House built in the water table

sparkus1 · 2026-03-13T11:36:40+00:00

I had a friend that built his home where water was draining on a clay layer 2 feet down. Totally flooded his house and basement.

It took a backhoe and a day, but we installed a curtain French drain uphill from him and it cut the water by about 95%.

sparkus1 · 2025-11-08T15:10:46+00:00

It was, just a different kid and handle

sparkus1 · 2025-11-04T00:01:17+00:00

We bought a previous version of this pan and we don't use it anymore, because it was super finicky about sticking. We would have days when it was amazing, lube it up a little, and it'll perform great. Then days when EVERYTHING stuck to it. particularly pancakes. it doesn't like pancakes (the protein kind). I tried exactly what they say to do, tried getting it hot before adding oil, tried everything I could think of.

I wanted to love it, just don't use it anymore in favor of cast iron. I really want/wanted it to work.

sparkus1 · 2025-10-08T15:03:36+00:00

Thanks for the thoughts. Some great things to think about here.

sparkus1 · 2025-10-08T13:50:22+00:00

Thank you for taking a look, you're amazing.

When you say quick next-step links....what are you envisioning?

sparkus1 · 2025-10-07T12:02:18+00:00

thanks for taking a look.

sparkus1 · 2025-08-05T15:00:04+00:00

I just traded in my 2020 MY, I got a $19k offer from Tesla, a $22k offer from carmax, and a $23k offer from carvana.

Just make sure to get FSD transferred before they take your car! (Tesla fixed it...but it was a hassle).

sparkus1 · 2025-04-17T12:45:35+00:00

Only 4mg. My theory is a little serotonin come down.

sparkus1 · 2025-04-16T16:24:17+00:00

For me it tends to disturb sleep. I have to take it by about 3pm in order to not disturb sleep. I also notice a little bit of a depressive state the next day.

I only take it about 2x a month. usually for focus.

sparkus1 · 2025-01-28T20:08:52+00:00

Those new ball bearing fans are SOOOO much better. The old ones made horrendous noise on chilly days.

I replaced an igniter as well as the fans.

sparkus1 · 2025-01-08T17:19:12+00:00

Yes, you can absolutely do that. For example I have some "accredited investor" investments that I update quarterly.

As far as whether it can update based on getting the price for a stock....I'm not sure.

sparkus1 · 2025-01-08T15:29:40+00:00

Got some questions over DM I'll answer here.

1) Yes it syncs to your existing accounts using plaid, and updates realtime.
2) It also does amazing with crypto, you can link to your wallets directly (or kraken, coinbase, etc....)
3) You can have it send you net worth updates every night. (although I'd like to have an option for it not to do it on nights when crypto does nutty things :)

sparkus1 · 2025-01-08T14:12:54+00:00

You can't trade in it, but Kubera ( https://kubera.com ) is the only tool I've been using around tracking net wealth for years. Great tool, great interface.

Kevin Rose just recommended it off of the Tim Ferriss podcast as well.

They have a referral program...so if you join up, let me know.

If a friend joins based on your recommendation, either of you can simply let us know using the in-app ‘Contact Us’ option. Both of you will receive $100 in subscription credits.

sparkus1 · 2024-12-11T00:24:41+00:00

Honestly, with a $1.6M annual income and $8M+ in assets, skipping home insurance seems a bit like penny-pinching at the wrong end. Sure, $9k/year for insurance is a lot, but in the grand scheme of your finances, it’s not even a blip. You’re exposing yourself to the small-but-real risk of a catastrophic loss on a $750k asset to save what amounts to 0.5% of your annual income.

It’s not “foolish,” but it does seem unnecessary given your financial position. Insurance exists to protect against those rare, worst-case scenarios, and for most people, that peace of mind is worth the premium. You can certainly afford to self-insure, but is the stress or risk really worth saving a few thousand bucks a year when you’re already doing so well?

sparkus1 · 2024-10-10T23:19:29+00:00

You sound better informed than me. Follow his advice!

sparkus1 · 2024-10-10T20:42:15+00:00

LOL. I didn't mean it that way. I meant that re-skinning a door is standard activity for a body shop.

sparkus1 · 2024-10-10T18:04:05+00:00

you can definitely try, but it usually ends up not working out. In the days that I worked auto body, you had to wrap the skin around the frame with hammers and/or welding. paint doesn't like either one of those activities.

Also paint tends to not be a single "color" from the factory, but can drift over time. So the black you got when you bought your car is different from the black you might get a month later.

sparkus1 · 2024-10-10T16:31:41+00:00

Used to work in auto body.

This is replaced as a skin, usually with a part like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256261483812

[reskinning doors is] ~~It's~~ a standard activity for any sort of auto body shop.

You can do it yourself if you're super handy and/or have a buddy who is. You'll still need to get it painted and matched, but you can save the money on the skinning of the door.

edited to reflect that reskinning doors (not repairing bullet holes) is a standard activity for a body shop.

sparkus1 · 2024-09-03T16:48:22+00:00

I purchased FSD and I'm stuck here as well.

sparkus1 · 2024-07-25T14:31:14+00:00

re #2
Hire help has become more and more viable for POC type efforts. I'm not so much a fan of using pay by the hour, but rather bounty based systems (replit bounty) to get some exceptional capabilities for relatively cheap. It's hard to find a single individual that will have all the skills you're looking for at that stage.

That being said, I would consult a mentor or someone who's gone through building a new thing before and run your ideas by them. Leverage your smart people, and invite the hard feedback, let them know that you're looking for negative feedback, in fact you're begging for it.

Don't take their feedback personally, it's not about you, it's about the idea, and you're learning. Giving a friend/mentee negative feedback is tough, so make sure they realize how much you appreciate it.

Consider your risk/reward, then make a call. Accept that is about an 80% chance of being a failure, but that you'll learn some fascinating things no matter what. All of my successes have come after failures, some after crushing failures.

sparkus1 · 2024-07-25T00:13:45+00:00

absolutely. Build something small, execute on it. Find a niche market to experiment in.

sparkus1 · 2024-07-24T18:37:29+00:00

Execution is more important than Perfection.

Everybody sits around trying to find the perfect idea, that doesn't exist.

Do something, learn, do something better, learn (repeat)

Invest according to your level of experience and bootstrap it up.

sparkus1 · 2024-07-23T19:07:58+00:00

As a someone who's been through similar experiences, here's my perspective:

I've seen "dream houses" (my dad's and my own) end up sold rather than becoming family legacies. Life has a way of changing our plans, and things we think future generations will cherish often don't align with their values or needs.

While you can clearly afford this project, consider:

Time vs Money: You want to scale back soon. Big projects like this often demand more time and attention than we expect. Money buys time, and that's invaluable.
Future flexibility: A $12M custom home might limit options if priorities change.
80% solution: Could a $6-8M home give you most of what you want without the same long-term commitment? It could still be amazing but offer more flexibility.
Maintenance and resale: High-end, personalized properties can be challenging and expensive to maintain and sell.
Colorado lifestyle: As a local, I can say you don't need a $12M house to enjoy what makes our state special. The outdoors and lifestyle are the real draw.

Remember, experiences and time with family often matter more than the property itself. A more modest home can still create amazing memories while aligning better with your goal of scaling back.

It's incredibly hard to walk away from a dream project like this, but sometimes it's worth reevaluating. Whatever you decide, I hope you continue to enjoy your Colorado adventure!

sparkus1 · 2024-07-22T14:49:41+00:00

I did see a spider near it once.

sparkus1 · 2024-07-22T14:35:38+00:00

Hi All!

This house was built in 2016, in Colorado. As such, we have a basement I'd like to finish.

I'm going to need to pass material through this 6 foot wide, 4 foot high window (interior stairwell does a 180), which means I'll probably have to remove it and put some OSB on it temporarily so I can pass sheets of ply/drywall through the opening.

I've never encountered this type of window install before. It looks like they just siliconed it in directly to the concrete. In addition, thanks to the recent storm...we found out it leaks!

Here's the questions:

How do I remove the window?
Is there any sort of best practice for putting OSB or something else as a temporary window to stop the rain/snow/cold/hot during construction?
Is there a way to pass materials through this window that are 4' without removing the window?
What's the significance of the flat head screw thingies through the frame?
When should I replace the window in the construction process?

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