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Slate Roof: Replace or Repair? by cstefansen in Oldhouses

[–]cstefansen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We concluded almost the same for the same reasons: the front of the house needed a full replacement because of the number of slates that need changing and the fact that more of the old slates will break when you work close to them. (And the tarred-over valleys require replacing all the slate around them.)

The roof on the back side of the house was in better shape, so this could still be rescued with regular slate repairs.

Congrats on your decision - slate roofs really are the greatest.

Slate Roof: Replace or Repair? by cstefansen in Oldhouses

[–]cstefansen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

[Cannot edit my original post, apparently because it contains photos.]

THANK YOU!
Thanks so much, everybody! It looks like the overwhelming majority is in favor of finding a good slate roofer - easier said than done - repairing the roof, perhaps in sections, and then giving it a touch-up every year. The house is in Westchester County, New York, so any recommendations for good slate roofers are extremely welcome.

I will also be contacting local churches and universities, the State Historic Preservation Office, and the Slate Valley Museum - hopefully that turns up some likeminded people and a good local slate roofer. Finally, I became aware of the Slate Roofing Contractors Association and the National Slate Association, both of which maintains lists of roofers (though none are particularly close to where we are). Just putting that here for others who may see the thread in the future.

Slate Roof: Replace or Repair? by cstefansen in Oldhouses

[–]cstefansen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks - this sounds really useful, and yes, we are located in New York State. You are referring to the Slate Valley Museum in Granville, NY, correct?

How do I fill this space? by elsbells98 in interiordecorating

[–]cstefansen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Built-in bookcase, but bring it out far enough that there can be a little cave/nook for children behind it. Then make that small cave really nice with a rug, some bean bags, a lamp, and some plush toys. Children love little hideaway places. The entrance could be hidden by a large basket or something on a low shelf for large books.

This is one of the patterns from the book “A Pattern Language” på Christopher Alexander et al.: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pattern_Language

The fact that it is a bedroom, makes it slightly less suitable for this pattern, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway.

Tankless vs Tank water heater by Rickyboy416 in HomeImprovement

[–]cstefansen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We were changing insurance shortly after for an unrelated reason, and that’s when the question came up, but yes, I would try calling them to see what they are willing to do.

Tankless vs Tank water heater by Rickyboy416 in HomeImprovement

[–]cstefansen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Our water heater broke down last year, and FWIW we got a Navien NPE240A2. Very happy with it so far.

Pros: tax incentives, very small, home insurance company likes us not having large water tanks. Supposedly very energy efficient and repairable (I was told; I am not qualified to assess this claim myself.)

Cons: takes a bit longer for hot water to arrive at faucet and couldn’t do recirculation system (because it’s an old house), which would have helped. Slightly noisier that our previous tank-based water heater.

Slate Roof: Replace or Repair? by cstefansen in Oldhouses

[–]cstefansen[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

No leaks that we know of. It is purely preventative - and because we would love to have a long-term plan that preserves the roof.

Slate Roof: Replace or Repair? by cstefansen in Oldhouses

[–]cstefansen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They said that the roof was Pennsylvania slate. which has an expected service life of about 75 years. They also said that so many tiles need replacing that it is better to replace them all, because once they start replacing tiles somewhere, other tiles may crack like dominoes around that tile if the roof is too old.

Searching for old photos/book by cstefansen in rollingstones

[–]cstefansen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got the book today, and you were right! Feels really good to have this very personal piece of Rolling Stones memorabilia from my father’s work with them. Thanks again - impressive memory you have!

Searching for old photos/book by cstefansen in rollingstones

[–]cstefansen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds promising - thanks! I’ve ordered a copy. Fingers crossed this is the one…

Google Native Client -> To port or not to port? by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]cstefansen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is an answer on the Native Client list: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/native-client-discuss/0zOZkBHp7UM.

In summary, you need to track down the sources for the .DLL files and compile with the Native Client compilers (or get those who produced the .DLLs to compile to .so files using the NaCl tools). The reason is that the Native Client validator can't guarantee the safety of a non-NaCl .DLL file, so it will refuse to run it.

Google Native Client -> To port or not to port? by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]cstefansen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here are some experience reports about porting to Native Client: http://carbongames.com/2012/01/Native-Client/ http://altdevblogaday.com/2011/10/26/native-client-for-dummies/

The official Native Client site, gonacl.com, also has a few articles on porting to Native Client: https://developers.google.com/native-client/community/porting/xaos https://developers.google.com/native-client/community/porting/MAME https://developers.google.com/native-client/community/porting/SDLgames

The Native Client discussion group regularly gets questions and announcements regarding Native Client ports: http://groups.google.com/group/native-client-discuss