OT - What are you doing right now?

Acn said:

DoubleEgger said:

nolaegghead said:

SonVolt said:

Wondering why WebEx hasn't devised an algorithm to deal with echo and/or on-hold music yet....  Hosting a conference call with 40+ people and some jackass inevitable switches to another call and floods the Webex with his Porno Muzak. 

You should be able to mute him if you're hosting.

Listening to the host fumble around trying to mute a conference call with a kid screaming, dog barking, or someone taking a personal call is a joy of the corporate world that I miss. The best is when some schmuck logs in via video accidentally and gets caught loafing around, day drinking, picking their nose etc. I’m a huge fan of a piece of tape over the camera. 

It’s amazing that people don’t know to do that.

Agreed. I like a very small piece of black electrical tape. It’s stealthy enough to leave it on all the time. 

nolaegghead said:
I would opt for a 1500 watt inverter so I could use a DeWalt D-handle drill.  Like a DW130V.  Those things will tear your arm off.  I use mine mostly to mix mortar, thin-set, concrete, etc.   Or really large hole saws.  Since I got the Milwaukee right angle drill, which is another good option, I use that for the hole saws.  

I worked construction during the summers going thru school.  Was using a Milwaukee with a hole saw on a door, just with the D handle as the "side" handle was broken off (not uncommon in that company).  The saw jammed and spun me around a couple times, before my Size-12 boot snagged the cord and unplugged it.  Broke a metacarpal.  
Had my hand in a cast as I began my freshman college year, a great way to meet girls!  

@Dyal_SC good luck brother, I have a nursery project in the near future too. Just one though

Picture this time...

So dumb question... who would you even contact to start getting feelers for building an outdoor space like this? The pic below is super fancy so I don't know if we could afford it "as-is", but that's the general direction of what I'm wanting. Steel Roof, wood ceiling, nice columns, fireplace, stone or stamped floor, counters etc.... 

A general contractor? A Hardscapes-type company? Someone else? 

If you get a good set of drawings, you can use it to bid the jobs, estimate materials, etc.

the two places here that would set you up would be the granite, paver, masonry companys

@SonVolt whats the budget? 

Dobie said:

@SonVolt whats the budget? 

@Dobie - If I could build the above pic for $100k I'd do it... I'm basically wanting everything in the pic minus the stainless stuff (grill, drawers etc).  This would be where the offset and egg would live and possibly serve as "parking" for the ATV to keep it out of direct sunlight/rain. 

northGAcock said:

Dyal_SC said:

Painting the forthcoming twin boys’ nursery.  Bout to have a bbq sammich break. Trimming is tidious and very unpleasant. Lol. 

I do the big picture painting at my house. Wife has a degree in painting (art) so I let her do the finess stuff. That said....don’t you put El up on a ladder. 

No way, Jose.    No paint fumes for her either. 

SonVolt said:

Dobie said:

@SonVolt whats the budget? 

@Dobie - If I could build the above pic for $100k I'd do it... I'm basically wanting everything in the pic minus the stainless stuff (grill, drawers etc).  This would be where the offset and egg would live and possibly serve as "parking" for the ATV to keep it out of direct sunlight/rain. 

That looks like a project you could do for 100K. Don’t know what your local costs look like in Tennessee, but it seems reasonable. 

In any event, you’re going to have an awesome space when all is said and done 

SonVolt said:

NorthPilot06 said:
 

Agreed. We used a speciality contractor to design and build our outdoor kitchen. Had he not had sufficient experience, we would have hired a design consultant first with experience in the field - then gathered quotes for executing the design. 

We built our first outdoor kitchen using a general contractor recommended to us by a paver company.  We've enjoyed it and love the setup, but I could tell he was learning as he went... eg, he didn't know NOT use Muratic acid to clean the stone grout AFTER the stainless was installed. I freaked and spent several hours dousing $14k worth of stainless in baking soda / water and probably suffered a mild aneurysm in the process... so, for this scale of a project I'd want something documented in detail by a professional. 

Yeah, general contractors would be a bit tough. The guy that did ours was a specialty contractor that only built outdoor living spaces (http://pioneerstoneart.com/) - i’m sure you could find someone comparable 

SonVolt said:

Dobie said:

@SonVolt whats the budget? 

 If I could build the above pic for $100k I'd do it...

Sheesh, I wish I had your money.

There's a local, heavy, glossy (I think quarterly) magazine here called Salt Lake Living or something like that, there's several specialty contractors that advertise in it; I'm sure Nashville would have something similar.  Also, this is the time of year to hit up the home shows and look around (that's how I found the folks who did my backyard project).
 
And a hint: if you find a couple businesses that you are interested in, but can't find any reviews on Yelp! or Angie's List, go visit their location, and then visit the established business across the street, and inquire as to whether they've been changing their company name every fall, to "ditch" any negative reviews.  This happened to me, I was an idiot in retrospect, and am providing my experience at no cost to you!    Anxious to see your project get started!  

SonVolt said:

So dumb question... who would you even contact to start getting feelers for building an outdoor space like this? The pic below is super fancy so I don't know if we could afford it "as-is", but that's the general direction of what I'm wanting. Steel Roof, wood ceiling, nice columns, fireplace, stone or stamped floor, counters etc.... 

A general contractor? A Hardscapes-type company? Someone else?