Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

venture · November 2023

laurasdada said:
Was it something I typed?

It wasn't you. That just happens sometimes.

dino001 · November 2023

There is always politics....

ronsteve · November 2023

@venture said:
It wasn't you. That just happens sometimes.

I think most of the discussion is over in Chronic Appliance Buyers Anonymous.

venture · November 2023

Check out the paint on this Cadillac I was behind a little while ago. At first I thought it was just a shadow, but that's not the case. I was going to get in front of it to see if it was the whole side, but it turned off before I could.

Maybe it's one of those secret additional $5,000 paint jobs.

ab348 · November 2023

I’m not sure I understand what you’re taking about. Looks just like the angle of the sun.

jmonroe1 · November 2023

ab348 said:
I’m not sure I understand what you’re taking about. Looks just like the angle of the sun.

————————————————
I’ve never seen the angle of the sun do that but maybe the stars aligned at that intersection today.

jmonroe

roadburner · November 2023

Perhaps it was a compromise; Grandpa and Grandma liked two different colors.

stickguy · November 2023

Went back to the kitchen design place to finish picking everything g out. and attempt to shave off some of the massive cost overruns. Actually seemed to have accomplished both (though I still need to get the revised estimate to know how much). Rare when our revised choices are actually cheaper options.

Wife decided she liked the island color I preferred after seeing them side by side against the floor we picked out. Another win! And completely changed course on color for the vanities. Rest was minor tweaks (though we are still arguing about the need to add another set of cabinets which of course will blow all my hard earned savings I just clawed back. )

snakeweasel · November 2023

dino001 said:
There is always politics....

OK, lets go. I want to know more about this Colfax scandal.

venture · November 2023

ab348 said:
I’m not sure I understand what you’re taking about. Looks just like the angle of the sun.

A little further up the road we entered shade. It was the same. A little crazy

jmonroe1 · November 2023

stickguy said:
Went back to the kitchen design place to finish picking everything g out. and attempt to shave off some of the massive cost overruns. Actually seemed to have accomplished both (though I still need to get the revised estimate to know how much). Rare when our revised choices are actually cheaper options.

Wife decided she liked the island color I preferred after seeing them side by side against the floor we picked out. Another win! And completely changed course on color for the vanities. Rest was minor tweaks (though we are still arguing about the need to add another set of cabinets which of course will blow all my hard earned savings I just clawed back. )

————————————————
Just curious, what did you decide about the shower floor? Pan or tile?

jmonroe

stickguy · November 2023

we are going with tile because the wife wanted it. Will probably look more upscale in that room (and considering the shower is something like 6'6" x 5', I consider it a room). The labor was included in the price, so just need to pay for the tile.

for the kitchen the cabinets were also done as the full plywood. Because it's only money, and apparently my wife is rich and she never told me.

jmonroe1 · November 2023

stickguy said:
we are going with tile because the wife wanted it. Will probably look more upscale in that room (and considering the shower is something like 6'6" x 5', I consider it a room). The labor was included in the price, so just need to pay for the tile.

for the kitchen the cabinets were also done as the full plywood. Because it's only money, and apparently my wife is rich and she never told me.

————————————————
Both of those choices are definitely a sign of an upscale build. As long as everyone is happy that goes a long way towards happiness with the new home.

Just a suggestion: You might want to add a shower head on both walls since the shower is that size. We did that when we stole a walk in closet from the smallest bedroom in the 4 bedroom flip we did. That house sold in 4 hours and the 3 couples and their realtors that looked at it flipped over that master bathroom.

jmonroe

stickguy · November 2023

I was just telling the wife that we need to ask about how the shower will be laid out. at minimum should include a bench, but also want some sort of space for products. Not sure if we would want to do anything elaborate with shower heads, body sprays, etc. probably not since we won't use them and the kitchen already blew way past the contingency and extras budgets.

just looked at the floorplan again. I think there is a bench on one side (the short side where the door into the shower is) that is probably about 4' long. so that would leave about 4' actual width of the shower.

will be much easier to see what makes sense once it is framed and we do the walk through for electrical. I'm sure you can blow $5k in shower gizmos without even trying hard if you want to.

jmonroe1 · November 2023

stickguy said:
I was just telling the wife that we need to ask about how the shower will be laid out. at minimum should include a bench, but also want some sort of space for products. Not sure if we would want to do anything elaborate with shower heads, body sprays, etc. probably not since we won't use them and the kitchen already blew way past the contingency and extras budgets.

just looked at the floorplan again. I think there is a bench on one side (the short side where the door into the shower is) that is probably about 4' long. so that would leave about 4' actual width of the shower.

will be much easier to see what makes sense once it is framed and we do the walk through for electrical. I'm sure you can blow $5k in shower gizmos without even trying hard if you want to.

————————————————
I wasn’t talking about any elaborate shower body sprays. Just a simple shower head.

FWIW, on the wall where we installed the second shower head, we installed a bench under that shower head that stood away from the wall about a foot and the side wall had a large, maybe 26 inch, niche for the shower supplies.

jmonroe

stickguy · November 2023

the opposite end (180 from the main shower head) would not work since that is the open doorway to the bathroom. so it would have to be on a side wall.

if the purpose is to use it like a locker room with 2 people showering independently, that is not going to be useful at all!

jmonroe1 · November 2023

stickguy said:
the opposite end (180 from the main shower head) would not work since that is the open doorway to the bathroom. so it would have to be on a side wall.

if the purpose is to use it like a locker room with 2 people showering independently, that is not going to be useful at all!

————————————————
We did it because we had the layout that allowed it. With a shower that size we definitely had room for a bench so we made sure we installed that.

If realtors can be believed a second shower head and benches are a big plus/wow factor.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 · November 2023

venture said:
Check out the paint on this Cadillac I was behind a little while ago. At first I thought it was just a shadow, but that's not the case. I was going to get in front of it to see if it was the whole side, but it turned off before I could.

Maybe it's one of those secret additional $5,000 paint jobs.

Maybe the husband and wife couldn’t agree on a shade so they got what each wanted for their respective side.

ab348 · November 2023

stickguy said:
the opposite end (180 from the main shower head) would not work since that is the open doorway to the bathroom. so it would have to be on a side wall.

if the purpose is to use it like a locker room with 2 people showering independently, that is not going to be useful at all!

There is always the possibility of the center-ceiling rain head shower. Never having used one I have no idea if they are actually useful or just a thing that helps at resale time.

kyfdx · November 2023

I really want an explanation for that paint job.

@venture you should have flagged them down

tjc78 · November 2023

Maybe they ceramic coated (special wax/sealant?) one side and not the other for some sort of test?

dad23 · November 2023

Maybe it was an insurance thing, "we can paint half the car but not all. Don't worry, it'll match!"

snakeweasel · November 2023

dad23 said:
Maybe it was an insurance thing, "we can paint half the car but not all. Don't worry, it'll match!"

I have seen cars painted like that but with more contrasting colors.

stickguy · November 2023

Next question for the experts will be electrical wiring needed. Home automation, all that kind of stuff. What’s the current state of the art or best practice? Keep in mind I don’t have a. Alexa type device and likely never will since I have no desire to talk to my house. But I know there are all kinds of wired and wireless integrations and built in stuff. Even if we just have pre wiring done and add devices and components in the future.

tjc78 · November 2023

Almost everything can be done off of WiFi these days so you need a really robust network.

I’d at the very least have ethernet jacks on every floor and home run to wherever your modem will go. This will allow you to use a mesh system and have a hardwired module on each floor

If you want to be fancy with your TVs have an in walltube and bushing plate installed behind the TV and below where any cabinet would be for HDMI cables, etc. An Ethernet port behind the TV isn’t a bad idea either if using a smart TV to get a better connection but not 100% needed.

These days all switches have a neutral in the box so you can add smart switches as you need to control outside lights or lamps.

tjc78 · November 2023

Oh and maybe have some in ceiling speakers installed if you want to listen to music. Could also pre-wire for outdoor speakers as well.

tjc78 · November 2023

@stickguy said:
Went back to the kitchen design place to finish picking everything g out. and attempt to shave off some of the massive cost overruns. Actually seemed to have accomplished both (though I still need to get the revised estimate to know how much). Rare when our revised choices are actually cheaper options.

Wife decided she liked the island color I preferred after seeing them side by side against the floor we picked out. Another win! And completely changed course on color for the vanities. Rest was minor tweaks (though we are still arguing about the need to add another set of cabinets which of course will blow all my hard earned savings I just clawed back. )

Just the other day my wife commented that the quartz she picked for the shore kitchen was outrageously expensive and wants to go back and pick something more inline with our initial quote. I said probably a good idea considering it is not our primary residence.

The project got pushed into January so we have a little time. We did upgrade the doors to a nicer style and also changing up the peninsula cabinet which is being custom made.

As long as it is completely done by spring I’m fine.

kyfdx · November 2023

In my experience, granite was a lot less than quartz

jmonroe1 · November 2023

tjc78 said:
Maybe they ceramic coated (special wax/sealant?) one side and not the other for some sort of test?

————————————————
C’mon man, I never heard of any wax or sealant imparting coloring to paint. But if you can develop some sort of topping that can do that, you could probably retire by advertising…Temporary Color Change…use it and if you don’t like it wash it off with our special wax remover then just buy another bottle and try that color. People buy paint protection so why not that?

jmonroe

ab348 · November 2023

I cannot discern any color on that split personality Cadillac except 2 shades of silver, but I am color-challenged. The thing I didn’t notice at first was the razor-straight vertical line separating the two shades. It even seems to affect the bumper. I’m even more confused than usual.

ab348 · November 2023

kyfdx said:
In my experience, granite was a lot less than quartz

Granite seems to have become passé these days. Must be tough times in the quarry.

kyfdx · November 2023

ab348 said:

kyfdx said:
In my experience, granite was a lot less than quartz
Granite seems to have become passé these days. Must be tough times in the quarry.

Natural vs man-made

stickguy · November 2023

@tjc78 said:
Oh and maybe have some in ceiling speakers installed if you want to listen to music. Could also pre-wire for outdoor speakers as well.

Thanks. I’ll pick your brain more when it gets closer. We get a good number of jacks included (I think cable or phone, but likely could do Ethernet). Plan to have cable jack in the office and behind TV. And use a mesh set up for wifi

Might put speakers in ceiling but not sure. Definitely putting remote connections for the over the fireplace main TV so the equipment can be in the corner not on the mantle.

Nice building new since we do an electric walkthrough once framed and before drywall so get to spec out every switch and outlets. So can decide then and see what electrician recommends.

I also want to put a 220 (or 221, whatever it takes) outlet in the garage for future use. And maybe run what’s needed to facilitate a whole house generator later. And most important electricity access for my future garage build!

stickguy · November 2023

@kyfdx said:
Natural vs man-made

We just picked quartz. Granite was not really cheaper. But fairly close so really depends on which particular one you get of either type. We looked at quartz options again yesterday to see if we wanted to change what we picked. Had 3 options. Same brand, appeared to be the same line. But they ranged from IIRC $72-$122/ft. That’s a big variation. Thankfully we liked the original choice best and it shockingly was the cheapest.

roadburner · November 2023

The Klipsch CDT-5800-C II is a great ceiling mounted speaker. Install a Klipsch PRO-1000SW 10" In-Wall Sub in your HT/media room while you are at it.

jmonroe1 · November 2023

tjc78 said:
Almost everything can be done off of WiFi these days so you need a really robust network.

I’d at the very least have ethernet jacks on every floor and home run to wherever your modem will go. This will allow you to use a mesh system and have a hardwired module on each floor

If you want to be fancy with your TVs have an in walltube and bushing plate installed behind the TV and below where any cabinet would be for HDMI cables, etc. An Ethernet port behind the TV isn’t a bad idea either if using a smart TV to get a better connection but not 100% needed.

These days all switches have a neutral in the box so you can add smart switches as you need to control outside lights or lamps.

————————————————
Whe have installed separate high and low electrical outlets and Ethernet wiring boxes for every bedroom and living room (sometimes 2 depending on the room layout and at least 2 for the finished basements) in the flips we’ve done so far. My Son likes to think of this as his trademark. Although it costs hundreds of dollars for all of the Ethernet cables alone not counting the labor to do it, he plans to continue doing it. All of the Ethernet cables are “home runs” to a central location. He feels this sets his flips apart from the run of the mill flips being done. His realtor makes sure she points this out to all the realtors when she has an open house for realtors only before the house is listed. She has received nothing but positive comments about this.

None of them have made the comment that his Mother made when she walked through the first flip we did just before it was listed. It went something like this:

Mother: What are those things doing up there?

Son: They’re for wall mounting the TV (he goes on to explain the benefits of wires not being seen, strong TV signals, etc.).

Mother: So what happens if someone doesn’t want a TV up there. Who wants to see that all the time?

Son: That’s why they sell pictures and, NO, I’m not providing pictures.

Some things can’t be done after construction. So, it’s best to think ahead. But you will have to bite the bullet for the cost.

jmonroe

stickguy · November 2023

@roadburner said:
The Klipsch CDT-5800-C II is a great ceiling mounted speaker. Install a Klipsch PRO-1000SW 10" In-Wall Sub in your HT/media room while you are at it.

The room that does not exist? TV is in the great room (open plan kitchen dining family room across the back of the house). I have a sub that can sit in the corner or will get a new one that’s wireless.

stickguy · November 2023

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
Whe have installed separate high and low electrical outlets and Ethernet wiring boxes for every bedroom and living room (sometimes 2 depending on the room layout and at least 2 for the finished basements) in the flips we’ve done so far. My Son likes to think of this as his trademark. Although it costs hundreds of dollars for all of the Ethernet cables alone not counting the labor to do it, he plans to continue doing it. All of the Ethernet cables are “home runs” to a central location. He feels this sets his flips apart from the run of the mill flips being done. His realtor makes sure she points this out to all the realtors when she has an open house for realtors only before the house is listed. She has received nothing but positive comments about this.

None of them have made the comment that his Mother made when she walked through the first flip we did just before it was listed. It went something like this:

Mother: What are those things doing up there?

Son: They’re for wall mounting the TV (he goes on to explain the benefits of wires not being seen, strong TV signals, etc.).

Mother: So what happens if someone doesn’t want a TV up there. Who wants to see that all the time?

Son: That’s why they sell pictures and, NO, I’m not providing pictures.

Some things can’t be done after construction. So, it’s best to think ahead. But you will have to bite the bullet for the cost.

jmonroe

I’ll only out a wall set up in the master. Assuming I know that early where we want it. But I agree, I want to do the hidden stuff now because I won’t do it later.

ab348 · November 2023

I'm hardly a cutting-edge tech guy, but all of my TV locations use a small 3"x3"x1" box connecting to the TV. The box in turn gets its cable TV wirelessly from an eero box which itself has a wireless connection to the other eeros and modem, which is the only thing connected via cable to the TV provider. The PC in my office has an ethernet connection to the modem being next to it, but I think it could also work via wifi if needed.

ab348 · November 2023

Yesterday I had spray foam installed in my basement, air sealing the sill between the top of the basement wall and the house, along with an application of it to the uninsulated part of the concrete walls down there, about 1/4 of the total area. Up here at least you cannot stay in the house while it is being done even if you stay out of the area being worked on, and they recommend you stay out for 24 hours. That meant Lucy the cat and myself had to decamp to my brother's house for the day.

He has not been well and has not visited for a few months. He is supposedly doing OK but the treatment for his multiple myeloma seems pretty rough and comes with lots of side effects. It's tough enough being 80 without having to put up with that. I feel very badly for him as up until recently he has been very active and involved in numerous things. His wife also suffers very badly from arthritis and can barely move sometimes. It was a bit of a down day because of all that.

To add to all that, he tells me when I arrive that he just got back from the Jeep dealer where he gets his Patriot serviced. He bought it 6+ years ago and has always had it serviced at the one dealer. He went there 2 days ago for an oil/filter change. He says that when he left and got on the highway it would occasionally make a noise he hadn't heard before. He said his first thought was a tire noise of some sort. But it would come and go and apparently only did it a few times. When he got home he did an inspection and finding no tire issues, decided to pop the hood, fearing that maybe there would be oil leaks everywhere from a bad filter or whatever. He found none of that, so he pulled the dipstick and said there was only one drop of oil on the end of the stick, yikes.

By that time the service department was closed so he called them first thing yesterday and they told him to bring it in. They gave him a Grand Cherokee 4xe as a loaner and by the time I left there after dinner last night they had not called. We were speculating they might have been pulling the engine apart, at least the top end. No idea what the outcome is yet. He agreed with me that he would have a hard time being very confident about the vehicle after this.

oldfarmer50 · November 2023

ab348 said:

kyfdx said:
In my experience, granite was a lot less than quartz
Granite seems to have become passé these days. Must be tough times in the quarry.

Next week Formica will be all the rage again.

jmonroe1 · November 2023

ab348 said:
Yesterday I had spray foam installed in my basement, air sealing the sill between the top of the basement wall and the house, along with an application of it to the uninsulated part of the concrete walls down there, about 1/4 of the total area. Up here at least you cannot stay in the house while it is being done even if you stay out of the area being worked on, and they recommend you stay out for 24 hours. That meant Lucy the cat and myself had to decamp to my brother's house for the day.

He has not been well and has not visited for a few months. He is supposedly doing OK but the treatment for his multiple myeloma seems pretty rough and comes with lots of side effects. It's tough enough being 80 without having to put up with that. I feel very badly for him as up until recently he has been very active and involved in numerous things. His wife also suffers very badly from arthritis and can barely move sometimes. It was a bit of a down day because of all that.

To add to all that, he tells me when I arrive that he just got back from the Jeep dealer where he gets his Patriot serviced. He bought it 6+ years ago and has always had it serviced at the one dealer. He went there 2 days ago for an oil/filter change. He says that when he left and got on the highway it would occasionally make a noise he hadn't heard before. He said his first thought was a tire noise of some sort. But it would come and go and apparently only did it a few times. When he got home he did an inspection and finding no tire issues, decided to pop the hood, fearing that maybe there would be oil leaks everywhere from a bad filter or whatever. He found none of that, so he pulled the dipstick and said there was only one drop of oil on the end of the stick, yikes.

By that time the service department was closed so he called them first thing yesterday and they told him to bring it in. They gave him a Grand Cherokee 4xe as a loaner and by the time I left there after dinner last night they had not called. We were speculating they might have been pulling the engine apart, at least the top end. No idea what the outcome is yet. He agreed with me that he would have a hard time being very confident about the vehicle after this.

————————————————
For the last few years I’ve decided to take the Subie and the Genny to the dealer for oil changes. I just don’t feel like crawling under the car and doing it anymore. I’m sure @driver will be glad to hear that.

One time at the Hyundai dealer when the SA saw me in the lot with the hood open before leaving, he came out wanting to know if there was a problem. I told him I was just going to check the oil to make sure it was there and at the right level. His comment was, “we NEVER forget to add oil”. I told him I was going to be sure. He shrugged his shoulders, turned around and headed back to his desk. It takes even less time to check the oil than it does to check all 20 lug nuts when a garage has to touch my wheels. Like when a safety inspection is done. However. I still have to trust them that they put in full synthetic oil though.

When I had my first Genny a guy that I’d known for years, that ran one of the labs, where I was doing my consulting at the time asked how I liked my car. I told him fine, and I’d just had the oil changed while it was in for a minor recall but I just hoped they put in full synthetic like I asked. He told me to give him just a few drops from the dip stick and he’d do a burn test to see if it was synthetic. At least that time it was but I don’t have anyone now to check that for me so I just have to trust them.

Having been a DIYer all my life, trusting a garage is foreign to me.

jmonroe

tjc78 · November 2023

J - I agree with running Ethernet all over the house when the walls are open. It just gives you so much more flexibility. We have it run to several places in our home but they didn’t do upstairs for whatever reason.

I have a mesh system with nodes on each floor. The main floor and basement are hardwired and have outstanding speed. The upstairs one gets its signal from the main floor wirelessly and while our signal is strong our speeds upstairs aren’t nearly as good.

roadburner · November 2023

I have 5 shops I trust- 3 dealers, 2 indies. That's it.

qbrozen · November 2023

Everything is through a wireless mesh system in my house. I can stream 20gb 4k movies without a hitch while both kids are online gaming on different systems and the wife scrolls facebook videos, so I can’t complain about speed nor see what hardwiring would gain for me.

stickguy · November 2023

thinking about the ethernet, what actually will use that now? I assume you plug the smart TVs in (though for us, it really only matters for the main tv since the one in the bedroom can deal with WiFi). Other than that, it would just be our laptops.

my plan is to for sure put it in by the main FR TV, and in the bedroom that will be my office for a while. The only other laptops or PCs we have are the 2 we put around the internet on, and I really don't need it for that (an unlikely it would be convenient to be tied to a cable).

stickguy · November 2023

qbrozen said:
Everything is through a wireless mesh system in my house. I can stream 20gb 4k movies without a hitch while both kids are online gaming on different systems and the wife scrolls facebook videos, so I can’t complain about speed nor see what hardwiring would gain for me.

I kept meaning to get on in this house but never got around to it. I think that system would more than cover us.

But I do like my work computer wired directly into the modem (which sits on my desk), and never have to worry about WiFi connection for that.

oldfarmer50 · November 2023

roadburner said:
I have 5 shops I trust- 3 dealers, 2 indies. That's it.

I have two trusted mechanics, one for routine, one for more complicated stuff. One transmission guy and one body shop.

The dealer where I bought my Mustang seems pretty honest but is too far away for every day maintenance.

Here’s today’s rant. I was on my way to pick up my son and got stuck behind two women in a BMW X5. It was a two lane no passing country road with a 40 speed limit and they were doing 20. I could see through their back window that they were having a nice conversation on the cell phone that the driver was holding.🤬🤬🤬🤯

qbrozen · November 2023

I have one trusted mechanic. He’s so darned busy, though, and lots of projects sitting around that his wife complains about.

stickguy · November 2023

at this point I am taking care of the problem by having newer cars under warranty.

Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles