2021 POTD Thread Archive

[Steve-F]

I finally finaly finished the scissor style knurl tool for my Emco Compact 8

 

[Janderso]

No damage this time. Last time we lost power and it was like 3 inches

I always thought it would be cool to have a basement.
I see the new technologies with poly tubs or rigid liners that are put in during construction.
It seems the older homes have this type of problem.
Bummer.
Never lived in a home with a basement.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I always thought it would be cool to have a basement.
I see the new technologies with poly tubs or rigid liners that are put in during construction.
It seems the older homes have this type of problem.
Bummer.
Never lived in a home with a basement.

I have. Not only was it early 1900s construction, the basement was dug after the fact. I know because the man who did the digging as a teenager stopped by one day. He was in his 80s. Anyway, we bought the house, refinished the basement with paint, carpet and everything, then moved our teenage daughters into it. It was perfect. They were in the basement, we had the top floor, the ground floor was neutral territory. Then it rained and I was awakened to 3 in. of water throughout.

I tried everything, rain gutters, dry-well, urethane injection. Nothing would stop the water, though it did slow significantly. This was in Modesto, with an average of less than 14 in. annual rainfall and groundwater more than 30 ft. down.

At least I told the new buyer about it.

 

[Larry$]

Almost impossible to make a dry basement after the fact, needs to be taken care of during construction. Any basement is desirable in Nebraska for tornado hiding. This part of the country is known as Tornado Alley for good reason.

 

[Brento]

Yea id rather have a 2 story house and larger garage or make it 3 idk

 

[francist]

Not only was it early 1900s construction, the basement was dug after the fact

My Dad dug the basement of my parent's first house whilst they were living in it, and jacked up the house as well. Around 1960, small town northern BC, the "house" was actually two graneries that had been nailed together. He dug the basement with a shovel and brought the dirt up in buckets. For the jacking part he borrowed a big screw jack (think monster machinist jack) from the local house mover guy and proceeded to go in turn to each corner of the house and inch it up. My Mother was inside of course, with the 6 kids by that time and soon to be expecting one more (me). She described the situation as "unnerving"

 

[FOMOGO]

House siting, and proper drainage are a must. Many developers fail to take this into account, or purposely ignore to save a few bucks. I've built many homes over the years, but I always did my own excavation, and drainage work. Never had a wet basement, even where water was an issue. Older homes are pretty much buyer beware. Mike

 

[FOMOGO]

Truly is "cool". Generally 10-20 degrees. Mike

I always thought it would be cool to have a basement.

 

[GoceKU]

After hearing a story then the real story i realized that white elephant No:2 has jumped a very big dich and it was from lack of concentration. And decided i'll fix it. So i grab an early shift at work and by 12 o'clock i was on a hunt for a used engine. After few phone calls i found an 180K unit in the nearby town and drove there to look at it. It was already pulled and looked ferly clean and not washed, so i shook hands with the guy selling it and told him to load it up and bring it to my place. His place was a bigger mess than my garages and with my injured back i won't even try lifting it. I got back home and began taking the front apart. Supprasing it still held coolant and freon and the front bumper come back in to shape. By the time i pull the old engine out the guy with the new engine showed up with 4 of his buddies, they grabbed it from the back of his skoda and dropped it in my garage, paid him he left and i got busy power washing the engine bay and gearbox. This vehicle has more than half a million on the clock and the engine bay was a real mess. 2 oven degreasers and lots of scabbing i managed to clean it decent, the writing on the gearbox revealed that is been changed some time in the past. At this point i had to stop to go to my second job but i plan to get it running in the next 2 days.

 

[hman]

After hearing a story then the real story i realized that white elephant No:2 has jumped a very big dich and it was from lack of concentration.

Words fail me. You are a vary patient guy, to perservere when faced with this kind of event.

... and from this and several other posts of yours, I just have to cringe at the thought of what the roads must be like over there in Macedonia!