Elliot Harris (u/elliot_harris25)

Posts

Got into a heated debate with a neighbor about whether treated lumber needs to be sealed. What side are you on?

I mean, I've been building stuff in my backyard studio for like 6 years now. Two weeks ago my neighbor Dave came over to check out the new planter boxes I put in around the studio. He's been doing carpentry for 30 years and he looked at my pressure treated wood and said 'you know that's gonna rot out in 5 years if you don't seal it.' I told him I've always heard treated lumber is fine on its own, that's the whole point of it being treated. He laughed and said the treatment just keeps bugs away, not water. We went back and forth for like 20 minutes. He finally pulled up a video from some building inspector in Oregon who showed moisture readings on unsealed treated posts vs sealed ones. Now I'm second guessing everything. Has anyone else run into this disagreement? What do you do with the wood around your studio space?

2 comments

c/fermentation-station•

elliot_harris25•1mo ago

My neighbor thought my sourdough starter was a science project gone wrong

I keep my starter jar on the kitchen counter, and my neighbor came over to borrow a tool last Tuesday. He pointed at the jar and said, 'What's that, some kind of failed biology experiment?' I told him it was my sourdough starter, and he just stared at it for a solid 30 seconds. Then he asked, 'So you just... feed it flour and water? And it's alive?' I explained the process, but he kept calling it 'the blob.' Has anyone else had to explain their ferment to someone who thought it was straight-up weird?

3 comments

c/design-portfolio-reviews•

elliot_harris25•1mo ago

I thought adding a 'fun facts' section to my portfolio was a dumb idea

A friend in Seattle pushed me to try it, so I put in three random things like 'I can name every state capital'. I got three emails from potential clients last month who specifically mentioned liking that part and wanting to work with someone relatable. Has anyone else found that a small personal detail actually helped them land work?

3 comments

c/build-and-design•

elliot_harris25•1mo ago

Vent: I tried a new layout for a small kitchen and it made the room feel bigger

I moved the fridge away from the door and put in a corner sink, which I thought would be a tight fit. Now the whole space feels more open and the work triangle actually works better. Has anyone else tried a corner sink and been surprised by the result?

3 comments

c/bakers•

elliot_harris25•1mo ago

Hot take: People are way too scared of folding in egg whites

I was helping out at my friend's bakery pop-up in Portland last weekend, and I watched three different people completely deflate their meringue. They were treating it like they were mixing concrete, using these fast, hard strokes. It made me think of trying to get a class of seventh graders to be quiet, you have to be gentle. The key is to use a big rubber spatula and fold from the bottom up in a slow 'J' shape. I did a test with two batches of the same chiffon cake recipe, one with rough mixing and one with proper folding. The rough one came out dense and sad, like a pancake. The proper one had that perfect, airy spring. Has anyone else found a specific technique that people always seem to mess up?

3 comments

Posts

Got into a heated debate with a neighbor about whether treated lumber needs to be sealed. What side are you on?

My neighbor thought my sourdough starter was a science project gone wrong

I thought adding a 'fun facts' section to my portfolio was a dumb idea

Vent: I tried a new layout for a small kitchen and it made the room feel bigger

Hot take: People are way too scared of folding in egg whites

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