ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Sept 1, 2015 13:55:38 GMT -5
Do you have to turn it over? My DH just seeds over the top to fill in bare spots. (We have too much shade.) Depends. We have redwood trees in the front yard, which are pretty and all, but they drop little pine needle like bits. Very acidic. Makes keeping the grass healthy in the front lawn a bastard. If I turn it I can add some lime to get the pH balance back to a point the grass seed will like a little better. I've seeded both ways, and it always turns out better if you turn and loosen the top six inches. spray it green
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Sept 1, 2015 14:15:06 GMT -5
Depends. We have redwood trees in the front yard, which are pretty and all, but they drop little pine needle like bits. Very acidic. Makes keeping the grass healthy in the front lawn a bastard. If I turn it I can add some lime to get the pH balance back to a point the grass seed will like a little better. I've seeded both ways, and it always turns out better if you turn and loosen the top six inches. spray it green Or, install AstroTurf.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 1, 2015 14:21:24 GMT -5
Watch the birds and squirrels eating your grass seed. I can't imagine it tastes right to them but they do eat it.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 1, 2015 14:54:52 GMT -5
Nice touch. Should be quite the selling feature.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Sept 1, 2015 15:01:15 GMT -5
Funny you should mention that Archie, I was eyeballing some yard pigment at the hardware store just yesterday. I think the grass is too patchy for it though. There would be bare spots that would just be painted dirt. It's finally cooling off though, and we're supposed to get some rain this fall. If I put in fresh seed it should be looking thick and lush by the end of next month. Way cheaper than new sod too. Painted dirt is fine. Just needs to looks green. The only time I saw my yard before I bought it, it had a footof snow on the ground. The yard was in worse shape than we thought, but that just gives a blank slate to do what we want.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Sept 1, 2015 15:23:58 GMT -5
Do you have to turn it over? My DH just seeds over the top to fill in bare spots. (We have too much shade.) Depends. We have redwood trees in the front yard, which are pretty and all, but they drop little pine needle like bits. Very acidic. Makes keeping the grass healthy in the front lawn a bastard. If I turn it I can add some lime to get the pH balance back to a point the grass seed will like a little better. I've seeded both ways, and it always turns out better if you turn and loosen the top six inches. Ahh, interesting. It just sounds like so much more work, and you'd need a lot more seed to boot.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Sept 1, 2015 15:31:03 GMT -5
Ahh, interesting. It just sounds like so much more work, and you'd need a lot more seed to boot. It's more work, but it looks really good if you do it right. Our lawn in Colorado had nicer grass than most golf courses. Dark green, thick, lush grass with no weeds, no crab grass, it was awesome. Took a weekend with a rented tiller thing, a bag of grass seed, buckets of sweat, and a lot of watering the first month, but it looked better than any sod I've ever seen. maybe at your new house in colorado....
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moneymaven
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Post by moneymaven on Sept 1, 2015 15:40:08 GMT -5
That's how my lawn here is. Thick, lush and deep green. It took a beating the last few years with the dryness and heat, and then adding water restrictions. I got it back in shape and it looks better than ever. Thanks in part to good rain this year, no water restrictions and proper fertilization/aeration/monthly turf builder treatments.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Sept 1, 2015 16:49:16 GMT -5
Do you have to turn it over? My DH just seeds over the top to fill in bare spots. (We have too much shade.) Depends. We have redwood trees in the front yard, which are pretty and all, but they drop little pine needle like bits. Very acidic. Makes keeping the grass healthy in the front lawn a bastard. If I turn it I can add some lime to get the pH balance back to a point the grass seed will like a little better. I've seeded both ways, and it always turns out better if you turn and loosen the top six inches. When I lived in GA, we had to lime lawns to compensate for the heavy, clay soil. Didn't turn it in. Just used a broadcast spreader to apply it. Came to two styles, powder and pelletized. The pellitized version was easier to handle and not as dusty to apply. If you feel a need to get the lime into the soil, to speed up changing the ph of soil that is badly out of balance, I'd consider doing a heavy aereation with a plug type aereator (after watering the lawn to soften the soil), then applying the lime, then water the lawn to help wash the lime into the holes left when the aereator took the plugs out of the lawn. Probably wouldn't be quite as effective as stripping off the turf that is left, tilling the yard, adding soil amendments to change the chemistry of the soil, till again to blend in the amendments, seed, mulch to protect the seed from birds, water two or three times a day for two or three weeks until the seed sprouts. But, it'd be less work and might do the job.
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NastyWoman
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Post by NastyWoman on Sept 1, 2015 19:56:04 GMT -5
So, sort of an orange color. Very common. Should be easy to get a paint color that goes well. Shoot, he's probably already got it painted by now! LOL! We haven't even started picking paint colors yet. Focused on getting the bathroom work done first, and sprucing up the landscaping. I think the grass in the front and side yard may be a lost cause at this point. Might have to turn the whole thing and start with fresh seed or sod. Stupid drought and hot summer. We're finally going to do something more permanent about the little strip between the privacy fence and sidewalk too. I normally go knock the weeds down a couple times year but we've never covered it in gravel or mulch. Thinking we'll finally do it this time. I read somewhere (or maybe it was on the news) that certain water districts give subsidies to get rid of lawns and put in a drought resistant garden? You may want to check into that. If this is true for your district you may get the water district to pay for part of the garden update. Can't hurt to check and wouldn't it be fun if you could actually get the drought to work for you
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Sept 2, 2015 17:56:08 GMT -5
Even in Colorado, many of my friends are slowly doing away with their green grass lawn and putting in xeriscaped lawns. Colorado's climate is so dry that I never could understand why I was spending so much time and money keeping the grass green.
That was the only good thing about the year I lived in Black Hawk. There was no lawn to take care of in my rental house.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 4, 2015 14:10:12 GMT -5
Oh boy. Here's hoping you get an easy fix.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 4, 2015 17:13:37 GMT -5
Ugh
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Sept 4, 2015 18:20:26 GMT -5
Not fun.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Sept 4, 2015 18:40:45 GMT -5
That looks expensive. We had some rot in the floor next to our tub, but fortunately it didn't go down to the subfloor, so it wasn't too bad to repair, just some new plywood. Of course, we were doing a gut job on the bathroom anyway, so the incremental cost to repair was only about $20. The rot did move that bathroom project to the top of our list, though.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Sept 4, 2015 19:24:17 GMT -5
Sorry. Does not look good. Hope your friend can help you.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 4, 2015 21:36:55 GMT -5
I wonder which former owner did this "repair?"
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 5, 2015 3:47:01 GMT -5
Which is why someone just covered it up basically.
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mmhmm
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It's a great pity the right of free speech isn't based on the obligation to say something sensible.
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Post by mmhmm on Sept 5, 2015 3:54:53 GMT -5
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violagirl
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Post by violagirl on Sept 5, 2015 7:08:31 GMT -5
I have done some mould remediation work before. Make sure you wear a mask around that stuff. Ideally one of the filter ones. We have done renos before in full tyvek suit and mask. From what i learned in class, you have a short period of time if there is water damage to get it dry. If it isn't dry within a couple of days you will have mould.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 5, 2015 10:38:05 GMT -5
I didn't even think about mold. Omg. Is it I still the 5 foot rule?
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Sept 5, 2015 11:18:17 GMT -5
LOL! We haven't even started picking paint colors yet. Focused on getting the bathroom work done first, and sprucing up the landscaping. I think the grass in the front and side yard may be a lost cause at this point. Might have to turn the whole thing and start with fresh seed or sod. Stupid drought and hot summer. We're finally going to do something more permanent about the little strip between the privacy fence and sidewalk too. I normally go knock the weeds down a couple times year but we've never covered it in gravel or mulch. Thinking we'll finally do it this time. I read somewhere (or maybe it was on the news) that certain water districts give subsidies to get rid of lawns and put in a drought resistant garden? You may want to check into that. If this is true for your district you may get the water district to pay for part of the garden update. Can't hurt to check and wouldn't it be fun if you could actually get the drought to work for you Yes, but it only covers the costs of materials not labor and you have to use their approved plant list and provide receipts. Typically you only get a water bill credit. We applied for one of the yards we did. You need to see if your water district is participating. For more details go to you water district's website and look for the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) Lawn Be Gone Program.
Personally if I were Dark I would tear out the dead lawn and just have redwood mulch laid over the dead lawn. You can get free chips through Davey Tree Company (although I don't know that you can pick what kind of mulch). Alternatively order the Gorilla Hair from your favorite garden supply (they are actually redwood shavings and will look pretty). I'd lay a small section of sod in the back yard and mulch the rest. Your goal is to have a neat clean look that the subsequent owners can change if they want to and when they get money again after using their last dime to buy the house.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Sept 5, 2015 11:22:36 GMT -5
Vanity is out. Tub comes out tomorrow. Water damage is too bad to deal with it without ripping the bathroom apart. This is what I was afraid of.
When we returned from being away the back wall of the guest bath was soft. We had quite a bit of water damage but fortunately that part wasn't too expensive to fix. The contractor will cut out the worst, treat the remaining boards and sister in some new stuff. New hardy backer board maybe some new tile since the tub will have a lip that is tiled over. If the wall is ok you might be able to keep the upper tile and put a contrasting stripe for the lower part because you'll never be able to match the old tile even if it's white.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Sept 5, 2015 15:46:13 GMT -5
Ouch! How much will that cost Dark!?
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mmhmm
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It's a great pity the right of free speech isn't based on the obligation to say something sensible.
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Post by mmhmm on Sept 5, 2015 17:02:20 GMT -5
It's so nice you're able to do some of the work yourself, Sum Dum Gai. My late DH was NOT handy. He'd have taken one look, called the contractor, and booked a two-week cruise!
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 5, 2015 17:30:56 GMT -5
So far, $450 and some sweat/blood. Total cost.. who knows. I think I can salvage the vanity. My contractor friend is pulling three really nice Kohler tubs out of a remodel right now and thinks he can snag me one for free. That'll help keep costs way down since they retail for around $2k. I'll find out Tuesday. We'll buy matching sinks, probably not Kohler, but something that goes with the tub. New faucets. I can install those. New composite countertop will run a few hundred. I've got a buddy that does tile and countertops, and he graciously offered to bring tools and help me install that. I can replace the damaged wood with tools I already own, so just lumber and more of my sweat. I should be able to put in new flooring too. Only part I might need to hire out is retiling the shower enclosure around the new tub, unless we install a one piece surround. . Dark, those things look cheap, don't do it. It's not hard to tile, I've done it.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 5, 2015 19:18:05 GMT -5
Use the spacers. It makes it idiot proof. Seriously.
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emma1420
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Post by emma1420 on Sept 5, 2015 20:19:51 GMT -5
That looks scary. But, it sounds like you have people who know what they are doing guiding you. At least a remodelled bathroom will be a good selling point.
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kjto1
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Post by kjto1 on Sept 5, 2015 20:37:53 GMT -5
Good Luck with the remodeling, Dark!
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Sept 5, 2015 20:59:10 GMT -5
Lol, innate cheapassery--I love it!
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