|
SquirrelyPSU posted:I understand that this is a general statement. In my case, I'm a structural engineer that spent five years trying to keep 30 year old missile systems working. About the only things I'm not already handy with are drywall and roofs. I just have never stayed in the same place for long enough to consider it or have been broke. I just got my PE license, and am looking at the first, stable, three-year period ahead of me for the first time ever. My brain is telling me its time. ah, looking to build something in the groverhaus style
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 16:13 |
|
|
# ? Jun 9, 2024 10:22 |
|
Women love sunken bath tubs. You can make room by cutting up the floor joists.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 16:29 |
|
Squirrely don't listen to these haters, doom bathroom and load bearing stairwell insulation have already been done. You gotta innovate, push the envelope, incorporate some of that air defense knowledge. Build a garden room on a sun-tracking pintle mount.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 16:32 |
one day i'm going to design and build my own house but being an intelligent person will refrain from posting about it until it is done.
|
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 16:44 |
|
shame on an IGA posted:Squirrely don't listen to these haters, doom bathroom and load bearing stairwell insulation have already been done. You gotta innovate, push the envelope, incorporate some of that air defense knowledge. Now, hear me out *waves hands as if displaying billboard*..............stilts Also, no I am not planning on building my own house.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 17:38 |
|
SquirrelyPSU posted:Now, hear me out *waves hands as if displaying billboard*..............stilts Have to be ready for when the sea rises. Make your stilt house in the areas that will become the NEW beachfront property and it will pay off!
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 17:41 |
|
GD_American posted:I would advise anyone about to buy to make a realistic self-assessment about their general handiness and/or willingness to learn. You can always hire someone to do these repairs. As long as you don't buy a total money pit I don't think the cost of professional servicing would outpace the value of the equity you'll establish or the tax incentives of home ownership
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 18:39 |
|
Kawasaki Nun posted:You can always hire someone to do these repairs. As long as you don't buy a total money pit I don't think the cost of professional servicing would outpace the value of the equity you'll establish or the tax incentives of home ownership Price A/C or plumbing repairs for shits and giggles and see if your opinion holds. Also re that Dega video, I showed it to a Bud rep in our class and he had me send it to him so he could send it to his bosses. So take pride in the fact that actual Budweiser marketing strategy in the Southeast will be affected by Beads for Buttholes.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 18:54 |
|
Do you do your own A/C and plumbing repairs? That's well beyond handyman stuff, and if those systems are failing or about to fail then I should hope that would be caught during the home inspection. But yeah home repairs and renovations are super expensive, there is no denying it.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 19:22 |
|
If you're able to take the time off to do it yourself, doing poo poo like drywall replacement and painting can save you a chunk of change. Also helps if you know people that do general contracting, or electrical, or plumbing stuff. Angie's List is only so reliable, and going by word of mouth is iffy as poo poo. There are YouTube tutorials for basically everything you need to know. Do the basic poo poo yourself if you have the time, patience, and ability to learn. Helps if you have friends or family that own nice tools already. My buddy tried to do poo poo on the cheap, but basically paid twice what he should've. He went with one guy because the rear end in a top hat undercut almost all of the competition, then did a little bit of the work, and disappeared. Turns out he did the same thing to a bunch of other people and skipped out of state with around $300k.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 19:55 |
|
Major plumbing work is super expensive but those issues should be pretty rare. The majority of plumbing issues in a home are leaky faucets and hoses, which are super easy and cheap to fix. Sometimes people get burned by sewer pipes breaking but the fixes last decades. Pay for the sewer inspection when checking out a house. It saved me $10k.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 20:02 |
|
I’m astonished to which the pace a woman can sniff out stability and drive forward. My girlfriend and I are getting engaged later this year and moving in. She went from “let’s have a nice apartment” to “WE ARE LIVING IN AN INEXPENSIVE NEIGHBORHOOD TO SAVE MONEY FOR A HOME” like over night. She’s done the work to know I qualify for a VA home loan too so lol it’s moving fast.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 20:54 |
|
Fallom posted:Major plumbing work is super expensive but those issues should be pretty rare. The majority of plumbing issues in a home are leaky faucets and hoses, which are super easy and cheap to fix. Sometimes people get burned by sewer pipes breaking but the fixes last decades. I was told if you need to get a new sewer system, to always buy bigger/wider pipes than you need, and a bigger septic tank than you need. Like, if you've got a four person family, pay the extra money now (if you can) for a 6-8 person septic tank. It'll last you longer, and is less likely to back up on you.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 20:59 |
|
Kawasaki Nun posted:You can always hire someone to do these repairs. As long as you don't buy a total money pit I don't think the cost of professional servicing would outpace the value of the equity you'll establish or the tax incentives of home ownership Dude... ALL houses are money pits. Nothing is built to last, and the average American home was made by the lowest bidder and only inspected once. Contractors are a loving racket as they only call other crews, adding nothing to the process but changing $$$ on top for the privilege of working with them.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 23:19 |
|
Wasabi the J posted:Dude... ALL houses are money pits. Yeah they're such a racket that banks and landlords covet them for their negative value. My dad was a general contractor. I dunno who hurt you so bad to make you so cynical but I'm not sure you're on the money here.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 23:36 |
|
Lots of shady contractors out there though. A buddy of mine is moving to Colorado this year. He wants to buy land and build a house. For the moment, he's looking at these: https://www.ezlogstructures.com/ Assuming the county he's looking at allows them. He wants a 70mm (2.8~") thick wall package. I don't remember which one specifically, but they all go together the same. Cribbed boards that you glue and bolt together with threaded strut and nuts, stack and go, frame internally for insulation and drywall. I think it can be done cheaper with a router and a stack of 4x4s. The intent is to not build grovermountainhaus, but something simple, structurally sound, and easy enough that 2-3 people could build it in a month after prep (concrete, plumbing, conduit). The fact that it comes as a kit eliminates a little room for stupidity. I don't think he's going to keep it under $100k, probably more like $125k. But you're not finding anything you want to live in on 30+ acres any cheaper. Land runs $750-1500/acre in parts of central Colorado depending on how far away from people you want to be. There are some good dark valleys out here too. And the state is pushing out grants for counties to run high speed internet out to the sticks, so it's possible to have at least DSL out there now for not terribly expensive rates.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 23:42 |
|
bloops posted:I’m astonished to which the pace a woman can sniff out stability and drive forward. My girlfriend and I are getting engaged later this year and moving in. She went from “let’s have a nice apartment” to “WE ARE LIVING IN AN INEXPENSIVE NEIGHBORHOOD TO SAVE MONEY FOR A HOME” like over night. The VA loan eligibility is like the higher class military Benny to chase. If she was yours at TRIcare poo poo probably ain’t gonna be great, but if she’s suddenly really into making a life with you because she likes you and knows you can provide some nice fringe financial benefits like low interest government guaranteed 0 down 0 fees home loan? Probably better than “You had me at TRIcare.” Grats brother! Marriage is a trip. You’ll dig it.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 23:48 |
|
CRUSTY MINGE posted:Lots of shady contractors out there though. You can buy a top end fully built mobile home for $60-120k or so depending on location. Another 10-20k to have licensed people move it on sight and set it up.
|
# ? Jan 18, 2020 23:54 |
|
Yeah, but a lot of the counties out here won't allow mobiles, regardless of how many wides it is. He doesn't want to live in a trailer either. I think code calls for withstanding 110mph gusts of wind, because he's mostly looking at places like Park county, where it gets cold as gently caress routinely and the wind is a little on the high side.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 00:02 |
|
Kawasaki Nun posted:Yeah they're such a racket that banks and landlords covet them for their negative value. Sorry I'm in the middle of a lot of bids for a project and it's loving frustrating because they all have zero loving input. "Just tell me what you want and I'll build it!"
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 00:05 |
|
Like what the gently caress did I just do for the past 30 minutes? Mongolian throat singing?
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 00:07 |
|
LtCol J. Krusinski posted:The VA loan eligibility is like the higher class military Benny to chase. If she was yours at TRIcare poo poo probably ain’t gonna be great, but if she’s suddenly really into making a life with you because she likes you and knows you can provide some nice fringe financial benefits like low interest government guaranteed 0 down 0 fees home loan? Probably better than “You had me at TRIcare.” Yea we were talking about all this for months before, so it’s not a new thing after the VA home loan thing. I’m excited but also tripping out at this idea of an engagement, marriage and having a kid. I still feel like a dumb rear end 25 year old.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 00:07 |
|
Don't worry I've grown past that into a dumbass 34 year old ... with a house!
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 00:08 |
|
Wasabi the J posted:Sorry I'm in the middle of a lot of bids for a project and it's loving frustrating because they all have zero loving input. poo poo like that is why my friend wants an EZlog kit. His logic is to contract out the well, septic and concrete work, build the structure ourselves, have a GC do a couple of walkthroughs before calling the inspector, then do all the finishing touches after.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 00:13 |
|
After the lives we've all lived, I think we can all agree there are worse ideas than being a homeowner. Enlisting again, for example.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 00:15 |
|
CRUSTY MINGE posted:Yeah, but a lot of the counties out here won't allow mobiles, regardless of how many wides it is. He doesn't want to live in a trailer either. If they can be built to california code I'm sure they would be fine. How would a kit house be any different? I don't know what all he has thought into this it just looks like one of those things that you see a solution and think THATS IT but there are others that are cheaper/easier. Whatever he wants tho it's his place. edit : mobiles now a days are pretty much exactly like a regular house.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 00:16 |
|
I think you mean modular homes. Yeah, those can be built in a factory and assembled on site. I've pointed this out too. Mobile homes, in the traditional sense, still come on wheels and there is a ban on new ones in Park county, probably the same in others. Modulars though, there's a bunch of ways to build legally with those. E: Like I said, I'd just use a router and 4x4s from a local lumber yard. It's a back burner idea for me anyhow, because a modest cabin wouldn't run more than $15k in materials locally. Cribbing isn't popular, mostly cabin kits and the like use it because it's simple. You can save a lot of money if you know how to do simple poo poo like measure and cut and use power tools, but he really likes that it's simple to assemble, supposedly. Also he just cleared 40 and I think this is one of those midlife "gotta be a man" moments for him. I don't mind donating my time towards it. I need to do something with my time this summer and we're kind of a Carl Reiner/Mel Brooks type of friends. CRUSTY MINGE fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Jan 19, 2020 |
# ? Jan 19, 2020 00:26 |
|
CRUSTY MINGE posted:I think code calls for withstanding 110mph gusts of wind, because he's mostly looking at places like Park county, where it gets cold as gently caress routinely and the wind is a little on the high side. Nothing like the seasons of Park County. When the 15 foot tall snowdrifts finally melt, they're replaced by speed traps The Collegiates are beautiful tho
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 01:18 |
|
CRUSTY MINGE posted:Yeah, but a lot of the counties out here won't allow mobiles, regardless of how many wides it is. He doesn't want to live in a trailer either. 105 per ASCE 7-16, which is actually one of the lower values in the country.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 01:28 |
|
Only a maniac would want a mobile home in park county, I think Antero Junction has already has two nights under -40f so far.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 01:54 |
|
Yeah, Antero Reservoir hit -48 twice this winter. Looking on the east side of the county though. Mostly.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 04:57 |
|
Kawasaki Nun posted:Do you do your own A/C and plumbing repairs? Noooo, I picked those examples specifically because they're the height of "welp, better call someone". The costs are ridiculous. My A/C unit's coming up on 15 years old so I'm already mentally blocking away the 10 grand or so that I'll one day have to suddenly put on a credit card to make the house inhabitable again. I've already replaced the motor twice under duress, and those were 500-600 dollar repairs. Now, plumbing I actually can handle (I used to be a pipefitter), but I wouldn't recommend anyone else try anything more than plug'n'play stuff or installing on dead lines with help if they didn't have experience. As others said, learning drywall and minor electrical poo poo will save you heartache and thousands. You kind of develop a love/hate relationship with the workload required to keep the house up. I'd miss it if I went back to renting, but I kinda wouldn't either.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 06:16 |
|
I don't know if it's an option for you, but sometimes the extended warranties for AC units and/or boilers are worth it to buy if they're decent plans that cover pretty much everything.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 06:49 |
|
I'm gonna be happy without AC wherever I wind up because of the elevation. Open the windows and let the bugs in so the cat has something to do.Ken Bone Comeback posted:Nothing like the seasons of Park County. When the 15 foot tall snowdrifts finally melt, they're replaced by speed traps Meh, when I settle in, I'll set up a greenhouse and make the postal service or whoever bring most of my poo poo to me. I found a rather remote plot directly west of Dick's Peak. Thought it'd be a funny place to look at just so I could say something like "witness the majesty of Dick's Peak at sunrise" or "in Dick's shadow" or whatever. I'm really digging the area just west of Lake George or north of Hartsel. Somewhere within walking distance of state or federal land. CRUSTY MINGE fucked around with this message at 08:25 on Jan 19, 2020 |
# ? Jan 19, 2020 08:18 |
|
Bored As gently caress posted:I don't know if it's an option for you, but sometimes the extended warranties for AC units and/or boilers are worth it to buy if they're decent plans that cover pretty much everything. Don't do this. The warranty company I had, American Home Shield* (the pieces of poo poo may they rot), was a loving hassle to deal with, set me up with an appointment for 4 DAYS after my first quote (causing me to delay further in the decision) in 110 degree heat, and offering a "discounted" rate of $10k for a $3000 14 seer 4 ton Carrier off-brand single stage unit. $9k bought me a 17 seer 5 ton Trane beast with two- stage everything (compression, fan and heat), installed. The warranty company always tries to skimp out on whatever they're replacing. It's been cheaper and LESS frustrating to just call around, use manufacturer warranties, etc., because though it's maddening at times, I've ended up with better products for less without them. *They also have made the hold times unbearably long. Multi hour. They will quickly book appointments, but anything regarding paying or changing your membership is labyrinthine. They literally kept us on hold one call for over two hours. I had to file with the BBB to get them to let me out. Wasabi the J fucked around with this message at 09:29 on Jan 19, 2020 |
# ? Jan 19, 2020 09:26 |
|
Wasabi the J posted:Don't do this. My man, you are out as soon as you stop paying them.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 10:19 |
|
That's usually not how contracts work.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 18:48 |
|
Kawasaki Nun posted:My dad was a general contractor. I dunno who hurt you so bad to make you so cynical but I'm not sure you're on the money here. I've always had a terrible experience with contractors in my area and the excuse I get from people online is that when business is good they'll feel comfortable jerking you around if they don't like the job. It's really annoying having to take multiple days off work to get estimates only to get ghosted because a better gig popped up elsewhere, or getting a guy to come out only to get a "make it worth my while" price that's insanely inflated because they could be tiling an Arby's bathroom instead. One guy told me he was going to show up at 11am, then showed up at 9am to wait around for a while before canceling and going off on another job because I wasn't available. It takes so much babysitting to keep up with these guys that I've resigned myself to working through retail stores so I have somebody to yell at. Tiny Timbs fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Jan 19, 2020 |
# ? Jan 19, 2020 18:56 |
|
Godholio posted:That's usually not how contracts work. These places have contracts that stipulate that your month to month based on payment successfully processing. Sometimes people are Annual or Quarterly, but generally speaking it’s safe to assume most folks are month to month. So they don’t want to let you cancel your subscription over the phone? Stop paying them. That’s 100% what I did and all that resulted was: Got a call from home warranty asking why they hadn’t been able to ACH withdraw from my account, told ‘em it’s because I wasn’t going to pay them anymore. End of contract, end of business, end of paying.
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 19:03 |
|
|
# ? Jun 9, 2024 10:22 |
|
Wasabi the J posted:Like what the gently caress did I just do for the past 30 minutes? Mongolian throat singing? Thanks for making me research this also Oh poo poo they've unlocked the nationalism tech tree again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4xZUr0BEfE
|
# ? Jan 19, 2020 19:19 |