Home Improvement? – Page 2 – lee-lawmaster.com

Adventures in Cutting the Cord

For the past six months, I’ve been experimenting in cutting the cord. For those not in the know, this is the term for getting rid of cable. I subscribe to the online streaming services Hulu, Netflix and now Disney+. With the combined cost of those solutions having cable would make TV entertainment an expensive solution.

I merely just want local TV networks. ABC, NBC, CBS & FOX. There is also another network called The CW. Since the changeover to digital OTA broadcasting, many channels have sub or “add-on” channels too. So each station can have sometimes five additional channels.

I’m in what’s called a “deep fringe” area, which makes receiving TV signals difficult at best. There is a PBS station and CBS station that can be picked up with the cheapest of antennas, but the rest require some major work. The transponders I am trying to receive signals from are between 50 and 65 miles away. Other than the two previously mentioned stations, those are my closest options.

At first I tried some solutions through a company called Antennas Direct. They sell what I call “new style” TV antennas. They were funky and I liked it. Sadly, their options were paltry in performance at best. I used their ClearStream 4MAX®, which picked up nothing but my local stations that I previously mentioned. I then tried the DB8e 8-Element Bowtie Attic/Outdoor HDTV Antenna. It did better, but I was still not happy. With it’s vertical style it swayed with the wind pretty significantly as well.

I also purchased their Juice pre-amp. This pre-amp is the 2nd most powerful pre-amp I could find. So I’ve kept it.

I randomly went to my local big box home improvement store and decided on a whim to buy an antenna mast, and ended up buying a large RCA branded TV antenna as well. It claimed to have a 100 mile range, and I could take it back if I didn’t like it. I didn’t have much to lose.

My girlfriend’s son helping to install this large antenna

Just playing around with this antenna, the difference in performance was astounding. I was able to pickup the vast majority of the TV stations in the 2 major markets I am in between. Antennas Direct provided me a full refund and I decided to go with this as my solution. It worked well for a while, and then it just didn’t. I ended up losing NBC and then the ABC station as well, which was the one thing I wanted the most.

I primarily use this to watch ABC World News Tonight, something I watched with my father as a child. I then lost reception of both ABC stations that I could receive earlier.

This antenna I have is omni-directional, meaning it picks up signals completely surrounding it. When weather conditions were suitable I can also pickup stations from another state. I decided I needed a better antenna mount and larger mast. So I procured a tripod and a 10′ antenna mast with a Channel Master CM-7777v3 (the highest powered pre-amp I can find).

Sadly, there was no difference after installing all of these items. I needed a better antenna. After speaking with my local professional shop for all things antenna related, they said my antenna was “temperamental at best.” So I went with their guidance, and procured a Winegard 7698p antenna, which is what they sell.

This antenna is massive, when assembled it is 14′ long. It’s specifically tuned for UHF and high-VHF, which most TV stations in the USA are set as now.

This picture doesn’t justify the sheer size of this antenna

The largest functional difference with this antenna is that it is directional instead of omni-directional. It only receives reception from the direction you point it towards.

I received the antenna this week, assembled it on Friday evening and installed it Saturday morning. When it I got it connected, I was instantly floored. It received signals from channels I had never been able to pickup before. I decided to rotate the antenna to see what it would do with the other market. Then something happened, all reception fizzled out. It’s as if the antenna doesn’t work.

I requested a refund and replacement. I know this is a good antenna, this one just gave me a problem.

I haven’t fully decided yet, but I may combine both of these antennas to pickup what stations I can from both of those markets I’m between.

Once I get the replacement in and setup, I’ll post again. I’ll then dig deeper on the high tech end of my system that enables features primarily found with cable service.

The Summer of Discontent

This summer has been a hard one on me, for a multitude of reasons. Reasons I will outline below.

Work

There have been some changes to my work environment. The director that hired me had to step down and officially become an emeritus due to policies I don’t exactly understand. The new “interim” director isn’t exactly as social or open, and it has the staff and faculty mighty concerned. For instance, he has requested several things that I should have been in the loop on, but I’ve found out third hand about them. We will carry on, but it’s a time of a lot of unknowns. I’m not a fan of unknown.

Fortunately I work for a different department technically, so he does not have the capability to fire me, or even discipline me. But these are my people, and I will stick up for them with everything of my being. It’s who I am professionally.

Vacation

The girlfriend had planned a vacation for all of us, and I left the details up to her this time. It seemed like a fun time, but quickly turned into a nightmare. We went to Williamsburg, KY. They have a waterpark there. What caught my eye was that the fee to get in was only $2 more than it was to get into the local city pool. Attached to the waterpark is a campground. We were all going to camp there for three days, go to the waterpark and try to visit any other sights in the area that weren’t too far away.

When originally planning and booking the site, the weather was supposed to be comfortable, it turned out to be the opposite. We had absolutely 0 shade at our camp site. The tent camp sites were relegated to an area around the “backwash” of the waterpark. It seemed very 3rd class.

After a day at the waterpark, I got the worst sunburn I’ve ever had in my life. With the combination of the heat and humidity, it felt like it was at least 110 degrees. I was done. My anger and frustrations at this situation couldn’t take anymore.

So I sat in my vehicle with the air conditioning on most of the day. Later, I took a couple of the kids with me, and we drove to wherever. Eventually making it to Chatanooga, TN and turning back around. Me and her got into a fight. For some reason she thought I was going to leave her and her kids there, five hours away from home without a way back home. Did I think about it? Yes. But I could never do something like that.

We ended up staying for the Independence Day fireworks and leaving immediately afterwards. I told her things would be different after this. I needed peace, I require peace.

The next weekend, I took my daughter on a trip she deserved. It was short but sweet. We went to Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace, then went over to The Biltmore Estate. Something her mom and I did 13 years prior, we even stayed in the same hotel.

The Bathroom

We get home, and my main bathtub faucet wouldn’t stop dripping. This remodel that I had been putting off for 12 years decided for me that it must be done now.

I have 3 bathrooms in my house, and this one has for the most part remained untouched since I purchased my home in 2006. I knew it would need a complete gut, and I wasn’t prepared for the expense. There was mold that would keep coming back. This told me that it was in the wall.

So, after taking essentially two vacations – I am now knee deep in a bathroom renovation.

I have removed the tub surround, purchased a new one (that was just delivered to the store today), had my tub refinished and purchased a new tub faucet.

Now it’s just a matter of installation, and that disaster will be over with partially. Once I get some of these debts paid off, I’m going to complete the rest of the renovation.

1 Down

Tonight I finished the renovation of our master bathroom that I wrote about previously. There’s still a little bit of touch up painting to do, but the real work is over.

I’ll let the pictures do the talking. Here’s the highlights.

This bathroom is mainly used by my wife. She picked basically everything, I’ve got to give it to her on her choices. The finished room really looks nice!

The floor I installed was one of those “easy tongue and groove” systems. It was not easy by any means. I had to literally install it one way and then remove everything and install it another way.

I reused the toilet, but converted it to dual-flush. It’s amazingly green.

Now it’s on to planning and preparing for “the big one.” A complete demo and remodel of our main bathroom. The pressure will really be on for this one as I don’t see my wife being happy with using our shower, which is located downstairs.

Preparing for the Big One

Through the years I’ve wrote a lot about my on-going home renovation projects. I’ve done so many that I’m now down to doing large projects instead of small “easy” ones. Our bathrooms have been easily the most neglected spaces of our home. We’ve decided to finally remodel them, they deserve it.

Our master bathroom, which is a half-bathroom needs the least work and will be done first. It is by far the smallest room in the house. Measuring in at 4′ x 6′, there isn’t much room for anything.

We’re adding texture to the walls as a quick fix. Originally wallpaper was put up, but we took it down. What remains is dried glue and many places where repair is needed. With a little joint compound and some creativity – It’ll look beautiful. Surprisingly there is a standard size double hung window in the room. To give privacy the original owners installed plantation shutters. Both of us hate them (especially in this room), so I’ll be applying some window tinting to give some privacy and save space.

The flooring is carpeted. I would like to know what drugs people were on in the 60’s and 70’s that made them think that a type of flooring that likes to hold water was a good idea in a room with nothing but plumbing! We haven’t decided what we are going to put in just yet, but it will probably be vinyl flooring of some type.

The only remaining items in that bathroom are the lavatory, medicine cabinet and lighting fixture. One weekend Rachel and I went to our local home improvement stores and without an argument, agreed on almost everything we need. We have some pieces that will be the same in both bathrooms, but each will have their own style.

The main bathroom is a completely different story than the master. This bathroom was not built right to begin with. When we moved into the house, the drain lines for the toilet and tub had to be replaced. The tub surround is merely tile that has been glued onto the drywall. Mold is in no short supply in this room. I’ve decided that I’m going to gut this room except for the ceiling. I expect some repair work will be needed on wall studs or joists.

What we have decided, mainly based on our experiences is that we need to have a better tub surround system. After searching high and low I found one. It goes from the top of the tub to the ceiling. There is also an optional cap component that acts as a ceiling for the shower, encapsulating that area from water infiltration.

We’re also going to install a whirlpool tub, score.

Everything Old is New Again

It’s been way too long since my last post. It seems as if I forget about my little corner of the world here and forget to drop in and reflect on my life, which is the main reason for this blog.

At the beginning of last summer, I accepted a position with VICOPS (Collaboration Technologies) at Indiana University. This small department handles all of the videoconferencing/collaboration resources for the entire Indiana University system and outside affiliates. I work for the help desk, where we take telephone and video calls for assistance with issues regarding technologies such as desktop videoconferencing, Adobe Connect, Telepresence, etc.

At the beginning of the fall I was offered and accepted a full time hourly position with them. I no longer have to worry about finding multiple jobs to fill hours. It has been a great relief to my family as well. I never realized how much I actually treasure steady working hours.

I’m only 10 credit hours away from graduating. This semester I’m taking nothing but Informatics and Computer Science courses. Most of these are just introductory courses, which are a cakewalk for someone with my knowledge in the subject.

My business has received a much needed injection of attention. After changing the name from LML Video Services to Magic Media Services, things just died out. I then put a request on reddit for someone to help redesign the logo for my business. I was more than surprised at the results when someone obliged my request. I am now working on redesigning my website, which will be located somewhere on the rox.com domain temporarily.

Rachel and I finally got “grown up” furniture for our bedroom. With the assistance of my neighbor Bill we got a new dresser, chest of drawers, headboard, armoire and night stand. We also purchased a new mattress and box spring, which was needed greatly. Our old, borrowed furniture went back to my grandma who lent it to us over 10 years ago. I can’t thank her enough for the kindness in her heart.

Over the weekend I replaced the first of three sinks in our home. The one in our utility room (they are all exactly the same) started leaking about a gallon of water a day. The drain was rusted out, but I couldn’t replace it as it was seized together.
The shut off valves for the water lines were seized as well. With all of the water problems this area had previously, we knew this was going to be ugly. Since we needed a place to give Amelia a bath while remodeling our main bathroom (which will be happening soon) we decided to purchase a utility sink for the space. 8 hours and 3 trips to Menards later, I was both finished with the project and worn our physically and mentally.

On the ROX side of life, I’m currently downloading the latest finished episode for distribution to CATS. #96 will be on the air soon in Monroe county.

Hopefully I’ll be back soon with more organized and focused posts.

This That and the Other

I haven’t had a chance to post anything for a while as my life has became quite full lately.

This week is spring break at Ivy Tech and IU. It’s been a nice break from the organized chaos that has become my life. So I thought I would write about the goings on lately.

Backup, Backup, Backup!

I finally got a stable backup file server going. My original one died and I’m in the process of parting it out. If you’re looking for some cheap computer parts you can find ’em right here. I finally gave up on linux and went with Windows Server 2003. It’s essentially XP with additional goodies for server functions. I only have one step left, and that is setting up the RAID configuration. That’s for a safety net should a hard drive fail.

ROX Update

While I haven’t had much time to concentrate on ROX, I have started recording episodes that still play on CATS. I have many of the episodes on VHS, but capturing them straight to a digital format makes things much easier. Given the advanced development of my daughter I might be able to start working on ROX again and finally get season one released in a few months.

Amelia

She is growing and developing at an alarming rate! She is now eating solid foods every night. She is also starting to move around on her own, she isn’t crawling yet but very close. She has learned that she has a voice and likes to use it often. I would say her favorite activity is getting mommy and daddy wet when she’s taking a bath. She’s a hoot and a very happy baby. We couldn’t ask for more.

The Semester From Hell

This semester I’m taking a class I’ve failed before (MATH-111) and a class that interests me (CINS-102). My math class is great, as the instructor does his best to ensure everyone in class understands the concepts and can do the work. 85% of the final grade in this class is based upon test scores, something I’ve never had to deal with before. Right now I’m earning a solid B, which makes me very happy. I plan on thanking him at the end of the semester for being such a good instructor, all teachers should be reminded how much they’re appreciated when they do a good job! My other class is a completely different story however. While I’m learning some much needed skills in this class (XHTML & CSS) the instructor seems to use the class has her way to release frustrations she has. There aren’t many people in this class, and many don’t seem to have the skills required or aren’t putting forth the effort required. The class has opened my eyes to the world of web programming, but it’s almost impossible to swallow her totalitarian attitude.

Give Me The Fiber

If you live in Indiana, you might have heard about what Smithville Telephone is doing. All of their customers are receiving fiber to the home. It’s exciting to say the least. Last year I rewired the phone lines in my house and installed a LAN in anticipation. This week we were “pre-wired” for it. This consisted of them installing a new network interface on the outside of my home, installing a battery backup system in my home, and installing a data jack. My area, called the “Fullerton Remote” should be completed by the last quarter of this year. With this upgrade broadband Internet download speeds are rising from 1.5mbps to 20! They are also adding television services which beat all it’s competitors, but that’s my opinion. This upgrade is amazing to say the least. Do you know anyone who has access to 100mbps download speeds at home? That will be their fastest rate, and I’ve seen it work. It’s almost like comparing a 14.4 modem to a 56k, a world of difference.

Spring is in the Air

Spring is upon us here in Indiana. The grass is becoming green again, and the temperatures are rising. That means the honey do list starts back up again. I listed what we want to get done around the house in an earlier post. Now it’s time to get into gear and get those items checked off the list!

The 2010 List

We have many projects we would like to accomplish this year on our home. With last year being primarily dedicated to two areas, this year we are focusing on a large number of smaller projects.

1. Complete Taylor’s bedroom. We are slowly but surely changing our trim and doors to white versus stained. Taylor’s room is also the last room to get new cable, phone and LAN lines ran to it. I’ll be happy when that is over with as we under estimated how much CAT5e cable we would need and have paid through the nose for 100 ft sections at a time. When we’re done her room will look like Amelia’s room, except Taylor’s room is pink.

2. Refurbish foyer area. This area needs a lot of love. Our home is a bi-level, which means when you enter the front door you are faced with a decision – up or down. Our stairs are covered in carpet, which I’ve tripped on several times. My neighbor removed his and underneath was hardwood and I believe mine is the same. If so, I’m going to stain the treads and paint the risers. We are also going to lay down a new floor for the foyer. The current floor is horrible at best. It’s a fake parkay and very dark, we plan on replacing it with laminate wood of some type. Last but not least is the stair railing. What we have was mainly used for outside hand rails. It’s a solid metal piece that doesn’t really go with the rest of the home.

3. Remodel master bathroom. We have a 1/2 master bathroom, at 4′ by 6′ it’s quite small. It’s also in need of a lot of work. When we moved in, the room had some hideous wallpaper. We removed it to find the walls had never been painted. We plan on replacing the vanity, medicine cabinet, toilet, re-finishing and painting the walls and replacing the entry and closet doors. We should be able to do this for around $500 on a long weekend.

4. Change coat closet door. Our coat closet door is not level and obtrusive. We plan on replacing it with a closet door instead of an entry type door which is what is currently installed. It’s the door on the right in the picture.

5. Replace moldy insulation and replace drywall in garage. Our home had from what I can tell many water issues prior to us moving in, and some after we moved. Not too long after we moved in I (with my helper) removed a vast majority of the drywall sealing our home from the garage. See the black areas? That’s mold folks! This needs to be replaced to help keep our home sealed from the elements. We will also be replacing the door separating the garage from the living area of the house with a steel door, something our home inspector noted should be done.

Now onto the smaller stuff

6. Remove cat door on garage door, seal and insulate it. Pretty much self explanatory – I’ve used this access to get myself back in the house when I was locked out by our Roomba. It’s something a thief could do as well.

7. Create self sealing door in attic for whole house fan. We have this fan, it’s great – but we never use it. I need to create a door that will seal it when not in use, but open automatically when in use. Hopefully this will keep our heat and air from escaping through the attic.

8. Landscaping. This is work I have done before and really don’t enjoy doing. I would hire it out if our financial situation was better. I only plan on fixing some grading issues in the backyard. My neighbor is going to lend me his roto-tiller so I can cut down the hump left where our pool was. I will also do the same for where our shed was.

Whoever told me that a homeowners work is never done was sure right! There is an amount of self satisfaction that I get from doing all of this work. I think the fact that I’m turning this place into mine and not what some builder planned, is the biggest factor. These builder neighborhoods with HOA’s really drive me insane. That’s why I love where I live.

Ouch!

Today we were able to receive our 2009 W-2 statement online and I must say it was quite a shocker. My income has significantly went down since I left Baxter, but I think this is a new low. I’m not going to publicly state how much, but lets just say it’s under 10 grand by a significant amount.

There were many issues that contributed to this. I’m going to outline them for documentation should I need a reference.

CSR – They didn’t schedule me to work since April of 2009. Last week I resigned that position.
School – I decided to take off over the summer and focus on my studies and remodeling of our home. Mainly due to the fact that I could not attain summer employment, or any employment for that matter.
Unemployment – While off for the summer I applied for unemployment, received it – now they want it back!

I have been in a war of words with our state unemployment system. Technically employees of state funded educational institutions cannot receive unemployment during “an established break period.” We all know that summer is an established break period. However, this is only the case when there is “reasonable assurance” that the applicant will be returning to their position after that break. This was not the case here.

Since I have two positions, it can become muddy water from there. I was “assured” by both of my supervisors that I would indeed return. This only happened with one of them. With the job market virtually non existent, it has taken me this long to find another position.

I was paid around $1,000 in unemployment in a 4 week period. Of that money, I only received around half of that due to taxes, child support, etc. It then stopped, with potentially libelous statements to follow. The DWD actually stated that it was “the claimant’s fault.” It was my fault that I received benefits? Isn’t it the DWD’s job to ensure I’m applicable to receive them before they are paid? I appealed the findings, hoping to receive a hearing with an administrative judge. I received a letter that my appeal had been received, but still no hearing. I’m now receiving statements on a semi-regular basis demanding I pay this back or “severe civil and or criminal findings may be placed against me.” I say bring it! I deserve due process.

When I received the first notice, I responded quickly inquiring about why I never received a hearing. I Highlighted incorrect data that was entered by the DWD, not myself. I then asked to receive my hearing, but am still only receiving the mentioned notices. I have evidence that I believe shows my case – if I ever get a chance to show it.

I just wish this nightmare would come to an end. Seriously.

Winding Down

My summer is quickly drawing to a close. My last class for the summer semester is tomorrow, I start working at TS again on August 10th and the birth of my second child is becoming more imminent as each day passes.

I’ve been pre-ocupied with class and remodeling the nursery. I don’t feel like the progress is coming along like I wanted it to with the nursery.

This is the first room that will be “complete” in the house. While we have painted, installed doors, ect. One thing we haven’t done is change our trim from stained to painted. This room will be. Once little one is born, we will take a remodeling break and then change the trim, each room at a time.

I’m very happy that I was able to take a break from work this summer and focus on my studies. While I only have one grade posted thus far, I believe I’ll have 3 A’s and a C. The C is due to some weird quizzes that had wrong answers! The professor would sometimes throw a few points our way, but nothing that made up for the loss. I now have a greater appreciation of what it’s like to be a college student. If our finances could support it, I’d like to continue going full time until I complete my degree.

My computer’s power supply died again, at least it’s still under warranty. I took it into PC Max, but it will probably be a couple of weeks before its return due to Antec’s slow warranty claim process.

We bought a new car, well new to us. With the impending arrival of a new member of the family, we needed a more family friendly vehicle. I didn’t want to trade in my truck, but I did due to it’s much higher trade-in value than the Kia. We bought a 2007 Chevrolet HHR 1LT. We’ve rented them on two occasions and love them! It looks small, but has a lot more room than you would think it does.

Once I get some time to coordinate my thoughts, I’ll write something with more focus. In the meantime, if you’re my friend on twitter or facebook – I’ll keep you updated.

A New and Improved Space

We officially finished the remodeling portion of our basement area over the weekend. Rachel, Taylor and I applied the epoxy basement floor coating on Friday night. It required 24 hours to fully cure, so by the time her family arrived on Sunday we were able to give the first full tour of our proud accomplishment.

Here is what the space looked like when we purchased this place. It was dark, dingy and uninviting.

Until now, we mainly used the space as a place to “put stuff.” We didn’t use or utilize it for any meaningful purpose. We knew the time would come when we would have to use it, and that time came quickly.

One issue that we weren’t sure about was if we had any structural issues. The downstairs would get water when it rained heavily. The first step was to take out all the old paneling and carpet and get the space down to its bones. To our luck, there were no visible issues. We corrected a majority of the water issues with a repair to the gutters.

We had many decisions to make, all of which were extremely difficult. We needed to decide what to cover the walls and floor with, whether or not to install new cable and phone lines. Many of these decisions brought on major arguments-in which we were able to bring to the surface any issues we had with each option.

In the end we decided to go with new paneling, an epoxy basement floor coating, and to add some electrical outlets and completely rewire our homes phone and cable lines. We decided to add a wired LAN as well.

The only step left is to connect all the new phone, cable and LAN wires, which I plan on doing this week. I will then officially move my office to a space we have dedicated for that purpose.

The other area, which I am calling the “Den” we have purchased and placed 2 futons and added an area rug. We needed a space for guests to stay, and this space is perfect.

We did not remodel our fireplace, as all aspects of fireplaces are very expensive. The things I want to do are not major, but are expensive. I hope to have that complete within a couple of years. There’s nothing more comfortable and calming to me than laying by a fire listening to music or reading.

I now have a bedroom to remodel for our growing arrival, baby girl Lawmaster!

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