Home chat 1.0

[goIftdibrad]

I think i'm going to be building a murphy bed.

Discuss.

dicusssion
http://datforumdoe.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 50#p210650

[stripethree]

Who here has gone head first into connected home shit? I'm super intrigued after getting a taste of it with Alexa and a Nest in the apartment. Here's what I am thinking:

Nests. There are separate thermostats upstairs and downstairs and I think the city of Austin will cover like $100 of the cost under the guise of energy savings. The only caveat here is getting homeowners permission, but I don't think that'll be a problem.

Connected garage door opener. I don't want to entirely replace it in a rental, but [ulr=https://garageio.com/]this[/url] looks promising. I am paranoid I'll leave the door open with the convertible and motorcycle in full view, plus tools and all my other shit. I would love a simple way to open/close remotely and know that it is closed.

Lighting. Super interested in Philip's Hues. There are four fans with lights in the place all with remotes. The light dimming functions are awkward and imprecise, and I like the idea of being able to change the color temperature at different times of day. Thinking I'll jump in with the starter kits and see how I like it.

Doorbell? Maybe. I have considered this and a Nest cam or two, but that is further down the list. I do like the idea of having a way that packages can be more securely delivered, but the garage door opener could handle that.

I still have my Echo dot, and all this stuff is compatible. Most of this stuff is also very useful if I am out of town and need someone to check on something. I can stash a house key in the garage somewhere. The only other person that has a key right now is the homeowner.

The most common thing I get suggested in this realm is a Rumba, but that's a no go. There's an additional step between the upstairs bedroom and kitchen which would really limit how much it can automatically clean. Not worth the cost IMHO.

What else are any of y'all using and find to be awesome or have used and find to be hot garbage?

[stripethree]

dicusssion
http://datforumdoe.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 50#p210650

Do it. Are there any online resources that can give you off the shelf plans? I'm thinking something like Bar Plan but for beds. I bought a plan from them when I built the 8' bar in the AZ house. Made things a lot easier, and the plans were simple enough to allow customization.

What, if anything, makes you hesitant to dive into it?

[goIftdibrad]

Who here has gone head first into connected home shit? I'm super intrigued after getting a taste of it with Alexa and a Nest in the apartment. Here's what I am thinking:

Nests. There are separate thermostats upstairs and downstairs and I think the city of Austin will cover like $100 of the cost under the guise of energy savings. The only caveat here is getting homeowners permission, but I don't think that'll be a problem.

Connected garage door opener. I don't want to entirely replace it in a rental, but [ulr=https://garageio.com/]this[/url] looks promising. I am paranoid I'll leave the door open with the convertible and motorcycle in full view, plus tools and all my other shit. I would love a simple way to open/close remotely and know that it is closed.

Lighting. Super interested in Philip's Hues. There are four fans with lights in the place all with remotes. The light dimming functions are awkward and imprecise, and I like the idea of being able to change the color temperature at different times of day. Thinking I'll jump in with the starter kits and see how I like it.

Doorbell? Maybe. I have considered this and a Nest cam or two, but that is further down the list. I do like the idea of having a way that packages can be more securely delivered, but the garage door opener could handle that.

I still have my Echo dot, and all this stuff is compatible. Most of this stuff is also very useful if I am out of town and need someone to check on something. I can stash a house key in the garage somewhere. The only other person that has a key right now is the homeowner.

The most common thing I get suggested in this realm is a Rumba, but that's a no go. There's an additional step between the upstairs bedroom and kitchen which would really limit how much it can automatically clean. Not worth the cost IMHO.

What else are any of y'all using and find to be awesome or have used and find to be hot garbage?

you just missed an ecobee sale on amazon.

ok, so depending on what garage door opener you have... most are liftmaster.... and if its newer it should be compatible with this: (what I have) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0GWL0R/re ... 2532365501

it does all the things you describe.


Um, lights. I use TP link stuff. Now i wired the switches into the wall, not ideal for rental. But they make bulbs too. white, tunable, & multi color. The switches have timer features built in too for turning on and off lights, so the bulbs prb do as well (provided you leave the switch on of course.)
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Dimmable ... bulb+lb120
I have some of these guy's bluetooth bulbs from pre-smart home days. They worked well. now they are wifi+alexa
https://www.amazon.com/Flux-WiFi-Smart- ... b120&psc=1

You can also buy smart plugs for xmas lights and lamps and whatnot.

doorbell is a waste IMHO. if you want to see these things buy a internet camera.

Other than a quality blue tooth speaker/soundbar to hook up the t00nes from you echo dot to, thats the current limit of my smart home shite.

[stripethree]

I want to wait on speakers. Curious how HomePod will work and what else will come out in response. Sonos is intriguing also since it is Echo compatible now. Since I will be mostly upstairs and the place is small, the speakers handle filing the space for now. Been listening to podcasts on the morning routine and am satisfied for now. The speakers are hooked up to a Mac Mini so I can control Spotify from my phone for muzac.

Good point regarding a doorbell. A couple of Nest or similar cams would suffice.

5/7 Amazon links also

[CorvetteWaxer]

Who here has gone head first into connected home shit? I'm super intrigued after getting a taste of it with Alexa and a Nest in the apartment. Here's what I am thinking:

Nests. There are separate thermostats upstairs and downstairs and I think the city of Austin will cover like $100 of the cost under the guise of energy savings. The only caveat here is getting homeowners permission, but I don't think that'll be a problem.

I have had a Nest since they launched years ago and love it.

Connected garage door opener. I don't want to entirely replace it in a rental, but [ulr=https://garageio.com/]this[/url] looks promising. I am paranoid I'll leave the door open with the convertible and motorcycle in full view, plus tools and all my other shit. I would love a simple way to open/close remotely and know that it is closed.

Not sure about that unit, but I recently replaced my garage door and bought a Liftmaster 8500 Jackshaft opener and the internet gateway. It is AWESOME. instant alerts on my phone if the door opens/closes and the ability to open/close it from around the world.

Lighting. Super interested in Philip's Hues. There are four fans with lights in the place all with remotes. The light dimming functions are awkward and imprecise, and I like the idea of being able to change the color temperature at different times of day. Thinking I'll jump in with the starter kits and see how I like it.

I have a set of Hue's and some LIFX bulbs and honestly, I think they are a waste and pretty expensive. I played with the colors for about a week and ended up leaving them on white. Instead, what I did was replace my wall switches with GE Z-Wave switches for remote control/dimming. Much better IMO and more cost effective when LED bulbs need to be replaced.

Doorbell? Maybe. I have considered this and a Nest cam or two, but that is further down the list. I do like the idea of having a way that packages can be more securely delivered, but the garage door opener could handle that.

I had a Ring Pro and the signal on it sucked, I had a very hard time getting a good wifi signal with it, even when the router was 10 feet away from the door bell. I tried their plug-in wall extender they call a 'chime' with no better result.

I bought a Skybell HD and it has been incredible. The field of view is also better than the Ring Pro, and it mounts nicer since the unit is round and more traditional looking like a doorbell.

I still have my Echo dot, and all this stuff is compatible. Most of this stuff is also very useful if I am out of town and need someone to check on something. I can stash a house key in the garage somewhere. The only other person that has a key right now is the homeowner.

I wouldn't stash a key, personally... I would give one to someone before a trip.

The most common thing I get suggested in this realm is a Rumba, but that's a no go. There's an additional step between the upstairs bedroom and kitchen which would really limit how much it can automatically clean. Not worth the cost IMHO.

A friend has a Roomba and I think it is completely useless. It doesn't pick up anything like my Dyson will and the time saved is not worth it, to me.

What else are any of y'all using and find to be awesome or have used and find to be hot garbage?

As mentioned, I use the GE Z-Wave switches and I have a Samsung smart hub for controlling everything in the house with my Google Home devices. Integration with ITTT is pretty good all around. Also, I have a Harmony remote with the Harmony Hub and an NVIDIA Shield Android TV. This allows me to control my Denon receiver and media players connected to the TV with the apps, or Google home. Makes it nice to tell Google to tune to the shield and play youtube, or to switch to cable and watch a channel.

[CorvetteWaxer]

doorbell is a waste IMHO. if you want to see these things buy a internet camera.

I find the doorbell to be a good addition to dedicated cameras. It's small and placed usually to get a great face shot for recognition of people where most people mount cameras too high for a good clear face shot to ID a person.

[Desertbreh]

Discuss.

dicusssion
http://datforumdoe.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 50#p210650

O wow. That one with all the cabinets is fancy!

[stripethree]

All the things

5/7 info here.

[CorvetteWaxer]

A friend has a Roomba and I think it is completely useless. It doesn't pick up anything like my Dyson will and the time saved is not worth it, to me.

I'd rather hire a maid than buy a Roomba.

.

We've been talking about hiring someone to do some of the stuff I hate, dusting and windows in particular.

[Jaxper]

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/30-H ... 5538_zpid/

Love it.

+ @Apex too

The house was 5/7, we both loved it. We're actually worried that it may feel too big though, especially if we end up not going the kid route. That said though, we're seriously considering putting in an offer on it.

[Apex]

Love it.

+ @Apex too

The house was 5/7, we both loved it. We're actually worried that it may feel too big though, especially if we end up not going the kid route. That said though, we're seriously considering putting in an offer on it.

I totally dig it. If I had the budget for something like that it'd be pretty much be a no-brainer for me.

You have plenty of space for your home gym, and can keep the cars in the garage.

[Apex]

Uh... I guess this is the place to post this?

Re: Mattress Games

Which of these newfangled mattress companies is the best? Looking at Casper, Purple, Tuft & Needle, and Nest. Trying to stay under $1k. King size. Medium firmness - wife and I are pretty equal on mattress requirements so I don't need a special adjustable unit. Just one that wicks heat.

Thoughts?

Co-worker of mine has a Purple and they highly recommend it.

Other than that, I have zero exposure to any of those.

[stripethree]

Re: Mattress Games

I have a Purple arriving tomorrow. If you are really trying to stay under $1k on a King, you can just remove them from your list now though.

[stripethree]

What was ze price? Around $1k is probably my target. Not too much higher doe.

$1300. Also bought one of their pillows for $100. Free $54 seat cushion. Add tax and it's ~$1500 total.

[Desertbreh]

I'd rather hire a maid than buy a Roomba.

.

We've been talking about hiring someone to do some of the stuff I hate, dusting and windows in particular.

You don't have a cleaning "person?"

[Desertbreh]

You don't have a cleaning "person?"

As in a member of the household?

I'm generally that person. I've got other things I need to attend to other than general cleaning, though.

No man, hiring it done. It is understood that you are the person in the relationship that does that shit, see Soap Dispenser/tp roll discussion, supra. I was directing the question to Waxer because most folks with two scheckels to rub together and either kids or pets has a "cleaning lady" at least once every two weeks I used "person" to be PC, even though I've never seen a male maid. Waxer has many schekels, I'm just surprised he doesn't have a maid. We spend $80 every Friday to have our house cleaned, and other than paying my accountant, it's the best service money I spend. Two relatively large dogs=I'm having my floors cleaned. It just helps the relationship not to be looking at things and overtly or passive aggressively blaming your partner for not getting on it. Totally worth it. I realize $320/month is a significant figure, but it's not to Waxer I was just surprised.

[troyguitar]

As in a member of the household?

I'm generally that person. I've got other things I need to attend to other than general cleaning, though.

No man, hiring it done. It is understood that you are the person in the relationship that does that shit, see Soap Dispenser/tp roll discussion, supra. I was directing the question to Waxer because most folks with two scheckels to rub together and either kids or pets has a "cleaning lady" at least once every two weeks I used "person" to be PC, even though I've never seen a male maid. Waxer has many schekels, I'm just surprised he doesn't have a maid. We spend $80 every Friday to have our house cleaned, and other than paying my accountant, it's the best service money I spend. Two relatively large dogs=I'm having my floors cleaned. It just helps the relationship not to be looking at things and overtly or passive aggressively blaming your partner for not getting on it. Totally worth it. I realize $320/month is a significant figure, but it's not to Waxer I was just surprised.

doesn't let anyone near his compound without extensive background checks and exhaustive cavity searches

[Desertbreh]

No man, hiring it done. It is understood that you are the person in the relationship that does that shit, see Soap Dispenser/tp roll discussion, supra. I was directing the question to Waxer because most folks with two scheckels to rub together and either kids or pets has a "cleaning lady" at least once every two weeks I used "person" to be PC, even though I've never seen a male maid. Waxer has many schekels, I'm just surprised he doesn't have a maid. We spend $80 every Friday to have our house cleaned, and other than paying my accountant, it's the best service money I spend. Two relatively large dogs=I'm having my floors cleaned. It just helps the relationship not to be looking at things and overtly or passive aggressively blaming your partner for not getting on it. Totally worth it. I realize $320/month is a significant figure, but it's not to Waxer I was just surprised.

doesn't let anyone near his compound without extensive background checks and exhaustive cavity searches

Apparently.

[CorvetteWaxer]

doesn't let anyone near his compound without extensive background checks and exhaustive cavity searches

Apparently.

Not far from the truth. Most crimes are an inside job.

I'm a bit paranoid to be honest. We don't live in a mansion and have what is considered a starter home that we bought for $270k (value is mid-$500k today with an all-time high of $650k) . I go back and forth about this but in the end I just don't see the point in selling this place to buy a $1M+ house that we will keep for <10 years here in California. I have the nicest and most vehicles out of anyone in our neighborhood and our house is nicer than everyone else's. I feel like this makes us a potential target, so I try to keep most things hidden or out of sight.

I really hate days like last weekend where I had the cars and the bikes out in front of the house and had to move stuff like my air compressor and benches out of the garage. So much so that this time when I replaced the garage flooring I didn't remove the benches with reloading presses mounted, cabinets or compressor, I did the floor 1/2 at a time and just shifted the stuff over to the new floor and continued to remove the rest of the old and install the new. This was really a pain, but I think it was worth it.

If I didn't have a good guard dog with a mean bark and a great security system I probably would go insane worrying, or I wouldn't buy most of the stuff I have and would just wait until we leave the state and buy a "compound".

I can't tell you how many times a contractor has quoted me a rough estimate, then sees the inside of the house or my garage and magically the price goes up on the final quote. Last year when I was getting electrical and drywall quotes I actually put my cars into storage at my friends detail shop for a couple days and just kept the JKU here and had my nephew park his POS looking Integra in my driveway ($15k into the drivetrain, roll cage, suspension race seat and quick release steering wheel, but dented up body with 3 different colors and a well worn carbon fiber hood... ). I also put my home theater system at my mom's place while the work was going on to keep the dust out of it... The quotes I got were significantly cheaper and I think it was because it looked like I had no real TV and no nice cars in the garage.

[CorvetteWaxer]

Also, I ordered this bed:

Now you need a Mini with the roof to match the pillow.

[CorvetteWaxer]

I want to wait on speakers. Curious how HomePod will work and what else will come out in response. Sonos is intriguing also since it is Echo compatible now. Since I will be mostly upstairs and the place is small, the speakers handle filing the space for now. Been listening to podcasts on the morning routine and am satisfied for now. The speakers are hooked up to a Mac Mini so I can control Spotify from my phone for muzac.

Good point regarding a doorbell. A couple of Nest or similar cams would suffice.

5/7 Amazon links also

I love my Sonos speakers and the Play:5's sound really good. That said, they recently updated their controller software and it is 100% garbage now. Their support team ack's the state of the app and apologizes in great detail, but until their developers fix it, I can't recommend them anymore.

[CorvetteWaxer]

Now you need a Mini with the roof to match the pillow.

I'd rock a monochromatic union jack on the roof of the R53.

I like minimalistic things. Also had a hard time finding a low platform without a headboard. That was a wiener.

I think it looks pretty awesome.

[Desertbreh]

Apparently.

Not far from the truth. Most crimes are an inside job.

I'm a bit paranoid to be honest. We don't live in a mansion and have what is considered a starter home that we bought for $270k (value is mid-$500k today with an all-time high of $650k) . I go back and forth about this but in the end I just don't see the point in selling this place to buy a $1M+ house that we will keep for <10 years here in California. I have the nicest and most vehicles out of anyone in our neighborhood and our house is nicer than everyone else's. I feel like this makes us a potential target, so I try to keep most things hidden or out of sight.

I really hate days like last weekend where I had the cars and the bikes out in front of the house and had to move stuff like my air compressor and benches out of the garage. So much so that this time when I replaced the garage flooring I didn't remove the benches with reloading presses mounted, cabinets or compressor, I did the floor 1/2 at a time and just shifted the stuff over to the new floor and continued to remove the rest of the old and install the new. This was really a pain, but I think it was worth it.

If I didn't have a good guard dog with a mean bark and a great security system I probably would go insane worrying, or I wouldn't buy most of the stuff I have and would just wait until we leave the state and buy a "compound".

I can't tell you how many times a contractor has quoted me a rough estimate, then sees the inside of the house or my garage and magically the price goes up on the final quote. Last year when I was getting electrical and drywall quotes I actually put my cars into storage at my friends detail shop for a couple days and just kept the JKU here and had my nephew park his POS looking Integra in my driveway ($15k into the drivetrain, roll cage, suspension race seat and quick release steering wheel, but dented up body with 3 different colors and a well worn carbon fiber hood... ). I also put my home theater system at my mom's place while the work was going on to keep the dust out of it... The quotes I got were significantly cheaper and I think it was because it looked like I had no real TV and no nice cars in the garage.

That's fucked. I fully understand the concept of not blowing vast transactional costs on moving and renovating other homes, as we live in a pretty humble abode by local standards, and since I do not plan to retire here, we're going to just pay it off (3 years) and decide our next move when the time comes. It's got everything we need really, (particularly when my daughter goes to college in 2.5 years) and, unlike you, we have a guarded, gated community filled with "walkers" and cyclists constantly going past. Our neighbors are almost exclusively gay or retired, or both, and those are good attributes in your fellow homeowner.

That said, your personalty is fairly overwhelming vs. your real estate. I would consider some climate controlled storage for your guns and your wine at least.

[CorvetteWaxer]

That's fucked. I fully understand the concept of not blowing vast transactional costs on moving and renovating other homes, as we live in a pretty humble abode by local standards, and since I do not plan to retire here, we're going to just pay it off (3 years) and decide our next move when the time comes. It's got everything we need really, (particularly when my daughter goes to college in 2.5 years) and, unlike you, we have a guarded, gated community filled with "walkers" and cyclists constantly going past. Our neighbors are almost exclusively gay or retired, or both, and those are good attributes in your fellow homeowner.


That said, your personalty is fairly overwhelming vs. your real estate. I would consider some climate controlled storage for your guns and your wine at least.

Currently the wine and guns are okay, but I hear what you're saying. We had a property in Arizona, but it wasn't where we wanted to move to, so we sold it to my brother-in-law and we will get another (in a location we don't like) when my wife's parents pass.

I just don't want to spend anymore money on property taxes in California. I want to buy our "retirement home" in the next year and start preparing it for when we exit this state. The options are getting something completely remote and having a bunch of land for toys, or a nicer community where we will have the walkers and built in neighborhood watch... but they will absolutely be people with the same resources or more than I have. When we bought this house we were struggling and happy to have it, now things have changed.

The idea of being very remote is my ideal situation, but the wife is not so sure and thinks she would want neighbors you can see once in awhile. The only thing I want is enough space for my toys and hobbies and for the houses/land to not be "affordable" for the poors. Not that they are all bad, but I think you know what I mean. Also, I never want to live near a renter again... I want someone with a vested interest in keeping their/our area nice.