In fairness, it's not just Mazda that does that. Maintenance bay workers earn around $100 an hour, if not more. So that $150 was 1/3 just for "labor." One hour or 5 minutes, they round the time up. Again, all of them do that. Either DIY the job or find an independent garage attached to a gas-station that will do basic maintenance for you at far more reasonable rates. You never take your car to the dealership for basic maintenance once it's out of warranty.
This Is What I've Been Up to Lately.
- Thread starter Chauncey Gardener
- Start date
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I've been telling myself to stay on task and finish painting mom's house..... Don't start something new ....
Well, Guys, I just got tired of L@@King at it ...
And the sun was shining off and on yesterday, with rain forecast for today ...
🤓
Well, Guys, I just got tired of L@@King at it ...
And the sun was shining off and on yesterday, with rain forecast for today ...
🤓
Almost all of the trim was painted today. Had to stop. The rain came with a vengeance.
PhotonWrangler
Flashaholic
Really nice. You are the energizer bunny of house painters.
Thank you.
Tomorrow will be day 100 of prep and painting the three buildings. I've taken a few half-days off for grocery shopping and other necessities. Truth be told, I haven't done much of anything other than work on Mom's house for the last two years.You are the energizer bunny of house painters.
Yesterday was spent leveling, cleaning, and painting the gutter on the Pool Hall. The previous owners purchased the duplex from Fort Lewis, probably during the 40s or the 50s. I was told Uncle Sam would sell buildings for one dollar and the purchaser would pay for the relocation.
Unfortunately, the building was placed on the lowest point of the property and they didn't provide an adequate foundation. Long story short, it needs to be leveled and rest upon a new set of pier blocks.
Due to the above, I wasn't able to properly set the gutter. That and having to deal with what previous people deemed as acceptable repairs, made for an exhausting endeavor. Having to deal with the uneven ground adjacent to half the building added a great deal of effort.
This conglomeration of screws and nails was present at every hanger and also between them. There were three different types of screw heads. Lovely.
The reason for all the fasteners is the woefully inadequate fascia board and the framing to which it's attached.
But I do know that about the six-hour mark, I let the profanities fly. 
Done for now.
Attachments
No offense taken. I understand ... perfectly.
At this stage in my life, I'd rather work than play. Sad, I know. So, it's good to have something to keep my derriere off the couch.
To me work is play these days.No offense taken. I understand ... perfectly.
At this stage in my life, I'd rather work than play. Sad, I know. So, it's good to have something to keep my derriere off the couch.
It's funny how when we were young we haaaaaated putting away pots and pans in the lower kitchen cabinets. Now we revel in not only putting them away but rearranging them for better organization because we still can.
Organization is a key element to a happy life. 👍 👍 There's no denying that men do it better. 👊👊
Mom's pantry after I spent an hour corralling her canned goods from three different locations. She had no idea what she had on hand before I organized. 
That canned chicken meat is what the animal rescue group used to lure the stray dog into we adopted into the trap they used to catch her.
Swanson is her favorite.
My wife used to tell her mom "my new boyfriend has his kitchen cabinets alphabatized". lol. I didn't but they were organized. She'd say "he even has spare spares". Now, I do arrange by expiration date though. Newest goes at the rear or bottom.
Swanson is her favorite.
My wife used to tell her mom "my new boyfriend has his kitchen cabinets alphabatized". lol. I didn't but they were organized. She'd say "he even has spare spares". Now, I do arrange by expiration date though. Newest goes at the rear or bottom.
I finally got started on fixing the leaking garage roof! I had no idea it would this difficult to get ahold of the screws I needed! >-<
I am replacing the 20 year old roof nails with screws, and adding some roof sealant in each hole just to be sure. It's about 350 nails I need to replace on the garage, and around 800 on the house. But the house roof is a project for next year, as the nails are newer there.
While waiting for the screws, my intermission project was a fairly quick one. Having made a decision on the Bahco BH13000 jack I bought last winter (the decision being this jack is NOT intended for the average working joe, who will NOT exclusively use it on smooth concrete), I bought 4x lockable heavy duty swivel casters, and made my own trolley jack jack trolley from leftover materials.
Casters are rated for 135 Kg each, and with the jack and trolley weighing about 70 Kg total, I think it will hold. ^^
Old jack was starting to rust from all the times I have had to drag it in snow and mud when changing from studless to studded wheels (or back) on our two cars.
I did not think the new jack was this heavy (~50 Kg)! I can lift that, but why bother punishing (and potentially injuruing) myself ever time I need to use it, when I can easily make life simpler for myself.
I am replacing the 20 year old roof nails with screws, and adding some roof sealant in each hole just to be sure. It's about 350 nails I need to replace on the garage, and around 800 on the house. But the house roof is a project for next year, as the nails are newer there.
While waiting for the screws, my intermission project was a fairly quick one. Having made a decision on the Bahco BH13000 jack I bought last winter (the decision being this jack is NOT intended for the average working joe, who will NOT exclusively use it on smooth concrete), I bought 4x lockable heavy duty swivel casters, and made my own trolley jack jack trolley from leftover materials.
Casters are rated for 135 Kg each, and with the jack and trolley weighing about 70 Kg total, I think it will hold. ^^
Old jack was starting to rust from all the times I have had to drag it in snow and mud when changing from studless to studded wheels (or back) on our two cars.
I did not think the new jack was this heavy (~50 Kg)! I can lift that, but why bother punishing (and potentially injuruing) myself ever time I need to use it, when I can easily make life simpler for myself.
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I love the trolly! Having dragged a floor jack across a gravel driveway I instantly recognized it as a brilliant idea.
Thank you.
The trolley actually worked beyond expectations - it just trundles along so nicely. And a dirt / gravel driveway is exactly what we have (you see it on the pictures), so...yeah, you clearly know the hassle.
I hope to reduce the scraping and scratches on the jack too, as well as less dirt and snow on it. The whole thing is kept in the garage when not used, but did I ever bother cleaning the old jack after a trip through the snow...ehh, no.
EDIT:
...Where is my "like" from Mr. Ed for having made the trolley, that was instantly recognized as a brilliant idea?
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@PaladinNO Are you able to jack up your car with the floor jack on the trolly, or does the floor jack need to be placed on the ground first?
Thanks raggie33. 🤓
The whole trolley going under was not considered when I designed it. I haven't tried it, but I doubt it. Both cars are over 1,5 tonnes (~1,7 and ~1,9 if I remember correctly), and as I always lift both rear wheels at the same time by the tow bar, I definitely think it will be too heavy. And I think both cars are too low to fit the whole trolley underneath on the sides. Maybe it goes under on the SUV, but that is also the heaviest vehicle, so...eh, I don't want to risk it.
Plan was always to just trolley the jack to the jack point-ish on the car, lift it off there and fine-maneuver it in place manually. Pulling or carrying the jack over the driveway has always been the main issue, which the trolley now will make a breeze of, so I think I will make myself content with having solved that.
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That's what I thought. Lightweight and easy to maneuver. Good plan. 👍 👍The whole trolley going under was not considered when I designed it. I haven't tried it, but I doubt it. Both cars are over 1,5 tonnes (~1,7 and ~1,9 if I remember correctly), and as I always lift both rear wheels at the same time by the tow bar, I definitely think it will be too heavy. And I think both cars are too low to fit the whole trolley underneath on the sides. Maybe it goes under on the SUV, but that is also the heaviest vehicle, so...eh, I don't want to risk it.
Plan was always to just trolley the jack to the jack point-ish on the car, lift it off there and fine-maneuver it in place manually. Pulling or carrying the jack over the driveway has always been the main issue, which the trolley now will make a breeze of, so I think I will make myself content with having solved that.
The floor jack: a marvelous invention that can lift a 2 ton automobile yet can't roll over a zip tie.
Trolley to the rescue 👍
Trolley to the rescue 👍
