kcar1's Profile

I would doubt that potted plants are out of the question unless it is a special type of easement. Granted, I live in a fully-built out city where easements are often retroactive and got thru structures, etc. and the rule is that the city is not responsible for any damage or removal/replacement should the easement need to be accessed. However, my understanding (my SO is a CE) of easements are to be kept clear of permanent/fixed additions and a potted plants would not be considered permanent or fixed. However, I don't think it would give the level of privacy they are looking for

I would consider a pergola and possibly run cables up from the railing to the pergola and train vines up them -- living screen.

The other thing I would look into is getting privacy (not necessarily frosted or decorative, they can look essentially like plain window glass) film on the windows. It would add to the UV protection and results would be immediate and year-round.

Yes... I decided to start stripping wall paper in our 1900-era home... which led to tearing down ceiling tiles, which revealed a big hole in the ceiling, not to mention several other sizable places where the plaster needs repair. We were debating how to move forward when the roof sprung a major had-to-be-fixed-immediately leak, which put all of the major but, in comparison to the roof issue, cosmetic repairs on the back burner. And we've lived with 1/2 stripped walls and a whole in the ceiling for several months now.

Lesson we should probably learn: get a good idea of what you are getting into before you start. However, given the roof had passed inspection not once but twice in the last year and thus tearing off 4 layers of old roofing, major masonry work, and a nice shiny new roof was NOT IN THE BUDGET, even if we'd budgeted both time and resources for the full wall paper/ceiling project, it would have had to been tabled.

We moved and are currently pre-reno and have no dishwasher and only about 36" of counter space... I wish I could say it has encouraged us to get more disciplined about dishes but it hasn't.

With the dishwasher, I would more or less load as I went and run it at the end of the day, empty it at breakfast. Worst (best?) case scenario: kids unload it and load the breakfast dishes as we started dinner.

Now, the dishes pile up because I won't fill up the sink, etc. for only a cup and a plate and I just don't feel like they are washed without that. I don't go more than 24hrs (family of 4), maybe 36 on the outside if we aren't home much, but it is the constant to-do. There is always a glass or plate waiting to be washed or a pile of dishes balanced precariously in the drainer waiting to be put up. At least with the dishwasher it was out of sight, out of mind.

Thank you for all the input! There are some great ideas here.

For clarification: we own and can do anything we want as long as we meet code! That being said, a drop ceiling is categorically out. The high ceilings were one of the things that sold us on the house and are currently ripping drop ceiling in other rooms that were used to hide rather the fix all manner of sins.

The bikes have to live in the hall. There is no extra space in another room or easy access to the back yard in our row house, not to mention the high risk of theft in our neighborhood. As bike commuters, they need to be easy to access -- if they didn't have a "home" in the hall, that is where they would end up anyway. At least 2 (the adult road bikes) will go up on the wall and I don't anticipate it will be difficult to get either my husband or I to do hang them because of the current juggling act that is required when the "right" bike is next to the wall.

Wallpaper makes me nervous with the bikes (and kids and dog): all the potential scuffs and small tears that age it. Paint can be touched up without too much of a headache. Maybe paint with tone-on-tone stencil pattern?

Thanks again,
Kat

I really don't think this would cut it for times when you really need a sports drink but most people are not working out long enough or in hot enough conditions to really need a sports drink. Yes, the fruit will provide some calories and *may* provide potassium but it won't provide the sodium your are losing when you sweat. With the random nature of the suggestion (it wasn't for specific high-potassium fruits), you can't even be sure of the quantity of the calories or potassium . You'd be better off drinking water during and after and eating some fruit after from a nutritional standpoint.

My husband was working 8+hrs day on a highway in 100 degree weather near a paver (pouring material at ~300 degrees). He was conscientious about drinking water to stay hydrated and ended up washing all the electrolytes from his system. He had 2 seizures before he got to the hospital and was given an IV bag with potassium. He was lucky to have had the seizures, frankly, because it could have been a heart attack. The ER doctor and later his neurologist said that he needed to make sure to be drinking a sports drink in those conditions to prevent over-hydration. Needless to say, those were rather extreme conditions that the average person is not going to encounter in their daily workout.

He's now very careful about it. However, he still either alternates water and sports drink (made from concentrate -- cheaper and avoids most of the plastic) or makes the sports drink half strength when he's working (out) in everything but very intense heat. That provides adequate electrolytes without all the calories.

We found a full-over-full bunk bed on craigslist. It was pricey but totally worth it - I do not understand why the previous owner was getting rid of it. You aren't going to "out grow" this - it converts to 2 freestanding full sized beds. It has steel pegs to anchor the upper to the lower and finials to cover the holes when beds are separated.

Best of all worlds - 2 beds without giving up floor space, can accommodate guests easily, and will grow with the kids.

In 2 years, the kids have used it as bunk beds. They easily doubled up when the guests came to town (depending on the couple, we give up our room and bunk with the kids). Then, we had an intern live with us for 1yr so I gave up my home office and we separated the beds -- my younger one was still small enough to fit, barely, in a toddler bed that we got for $15 on craigslist. The intern has left, they are bunked again and I have my office back.