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1958 Ranch Home, Full of Character - First Home, First Major Project

169K views 519 replies 24 participants last post by  Arlo 
#1 · (Edited)
Charming Central California Ranch Home

I've been lurking the site for quite a while. Recently registered to ask a few electrical code questions, and to try to answer a few myself (with mixed success). I've been enthralled reading Coco's story in BC - now up to page 40 - and decided I might like to start showcasing my own project.

I'm a California native, though not to the small Central Valley community where I now own. I was born in the San Francisco Bay Area, I've lived on a 36' Kris Kraft on the coast, moved around the Wine Country, survived in Reno, came back to the Sierra Nevada foothills, and then moved off to college in the Bay Area about 10 years ago. I had come full circle.

In 2009, I got married to my girlfriend of 5 years for all the wrong reasons and moved to Oregon to be closer to my wife's family. Much too close. I found myself shortly in North Carolina, staying with a friend. I must say that I'm not very fond of the weather in the Southeast, or the food of the South. Go figure.

I enlisted, was rushed off to Texas, then Mississippi, and by chance was stationed back in the Central Valley of California. It feels good to be home, less than 2 hours from every place I mentioned living when I grew up... though all in different directions.

While I was in North Carolina, I fell in love. I've since dragged her all the way back across the country. We both joke that we've driven the 3,000 mile moving trip for each other. It's been a couple of years now for both of us, and we're ready to give marriage another shot. Wish us luck!

One last thing before we start on the house: when I was growing up, always moving between apartments, rental homes, boats, RVs, campers, etc I set the goal of owning my first home by 25. I'm glad to say that I made it, but just barely, by about seven weeks. :cool:
 
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#401 ·
Are you positive that the grips on those banana plugs aren't insulated from the plugs themselves? The plugs I have came with rubber boots that slipped over them, but they are not as fancy as yours. Given that the back of every AV receiver is tightly packed, I find it hard to believe that they are not designed to be in contact with each other. If not, that's a huge design flaw.

I just looked at these on Monoprice as I need to get some more. Out of hundreds of reviews of these I did not see a single mention of shorting from plug contact as a problem.
 
#403 ·
The multimeter is out in the shed, it's cold out, and I'm still waking up. No dice there. Was going to measure impedance across the speaker using a cable, both at the banana and by touching the side. Expected about 5 ohms at both places.

Did Google a fair amount. Everybody says they're just hunks of uninsulated metal. For banana plugs, it shouldn't matter terribly because they're held in place from touch each other in the socket, but the pin type ones do have a tendency to touch (which I have 12 pairs of).

I probably could have gotten away without shielding the banana side at the wall, but who knows, maybe it'll save a receiver some day from a child.

Edit: Sums it up. Not an A/V site, but it seems to be the general consensus. http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r25772776-Banana-Plugs
 
#405 ·
At my work, my PostImage images don't load. But that's because they're blocked by the firewall intentionally.

I see some images aren't loading in Internet Explorer. Seems to be random - about 75% of them load. Loads fine in Firefox and Chrome. Seems like a security setting. Will keep poking around.
 
#407 · (Edited)
That may be the case, because they allow adult images as well I believe. But I'm missing a few in Firefox now that I just noticed.

Looks like PostImage changed their back end a bit. For example, one that fails to load:

http://s5.postimage.org/q25fka3ph/426.jpg

Putting it in Firefox, it takes me to:

http://postimage.org/image/ago40brr7/

Which displays the image:

http://s5.postimage.org/m5s3oaipx/426.jpg

Unfortunately, the posts are so old I don't have an Edit button anymore to update the links, even though I still have the images and they definitely appear on my hosting page. :\

Edit: 3D0X2, yup. Server jock.
 
#410 · (Edited)
No response from the site staff. Considering finding a new image host tonight, re-uploading everything while I sleep to the new host, and starting the thread over. But, that would take away the time I'd need to cut the picture frame moulding. Choices, choices...

Edit: If anybody has suggestions for an image host, please let me know. I'll check back in the morning to check on recommendations. I'm willing to pay $2-3/mo for a basic host that allows hotlinking and basic batch uploads.
 
#411 ·
Spent much of yesterday working with a new toy. If you're not a techie, you might as well skip to the next post. Headache ensues...

Bought a pair of Cisco E2000 refurb routers about a year back. Installed one, and then planned to install the other (and two ASUS 4-port gigabit switches) for the whole-house Cat6 wiring. However, the project got sidetracked and in the meantime we bought a new 1250 watt (BIG!) microwave. The signal kept getting interrupted -- no, killed -- by the microwave and cordless phone (which are both 2.4 ghz band). All three are in the kitchen because that's where the only functional phone line comes in from the TNI. I considered turning on the 5ghz band, but it's not simultaneous dual band (and most of my devices aren't capable of 5ghz band), so that wasn't a decent solution.

Ran into some old hand-written notes I had on the wiring install plans and noticed that I had left one LAN port for "Future Expansion" on the main (DHCP) router. As luck would have it, SlickDeals had an E3000 refurb on a good sale (which is simultaneous dual band). A light bulb lit. It arrived Friday, and I installed it yesterday. Both E2000s are now in boxes waiting. They'll be LAN 1/2 and the switches LAN 3/4.

The E2000 was running the outdated stock firmware, but it got the job done. I started fresh with this E3000: flashed Tomato 2.6 beta w/ VPN, built new a WPA2 key, configured all of my wireless devices (10 of them, if you don't count secondary NICs) for static DHCP, and set up QoS.

The only downside to all of this is that QoS in Tomato is per IP or per port. You can't specify a range for either of them. Thus, services like Netflix that have a 100+ port range aren't feasible to use QoS on. As such, my only recourse was to give both smart TVs, both notebooks, and all three Kindles priority based on src/dst IP rules over my desktop (which doubles as a file server until I buy a DLNA-ready NAS or build a DIY file server). Otherwise, when I would download anything using simultaneous connections, I would cause Netflix to hiccup and re-buffer. As a result of giving priority to the TVs, Netflix now thinks it's top dog and always tries to run at max bandwidth, choking my downloads substantially at times. I fixed a bunch of quality issues by prioritizing ACK packets, but it makes me more suspectible to be crippled in a DDoS attack (which is unlikely, but still a consideration).

I'm really excited to see where we sit financially after the 1st of the month. This might be my month to start the Cat6 installation. Or it might be the month to start picking cabinets if the wife has her way. :laughing:
 
#412 · (Edited)
Had a going away lunch for a friend and mentor yesterday. I joked that he'll be back in a few years to pick up a contracting slot, but I have a feeling he'll be sorely missed. As our technical expert, he's left a knowledge gap that won't be easy to fill.

Afterwards, I met up with a retired gentleman about an hour away in a well-kept recreational retirement subdivision. You know, one of those beautiful ones with gold courses, gold cart lanes, lakes, etc. I've found some of my best deals in these areas. A lot of times, heavy items are nearly free (because they have trouble moving them) in these neighborhoods.

His son had dropped off two desks, a lateral two-drawer filling cabinet, two office chairs, and a smaller oak filing cabinet. I picked up both desks and the lateral file, which isn't really lateral, but rather a double-wide cabinet. For $50. Not too bad. As I was loading the heaviest piece, my phone rang. He was calling to tell me not to come because somebody else had already picked them up. A real awkward moment ensued.

We brought them in today. The drawers got a shot of Fabreeze because they smell like a retirement home. All the tops got wiped down. We had to take the legs off to get them through the doors sideways.

The big one (mine) is just shy of 36" deep and 71" long. That's a far cry from my old L-shape (which was two 23" deep and 36" long pieces with a corner piece). The L-shape (the wife's) is about 30" deep by 54" long, plus a 22" deep by 40" long piece. The filing cabinet is rather large as well at 36" wide.

My Space:


Wife's Space (not done):


While I was moving the file cabinet, I had the printer on top. The Constant Ink Supply took a tumble and broke off 4 of the 6 hoses. Ink everywhere. Stained hands. I was pissed. $46 down the drain, and now I can't print for a week. Sealed off the tubes and left the cartridges in the printer so the lines won't get air in them and dry out the print heads. Ordered a new one already... hope it comes quickly.



Crawled up underneath the desk and started cable management. Some of it done. Lots left to do.



Feelin' like a king with so much more space. Going to touch up some of the scratches with the Minwax Wood Finish Oil Stain I have in Early American.
 
#413 ·
Took a good portion of Sunday to do some grocery shopping, then got lost in Ikea for the first time. Jesus, that place is a confused, crazy mess.

Working on a kitchen layout using Ikea's models and design software. From there, I may buy their cabinets, or I may see if the cost to build my own on a construction style similar to theirs with better materials is worth it.

Ideally, I'd spend a about the same as Ikea charges, get a better product, and have an excuse to upgrade the table saw. ;)

In the short term, I'm going to be pretty busy in the coming week, so I may not post. I'm still choosing another image host, and will probably be going with Imgur. Suggestions continue to be welcomed.
 
#414 ·
My take on building your own IKEA cabinets:

The particle board carcasses of IKEA cabinets are what always makes people dubious about them, but in my experience they are fine. They are pre-drllled for all of their hardware, are super sturdy (I have one row supporting what I estimate to be a 700 lb. slab of granite) and perhaps most relevant to your thoughts, completely hidden when the cabinets are closed. Yes they are susceptible to moisture damage as is all particleboard, but unless you have a leak in your sink that's not going to be an issue, ever, in your kitchen. The hardware itself...as in door hinges, drawer slides and soft-closers, and storage carousels, is top notch...as good as the top of the line hardware that you'll find in any other line of cabinets. The drawer mechanisms are rather ingenious in terms of how they come packed, how you assemble them, and how rugged and sturdy they are.

If you're thinking that you're going to come it at the same cost if you build them yourself, then the value of your time must be zero. Once you get rolling each cabinet can be assembled, start to finish, in about 20 minutes.

If I were you and I really wanted to customize them or build my own, then I would consider buying the carcasses and hardware from IKEA, and then building my own doors and drawer-fronts. You' be putting your labor into the part of the cabinet you see and feel, and which is also the most expensive component of the cabinets.
 
#415 ·
Went ahead and bought 1 month of Imgur Pro at $3 - if I like it, I'll buy the year at $24. Hopefully it works out for everybody. It it one of the hosting providers that isn't blocked at work (yet), and that's certainly a plus.

Started uploading some of the images, and they'll probably take all day to get through uploading over 650 images. But here's a test below. Please let me know if these images load for you, or don't.

The carpenter spent the last two days removing the old wood stove vent pipe and spackling up my amateur crown job. I think most of the problem was because I forgot to rabbet the back of the blocking pieces, which caused them to shift slightly once they ran up against the mud buildup where the ceiling meets the walls, throwing off the angle. Live 'n learn.


 
#416 ·
Went to Wal-Mart a few days ago (really dislike shopping there) to grab some cheap jugs for the fridge. We're trying to kick the soda / energy drink habit to help us save up for the kitchen remodel, and the jugs were so we could make large batches of Iced Tea (warm brewed), Country Time Lemonade, Kool-AId, etc. ahead of time (on our days off).

Walking past a kitchen gadget endcap, I noticed they were selling the cookware set she wanted at Target. At Target, it was $98... but Wal-Mart has it on clearance for $72. Somebody must love her a whole lot to spend that kind of cash on some pots and pans...



 
#417 ·
The new image host (Imgur) is live and the gallery is created.

I hid the gallery, so the only way to find it is to follow it back from an image in it or to follow this link:

http://imgur.com/a/7JbC8

Will be moving to the new thread once I find some time. :S
 
#418 · (Edited)
About to start backing up all the old posts on my local drive, then start the painstaking process of editing all of the image links locally and re-uploading into a new thread. :S In the meantime...

Last night, I moved the desks a bit to see if I could fix a stuck drawer, when I noticed that some of the wainscoting had pulled away from the wall. Odd. We never tried to remove it because we were under the impression that the previous owner had probably used construction adhesive to put it up. But then it shouldn't be pulling away from the wall. I stuck my fingers underneath and found that it was only nailed on (with a ton of nails). But I had to be sure it was like that everywhere, so I went to a random spot and pulled.



You can see the terrible job they did mudding the pieces together before paint. How they thought this was even remotely acceptable is beyond me. Besides, it's horribly planned and done: the chair rail is much too small, it's made of "whitewood" (a synthetic faux-wood foam), it's way too high at 48" plus rail, making the room feel way smaller than it is, etc. I get the 48" reasoning (cut a 4'x8' MDF sheet in half and slap it on the wall) but it's just plain lazy and looks bad with 8' ceilings. A lightbulb lit above my head...



I don't have to live with this ugly stuff anymore! 20 minutes later:





The previous owner installed it behind the window sill, so I have to cut it from behind the sill, but otherwise it came off really easily. The other half of the room will probably be stripped this afternoon. Been a very busy morning with non-DIY things.
 
#419 ·
Whenever I need hosting for pictures I setup a domain name with hosting and it seems to work much better. I use godaddy for all my domain names and pay a flat rate for a hosting of all of them. But I am sure they have some affordable hosting plans for a single domain name.
 
#420 · (Edited)
GoDaddy lost all of my current and future business when they publicly backed SOPA.

Edit: I get what you're saying, though. Private web hosting is the most flexible option, I agree. However, I rather like Imgur as a service and their one-click approach is very refreshing. Every moment I save not administering a web server is another moment I can use for DIY or recreation. :)
 
#421 ·
As I mentioned before, I've been pretty busy with things other than DIY lately. The wife and I got in on some OXO Good Grips clearance items at Sears. Normally discounted to $65 in the set ($50 elsewhere), they were on clearance for $18. We picked up five sets, and she went to town on organizing her little pantry.



I have made some small progress. I managed to spackle about half of all the holes after taking down that paneling. I didn't want to move the desk back against the wall so I could do the other half of the room until I had the new computer case. More on that ordeal shortly.



 
#422 ·
Spent a day working on my desktop that keeps crashing (memory errors on BSOD), but memory tests come back fine with each stick individually and even when fully loaded. I attributed some of it to heat, but I can't be sure. My current case is something I bought in probably 2005 or 2006 and is on its last leg. It has almost no features, is dinged and dented, has poor air flow and work space, few features, etc. And all the fans are about to throw their bearings (yeah, it's noisy), so it's time to upgrade. The wife has had her dead motherboard in her Antec Twelve Hundred for quite some time; I didn't feel right stealing it, even though it's a huge, powerful, cold beast of a case. But I did want something on that level - a big, heavy steel box that would last for a long time.

My old aluminum and plastic mid-ATX (Ultra Aluminus) case:


Her steel full ATX case (Antec Twelve Hundred):


My new steel full ATX case (Coolermaster HAF 932 Advanced):


There's also a Synology 2-bay NAS on the way, which will act as the RAIDed backup server, DLNA server, download server, and remote file server. I'm pulling two of my 1TB drives from this machine for it (including my current OS disk), which means I have to migrate everything to other storage medium temporarily. This could get interesting with all the shuffling of data from one disk to another. Also have about $120 in Staples Rewards on the way, so I'll probably pick up a SSD or two as my primary OS disk once those arrive and a Staples deal pops up.

 
#423 ·
Nice, I was looking at making a budget box. Basically it's a case that has a enough power to run 10-15 HD's. I have: 2x2TB external's and 2TB portable, I'd like to build a box to hold at least 10TB and just hook it up to my network so I don't have to worry about my external's crashing. It'll detect if a HD is going to crash, and automatically transfer all the files to the primary drive, so all I'd have to do is replace the HD and it'll transfer all the files to the new HD.

After getting back from Iraq and having to reformat my iMac, it also formatted my 2TB external and I lost 15 months worth of deployment photo's and my wedding photo's.
 
#425 ·
Basically it's a case that has a enough power to run 10-15 HD's.
BTW, how can you put 10-15 HDs in anything and call it "budget"? I mean, I don't think I've ever seen more than 8 SATA channels on a mobo, and adding RAID controllers isn't cheap at all.

You might be able to get an older corporate NAS, but then you'd probably be looking at SCSI.

Confused.
 
#424 · (Edited)
Br-ouch!

I have all my critical data backed up to a second internal drive (unfortunately on the same SATA controller :\), and then periodically onto DVDs. I'm looking into picking up a small fire safe for extra piece of mind for those DVDs in case of a fire - I'd store a couple vital records in there as well. The only problem is that any fire safe of a workable size with a decent fire rating is pretty expensive. I can get something in the range of 7" x 12" with a 30 minute rating for $15, but something 12" x 15" with a 2 hour rating is closer to $80.

I'd like to set up the NAS with two partitions per drive; one raid 0 for the DLNA server content and one raid 1 for my private records. I also really need to get into the habit of backing up off-site. All of these backups do zero good in case of a natural disaster (other than flood, which optical media might survive) or major theft. I might have to look into a Carbonite-like service again. Last time I checked, the $15/mo price tag was a bit hard to swallow for storing a few TB of photos and whatnot. It seems like prices should have come down in recent years.
 
#428 · (Edited)
Sort of fell off the face of the Earth there, didn't I? Been trying to save up by not doing anything. Seems to be working. :laughing:

Not much has been going on here lately. First a decent amount of rain, and now it feels like summer is off full swing. It was in the high 80ºs here yesterday (bout 30ºC). I really need to get back on track.

To answer your question (sorry, guess I didn't see it before), it's a Synology DS212j NAS. I really like that it's silent and that it fits on top of my kitchen cabs.

Just got my hands on two Crucial M4 64gb SSD's for practically nothing. Spent the last few days leaning up Windows (disable search indexing, remove some useless but weighty visual effects, etc) from a 140gb installation down to 42gb.

Moved 'Users', 'Program Files', Program Files (x86)' and 'ProgramData' to a 1TB Maxtor I've had for a while and put the rest on the SSD. Microsoft really does not make it easy to do it, but I was familiar with the process of offloading folders using symbolic links... it's just that I'm used to doing it in Unix, not MS-DOS from a Recovery DVD, so I had to re-learn some commands.

I did lost a few settings (desktop background, Start Menu favorites, etc) and a few programs unregistered, but otherwise everything is fine now. A few bumps along the way, but nothing to worry about.

The "before" disk (that now holds everything I moved off the SSD):



The "after" disk (that now holds the OS):



Boot time has been cut in about half, shaved off a couple more seconds by disabling an unused raid controller and a spare T-base 10/100 LAN port, and overall it just feels a lot more responsive. I'd probably get much better results if I had SATA 6gb/s capability on this motherboard, as it seems to be gimping the new drive quite a bit.

Also added a few more devices to Static DHCP, going to re-partition the NAS today into several slices, and reinstall some of its packages (oh boy!).

Going to have to take some leave sooner or later to get something done around here!
 
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