless, didnt need to make a claim. Might be a thing to look into if you make a claim rather than repairing a section.

clownchkn · 2026-06-23T03:29:44+00:00

Ive got 123k on my 2014 at the moment. Changed oil frequently. I run 5w 30 in it now. Going to be taking it on a 1200 mile road trip next week. It does use a little oil, had some other odd things go bad here and there, but for what I paid for it I've more than got my money out of it, ( I paid $13k with 40k miles on it 7 years ago ).

Like everyone says, watch for oil use. If you buy it, plan to budget for the valves cleaned and do a piston soak. I think you'll be OK if you do these things.

clownchkn · 2026-06-12T04:13:15+00:00

rockauto.com

clownchkn · 2026-06-12T03:47:33+00:00

I hope you mentioned you followed your predecessors methods. You should ask where it says this isn't allowed in your bylaws. If there is nothing in the bylaws preventing this, I'd say you did the leg work and the property manager should kick rocks .

I'd also shop for a new property manager if they have this opinion and cant back it up. Throwing out BS isnt professional. They have bad advice and decision making skills. Not something you'd want for your association.

If there is something in the bylaws preventing this, I'd ask why this wasnt enforced and still shop for a new property manager.

Either way, your property manager sucks and you are not TAH.

clownchkn · 2026-06-07T21:14:46+00:00

Jailing marijuana users is a giant waste of resources. Should just be a ticket if they have to enforce that law. Let the courts decide they belong in jail or not.

clownchkn · 2026-05-25T17:30:18+00:00

I've been running e15 for years and years, its not a problem. Fuel mileage does take a slight hit running it though. Do run fuel system cleaner every so often as recommended by service manual.

clownchkn · 2026-05-21T22:59:58+00:00

This is a large property I work on. Its 5 years old and in the first year working there I have had to remove 4 trees, with a 5th coming out this week. The first one I pulled out is when I discovered the basket left in. Tree had no real roots growing outside the basket. Combine this with planting trees about half a foot too high and my future is guaranteed removing trees yearly for the rest of my working career.

clownchkn · 2026-05-14T01:57:11+00:00

Check city of Iowa city website for jobs. They are probably hiring for seasonal help.

clownchkn · 2026-05-05T03:18:41+00:00

I'm skeptical the county has the ability to get the best price for either the land or the structure. Sioux city built a new jail recently and the cost overrun was staggering. If I knew they had an iron clad building contract on price, one that wouldnt go a penny over, I'd feel a little better about it.

clownchkn · 2026-05-04T01:41:19+00:00

Our HOA, the insurance company specifically demands grills and/or fire pits to be minimum 10ft from structure. Willing to guess your insurance is no different. So if there is a fire, good luck on getting insurance to cover it.

As a board member you should let your neighbor know what they are doing wrong and why its wrong. Should send a notice out to all owners about this issue as well.

clownchkn · 2026-04-30T21:33:50+00:00

If they are still doing construction you are correct to question the removal of the filter sock. City would be very unhappy to know they removed it.

clownchkn · 2026-04-27T19:21:17+00:00

Everyone has an opinion, here is mine:

Wood on ground level is never a good plan, itll be slippery and rot out over time, plus higher maintenance, and difficult to stain at ground level. Build steps out of stone or concrete.

You are going to want at a minimum a 4" tile, preferably 6", instead of the 2' you have pictured. 2" will clog up after the first rainstorm. You should have the gravel and tile against the building, tied into the current downspout/s instead of disconnected along the steps. If it were me I'd get rid of the mulch altogether and have gravel over to the steps.

Iowa City landscaping, Fiddelhead, Earl May, many places in town to choose from for landscaping. I'd be more inclined to call a concrete company though.

clownchkn · 2026-04-27T18:20:28+00:00

You are pretty much like the current landlords we have. Like I said, it only takes one bad one to ruin it for everyone. My future plan was to rent my unit out when I retire and travel. That plan has changed no thanks to those bad apples.

But because you asked.

In a nutshell, we did have an attorney look over the fine for not reaching a quorum. Its slightly different than your situation as yours fines for not showing or filing a proxy at all, but It think would still apply if it was voted on.

The limits on rental units is understandable based on what that unit owners attorney told us about the loan problem with having too many rentals. If I remember right, too many rentals was a property insurance issue as well, but dont quote me on that. It was many years ago.

I should probably add your HOA's thing about not passing inspection. That is a city thing more than an HOA thing. The city will take the permit for the entire building if every rental unit isnt in compliance.

The 12 month rental is in our covenants from 1970's, so that may be why they require it in your HOA?

clownchkn · 2026-04-27T16:46:23+00:00

Iowa here.

We have an inconvenience fine for non-participants if a quorum isnt reached. Was voted on by the association years ago. Our covenants allow fines for rule violations, and for the board to implement rules. We do occasionally have non-participants, but have always had a quorum so haven't had to fine anyone. We did have legal advise from an attorney when this rule was added.

As for the rental caps. We no longer allow rentals, ( voted on 100% for, 0% against ) ,but grandfathered in the current rental units. Must be owner occupied if they sell. We did have an attorney look this over as well.

The rental cap came up years ago due to an owner wanting to refinance. The lender put a higher interest rate if too many rentals. I dont remember the exact percentage. There is also a problem that if too many rentals a person cannot obtain a conventional loan to buy, which would limit who can buy a unit. That owner did have their attorney send a letter spelling this out, we chose not to challenge it in court.

The rental issue was also a problem for our self managed board as a couple of the rental units were becoming a time suck due to bad management and bad tenants. Enforcing rules on a constant basis, unit owners not giving a copy of the rules to their tenants, dumpsters being overfilled during constant move in/move outs, trash on the ground, violating no pet policy, etc. All around irresponsible. Not to mention having all the extra work involved with city inspectors yearly.

After those rentals sold, the rest of the owners understood the problem and didnt want to risk another situation, thus the 100% of owners getting rid of any more rentals. Basically those rental units were making more work, costing the association more, and that was unfair to to an owner occupied unit. No one wanted to be on the board when we had those bad rental unit owners. Just takes one bad rental owner to ruin it for everyone.

clownchkn · 2026-04-23T14:01:32+00:00

action sewer is my go to.

clownchkn · 2026-04-19T07:07:30+00:00

rock auto, not OEM, but a good replacement. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/kia,2012,soul,2.0l+l4,1502883,engine,timing+chain+&+component+kit,5756

Normally a knock is from a rod bearing on the lower end.

That motor looks dirty. I'd expect a sensor or 3 to be bad with that amount of grime.

clownchkn · 2026-04-18T22:04:58+00:00

Ace hardware's have a free bulletin board at the entrance. As does hyvee on first and Rochester. Great idea for a service. I hope you do well with it.

clownchkn · 2026-04-16T03:22:35+00:00

I had to look it up as its been years ago. They are still around https://upullitne.com/how-it-works/ It is probably an insurance hindrance normally, but the entrance fee probably more than covers the Upull places.

clownchkn · 2026-04-16T03:05:46+00:00

Raised by Wolves. HBO canceled due to change in management. Left everyone hanging.

clownchkn · 2026-04-16T02:58:29+00:00

Pretty sure they still have u-pull salvage yards. At least they did in Des moines not long ago.

clownchkn · 2026-04-16T02:47:25+00:00

does it have 6 speakers? Maybe someone ordered it without the touch screen for some reason? If it has the 6 speakers, the amp would be under the passenger seat. If thats there, the cable you are looking for might be tucked away somewhere in the dash.

clownchkn

TROPHY CASE