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  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,751
    won't be able to post finished door for a while. They have to wait for parts. lol. ugh, you just can't make this stuff up.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • jmonroe1jmonroe1 Member Posts: 9,379

    @qbrozen said:
    the door we ordered way back in October is finally being installed. Looks like someone goofed the measurements and they are going to have their work cut out for them fixing that gap up top. No idea what their plans are to match the paint. It won't be easy.

    Matching the paint is the easy part. All that needs done for the paint is a few square inches of the existing painted drywall that any paint store, including the big box places, can scan with their magic wand and you’ll have an almost perfect match. Once that front wall is painted you’ll never see a difference, if any, between it and the adjoining walls due to natural shadowing in that area.

    Now, patching the front inside wall is relatively easy using drywall and various layers of drywall mud then finishing it off with a skim coat of drywall joint compound followed with the paint. BUT, the outside is gonna be a b-tch.

    Good luck and let us see the finished job. We might even see your pics before @driver100 gets his shingles nailed down.

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis Ultimate just like jmonroe's.
    '18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
  • mjfloyd1mjfloyd1 Member Posts: 3,806

    @driver100 said:
    Must be a "Trades Peoples" joke, from the Burg. I haven't seen my guys throw any nails. It is going to be 98 with the humidex, they'll work from 7 until it gets too hot for them. Promised it would be done by Friday...it is supposed to be cooler starting tomorrow....same weather system as in the NE USA.

    I had my Midwest house roof replaced after a hailstorm - Malarkey storm shingles for an insurance cost of $30k. We had our FL house concrete tile roof replacement after a hurricane- first bid was $107k and the company that did the job got paid $69k for a roof 1/4 the size of our IN house. Glad for insurance for sure. IN house took at least two weeks. FL house took a week.

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,688
    edited June 2021
    Have tried to get a 90-day trial for Sxm on my Cruze after I bought it from my son. Sirius said it wasn't eligible at first. I got a letter last week offering a trial because I had the car in at the GM dealer for oil change service.
    The auto system said it wasn't eligible. I called. 45 minutes later the person still hadn't gotten it work show that it was working as a 90-day trial. I told them goodbye and that I give up with Siriusxm.

    Today I mentioned it to my son as he drove home from work. He said he got an email yesterday or Monday that the free trial on HIS Cruze was active. So the info for his accounts, past and maybe present, have been criss-crossed at Siriusxm. Oh. Oh.

    I checked online today and it said trial was active and to do refresh. 4 refresh attempts later, it finally has connected. Relief. Now I can see if I like the sound on the sound system the Cruze has it in--LT2 but not an optional system.

    I'll have to check with my Malibu's XM to be sure it's still working. I was afraid trying to get the Cruze trial working would disrupt the 1-year on the Malibu.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,777
    I don't follow it too closely, but Siriusxm has free listening a few times a year.
    I;ll try to post if I hear about it.
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • bwiabwia Member Posts: 2,913
    ab348 said:

    Things you discover: I’ve had a Roku TV for 3 or 4 years. I have a few paid streaming services (Prime, Apple TV+, Motor Trend) that have all disappointed to varying degrees. There are a bunch of other free channels listed but none that I found compelling. But Roku itself has a channel, or more accurately a bunch of channels that they have under the name Live TV. They have their own channel guide for these just like a cable or satellite service has. Some of them aren’t half bad. Right now I’m watching the This Old House channel, which is programmed with past episodes of TOH and Ask TOH. It isn’t on-demand; episodes are scheduled like regular TV and you can’t pick and choose. But I’ve never found TOH available except on PBS streaming or with partial segments on YouTube, so this is a nice find.

    Good to know and thanks. I too have a Roku TV but I've never watched Roku's native programing, only YouTube and streaming services. And by the way, is all of it free?
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,370
    SXM was free through 6/8.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,688

    SXM was free through 6/8.

    I discovered that after my phone call. I suspect the free to all may have been why the representative couldn't activate a free trial in some way. But then she finished it after I hung up. An email was sent to my son's email--the previous owner.

    The free to all trial was working after I saw the banner on the website. If I had known, I would have just used to that to decide if I want to spend antoehr $60 for year. I wonder if when the free to all was cancelled at midnight, it cancelled my free trial which actually was working at the time. I just saw the channels were working and thought it was due to the free for all period.

    I understand that there are many alternatives to playing my own music through my phone or a USB or DVD. But If i play my collection of Vera Lynn, Patsy Cline, Les/Larry Elgart, and select others driving with my wife in the car, SiriusXM $60 would be cheaper than the divorce.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594

    SXM was free through 6/8.

    Thanks for letting us know :o

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,335
    bwia said:

    ab348 said:

    Things you discover: I’ve had a Roku TV for 3 or 4 years. I have a few paid streaming services (Prime, Apple TV+, Motor Trend) that have all disappointed to varying degrees. There are a bunch of other free channels listed but none that I found compelling. But Roku itself has a channel, or more accurately a bunch of channels that they have under the name Live TV. They have their own channel guide for these just like a cable or satellite service has. Some of them aren’t half bad. Right now I’m watching the This Old House channel, which is programmed with past episodes of TOH and Ask TOH. It isn’t on-demand; episodes are scheduled like regular TV and you can’t pick and choose. But I’ve never found TOH available except on PBS streaming or with partial segments on YouTube, so this is a nice find.

    Good to know and thanks. I too have a Roku TV but I've never watched Roku's native programing, only YouTube and streaming services. And by the way, is all of it free?
    The Roku channel itself seems to be totally free.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    jmonroe1 said:

    @qbrozen said:

    the door we ordered way back in October is finally being installed. Looks like someone goofed the measurements and they are going to have their work cut out for them fixing that gap up top. No idea what their plans are to match the paint. It won't be easy.

    Good luck and let us see the finished job. We might even see your pics before @driver100 gets his shingles nailed down.

    jmonroe

    I'd rather have them take their time and do it right than make a mess doing it fast with an air hammer. :p

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    mjfloyd1 said:

    @driver100 said:

    Must be a "Trades Peoples" joke, from the Burg. I haven't seen my guys throw any nails. It is going to be 98 with the humidex, they'll work from 7 until it gets too hot for them. Promised it would be done by Friday...it is supposed to be cooler starting tomorrow....same weather system as in the NE USA.

    I had my Midwest house roof replaced after a hailstorm - Malarkey storm shingles for an insurance cost of $30k. We had our FL house concrete tile roof replacement after a hurricane- first bid was $107k and the company that did the job got paid $69k for a roof 1/4 the size of our IN house. Glad for insurance for sure. IN house took at least two weeks. FL house took a week.


    Concrete tile roofs are great but costly. Looks like our 2400 sq ft home will take a week but would have been done in 2 days, if it wasn't for the hot weather. There are probably labor laws about working when it is about 100F....don't want Guys passing out and falling off a roof!

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • henrynhenryn Member Posts: 4,289
    Back in the summer of 1998 (or thereabouts), a high school teacher who worked summers as a chimney sweep came knocking on my door offering to clean my chimney. To make a long story short, he had a heat stroke while up on my roof and I had to call the fire department to get him down off the roof and haul him to the hospital. It does get hot here in the summertime, and I expect up on a roof is one of the hottest places around.
    2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 2019 Chrysler Pacifica
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 17,050

    @ab348 said:
    Things you discover: I’ve had a Roku TV for 3 or 4 years. I have a few paid streaming services (Prime, Apple TV+, Motor Trend) that have all disappointed to varying degrees. There are a bunch of other free channels listed but none that I found compelling. But Roku itself has a channel, or more accurately a bunch of channels that they have under the name Live TV. They have their own channel guide for these just like a cable or satellite service has. Some of them aren’t half bad. Right now I’m watching the This Old House channel, which is programmed with past episodes of TOH and Ask TOH. It isn’t on-demand; episodes are scheduled like regular TV and you can’t pick and choose. But I’ve never found TOH available except on PBS streaming or with partial segments on YouTube, so this is a nice find.

    That’s a fairly new thing I believe. We have a Roku TV at the campground. I never remember seeing those last year but they were there were we opened up this year. I noticed them while surfing through the cable channels. Lots of news channels too.

    2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart

  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,250

    bwia said:

    @oldfarmer50 said:

    Now that you’re hooked you have to find Planet X, the supposed 10th planet (if you still think Pluto is one) out there in the Kuiper belt somewhere that’s supposed to be 10X bigger than earth.

    Get out your telescope.

    @oldfarmer50 thanks for opening up my eyes to this. 🔵🌐🔦

    Pluto, formerly the 9th. planet, was unceremoniously demoted to dwarf planet status. So the search is on for a new ninth replacement planet. 🌞

    Amateurs and astronomers, said that they have mathematical evidence, that a large planet, 336 light years away and five to 10 times the mass of earth does exist. It is beyond the orbit of Neptune and such a hypothetical planet exist but its exact location defies their prediction models. And besides, it does not appear that this mystery planet revolves around the sun. In short, they cannot find it. 😄🕷

    Some dubbed it the Far Far Away Planet, while others named it Planet Nine, in homage of Pluto, while Planet "X" has special appeal to sci-fi and comic book fans. In my search I can find no convincing evidence for Planet X. It all boils down to speculation and conjecture. 🦕

    Well if it's 336 light years away it is defiantly not orbiting the sun. There are thousands of stars, if not tens of thousands, within 336 light years.
    I think he meant 336 astronomical units or about 20 times farther out than Neptune.
    If he meant 336 AU's then it's still outside our solar system as our solar system extends at the most 150 AU's out from the sun.

    Not according to this article:
    https://www.space.com/planet-nine-easier-find-than-thought.html

    I read somewhere that the gravitational influence of the sun extends out to almost a light year. I’m no expert but I’m guessing 150au is not the limit.

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    henryn said:

    Back in the summer of 1998 (or thereabouts), a high school teacher who worked summers as a chimney sweep came knocking on my door offering to clean my chimney. To make a long story short, he had a heat stroke while up on my roof and I had to call the fire department to get him down off the roof and haul him to the hospital. It does get hot here in the summertime, and I expect up on a roof is one of the hottest places around.

    Definitely gets hot on a roof...ever hear about The Cat on a Hot Tin Roof? I like the guy to have his own insurance too, so he doesn't sue me if he falls off.

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 267,144
    In our area, roofing crews are generally about a dozen strong. They show up early in the morning, and are done by evening. The houses in my neighborhood are 17-23 years old. So far, only two roofs have been replaced. I'm expecting a run on them, in the next 5 years.

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  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592

    bwia said:

    @oldfarmer50 said:

    Now that you’re hooked you have to find Planet X, the supposed 10th planet (if you still think Pluto is one) out there in the Kuiper belt somewhere that’s supposed to be 10X bigger than earth.

    Get out your telescope.

    @oldfarmer50 thanks for opening up my eyes to this. 🔵🌐🔦

    Pluto, formerly the 9th. planet, was unceremoniously demoted to dwarf planet status. So the search is on for a new ninth replacement planet. 🌞

    Amateurs and astronomers, said that they have mathematical evidence, that a large planet, 336 light years away and five to 10 times the mass of earth does exist. It is beyond the orbit of Neptune and such a hypothetical planet exist but its exact location defies their prediction models. And besides, it does not appear that this mystery planet revolves around the sun. In short, they cannot find it. 😄🕷

    Some dubbed it the Far Far Away Planet, while others named it Planet Nine, in homage of Pluto, while Planet "X" has special appeal to sci-fi and comic book fans. In my search I can find no convincing evidence for Planet X. It all boils down to speculation and conjecture. 🦕

    Well if it's 336 light years away it is defiantly not orbiting the sun. There are thousands of stars, if not tens of thousands, within 336 light years.
    I think he meant 336 astronomical units or about 20 times farther out than Neptune.
    If he meant 336 AU's then it's still outside our solar system as our solar system extends at the most 150 AU's out from the sun.
    Not according to this article:
    https://www.space.com/planet-nine-easier-find-than-thought.html

    I read somewhere that the gravitational influence of the sun extends out to almost a light year. I’m no expert but I’m guessing 150au is not the limit.


    Well the Kuiper belt extends out to about 150 AU's and that's approximately the limit for solar winds so 150 AU's seems to be the limit give or take. Now the suns gravitational field, as with any mass, actually extends across the universe but it diminishes with distance by the square of the inverse (i.e. the force at twice the distance is 1/4th). At 336 AU's the gravitational pull of the sun is 0.00088% of what it is for the earth.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • jmonroe1jmonroe1 Member Posts: 9,379

    Who’s responsible for changing the topic from roofs to space? :s

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis Ultimate just like jmonroe's.
    '18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
  • bwiabwia Member Posts: 2,913
    jmonroe1 said:

    Who’s responsible for changing the topic from roofs to space? :s

    jmonroe

    Sorry for the change. But in our search for Planet Nine we found that standing on a concrete roof was not good enough so we needed a deep field view ergo the change to space. B)
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,688
    kyfdx said:

    In our area, roofing crews are generally about a dozen strong. They show up early in the morning, and are done by evening. The houses in my neighborhood are 17-23 years old. So far, only two roofs have been replaced. I'm expecting a run on them, in the next 5 years.

    Are those architectural shingles or 3-tab type shingles on the houses?

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 267,144

    kyfdx said:

    In our area, roofing crews are generally about a dozen strong. They show up early in the morning, and are done by evening. The houses in my neighborhood are 17-23 years old. So far, only two roofs have been replaced. I'm expecting a run on them, in the next 5 years.

    Are those architectural shingles or 3-tab type shingles on the houses?
    We call them dimensional, here. ;)

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  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    kyfdx said:

    In our area, roofing crews are generally about a dozen strong. They show up early in the morning, and are done by evening. The houses in my neighborhood are 17-23 years old. So far, only two roofs have been replaced. I'm expecting a run on them, in the next 5 years.

    It is probably a good time for you to get into the roofing business. The first day there were about 6 guys here, a big part was getting the new shingles up on the roof and leaving them on skids in various places, after that is has been 4 guys....I think they split up because they got behind with the hot weather and would rather keep all the jobs but take longer.......the usual trick builders and renovators use...JMonroe can probably tell us how to start 10 jobs and keep them all going by showing up every 5th day ;)

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    A neighbor was in his approx 4 year old Jetta diesel....he stopped to talk to us when we were walking Trixie. Wow, are those things ever noisy. He had to shut it off or it was hard to talk.
    Glad he doesn't have a driveway right next to our house. Although his last Jetta Diesel had over 400000 miles on it when he traded it in.

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • jmonroe1jmonroe1 Member Posts: 9,379

    @kyfdx said:
    We call them dimensional, here. ;)

    There we go…back to space again.

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis Ultimate just like jmonroe's.
    '18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
  • jmonroe1jmonroe1 Member Posts: 9,379

    @driver100 said:
    It is probably a good time for you to get into the roofing business. The first day there were about 6 guys here, a big part was getting the new shingles up on the roof and leaving them on skids in various places, after that is has been 4 guys....I think they split up because they got behind with the hot weather and would rather keep all the jobs but take longer.......the usual trick builders and renovators use...JMonroe can probably tell us how to start 10 jobs and keep them all going by showing up every 5th day ;)

    I sure can. Join the new millennium and use air nailers. Really, maybe 25 years back. I’m beginning to think you have a shortage of air in your hood.

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis Ultimate just like jmonroe's.
    '18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
  • mjfloyd1mjfloyd1 Member Posts: 3,806

    Well, after your roof the next step is the sky then the atmosphere. I guess next is outer space. Which means that we live in “inner space” I guess :)

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    mjfloyd1 said:

    Well, after your roof the next step is the sky then the atmosphere. I guess next is outer space. Which means that we live in “inner space” I guess :)

    Like this?


    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • henrynhenryn Member Posts: 4,289
    driver100 said:

    kyfdx said:

    In our area, roofing crews are generally about a dozen strong. They show up early in the morning, and are done by evening. The houses in my neighborhood are 17-23 years old. So far, only two roofs have been replaced. I'm expecting a run on them, in the next 5 years.

    It is probably a good time for you to get into the roofing business. The first day there were about 6 guys here, a big part was getting the new shingles up on the roof and leaving them on skids in various places, after that is has been 4 guys....I think they split up because they got behind with the hot weather and would rather keep all the jobs but take longer.......the usual trick builders and renovators use...JMonroe can probably tell us how to start 10 jobs and keep them all going by showing up every 5th day ;)
    The construction directly across the street (2 tall narrow houses on one lot) has been going on for a good 6 months now. They go for days at a time with no one working there, all of the various workers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, whatever work there for a few hours or a few days and then take off for a different job. If they were concentrating on this job, I'm sure they could have been done quite a while back.

    When they had the basic outside frame finished, but no interior, they posted the houses with a realtor and got them listed on HAR (Houston Area Realtors web site). People come by on a regular basis to check them out, the housing market is that tight around here. And apparently everywhere else, from what I read.

    2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 2019 Chrysler Pacifica
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 17,050

    @snakeweasel said:
    Like this?

    Great 80s movie right there.

    2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    henryn said:

    driver100 said:

    kyfdx said:

    In our area, roofing crews are generally about a dozen strong. They show up early in the morning, and are done by evening. The houses in my neighborhood are 17-23 years old. So far, only two roofs have been replaced. I'm expecting a run on them, in the next 5 years.

    It is probably a good time for you to get into the roofing business. The first day there were about 6 guys here, a big part was getting the new shingles up on the roof and leaving them on skids in various places, after that is has been 4 guys....I think they split up because they got behind with the hot weather and would rather keep all the jobs but take longer.......the usual trick builders and renovators use...JMonroe can probably tell us how to start 10 jobs and keep them all going by showing up every 5th day ;)
    The construction directly across the street (2 tall narrow houses on one lot) has been going on for a good 6 months now. They go for days at a time with no one working there, all of the various workers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, whatever work there for a few hours or a few days and then take off for a different job. If they were concentrating on this job, I'm sure they could have been done quite a while back.

    When they had the basic outside frame finished, but no interior, they posted the houses with a realtor and got them listed on HAR (Houston Area Realtors web site). People come by on a regular basis to check them out, the housing market is that tight around here. And apparently everywhere else, from what I read.

    They are likely working on several projects at once with different requirements and schedules for the tradesmen and after each step the building inspector has to come out and inspect it. Scheduling all these people over multiple projects especially if you cannot control the schedule of people like inspectors you will have down time at individual sites.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,335
    henryn said:


    The construction directly across the street (2 tall narrow houses on one lot) has been going on for a good 6 months now. They go for days at a time with no one working there, all of the various workers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, whatever work there for a few hours or a few days and then take off for a different job. If they were concentrating on this job, I'm sure they could have been done quite a while back.

    When they had the basic outside frame finished, but no interior, they posted the houses with a realtor and got them listed on HAR (Houston Area Realtors web site). People come by on a regular basis to check them out, the housing market is that tight around here. And apparently everywhere else, from what I read.

    I watched a feature on TOH about a community east of Austin TX called Whisper Valley. It is a from-scratch large development planned to be a couple of thousand homes. The big claim to fame is district heating/cooling via geothermal, built and operated by the developer as a type of private utility that bills each property for it monthly. Apparently it is far cheaper than conventional utilities. To me the interesting thing was the developer saying that most of the homes would be fairly conventional otherwise, 3bd/2ba, 1200-1400 sq ft, and would sell for high $200K to $400K with the majority in the middle of that bracket. This segment was taped in 2017-18. I just looked up current listings. There are virtually no homes available there either new or used, and the couple that are on the market have prices in the mid to high $500K range. New construction is ongoing but almost all are already sale pending. That specific market sounds very hot.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    It seems like a waste for builders to get to a major stage....like everything looks done, and then they disappear for weeks. I guess they could be waiting for the next trade guy or for an inspection, but it would probably cut costs and wasted time if everything was scheduled. Like the guys who put in the generator, they had the electric company, water company, gas line company all lined up and the final inspection.....and I hear a big bottle of Crown Royal helps move things along.

    One house around the corner is being changed from a 50s style house into a Frank Lloyd Wright flat roof style, and it has taken years...and still not done. I get the impression they are doing a save up, then renovate, then leave it and save more, then renovate plan....kind of paying for it as they go along....that may be a smart way to do it.

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,751
    driver100 said:

    It seems like a waste for builders to get to a major stage....like everything looks done, and then they disappear for weeks. I guess they could be waiting for the next trade guy or for an inspection, but it would probably cut costs and wasted time if everything was scheduled. Like the guys who put in the generator, they had the electric company, water company, gas line company all lined up and the final inspection.....and I hear a big bottle of Crown Royal helps move things along.

    One house around the corner is being changed from a 50s style house into a Frank Lloyd Wright flat roof style, and it has taken years...and still not done. I get the impression they are doing a save up, then renovate, then leave it and save more, then renovate plan....kind of paying for it as they go along....that may be a smart way to do it.

    except, if you take too long, by the time you finish, you're going to have to start over again. We have this ridiculous house on our block ... it was rather famous in the area ... we called it the Taj Mahal. Anyway, it was taking years to build. Same reason about the owner running out of money, halting, then restarting, etc. But each time they'd come back, they would have to backtrack to fix those things that had taken a beating by time/weather/vandalism/whatnot. After many years, he finally gave up and sold it unfinished.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    qbrozen said:

    driver100 said:

    It seems like a waste for builders to get to a major stage....like everything looks done, and then they disappear for weeks. I guess they could be waiting for the next trade guy or for an inspection, but it would probably cut costs and wasted time if everything was scheduled. Like the guys who put in the generator, they had the electric company, water company, gas line company all lined up and the final inspection.....and I hear a big bottle of Crown Royal helps move things along.

    One house around the corner is being changed from a 50s style house into a Frank Lloyd Wright flat roof style, and it has taken years...and still not done. I get the impression they are doing a save up, then renovate, then leave it and save more, then renovate plan....kind of paying for it as they go along....that may be a smart way to do it.

    except, if you take too long, by the time you finish, you're going to have to start over again. We have this ridiculous house on our block ... it was rather famous in the area ... we called it the Taj Mahal. Anyway, it was taking years to build. Same reason about the owner running out of money, halting, then restarting, etc. But each time they'd come back, they would have to backtrack to fix those things that had taken a beating by time/weather/vandalism/whatnot. After many years, he finally gave up and sold it unfinished.
    except in this case the people are living in it. They are going so slowly the people who live in it had it done in such a way, that they can stay in it....with some inconvenience I am sure. They have an Audi A7RS or something....and a Rover which they park in the next door driveway.....must have arranged that. Now the front lawn is all torn up and they are layering it....could be a huge layered front yard, mostly gravel or something....doesn't look like a normal lawn...and there is a small bulldozer/digger sitting there...for a long time.

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,483
    edited June 2021
    Sounds like Spokane. Houses that were 150K in 2015 can easily be well over 300K now. A place in my neighborhood I like sold for 226K then, there's no way in heck you'd get it for under 500K now. Not as bad as the Seattle rat race yet, but maybe closing in on the far south sound. Maybe the only positive is that it might be getting hot enough to destroy the profit margins for flippers who gorge themselves on starter homes and ruin that side of the market (as incomes are not pacing this price inflation).
    ab348 said:

    henryn said:


    The construction directly across the street (2 tall narrow houses on one lot) has been going on for a good 6 months now. They go for days at a time with no one working there, all of the various workers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, whatever work there for a few hours or a few days and then take off for a different job. If they were concentrating on this job, I'm sure they could have been done quite a while back.

    When they had the basic outside frame finished, but no interior, they posted the houses with a realtor and got them listed on HAR (Houston Area Realtors web site). People come by on a regular basis to check them out, the housing market is that tight around here. And apparently everywhere else, from what I read.

    I watched a feature on TOH about a community east of Austin TX called Whisper Valley. It is a from-scratch large development planned to be a couple of thousand homes. The big claim to fame is district heating/cooling via geothermal, built and operated by the developer as a type of private utility that bills each property for it monthly. Apparently it is far cheaper than conventional utilities. To me the interesting thing was the developer saying that most of the homes would be fairly conventional otherwise, 3bd/2ba, 1200-1400 sq ft, and would sell for high $200K to $400K with the majority in the middle of that bracket. This segment was taped in 2017-18. I just looked up current listings. There are virtually no homes available there either new or used, and the couple that are on the market have prices in the mid to high $500K range. New construction is ongoing but almost all are already sale pending. That specific market sounds very hot.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,483
    That metamorphosis house sounds like what I (and others) call a "mcmodern" - there's a lot of cloned generic stuff out there now - flat or weirdly angled roofs, lots of varied cladding, etc - appeals to normcore affluent people who think it is a little edgy and hip. FLW would probably laugh or cry at it.
    driver100 said:

    It seems like a waste for builders to get to a major stage....like everything looks done, and then they disappear for weeks. I guess they could be waiting for the next trade guy or for an inspection, but it would probably cut costs and wasted time if everything was scheduled. Like the guys who put in the generator, they had the electric company, water company, gas line company all lined up and the final inspection.....and I hear a big bottle of Crown Royal helps move things along.

    One house around the corner is being changed from a 50s style house into a Frank Lloyd Wright flat roof style, and it has taken years...and still not done. I get the impression they are doing a save up, then renovate, then leave it and save more, then renovate plan....kind of paying for it as they go along....that may be a smart way to do it.

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 267,144
    It's easy to get a house framed and under roof. Getting all the sub-contractors for plumbing, HVAC, drywall and finish carpentry is the hard part.

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  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,777
    edited June 2021
    Since we are on the topic of homes, this one, 2 houses up the street from me, just went up for sale.
    Original owners, like still two thirds the street. Last house sold probably 5 years ago.
    https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/32-Centerbrook-Dr_Farmington_CT_06032_M38075-16509
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  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 263,370

    Since we are on the topic of homes, this one, 2 houses up the street from me, just went up for sale.
    Original owners, like still two thirds the street. Last house sold probably 5 years ago.
    https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/32-Centerbrook-Dr_Farmington_CT_06032_M38075-16509

    And here I thought housing prices in New England were high!

    That's what Zillow (and my real estate agent, and my mortgage broker) think my house is worth at the moment, with only half the square footage of the one in the ad.

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  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,777
    @Michaell,
    How much are your annual property taxes? That house is $10,218, soon to go up again.
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  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 263,370

    @Michaell,
    How much are your annual property taxes? That house is $10,218, soon to go up again.

    I just looked them up on the county assessors website - 2021 taxes are estimated at $5659.

    Which is twice as much as I was paying on my last house.

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  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 263,370
    Michaell said:

    @Michaell,
    How much are your annual property taxes? That house is $10,218, soon to go up again.

    I just looked them up on the county assessors website - 2021 taxes are estimated at $5659.

    Which is twice as much as I was paying on my last house.
    Link to assessor information on our house

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  • mjfloyd1mjfloyd1 Member Posts: 3,806
    edited June 2021

    Why two l’s in your screen name and only on on the Michael in your assessor information?

    Michael prolly already taken and Michaell available, I bet

  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 263,370
    mjfloyd1 said:

    Why two l’s in your screen name and only on on the Michael in your assessor information?

    Michael prolly already taken and Michaell available, I bet

    The second “l” is the first character of my last name.

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  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,250

    Where one of my kids' lives, the address numbers are assigned by how many yards(3 feet) you are from Lake Erie.

    My house is on an old road that was once an Indian trail. Over the centuries parts of it were renamed so that now there are two sections. At one end the numbers start somewhere near 1 and run up to about 350. Then what is effectively part of the original road was renamed for developers who built houses and church cemeteries, each with their own numbers. So now about 3 miles further the name of my road resumes and the numbers start where they left off with 352 being miles from 350. Delivery drivers and even ambulances routinely have a hard time finding addresses.

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  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,250

    driver100 said:

    driver100 said:

    Where one of my kids' lives, the address numbers are assigned by how many yards(3 feet) you are from Lake Erie.

    When the tide is in or out?
    The Great Lakes are considered non tidal.
    No actual tides but the shoreline can vary - one way depends on the amount of water in the Great Lakes. It can also vary due to:
    Water levels in the Great Lakes have long-term, annual, and short-term variations. Long-term variations depend on precipitation and water storage over many years. Annual variations occur with the changing seasons. There is an annual high in the late spring and low in the winter. These changes occur at a rate that can be measured in feet per month.

    Wind and weather conditions on the Great Lakes may create a seiche, an oscillating wave which can be several feet high. In many of the Great Lakes, the time period between the “high” and “low” of a seiche may be between four and seven hours. As this is very similar to the six-hour time period of the tides on the ocean, it is frequently mistaken for a tide.

    So, your house number could be constantly changing ;)
    Actually the Great Lakes do have tides, it's just very small less than 5 centimeters between high and low tides. It's considered non tidal because of all the things you mention that mask/erase any tidal effect. So yes there is a tide but as I said it's considered non tidal.
    The Hudson River has tides near me 150 miles inland. I notice nobody asked about that but I’ve been dying to throw out that little factoid. :)

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  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,777
    @Michaell,
    Add 5K each year, plus all the other point of sale and annual taxes and you will see why the prices are the way they are.
    CT is a nice place to live, but CO is probably more attractive for a lot of people.
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  • henrynhenryn Member Posts: 4,289

    Since we are on the topic of homes, this one, 2 houses up the street from me, just went up for sale.
    Original owners, like still two thirds the street. Last house sold probably 5 years ago.
    https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/32-Centerbrook-Dr_Farmington_CT_06032_M38075-16509

    3,849 square feet? That is a big house. At least in my mind it is. The largest house I ever lived in was about 2,300 sq ft, and my present house is about 1,250. Were you trying to say this house is too expensive, or too cheap? For that size, it sounds about right to me, but I'm no expert on the housing market.
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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,472
    I would think I died and went to heaven if my taxes were only 6K. I pay 2x that much. Though down by me, prices are not as crazy as up north by NYC or into New England.

    same model I have. Taxes just over 12K, but cheaper to buy!

    https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/28-Farmhouse-Ln_Voorhees_NJ_08043_M68563-66032

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