u/Specialist_Term_5801

Like the title says, I need to get my engine valve cover gasket replaced due to a leak. I got an estimate of $570 from my mechanic which includes an oil change. I’m pretty handy and have tools and am starting to think I can do the job and save myself some money. Would I be taking on too much? For reference, I do my own oil changes, I replaced hoses, spark plugs and my muffler with no problem.

Edit: I forgot to ask which RTV silicone to use? There are several different ones and I don’t know which to use. Thanks!

Posting this for an elderly friend. There is a boundary tree on the property line between her yard and her neighbor. They both know it’s on the line and there has never been an issue with trimming and upkeep over the past 25+ years they’ve both lived there. The tree hasn’t been looking great so she had an arborist come look at it and it’s diseased. It’s been deemed a hazard by an arborist and needs to come down. She had several tree companies come look and give her estimates and they agree it’s on its way out.

Here’s the problem: her neighbor doesn’t believe that the tree needs to be removed so he’s refusing to cooperate. From my understanding, both parties must be in agreement in order to remove a boundary tree since they both own it.

The other issue is that the tree company would need to use his yard for the removal. Her yard isn’t large enough to bring in a crane. She tried speaking with her neighbor and he basically told her no one is coming in his yard and the tree isn’t being removed. She showed him the report from the arborist and he said he doesn’t believe them. The tree company also tried speaking him and didn’t get anywhere. She even offered to cover the entire cost of removal. He still won’t budge.

The tree is huge. I’m guessing it’s at least 100’ tall easy. Depending on which direction it falls if it falls, or starts dropping large limbs, it could easily cause damage to structures on either property. The town won’t get involved since it’s a tree on private property. Now she’s really worried that the tree will eventually fail and damage her house. What can she do?

Update- you guys are so great! I spoke with my friend and passed along the suggestions and other info. She’s going to send him a certified letter immediately along with a copy of the report from the arborist and make it clear the liability will fall on him if he continues to not cooperate with getting the tree removed. She is very grateful to all of you. She’s pretty old and doesn’t do the internet (she has no idea what Reddit is lol), so she said “thank your reddit friends on my behalf”.

I’m posting this for a friend’s relative. He was staying with his aunt for a couple weeks and noticed that while taking a shower the tub flexed in spots. His aunt noticed it too and thought that’s how acrylic tubs are. The previous tub was a cast iron tub original to the house (1940s?). She had the bathroom gutted and redone a few years ago and the contractor didn’t use mortar under the tub. She specifically remembered since she watched the entire renovation. He went in the basement where he could see parts of the tub base and confirmed no mortar.

Like most old people, she kept every single piece of paperwork from the renovation and has the installation instructions for the tub and everything else - toilet, shower valve, faucet, vanity lol. According to the instructions, a mortar base was required. Now he’s worried the tub wasn’t installed correctly and will eventually have issues down the road. Is there anything she should do? Is not having a mortar base really an issue? It’s an alcove style tub. Thanks.

Regarding posts about customers having contractors address things after the job has been completed, and comments tend to go like “make sure they fix it before you make the final payment; don’t pay them until it’s been done to your liking; they need to come back and use the correct xyz before you pay them”.

How are customers not making the final payment once the job has been completed? From my experience, contractors request final payment before they leave the job site on the last day of work once the project is done. Is there some sort of grace period between when the project is done and final payment is issued? What am I missing?

My neighbor decided to cut down two large limbs down to the trunk of a multi trunk maple tree. He removed about 1/4 of the tree. He did not have my permission and the base of the tree is entirely on my land.
He claimed he thought the tree was his and then said he thought it was a 50-50 kind of thing. I showed him the property marker which was easily visible. I told him he should have talked to me before doing anything. He made excuses about not having my number and not having a way to reach me. He knows where I live. He could have mailed me a letter or stopped by. He knew exactly what he was doing and it was planned. He paid for a tree company to come out and do the work. Trespass and vandalism yes. Now I'm worried they butchered the tree and it will be compromised. This just happened so I'm looking for a local arborist to come look at what's left. It's a very old very large maple, easily 8 feet in diameter and probably 90 feet tall. He said he wanted the two sections removed because he already had another neighbor's tree fall on his shed on the back of his property and was worried this tree would also fall. It looks butchered to me and I'm worried I'll lose the whole
tree. Photos show where the 2 large sections came into one. Was this cut correctly? Will the removal impact the tree’s health in a negative way?