u/Ruskiiipapa

I’ve been looking at houses around MoCo and the surrounding area, and one of the things I didn’t expect was how much time I’d spend researching the neighborhoods themselves.

I’d find a house I liked, then open a bunch of different websites to try to answer pretty basic questions. What’s the crime like? How are the schools? What’s the area around the property actually like? How does it compare to other neighborhoods we were looking at?

After doing this over and over, I ended up building something for myself to make that process a little easier.

It’s called SaferNeighbor:

https://saferneighbor.com/

You can enter an address and get a bunch of neighborhood information in one place, including crime, schools, property information, demographics, traffic safety, registered sex offenders, and more.

It’s currently working pretty well across DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

I’m still working on it, so I’m more interested in hearing from people who actually live around here or have gone through the home-buying process. What information did you find yourself looking up when you were house hunting? What do you wish you could have seen in one place?

When I was looking at houses around the DMV, I kept finding myself opening a bunch of different websites to research each neighborhood.

One site for crime, another for schools, another for property information, another for demographics, etc.

So I decided to put it all in one place.

I built SaferNeighbor, which lets you enter an address and pull together information about the surrounding neighborhood, including:

• Crime
• Schools
• Property & neighborhood information
• Demographics
• Traffic safety
• Registered sex offenders
• And more

https://saferneighbor.com/

It's currently working pretty reliably throughout Maryland, DC, and Virginia, with other areas being added.

It's completely free to try. I'd genuinely love to hear from people in the DMV who are house hunting, already own a home, or just know their neighborhood well.

Is this something you'd actually find useful? What information would you want to see that I'm missing?

Hey guys, my friends and I are at that age (late 20s) where we're looking to buy a house and as many of you know, home buying is a pretty scary process (mainly the commitment iykyk). I found myself bouncing between a bunch of different websites to check crime, registered s*x offenders, schools, property information, demographics, and more. I couldn't find one place that pulled it all together... so I made saferneighbor.

I would love if you all could take a look and give some constructive criticism.

P.S. As a thank you (if you enjoy'ed my side project), I made a coupon code for the first 10 users to get 90% off any search pack. It's my way of saying 'thank you'. Code: IAMTHEFIRST10

Link: https://saferneighbor.com

I’m in the process of building a custom standing desk using the FlexiSpot E7 Plus (4-leg) frame. My office is 8' wide, and I want the desk to span wall-to-wall against an acoustic wood slat accent wall.

I have two potential paths and would love some feedback from those who have built similar setups:

The Goal: A 96" x 30" or 84'' x 30'' workstation.

Option 1: The Single 8ft Slab (96" x 30")

• The Plan: Source a custom 96" x 30" butcher block from a local lumber yard.
• The Concern: Most off-the-shelf blocks (Home Depot/Lowe's) are 25" deep. I know the E7 Plus frame depth bars are 23.6", so a 25" top physically fits, but I’m worried about ergonomics. Does a 25" deep desk feel too cramped for a monitor arm, keyboard, and depth for mouse movement? Has anyone regretted going narrower than 30" on a full-length desk?

Option 2: The Two-Piece Join (72" + 24")

• The Plan: Use a 6ft block and a 2ft block to get my 8ft length.
• The Concern: I am hesitant about the seam and the structural integrity. Does anyone have experience clamping or bolting two butcher blocks together? Is there a clean way to hide the seam, or does it eventually become a point of failure/sagging?

Option 3: Just go with a (60'' x 30'' - last option)

Specific Questions:

1. Is 25" depth actually "too shallow" for a daily driver desk?
2. If I go with the custom 96" x 30" slab, are there specific mounting considerations for the E7 Plus 4-leg frame to ensure the desk remains stable wall-to-wall?
3. Am I overthinking the 30" depth?
4. Do I need 8 ft no, but it could be nice, I could also try 7 feet, but they dont have a 7ft by 30 inch either.

Appreciate any advice or photos of similar 8ft custom setups!