u/Acceptable_Serve8979

Any tips so I can keep the lawn looking good? I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m in Southeast US.

I am gonna mow, weed, blow myself but should I get a service for treatments or do myself? How do I know what to do when?

Weeds - there are a couple weeds of diff types I’ve just been hand picking, anything preventative I should be doing?

I just did the first mow and left it long / didn’t take too much off but not sure what I should be cutting at long term

The sod squares aren’t fully grown in together / there is some bumpy / irregular spots as well. There are also some spots of poor drainage that seem to be more wet than others.

My irrigation system doesn’t have full coverage there are some spots and corners that don’t get sprinklers - I’ve just been hand watering but not sure how much I should water the lawn.

Do I mow two rows around outside and then lines and change up angle / direction each time I mow? I’m out of practice with a string trimmer and plan to get an edger but know that’s controversial lol.

I have a wine niche and want to add lights but not sure where is best or what type to get.

There is an outlet near floor under the wall cabinet so I can use that and/or battery powered led lights.

I see there are cob strip lights, ones with exposed leds, diffuser channels, angled ones, and shelf ones that allow 6 or so different light strips to plug in vs just one strip.

I could do a strip under cabinet that will wash the floor, could do strips inside the cabinet since doors are mesh metal see through, could have strips up side of cabinet or up wall and on top counter of cabinet upward toward bottles or battery operated sconce or 3 sconces on wall above bottles shining down (actually may not be enough room) or on ceiling shining down, or any combo of those.

So what do you think is best option for where to place lights and what led kit to get?

I had concrete poured for a patio and driveway and part of the front porch patio had OSB sheets stored on it for a week or so, about two weeks after it was poured.

It looks like there are tons of spider hairline cracks, and when it rains part of the pad looks more wet and part where the OSB sheets were looks white/dry.

Is this fixable via power washing or a few more rains? Or did them storing the plywood sheets do something? What do you think about the cracks?

I had bluestone installed on 2 covered patios and bluestone treads for stairs. Builder is saying 1) the chips / gouges on stairs can’t be repaired and is normal wear and tear (they didn’t protect them after install and 2) all of the recent chips and gouges and scratches and concrete marks and stains are a natural part of cleaving bluestone at the quarry (I don’t remember noticing these right after install vs now after months of delay and trades using patios).

What do you think based on the pics - is this all natural or did them cutting and cementing things using the patios after install without protection cause damage?

What would you request as resolution? I was upcharged $3k for the bluestone treads without an approved change order so while some chips are fine, all of the damage to house by trades and lack or protection by builder even though I was charged for it pisses me off.

I have a split king (two twin platforms) that each have a remote. I previously had it so one remote controlled both platforms in sync.

However, I recently moved and need to re-program them. Most instructions online specify a sync cable between platforms but I don’t think this has one and know it worked before just fine. I had to press certain buttons and program the remote to both but now can’t remember - everything I’ve tried programs one but won’t program the other.

It is a 7 button remote for Leggett & Platt / Mattress Firm 100 Series II / T120 (pics attached). Anyone know how to do this? The paper manual said how but I can’t find it here or online.

Concrete driveway poured and there cracks within 24hrs. What would be a reasonable resolution?

2 sections in middle of driveway they are tearing up and repouring bc entire slab cracked / broke

6-7 other sections has spider web cracks they say is just cosmetic and not to worry. They applied crack filler or silica or concrete powder or something and brushed it in the cracks.

Im pissed a new $30k+ driveway is already cracked and worried about more cracks in future or bigger issues. This is after several other issues with the house builder.

Before they poured, I told builder I was concerned with lack of prep and wanted confirmation what they were going to do - they were going to pour directly on clay that wasn’t compacted well and there was some random gravel in certain parts of driveway sporadically. The contractor said they’ll add rebar and gravel base. Day of, they added a little bit of gravel (we are talking not even one 1” layer and some sections bare), they did not use any rebar anywhere, they didn’t water the driveway after to keep it wet on a super hot day, etc.

So do I negotiate a specific warranty, ask for credit, ask for more sections to be redone, or is some spider web cracking to be expected and I should just accept it and wait and see if there are other issues? Will the powder they added be noticeable and look like a patch or no it gets absorbed into crack?

I have a new floodlight cam pro and unfortunately had to be installed where a gutter blocks part of the view.

At night the camera works ok, but if there is movement and the floodlight turns on, instead of it improving the video, the image actually gets worse / darker bc of the reflection on the gutter where the gutter is lit up but the background gets darker.

Anyone have ideas on how to improve this? Attached is a pic that shows at night (top) and when floodlight turns on (bottom)

Can a concrete driveway be poured directly on grade / dirt / clay? What base / prep is needed?

I thought you needed to prep with a stable / unyielding base by compacting the dirt and or adding gravel and crush and run etc.

My builder is saying don’t need gravel in fact that makes things worse bc you don’t want some gravel some not due to differentiated settling (yet part of my driveway has gravel and part where they graded doesn’t).

I thought for drainage of water, soil stability, preventing cracking and settling you need to add a base. I read in one place here someone say you can put directly on dirt but most says otherwise. Does anyone have guidance? I don’t want to second guess the builder as I’m just a homeowner vs. concrete specialist but this doesn’t pass the sniff test.

​What are your thoughts on finishing concrete driveway, sidewalk, and poured stepping stone pads?

I told them light broom finish, no picture frame. They unfortunately did heavy broom finish with picture frame.

I thought for driveway light broom looks best and most consistent and the picture frame sometimes looks dated. And then I have 3x3 pads and want those to look like concrete pavers / stepping stones so they should not be picture framed - not sure if they should even be broom finished vs smoother? I’d prefer smooth just not sure about traction?

I assume you can’t add concrete and change finish once the pour is curing? So to fix they’d have to rip out all of the stuff they poured and rebuild forms and completely redo? It’s not just the stepping stone pads they also poured a front 10x10 pad and a 1 step down.

This is a fully custom home yet they continue to just make decisions on my behalf even though I’ve provided specifications and selections. Could have also been an easy fix if I knew they were pouring today bc I could have looked vs it’s not on a schedule and selections aren’t documented.

Pics 1, 2, 3 are my house with picture frames that I did not want. Other pics are inspiration pics (brush or smooth all no picture frame)