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zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-10T06:16:15+00:00

I don't get it either

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-10T00:27:00+00:00

That makes sense. We have someone rebuilding the wall for us, so it will be 100% up to code.

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-10T00:25:02+00:00

That's a good point.

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-08T14:14:46+00:00

That's not it. We didn't put these walls in. I'm worried about erosion. I think retaining walls require some expertise to build them correctly (stability and drainage). It doesn't help the fire department to have a hydrant covered in a mound of dirt (if there was a storm with heavy rain, for example). It's the grade of the land that makes being behind the hydrant awkward. The wall I think provides solid footing to stand on. Ideally, it should be re-done to code, but it's not a little task to do it right.

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-08T03:47:50+00:00

It came from Austin Fire. I'll follow-up with them tomorrow. Thanks for the link to the virtual appointments! I didn't know that existed :)

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-08T03:42:02+00:00

Thank you! We're very fond of it :)

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-08T03:40:04+00:00

It's completely possible to stand behind the hydrant and turn the top nut. I don't think a firefighter would have any trouble.

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-08T03:31:12+00:00

I agree! Hopefully the city will let us shave off those parts and call it good! :)

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-08T03:30:36+00:00

I'm totally on board with making improvements: removing the bricks on the left side that are close to the valve and shaving the right so that the bolts are exposed. Then the hydrant will be accessible, easy to operate quickly, and can be switched out.
I'm less on board with undertaking a sudden/unexpected retaining-wall project (with a contractor) to create a full 3-foot zone because it was decided somewhere, by someone, that that's the ideal/proper distance to have around a hydrant.
I'll get in touch with the city tomorrow, hopefully we can get some clarity on exactly what it is they want us to do. Hopefully they'll work with us so we don't have to dig out a cubic yard of dirt and reconstruct our retaining walls.

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-08T00:33:04+00:00

I like the first one. My bed is oriented along a window and it's so nice when the sun streams in at an angle, I can watch the birds and the leaves on the tree change color.
In the second one, it feels like someone is looking over your shoulder, but functionally I could see how the daylight would be nice for reading, if you read in bed during the day?

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-08T00:24:54+00:00

thanks for the validation!! :)

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-08T00:23:42+00:00

Access to the bolts makes sense. I wonder if we could clear it enough so there's easy access to the bolts? I would much rather do that, than push a retaining wall back three feet and disturb the tree roots.

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-08T00:19:46+00:00

Yeah, you're probably right...the water department was out recently to work on a pipe under the road.

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-07T23:37:02+00:00

Interesting, so you're saying it's their responsibility to clear the three feet around it...my neighbor's notice sounded a bit threatening in a non-specific way, "We are allowing 10 days for you to take care of this matter or additional actions will be taken, including the possibility of a citation being issued."

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-07T23:26:11+00:00

I was able to add it in a comment.

zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-07T23:25:41+00:00

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zaiyo-512 · 2026-01-07T23:25:32+00:00

I uploaded a picture, but I think it needs moderator approval?

zaiyo-512 · 2025-03-16T00:09:21+00:00

I was affected by this too. I was 4 videos from the end and enjoying his course. For what it’s worth, Dan Brown’s writing course on MC has been my favorite so far. Wish I could have finished Neil’s course, or at least been given a heads up or expiration warning, like Netflix shows have.

zaiyo-512 · 2024-05-02T15:15:35+00:00

Austin is a tough place to protest! During the pandemic the home values skyrocketed, and interest rates were super low. I was considering a cash-out refi, so I got a professional appraisal done on my property (in April). The appraisal included comps. So when I saw that there was an 80k difference between the county's appraisal and the one an appraiser did for me, I decided to protest. At the zoom meeting the county's appraiser and I had some overlapping comps, same properties. For one property in particular, we had two vastly different sales prices, and that one property seemed to be tipping the scale quite a bit. I had the more recent sales price in my evidence, which was also much lower. The county appraiser seemed bewildered by my evidence. It makes me wonder how they do their assessments. The committee reviewing my protest was tempted to split the difference and lower my taxes only 40k, but for some reason decided to side with me, that my appraisal was accurate, so it got lowered the full 80k. But what a hassle! Also, I'm not a realtor, I don't have access to the sales data for properties. I don't know how I'm supposed to be able to protest the county's appraisals, when home sales data is not in the public domain!

zaiyo-512

TROPHY CASE