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So I didn't buy much on cyber Monday, minus the Amazon Echo in white, that's now controlling everything and the wife even likes it.
Also, found this beauty on CL for $50; didn't even haggle because it's over $200 new. This wasn't used and it seemed sketchy but.....I was able to clean up all the walls and replace the rusted out boxes. This now houses a timer for the front lights, a timer for the pool pump and salt water generator, the breakers, the transformer for the pool light, pool light switch, and the convenience plug.
Old, note the rusted timer box (bottom was almost completely gone) and the box hidden in the lower left corner with no cover was so rusted, the mounts for the cover were gone.
Bottom left - kind of hidden but single gang box with no cover, to its right on the bottom row - ground box and old illegal hookup for heater, then a four outlet non GFCI with the front light timer hanging out, then top row left - random box of connections, transformer for light, pool timer, breaker box, then pool light switch.
This probably took me 12-14 hours to do, plus a few hours reading electrical codes and a few trips to Lowes The bottom box on the left had two pipes coming in (glued) plus it was screwed and CEMENTED to the wall. I had to use a wire to carefully cut through the conduit and not hurt the wires and chisel the box off the wall. Then I had to seam the conduit and replace the overly stuffed box but since it was such a tight area, I had to use a single gang but luckily I found an extension to make it deeper. Other boxes were super hard to get off the walls and the wiring was a disaster, lots of testing random wires. I also found there was no GFCI protection so I added that and it appears there should have only been two outlets, not four. Now the outlets are nice and tidy, on the right side of the box. While working in that wooden pool box cover, over all the piping was a pain, it was a great learning experience and my buddy is an electrician who is going to check/fix my work. I lost my bonding screw so as soon as I grab another, this project is done (minus adding the pool light back to SmartThings).
Real pain to take on and off, despite the in pool roller I made and not a huge change in temp. I think that once we get the solar panels put in, this might be much more beneficially because I heard it does a great job holding heat in.
Also, why the hell are my pics gigantic, dammit! Also, imgur makes them looks like shit, never noticed before.
LMAO...you told me the best day of your life was the day you bought that John Cougar Mellencamp Edition MINI...
and you said that to me last week, well after marriage and baby was born.
Also, added some planters around the gate. The pavers for the drive are hardly even and while I used leveling sand, as expected, it washed away. I don't really want to cement them in but guess I should; anyone done it?
Think I'm doing two toparies around the entry and some birds of paradise to help cover the ugly brown fence. Gate is plastic, as required by the HOA but it is so flimsy and needs to be replaced. I ghetto'ed it up with weatherstripping because poisonous toads were getting in there and causing the dogs to go to ER vet. LPr0oSp.jpg 48T2II5.jpg
HOA tore out a nasty bush up front and looking to replace that and re-sod the yard
The pavers for the drive are hardly even and while I used leveling sand, as expected, it washed away. I don't really want to cement them in but guess I should; anyone done it?
Sorry, should have made it more clear. The driveway has pavers with a concrete border to make it a straight line. I laid the pavers across that edge because there is only a tiny strip of dirt. The bricks are on that edge and since the drive pavers and cemented in, they aren't leaving.
It's an ackward area, not really wide enough to plant so the planter gives it a bit more room.
Ah ok. In that case, I'd use some composite shims to level them out from the back side and call it a day. You'll have to glue the shims to the concrete and the block to the shim but it should be fine with that kind of a wall. Are the blocks retaining wall blocks or are they just free standing? If free standing, they should be glued together too... The nuclear option (and maybe the right way) would be to bust all that concrete up underneath, lay some class 5 gravel, leveling sand, and put the blocks on top of that. You'd also gain some drainage from runoff from the driveway that can upset the wall and also from water from the top. If you have concrete under it, it's not going anywhere and will just pool up there.
Leveling sand isn't going to do anything unless there's dirt underneath it to hold all the sand in place. If you put it between two hard surfaces, it'll for sure be gone in no time.
Edit to add: Another thought is to take all that stuff out, build a back frame out of wood, and fill the area with self leveling compound and build the wall on that. You'll still have to glue the blocks down but it'll be dead level and you won't have any issues with the shims shifting around.
Thanks for the tips. Technically, the drive is supposed to be left alone due to the HOA but it looked terrible with the small strip of dirt there. Neighbors have put in small shrubs but the area is so tiny, they don't grow well. I think I may bust up the cement, then gravel, sand, brick, then mortar them all together. They are 'Landscaping" bricks so I feel they should be adhered together but everything I read said dry stacking would work, I don't love it. I'm also tempted to use mortar to adhere them to the existing cement and drive, would that work? I've done CB walls but never something like this, I assume it would go together the same, no?
Oh, contractors found that the sprinklers outside the window are getting in the house. They are going to fix the inside but they told me we should pull the bed out, line it, then put it all back together. I figured I would pull the sprinklers and see if I could convert them to drips to help from spraying the house too, more projects.
On the plus side, contractor thinks he maybe able to update the 70's style garage doors to the newer wood look the community wants for way less than the $7k they want for the veneer they put on
How do you power the LED strips for your under the counter lights? Is there any way to do it besides an unsightly brick with a cable running up under your cabinets?
Thanks for the tips. Technically, the drive is supposed to be left alone due to the HOA but it looked terrible with the small strip of dirt there. Neighbors have put in small shrubs but the area is so tiny, they don't grow well. I think I may bust up the cement, then gravel, sand, brick, then mortar them all together. They are 'Landscaping" bricks so I feel they should be adhered together but everything I read said dry stacking would work, I don't love it. I'm also tempted to use mortar to adhere them to the existing cement and drive, would that work? I've done CB walls but never something like this, I assume it would go together the same, no?
Oh, contractors found that the sprinklers outside the window are getting in the house. They are going to fix the inside but they told me we should pull the bed out, line it, then put it all back together. I figured I would pull the sprinklers and see if I could convert them to drips to help from spraying the house too, more projects.
On the plus side, contractor thinks he maybe able to update the 70's style garage doors to the newer wood look the community wants for way less than the $7k they want for the veneer they put on
The mortar route is probably fine but the key would be whether or not you like the look of mortar in between blocks aka the brick look. The glue option would allow for a seamless look in between blocks but it's just a matter of which appearance looks better to you as both would be effective. The key is to make sure the base is solid and won't shift, the wall isn't tall enough to run into other issues.
As far as the water thing goes, I'd dig it up, seal it, and be done with it. Switching to drips too would be a bonus but doing only drips would be like putting a band aid on a gunshot wound. You will regret it in the future if you don't fix it right.
Originally Posted by CCColtsicehockey
How do you power the LED strips for your under the counter lights? Is there any way to do it besides an unsightly brick with a cable running up under your cabinets?
Run the power from an existing outlet to a new outlet inside a cabinet and then run all the wires inside the cabinets.
The mortar route is probably fine but the key would be whether or not you like the look of mortar in between blocks aka the brick look. The glue option would allow for a seamless look in between blocks but it's just a matter of which appearance looks better to you as both would be effective. The key is to make sure the base is solid and won't shift, the wall isn't tall enough to run into other issues.
As far as the water thing goes, I'd dig it up, seal it, and be done with it. Switching to drips too would be a bonus but doing only drips would be like putting a band aid on a gunshot wound. You will regret it in the future if you don't fix it right..
Thanks for the tips, I was just researching glue today because I don't want the mortar look and the glue looks great! I'm going to pull the bricks and glue them tomorrow, looks like it should only be $15-20 in glue without the mess of mortar.
As for the other bed, unfortunately it is much bigger then the drive but oh well. I am definitely pulling it out and lining it along with converting to drips. I figure if I'm going to pull it out, might as well do the drips too. Contractor suggested putting a pond liner in against the house, across the bottom, and on all sides; would this work? I'm worried water would just pond at the bottom so should I dig it out below the ground level, add gravel, then line it and punch holes in the bottom towards the front?
How do you power the LED strips for your under the counter lights? Is there any way to do it besides an unsightly brick with a cable running up under your cabinets?
So I didn't want that at all and was researching the microwave plug. It appears the plug should be on its own 15-20 amp breaker and sure enough, there was a single outlet with a 20 amp breaker. I couldn't find definite answer on whether it needed a 15 or 20 but since we have a 20, I figured I would be ok converting the outlet to two outlets and plugging this in. I can still run the lights and microwave and I don't think it's an issue with LEDs but I could be wrong. After I plugged it in over the stove in a cabinet, I drilled a hole between cabinets on the top shelf to run the wire through, then down behind the two cabinets to plug in. I don't see any wires now, unless I bend over and look up under the cabinets. I can also see one wire run across the back of a cabinet but only if I stand on the counter and look directly in the top cabinet (I have to be on the counter and crouch over to see the wire so I'm not worried about it).
That being said, I wanted to run all the lights off one out of sight brick but I couldn't for the life of me, figure out how to run a cable behind the backsplash, under the sink, and up on the other side of the sink again. I could run it behind the fridge, up into the overhead cabinet and back down but couldn't' get it to that side. I ended up buying another lightify hub and plugging it in by the fridge (in the backsplash where I didn't want it). I still need to covert the fridge plug to two outlets as well, so I can plug it in behind there and get rid of that block. I setup the first set of lights to change color, dim, etc on my input in SmartThings and the second set follows suit. The second set is a few seconds behind the first set but it doesn't really bother me.
Thanks for the tips, I was just researching glue today because I don't want the mortar look and the glue looks great! I'm going to pull the bricks and glue them tomorrow, looks like it should only be $15-20 in glue without the mess of mortar.
As for the other bed, unfortunately it is much bigger then the drive but oh well. I am definitely pulling it out and lining it along with converting to drips. I figure if I'm going to pull it out, might as well do the drips too. Contractor suggested putting a pond liner in against the house, across the bottom, and on all sides; would this work? I'm worried water would just pond at the bottom so should I dig it out below the ground level, add gravel, then line it and punch holes in the bottom towards the front?
Yup, glue is the way to go. Just make sure you level them all out with shims before you do anything if you're not ripping out the concrete underneath.
A pond liner to fix that issue? Usually they'll use a waterproof paint on the foundation to solve water intrusion problems. I can't comment on the issue too much because I'm not there and not a professional but it might be worth it to at least get a second opinion on the matter.
Yup, glue is the way to go. Just make sure you level them all out with shims before you do anything if you're not ripping out the concrete underneath.
A pond liner to fix that issue? Usually they'll use a waterproof paint on the foundation to solve water intrusion problems. I can't comment on the issue too much because I'm not there and not a professional but it might be worth it to at least get a second opinion on the matter.
Might have smashed up a bit of the concrete lining the pavers but the glue worked out really well. I have the small side done and started the larger side last night but it got too dark so I came in and ordered some LV landscape lighting for the fence. When I was running the cable out to the new beds, I realized the front lights weren't on and it appears the transformer isn't working so another thing to fix.
I want to finish the bricks but of course it's raining so I guess I find inside projects.
Oh, they're coming to haul out all the busted up tiles and drywall today. I think I'm going to have them take the kids toilet with them and go buy an elongated one so my goods don't rub the bowl.
Just did a paver patio 350 sq ft. Are you going to use joint lock sand to fill in the grooves. Filler sand will end up getting washed away.
Tell me more about this joint lock sand, while I google it I plan on buying the composite shims recommended in here, today and am going to bash up the cement high points to keep the beds even. I would, however, like is put something between the existing driveway pavers because it is weed city and it looks old. Our one neighbor filled all the cracks in with cement and to keep within the HOA rules, just didn't fill them to the top so you could tell they are indeed pavers. Then he painted it all and it looks great now.
Other neighbor pulled all the pavers up and had them re-laid so there are super tiny gaps and very few weeds. Another neighbor tried leveling sand and as expected, it washed away.
Tell me more about this joint lock sand, while I google it I plan on buying the composite shims recommended in here, today and am going to bash up the cement high points to keep the beds even. I would, however, like is put something between the existing driveway pavers because it is weed city and it looks old. Our one neighbor filled all the cracks in with cement and to keep within the HOA rules, just didn't fill them to the top so you could tell they are indeed pavers. Then he painted it all and it looks great now.
Other neighbor pulled all the pavers up and had them re-laid so there are super tiny gaps and very few weeds. Another neighbor tried leveling sand and as expected, it washed away.
You don`t have weeds at least from what I can see so that`s good. Do some more research to see if it is good for your application or if cement is better way since the gaps between the pavers are shallow.
What we did is put the joint lock sand in for a new application.
If you can blow out the debris between the pavers and brush in the joint lock slowly and leave about an 1/8th inch on to the top of the paver it might work. And follow all instructions on the label. Except you probably don`t need a tamper since it is an established driveway.
Just did a paver patio 350 sq ft. Are you going to use joint lock sand to fill in the grooves. Filler sand will end up getting washed away.
I was just reading down through and was about to suggest this but I see you have already done so. That stuff works great on pavers. Just don't get any water on it till you have all the excess brushed away.
Thanks guys, I'm going to do the joint sand, just finishing up the beds along the drive first. My wife and neighbors think I'm crazy but I have been working a few hours at night, in the dark but almost done. I wired up some low voltage lights for some back lights, planted some plants but need a tad more dirt to fill the corner and I'm done, minus sprinkler drips. It took 6 tubes of masonry glue but they look so so much better and nice and level, can't wait to get some joint sand but lots of late meetings this week
As for the grass, I love the look on big pavers but these are tiny and they would look terrible I'm afraid. I am toying with the idea of getting some confederate jasmine and trying to grow it up our ugly HOA mandated brown fence in a diamond shape like below, thoughts? I would keep mine a bit more trimmed than the pic but I have seen it look incredible in Palm Beach but than again, those houses start at 10 mil so anything looks good
Just snapped a pic of our brown fence, now that we have some sun. I couldn't go too tropical with plants because we don't get much sun here but still came out pretty well. I just need to cover the fence....
So I didn't want that at all and was researching the microwave plug. It appears the plug should be on its own 15-20 amp breaker and sure enough, there was a single outlet with a 20 amp breaker. I couldn't find definite answer on whether it needed a 15 or 20 but since we have a 20, I figured I would be ok converting the outlet to two outlets and plugging this in. I can still run the lights and microwave and I don't think it's an issue with LEDs but I could be wrong. After I plugged it in over the stove in a cabinet, I drilled a hole between cabinets on the top shelf to run the wire through, then down behind the two cabinets to plug in. I don't see any wires now, unless I bend over and look up under the cabinets. I can also see one wire run across the back of a cabinet but only if I stand on the counter and look directly in the top cabinet (I have to be on the counter and crouch over to see the wire so I'm not worried about it).
That being said, I wanted to run all the lights off one out of sight brick but I couldn't for the life of me, figure out how to run a cable behind the backsplash, under the sink, and up on the other side of the sink again. I could run it behind the fridge, up into the overhead cabinet and back down but couldn't' get it to that side. I ended up buying another lightify hub and plugging it in by the fridge (in the backsplash where I didn't want it). I still need to covert the fridge plug to two outlets as well, so I can plug it in behind there and get rid of that block. I setup the first set of lights to change color, dim, etc on my input in SmartThings and the second set follows suit. The second set is a few seconds behind the first set but it doesn't really bother me.
Does that help, happy to take pics if you like
Darn I have a microwave oven combo unit that is all together in one piece of trim. I have no way to get behind the system easily that I am aware of without a lot of work to even find out if there is even an outlet back there or if my microwave could operate off of 220v even. If I could tap a small hole in the side of that cabinet by removing the microwave to get to it that would work then. My fridge is also not near my main section of cabinets either just a small double cabinet next to it.
Only other thing I can think of taping into maybe would be 110v power for my hood vent over my stove I might be able to tap into.
After posting that pic, I noticed that the step looked terrible so I added brick in front and it looks so much more complete. The HOA made me stop the brick across the front of the fence because it wasn't consistent with my neighbor but so many people have commented on it, the HOA is going to redo all the tree surrounds with my brick haha
Added some lights (may change them to some sort of down light because I don't love it) and converted my spray head to drips to water the plants and not soak the cars DKuGRfl.jpg
As you may remember, as they were working on fixing our converted garage, they noticed water was seeping in from the raised bed against the house so I changed it up. Removed 80 of the ugly retaining wall things, pulled the rocks, pulled the plants, pulled the topsoil, dug out the 12 inches of leveling sand that was randomly under the soil, dug down further, graveled, then the soil, then replanted, converted the spray heads to drips here too so the water isn't spraying the house, and re-rocked. The big problem was carrying the sand and extra soil behind the house and over the fence, in a 5 gallon bucket. I think I made 50 plus trips but looks good now and hopefully, no more leaks.
Wife really helped out here and I'm hoping someone on CL will come grab the retaining wall bricks...
Sorry, missed this but that vent should work but I've seen them hardwired before. If it is, no big deal to add an outlet but still more work. On the plus side, the more work, the more rewarding!
Originally Posted by CCColtsicehockey
Darn I have a microwave oven combo unit that is all together in one piece of trim. I have no way to get behind the system easily that I am aware of without a lot of work to even find out if there is even an outlet back there or if my microwave could operate off of 220v even. If I could tap a small hole in the side of that cabinet by removing the microwave to get to it that would work then. My fridge is also not near my main section of cabinets either just a small double cabinet next to it.
Only other thing I can think of taping into maybe would be 110v power for my hood vent over my stove I might be able to tap into.
12-01-2016, 05:27 PM
The bottom box on the left had two pipes coming in (glued) plus it was screwed and CEMENTED to the wall. I had to use a wire to carefully cut through the conduit and not hurt the wires and chisel the box off the wall. Then I had to seam the conduit and replace the overly stuffed box but since it was such a tight area, I had to use a single gang but luckily I found an extension to make it deeper. Other boxes were super hard to get off the walls and the wiring was a disaster, lots of testing random wires. I also found there was no GFCI protection so I added that and it appears there should have only been two outlets, not four. Now the outlets are nice and tidy, on the right side of the box. While working in that wooden pool box cover, over all the piping was a pain, it was a great learning experience and my buddy is an electrician who is going to check/fix my work. I lost my bonding screw so as soon as I grab another, this project is done (minus adding the pool light back to SmartThings).
I plan on buying the composite shims recommended in here, today and am going to bash up the cement high points to keep the beds even. I would, however, like is put something between the existing driveway pavers because it is weed city and it looks old. Our one neighbor filled all the cracks in with cement and to keep within the HOA rules, just didn't fill them to the top so you could tell they are indeed pavers. Then he painted it all and it looks great now. 
