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Writing documentation for your house

luke.hsiao.dev

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Re: Writing documentation for your house

#271

Post by YeBanKo »

Larrikin wrote: post #78
chezball wrote: post #25

So, i sold a house i had in north Seattle after a divorce in 2018. We had bought it in 04, i was working at Microsoft at the time. We raised our son there. I even built a 8’x8’x8’ brick oven for baking pizza and bread (plans from Ovencrafters). I rented an excavator for a week and dug around the entire house and put in 12’ deep footing drains, with clean-out pipes every 20’ down the 100’ to the road. A new 2” pex wat…

>I will just be pickier about who i sell it to. Honestly this kind of mindset is a huge problem in the US. You built the oven, you enjoyed the oven, and you decided to sell the house. Why do you feel the need to dictate what the owner does with the house after? If you wanted to keep the pizza oven as some kind of monument to yourself you could have kept the home. This kind of mindset leads to stale neighborhoods, whe…

This kind of mindset is why many parks and landmark exist, in the US and Europe. Someone owned a land or a castle, etc and then donated or sold it with strings attached to keep its purpose. Muir Woods is one example, private purchase with the intent to preserve it.

Re: Writing documentation for your house

#272

Post by Terr_ »

Larrikin wrote: post #196
Terr_ wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Honestly this kind of mindset is a huge problem in the US. It sounds like less of a problem than its opposite: "Nothing matters but how much money I can make."

Whatabout something else that is a problem in the world? Your post history seems like you exist to be an example in a Wikipedia article https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism

> Whataboutism

"The polar-opposite behavior is a bigger problem" is not "whataboutism", the relation is direct and practical.

> Your post history seems like you exist to be an example in a Wikipedia article.

Thinly-veiled personal insult, check.

Re: Writing documentation for your house

#273

Post by somehnguy »

recursive wrote: post #268
somehnguy wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love the idea, but yeah that outcome was predictable. Home automation is very much still in the hobby stage and most people simply don't care about it. I own my home & am into automation - but I don't plan on living in this house forever. As such I try to only install things that can be easily reversed when I move out, e.g wireless instead of hardwired smart switches - devices that piggyback on 'normal' home things…

> most people simply don't care about it. That's an optimistic view. I think the most common position would be one of active avoidance. I know that's true for me.

You’re (presumably) an informed tech geek based on hanging out here - so your view makes sense. I do not believe that’s the case for the general not tech-informed public though. When I think of friends and family not in tech most of their view seems to be “neat, would love it, don’t want to put in any effort to make it work, so I’m fine without”

Re: Writing documentation for your house

#274

Post by apwell23 »

jacquesm wrote: post #263
apwell23 wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

She couldve planted that herself to make livestream more interesting with some sentimental drama.

Interesting that your first thought upon reading something like this is that it could have been faked, complete with reason. I think that says more about you than that it does about the person described in the story.

oh yea? How do you know it was my "first thought"?

Re: Writing documentation for your house

#275

Post by jacquesm »

apwell23 wrote: post #274
jacquesm wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting that your first thought upon reading something like this is that it could have been faked, complete with reason. I think that says more about you than that it does about the person described in the story.

oh yea? How do you know it was my "first thought"?

Because you didn't precede it with anything nicer.

Re: Writing documentation for your house

#276

Post by FireBeyond »

rpearl wrote: post #254
wyldfire wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They are indistinguishable from normal light switches without any smarts Except that most normal light switches (that I've encountered) are a toggle and not a momentary.

The new(ish) Caseta paddle switches are pretty indistinguishable visually from normal paddle switches, and operating them is natural even though they don't stay toggled up and down. If that's the sum total of my concession to "these switches are smart", I can't say I care.

I love the Caseta paddle switches. Even more that (strangely belatedly) they introduced the three/four way 'dummies' (each three/four way needs a smart switch, and the dummies can tell it about the state change, and reflect it, but they can't/don't talk to the 'hub').

Re: Writing documentation for your house

#277

Post by FireBeyond »

philjohn wrote: post #170
subpixel wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Home automation is a mystery to me. I have a coffee maker I can program to turn on in the morning, some ring cams for deterrence, and an automatic thermostat. I feel like everything else is overkill. Also starting and maintaining a fire in the wood stove is something I enjoy.

It is and it isn't. It's definitely on the "you don't need it" side of the scale, but if done thoughtfully it can make everyday life just a bit easier. Some of my favourite automations: 1. Whenever someone arrives home and it's started to get dark outside, automatically turn the hallway lights on if they're off 2. When turning off the TV in the lounge, and it's dark outside, and the lights are dimmed, bring them up t…

I have six can lights in my living room, 2 x 3 layout.

My partner has a corner desk and works from home 3 days/week. I also have a backlight "rope light" behind the TV.

During the day, when she's working in that space, the lights are 100% intensity daylight white, and the backlight a cool turquoise. At sunset the lights go to about 70% warm white.

Automations are also hooked up to my Harmony (I really hope someone dives in to this space, but I don't hold up hopes - there are a couple of options, but right now no-one seems interested in picking up from Logitech unless you're going to the ultra heavy, and ugly, last I checked, offerings from Creston, etc.), such that if you turn on the TV, then it turns off the front row of lights (parallel to the TV wall) so there's no reflection, and the second row, which is just behind the couch back, goes down to about 10-15%, slightly warmer still, giving a movie theater vibe. And the backlight on the TV turns off. I debated the Hue accessory to match color to HDMI output, but I think that seems like more of a distraction than an aesthetic.

Re: Writing documentation for your house

#278

Post by FireBeyond »

ozim wrote: post #192
philjohn wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is and it isn't. It's definitely on the "you don't need it" side of the scale, but if done thoughtfully it can make everyday life just a bit easier. Some of my favourite automations: 1. Whenever someone arrives home and it's started to get dark outside, automatically turn the hallway lights on if they're off 2. When turning off the TV in the lounge, and it's dark outside, and the lights are dimmed, bring them up t…

Talking about preferences I hate motion sensor lights I usually rather to walk in dark and get my eyes used to darkness. I still turn on lights when I get to bathroom or I get a glass of water in the end but somehow it feels better if I turn it on at the destination. Other thing is I hade all kinds of status LEDs - it is just insane with the bright ones. I know it is nice for quick troubleshooting during the day to k…

I love the status lights on Caseta switches, there's no 'ambience' to them, you can see it's on, but even in a dark room it's not obtrusive, not even remotely (it's like a barely lit off white LED, and I do mean barely).

On my office desk with my computer setup, I have a pair of Vanatoo Transparent Zero speakers, which had a bright blue obnoxious LED that was way over the top... until I looked in the manual for some other reason and discovered you could actually hold one of the rear switches and turn a knob to dial the intensity all the way down, or off. I love that.

Re: Writing documentation for your house

#279

Post by nucleardog »

jeremiahbuckley wrote: post #253
wyldfire wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They are indistinguishable from normal light switches without any smarts Except that most normal light switches (that I've encountered) are a toggle and not a momentary.

The kind of switches described are rocker switches with a small led to indicate state. In-person they provide every feature of a toggle switch, while also having a remote state change capability.

> The kind of switches described are rocker switches with a small led to indicate state.

Also, in most applications, a big LED to indicate state. Often installed on the ceiling in a central location where it's easy to see from any point in the room.

Re: Writing documentation for your house

#280

Post by nucleardog »

bombcar wrote: post #242
jairuhme wrote: post #42

I see a few comments describing how their documentation that they handed over went without love. I'll add a different perspective. I bought a fixer upper (really just needed a face lift) from a couple who's parents lived there but passed away. The only thing left behind was a plastic bag of appliance manuals, some old receipts, and most importantly, a sheet of paper with dates, when things were updated, and how much…

I don’t bother writing documentation, I write on the pipes and walls and equipment. My furnace has the install date in sharpie on it, along with maintenance dates. The main sewer line has the last time it was cleared, who cleared it, and where the blockage was. An industrial label printer makes these easy.

> An industrial label printer makes these easy.

So does a sharpie.

This is my preferred method. "Permanent" things go on the thing with sharpie. Other stuff gets sharpied on some masking tape and stuck on.

If my furnace ever walks off and takes the install date with it... chances are the install date's no longer relevant. Otherwise the documentation for my furnace is... on the furnace.

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