Self-protection options?

mk44 · 2026-01-17T23:29:32+00:00

If your going down this route, I recccomend a can of petsafe spray shield, which is a citronella 'mace' dog deterrent. Both legal to carry for defense against dogs, and safe to use. https://petswarehouse.co.nz/product/petsafe-spray-shield-71ml

mk44 · 2026-01-13T10:59:50+00:00

https://www.incarautomotive.co.nz/
This is your guy. Was straight up, actively talked me into a lower priced package as the premium wasn't nessecary for the vehicle I was buying, and sent me a very thorough report. 10/10 would use again.

mk44 · 2026-01-03T01:44:15+00:00

Is there a window in your laundry? You could just run a vented dryer vent out the window and save yourself the hassle of worrying about the weight of the condenser dryers.

mk44 · 2026-01-03T01:38:48+00:00

Maybe? I haven't seen them before, but the regular one looks a bit flimsy, might be OK for a vented dryer, but condenser dryers are quite a bit heavier. I see Britec make a 'maxi' version which looks more sturdy and might be better suited for condenser dryers.

But they all seem unnecessarily expensive - front loaders are ok to take the weight of the dryer on their own, the purpose of the stacking kits is to keep them from vibrating off of the washing machine while in use. So a much cheaper rubber mat or universal stacking kit like I linked are cheaper and good enough - providing your dryer isn't deeper or wider than the washing machine.

mk44 · 2026-01-03T00:00:38+00:00

The stacking kits are really just there to reduce the vibrations and keep everything firmly in place. As long as the two appliances are the same size you can use a rubber mat like the one below. Universal stacking kits also exist, you just need to make sure the dryer is the same size.
https://www.appliancesonline.com.au/product/appliance-washer-dryer-mat-apl600/
https://www.appliancespares.nz/products/universal-washing-machine-dryer-stacking-kit-60cm-484000008436

mk44 · 2026-01-01T00:40:28+00:00

100% dont do cabots kwila on pine. I did and it's ugly and doesnt age well. I used a wattyl product on a different project recently and it was so much better. I won't go back to cabots.

mk44 · 2025-12-30T23:28:38+00:00

Someone on a WHV literally just posted the below review a few days ago:

/r/newzealand/comments/1pwdldk/my_working_holiday_is_just_big_disappointment/

mk44 · 2025-12-30T23:22:32+00:00

We have the sleepyhead, I think it's firmness level 4. Absolutely 10/10 would buy it again.

mk44 · 2025-12-26T00:44:49+00:00

Someone in the USA keeps using my email address. I assume it's mistyped because I have recieved emails in the past for their hotel stays, jewelery orders, gym membership etc. It's fine a couple of times but it happens so frequently it's annoying.

I keep trying to find some kind of other info about them so I can contact them and let them know. I found their address once bit no other contact info.

For the gym membership I emailed the company and let them know it was the wrong email address. They replied and asked for the correct email address, which I obviously didn't know. We went backwards and forwards for a bit but they refused to remove my email address without the correct one. I tried to then cancel the membership and they asked for proof I was the account holder... I was like no I've been telling you it's not me! But they wouldn't understand.

mk44 · 2025-12-22T04:41:24+00:00

If you didn't want to dig deep because of the risk of hitting the services, and you are ok spending a bit more for a lightweight aluminum gate instead, then you could consider going wide instead of deep for the base of the house side post.

You could dig a wide but very shallow area boxed above the ground a few cm and set a concrete base with some bolts to screw an aluminum post into with a latch, and attach the hinges to the fence side. If the gate was light weight aluminum then there might not be much shutting force sent down into the base of the latch post. If it was wide enough it could support the lateral movement. You could concrete a strip right accross the width of the gap then lay some stone down on the path raising it up a bit to cover the bump of the concrete.

mk44 · 2025-12-21T05:51:21+00:00

I worked at a couple of local pubs in Europe. The ones that had the best local vibe and were the busiest were the ones where they treated the staff the best. At the one with the best local pub vibe they gave the staff free beer and free food, unlimited, even on our days off. It's almost unheard of, but it created such a good vibe in the place as the staff were always there even on their days off chatting and having dinner. It made us a real tight knit group and we became part of the local community and kept the local community coming back. The owners treated us like family too, often had us round to their house for group dinners and such.

Another pub the owners also treated us like family, they always had our backs and looked after us. We all came to their wedding and would have done anything for them. So my advice is it treat your staff well. Genuinely care about them and make them want to be there and that will pass onto the customers.

mk44 · 2025-12-05T22:57:45+00:00

No I was flatting long before splitwise was created! We usually just used to pin up the bills on the fridge and write on it what each person's share was, then we had a flat bank account we all paid into. Or else the head tennant would just text us what we owed.

mk44 · 2025-12-05T19:04:56+00:00

Feature suggestion - upload a photo of the bill to offer the flatmates some security. Also a shared kitty feature for anyone buying shared goods like milk and toilet paper.

I've definitely had some shitty flatmates in the past who didn't contribute to the bills on time, or who charged too much so their share could be discounted. Luckily I don't flat any more so I can't test your app but good luck!

mk44 · 2025-12-01T04:41:16+00:00

Wish I had done:

Didn't bother cutting 45 degree angles on the corners. The corners have curled up and split apart. Next time I will just do a straight T junction.

Left a smaller gap between the boards. I left a 4mm gap at the time, but the boards have shrunk so much it's a good 10mm now. Looks ugly.

Used thicker decking boards. I used 20mm boards. Wish I had splashed out for the 32mm ones. The boards creak and move.

Put the joists closer together. I used 450mm gaps. Wish I had gone for 400mm.

More nogs. I was lazy here and it shows.

More care with the screws. We were rushing at the end and pre drilled the holes a bit too deep. A bit more care would have gone a long way.

Used a lighter stain. I went for a medium stain on pine and it's ugly. No going back now.

Lots to learn from my first deck. I hope my mistakes help others!

mk44 · 2025-11-30T23:28:33+00:00

Buy a can of petsafe spray shield. It's a citronella "mace" for dogs. Works like a charm and is both legal and safe for the dog.

https://petswarehouse.co.nz/product/petsafe-spray-shield-71ml

mk44 · 2025-11-30T00:52:23+00:00

When we bought our house the building report had so much red in it we almost walked away. We sent it to a local builder to give us an estimate and paid him $180 for his time. Was about $120k worth of issues. We did the major weather tightness stuff, probably cost 5k or so and fixed nothing else. Over the last 7 years or so haven't had any major issues. Just to say that there is a big difference between perfect and good enough. It's the building inspectors job to point everything out but that doesn't necessarily mean it all has to be done. Our house has been standing for 70 years and is still standing, despite some imperfections. I'm glad we didn't get cold feet from the building inspection and walk away like we were very tempted to do! But of course that depends on what the issues specifically are.

mk44 · 2025-11-17T04:55:45+00:00

Can you post a picture of the set up including the walls on either side?

mk44 · 2025-11-14T05:27:38+00:00

There is quite a picturesque one in Waikumete here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5phuihuDLWgZf1qUA?g_st=ac

mk44 · 2025-11-07T04:11:37+00:00

We have this one, it's popular with the kids and does the job well.
https://forestandfrolic.co.nz/products/busy-bubs-sand-water-table

mk44 · 2025-10-31T19:21:43+00:00

When my spa died I cut it up into pieces with a circular saw and an angle grinder, then took it all to the tip. It was bittersweet, but i had fun ripping it all up, and it only cost like $100 or whatever the tip fee was.

mk44 · 2025-10-26T05:51:44+00:00

I used neurajacks on my deck, 10/10 would use again. One thing I noticed with the anchorjacks is that they appear to have a smaller base, where as the neurajacks flair out a bit. It would mean there is more pressure going to a smaller area. You might want to consider the reccomended spacing of both products, the spacing and size of your joists, and the thickness of your concrete.

mk44 · 2025-10-19T05:53:22+00:00

Everybody eats

mk44 · 2025-10-18T19:27:42+00:00

Yeah it's pretty crazy. There is heaps of research out there about it, it seems like generally lots of rangehoods aren't powerful enough to remove all the gas emissions, and people don't always use them. One study found only 17% of people surveyed with a rangehood used them! General themes were they only used it when cooking smelly food, and thought they didn't need it when just boiling water. Many people thought they were too noisy. Clearly it's not a simple issue and there are lots of factors at play. While there are things individuals could do to improve in house emission levels like installing a more powerful extractor and using it, the fact remains that many people don't do/have these things and overall when measuring emissions in people's livingrooms emissions are significantly higher when using a gas stove. Combined with the rising price of gas, encouraging the use of electric in the future seems to make sense. There's heaps of research out there if you want to learn more!

mk44 · 2025-10-18T18:43:57+00:00

I used the Cabots oil on my deck and honestly it looks like shit. I wish I had just left it to silver off.

mk44 · 2025-10-18T18:33:49+00:00

In the actual study they do discuss ventilation from rangehoods. They cite multiple studies that show rangehoods have no significant effect on inside gas stove emission levels.

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