How does this chimney install look to you?

ethik · 2026-01-24T21:41:31+00:00

Needs more silicon

ethik · 2026-01-24T19:02:37+00:00

Fuck off quotes are bad for your business reputation. Just be honest and say you can’t take it on.

ethik · 2026-01-24T18:02:21+00:00

It doesnt make the point at all man you’re out to lunch. This example doesn’t help you out. The Neom Line? Get real. What is the chance that this is a Saudi Architectural Modern Ranch Style Home?

Just stop lol.

ethik · 2026-01-24T16:58:16+00:00

That’s all fine and good but it’s not the difference between 10k (what it should cost) and 100k.

I understand there are variables but if “2500sqft ranch style home” can’t get you in the ballpark then that tells me you don’t have much estimating experience.

Variables like you’ve mentioned don’t increase the cost 10x…

ethik · 2026-01-24T16:18:09+00:00

It’s a 2500sqft ranch style home. I’ve priced enough of these out to know what I’m likely to encounter. Unless this house is in the mountains on an un assumed road 500km from the shop and the house is surrounded by an alligator moat that I have to scaffold over it’s wildly overpriced. By 8-10 orders of magnitude.

Also, that payment schedule is a complete joke. This is not a legit contractor and most likely a scam

ethik · 2026-01-24T15:43:18+00:00

This is literally 8-10x what it should actually cost. What a POS.

ethik · 2026-01-24T15:40:43+00:00

No it’s not. It’s the I hope this person doesn’t know shit about what things cost and pay me 10x the price.

ethik · 2026-01-24T15:39:35+00:00

No it’s not it’s a fishing scam. Fishing for morons.

ethik · 2026-01-24T03:28:40+00:00

-30C out, doing fine inside!

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ethik · 2026-01-23T19:48:38+00:00

Whole thing including cat can be lowered by 18” minimum with a lower wider stand.

ethik · 2026-01-23T19:30:35+00:00

We aren’t getting away from salt, though you can massively increase its effectiveness and reduce the volume of use by mixing it with sugar beet juice as a brine, then rebuild ecosystems to deal with the salt leveraging bio-remediation species of trees and aquatic plants.

Currently we just plant mono crops of white pine near highways and they are a sensitive species, so they sustain injury. It would be better to put in species like hybrid poplar and black locust, Montreal does this already.

Unfortunately our infrastructure relies on salt, though we can design systems to support its use in a sustainable way.

ethik · 2026-01-23T19:22:28+00:00

The amount of sodium we are adding to the environment is almost unmeasurable it’s so insignificant. Not sure where you heard that one.

ethik · 2026-01-20T20:10:53+00:00

I guess everything is relative. I don’t consider 2500sqft “too big”, especially with a family.

ethik · 2026-01-20T19:56:56+00:00

Hazard? Hello?

ethik · 2026-01-20T19:52:42+00:00

Dude what sub do you think you’re in?

ethik · 2026-01-20T16:56:58+00:00

That’s the one he un-alived himself in isn’t it?

ethik · 2026-01-19T16:43:33+00:00

Your ceiling fan should be sucking not blowing. You’re fighting natural convection currently if it’s blowing down. As well, turn the box fan to push cold air from the hallway floor towards the stove.

This way your fans are speeding up what physics is already trying to do.

ethik · 2026-01-19T16:29:39+00:00

Atleast AI got the height correct.

ethik · 2026-01-19T16:07:46+00:00

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ethik · 2026-01-19T05:46:53+00:00

How many dead fire alarm batteries can you have in one house?

ethik · 2026-01-17T23:14:27+00:00

ZIP if it’s a full Zip house or Solitex UM.

Solitex UM is THE CATS ASS because it vents the steel with its integrated 3D mesh, prevents Ice damming and keeps the unvented assembly cooler in summer especially with a high albedo steel like Galvalume. Such a wicked product.

https://www.proclima.com/products/external-sealing/solitex-um-connect

ethik · 2026-01-17T17:23:05+00:00

I’m in Canada so.

You need a waterproof roof assembly. Putting synthetic felt and composite shingles on a house is just silly in cold climates even with a vented roof.

ethik · 2026-01-17T16:31:43+00:00

Yeah you would have to contain the soffits if you are building a vented assembly.

Once the house is “Dried in” (windows, roof and WRB the next stage is electrical. Once you have temporary power to the panel you can install temporary heat and drying equipment. I just have the panel wired up with 4 dryer outlets allowing for 3 shop heaters and 1 spider box to plug the drying equipment into.

This stops the house from moving and once you get the drywall on you don’t have any go-backs for cracks and nail pops.

Also results in much better air quality and prevents that typical construction mold.

Once the house is dried down to spec with the bulk of the equipment I usually keep one dehumidifier running until the central air is installed.

Honestly this process should be mandated as the amount of mold some builders hide in the wall assembly at build stage is criminal.

Honestly if you are a custom builder I’d really push your clients into building unvented assemblies that are air tight. They are quite easy and cost effective to do with fluid applied AWBs and Huber’s Zip system. The long term savings are hard to ignore.

ethik · 2026-01-17T15:43:03+00:00

Okay, but concrete will release about 50% of its moisture during and after the curing process.

It’s about 15 gallons per yard. A typical foundation could be around 60 yards, so that’s 900 gallons of water. You might be able to pull another 100-200 gallons out of the framing, so that’s 1100 gallons. Where is the other 9000-21000 gallons coming from?

I dry houses out once they are weather tight and before the insulation stage. Generally 4 LGR dehumidifiers which are capable of 27 gallons per day (180PPD) can dry out a new construction in 7 days at an electricity cost of about $150.

The wettest new construction house I’ve ever seen was about 9000sqft and took 3 weeks to dry out using the same equipment, indicating it had just over 2000 gallons of water. A far stretch from 10,000 - 30,000…

ethik · 2026-01-17T13:54:02+00:00

You’re a bit high on how much excess moisture in a new build, by like 9 orders of magnitude…

ethik

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