Damn the ME!

[XRpredator]

I was gonna put this in the flame board, but to save Senior some movin', since it's OT, I'll put it here. :confused:

Okay, so we got our money back from the gov't and what didn't go to pay for the wife's teeth (damn the dentist!), we decide to replace the front door to the house. No biggie, looks like a pretty simple project for a ham-fisted wannabe carpenter like me. So, after Mrs. Pred finishes her work for the day (about noon) we go down to Lewiston (after I've taken many measurements, just to be sure), check out a couple building supply stores, and we sift thru the doors 'til momma finds one she likes at Home Depot. (Mistake one, I wasn't paying too close of attention by the time we finally find a door). Anyhow, we get it all loaded up and she decides we gotta get groceries while we're down there at Costco, and we see some people we know, do some BS-ing, and finally get home at around 7 or so. I figger it's too late to start, I'll tackle it in the morning.

Okay, I get up bright and early and start the demolition. It goes pretty good, took about an hour to get the door out. I'm thinkin' "Damn, I'm gonna be done by noon and have time to ride this afternoon!" Yeah, right :debil:

I get momma to come out and help me stand the new door up to the opening. Up we go and . . . er, there's a pretty sizeable gap on either side. I didn't buy near enough shims. Damn the me! I forgot to look at the sticker on the side and instead of getting a 36" door, I got a 32"! Well, that shoots everything in the ass right away. So, I drive back down to Lewiston (60 mile round trip), but before I go, momma sez "since you destroyed the screen door in the demolition, why don't you look into a new one of them too." :ugg:

So I get back shortly after noon, set the new door into place, see a couple more cuts that need to be made in the sheet rock and the siding (a tad taller casing, evidently), finally get it nailed in, sealed up, mount up the new screen, and all the sudden, it's 7:30.

Bob Vila I am not . . . :moon:

 

[Danman]

Bob Vila I am not . . .

Unfortunitly I'm not either :( I have been saying "Dam the ME!" for a long time for not paying somebody to remodel my bathroom. It realy cuts into the riding time.

 

[Jamir]

Originally posted by XRpredator
I
Bob Vila I am not . . . :moon:

Tim Taylor maybe!

 

[Smit-Dog]

My most useful tool is my checkbook...

But even with that said, I have lost approximately 6 months of my life making return trips to Home Depot to complete a project.

 

[WildBill]

No project is complete without at least two trips to the super lumber / hardware store.  AND, if it's not my fault or screw up, it's the fact that 9 times out of 10, the product I have purchased from said superstore is defective right out of the box.  I tell my wife that I should by two at a time so that my chances are 50/50 of gettin' one that works.  I'd still need the second trip, but at least it wouldn't be immediately necessary.  HD = :moon:

 

[zio]

Well there in lies your mistake- whatever you come home with is what you got. I live about 15 minutes from Home Depot. I can't afford to be running all over creation everytime I start a project. Pred, a 32" door in a 36" opening, that's only what... 2 inches on either side? I always keep spare lumber lying around just for emergencies like these. Here's how the afternoon would have gone down at my house:

You take your least warped 2x4, rip it length wise, cut to length, get ready to nail it over the 2" gap on one side, realize that although the gap is 2", you need at least a half-inch on either side to nail into, go get the next least warped 2x4 but this time measure off 3", find out your cordless circular saw is low on juice, break out the jigsaw to rip it because you can't afford to wait 15 minutes for the battery to charge, start nailing, realize that wood splits when you try to hammer a 16 penny nail less than 1/2 inch from the edge, break out the screw driver, scrounge up a hodge podge of screws (3 is the minimum- one for the top piece & two sides), run out of philips head screws so start using slotted screws and old-fashioned screw driver because you can't find your slotted head bit for the power driver, get halfway with slotted screw and curse the man who invented slotted head screws, have a brain-storm and hacksaw off the end of the slotted end screw driver to use in the power driver, take out phillips bit, realize it's double sided & there's a slotted head on the other side, think for a while about how you borrowed that drill bit at least 5 years ago and don't remember it beign double sided, finish screwing up the trim and fill in all the gaps, splits, cracks, knotholes, nail-holes, gouges with wood glue mixed with sawdust, stain it, drip stain all over door mat, throw door mat in trash before wifey sees you ruined it, realize that wood glue mixed with sawdust doesn't stain, paint trim to match house, think of fancy way to brag about ugly trim around door that still doesn't match the initial trim you bought at Home Depot to cover casing nor the house because the fresh paint is much darker than the rest of the 15 year old faded paint, go inside, eat cold dinner, catch a recap of the day's sports on E.S.P.N.'s 12am rerun of Sports Center, drink a few beers, pass out on couch.

 

[Danman]

No project is complete without at least two trips to the super lumber / hardware store.

PFFFFFFT ameture! 2 trips is all it takes you? :p

 

[bsmith]

Bob Vila I am not

That's a big 10/4 good buddy!

I just ripped the floor up in my living room and dinning room to insulate between floors. At first I tried pounding the nails through, that didn't work, so next I got a cats paw and pulled each nail out(along with a quarter of the ply wood) that still didn't work, then I noticed it has some tongue and grove type features, that made my efforts more focused, yet still didn't work, as I'm breaking my back I noticed some pretty heavy glue looking stuff :| , after 2 sheets were out and about 10 more to go I broke out the saws all and ripped the tongue and grove and got a serious pry bar.
After about a week I got it all up, didn't think about remebering were they went, so after trying to put the puzzle back together I got it all done and screwed in.
I made 4 trips to the depot, and have one more to go in order get the right cable TV wire ends :aj:

Next up the kids rooms :yeehaw:

 

[Highbeam]

Can't you just drill holes and blow the insulation between floors? I've seen it done on walls.

 

[bsmith]

It's because that would be too easy :moon: !

I also didn't know how the Fresh air returns ran. I'm glad I didn't because I would have filled them. The air returns spanned 4 total runs from one end of the house to another.

 

[Jamir]

I just realized that I am more of a carpentar than I thought I was. I am putting the final touches on a full remodel of my house and the whole time I was thinking, "why would anyone pay to have this done?"



Now I know.

 

[GETMETOCA]

Woman's Perspective:

:think:  ( Momma Pred thinkin' maybe she shoulda just hired Bob Vila.);)

 

[G. Gearloose]

Originally posted by XRpredator
Bob Vila I am not . . .

Ya, Bob would have paid someone to do it..and watched until he needed a hand 'Whoops, gotta go!" :)

 

[Highbeam]

Bsmith, so the cold air return "duct" was actually the space between the floor joists? Soon the snow will fall and you will be glad.

 

[ktmboy]

I tried to hang a door once. It's much harder than it looks. The last three doors we just replaced I hired a professional door hanger. He was here for over half a day!

 

[bsmith]

so the cold air return "duct" was actually the space between the floor joists

Yes indeed, and there were 3 of them under the rooms. Plus it turned out to be 2-10's, so the blown in insulation would have been pretty spending.
It was worth it, I tend to learn things the hardway, but I never forget!

 

[dthoms]

XRpredator,
I just had one of those days today.
First off the transmission in my truck went out last week, no biggy but I got it back yesterday.
Today I went to pick up a cement mixer and on the way there guess what?
Yeah my transmission went out, only now it is worst then it was before I had it rebuilt.
So I went back to my parents house and got my Dad's truck, and went to pick up the mixer. Then on the way back the mixing bowl fell off of the mixer and bounced down the road a bit. I found all of the parts except 4 ball bearings.
Oh did I mention my Dad's truck was brand new with out a scratch, well not any more. Actually we only scratched the bed and my Dad buys his trucks to be a truck so he wasn't upset.
Well I managed to get all the pieces of the mixer back home and found 8 new ball bearings of the correct size. Beat the dents out mixer bowl and re-mounted it and it works. But at this point I could have mixed the cement my hand and spent less time.
My truck is another story, I'll never buy another FORD ever again.
I do have a 36 inch door that needs to be replaced you got any advice?
I bought my present house on potential not apeal, but I won't do that again.
Next time I will either start from scratch or buy something that is not a fixer upper.