Woodworking, DIY, and home repair thread

[davidg 4057]

Anyone tried using a pressure washer to remove the stringy bark off of cedar poles before putting them up?  I saw a thread on a forum where a guy built a big deck surround his home and use cedar poles he had stripped with a pressure washer.  He hit the softwood with a sealer/stain and they looked pretty good. 

[HOOKEM4 5151]

8 hours ago, davidg said:

Anyone tried using a pressure washer to remove the stringy bark off of cedar poles before putting them up?  I saw a thread on a forum where a guy built a big deck surround his home and use cedar poles he had stripped with a pressure washer.  He hit the softwood with a sealer/stain and they looked pretty good. 

I did this to build a fence. You need cedar that has been sitting for close to a year for it to be easy. If it is fresh you will mess up the wood trying to get the bark off. Either way, it will take some work. I think I stripped 12 - 10' long logs in around 4 hours. They were all sitting in a pile for several years before I stripped them.  I tried stripping one fresh cut cedar and gave up after an hour. They are sitting out in the sun till the spring when I will try again.

[UTexasFight 9788]

Anybody have any outdoor tv cabinets they’ve made?

looking for ideas. Trying to keep this as simple as possible but I’m way overthinking it.

[Spaulding Smails 1610]

10 hours ago, UTexasFight said:

Anybody have any outdoor tv cabinets they’ve made?

looking for ideas. Trying to keep this as simple as possible but I’m way overthinking it.

Can you send pics of the area that you want to put it?  Exposed to the elements or under cover?  My company built a few over the years.  A lot of my recommendations are contingent on exposure both from a weather and sun perspective.

I don't even cover mine under my patio.  Just leave it out and exposed.  I bought a relatively cheap TV and just plan on replacing it every 5 years or so.  My folks put a fabric cover over their TV and it seems to do a good job of keeping moisture out, but they get a bit more sun and driving rain exposure than I do.  I helped a buddy build his out of Cedar with an awning style door that acts as a shade cover.  It has weatherstripping around, so it's relatively water tight.  And, we've built some that are fully exposed with steel surrounds or even Star Board which worked pretty well.

[gsoda3 3358]

On 10/30/2020 at 9:46 AM, RexWilson said:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wood-Storage-Cabinet-36-inch-with-2-Shelves-Coastal-White-Finish-SC3036-CW/312634453

So I need to make two cabinets to fit in recessed areas on each side of my fireplace. I want the design to be similar to the one in the link. I need mine to be 44x48x24. When I look up plans, I cant seem to find something like this one. They have toe kicks or just not exactly what I am looking for.

I have the tools needed but have never tried making a cabinet. Anyone have a simple process or plans to get me started?

 

 

On 11/2/2020 at 6:49 PM, utee94 said:

I had this exact same issue.  Two large niches, one on each side of the fireplace.  Each nice is a little over 48" wide, 26" deep, and about 8' high (in a room with 10' ceilings).

Carpenters wanted a fortune for custom built-ins, so I decided I could put together something on my own.  For each niche, I used two stock 24" kitchen base cabinets.  I bought them raw unfinished because I needed to match the stain color to the already-existing mantle, and none of the stock colors matched.  I screwed the two stock base cabinets together, built custom filler plates on each side out of 1x2 stock, to stretch all the way to the wall on either side.

As you noted, those stock cabinets all tend to have toe kicks, so I built a custom filler plate on the bottom out of 1x4 and then tacked on some standard base molding to fill the gap all the way to the floor.

Above each of those, I installed floating shelves into the niche.

Also, since one of those two niches serves as the best place in the Great Room for our Christmas tree, I put that one side on casters and made it removable.  For 11 months out of the year, that cabinet sits in its spot in the niche.  But at Christmastime, I roll it out, stow it in the laundry room, and put the tree in that niche.

If you're interested in seeing it, I'll take some pictures and post them here.  It turned out pretty slick.

Stock cabinets were either Lowes or Home Depot, don't remember which, but they look like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-Hampton-Assembled-24x34-5x24-in-Base-Kitchen-Cabinet-in-Unfinished-Beech-KB24-UFDF/307611107

 

we've been making built-ins from scratch for the past month.  doesn't make sense to pay someone 6 grand when lumber costs $800, i had all of the tools, and it's not that technically difficult to do. we watched lots of youtube videos.  i didn't bother with scribing the back of the shelves to the wall and it's quite noticeable but at this point i can't really be bothered.  will upload pictures in a bit.

[UTexasFight 9788]

4 hours ago, Spaulding Smails said:

Can you send pics of the area that you want to put it?  Exposed to the elements or under cover?  My company built a few over the years.  A lot of my recommendations are contingent on exposure both from a weather and sun perspective.

I don't even cover mine under my patio.  Just leave it out and exposed.  I bought a relatively cheap TV and just plan on replacing it every 5 years or so.  My folks put a fabric cover over their TV and it seems to do a good job of keeping moisture out, but they get a bit more sun and driving rain exposure than I do.  I helped a buddy build his out of Cedar with an awning style door that acts as a shade cover.  It has weatherstripping around, so it's relatively water tight.  And, we've built some that are fully exposed with steel surrounds or even Star Board which worked pretty well.

TV will be mounted between the window and gate in this picture. The roof overhang is about 3'. And above that, the metal structure you see hangs over the roof about 3' as well and will have waterproof sunbrella fabric installed soon.

So there will be little to no direct exposure to rain or sun. Central Texas humidity is probably the biggest weather threat, other than I suppose you could have some water exposure from rain running under the metal structure and off the roof and then blowing against the TV/wall. But I'm considering installing a gutter as we'd prefer not to have rain coming off the roof there for more reasons than just the TV.

I landed a black friday deal from Walmart on the TV and could live with needing to replace it every few years. For now, it's a 55" model and looking at a cabinet roughly 60" long and 40" tall. The height may be a bit much, but looking at leaving room to possibly fit a soundbar (comfortably).

 

[Spaulding Smails 1610]

1 hour ago, UTexasFight said:

TV will be mounted between the window and gate in this picture. The roof overhang is about 3'. And above that, the metal structure you see hangs over the roof about 3' as well and will have waterproof sunbrella fabric installed soon.

So there will be little to no direct exposure to rain or sun. Central Texas humidity is probably the biggest weather threat, other than I suppose you could have some water exposure from rain running under the metal structure and off the roof and then blowing against the TV/wall. But I'm considering installing a gutter as we'd prefer not to have rain coming off the roof there for more reasons than just the TV.

I landed a black friday deal from Walmart on the TV and could live with needing to replace it every few years. For now, it's a 55" model and looking at a cabinet roughly 60" long and 40" tall. The height may be a bit much, but looking at leaving room to possibly fit a soundbar (comfortably).

 

I'd go as simple as possible in this case.  To your point, it doesn't look like weather will be much of a concern, so if you can at least keep water from dripping on it, you should be golden.  If you want it to look nice when not in use, use a durable exterior wood (Cedar, Ipe, Massaranduba).  Cedar WAS way cheaper but has skyrocketed in price as of late.  The easiest way to build it would be with bi-parting swing doors (like you'd see on a dart board cabinet).  Or if you want to go super slick, look at getting gas charged lift supports like you'd see on an awning window so it can lift up and stay out of the way when the TV is in use.  If you have moderate carpentry skills and a miter saw, this should be a fun and easy project.  Don't overthink it.

[Enchubben 5598]

If it was me I wouldn't worry about a cabinet and just get a good cover and keep it on when not in use. It's a pain to take on and off, but if you build the cabinet you are stuck with those dimensions and I haven't seen many that stay nice looking for that long unless they are fully covered. Whatever you attach it to, you may want to get a full motion articulating mount so you can swivel to the other side of the yard if needed.  It will stick out a bit further, but worth it IMO.

My patio TV is fully covered so I only put the cover on it when I expect very extreme weather. 

[davidg 4057]

4 hours ago, UTexasFight said:

TV will be mounted between the window and gate in this picture. The roof overhang is about 3'. And above that, the metal structure you see hangs over the roof about 3' as well and will have waterproof sunbrella fabric installed soon.

So there will be little to no direct exposure to rain or sun. Central Texas humidity is probably the biggest weather threat, other than I suppose you could have some water exposure from rain running under the metal structure and off the roof and then blowing against the TV/wall. But I'm considering installing a gutter as we'd prefer not to have rain coming off the roof there for more reasons than just the TV.

I landed a black friday deal from Walmart on the TV and could live with needing to replace it every few years. For now, it's a 55" model and looking at a cabinet roughly 60" long and 40" tall. The height may be a bit much, but looking at leaving room to possibly fit a soundbar (comfortably).

 

Post up some pics when this is done.  Did you do the frame yourself?  What about the awning? Sewing that yourself?   I have a 10x20 patio that I’d like to cover but the adjoining wall is 2 story brick veneer so I’m thinking something more free standing.  We put up an ez up at times but I’d like something a little more permanent.  

[UTexasFight 9788]

Spaulding/ enchuben,

Thanks for the responses. I had been kicking around all of the options y’all mentioned. 
think I’m going to go easy for now and just get a cover after getting the girlfriend’s blessing (Had assumed there was no way in hell she’d go for that).

but she’s probably good with that because it means I’ll be able to move on to the next project: building a sectional (facepalm)

[UTexasFight 9788]

1 hour ago, davidg said:

Post up some pics when this is done.  Did you do the frame yourself?  What about the awning? Sewing that yourself?   I have a 10x20 patio that I’d like to cover but the adjoining wall is 2 story brick veneer so I’m thinking something more free standing.  We put up an ez up at times but I’d like something a little more permanent.  

Will do.

debated waiting until the entire thing is complete before posting but are these things ever really finished?

here is the progress so far. I’m very fortunate to have an old man and brother that have been welding their entire adult lives...and don’t mind calling around oilfield storage yards for old drilling pipe.

Before:

 

 

Landscaping complete (hired out):

 

Poles and frame up:

 

“Rafters” up and planter boxes complete:

 

Next will be installing the cover. using a local company for all of that. 
Then, installing a ceiling fan, making a sectional, figuring out a fire pit/heat source, hanging some string lights, tying up landscaping loose ends, wait for the planter boxes to rust and then seal, figure out a dining table, maybe hang a hammock or two off to the right, etc, etc.

like I said these things are never really complete are they?

Edited November 18, 2020 by UTexasFight

[Enchubben 5598]

10 hours ago, UTexasFight said:

Will do.

debated waiting until the entire thing is complete before posting but are these things ever really finished?

here is the progress so far. I’m very fortunate to have an old man and brother that have been welding their entire adult lives...and don’t mind calling around oilfield storage yards for old drilling pipe.

Before:

 

 

Landscaping complete (hired out):

 

Poles and frame up:

 

“Rafters” up and planter boxes complete:

 

Next will be installing the cover. using a local company for all of that. 
Then, installing a ceiling fan, making a sectional, figuring out a fire pit/heat source, hanging some string lights, tying up landscaping loose ends, wait for the planter boxes to rust and then seal, figure out a dining table, maybe hang a hammock or two off to the right, etc, etc.

like I said these things are never really complete are they?

Awesome cool setup. Not sure where you usually do your grilling but make sure you have at least some ventilation for smoke from the gas grill or plan to move it away from under the covering. An overhead fan can sometimes help and sometimes make it worse depending on breeze and airflow. 

Are you planning on using the tv for audio or adding speakers?

[UTexasFight 9788]

Good points about the grill. Haven’t planned out where that’s going to end up

for audio for now, going to keep an eye out for a Black Friday deal on a decent sound bar 

Edited November 18, 2020 by UTexasFight

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

6 minutes ago, UTexasFight said:

Good points about the grill. Haven’t planned out where that’s going to end up

for audio for now, going to keep an eye out for a Black Friday deal on a decent sound bar 

Outside ventilation can run upwards of $4k for a hood and exhaust unit. If it's under roof you really should add proper ventilation.

[Enchubben 5598]

2 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Outside ventilation can run upwards of $4k for a hood and exhaust unit. If it's under roof you really should add proper ventilation.

I am figuring this out now, even with mine literally right next to the open air.  I might half ass it for now and install a wall fan aimed at the grill. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

19 minutes ago, Enchubben said:

I am figuring this out now, even with mine literally right next to the open air.  I might half ass it for now and install a wall fan aimed at the grill. 

It needs to be done, you just don't get adequate ventilation, then you start getting a sticky, dirty goo all over the ceiling, and side walls.

[ROFL BOX 6654]

15 hours ago, UTexasFight said:

Words & pics

[UTexasFight 9788]

Set in concrete

light layer of dirt on the surface.

part of the “landscaping loose ends” involves redoing the edging that the hired help installed (not straight and not exactly where I want it) and will look to make sure no standing water issues around those poles 

[davidg 4057]

There is plenty of 2 3/8 and 2 7/8 drill pipe driven into the ground for fence posts that will be here a lot longer than most of us whether it was painted or not.  I imagine these awning posts will be about the same.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, davidg said:

There is plenty of 2 3/8 and 2 7/8 drill pipe driven into the ground for fence posts that will be here a lot longer than most of us whether it was painted or not.  I imagine these awning posts will be about the same.

Home... home on the range.....

[fattyflattie 4640]

On 11/18/2020 at 3:08 PM, davidg said:

There is plenty of 2 3/8 and 2 7/8 drill pipe driven into the ground for fence posts that will be here a lot longer than most of us whether it was painted or not.  I imagine these awning posts will be about the same.

Yeah I built a pole barn 15 years ago from pipe that was well into oxidation for who knows how long, and it’s going strong.   

[retsevlys 408]

This isn't really home repair, but this fits here as well as anywhere.  Spoiler because longcat.

Spoiler

 

A friend of mine inherited a 1940s Koken barber chair and wanted to restore it.

 

 

He "knew a guy" who could restore it for him.  I'm not sure of how all that happened, but the upholstery got redone and the chair got powder coated.  The silver parts should have been nickel plated, but I guess powder coating was cheaper.  Something happened at some point in the process and the person who started the restoration wasn't able to finish it.  So he took it to someone else to finish.  Now this person didn't disassemble the chair and couldn't figure out how to reassemble it.  He asked me one day if I thought I could do it and I told him I'd take a look at it.  This is how I received it:

The only thing I had to go off of was the pictures he gave me and limited online info.

 

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by retsevlys
how to spoiler

[retsevlys 408]

Spoiler

 

Whoever took it apart decided for some reason to not fully disassemble it before they got it powder coated.  Another issue with the powder coating was that some of the joints were so tight that the thickness of the powder coat wouldn't let them go back together.

Either between the exchange of the two former restorers or between the previous and me, or both, some of the original screws and bolts were lost.  For whatever reason, and I assume because it was easiest, someone decided to replace the original slotted screws with Phillips screws.  I ordered all new slotted screws and bolts.

The first thing I did was replace the white caps on the armrests.  The fit was so tight, that I couldn't get the upholstery inside the cap without tearing and bunching the upholstery.  I wrapped the arm in wax paper and that fixed that.

I started assembling the chair and I got to the head rest.  The head rest has a bar attached that allows you to raise and lower it.  Looking at the back of the back rest, I couldn't understand how that worked.  I figured something had to be wrong.  I started removing staples from the upholstery so I could look into the back rest.  I discovered that the upholstery shop had covered the hole that the head rest slid in to.  So I fixed that.

The chair reclines, and has linkage under the chair relating to that, but I couldn't figure out how that worked and couldn't find anything online.

I finally figured out what that silver part was called but still couldn't find any images of the linkage.  I found a similar chair on eBay, contacted the seller, and he sent me pictures of the linkage.  Now that I knew how it worked, I went to reassemble it.  The problem was, it wouldn't fit.  You see, that bar was powder coated together with the bracket that it's supposed to slide back and forth in.  The bar shouldn't have been powder coated in the first place.

Once I fixed that, the chair was substantially reassembled.  The previous restorer asked my friend whether he wanted the chair to go up and down or whether he wanted it to spin.  At this point, it did neither.  I asked him if he wanted me to take a look at it.  He said if it's not too much trouble.  I unbolted the chair from the base took a look inside the hydraulics.  I noticed to myself, there should be oil in there.  There wasn't.  I went and picked up some hydraulic jack oil and poured it in.  It would now spin easily.  I tried the pump but it would only briefly go up then go back down.

Next I pulled the hydraulic cylinder out of the base and pulled the piston out of the cylinder.

There is supposed to be a brake that fits in to the hole above that will stop the chair from spinning.  It was gone.  I can only assume one of the restorers couldn't get it back together right and just threw it away.

I found a Facebook post of a guy in South Carolina that rebuilds chairs that had lots of Koken brakes for sale.  I don't know the specific information on the chair so I don't know exactly the part I need to order so I give him a call.  I text him pics and describe the chair and he says he'll send me the part.  When I had the cylinder apart, I noticed that there was no seal on the release valve.  It had disintegrated.  I had found one on eBay for $90, but it's just a piece of rubber and I figured I could make do with something.  I asked this guy about it and he said he thought he had some.  He sent me two for $20.  I cleaned out the hydraulics and reassembled and added new jack oil.

 

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by retsevlys

[retsevlys 408]

The chair is now fully functional.  I thought some of you might find this interesting.

Spoiler

 

 

 

[gsoda3 3358]

i did find that interesting.  i am also highly impressed.  good work!

[utee94 16066]

On 10/30/2020 at 9:46 AM, RexWilson said:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wood-Storage-Cabinet-36-inch-with-2-Shelves-Coastal-White-Finish-SC3036-CW/312634453

So I need to make two cabinets to fit in recessed areas on each side of my fireplace. I want the design to be similar to the one in the link. I need mine to be 44x48x24. When I look up plans, I cant seem to find something like this one. They have toe kicks or just not exactly what I am looking for.

I have the tools needed but have never tried making a cabinet. Anyone have a simple process or plans to get me started?

Ok finally took some pics, looks like the vertical ones are loading sideways from the phone so I guess just call me Armybrat...

 

[utee94 16066]

So like I said before, my then-4-year-old daughter informed me that the niche on the right was the perfect place for our Christmas tree.  So I built that base cabinet on casters and it rolls out of the way and into the laundry room for the 1 month per year we have the tree up.

I also built faux walls above each of them, to mount the artwork onto, and the glass floating shelves.  The TV on the left is mounted on full extension/swivel arm, so when people are sitting throughout the room, it can be seen from anywhere.  But when there are only a few folks, it stays tucked back against the faux wall.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

On 11/19/2020 at 7:54 PM, fattyflattie said:

Yeah I built a pole barn 15 years ago from pipe that was well into oxidation for who knows how long, and it’s going strong.   

My pipe was going strong in your mom last night....  I mean damn if that wasn't obligatory I don't know what is....

[Incredulity 11861]

 

It looks like you're transporting Hannibal Lecter

[UTexasFight 9788]

Going to stain this at some point and need to finish unpacking the cushions but gruntled with how this couch is coming together

 

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

Where did you get the cushions?

[UTexasFight 9788]

14 minutes ago, TXLNGHRN10 said:

Where did you get the cushions?

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/304400805

Nothing fancy (except for the price.... apparently I gotta get in to the couch cushion business)

[BHMCruiser 1828]

On 8/5/2020 at 2:34 AM, mulletpelini said:

We're in a 40 year old house that I'm constantly working on myself.  The original insulation is still there, and at some point in the future we will address it.  Keep in mind I'm 6 hours north of Dallas so it gets hot but not as humid as where most of you are.  Summer time the attic is probably 130+ most days, when the outside is 90-95.  The house faces south but there is good shade and some days the AC may not kick on til after noon.  Would it make sense to have an attic fan to pull some of that hot air out during the day?  Especially when I am working up in the attic.  As it is now, I try to do early morning in summer or wait til winter.  

I'm not talking about running it all day, but would it benefit from time to time to recycle that air during the day and would it help the AC run more efficient/less often than it does now.

We pulled all the pile insulation and sprayfoam insulated the attic. Now it's only about 5 degrees warmer or cooler than the living areas of the house. The house is way easier to keep consistently cool or warm and there are no hot or cold spots anymore. It was also pretty cheap. The downside is that if you have a roof problem, you won't know about it until it's pretty serious. I'm in Birmingham, Alabama.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Do we have any Austin area/ middle Texas architects, structural, or civil engineers here ?  Have a question or two about foundations in that caliche soil y'all are plagued with.

Edited December 12, 2020 by Onboard 2.0

[UT_OB1 2260]

I need to paint the inside of a a couple of ~1200 sqft homes and the outside of one. If I wanted to spend $400 or less, what paint sprayer at an HD or Lowe’s should I be looking at?

[Gil Bang 26176]

I'm ready to catch major shit, but buy the one from Harbor Freight.  I have it, and it's really good.  I've owned a Graco, and it's every bit as good. 

[Gil Bang 26176]

dp

Edited December 15, 2020 by Gil Bang

[UT_OB1 2260]

2 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

I'm ready to catch major shit, but buy the one from Harbor Freight.  I have it, and it's really good.  I've owned a Graco, and it's every bit as good. 

This the one you’re talking about?

https://www.harborfreight.com/portable-hvlp-paint-stain-sprayer-64933.html

 

[Gil Bang 26176]

1 minute ago, UT_OB1 said:

This the one you’re talking about?

https://www.harborfreight.com/portable-hvlp-paint-stain-sprayer-64933.html

 

NO! That's a HVLP.  That's what you use to paint furniture.  You need an "airless sprayer". 

[Gil Bang 26176]

[Jkwellborn 7006]

Looks like a knock off of a titan rig. I’ve got a graco x5. I like it.

[UT_OB1 2260]

8 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

NO! That's a HVLP.  That's what you use to paint furniture.  You need an "airless sprayer". 

Thanks!  I didn’t realize that.  I briefly looked and just saw something they said the hvlp makes a nicer spray.  Looked more in to it after your comment. Maybe I’ll get one of each

[UT_OB1 2260]

2 hours ago, Jkwellborn said:

Looks like a knock off of a titan rig. I’ve got a graco x5. I like it.

The Graco x5 says it is good for 125 gal/year. The Wagner 170 says it is good for 300 gal/year. Should I assume the Wagner is a little higher quality?  It is about $30 cheaper. 
 

Wagner

Edited December 15, 2020 by UT_OB1

[Gil Bang 26176]

1 hour ago, UT_OB1 said:

The Graco x5 says it is good for 125 gal/year. The Wagner 170 says it is good for 300 gal/year. Should I assume the Wagner is a little higher quality?  It is about $30 cheaper. 
 

Wagner

I'm guessing that the  Wagner is a diaphram pump  The Craco is a piston pump.  Explanation here : https://www.wagner-group.com/en/contractor/technologies/

Edited December 15, 2020 by Gil Bang

[UT_OB1 2260]

In think I’m leaning graco x5 over the x7 or the Wagners based on the reviews I’ve read and videos I’ve watched. 

[davidg 4057]

I've got a Graco X7 that I got on a good sale on Amazon a couple of years ago.  I think I paid around $275 for it.  There is probably a thread in CYHMWT.  I've sprayed a couple of buckets of latex with it and like that the X7 can fit over a 5 gal.  I need to spray some shipping containers but I want to use rustoleum but not really wanting to deal with the oil base cleanup.  Kinda wish I would have got one of the replaceable head models and just have a separate head for oil paints. 

Whatever you buy, get a longer wand and buy at least one size tip up and down from the recommended to be able to fine tune your spray pattern 

[Jkwellborn 7006]

You can buy another hose, gun and everything for those.

[Jkwellborn 7006]

Also, just get a bunch of mineral spirits and run it through it like paint.

[UT_OB1 2260]

Wonder if I missed a Black Friday deal. The x5 and x7 are both over 340 that I’ve found, currently. 
 

Thanks for the advice on the tips. The wand was one of the other things that made me lean graco. Wagner doesn’t look like it has a want attachment. 
 

For clean up of the latex, is it as simple as starting with a 5 gallon bucket of water and spraying until it is clear, then clean the suction and other parts that might have paint?

[deadshank 24654]

6 minutes ago, UT_OB1 said:

Wonder if I missed a Black Friday deal. The x5 and x7 are both over 340 that I’ve found, currently. 
 

Thanks for the advice on the tips. The wand was one of the other things that made me lean graco. Wagner doesn’t look like it has a want attachment. 
 

For clean up of the latex, is it as simple as starting with a 5 gallon bucket of water and spraying until it is clear, then clean the suction and other parts that might have paint?

Don't forget the last step in latex clean up:  Pour the latex / water solution into the gutter and let it funnel down to the storm drain.  That's what my idiot neighbor's painting crew did.   

Guess who lives on the corner where the storm drain is downstream from them?