Random homeowner update
So yesterday I drilled holes in my house.
It shouldn't be so scary--it really was nothing--but I drilled HOLES in my HOUSE. You wouldn't drill holes in your car, would you? No.
One basement window will let water into the basement in heavy rain unless the window well is covered. When I first bought the house there was a plastic cover. That blew off at some point and I learned about the flood issue. So I got another plastic cover. To attach it to the house I used super epoxy because I didn't want to drill into the wall. The wall is brick and holes have a problem with freeze-thaw cycles.
Well, the cover I attached blew off in the high winds a couple days ago. So yesterday I went to Home Despot and bought a masonry bit, corresponding masonry screws, some washers, and some silicone caulk. I figured that freeze-thaw issues were a possibility, but a small one, and anyway that wouldn't create a big crisis, just another sort of repair. Whereas flooding in my basement could lead to mold problems, which is right out for this allergy girl.
I am actually very DIY, as demonstrated by the fact that I have TWO drills, both of which I bought brand new (i.e. not inherited). One runs on rechargeable batteries. It's sorta low-power, but I've used it to build many bookcases, so it's not bad. The other plugs into the wall and is insanely powerful--too powerful, really. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought it, because the first time I used it I was like, "Holy shit, this thing is impossible to control and I'm going to drill through my hand."
(And it doesn't really lock into neutral. You have to test to be sure the safety is on, and it never is, and needs some delicate wiggling until you feel okay to turn the chuck and change bits.)
So I never really used the plug-in drill.
The directions on the package of the masonry bit and the screws both indicated one should use a hammer drill. Like that's something your average homeowner has. ::derisive eyebrows:: So it didn't surprise me when my cordless drill was only sort of scratching the surface of the brick.
Okay, says I, get the SCARY DRILL. And to power it, run an electrical extension out the kitchen window, which tactic I know because that's where my neighbor has run a cord in when they've let me power my fridge from their generator during blackouts.
Turns out that INSANELY POWERFUL DRILL doesn't seem so insanely powerful when it's doing a job it was meant for, like drilling into brick. Sure, it rips up wood like a termite on meth, but brick was exactly right.
It is also worth noting that it's a big advantage to be a large person when doing this. I had to lean on the drill pretty heavily to push into the brick. But hey, less than 10 seconds per hole!
And of course I realized after I attached it that I put it in the wrong place. And had to take the screws out and reposition and redrill. I filled the first holes with silicone caulk. They're under the plastic anyway, so I don't think water is likely to get in.
And then I put a bead of caulk along the edge of the plastic cover where it's attached to the wall. And now my basement will stay dry and I am over my fear of drilling into my house and kind of want to riddle it with holes and stick things to it.
Which I will not do.