The Home Ownership Thread

[Piobaire]



Insults are buy one get one free through Labor Day, says me.

It was either you or A_Y I was going to reference in that post...

You are bound to hate it so make sure to check back in a few weeks.

 

[brokencycle]



Yeah, my parents have an aggregate drive in MN...not sure I would recommend it though.

Asphalt is asking for problems after a few MN winters, but aggregate makes shoveling a pain. Looks real nice, but you can't use metal shovels and it likes to eat up plastic shovels.

If you snow blow, it probably doesn't matter and aggregate will last a long time.

Yeah, I've decided to go with concrete - probably won't recoup all my costs, but oh well. Where abouts do your parents live?

 

[otc]



Yeah, I've decided to go with concrete - probably won't recoup all my costs, but oh well. Where abouts do your parents live?

Golden Valley, just NW of Theodore Wirth park

 

[Gus]



Yeah, I've decided to go with concrete - probably won't recoup all my costs, but oh well.

I think anything you do to enhance curb appeal is a good long term strategy. I'm sure you will enjoy it too.

 

[gnatty8]



Anybody have a cabin? We were up in Michigan last week and loved it. They're pretty cheap and you can get a decent one for less than 100k. What are the draw backs?

We've got a cabin in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and it's probably the best thing I've ever done. There are drawbacks though, including:

1) You need a monitored alarm system since professional thieves will know where to target recreational use properties and your cabin WILL get broken into. That adds cost.
2) Insurance costs a good bit, because most cabins are not close to neither fire stations nor fire hydrants.
3) Electricity can be unreliable because of all those damn overhead power lines, so count on a few power outages a year, some of which can spoil your refrigerator contents.
4) Winters are a *****, especially on water pipes, and even in Tennessee. Being in Michigan you probably know that all it takes is a day or two of temperatures under 25 to 30F for pipes to freeze and if there is nobody watching your cabin and you are on a well, this can be disastrous.
5) Everybody will become your friend and hint around about that cabin you've got there and how nice it must be to have a place to get away.
6) Unless you want to spend your downtime cleaning, you will need a cleaning lady to come clean up after you when you leave. That adds cost.

Of course, none of this would dissuade me from doing the same thing over if I had to. I love the place.

 

[Piobaire]

We rented a nice place in the Smokies once outside the Pigeon Forge area. Incredible scenery and roads.

Well, it's demo day. I've got plastic drop clothes taped across doorways, over furniture, etc. to try and minimize the construction dust. Just waiting for the contractor to show up.

 

[gnatty8]



We rented a nice place in the Smokies once outside the Pigeon Forge area. Incredible scenery and roads.

Sounds like we cohabitated the same zip code for at least a weekend.. Yes, it's a beautiful area and it's hard to beat the backroads in this part of the country for lazy, destination-less motorcycle rides..

 

[RedLantern]



We rented a nice place in the Smokies once outside the Pigeon Forge area. Incredible scenery and roads.

Well, it's demo day. I've got plastic drop clothes taped across doorways, over furniture, etc. to try and minimize the construction dust. Just waiting for the contractor to show up.

The worst. It seems like they either don't show up, or insist on starting work at 7am (show up at 6:45).

 

[venividivicibj]

We rented a nice place in the Smokies once outside the Pigeon Forge area. Incredible scenery and roads.

Well, it's demo day. I've got plastic drop clothes taped across doorways, over furniture, etc. to try and minimize the construction dust. Just waiting for the contractor to show up.

How long will it take is it estimated to take?

 

[Piobaire]



Howlong will it take is it estimated to take?

Two weeks but I think that's just for the actual construction. Tile guy has yet to even come in so I'm sure tile and paint is more.

 

[archetypal_yuppie]

Any comments on MosquitoNix? Interwebs reviews seem to be generally positive. Neighbor has it an never has squeeters around.

 

[Piobaire]

So this happened this morning:

 

[CBrown85]

What's your plan for around the fireplace?

 

[Piobaire]

Five foot long "Mezzo" gas fireplace by Heat and Glo. That will be centered in an 18" bump out. There will be matching hearths in a radius from the wall to the bump out that will be 12" at its widest. Two floating shelvs, 44" above the hearth on the left and 55" above on the right. The ceiling will have a radius with an 18" fascia and 30" from the wall at the apex.

 

[JohnGalt]

Anyone have any experience with DIY home security (e.g. Simplisafe, Scout, etc)? Simplisafe seems to have good reviews in general, but it's so damn ugly and doesn't integrate with other products.