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2h ago

in

Overheard a couple arguing about tile spacers at the hardware store

Six months of staring at pinched tile corners while washing a single coffee cup sounds like a special kind of DIY torture. I get the urge to just go for it, especially in a small van space where you think you can manage. But those little plastic crosses are basically training wheels for straight lines, and there's no shame in using them. Your cousin learned the hard way that eyeballing it is a fast track to a project that bugs you forever. I'd rather spend five extra minutes at the start than six months of quiet rage every time I do the dishes.

20h ago

in

Unpopular opinion: I think we should stop topping those big oaks in the city park

I worked for a tree service that topped everything for years, it was just how we did it. Then I saw a red maple we had topped come down in a storm two years later, the rot was already deep in those big cuts. My boss at the time called it a "quick fix" but watching that tree fail changed my mind. A proper reduction by a certified arborist might take an extra hour per tree, but it leaves smaller cuts that can actually heal. The topped trees just become a hazard and the city ends up removing them entirely a few years down the line.

1d ago

in

Serious question, I think being too nice on the first late payment call is a mistake

My contractor buddy says "check's in the mail" is usually code for "I need a real deadline.

1d ago

in

Found a way to clear a stubborn flue blockage in a 1920s house in Spokane

Tried that last winter when my flue was acting up. Got a rubber mallet and gave the crown a few solid taps from the roof. Heard the whole creosote chunk just drop down into the firebox. Way better than poking at it for an hour with a brush.

2d ago

in

Just realized how much the 'I'll know it when I see it' line has cost me over the years

My last quote was triple the original guess, a total nightmare.