Good Reads - ratings prior to publication?
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8 years ago
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friedag
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUser
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Betty Prior, one of ours but so hard to find
Comments (14)yeah, well I know where you are coming from, Mad Gallica, you can't go far wrong with a nice sweetbriar...but honestly, I am struggling with the size thing and after the Pleine de Grace fiasco, I am really leery of another 7 footer....but I am not quite ready to go for neater shrubs (groundcovers are proving a neat compromise for me) just yet since they tend to be as unruly as the larger shrubs I like but not monsters. A classic floribunda but a bit taller sounds just right. Also - and maybe a bit weirdly, I actually don't mind half as much when singles get defoliated from BS - I help them on their way in fact, as I sort of pretend they are like some sort of japanese anemone and they can float airily amongst the flowers (weeds) - mutabilis is always completely bare. Those thick leaves looked like they might hang on though, which is not a nice look, when spotty and yellow, hmmmm. That's the trouble with hard to find roses, it's hard to get a local and honest critique....See MorePrior sales information - is it relevant?
Comments (21)I can think of one scenario in which it is at least somewhat relevant. Say there is a house with a current market value of $200,000 and all parties are in agreement that is a fair price - comps support $200K. If the general area has been going up at, say, 10% over the last 4 years, we could expect that the house was worth $180,000 four years ago. But if he were to learn that this house changed hands for $195,000 four years ago, that would be a red flag - why is this house appreciating more slowly than others in that area? And will that slow rate of appreciation continue in the future? If it does, is this house really a wise purchase? He would have to have a lot of information to put the $195K figure in context - perhaps it included furniture or who knows what - if he receives only partial information (by which I mean the date and price) and doesn't learn the exact circumstances, the information may actually do more harm than good in making an informed decision. Still, I'm of the philosophy that informed decisions are better than uninformed ones, and information is power. Nothing wrong with the guy trying to dig a bit on the house history. The real question is whether he can dig enough to get ALL the information needed to understand what has really happened....See MoreTemperature changes prior to engineered wood install
Comments (14)I checked the price for a 4 gallon pail...but forgot to convert it to "per gallon". My mistake. Uptown has converted it properly. At those numbers, that is a LOW price for a high-end vapour barrier adhesive. Normally they sit above $2/sf for the REALLY good one's. "Limitless" refers to "limitless moisture barrier"...in other words the slab could be SOAKING WET and the glue will grab without an issue. Glues that REALLY have an EXCELLENT profile for "limitless moisture" are much more expensive than the Bostik. To use Bostik for the MOISTURE BARRIER (not just adhesive) it will allow 30-35 sf per gallon. The 50sf/gallon coverage is for adhesive ONLY (no vapour barrier = no protection from moisture in the slab = floor failure if the slab gets even a little damp). The EXCELLENT moisture barriers are $65/gallon or more. The Bostik is only $32.50 per gallon. Unless the company can PROVE you have ZERO moisture (that means testing) they MUST work with the idea that they have to use the adhesive as a vapour barrier. They MUST do it. The documents for moisture readings will come from the INSTALLER - not the retailer. An excellent installer with an excellent reputation for excellent results will ALWAYS do tests. And then they will test. And test. And before they install, they test. And after they install they photocopy and give you the original for all the tests they've done. The "average" installer may or may not do this. The "guys with hammers" don't even know what to test let alone how and why. After reading all of this, what's your gut reaction? What's their labour warranty? How long do you have to complain if it is an installation issue (which is 95% - 99% of all flooring problems)?...See MoreFill Dirt Compaction Prior to Constructing Home with Basement
Comments (7)My house was built on fill. They performed 8" lifts (at a time), compacted with the heavy equipment and then the soil engineer came out and took density and moisture ratings using very specialized equipment (somehow radioactive, and required notification to the state of his whereabouts all the time). There are requirements for the soil to be xx dense at less than xx moisture ratings. That meant there were times that the grading folks had to till it up after compacting to speed drying and then compact. We had an additional complication in that we were constrained inside of retaining walls. If you can slope it down gradually it will be easier. In some areas, we raised 11'. We know precisely the content of the soil and that there are no voids or underground streams, etc. It absolutely can be done and it's not terrible. And - when we dug footings - we had no "surprises" which can be more costly than the fill. My advice - get good graders and do the lifts and the testing. My house walls and slab have been in for 2 years (and yet I haven't moved in yet - long story) but there has been ZERO settling....See More
bookmom41
8 years ago
Kath
8 years ago
Rosefolly
8 years agoKath
8 years agobigdogstwo
8 years agobookmom41
8 years ago
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