For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

[DJ]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

I finally got a robot vacuum cleaner for our pool a couple month or two ago and man is that thing a real time saver. I just having to skim the top of the pool rather than scraping the bottom and manually vacuuming, so that is really nice. I'd suggest getting one to anyone who doesn't have one.

Also, our neighbor who had the big camper is in the process of selling their house, so no more big camper reflection in the pool. Plus, they were not the nicest people in the world either (they admitted to us that they're "not dog people" when we first met them even though they knew we had dogs, and just weren't friendly in general). I'm hoping that are new neighbors are more dog-friendly and don't have a big camper.

Pics to see the difference:





*not the best view, but better than with the camper.

Lastly, we had a professional photographer local magazine come out and take pics of our pool a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty cool seeing the drone they used, as I had never really seen one in action before... but now I kind of want one.

Looks amazing!

Definitely investing in the vacuum system.

[mgoblue]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Awesome pics!

I just have a crappy vacuum that wiggles...have to tune it better. I would have gotten something nicer if we were staying here a while, but our Baracuda G2 finally fell apart after 4 years and too expensive to buy the necessary parts. Got a off brand thing that'll be ok for a while.

[rspencer86]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

That is like the perfect photograph.

[Stu]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Great pics! Do you know the ballpark square footage of your patio? We're putting in a pool later this year and your patio is the perfect size for what we're looking to do so would help me estimate the cost.

[jeremym480]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Great pics! Do you know the ballpark square footage of your patio? We're putting in a pool later this year and your patio is the perfect size for what we're looking to do so would help me estimate the cost.

Are you talking about the area with the red, blue and white umbrella? If so, I don't remember the exact measurements. We decided to add that in when the pool was almost complete. We went to the store and chose a table (with a 50-inch table top), then pulled out the chairs on both sides and measured to see how to see how much room we would need. We added a couple each of buffer just in case, as well.

The only two things I would change about our pool is

1) in that area we just had loose flagstone laid on top of a sand bed, then put pebbles in-between the stone. In retrospect, I should have had it cemented in because weed grows between the stone and you can't really weed eat that area because it slings the pebbles everywhere.... and I hate pulling weeds.

2) I would have added more decking. The original proposal had more decking, but we decided to decrease it because my wife wanted to keep as much yard as possible for our dogs. However, since the edge of the deck is so close to the pool when I weed eat grass will sometimes fly into the pool and it can be a pain to clean up.

[mgoblue]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Are you talking about the area with the red, blue and white umbrella? If so, I don't remember the exact measurements. We decided to add that in when the pool was almost complete. We went to the store and chose a table (with a 50-inch table top), then pulled out the chairs on both sides and measured to see how to see how much room we would need. We added a couple each of buffer just in case, as well.

The only two things I would change about our pool is

1) in that area we just had loose flagstone laid on top of a sand bed, then put pebbles in-between the stone. In retrospect, I should have had it cemented in because weed grows between the stone and you can't really weed eat that area because it slings the pebbles everywhere.... and I hate pulling weeds.

2) I would have added more decking. The original proposal had more decking, but we decided to decrease it because my wife wanted to keep as much yard as possible for our dogs. However, since the edge of the deck is so close to the pool when I weed eat grass will sometimes fly into the pool and it can be a pain to clean up.

I wonder if you can get that weed spray that turns the rocks green or blue temporarily and keeps weeds away for a longer period of time (vs. killing them with Roundup or something).

We have this issue in a plant bed behind our pool (raised up a bit, was with the house when we got it). Grass gets right in that area easily with weeds, cause it's not that far from the lawn either.

[NDAlum]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

I think I speak for everyone when I say:

**** you jeremym480
**** you aukevin

You perfect picture taking mofos

[DJ]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Here's how the pool looks with new water.

[Speedy]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Mid grout:

Have you done tile work before? Also, where did you get it from (presuming Lowes with the bucket in the picture?

I want to put down a backsplash in my kitchen but I'm quite uncertain of the cost involved, the time it takes, etc. I'm not the handiest person in the world.

[jeremym480]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

I think I speak for everyone when I say:

**** you jeremym480
**** you aukevin

You perfect picture taking mofos

I feel the love.

[KG]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Have you done tile work before? Also, where did you get it from (presuming Lowes with the bucket in the picture?

I want to put down a backsplash in my kitchen but I'm quite uncertain of the cost involved, the time it takes, etc. I'm not the handiest person in the world.

Nope, never done tile work before but putting it in wasn't hard, just messy as hell. Cleaning up/prep work took just as long as putting the actual tiles on.

We got the 1st set of stones from Home Depot but the replacement one's are from Lowes. It honestly wasn't that hard, just a little time consuming. If you want an idea of the cost I'll give you an estimate:

Tiles/Backsplash - $200+ It all depends on what kind you want and how much area you're covering. Buy 10-15% extra just in-case. You can always return any unopened packs.

Mortar - A 50lb bag $15-20. You can get pre-mixed which is probably less messy

Grout - 10lb bag - $25

Grout Trowel - $10-15

If you don't buy premixed mortar you'll need a mixing tool - $15

Tile Spacers - $5

Wet Saw rental - $25-50 depending on how much time you need. I would plan out your cuts (around electrical outlets/corner edges of the wall/etc...) ahead of time to save $. You can also use a tile nipper depending on what type of tile you use. They're like $15

Level - $10

Painting Tape - $5

Caulk & Caulk Gun - $10

Tape Measure - $10

Goggles/GLoves/Mask/tarp/towels - $15-20

Sponges - 3pack ~$10 and can be reused

Grout Sealant - You can get the spray bottle for ~$10


All-in-all you're looking at a minimum of $350 depending on whether or not you already have some of these items. It usually takes about 2 days because you have to allow for time the mortar and grout to dry.

Let me know if this helps.

[seasprite]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

I have a bird problem.......lol. At about 530 every morning I hear a woodpecker hammering on my roof (brick home). My first thought about removal would be using my .22 and a bird shot (I'm from Bama....). Problem is, they are protected and illegal to shoot. I have tried just about everything that I have read or could think of including putting up a fake owl, a fake snake, and catching this a hole in the act and trying to scare it (should have recorded it). Anyone have a clue on how to remove this bird short of killing it?

[jeremym480]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

I have a bird problem.......lol. At about 530 every morning I hear a woodpecker hammering on my roof (brick home). My first thought about removal would be using my .22 and a bird shot (I'm from Bama....). Problem is, they are protected and illegal to shoot. I have tried just about everything that I have read or could think of including putting up a fake owl, a fake snake, and catching this a hole in the act and trying to scare it (should have recorded it). Anyone have a clue on how to remove this bird short of killing it?

To catch a woodpecker one most first become a woodpecker:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/70s-Licensed-Woody-Woodpecker-Costume-Fun-Cartoon-Adult-Mascot-Mens-Fancy-Dress-/231751202578

Let me know how it works out.

[mgoblue]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Random question...we're looking at houses, and seeing a few new builds that could be interesting. How does it work selling our current house and needing that money to go towards the new build. I'd bet we'd have to find somewhere temporary to live? We don't have savings to be able to afford the new house without all the equity in our current one....

Thanks for the input! I know buying a regular existing house it'd just be timing it so we hand over our keys and get new keys that day and schedule movers and stuff to get us out ASAP

[bvb24]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Random question...we're looking at houses, and seeing a few new builds that could be interesting. How does it work selling our current house and needing that money to go towards the new build. I'd bet we'd have to find somewhere temporary to live? We don't have savings to be able to afford the new house without all the equity in our current one....

Thanks for the input! I know buying a regular existing house it'd just be timing it so we hand over our keys and get new keys that day and schedule movers and stuff to get us out ASAP

It varies by builder. Some will start the build with a small deposit.