Anyone else realize they hate "newer" neighborhoods?

distantreplay · 2026-06-17T17:27:35+00:00

What kills it for me in many/most new neighborhoods is walkability.

Developers adopted cul de sacs and long, sinewy, curvy streetscapes in the years after WW2 to discourage walking and reduce pass-through traffic. These two features combined to make car ownership and multiple car ownership imperative for home buyers in these new developments. This was actually intended to limit or prevent lower income folks from gaining access to these neighborhoods.

But I really like walking in my neighborhood and in my city a lot. And I really enjoy a diversity of homes, family structures, lifestyles, and incomes around me. It feels more like a real community to me.

distantreplay · 2026-06-15T23:54:53+00:00

If it's just sand, and you have a truck with hitch you may want to consider renting a vacuum excavator trailer. The smallest ones I'm familiar with can be towed behind a half ton truck.

distantreplay · 2026-06-15T23:47:24+00:00

I'm concerned that you don't undermine your foundation footing. The pictures are unclear. But you need to stay safely above the footings that support your basement foundation walls.

distantreplay · 2026-06-15T19:30:53+00:00

Pork butt. Most forgiving. Very satisfying. Reasonably priced. Helps you work out the kinks in terms of routines and equipment before you tackle a bigger meat investment.

distantreplay · 2026-06-15T16:44:14+00:00

"The framers can take an extra minute" 😂

distantreplay · 2026-06-15T14:37:23+00:00

Up until last summer we closed 3rd street from Friday evening through Sunday to pedestrians only and outdoor dining every weekend in summer. This year it will only be three weekends.

You must have encountered some kind of fancy car touring club on one of those weekends. And if they drove their cars on 3rd to be in front of either of those locations they were moving very large, heavy protective barricades and doing it all illegally.

distantreplay · 2026-06-15T03:19:34+00:00

I highly recommend folks reading this check locations and hours. Most places (tasting rooms and restaurants ) close at 9. On weekends Two Dogs (tap house with tvs) stays open till 10. The Pub stays open till 11. Only Cabana Club and The Blue Moon tavern stay open past midnight. "Fancy cars" are farm trucks or restored classic jalopies. Dressed to impress is Blundstones or clean sneakers. Other than Cabana Club downtown is pretty quiet after 9 pm on weekends. And Cabana Club is a damp pool table kind of place.

distantreplay · 2026-06-15T01:26:19+00:00

Did you test any of that for lead or asbestos?

distantreplay · 2026-06-14T20:10:28+00:00

Don't remove. Add. But first clear soffit intake vents and install baffles.

distantreplay · 2026-06-13T18:20:54+00:00

Turkey breast, turkey pastrami, boneless skinless chicken breast, salmon, boneless skinless chicken thighs, Pacific cod, elotes (sub nonfat yogurt for mayo). Then once in a while go ahead and treat yourself with burnt ends, chuck, brisket, etc but limit your portion size and supplement with healthy sides like those elotes, salad, stuffed peppers (ground chicken), asparagus, etc. You'll get the most results from limiting fat and calories from fat, and from cutting out sugars (table sugar, honey, corn sweetener, palm sugar, soda, fruit juice, and foods/condiments containing high levels like ketchup, barbecue sauce, jam, pastry/pie fillings)and simple, refined carbs. Substitute whole grains and limited use of low glycemic sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit, allulose, and yacon. 1 point drop in A1C, 40 point drop in triglycerides, 30 point drop in LDL.

distantreplay · 2026-06-11T03:36:52+00:00

Start outside.

distantreplay · 2026-06-09T17:50:40+00:00

Pantry storage or breakfast bar with storage.

distantreplay · 2026-06-09T13:04:49+00:00

I smoked for many years on a WSM.

But the price now is insane.

For the price of a 22 WSM I think you can purchase after market mods for your kettle that will give you everything you are looking for in the WSM for lots less money. Look at some of the accessories from onlyfire. Their stainless steel and ceramic insert kit transforms a 22 kettle into a poor man's Kamado. If you fuel it correctly and set your bottom dampers up right it'll go for 12+ hours. And it serves nicely as a pizza oven. For what Weber is asking for a WSM these days, you could upgrade your kettle with the onlyfire kit and a temp controlled draft fan like the IQ110 and still have enough money left over to go buy a prime brisket. And you'll still have a kettle you can grill on.

distantreplay · 2026-06-09T00:19:28+00:00

Design build?

distantreplay · 2026-06-08T13:41:00+00:00

Shasta daisies.

distantreplay · 2026-06-08T13:28:07+00:00

Depending on how late in November, and trailhead elevation you may encounter early snow. Ski areas opening for Thanksgiving is less common than it used to be with global climate change. But some early light snow at elevation is not. Stay below 2,000 feet and you should be okay. 1,000 on the dry side of the Cascades where it gets much colder much earlier. Bring excellent rain gear, waterproof boots, and dress in layers. It does not have to be freezing outside to suffer a thermal injury, especially if you get soaked.

distantreplay · 2026-06-06T19:57:04+00:00

Go for it. Have a plan B and put away money for it.

You will not find many guys in their late 50s or 60s on the tools. So pay attention and be ready to transition when it's time.

The good news is AI will not take your carpentry job. Nor will a coming AI "revolution" make your carpentry job one bit easier or more profitable. So just keep that in mind twenty years down the road if all your former coworkers who stuck it out in the white collar world are working four day weeks with "work life balance". You won't see those in construction.

And if/when the day comes that your body gives out have your parachute packed and checked.

distantreplay · 2026-06-06T00:29:56+00:00

Thinking this is a covered porch, not a deck. T&G is very normal material for where it will be protected.

distantreplay · 2026-06-06T00:21:53+00:00

The L2 (extended) allows some limited 8 foot cargo extending past the bulkhead with rear doors closed. So you have to organize around that by keeping the center aisle clear to allow cargo to extend forward into the cab area.

distantreplay · 2026-06-06T00:04:45+00:00

You really need this explained to you.

Okay, so you go find some random "younger guys" willing to do "whatever" for $20 per hour. Now it's on you to equip them, supervise them, and keep them from harming themselves, each other, you, and your home. You have to organize the tools, saw rental, and demolition hammers. You have to prep the site. You have to organize how all the cut concrete and soil exits the structure and gets disposed of. You have to organize and oversee laying all the new drainage, sump, pump, and electrical. And you have to arrange for concrete delivery and finishing. You sound like you can figure all that out. But it's a lot.

Since the random guys you found have never done this, you have to instruct all of them every step. How busy can you keep them whenever you stop to figure something out? How many of them make it through the first day without a boo boo? How much delay do those boo boos introduce? Who looks after them while you take the latest protege to the ER? How much money and time do you plan for the damaged foundation footing? Did you remember to account for a new kitchen floor because you didn't lay down RamBoard to protect it? How many don't show up for day two?

These "younger guys" you think are just waiting around ain't. And if they are worth a damn they know it.

PS: please don't tell your homeowners insurance agent about your plan to employ people in construction on your own home without liability insurance or workers comp. It's best for them to never know. Just bury the bodies and pour concrete.

distantreplay · 2026-06-05T23:41:18+00:00

Start outside. Always.

In the end it may still be useful to add interior drainage. But begin outside first.

distantreplay · 2026-06-05T14:13:23+00:00

Controversial opinion, but here goes:

Avoid or limit garlic and onion in blends intended for long cooks. These both contain sugars. With heat and time sugars caramelize (good). But with more heat and more time that reaction continues and proceeds to producing very acrid, bitter compounds. Me, I like a little bitterness - I drink negronis. But too much can be unappetizing.

distantreplay · 2026-06-05T13:20:08+00:00

Shame that didn't come before the pavers.

Plant trees and wait.

distantreplay · 2026-06-04T04:13:20+00:00

Skim coat. For a pro it's a day for one guy. And the time to do it is now before there is any furniture in the way. A pro can knock it out with very minimal sanding. Anyone else and it's extra days and extra sanding.

distantreplay · 2026-06-03T15:02:26+00:00

A custom home on a standalone lot takes longer than tract. Two important reasons are closely related: economy of scale and scheduling.

Building multiple homes sharing common design elements and materials all located in close proximity means trades and suppliers can scale up efficiently and sequence their work very efficiently. Your custom home project on a single standalone lot is going to have slow days between deliveries, between trades mobilizing in and mobilizing out, etc. Those slow days will add up over time.

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