Author Topic: Home Improvement Thread  (Read 29134 times)

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Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #500: January 24, 2021, 11:17:55 AM »
https://wtop.com/business-finance/2021/01/dupont-chemours-reach-agreement-over-forever-chemicals/

This is what the issue is in Wilmington. A Dupont/Chemours plant up the Cape Fear River in Fayettevile has been spewing this crap into the river and ground resulting in tainted water for us.
I suppose the real estate agents don't mention that.  Terrible what some of these corporations get away with. 

Offline DCFan

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #501: January 24, 2021, 12:22:24 PM »
I suppose the real estate agents don't mention that.  Terrible what some of these corporations get away with. 

We knew about the water situation many years ago. The first of the in laws retired here 22 years ago so we were told of the situation then and knew what we getting in for. Bottled water sells like hot cakes here.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #502: January 24, 2021, 12:56:25 PM »
We knew about the water situation many years ago. The first of the in laws retired here 22 years ago so we were told of the situation then and knew what we getting in for. Bottled water sells like hot cakes here.
I’ll bet.

Offline Mathguy

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #503: January 24, 2021, 02:34:55 PM »
This is one thing the Biden administration is going to change.  So does the water filtration process make the water safe to consume ?  We have had water filters at our sinks in houses in the DC area and here in OBX, but it was for taste purposes, not safety issues.

https://wtop.com/business-finance/2021/01/dupont-chemours-reach-agreement-over-forever-chemicals/

This is what the issue is in Wilmington. A Dupont/Chemours plant up the Cape Fear River in Fayettevile has been spewing this crap into the river and ground resulting in tainted water for us.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #504: January 24, 2021, 03:51:50 PM »
This is one thing the Biden administration is going to change.  So does the water filtration process make the water safe to consume ?  We have had water filters at our sinks in houses in the DC area and here in OBX, but it was for taste purposes, not safety issues.


The problems date back several administrations, it’s not like the plant was built last year

Offline DCFan

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #505: January 25, 2021, 05:01:18 PM »
I bought a TDS water quality tester off amazon and it was a piece of dog poop so I went thru the return/refund process and the nice AI computer said I will get the refund but to keep the meter because they don't want it back. If you insist.  :shrug:

Offline Mathguy

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #506: January 26, 2021, 10:41:33 AM »
That sounds like an admittance the product doesn't work

I bought a TDS water quality tester off amazon and it was a piece of dog poop so I went thru the return/refund process and the nice AI computer said I will get the refund but to keep the meter because they don't want it back. If you insist.  :shrug:

Online imref

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #507: January 26, 2021, 10:53:29 AM »
That sounds like an admittance the product doesn't work

Actually an increasing number of companies are refusing to take return merchandise because of the cost of processing it.  One of the news programs, 60 minutes I think, had a story about the trend recently. It's cheaper in many cases to just issue the refund and let the buyer keep the product. Companies going this route are only doing so for their better customers to avoid people trying to game the system.

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #508: January 26, 2021, 03:42:05 PM »
Amazon delivered 3 cases of infant formula I didn't order and they did not want me to send it back.  This is not a product that I have much use for, so unless I can come up with a good "very berry" frozen daquiri recipe, it will collect dust until I can get it to a food bank.     

Offline DCFan

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #509: February 17, 2021, 03:46:11 PM »
Solar power investment.  I saw an ad on the Yahoo site that was advertising solar power for NC residents with no cost (the fine print says "at install") and a rebate of over $2k. I was intrigued so I started the process and we sat thru a sales presentation. After all who wouldn't like no electric bill? The guy comes over to the house, takes some photos outside, comes in and takes some measurements in the attic, looks at the latest electric bill and then our homeowners insurance policy. The bottom line is it will cost us $52k that can be paid over 25 years with a monthly bill of $186 (our equalized payment bill with Duke Energy is $149) and they'd pay the first year of the loan (that's the $2k rebate). We passed on this deal. I knew it'd be expensive but this is outrageous. Among my concerns was buying technology that will probably be obsolete in 5 years and resale means a prospective buyer is obligated to take on this loan. The 26% tax credit of $13k wasn't enticing enough.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #510: February 17, 2021, 04:18:36 PM »
Solar power investment.  I saw an ad on the Yahoo site that was advertising solar power for NC residents with no cost (the fine print says "at install") and a rebate of over $2k. I was intrigued so I started the process and we sat thru a sales presentation. After all who wouldn't like no electric bill? The guy comes over to the house, takes some photos outside, comes in and takes some measurements in the attic, looks at the latest electric bill and then our homeowners insurance policy. The bottom line is it will cost us $52k that can be paid over 25 years with a monthly bill of $186 (our equalized payment bill with Duke Energy is $149) and they'd pay the first year of the loan (that's the $2k rebate). We passed on this deal. I knew it'd be expensive but this is outrageous. Among my concerns was buying technology that will probably be obsolete in 5 years and resale means a prospective buyer is obligated to take on this loan. The 26% tax credit of $13k wasn't enticing enough.
There are all kinds of ways these deals are set up.  I think there are ways to either lease the equipment or that the company ends up making money by selling the electricity excess to the grid in states with low-carbon standards.  I know some utilities have lobbied to take away provisions that give good deals if you install solar.  You really have to look at the details.  I forget if the one Musk owns is good or not.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #511: February 17, 2021, 05:39:29 PM »
Don’t forget the extra 10k if you want a battery backup attached to your solar system

Offline DCFan

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #512: February 17, 2021, 06:14:36 PM »
Don’t forget the extra 10k if you want a battery backup attached to your solar system

That price included the Generac battery.

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #513: February 17, 2021, 06:49:44 PM »
There's a website energypal.com that purports to find different options available to you.

And there's Solar City, which Musk owns. I think their deal is that they basically lease your rooftop space and you pay a fixed rate for energy that cannot increase. Not free, but it locks in your cost at current rates. If you move out, they remove the system - although I'd want to know A LOT about what that means.

Offline Mathguy

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #514: February 18, 2021, 03:17:32 PM »
I've seen similar "deals".  Town officials are good resources to check with if alternative power sources are worthwhile, for town officials are interested in helping residents go green, but also not at an unreasonable price.

Solar power investment.  I saw an ad on the Yahoo site that was advertising solar power for NC residents with no cost (the fine print says "at install") and a rebate of over $2k. I was intrigued so I started the process and we sat thru a sales presentation. After all who wouldn't like no electric bill? The guy comes over to the house, takes some photos outside, comes in and takes some measurements in the attic, looks at the latest electric bill and then our homeowners insurance policy. The bottom line is it will cost us $52k that can be paid over 25 years with a monthly bill of $186 (our equalized payment bill with Duke Energy is $149) and they'd pay the first year of the loan (that's the $2k rebate). We passed on this deal. I knew it'd be expensive but this is outrageous. Among my concerns was buying technology that will probably be obsolete in 5 years and resale means a prospective buyer is obligated to take on this loan. The 26% tax credit of $13k wasn't enticing enough.

Offline bluestreak

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #515: February 18, 2021, 03:22:56 PM »
Amazon delivered 3 cases of infant formula I didn't order and they did not want me to send it back.  This is not a product that I have much use for, so unless I can come up with a good "very berry" frozen daquiri recipe, it will collect dust until I can get it to a food bank.   

If you still have it, that stuff is terribly expensive. Any women’s shelter would be extremely grateful to have it. It also has street value if you want to go that route. Or use it to cut your drugs if you want to go even darker.

Offline DCFan

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #516: March 11, 2021, 02:46:50 PM »
We're getting 2 skylights replaced tomorrow. One of them has solar powered blinds on them so they'll qualify for a tax credit.  :$$$:

Offline Mathguy

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #517: March 12, 2021, 08:30:27 AM »
Sounds interesting - how much does something like that run ?

We're getting 2 skylights replaced tomorrow. One of them has solar powered blinds on them so they'll qualify for a tax credit.  :$$$:

Offline DCFan

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #518: March 12, 2021, 08:44:41 AM »
Sounds interesting - how much does something like that run ?

Sun4light.com out of Raleigh. They're installing 2 Velux skylights for about $2800. One has solar powered blinds which will qualify for the 26% tax credit the other does not but they both have the optional high impact glass (required by code for the coast but interestingly enough we're far enough inland that it wasn't required). That added $100 per window to the overall cost.

Offline 1995hoo

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #519: March 12, 2021, 09:26:32 AM »
Sun4light.com out of Raleigh. They're installing 2 Velux skylights for about $2800. One has solar powered blinds which will qualify for the 26% tax credit the other does not but they both have the optional high impact glass (required by code for the coast but interestingly enough we're far enough inland that it wasn't required). That added $100 per window to the overall cost.

Is that $2800 each or $2800 per skylight? I ask mainly out of curiosity because I can't imagine we would install skylights due to my wife being such a ridiculously light sleeper combined with upstairs being the warmest level in the house during the summer. Our house really needs two separate HVAC systems, but the cost of doing that would be prohibitive.

Offline DCFan

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #520: March 12, 2021, 09:34:29 AM »
Is that $2800 each or $2800 per skylight?

Total for 2 skylights, installation and all the incidentals needed such as shingles. I initially went to Home Depot and Lowes but while they will gladly sell you the skylights they don't offer installation.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #521: March 12, 2021, 09:45:36 AM »
Sun4light.com out of Raleigh. They're installing 2 Velux skylights for about $2800. One has solar powered blinds which will qualify for the 26% tax credit the other does not but they both have the optional high impact glass (required by code for the coast but interestingly enough we're far enough inland that it wasn't required). That added $100 per window to the overall cost.
curious why you didn't go with blinds on both.  For skylights, blinds are absolutely essential.  Some sort of functional mid-day shade or else the temps go crazy.  Do these things open so you can get a breeze through the house?  Good use of shaded areas and natural drafts are great ways to limit the need for A/C. 

Offline 1995hoo

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #522: March 12, 2021, 09:51:39 AM »
Total for 2 skylights, installation and all the incidentals needed such as shingles. I initially went to Home Depot and Lowes but while they will gladly sell you the skylights they don't offer installation.

Wow, that's not bad at all. Thanks for the info.

Offline DCFan

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #523: March 12, 2021, 09:57:27 AM »
curious why you didn't go with blinds on both.  For skylights, blinds are absolutely essential.  Some sort of functional mid-day shade or else the temps go crazy.  Do these things open so you can get a breeze through the house?  Good use of shaded areas and natural drafts are great ways to limit the need for A/C. 

Good question. Our house while it's a ranch, 1 story home has a common feature here referred to as a FROG - finished room over the garage. That room has 1 of the skylights in it and it's like a freaking hot house up there. That's the room we're getting the optional blinds and you can get either light filtering or room darkening blinds. We went with the room darkening. I'm looking for maximum light blockage up there. The other skylight is in the kitchen and the light and heat aren't objectionable at all.  The shaft from the skylight is built at an angle so while it provides a tremendous amount of light for whatever it doesn't heat up the room. So no blinds there. They both have the low E glass which will help but neither will open to the outside.

Offline DCFan

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Re: Home Improvement Thread
« Reply #524: March 12, 2021, 10:02:40 AM »
Wow, that's not bad at all. Thanks for the info.

And again that's for replacement of existing skylights not a new install which I would imagine adds a lot more to the costs. If it was up to me I'd just as soon not have them but since they are already there we'll roll with it.