Home Ownership

You need to pull the cement plug.
1. Dig post hole.
2. Put post in.
3. Use brace to insure it's vertical.
4. Pour in quickcrete and let it set over night.

You could reuse the existing plug but it'll never been secure enough.
Ain't nobody got time fo dat!

But really, the whole fence is very old and I'm fine with a part being a bit structurally insecure because by the time it fails the whole thing will need to go. I'd just be doing it now to do it again in 5-10 years. It seems like there should be a middle ground between full replacement and nothing.
 
Ain't nobody got time fo dat!

But really, the whole fence is very old and I'm fine with a part being a bit structurally insecure because by the time it fails the whole thing will need to go. I'd just be doing it now to do it again in 5-10 years. It seems like there should be a middle ground between full replacement and nothing.
Replace your posts with steel ones vs lumber. My HOA is replacing our external 6' cedar fence with a steel and Trex 8'. Or at least they're trying to.
 
T
Texas solutions for real life problems.
Due to termites, I replaced all my fence posts in San Diego with steel ones. Super easy to work with.

IMG_20140524_113531.jpg

Backyard was odd but on a hillside next to a street. The dug out area the previous owners did to park a car. I was fencing off the eyesore for more privacy and a bit of noise control from cars.
 
Ain't nobody got time fo dat!

But really, the whole fence is very old and I'm fine with a part being a bit structurally insecure because by the time it fails the whole thing will need to go. I'd just be doing it now to do it again in 5-10 years. It seems like there should be a middle ground between full replacement and nothing.

How torn up is the concrete hole?

if you aren’t looking for longevity and stability isn’t an issue you could just leave it.
If it needs something else get a little more concrete and cap it. Dig a little around it and pour it above the current concrete slug in the ground, like a trough.

the wood should be okay if it pressure treated and your timeline would be doable I think.

if it’s in an area that stays really wet you could try to use a sealer but probably a waste of time and money.
 
Wife was in the attic putting Xmas stuff away. She ordered air filters for our system based off the model years ago and this big box one came with. 15x26x6.

We couldn't figure out where it went as there were two skinny ones for the hall. Anyway, I have no idea what she was doing up there but she found where it went in the unit I. The attic.

We've lived here for over 4 years, the last record jotted down was it was changed out in 2012. Hall ones are monthly and this was is every six months. Fucker was almost black with crap. So gross.
 
How torn up is the concrete hole?

if you aren’t looking for longevity and stability isn’t an issue you could just leave it.
If it needs something else get a little more concrete and cap it. Dig a little around it and pour it above the current concrete slug in the ground, like a trough.

the wood should be okay if it pressure treated and your timeline would be doable I think.

if it’s in an area that stays really wet you could try to use a sealer but probably a waste of time and money.
Yeah I thought about just digging a hole around it and pouring more concrete, but I don't think it's necessary. I bought some crack sealer and am just going to do that.
 
Wife was in the attic putting Xmas stuff away. She ordered air filters for our system based off the model years ago and this big box one came with. 15x26x6.

We couldn't figure out where it went as there were two skinny ones for the hall. Anyway, I have no idea what she was doing up there but she found where it went in the unit I. The attic.

We've lived here for over 4 years, the last record jotted down was it was changed out in 2012. Hall ones are monthly and this was is every six months. Fucker was almost black with crap. So gross.

I’m surprised your unit didn’t shit the bed, although they are common that people just don’t change the damn things.
I bought a foreclosure as is, and the air handling unit for the top level was deemed broken, no help fixing it or money off as is.

Same thing, unit sucked a filter so dirty into the fan unit, stalling it, tripping fuses and relays... shows how well they did checking it, I got 6 more years out of a unit that ended up being 15 years old when the condensing unit took a shit.

You’ll likely see improvement in your air, not just in terms of quality/smell but $$.
 
I’m surprised your unit didn’t shit the bed, although they are common that people just don’t change the damn things.
I bought a foreclosure as is, and the air handling unit for the top level was deemed broken, no help fixing it or money off as is.

Same thing, unit sucked a filter so dirty into the fan unit, stalling it, tripping fuses and relays... shows how well they did checking it, I got 6 more years out of a unit that ended up being 15 years old when the condensing unit took a shit.

You’ll likely see improvement in your air, not just in terms of quality/smell but $$.
I had no idea the unit in the attic would have a filter. I didn't have AC the entire 15 years I lived in CA so it's not something I was really aware about other than the hallway filters. Still no idea what possessed my wife to go poking around it while she was up there.

Learn something new everyday. And it'd be nice if it drew less juice.
 
I had no idea the unit in the attic would have a filter. I didn't have AC the entire 15 years I lived in CA so it's not something I was really aware about other than the hallway filters. Still no idea what possessed my wife to go poking around it while she was up there.

Learn something new everyday. And it'd be nice if it drew less juice.

If it was filthy and black, it’ll draw less air and work harder. You’ll likely notice a difference, if not now but when the heat comes back and you need to really cool the house.
Your filters in the hall are likely intakes, and while worthwhile, it’s the closest one that will cause the issues with drawn air at the air handler that will help reduce the pressure.

pro tip: don’t buy the most expensive tightest weave air filters, or those stupid as fuck clean and replace filters. Buy the cheapest, highest flow filters. It allows your system to live longer, and they catch the shit regardless.
 
pro tip: don’t buy the most expensive tightest weave air filters, or those stupid as fuck clean and replace filters. Buy the cheapest, highest flow filters. It allows your system to live longer, and they catch the shit regardless.
My HVAC guy told me the filter’s job is to keep crap from getting into the furnace - he said, “if you want clean air, get an air cleaner. Don’t buy these stupid expensive filters”, and insisted I replace my fancy $20 HEPA filters with flimsy blue ones.

Just replaced them today, both had caught so much dust they’d gone from blue to completely gray, so like you said, they’ve been doing their job just fine. And it only cost me $1.96 plus tax for both of them!
 
My HVAC guy told me the filter’s job is to keep crap from getting into the furnace - he said, “if you want clean air, get an air cleaner. Don’t buy these stupid expensive filters”, and insisted I replace my fancy $20 HEPA filters with flimsy blue ones.

Just replaced them today, both had caught so much dust they’d gone from blue to completely gray, so like you said, they’ve been doing their job just fine. And it only cost me $1.96 plus tax for both of them!

He would be correct, and you have seen they work all the same. They are more apt to cause issues than they are to help you feel or breathe better.
 
My HVAC guy told me the filter’s job is to keep crap from getting into the furnace - he said, “if you want clean air, get an air cleaner. Don’t buy these stupid expensive filters”, and insisted I replace my fancy $20 HEPA filters with flimsy blue ones.

Just replaced them today, both had caught so much dust they’d gone from blue to completely gray, so like you said, they’ve been doing their job just fine. And it only cost me $1.96 plus tax for both of them!
Bingo. My neighbor owns an HVAC company and he said the same thing. The fancy/expensive filters are not worth the cost.
He said buy the cheap ones and just replace them every 2-3 months as opposed to every 6mo this or whatever the fancy once’s suggest. He said not only will you save $ but you’ll probably extend the life of your unit if constantly giving it fresh/new filters to get good air flow.
 
My wife and I are starting to look at houses. While I am a real estate lawyer by trade, my knowledge about the home mortgage process is woefully lacking. I imagine that I need to go out and get loan pre-approval to expedite things once we go under contract (or is there something better than a pre-approval? A loan commitment?)? Any chance any of you can give me a general sense of what kind of documentation I am going to need to come up with for the pre-approval process?

Really looking forward to being house rich and cash poor for the foreseeable future.
 
My wife and I are starting to look at houses. While I am a real estate lawyer by trade, my knowledge about the home mortgage process is woefully lacking. I imagine that I need to go out and get loan pre-approval to expedite things once we go under contract (or is there something better than a pre-approval? A loan commitment?)? Any chance any of you can give me a general sense of what kind of documentation I am going to need to come up with for the pre-approval process?

Usually, you need the following.

FICO score
Down payment amount
Salary history
Home type (single-family, townhome, etc...)
 
If that's it, that's way less than I was expecting. Assumed I would need multiple years of tax returns at a minimum (but I suppose that will come later on in the loan process).

Yeah, it doesn't take much to get pre-approved. And you'll only need 2 years of W2s/returns for the actual approval, in my experience.

Also, the real estate agent/mortgage consultant that they work with will pull your credit scores, so no need to do yourself.
 
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