At Home In The Woods

[jayste]

We've enjoyed learning at your expense. So many good folk offering up some savvy information. Thanks to all.

I second that! And to think that we've learned today to not let a wall cabinet come between you and your spouse!:thumbsup:

Obed, I think I need to get my wife involved in drywall. I'm like you in that I don't mind running and twisting the wires but dread the taping and bedding!

 

[Obed]

This week our area got a lot of severe weather. Last night a hail storm came through. Several of my co-workers had damage to their cars and houses. The news said some spots received baseball sized hail. We were at my mom's house when the hailstorms came through. Fortunately, our place looked ok when we got home. I'm not sure if the hail reached our place but we didn't seem to have damage. I was half expecting to find another tree across our driveway but fortunately that did not occur.

I have posted an ad on Craigslist stating I want to buy a car with cosmetic hail damage. I don't wrap my identity around how good I look driving a car. I just want something to get me from A to B. So I'm thinking this may be a good time to look for a vehicle. Our newest car or truck is 16 years old. Our Honda Accord has over 300K miles. Our truck has about 200K. My 1993 Olds Achieva only has about 80K miles on it. It runs fine but has lots of age issues - one window won't roll down, rain water leaks in the cab, etc.

 

[gwjd]

car deallers with hail damage offer huge discounts ...... they get an insurance check then they sell to make up difference ......

if you dont mind hail damage it is a huge savings

 

[dstig1]

Get that new chainsaw and safety gear before you wish you had gotten it the day before the big storm to come....

If you can find a white hail damaged car, just paint "Titelist" on the side and people will think you are running a mobile ad for golf balls

 

[Obed]

Tonight I'm sitting on our front porch drinking some hot tea.

The sun has gone down beneath the trees but it is still light outside. I can hear the frogs singing at our natural pond in the hollow in the woods in front of the house. Their chorus is getting louder as I type this post while the light starts to fade. I've looked forward to sitting on the porch with my laptop but haven't gotten around to doing it before tonight.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Nice, very nice. You deserve a break.

 

[Obed]

During the rain we got from the string of heavy storms this week we noticed the rain overflowing the gutters at some places. The gutters obviously needed cleaning out. Last year we had some discussions in this thread regarding whether or not to use gutter guards. We ended up going without gutter guards. I don't regret the decision. It appears that our house will be fine if I clean out the gutters once a year in the fall after the leaves have fallen.

Today I cleaned out the gutters for the first time since they were installed in September. We have approximately 250 feet of gutters. It was not too bad cleaning most of the gutters. I just moved my extension ladder along the front of the house. I used the handle end of a garden hoe to extend my reach. Using the hoe handle I dragged the wet leaves within easy reach. I then used my bare hands to clean the junk out of the gutter. When positioning the ladder, I dug a depression when needed to make sure the ladder sat on level ground.

Cleaning the gutters for the two back porches was really easy. The back porches have 3/12 pitch shed roofs. I just walked on top of the shed roofs, bent over, reached into the gutters and cleaned them out.

Cleaning out the section east of the dormer on the back of the house was another story. That section of the roof is 8/12 and about 25 feet above the ground. This picture gives you a feel for the steepness of an 8/12 pitch roof. While hanging on with one hand to the eave of the back porch shed roof, I reached into the gutter with the other hand and cleaned it out. That part was not fun at all.

I did not clean out the the remaining gutter located between the back dormer and the gable end of the house. I am contemplating some ideas about how to clean out that gutter. After we installed the gutters, I read online about some rotating gutter systems that appear to make cleaning the gutters and absolute breeze. The rotating gutters are described here. I really really really wish I had known about these types of gutters before we installed our gutters. I would have installed them for the 2 storie sections at the back side of our house. I might still consider them at some time in the future if I don't find a comfortable way to clean the gutters on the back side of our house.

 

[Obed]

Nice, very nice. You deserve a break.

Kyle,
Today was a very good day. The weather was delightful. When I got up this morning, I went to a nearby appliance repair shop and bought some replacement parts for the agitator for our washing machine which was broken. I fixed the washing machine, then fixed a late breakfast for my wife and daughter. Then I cleaned out the gutters, knocked down 20 wasp nests out of our attic. None of the work I did was physically difficult. I felt like I was piddling around. However, it was a very productive day. I actually enjoyed myself. Tomorrow I plan to take the day off. Sundays are a great day to take a break.
Obed

 

[CurlyDave]

I have used gutter cleaners that attach to a leaf blower -- essentially a long ~2" plastic pipe with a U-bend at the end. Mine was only one story, but the extension to two is obvious.

You get a nice shower of leaves and gutterwater while using them, but your feet are firmly on the ground, and I have never been injured by a shower of dirty water & leaves.

I have often thought of laying a plastic pipe with a few holes in the bottom of the gutter. Hook it up to the air compressor every once in a while and it should blow the leaves out by remote control...

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Then I cleaned out the gutters, knocked down 20 wasp nests out of our attic. Obed

You might look into a finer mesh to keep the wasps out? I live in blind happiness in a mobile home with no attic access. I could have 40 nest in my attic.