HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ec@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Edgar Circenis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Re: Sheetrocking Question
Date: 10 Sep 92 20:02:13 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA

In misc.consumers.house, patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:

> In article <9SEP199212522304@ducvax.auburn.edu> gottesmn@ducvax.auburn.edu (Robert W. Gottesman) writes:
> >
> >Well, I am just about to get started on sheetrocking our bonus room.  I've
> >never attempted to do anything like this before.  I have a friend who has and
> >is going to help.  
> >
> >Any pre sheetrocking tips, suggestions, etc?  What do I need to buy/have?
> >What is the best/cheapest ways to finish the ceiling? Etc.
> 
> Well, basically you need
>   3. A "deadman".

[ discussion about how to make "deadman" and hold sheetrock up with your
head deleted ]

When I finished my basement, I rented a sheetrock jack for the ceilings.
A sheetrock jack is basically an elevator for sheetrock.  You put the sheet
on top, roll the jack into place, and crank it up until it is tight against
the ceiling.  Then, you can take your time to screw or nail the sheet into
place.  Also, if you have to take the sheet back down one or more times to
cut holes for things in the ceiling, it is much easier to do it this way.

With a jack, you could do the ceiling all by yourself if you wanted to
(this assumes you can lift a sheet 5' high onto the rack).

When I rented mine, it only cost about $7-12 per day.  I highly recommend this.

Edgar
From: dauphin@adobe.com (Kimberly Dauphin)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: How to smooth out spackle marks over finishing nails
Date: 8 Sep 92 21:51:50 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated

I'm very proud of myself. :-)  I ripped out a beaten-up pocket
door from my master bath entrance, and have rebuilt the
doorway very nicely. 

I spackled over the finishing nails that I used to put on the
doorway mouldings and the decorative moldings, and then
sanded them till they felt smooth with no discernable edges.

After I slapped on the first coat of paint, however, the spackle
marks still show - noticeably!  What do I need to do to make
these marks disappear?  Or is it too late :-( since I've
already put on one (albeit light) coat of paint?

(Note:  It's not the *color* showing through that's the problem;
the *outlines* of the spackle marks are showing through.)

Any help appreciated!  Thanks much in advance.
-- 
_____________________________________________________

Kimberly Dauphin	  Adobe Systems Incorporated
dauphin@mv.us.adobe.com	  Mountain View, CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: richg@hatch.socal.com (Rich Greenberg)
Subject: Re: Garage door opener question.
Keywords: D'oooh, D'why you
Organization: Hatch Usenet and E-mail.  Playa del Rey, CA
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 19:01:01 GMT

In article <1992Sep4.220838.3800@news.eng.convex.com> lavelle@convex.com (Brent LaVelle) writes:
>I recently bought a house that had foreclosed and was vacant for some
>time, it has a garage door opener but no remotes.  I have tried to get
>the old openers from the real estate people (who got 6% of this transaction)
>but they are unable to locate it for me.

>So now that you heard my sad story, does anyone out there in net-land
>know where I can get the device in question?  There is a 3 prong crown
>on the front of the unit with Door Mate written in it and R 700 above that.

>no writing (ie made by Genie).  The motor has not manufacurer listed on
                        ^^^^^
You could try going direct to Genie.  Thier address is:

	The Genie Company
	22790 Lake Park Blvd.
	Alliance,  OH  44601

I tried 800 information, and no toll free number was listed.  Try
216-555-1212.

Some garage door opener basics:
There are 4 major components:

	1) The mechanical stuff (motor, drive, limit switches etc.)
	2) The "sequencer" board, usually inside the motor housing.
	   This turns the motor on in the proper direction
	   and off when the limit or obstruction switches trip.
	   Its inputs come from the radio receiver, the manual
	   buttons/key switches, and the limit/obstruction switches.
	   (Essentially the "brains" of the unit.)
	3) The radio receiver.  Can be mounted inside the motor housing
	   or in a seperate box.  If seperate, is connected to the sequencer
	   board and has a few inches of wire dangling (or sticking up)
	   for an antenna.
	4) The radio transmitter(s).

My point here is that if the reciever is a seperate box, you are in luck.
Just scrap the present one, and get a new receiver with as many matching 
transmitters as you need, and install.  Can also be done if the receiver is
inside the motor housing, with a bit more difficulty.
Suggestion:  Get one or two extra transmitters, for your bike or in case
you lose one.
-- 
                
Rich Greenberg - N6LRT - 310-649-0238 - richg@hatch.socal.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: seg@cbncp7.ATT.COM (Scott Gordon)
Subject: Re: HELP-How to get builder to fix things?
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 12:45:48 GMT

In article <66320002@misty.boeing.com> burton@misty.boeing.com (Brandy Burton-Tarantino) writes:
Path: cbnews!att!linac!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!sdd.hp.com!caen!uunet!bcstec!misty!burton
   From: burton@misty.boeing.com (Brandy Burton-Tarantino)
   Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
   Date: 14 Sep 92 18:49:18 GMT
   Organization: Boeing Commercial Airplane BCS Support
   Lines: 12


     How does one 'make' a builder (an EXTREMELY uncooperative builder) fix
     things in a house before the closing??  Is there ANY stick to beat them
     over the head with?  - Realtor is representing seller, FHA inspector
     won't speak to us (doesn't like to be bothered by the buyers evidently).

     HELP!  Final inspection is in 2 days.


   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX    2   XXXXXXXXXXXXXX  T. E. Brandy Burton-Tarantino         X
   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   B    XXXXXXXXXXXXXX  uunet!bcstec!misty!burton@bcstec      X
   X            Name your limitations, and you get to keep them.                X


Get a lawyer and have some money put into escrow.  When I purchased my first
house, some of the trees had to be replanted because they had died.  Money was
put into escrow and not released until I said it was OK.

Good Luck - Scott Gordon
	    seg@cblpn.cb.att.com

-------------

Note: This is only my opinion.  I'd have to check with the company lawyers
to see if they agree.
From: oak@tc.fluke.COM (Peter Oakley)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: What should I know about plywood siding?
Keywords: plywood siding, Texture 1 11.
Date: 10 Sep 92 21:50:26 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA

There is a kind of textured plywood commonly available.
Its full name is "Texture 1-11", usually written as
"T1-11" and pronounced "tee one eleven".  The pronunciation
can be important, because if one were to walk into a 
lumber yard and ask for "texture one dash one one" or some other
variant, they'd just look at you with a blank face at best.
(They're so used to hearing it as "tee one eleven.")

T1-11 is specifically made to be used as siding.

Most plywood is fairly smooth. T1-11 is intentionally
roughened for aesthetics.  I've seen it in 3/8 and 5/8
thicknesses, and with grooves 4 inches apart or 8 inches
apart or ungrooved.  The grooves run the long dimension
of the sheets.  Vertical boundaries between sheets 
occur usually four feet apart but look like 
just another groove unless one looks very closely.
Horizontal boundaries between sheets should have
a metal strip called Z-flashing if the sheets butt
directly to each other.  (The flashing will likely be
painted.)  More often, I've seen wood trim strips
between horizontal boundaries.  Horizontal boundaries
appear about eight or nine feet apart, and so are found
more on two story (plus) houses.

I haven't lived in a house with T1-11, but I think it would
be just as functional as any other siding, all else being
equal, such as quality of installation.
Ask your building inspector if the T1-11 is properly
flashed and in good condition.

I think T1-11's main drawback is it lacks snob appeal.
This might affect resale value on an "upscale" home.
But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Decide for
yourself if you "behold" it to be aesthetically right for
you and the house. Performance-wise, I think it is good siding.

-Peter
From: molnar@cygni.cs.unc.edu (Steven Molnar)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: vinyl flooring sheets or tiles?
Date: 8 Sep 92 22:03:54 GMT

I'm wondering whether to use vinyl sheet flooring or 1 foot square tiles 
to cover a kitchen floor in a renovation job.

The tiles seem to be preferable in price and ease of installation (they're
slightly more expensive per foot, but they result in less waste if you
you have an irregular floorplan, like I do).

How tightly do the tiles seal together.  I'm concerned about liquids seeping
through the cracks and under the tiles.  Presumably there is a way to seal
them.  Does anyone have experience with a tiled kitchen floor or other
wisdom to impart?

Many thanks (and I apologize if this question has come up recently),

-Steve Molnar (molnar@cs.unc.edu)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: How to smooth out spackle marks over finishing nails
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 23:09:46 GMT

In article <1992Sep8.215150.19046@adobe.com> dauphin@adobe.com (Kimberly Dauphin) writes:

>I spackled over the finishing nails that I used to put on the
>doorway mouldings and the decorative moldings, and then
>sanded them till they felt smooth with no discernable edges.
>
>After I slapped on the first coat of paint, however, the spackle
>marks still show - noticeably!  What do I need to do to make
>these marks disappear?  Or is it too late :-( since I've
>already put on one (albeit light) coat of paint?

You don't say what sort of paint. You should be using enamel on any sort
of woodwork. Be that as it may, I think you'll find that a coat of varnish
followed by another coat or two of paint will fix your problem. The problem
is caused by the fact that the spackling is more porous than wood and is
soaking up the paint. This would also be true if you used wood putty. The
varnish will seal everything so the paint won't soak in unevenly.

Next time, put the varnish on before the first coat of paint.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | Americans are crazy. They drive on parkways
                    | and park in driveways.
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: brooksp@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Peter Brooks)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Lawns
Date: 12 Sep 92 22:45:32 GMT
Organization: the HP Corporate notes server

Pah! If it's a normal grass, a one-year's drought's effects will go away
shortly after the rains return.  Mind you, this is based on several
years' worth of California experience, but I'm assuming that
you have something like a rye or fescue grass.  (Don't know much about
bluegrass.)

Even if your grass is not drought tolerant (maybe likely in the
Northwest), repair from such is pretty straightforward.  I'd only
aerate if the lawn already needed it.  If you have bare spots, rake
up the rest of thebrown stuff, put down some seed, and cover with
a light topping of compost.  (I use 1/4").  If the entire lawn
went, you *might* want to lift it up and start again, but I'd
wait until the next spring.  Grass roots are pretty resiliant.

Now for 6-year drought, the work is a little more involved....

Pete Brooks
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: dnsurber@lescsse.jsc.nasa.gov (Douglas N. Surber)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Invisible Fencing
Date: 15 Sep 1992 17:48:10 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Lockheed Engineering and Sciences

For what it's worth, it is possible to train a dog not to leave the yard
without a fence of any kind, invisible or otherwise. I have seen my Great
Pyrneese take out after a cat at full speed and skid to a halt at the curb,
toes just barely hanging on.  Since reaching maturity he has only stepped
off a curb on his own once, and I reminded him about that.

Pros: It always works. Doesn't depend on any device, gate, fence, power,
collar, or particular location.  If a gate is left open or a fence knocked
down or whatever, he won't go out in the street.

Cons: It's a lot of work. Started training him 4 or 5 times a day when he
was 10 weeks old.  Animal control officers and random neighbors won't buy
it so you still need some kind of fence.  

He is trained not to climb fences.  That saves a lot of money as it 
takes a heck of a fence to corral a determined Pyr. He is knows not to 
enter or leave gates, doors, or cars without permission.  All in all he
is as car proof as I can make him.

P.S. to cat people.  He has caught three cats and doesn't do anything but
roll them over and sniff their bellys.  No physical harm, but tough on
dignity.

Douglas Surber			The spelling in this article
Lockheed			is my own and does not reflect the
Houston, TX			spelling of my employer or any one else.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: joep@neon.dfrf.nasa.gov (Joe Pahle)
Subject: Re: sand v. concrete patio
Reply-To: joep@neon.dfrf.nasa.gov
Organization: NASA Ames-Dryden FRF, Edwards, CA
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 15:15:19 GMT

In article <1992Sep13.234454.10509@tamsun.tamu.edu>, pzs3761@tamsun.tamu.edu (Pete Sierant) writes:
|> I'm going to be expanding a 12x12 deck by taking a saw to a 3
|> foot wide section of guard rail, building stairs, and installing an
|> ~16x16 brick patio adjacent. Since this is Texas and fairly dry,
|> I'm trying to decide whether to cement the bricks down, or just
|> spread several inches of sand and lay the bricks on top. There
|> are advantages either way, but I'm leaning toward the sand method
|> because it seems cheaper, easier, and easier to change or expand 
|> in the future. Any comments or suggestions welcomed.
|> 
|> -- 
|> -- Pete              -=[ pzs3761@tamsun.tamu.edu ]=-
|>                  "Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar"
|>                                                    -Sigmund Freud
|> 

I put in a ~150 sq. ft. brick pad (a .. uh.. "remote patio") as a test
before I did the 800 sq. ft. patio next to the house. I used sunwood
4x4s as frames, and laid the bricks in sand with a 2" sand base. After
3 years, the sunwood warped a bit (!), but the bricks are still level
and even. My guess is that our weather in the mojave is at least
somewhat similar to yours (i.e. not a lot of snow, freezing, heavy
rain ...). BTW, I eventually poured 10 yards of concrete instead of
bricking the patio, but that was because I didn't think I could finish
a brick patio that big before the end of the century!!!

Joep
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: cthorne@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Charles E Thorne)
Subject: Re: House square footage- how to measure?
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 18:48:16 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.165237.12256@clpd.kodak.com> staffan@ca.serum.kodak.com (Kenneth Staffan (x37507)) writes:
>In article <13273@texsun.Central.Sun.COM> dbernard@thewho.Central.Sun.COM writes:
>>What's the traditional way of measuring a house's living area?
>>Is it the sum of the area of each individual room, not counting any
>>basement?  Or is it the area calculated using the outside perimeter of
>>the house?

>I am interested in the answer to this, too, if anyone has more info.

>When our house was listed by the realtor, the square footage was the
>sum of the areas of each individual room, not counting the bathrooms,
>hallways and basement.

>When our house was appraised for a re-finance, the square footage was
>calculated using the outside perimeter of above-grade space.  In our
>case, this eliminated two below-grade bedrooms, but because above-grade
>bathrooms, hallways, stairwells, etc., were counted, the numbers came
>out pretty similar.

If real estate is appraised based on construction cost, the square footage
would be measured by outside perimeter (in an office, rental by the square
foot would thus include walls, stairwells, elevator shafts, etc). 

In appraising by comparing like sales, number of b.r.'s, baths and other
standard rooms are compared.  Below grade rooms are usually not included
(a finished basement, regardless of quality is not considered as adding
to value--neither its square footage, or the number of rooms would be
considered--thus a two bedroom home, that has two bedrooms and a bath in
the basement is still a two bedroom home).

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: trb@cbnews.cb.att.com (tom.balent)
Subject: Re: Asea Washer?
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 10:35:31 GMT

In article <1992Aug31.041414.10972@parc.xerox.com> burwell@parc.xerox.com (Becky Burwell) writes:
>
>As noise is a big consideration, I am considering buying
>an Asea washer.  They are quite quiet.  The repairman said 
>they were probably good but that I might have trouble locating
>people who knew how to fix them. They are also quite a bit more
>expensive.
>
>Anyone with an Asea washer out there?

sorry, can't help - but concerning getting someone to fix them...
Is this washer made on Mars or some other alien planet, so that it
is totaly different to all other makes of washers? Look inside
a washer, there is not much there (and dryers are even simipler).
What is there to fix? The most complicated thing on a washer is the
control mechanism, and when the one on my White/Westinghouse washer
went out, the repair man didn't "fix" it, he just replaced it (for 
$85). If fact, I think the name repair man (person) should be changed 
to replace man (person).

tom
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: victor@st-andy.uucp (Victor Morvillo)
Subject: Re: Hurricane Andrew's effect on building materials
Reply-To: victor@winged_foot.UUCP (Victor Morvillo)
Organization: RMJ Securities Corp.
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 13:26:04 GMT

In article <heflin.716154990@pink1> heflin@rtsg.mot.com (Suzanne Stratton Heflin) writes:
>greg@netcom.com (Greg Bullough) writes:
>>>>are now becomming quite scarce. According to our builder (he built our
>>>>house last year and is about to start building a barn for us) the
>>>>price of plywood doubled last week.
>> 
>In the Chicago area, I haven't heard much about price gouging, but I have
>heard that they are rationing plywood.  THIS seems like a reasonable 
>response to the situation.
 
What situation? I think we're talking about 85K homes.  It seems like alot but even
in these bad economic times, new homes are built at an annual rate of at least one
million, if not more.  This price gouging sounds like the insurance scams that are
cropping up, like a news report I heard recently where a memo from a leading 
insurance underwriter stated words to the effect of: Let's not let this opportunity
to raise rates pass us by.  Get ready to dig a little deeper.

...with the usual disclaimers,

Victor Morvillo

-- 
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#
# Victor Morvillo     #
# uunet!st-andy!victor#      
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: chasman@athena.mit.edu (David Chasman)
Subject: translucent/transparent sound insulation ?
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 14:43:01 GMT

Hi.
I'm looking for a good material to sound-proof windows.I dont' want to
replace the windows - I guess I don't know what I'm looking for exactly.
All suggestions appreciated.

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: ahill@boi.hp.com (Andy Hill)
Subject: Replacing warped stud in frame?
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 18:50:45 GMT
Reply-To: ahill@boi.hp.com
Organization: LaserJets by Bill & Dave
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3

Greetings, oh home repair gurus!

I have a warped 2x4 stud in the frame of my garage.  Since it is at the
seam of the outer panelling (4'x8' sheets), I assume that it warped due
to moisture leakage into the seam.  It's bowed out (towards the outside).
Is this consistent with the outer edge being wetted over time?

As to replacing the stud, I plan to just remove the sheathing, put a new
2x4 near the old one, cut out the old one with a Sawzall, then tap the new
stud into place, toenailing on the bottom, and coming through the header on
the top.  Is there a better solution?

As to preventing this in the future, would sealing the seam with caulk be
in order, or would this cause other problems?

Thanks for any and all suggestions...

--
Andy Hill
ahill@boi.hp.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: srm@matrix.com (Steve Morris)
Subject: fiberglass shower panels to replace tile; any advice?
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 21:50:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Matrix Corporation


I need your experiences (use, installation, cleaning, etc) with
fiberclass shower panels.


Our (current) ceramic tile is ugly (hideous green), and the pan is
leaking. We would like to replace it with new tile but probably cannot
afford it.


Thanks.
Steve Morris  ||  MATRIX Corp.  ||  919-231-8000 (8001 FAX) ||  srm@matrix.com

-- 
Steve Morris  ||  MATRIX Corp.  ||  919-231-8000 (8001 FAX) ||  srm@matrix.com
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Credit report
Date: 8 Sep 92 17:55:37 GMT
	<1992Sep2.235901.7046@sserve.cc.adfa.oz.au>
	<1992Sep3.224751.20350@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>
Organization: OSF Research Institute

In article <1992Sep3.224751.20350@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:

   ...here in the States you must not only prove that the information
   was untrue and damaging, you must usually prove that the slanderer
   *intended* to do you damage (in some States you need only prove
   that the slanderer knew it was false)....

Not true.  Libel and slander can be negligent, e.g. publishing an
unsubstantiated rumor.  In the US, libel and slander are particularly
limited in scope for "public figures", though.  For instance,
negligence has to be "reckless", etc.

	-s
From: jerryc@Athena.dal.fsd.mot.com (Jerry Culp)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Home security tips from a burglar
Date: 9 Sep 92 23:36:00 GMT
Organization: Motorola Field Service Division - NTSC, Dallas TX.

In article <1992Sep9.182912.25073@CERIS.Purdue.EDU> jheath@CERIS.Purdue.EDU (Jim Heath) writes:
>> In article 14579@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu, so690561@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu (Susan Elizabeth Olson) writes:
>> 
>>>....so much for the "no gun" solution request of an earlier poster - I'm
>>>interested to see if anyone else out there comes up with other home
>>>security tips that don't involve the purchase of a weapon.
>>
>
>
>Don't leave bushes where they will shield someone breaking into
>your house.

It would seem that having particularly obnoxious shrubbery below a window
would be to your advantage. Who would try climbing over or through a 
cactus to get to a window ? Or rose bushes ?

>
>Lights that are left on or turned on by motion sensors.  Ideally,
>placement should be hard to break/cut wires and numerous enough
>to make this impractical.

I always wanted to rig a sprinkler system to motion detector, when
burglar gets near the house, he gets soaked. Should work well on the
neighbors dogs that use my yard as a toilet too.

>
>Cameras are good.  Might be tricky protecting the vcr from being
>stolen though.

I worked for a commercial security firm for awhile, and at one place
while the guard was on rounds, all of the video equipment was stolen
from the guard house.
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerry Culp   Motorola Computers       |   My employer disavows all knowledge 
National Technical Support Center     |   of any opinions expressed by me
                                      |   on this or any subject.