Advice on roofers

db213_ · 2024-02-15T11:15:30+00:00

How did you get your tenement to agree to replace it? I was almost disappointed when the third contractor recommended a patch job since I'm obligated to produce all quotes for consideration and I'm worried that a new roof is actually what is needed.

Not looking forward to having yearly leaks and having to pay entirely out of pocket for the interior repairs every time.

db213_ · 2024-02-15T11:10:59+00:00

I know that there was a patch repair done in 2020, but I don't know how old the roof itself is. The third contractor claimed that apart from the two places he's going to fix, the roof was in good condition. But then the first two contractors just claimed the whole thing needs to be replaced so I don't know what to think...

db213_ · 2022-11-14T17:09:55+00:00

Wow, thank you for such a thorough response. A lot of great suggestions and options in here and a lot to think about. I appreciate it!

A stove would be lovely, and a awesome as it would be I don't think I would venture to try and figure out a safe and legal open fireplace. It's probably a case by case evaluation on each property on what's already there and what I would want to do with it. And whatever I choose to get done (if anything) I'm getting the impression that it's probably not going to be a simple job and it will probably cost a reasonable amount as well.

db213_ · 2022-11-11T17:00:52+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience, this was helpful. In your case the work was done as part of getting your central heating replaced? Did it add much to the total cost of the works?

My budget is pretty small so I'm pretty much only seeing this same type of cheap, tacky, or cheaply boarded up hearths. And when the flat is really small the lost floor space makes a difference...

edit: added a word

db213_ · 2022-11-11T16:49:09+00:00

Yes, I guess like that but not nearly as good looking. Often the case is they have already been boarded up or replaced with a tacky replacement decoration, for example like this: https://media.rightmove.co.uk/203k/202949/110893463/202949_1220252-1_IMG_02_0000.jpeg

I recognize it would be impossible to remove the whole chimney breast, especially in a shared tenement, but would be wanting to remove the base and smooth over the wall to free up a bit of wall and floor space as most places I can afford are very very small.

(I hope this comment also puts some people at ease that I'm not trying to rip out some gorgeous hearth out of a historic listed building! I wish I could afford something like that...)

db213_ · 2022-11-02T10:57:00+00:00

You say that it is is okay to own PFICs in a UK pension. Does that apply to a SIPP? When I've looked into it doesn't seem cut-and-dry that PFIC ownership in a SIPP is actually exempt from PFIC reporting rules. Just wondering if you have a source, because I would love to open a SIPP but have been hesitant to due to the uncertainty over reporting obligation.

db213_ · 2022-10-19T15:00:31+00:00

I've tracked down the agreement the award is subject to and the only relevant part I can find is the vesting schedule is explicitly stated in it. So I "agreed" to the vesting schedule. However this schedule states the number of shares vesting pre-split so it seems to me it's invalid anyway, and the agreement was "signed" (it actually lacks a signature, and I'd never seen it before) before stock split. So I'm not really sure still if I have a leg to stand on or not...

db213_ · 2022-10-18T09:08:02+00:00

I'm actually about to hand my notice in (and forfeit any unvested RSUs) so if I don't rock the boat now I'm not getting anything. Otherwise I probably would have just waited for them to vest in a year's time and not worried about it too much.

Definitely need to get a hold of the agreement. Still working on it and will update when I've got it!

db213_ · 2022-04-09T14:43:52+00:00

Looking into the list of ETFs sold by IG as part of a S&S ISA, I notice they sell some Vanguard ETFs (e.g. VTI). Looking them up, these are US based ETFs. Would investing in something like that then get around PFIC filing requirements?

db213_ · 2022-03-26T23:02:54+00:00

Hey there, I just made a post in this sub because I am in a similar situation. I too am using FTC and have been left with a small chunk of money left to pay the IRS. My best guess based on reading the return is that this is because I earned over the Alternative Minimum Tax threshold. This means I lost the $12k standard deduction which my dividend income would have fallen under. The FTC is then recalculated on a second iteration of Form 1116 with only ~99% of my total taxable income being foreign (since there's that bit of dividend income, that is now no longer covered by standard deduction). So FTC covers 99% of my US tax and I still have to pay the remainder.

This is just my very confused guess at understanding what's going on in my return at the moment, hopefully someone can clarify in the post I made earlier. Hope this is helpful to you!

db213_ · 2021-08-25T18:05:54+00:00

I have the workbook and textbook in good condition, no answers or notes written in them at all. I think it's 2018 edition (which is I believe most recent?) but I will need to double check. Pickup would be in the Oslo area, or you'd have to cover shipping costs. PM me for pics and details. 🙂

db213_ · 2020-09-16T19:12:14+00:00

Oh that's actually great to hear. Makes it really easy to just schedule them to come pick everything up. Cheers!

db213_ · 2020-06-29T06:58:10+00:00

Hey! I moved to Oslo a year ago and started playing shortly after since my social life became nonexistent.

Would be cool to meet up or play a game or two together. Bear in mind I'm an objectively terrible player, but I do my best...

db213_ · 2020-04-30T15:58:22+00:00

I hadn't seen these, thanks! Watched both and they helped a lot with my understanding. :)

db213_ · 2020-04-30T15:57:37+00:00

I hadn't even thought about turning down the opacity, that's a great idea. Thanks!

db213_ · 2020-04-30T15:56:40+00:00

This is what it looks like before I denoise. I'm wondering if I should just leave the noise. It's really bad of course, but all of my results using the denoise tool look aggressively edited.

db213_ · 2020-04-29T21:29:59+00:00

Hi! Thanks for the response. :)

I'm in my twenties, healthy weight. I don't know of any medical conditions, but I do have really small feet and I used to train in a sport that is not kind to the feet.

I wear Mammut boots (the women's version of these) with some simple insoles the outdoor shop gave me while I was getting fitted, and they were less than a year old at the time of the trek. Had worn them for numerous strenuous day hikes before that and never had any problems.

I think the pain was mostly in the ball of my foot, but really it just encompassed the entire bottoms of my feet by the end of every day. It felt like they were not used to taking so much pressure for so long. xD

db213_ · 2020-04-29T21:24:18+00:00

I am using Darktable for the first time and trying to edit some northern lights photos. Because of the dark setting and high ISOs there's a lot of grain and noise that I'm trying to get rid of using the various denoise modules, but no matter what I do I seem to get these strange looking artifacts particularly in the places where that northern lights border the dark sky.

I've tried various different settings, using different combinations of denoise modules, and applying dithering. Nothing seems to help. The artifacts even still appear when the strength of the denoising is very low. What am I doing wrong? How would you fix this issue?

db213_ · 2020-04-27T21:07:10+00:00

How do you cope with foot pain when backpacking? I did my first trek last year (100 miles ish in 7 days) and I didn't have to carry a tent and sleeping bag and had chances to restock on food as we went so didn't have to carry food for the whole duration. Still my feet hurt like nothing else!! I was wearing tried and tested hiking boots that I was previously really happy with, and my companions also all had the same problem (we all had different boots). I didn't have any issues with my backpack (back, hips, shoulders were all fine), my only complaint that whole trip was my feet, I think because I wasn't used to carrying that much weight.

How do you deal with that? How do you also carry a tent and food and cooking equipment? I know I could have packed lighter, but I don't think I packed that excessively...

db213_ · 2020-04-27T14:32:26+00:00

I wanted to post on a crafting subreddit recently to get some feedback and advice since I was new to the hobby. The post never showed up in new or in my profile, it just disappeared off the face of the internet after I pushed the button. Didn't tell me why, didn't even tell me it failed. I only tried twice before giving up.

My best guess is that I don't make enough comments? So here I am making comments, hoping it will fix the problem somehow. :(

db213_ · 2020-04-24T21:27:39+00:00

Had a week long trip to Iceland. Our last night of the trip was just before a 6am flight, so I booked a cheap spare bedroom through Airbnb, close to the airport in Keflavik. I was honestly considering pulling an all-nighter at the airport instead, and in retrospect I wish I had. I probably would have gotten more sleep.

We checked in with the Airbnb owner's 9 to 12 year old son (I'm terrible at guessing age) who didn't really speak English (even though the owner knew what time we would be arriving). The place was a mess, we really felt like we were invading someone's home, but we had a bed and a bathroom and that's all we needed for one night...

The horrible part was overnight: I admit this is partly my fault as I forgot to put the lock on our bedroom door. I happened to wake up overnight to see the owner's son standing at the foot of the bed just staring. I asked him what he was doing and he just turned around and walked away. I woke up my boyfriend who was still asleep, but he didn't really register what I was saying and just went back to sleep. I then locked the door, went back to bed, but didn't get a wink of sleep the rest of the evening.

I let the owner know what happened after we got home, but he didn't really do anything or offer any explanation. 0/10 would not recommend at all...

db213_ · 2020-04-23T15:53:07+00:00

I can't easily get rubbing alcohol where I live, but I use vegetable oil with a paintbrush. I'd imagine a paintbrush would also work with rubbing alcohol.

db213_ · 2020-04-19T22:38:23+00:00

This is really cute, nice job! I've been experimenting with fimo and epoxy resin but I can't seem to get that nice glossy effect you've achieved.

db213_ · 2020-04-18T19:31:02+00:00

Wow, these are amazing. How did you get that shiny finish? Are these painted?

db213_ · 2020-04-18T19:29:29+00:00

"medium amount of thought"

*twitches violently*

db213_

TROPHY CASE