gtblum

I got that, Marc.[]

We'd have to "Kibbel" what we were looking for. How else would you find anything? No point in wearing the guy out. []

You should also learn to push the caulk gun instead of pulling it toward you and drawing the caulk with it. I learned that trick from a carpenter from Bosnia. He was so good at it, there was no need (for him) to tool it after. The tip tooled it as he went. I'm not as good at it as he is, but it saves time and waste of material, it ensures the gap is filled, and it works.

Look what I found while digging for something else. http://www.tias.com/11668/PictPage/1922473237.html But wait, there's more! Looks like they had a little problem. Turns out, this device may have been available in 1860. https://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/ ... 1.0039.pdf

Tom, your picture won't open for me. If you're talking about the stem with the ball on the end, it looked like a speaker mount.

Thanks, Bill. Who are the three? Here's the old girl in her glory and another from yesterday. I'd love the chance to be involved in the restoration of this place. Click to Enlarge 40.66 KB Click to Enlarge 61.93 KB

I cut my carpenter teeth working on some very old homes in this area, but I've never seen these brass sash ribbons before. The house was built in 1860. It was obvious they spent the money on this place when it was built. The outside was rough. The interior was for most, spared the desecration of it's original majesty and was beautiful. How do these work? They felt more like they were retractable instead of being fastened to a weight. Smooth as silk. Every one of them functioned perfectly. Click to Enlarge 33.79?KB

If you never mentioned it being a mold inhibitor, I'd have guessed it was fire retardent. I was on a commecial job that required any dimension lumber we used for lavatory fixture blocking and other, be fire resistant, and the people overseeing the project made damn sure we were using it. All of the 2x6s we used were real close to that color, but they came that way. There was no spray on anything. Not even for end cuts. We ended up being one red board short of what we needed. I'll stop here.

Upon further review, you might better follow these guys and caulk it back up when it cracks. Have you considered moving the shower curtain out?

Can you pop a few more pics from further back? Maybe the whole thing? I can usually figure something out that will look more like something you intended to include rather than slopping a bunch of mud or fillers for the sake of finishing.

Mini mansion built in 98. The siding is deformed where you're looking, below that area, and at the top left center of the picture. Is this because the pushing line is way too hot? Click to Enlarge 28.21?KB

What is the thing at the bottom of the picture that looks like the remains of a snap tie? Right below the other hole.

About the only difference I can think of between a hammer drill from 35 years ago and now is SDS bits and a keyless chuck.

No, John. Call for a quote is fine. Email is junk. The idea is to have a one on one with them on the phone so you can sell your service. Please understand, this isn't about what Gary likes. It's about eleven years of GM spending stupid amounts of money to drive this point into Gary's head, because it works. My phone skills might the the biggest reason I'm able to do any business around here. What's the first thing they say when they call? How much? Why? Because, they don't know what else to ask. This is pretty much your only shot at earning their business, so you have to ignore the question and go right into congratulating them on their purchase, find out who they are, where their new home is, how big is it, how old it is, and have they been through the process before? Then, you find out what they want. It's about them and if you want their business, you need to understand that. From there you can move on to who you are, your experience, what you offer, and what day should we set the appointment for. Friday or Saturday? What works better for you? The point is, you're in this to make money. Letting your website control your sales department is a bad idea. Get them on the phone.

Make that part of your sales presentation over the phone. That way, you can get an email address from the prospect and send a copy of a sample along with your contract for review. The longer you have them on the phone, the more information you can get. You're taking an interest in the client, and giving yourself the opportunity to close your deal with them. Same thing goes for posting a pricing schedule on the site. I didn't notice if you had one. If you do, get rid of it. Make them call for a price. You'll likely find you can book more gigs if you don't lay it all out on the site. Being better on the phone will separate you from the rest of your competitors, and increase your sales. But, you need to give them a reason to call. Edit; I just saw the "get a quote" link. You really should consider dumping that. Those things are about as impersonal as is gets. IMHO they're useless as a sales tool. Get a quote for what? The same thing as the next site? What makes you different? Why should they choose you over the others? What chance do they have to express their expectations and for you to understand what they're looking for? People's buying decisions are based on emotion. That should include the inspector as well. Who are you and what can you do for me? Those quick quote links might be the best reason in the world for an excuse to not call.

Now, that's funny. Robert, didn't you have that place inspected before you bought it?

I suggest you have this further evaluated by a qualified, certified, licensed, plumbing contractor, with extensive knowledge of faulty fixtures.

I took this last night before it got buried again under this mornings little beating from the lake. I thought it showed a pretty good example of what happens when insulation gets old and compresses. The left side of the house has new insulation. The ceilings are vaulted and that side is wide open from the lower level. The right side has two bedrooms on the first floor and one upper. The insulation is old fiberglass with a black vapor barrier. (asphalt?) If you were to see the house from the front, it's a typical 3/4 cape. I heat the place with a woodstove. That's the chimney in the picture. Anyway, I thought this would be kind of cool to share, since we don't always get to see working examples of the difference it can make. Click to Enlarge 32.25 KB

Why? My old gold Honeywells work just fine. I have three of them set between 64 and 66 and my house is very comfortable. I can't imagine that letting my hydronic radiant system modulate based on the whims of everyone else and their hot air doing me any good. That's the kind of thinking that keeps the stuff people think they need from ever being developed. You know. Like the power rear view mirrors on my truck.

Rob, I've seen a similar type installed on a dryer vent system that exceeded 25'. http://residential.fantech.net/resident ... ster-fans/

Let me spin this around in another way. A friend and his new wife bought an awesome house about halfway up a small mountain in the southern tier of NY. He extended an open invitation to hunt the property, to all of his friends. I took him up on it, and stayed there for a few days. Since he was new to the area, he asked me to have any of the locals I met contact him so he would know who and how many were hunting and so he could also get together with them for a hunt when we weren't around. Sure enough, I met a local, told him who I was, and relayed the message. While we talked, he said something about hoping they stayed there long enough to meet them. When I asked why, he told me the last three couples, including the folks who built the house, had all divorced while living there. My friend and his wife became couple number four, a year later. How about that for a stigmatized property?

Good point, if we're going to include an extremely unusual chance happening like that. Great question, Bill. Kind of like of one those guys who starts a bar room brawl, then stands in the corner to watch it. []

No. Because there isn't a chance in hell they didn't already know about something that big. Somebody always knows someone who knows something. A few years ago, there was woman in the Syracuse area who got in a habit of serving her husbands and daughter, antifreeze in their drinks. During the process of her relocation, there was no end to the attention given to her house by the media. I'd find it pretty hard to believe the folks who ended up buying that house, weren't aware of what went on. As to this business of nine milimeter holes in walls with blood on the floor, for all I know, it could be that cousin Dumbass cut himself with the 5/16 bit he was drilling holes with. Who cares? Fix the holes.

MSCONFIG Perfect!

That's funny because the way I see it, they have no right to put themselves anywhere near a stature equal to us. The knowledge base alone, puts us on a level way above these highly paid order takers.