Laura De

M.K. Dorje Sr. wrote:
Questions: Is there any way to remove the ads- and is there an explanation from duckduckgo why these annoying and repetitive ads are suddenly popping up now? In case it matters, I have a MacBook Air that runs Sonoma 14.41.1 as the operating system.

I've only been using DDG for the past year or so, so I can't comment on an uptick in ads. What browser do you use? I use Brave and Firefox and haven't noticed an inordinate amount of ads. I DO think there are just more ads in general though and I don't think there's really a way to stop those. Having the "Do not track" setting activated can reduce the amount of what feel like targeted ads, but I think the overall # of commercials is a symptom of where we are as a society :(

Cristobal Cristo wrote:
I'm not sure if making thicker slab would make any noticeable difference in the thermal comfort. If the slab was going down 9.5", below existing one then it would couple to the cooler earth down below.

This is enough to convince me, thank you! We definitely can't afford to dig up the current floor and then further than that so it would just be adding a layer on top. I see my understanding of this concept needs more development.

Glenn Herbert wrote:
What you want is more insulation on that exposed wall so heat doesn't get through as fast and the outside has a chance to cool to ambient temperature at night. An extra thickness of insulation will add a negligible amount to the weight of your structure.

Thank you for this explanation. Is it possible to add a layer of insulation on top of the existing drywall so we don't have to tear that down? Adding a 1.5" thick layer of poly iso rigid boards is way more cost effective and has an r-value of 9.6!

Our roof is pretty sloped-not quite A-frame but pretty close-so I'm not sure about adding a ventilated roof skin like you also mentioned. We can definitely look at adding insulation and better vents to the attic.

Thanks folks!!

When DuckDuckGo isn't giving me quite what I'm looking for, I use this version of Google w/ the AI results removed: https://udm14.com. I can't remember who made it but I got it from PrivacyGuides.net which is a great resource for Privacy.

Resist the Enshittification!

We live in the Sierra foothills in California and summer temperatures regularly hover around 100F during the day and can stay in the 80s throughout the night. The house is on a slope and access to the garage from the house is downstairs. Atop the garage is a wide open living/dining area with ~18' ceilings. Quite lovely, and quite hot. Our deck overhangs the top of the garage and so we have like a 7' covered area adjacent to the garage. See attached photos cuz I'm sure my description is confusing

Our vision is to turn the garage into a summer hangout spot for when our upstairs is too hot.

The garage is a long rectangle, roughly 14' wide, 25' deep, with 8' ceilings. The back wall (photo included) is solid save for a door leading outside. That back wall catches sun for most of the day. All around the inside of the garage is a concrete ledge 9.5" tall with a 1" lip.

Things I've thought about to help keep it cool:

1) pouring more concrete on the floor to bring it mostly level with that concrete lip.
Pro - it would remove the need to install a step from the laundry room into the garage.
Questions...
-Would it increase the weight too much and necessitate external reinforcements since the house is on a slope?
-Home Depot says I'd need about 480 bags for that area which is ~$3k USD - could we add in gravel or something similar to reduce that cost a bit? Like hugelkultur but for concrete slabs? lol
- Could we pour the slab without adding the rebar in since it's technically on top of a floor that presumably contains structural support?

2) Padding the back wall with a couple layers of bricks or cinder blocks. Since the back wall is what catches the sun most of the day, my inexperienced brain thinks that making it thicker would help stabilize the temperature?
IDK if this would be as effective as increasing the mass of the concrete floor and will likely be more expensive.
Questions...
Would cinderblocks be a good or bad idea because of the air pockets?
Similar to above, would we need to do something further to reinforce the wall/foundation since we'd be adding so much weight?

3) I've tossed out the idea of using that covered area for water storage and putting a couple # gallon containers there. That would be great for passive irrigation and potentially help keep the garage cool if they're up against the wall? My partner doesn't like the idea of adding a bunch of weight to the slope. I'm inclined to agree because, as might be visible in the photos, I think that part will need to be reinforced sooner rather than later. For some reason the previous owners had the gutters spilling directly next to the covered area and you can see where there has been some erosion away from the concrete pylons.


I appreciate any and all feedback!

Oh no I'm a new-ish user to Duckduckgo and haven't been dissatisfied with results. Are they inaccurate? Have you tried Ecosia? They make a point to not save user data and they use their ad revenue to plant trees!

Hello!

I was shopping online for glass pickling weights and came across some glass canning inserts. Are these supposed to take the place of the metal lid? From what I saw, one still needs to use the metal ring. Is this safe? Does it actually form a seal? I'm very intrigued. I haven't started canning yet but I love the idea of something reusable.  Thoughts/experiences?

Hello!  

Is there somewhere to get a export the list of titles? I want to make a checklist but there are quiiiiiiite a lot of options.  

Hello!

I just saw a video of a handheld berry picker and i wonder if an oil can could be cut into something like that?

Abraham Palma wrote: Where we wanted a lush garden, our fauna found a lust garden.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the comments here, and your exchanges have significantly contributed to my own plant list for my imminent move to a similar-ish climate.

But I could not let this gem go uncelebrated. What a chuckle, thank you.

Carla Burke wrote:How do you think she'd feel about a frog pond? The sound of the water, the frog songs, the happy green bug-eaters. The sweet scents of lily pads, maybe some cattails and mallows, dragonflies and butterflies...?

I had never even thought about a frog pond but now I'm intrigued! Mom loves butterflies so we can definitely explore this! Do you have one? I imagine the frogs would keep the mosquito population relatively in control? Okay defo a lot to think about here, gracias!