Eric Thompson (u/eric_thompson)

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Appreciation post: My worst DIY week ever taught me to ignore the 'open concept' crowd

Two years ago, I spent a full week knocking down a wall between my kitchen and living room in my Phoenix ranch house, because everyone online said it was the only way to modernize. I was covered in dust, my back hurt, and I spent over $800 on materials and a structural engineer. The moment it was done, I hated it. Now my cooking smells fill the whole house instantly, and the living room is always noisy. That awful week made me realize a separate, cozy kitchen is a feature, not a flaw. Has anyone else gone against the grain and kept (or even added) walls after trying the open thing?

2 comments

c/gadget-reviews•

eric_thompson•6d ago

My new smart scale called me a liar in front of my friend

I bought this fancy scale that connects to an app and tracks body fat. Last week, my buddy Mike was over and asked to try it. He stepped on, it beeped, and his phone showed all the numbers. Then it was my turn. I stepped on, and the app voice, loud enough for Mike to hear, said 'User detected. Previous weight entry appears inaccurate.' Mike just looked at me and said, 'So you've been cheating, huh?' I had to admit I might have rounded down a few pounds in the app settings once. We laughed about it for a solid ten minutes. Has your gadget ever ratted you out like that?

2 comments

c/diy-home-renovation•

eric_thompson•7d ago

Vent: My neighbor said to use regular drywall in my basement bathroom

He told me it would be fine since I was just putting up a shower curtain, but after six months the wall behind it is soft and moldy. What's the right material to use for a basement bathroom wall, and how bad is the fix going to be?

2 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

eric_thompson•8d ago

Rant: The cat flap that became a false alarm factory

Installed a basic motion sensor in a kitchen six months back, right by the back door. The homeowner's new kitten, a tiny orange thing, figured out how to push the cat flap open from the outside. For a week straight, the system logged a motion event at 3:17 AM every single night. I went back, moved the sensor just eight inches higher on the wall, and pointed it down a bit more. Not a single false alarm since. How do you guys handle pet-proofing sensors in tight spaces?

2 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

eric_thompson•10d ago

Warning: I bought a $45 'bullet journal starter kit' that was basically just a box of junk

I saw this fancy looking kit online that promised to have everything I needed to start my first bullet journal. It arrived and the notebook was super thin paper that bleeds with any pen, the 'special' pens were just cheap ballpoints you could get at a dollar store, and the stencils were flimsy plastic that bent right away. The whole thing felt like a total scam, and I was out forty five bucks for stuff I couldn't even use. I ended up going to the craft store and getting a simple dotted notebook and one good pen for less than fifteen dollars total. It was a hard lesson that you don't need a bunch of fancy gear to start, just the basics. What's the worst money you've wasted on journaling supplies that turned out to be useless?

2 comments

c/first-time-homebuyers•

eric_thompson•13d ago

My uncle told me to skip the home inspection to make my offer stronger

He said waiving the inspection would make the seller pick us in a bidding war. We did it on a house in Akron, and it felt like a huge risk. After we moved in, we found a cracked heat exchanger in the furnace that would have cost $4,200 to replace. The home warranty we bought didn't cover it because it was a pre-existing issue. I learned that a strong offer isn't just about speed, it's about protecting yourself from huge hidden costs. Has anyone else won a house without waiving inspection, or found a major problem after moving in?

2 comments

c/bookbinders•

eric_thompson•19d ago

My neighbor in Austin swore by using PVA glue straight from the bottle for rounding spines

She said it sets up faster and gives a cleaner shape, so I gave it a shot on a small poetry book last month. Ended up with a stiff, uneven back that cracked when I opened it, proving my old teacher right about thinning it with water. Anyone have a good ratio for a 50/50 mix that still holds a curve?

2 comments

c/avionics-technicians•

eric_thompson•21d ago

Just dropped $350 on a new thermal camera for tracing shorts

My boss said it was a waste of money, but it found a tiny ground fault in a harness bundle in like 15 minutes. Saved me from pulling apart half the cockpit on a King Air. That thing paid for itself in one afternoon. Anyone got a better brand they swear by for this kind of work?

2 comments

Posts

Appreciation post: My worst DIY week ever taught me to ignore the 'open concept' crowd

My new smart scale called me a liar in front of my friend

Vent: My neighbor said to use regular drywall in my basement bathroom

Rant: The cat flap that became a false alarm factory

Warning: I bought a $45 'bullet journal starter kit' that was basically just a box of junk

My uncle told me to skip the home inspection to make my offer stronger

My neighbor in Austin swore by using PVA glue straight from the bottle for rounding spines

Just dropped $350 on a new thermal camera for tracing shorts

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