Let's talk about tools - powered vs. cordless Vol (1)

[Goober McTuber]

Whether I finish it, or pay someone to finish it, that area will be worth about $25,000. No bedrooms, it’s just a play area, and that’s about what it’s worth, according to an appraiser. .

Not if you didn't pull a building permit it isn't.

Actually, you’re right. It’s worth more. You should see the 10’ bar made with inch-thick walnut. Stick to things you know about, Cooter. That would limit you to Blondie babe resets and kissing the asses of your betters.

[DMike316]

With all of the maths, this thread is confusing.

- David Beckham

[DMike316]

Or Python.

[Cuda]

Whether I finish it, or pay someone to finish it, that area will be worth about $25,000. No bedrooms, it’s just a play area, and that’s about what it’s worth, according to an appraiser. .

Not if you didn't pull a building permit it isn't.

Actually, you’re right. It’s worth more.

BWAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

cough, snort...

I don't deserve to laugh this much either.

But I will anyway

You should see the 10’ bar made with inch-thick walnut. Stick to things you know about, Cooter. That would limit you to Blondie babe resets and kissing the asses of your betters.

I know a IRIE reset when I see one too

If you put the same handbuilt quality into that bar as you put into the rest of the basement, my only advice is make sure your insurance premiums are paid up and then set it on fire

[velocet]

See Goobs, Dins and Cudes talk a good game, but when faced with a post from someone who has actually worked in the industry (3 whole weeks), they have nothing to say. Makes you wonder about these guys.




velocet

[Cuda]

velocent, knowing your penchant for perfection, I'm perfectly confident you built things to code while you were in the industry- and probably thereafter as far as I know

[chowd103]

Chowd, you just don't seem to be catching on here. I wasn't stating my opinion. I wasn't bringing the subject up for debate. I was simply stating FACT. If your "opinion" differs from this, you should probably keep it to yourself, since it serves as a pretty poor reflection on your building skeelz...just sayin'.

Oh.
Okay.
Judge my building skills on my choice of deck screws. Fair enough.
I'm no carpenter, Dins. Never said I was. Just went with something I was familiar with.

No stripping....what's the problem?

You seem to be pretty much a know-it-all, especially when it comes to home improvements.

Sorry dude. May I be forgiven? This one time?

Forgot who I was dealing with.

[BSmack]

Sorry dude. May I be forgiven? This one time?

Forgot who I was dealing with.

Sometimes the best wytch jobs are the simplest.

RACK THAT SHIT!

[Goober McTuber]

You should see the 10’ bar made with inch-thick walnut. Stick to things you know about, Cooter. That would limit you to Blondie babe resets and kissing the asses of your betters.

I know a IRIE reset when I see one too

Really? I was talking about a bar. What were you hoping to glance at?

[Dinsdale]

You seem to be pretty much a know-it-all

You had this epiphany...when?


Velo -- sorry, didn't mean to ignore you. But frankly, you lost me where you started talking about carpenters using tape and mud.

Goobs -- I'll just leave it at "thing are WAY different where you live."

Fair enough?

Because where I live, if that 1100SF is documented living space, it's not going to appraise too much different, save for the obvious lack of extra bedroom numbers. Even one extra bedroom is a gold mine round these parts. But around these parts, there's no such thing as a $140K 1400SF house...not even close. If I got my hand on a house with 1100SF of unfinished basement, the way things are in this market, it would just be pissing too much money away to not add a couplem of bedrooms (assuming egress was feasable), and finish it. And when all was said and done, that deed damn well better show the extra 1100SF. That's just the way it is. That extra 1100SF could be worth over $200K when it comes time to sell (which if it was mine, would be the day the improvements were done).

I guess we're just playing a different game. Doing an unpermitted basement remodel would be insane around here. Financial suicide.

Unpermitted jobs always make me wonder, though -- why is anyone so afraid of the inspector?

Kinda throws up a red flag-imo.

I would NEVER buy a house with major unpermitted work (unless the price didn't include anything for the "finished space." The idea that a non-professional slapped it together and was afraid to let the safety-guy see his work is...troubling. Inspections are free. Permits are cheap. Why so scared of the inspector man?

[Goober McTuber]

I guess it was just a little too hard to just leave it at "thing are WAY different where you live."

I had an appraiser in the house while I was in the middle of doing the basement, as we were refinancing. I previously pointed out that we are forbidden by the building codes from putting a bedroom down there. He indicated that the appraisal would probably be roughly $25,000 higher once the basement was finished. No reason why that should stop you from ranting incessantly about how I pissed away $70,000.

Around here, regardless of what it may say on the deed, the appraisers come through and do their own measurements. And that’s what the bank will look at when they look at offering a loan. Yeah, maybe they do things differently around here. BTW, the permit would have been around $200.

It’s not like this is the first house I’ve bought or sold here, but suppose I should be taking advice from the middle-aged guy who’s still sharing an apartment with Felix Unger.

[Cuda]

Appraisers are bigger whores than the white house press corps. They know in advance what opinion the person paying them wants them to have.

[Goober McTuber]

They do know what figure the banker needs in order to give me the best rate, and for me not to have to pay PMI. Rack them for that.

[Cuda]

Apples + box cars, goober.

By "rate" I presume you mean the interest rate on your mortgage. Appraisers have nothing to do with that. Lenders look at your credit score- which in your case is probably somewhere in the mid-30's- and offer a commensurate interest rate- which in your case is probably in the mid-30's; such a coincidence, eh?

[Dinsdale]

Around here, regardless of what it may say on the deed, the appraisers come through and do their own measurements.

Yeah, they do that here, too. And the numbers between the two had damn well better be close.

OK, first off, let's get something straight -- from the property values you've given, real estate where you live and where I live are not the same game. It's obviously light years ahead of where you are.

But if the market where you live ever decides to start increasing dramatically, people in your area will pull their heads out of their asses, you'll realize how badly you're fucking up.

Because around here, we have a phrase for people who do "upgrades" such as yours -- we call it "fucking-A, what a moron." People who use that phrase include my close friends the Appraiser and the Flipper Realtor.

"Forbidden by codes from putting a bedroom down there?"

That's some funnyassed codes, Cletus. They have "codes" as to how many bedrooms you can have? Do you live in Cuba or something?

So yes -- your market IS radically different. You live in a shitty enough area that you can afford to piss money away.

[Cuda]

That's some funnyassed codes, Cletus. They have "codes" as to how many bedrooms you can have? Do you live in Cuba or something?

So yes -- your market IS radically different. You live in a shitty enough area that you can afford to piss money away.

I think he's from Kentucky- aka, America's Afghanistan

[Goober McTuber]

Jesus Christ, Dinsdale, you are fucking dense. For the last time, if you only have one exit in a basement here, you can't put bedrooms down there. Does that not make sense to you? BTW, the median single-family home price here is $222,800. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton is at $253,700. Portland-South Portland-Biddeford is at $249,100.

Cooter, I'm at 5.375%, and yes, the appraiser can have an effect on that, because if the appraisal comes in too low, I'm forced to talk to another lender who might charge a higher rate.

[Dinsdale]

For the last time, if you only have one exit in a basement here, you can't put bedrooms down there. Does that not make sense to you?

Dear fucking god, how many times do I have to use the term "create egress" before it sinks in?


Yeah, it's a similar code here. Yet new basement bedrooms appear all of the time. How can that be, what with all of the weekend hatchets saying things like "it's forbidden by the building codes from putting a bedroom down there?" Yet, it still goes on, legally, every day. How can that be, Goobs?

It ain't fucking rocket science. And it ain't that tough, or expensive. Or it wasn't on the last couple of houses I dealt with.

Catching on yet?

You're essentially saying "that's not how it works," yet I know FOR FACT that this is indeed how it works. To the tune of millions of dollars.

Catching on yet?

BTW, the median single-family home price here is $222,800. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton is at $253,700. Portland-South Portland-Biddeford is at $249,100.

I've never heard of South Portland or Beddeford, so I'm going to assume it's in Maine.

BTW, you just broke the needle on the bullshit meter. You already implied that typical SF value in your area was $100SF. Now you say the median home price is $222K. So, the median home size in your area is 2200SF?

Yeahhhhhh, right.


What sounds a lot more likely than that, is that you got called out for doing something dumb by people who actually know what they're talking about. Matter of fact, the numbers seem to really back that up...depending on which set of bullshit numbers you're having us believe...today. The $222K median price sounds reasonable and believable, which shoots the numbers you gave earlier way the hell out of the water.

Now you're spinning it, trying to save face. Although I understand, don't think it wasn't obvious the whole time.


Before you type your feet-stomping rebuttle, see if you can make up some numbers that actually support your story (since that's what you've been doing, yet you came up with some real ones when you tried to point something out to me. Tripping over the truth(sup M2) is rarely good form).

And also bear in mind, that you're entire involvement in this debate centers around...

think it over, bud...

This centers around your need to justify...

Breaking the fucking law.

Gonna start a thread boasting about all of the money you saved on cabs by driving drunk?

Too bad. If the last set of numbers about median home prices was accurate (maybe the ONLY believable thing you've posted, except the part about you being too dumb to pull permits), if you were in my area, I'd be sincerely asking you to get ahold of me if you decide to sell your house. We'd bring a few people through there, and make a tidy little profit in a very short time...assuming YOU hadn't done too much in the way of "improvements" to the place -- might have to pass, if that were the case, due to having to fix too much unpermitted work. I'm sure your basement "finish" job would be completely gutted, both to create bedrooms, and since it wasn't done to code(sup, don't even know how many screws go in ceiling drywall).

Dude, if you only knew how many sharks were out there making FAT cash off of ignorant people JUST LIKE YOU, you'd probably be drinking a Big Gulp of Shut The Fuck Up right about now. Seriously. If you had any idea just how many people me and mine hear say the exact same shit as you, you might even get a laugh out of it...seriously. All day long, and twice on Sundays. When the selling homeowner says "that can't be done, or it will be too much work," other people simply hear the "cha-ching" of the cash register drawer.

And for $200, I'm still not sure why you were so deathly afraid of the Big Bad Inspector...the quality of work, perhaps?

Watching an inspection after the DIY crowd gets done is always good for a laugh-btw(Vapor barrier? WTF is 'vapor barrier?' Saw that one pretty recently. What a waste of sheetrock, since it all came back down.)

But at the end of the day Goobs, I actually want to thank you for your contribution to the American economy. See, you're not alone, by any means. Hell, I'd almost venture a guess that you're damn-near in the majority. And thanks to you and the rest of the "I've never done this professionally, but I THINK I know what I'm talking about" crowd, you have created an absolutely BOOMING, and very profitable industry for those that actually DO know what the fuck they're talking about...which trust me...you don't. You've proven it over and over again in this thread.

But don't get me wrong -- one man's claims of "I did it myself and saved money on those silly permits" is another man's gold mine of tomorrow.

And for this, I thank you.

[Atomic Punk]

Okay that's it... I'm getting the 360 degree Milwaukee Sawzall (recipricating saw along with the the assortment pack of blades) next time I go to Home Depot.

You've pushed me over the edge Dins. It's corded though. I do agree with your deck screw knowledge base. Y2K and I were talking about this stuff yesterday and you were right on the money.

[Risa]

But don't get me wrong -- one man's claims of "I did it myself and saved money on those silly permits" is another man's gold mine of tomorrow.

for whom? the person who gets paid to put things right (to code)?

for anybody else, it's just a major pain in the ass.

as for the bedrooms.... aren't those who import illegal mexicans only NOW getting busted for sleeping multiple grown men in crawlspaces?

you can do anything you want with your own home,
as long you don't get caught.

me personally, if i had the money and a home to sell in the first place,
i'd just ensure that everything was basically ok and on the up and up and *up to code* , because no matter what 'improvements' i did to it, the new owners are going to do their own thing. it's life. making your new home your home means changing it.

besides, it's just ethically wrong to sell someone something that is basically 'broken' in the hopes that once they buy it -- and only then find
out just how much you fucked them over -- it becomes their
baby not yours.

but that's just my 'never owned a home' opinion, which i reckon goes right next to my 'never had children' opinions.

[BSmack]

Hey Dins, could you tell me if this is full of shit?

Installing Basement Egress Windows

In particular, what do you think of their estimate to have the job done for 6 to 8K?

[Dinsdale]

besides, it's just ethically wrong to sell someone something that is basically 'broken' in the hopes that once they buy it -- and only then find
out just how much you fucked them over -- it becomes their
baby not yours.

HUH?

Sin,
Goober


That's why I brought up the "red flag" thing. If you're building stuff to code, why the fear of the inspector, to the point that it's going to cost you money down the road?

So what if you sell a house with shitty DIY wiring -- it's not like some working class guy is going to have his children sleeping in that house that you were afraid to let the inspector see, right? Who cares about fire hazard, when you can save $200 WHOLE dollars on the permit process?

And THIS violation of THE LAW is what Goober is spending so much bullshit trying to justify.

But once again, it creates excellent financial opportunities for people with financing in place who are willing to do these jobs correctly. So I'm down with the Goobers of the world...easy money.

Just recently, I had a very minor role in such a job, but some idiots somehow entered into the equation, and unbeknownst to people who were supposed to be supervising the job, the hacks went and "Goobered up" the job. No permits for a basement finish. Stupid fuckers chopped about $30,000 right off the profit...because they were stupid fuckers who didn't know what the fuck they were doing, and ignored the codes an inspections. When the potential buyers' home inspector came through, he was in full ":rolleyes:" mode, and...are you sitting down?...was shocked that the county assessor's office didn't show the same work as the seller claimed...:HUGEFUCKINGSHOCKER:

$30,000 flushed down the new, unpermitted basement toilet. Fortunately, some excellent work by the realtor saved the deal, but the house went from what was essentially a gold mine to a barely-profitable deal, because the basement was Goobered. Expensive mistake, and the people responsible should have known better. Foretunately, the basement remodel included EGRESS, so it was fixable, but very expensive. Even after that, the house sold for about $60-70K more than it was bought for, what with....listening, Goobs?...about 1100SF of extra living space. Unfortunately, the Goobers doing the work ate up most of that profit, including the extra finance payments made while the problems (umpermitted, non-code work...SUP GOOBER) were being fixed, and due to the extra negotiating involved with the Gooberesque clusterfuck that was created. These are also factors that Master Goober hasn't thought about...ohhhhhh, but wait....he said he's "done this before." Dude doesn't realize that this very line is a long-running joke in the professional world "But I've done this before" can often move experienced professionals to absolute fits of laughter...the battlecry of every weekend wannabe, right before he butchers a house.

But, what the hell...I don't know what I'm talking about, and Goober does...because he's "done this before." I'm not sure that he's trying to admit to a pattern of law-breaking, but that's what it boils down to. Yet people just don't understand why those codes are in place...ponderous.


This one time, I played some hoops in the backyard...Michael Jordan better watch out!"

Funny stuff. Keep on sellin' it, Goober. Bottom line is that you flat fucking did it wrong, and when confronted with it, you're going to justify it no matter what. There's a "right way" and a "wrong way" to do just about anything, and rest assured, you did it the "wrong way." Although I really couldn't care any less, I'll give you credit for entertaining me. While the exact shit you seem to think is approprite causes me some misery in real life, for some reason it's funny reading about it on the internet, as long as I'm not involved in any way. See, I KNOW I'm right. I KNOW you're wrong...and every single person on the planet who is involved in home renovation professionally (save for a couple of bozos who did the basement remodel a couple of houses ago) knows I'm right, as well -- including the local building codes department that you're so afraid of.

Bottom line -- the law requires that you obtain the correct permits and have work inspected for certain improvements. Bottom line is, you didn't follow those laws. I guess that kind of begs the question: Why? Why no regard for the law or the safety of the occupants?

[Dinsdale]

Installing Basement Egress Windows

Huh?

You can do that?

Sin,
Goobs


As far as the estimate, it looks like they went well beyond code in that article. The again, every state/county is different. I don't have exact figures in front of me, but I think the last couple I saw go in were for a lot less than that. You do need one egress route per bedroom, though. So you're into it at least one window per basement bedroom, possibly one for common areas, as well. Depends on the layout and the locale.

Basically, you need a shovel, a concrete saw, some lumber, a window...and to not be an idiot. It isn't exactly designing a new Space Shuttle.

for anybody else, it's just a major pain in the ass.

No, it's not.

Now, if I were to try and design a huge database for a corporate computer network, THAT would be a pain in the ass. Why? Because I have no professional experience in that field. See how that works? People who know what they're doing do work properly because it's second-nature to them. Hacks are intimidated by the size of the project, and don't even know what codes are, or how to learn them, so they start cutting corners

Johnny Q Public has this strange mindset that because they live in, and own a house, it makes them a professional remodeler, I can only assume because they watched This Old House one time too many (sidenote -- could Bob Villa find a bigger bunch of incompetent jackasses to work on those places...not that I ever watch anything in the way of home renovation shows, although they are pure comedy).

[Dinsdale]

unless you did the research to find out what the laws are for goober's municipality and know for a fact that what he did was illegal IN HIS CITY, then shut the fuck up.

I never claimed to know the codes where he lives (although outside of the state of california, most major stuff is similar every where, give or take...I believe Western states are much tougher on seismic codes). I was just going OFF OF WHAT HE SAID. He didn't want the inspector anywhere near his place, so we know FOR FACT it wasn't done to code (remember, we're talking about a guy who doesn't even know how to properly install drywall on a ceiling -- that's how this subject took this turn, if you'll remember). Dude, IN HIS OWN WORDS said the permits would have been about $200. Two hundred fucking dollars to make it legal, and more valuable, yet he didn't do it. Nothing screams "shit work" louder than fear of permits and inspectors.

And it's fucking HILARIOUS that dude has spent this much time trying to justify it. Then again, it's a guy who can't decide of SF values are $25/SF, $100/SF, or $200/SF....whichever one fits the argument he's trying to make at the time, I guess.

Seriously -- mere words can't describe how many times I've seen this EXACT same scene unfold. And even if it doesn't end in disaster, it NEVER ends as well for the homeowner as it could have.

And frankly -- I really couldn't give a fuck what any of you think. What you guys want to offer driveby commentary on, I see every day. Really, I'm not making this shit up -- you guys are. Once again, the Goobers of the world are creating a HUGE dollar industry for others to slurp up the money the homeowner didn't want.

Easy. Fucking. Money.

And to any of you tards who want to disagree -- then explain to me how thousands and thousands of "flippers" are profiting in the EXACT WAYS I've mentioned?

You people claim I'm wrong (yet offer nothing but COMPLETE BULLSHIT stats to try and refute me), yet there's literally thousands of people making huge money from the very circumstances I mention.

How is that?(Unless you guys want to refute that there's people doing just that, in which case some of you are even bigger idiots than you appear to be right now).

You don't suppose it's because everyone thinks they're a construction contractor...on weekends only, of course...who learned everything they know from watching Bob Villa, or because they "helped a buddy do it...once....while drinking beer?"

Do you stupid fucking fucks think they're isn't sharks out there just waiting to pounce on this general lack of knowledge by the American Consumer?

Is that REALLY what you think?

No one would think that way...in America...would they?

There's guys out there making deep six-digits in addition to having regular jobs, by doing the very things I've mentioned, yet you guys seem to know everything about it, yet you're not out there doing the same....isn't that just fucking ponderous?

Once again, I'd like to thank you all, for two reasons -- A) The laughter you've brought. I can't overstate how funny this shit is when I'm not involved. What are daily conversations to some are a big freaking deal to most of you. B) For thinking the way you do. Yup, you guys have it allllllllll figured out...really.

But no, really -- the professional world sincerely thanks you for your arrogance, and your desire to teach, rather than learn. That mindset will keep that easy money flowing for a lot of people, for a long time to come. Without YOU, there would be no "them."

So, my sincerest, heartfelt THANK YOU.

This thread has become VERY funny from where I sit. I'm not even going to go into any more detail than that. But trust me, it's been funny.


The whole "Damn, I hate that Dinsdale guy" sentiment around here is really, really, really clouding some of y'all's judgement.

[Dinsdale]

Rack my yawning scroll wheel.

Mace

You should have just let Goober be the only one here backpedalling.

You responded specifically to something I posted, yet now claim I'm a "victim" of your scroll wheel.

Bueller? Class? Anyone?

I see you attended the Goober McTuber school of lying to cover your ass.

[Dinsdale]

Mace, I have a serious question for you, and I'd appreciate a serious reply --

How is it you were able to respond to my post, and even quote it in its entirety when you're scrolling past it?

Little help here?

Oh. Because you weren't doing as you claimed. In many regions of the country, stating a mistruth to misrepresent the facts is known as a "lie"...but I don't know about that in YOUR part of the country.

[Dinsdale]

you don't know jack shit about codes or the housing market in other regions. THAT was my point, dumbass

Oh, and here's MY point, dumbass -- you're right.

And that is why I HAD TO USE THE NUMBERS THAT GOOBER SUPPLIED TO MAKE THE POINT.

What part of that aren't you understanding? Of course different markets are going to plug different figures into the number crunching...ONCE AGAIN, WHY I USED THE NUMBERS GOOBER SUPPLIED.

Of course, he's now supplied three different sets of numbers, so it's hard to say.

What part, exactly, of "it's a numbers game" are you not understanding? Seriously? If you can come up with specific questions as to why you're struggling with $27 not being equal to $100 or $200, I'll do my best to help you out. But if you're just going to insist on masking your ignorance under a shroud of "you're a dumbass," then I can't offer a very good explaination.

But, rest assured, you're part of the reason people make good money off shit just like that which we're discussing.


Dumbass.

[Risa]

dinsdale, building code inspectors are a city entity and unless you did the research to find out what the laws are for goober's municipality and know for a fact that what he did was illegal IN HIS CITY, then shut the fuck up.

perhaps the $64,000 question is: did Goober bother to check with the codes in the first place before doing it himself? :?

[Atomic Punk]

I feel better in my decision to buy a corded Milwaukee Sawzall.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

I feel better in my decision to buy a corded Milwaukee Sawzall.

Super Sawzall?

[Risa]

for anybody else, it's just a major pain in the ass.

No, it's not.

Sure it is. The place I lived in before this apartment was a DIY job by the previous owners. As my ex told his best friend, he'd have never been able to rent out that place to anyone else beause of how badly the previous owners botched certain shit.


People are assholes. People lie. People cheat. People hide shit.

If I'm looking to buy a home, I don't want a home with major 'problems' that I have to take care of -- unless i'm specifically looking to handyman it -- or that the owner has to promise to take care of before I buy.

Not being up to code is a 'major problem'. If I'm stupid enough (or desperate enough, or naive enough) to buy that home, it becomes my problem. And all I wanted was a home. But again, that's just me and my 'never owned a home' ass.

Now, if I were to try and design a huge database for a corporate computer network, THAT would be a pain in the ass. Why? Because I have no professional experience in that field. See how that works? People who know what they're doing do work properly because it's second-nature to them. Hacks are intimidated by the size of the project, and don't even know what codes are, or how to learn them, so they start cutting corners

There's also the third group: 'its good enough for me.'
And the fourth group: 'i want to save money'

I belong to the third and fourth group. I would NEVER try to pawn that shit off on someone else, though, in trying to sell later. but people do.

Johnny Q Public has this strange mindset that because they live in, and own a house, it makes them a professional remodeler,

Remodelers cheat.

I knew a guy in construction who told me about some of those cheats other people do; made my skin crawl.

If you do it yourself, and do it well (or at least well enough for you) not only have you done a fine job, but you've also NOT put money in a scam artist's pockets.


It has to be done well (or at least, well enough for you) first, though.

[Atomic Punk]

I feel better in my decision to buy a corded Milwaukee Sawzall.

Super Sawzall?

Yeah, it's the one with the 360 degree rotatable handle and also has two motions: orbital and back and forth. It's fucking kick ass. 13 amps and when you consider the convenience of the DeWalt 18V cordless, the replacement batteries are $80 a pop. It's better for home usage to get that particular one as you are not on some construction site.

You simply can't convince me for home usage that battery operated equipment is better than corded for the weekend hack.

Rack Mace, BTW.

[smackaholic]

For the work I was doing, cordless was the ONLY way to go.

You don't want to be standing with one foot on the top step of a 6' ladder and the other on top of a wall, holding a piece of 3/4" pipe, a pipe hanger and a self-tapper with one hand and have to lug a drill with a fucking power cord attached to it with your other hand. You want to be able to reach down and pull out the cordless and know it's not going to knock you off your perch.

My sawzall is a DeWalt (corded). Not the most expensive and not the cheapest either, about mid-range in price. It works fine for me. I figure if you buy the cheapest you get what you pay for, if you buy the most expensive you're probably paying more than you need to.

^^^gets it. the battery/corded (they are both powered, btw) all comes down to wtf you are doing. if it is light work on a ladder where a cord is a major pita, cordless is a no brainer. If you are using a bazillion dollar 300 volt dilithium crystal powered hammerdrill to drill holes in concrete when an AC powersource is nearby, you are a fuggin' idjit. Right, dins?

[smackaholic]

Maybe it's different where you live, but I'll explain how it works here -- believe it or not...and I know this is a difficult concept...but around here, they don't just let homeowners arbitrarily decide how many square feet their house is on their own whim.

Why not? Do they hold your dick for you out in Cali whenever you hang a picture on the fukking wall?

My uncle lived out in the country and when he wanted a new room, he knocked down the fooken wall and built one. Those were the days when you didn't need a phonebook-sized stack of permits and written permission from Congress in order to work on your own house.

He put in a backyard pool, enclosed patio, fireplaces, new additions, and even raised the fukken roof basically by himself. His house was eccentric, unique, and cool as hell and he sold it for a small fortune when he retired from the post office.

Unwar the nanny-state, bureaucracy-choked mess that is the modern housing/real esate business.

rack! We'll make a republican outta you yet, fess.

[smackaholic]

Here in the most horrifically taxed state in the union, the actual permit cost is peanuts compared to the effect on property taxes. If I ever decide to finish part of my basement, I'd consider doing it without a permit. It would depend on how much longer I intended to stay in the home. If I planned to move a few years down the road, I'd sure as hell pull permits as it would avoid issues at sales time. If I planned on rotting here forever, I might not as it would probably save me considerable dollars in prop taxes. I would just make sure that it didn't look too finished. If it's just for kiddie play space/fucking off, I wouldn't have hardwood floors. I'd have carpets that I could roll up and hide when the tax assor dude came calling.

[Jerkovich]

I feel better in my decision to buy a corded Milwaukee Sawzall.

It might interesting to know if Dins' preference for battery operated tools is influenced by his personal choice of vibrators. Now that's a subject where I won't question his expertise.

Mace

Uhm, RACK!

[smackaholic]

Personally, I go with battery power for my vibrators. It's just safer. An 18 volt shock to the prostate is just a tingle, kinda nice actually. 110 AC on the other hand is too much even for a professional like me.

So you amateurs can go ahead with your plug in jobs. I ain't riskin' my ass to some POS GFI outlet that was probably made in a chinese sweatshop.

Sin,

Dins, smartest mofo on earth.

[smackaholic]

electric start is for limp wristed faggits. I got me a kick start job.

sin,

faiduh james

[Atomic Punk]

Damn Mace!

I'm starting to think Dins is really a troll now.

[Goober McTuber]

Dinsdale,

First of all, to create egress with a door, I would have to dig 6 feet down and in so doing would create a nice place to catch water and funnel it into my basement. I looked at the window well systems and passed. I should also have explained to you that with just me and my wife living there, we wanted a play area any way, not more bedrooms.

As for the number of screws in the ceiling drywall, I said off the top of my head I used “probably a couple dozen screws in each sheet”. We put them 12” apart, the beams are 16” on enter. My bad. I guess I should have said “probably three dozen screws in each sheet”.

And regarding your “feet-stomping” tirade about home prices, that includes the cost of the lot. Deduct $60-70,000 for that, and you have a 1500 or 1600 sq ft home. But you knew that didn’t you?

This isn’t the first home that I’ve bought and finished the basement. I made good money on the others, I’ll make good money on this one. And no one will make a peep about permits. Unless we’re talking fishing. And you’ll still be sharing an apartment with Felix Unger.