What did you do to your residence today?

[Bobn57]

I've been thinking about ordering one from https://www.showallegiance.com/

I had to retire my old one. We have an American Legion Post in town to properly retire it.
The new one is 3x5 with white ash pole. There are bearings at each end to keep it spinning freely. The quality is great and cost is up there but its all made in the USA. So far I'm impressed.

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[FreePenguin]

That looks great on your house. kudos

I dont want to be a Debbie downer, but people was stealing any flag other than blm in my area.. there's a guy down road who is a really old veteran, he literally does everything all day to his yard, you drive by and there's every form of life in there, bunnies, birds, squirrels, bird baths etc. beautiful flag pole and the flag, people knocked over his bird washes and took his flag. he was really upset.

fortunately his replacement hasn't been tampered with, but he was one of the victims I know personally.really sad people can't keep hands off other stuff.


I just repaired my downstairs blind, (its just a basement window blind) but my cat seemed to help herself. since I leave it closed all the time, dont see a point to do anything other than patch it. if need be, I will replace it one day. works.

she means well though. probably thought it was a fun swatting toy. I forgive her

 

[Bobn57]

That looks great on your house. kudos

I dont want to be a Debbie downer, but people was stealing any flag other than blm in my area.. there's a guy down road who is a really old veteran, he literally does everything all day to his yard, you drive by and there's every form of life in there, bunnies, birds, squirrels, bird baths etc. beautiful flag pole and the flag, people knocked over his bird washes and took his flag. he was really upset.

fortunately his replacement hasn't been tampered with, but he was one of the victims I know personally.really sad people can't keep hands off other stuff.


I just repaired my downstairs blind, (its just a basement window blind) but my cat seemed to help herself. since I leave it closed all the time, dont see a point to do anything other than patch it. if need be, I will replace it one day. works.

she means well though. probably thought it was a fun swatting toy. I forgive her

Thanks Donald. I don’t know why people can’t just leave other peoples stuff alone. hopefully no one messes with it.
we have same blind issue with our dog Lola she sits on window seat in one bedroom and watches over her domain
if we don’t raise the blinds she will stick her snout between the slats.

 

[Bobn57]

I've been thinking about ordering one from https://www.showallegiance.com/

They’re running a buy a flag give a flag if you buy May 26 to May 28
Donated to veterans. Good time to buy for a good cause.

 

[wingnutt]

Up we go!

…at this rate, we may be able to move in by December

 

[Crowd Hunter]

Up we go!

…at this rate, we may be able to move in by December

Is the styrofoam a mold for pouring concrete walls? looks like Legos! Build a styrofoam house, pour in the concrete, leave the styrofoam for insulation.

 

[Crowd Hunter]

After I saw this, I googled styrofoam concrete molds and found this page. Looks pretty cool! Insulated Concrete Forms: Pros and Cons (newhousebuilder.com)

I still remember this picture from Mexico Beach, FL after Hurricane Michael destroyed every structure except the ICF house.

 

[key01]

^ probably the only home that was built to code. Everyone else took the obligatory contractor short cut.

 

[wingnutt]

Is the styrofoam a mold for pouring concrete walls? looks like Legos! Build a styrofoam house, pour in the concrete, leave the styrofoam for insulation.

exactly…we built a walkout basement with it 20 years ago, and we said if we ever build again it will be a full ICF house.

that basement was consistently 10-20 degrees warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer with zero heat or a/c.

and ICF is a known storm shelter, with the right rebar schedule…2.5 inches of foam on the inside, plus 6 inches of concrete, plus another 2.5 foam outside is almost a one foot thick wall

 

[Crowd Hunter]

exactly…we built a walkout basement with it 20 years ago, and we said if we ever build again it will be a full ICF house.

that basement was consistently 10-20 degrees warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer with zero heat or a/c.

and ICF is a known storm shelter, with the right rebar schedule…2.5 inches of foam on the inside, plus 6 inches of concrete, plus another 2.5 foam outside is almost a one foot thick wall

That's really cool. I've been researching all the different ways houses are built these days, and I find the the piered beam slab very interesting. I guess the soil is really soft down there in Texas and can make building pretty tricky.

 

[DFB5.0]

A couple of plants flowering in my garden at the moment.

First, Camellia 'Yuletide'.

Camellia's are my favorite plants, they really lift a winter garden. My Grandmother had her garden filled with stunning Camellia's, as such I have a emotional connection with them.

Next, Magnolia 'Little Gem'. These typically flower during the warmer months of the year but they do spot flower during winter as well.

 

[Stage_3]

Hung up a couple of hanging plants and planted 4 flowers by the front stairs.
HOLY CRAP these things got expensive. Well,....we all know why. INFLATION. Not good at all. What was spent on these flowers alone, used to do both the front yard AND back yard. Not any more.
What a shame.

 

[DFB5.0]

Hung up a couple of hanging plants and planted 4 flowers by the front stairs.
HOLY CRAP these things got expensive. Well,....we all know why. INFLATION. Not good at all. What was spent on these flowers alone, used to do both the front yard AND back yard. Not any more.
What a shame.

As a nurseryman and plant retailer, I have watched prices creep up and up over the last 20 years. When I started, a basic shrub in a 6 inch pot cost $8 or $9.00. That same shrub in the same size pot costs at least $14 to $18 these days.

What many don't realize is how much work goes into that one plant to make it a sellable product.

In the most part, you are paying for the nurseryman's time to strike, pot, water and grow a plant to that sellable condition. He also needs to have space to grow thousands more of the same and many other plant varieties. And unlike say a packet of bolts or a bottle of car polish, a plant takes time to grow, they don't just pop out of a machine or factory. Plants can take between 4 months and up to 18 months to become a product able to be purchased at your local nursery or garden center.

In terms of costing, a wholesale grower needs to pay for -
-Labor/Staff
-Plant material to strike from
-Pot
-Potting mix/soil
-Fertilizer
-Pre-emergent weed killer
-Pest management
-Space to rent/lease/own to house the product while it grows
-Preparation and then shipping.

For a basic plant variety in a 6 inch pot, the wholesaler will sell these to a retailer at about $5 each. When you consider how much time, effort and other inputs go into to making that plant sellable, $5 is not making the nurseryman rich!

And then on the retailer side, again unlike a packet of bolts, a plant is not something thrown on the shelf and forgotten about until it passes through the till, it needs to be maintained, watered and fed...........and it costs money to pay someone like me to do that. So a plant on a bench at $14 is not making a retailer a rich man.

Just something to think about.

 

[Stage_3]

As a nurseryman and plant retailer, I have watched prices creep up and up over the last 20 years. When I started, a basic shrub in a 6 inch pot cost $8 or $9.00. That same shrub in the same size pot costs at least $14 to $18 these days.

What many don't realize is how much work goes into that one plant to make it a sellable product.

In the most part, you are paying for the nurseryman's time to strike, pot, water and grow a plant to that sellable condition. He also needs to have space to grow thousands more of the same and many other plant varieties. And unlike say a packet of bolts or a bottle of car polish, a plant takes time to grow, they don't just pop out of a machine or factory. Plants can take between 4 months and up to 18 months to become a product able to be purchased at your local nursery or garden center.

In terms of costing, a wholesale grower needs to pay for -
-Labor/Staff
-Plant material to strike from
-Pot
-Potting mix/soil
-Fertilizer
-Pre-emergent weed killer
-Pest management
-Space to rent/lease/own to house the product while it grows
-Preparation and then shipping.

For a basic plant variety in a 6 inch pot, the wholesaler will sell these to a retailer at about $5 each. When you consider how much time, effort and other inputs go into to making that plant sellable, $5 is not making the nurseryman rich!

And then on the retailer side, again unlike a packet of bolts, a plant is not something thrown on the shelf and forgotten about until it passes through the till, it needs to be maintained, watered and fed...........and it costs money to pay someone like me to do that. So a plant on a bench at $14 is not making a retailer a rich man.

Just something to think about.

Oh I can imagine man. We have to pay for all those materials and labor.
I'm not complaining, just more venting. (Okay, maybe I am complaining a little bit.) lol

 

[Crowd Hunter]

Pressure washing...lots of pressure washing! (Then washed my car.)

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