|
Sounds like a lot of you guys either bought pricier houses than you really needed and/or didn't think of where you could be in five years time.
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2011 21:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 5, 2024 17:39 |
|
|
Nocheez posted:My HOA forbids this, and it would be pretty ugly besides. I'd do it if I could, and hopefully a prospective buyer wouldn't be put off by it. I don't know about ugly - there's a bunch of different options for roofing materials that reflect more than they absorb - but yeah, HOAs suck rear end. I could suggest that a determined campaign based on energy cost savings might change their minds, but honestly I doubt it would, and I doubt you'd really want to antagonize an otherwise-friendly HOA. It is pretty dumb, though. Save ~20% on energy costs, and do so essentially for free (assuming you were replacing the roof anyway). Why wouldn't anyone go for that?
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2011 21:57
|
|
|
Ozmiander posted:Sounds like a lot of you guys either bought pricier houses than you really needed and/or didn't think of where you could be in five years time. Things change. 3 years ago when I signed papers to build my house I was 100% convinced I'd be in San Antonio for the next 10 years at least. Now I'm not so convinced. I like living here, but I can't help but think I might be better off in a different city.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2011 22:21
|
|
|
moana posted:Ours was 8k, and it was a stealthy leakage that didn't show up in the inspections, either. But you'll be saving so much money from not having to rent! Do you have homeowners insurance? If so, shouldn't that type of damage be covered by it? Guacala fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Oct 3, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2011 23:08
|
|
|
The thing is that there are fewer and fewer people now with the sort of life stability that they could realistically plan to stay in an area for several years. This has to do with the sheer instability of the economy as a whole, and I don't foresee that changing for the next several years. For me, I'm in IT / software and if you're in the niche I'm in, it's a massive clusterfuck of change at all times, and opportunities come up randomly while companies die off within a year or two when they were doing just fine. This is part of why I don't think I could buy a house even if I had millions in the bank - I'd have to sell it off within a year or two probably, and moving poo poo in and out of houses is an immense pain in the rear end to boot. I've moved cross-country almost annually for the past several years and most of my personal projects are aimed at getting rid of as many possessions as possible to where I could grab a suitcase, ship a couple freight boxes, and leave behind the state or country.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2011 23:10
|
|
|
Guacala posted:Do you have homeowners insurance? If so, shouldn't that type of damage be covered by it? And yeah, sometimes things just come up and you have to move - we had to move out of country for a while because of my partner's work situation. Luckily we had planned for this contingency and have close family who were willing to rent our house and take care of it for us, but it still sucks.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2011 23:32
|
|
|
Guacala posted:Do you have homeowners insurance? If so, shouldn't that type of damage be covered by it?
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2011 23:33
|
|
|
Anyone that has homeowners insurance - if you are going to receive money for roof repair, don't pocket the money. You'll have a harder time selling if you fail to do so. And buyers, make sure the roof was repaired adequately and there's documented proof prior to closing, otherwise obtaining insurance claims on roof repair will be difficult. Your insurance company will most likely deny a claim because the previous owner failed to repair the roof with the payment they received.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 00:10
|
|
|
Nocheez posted:My HOA forbids this, and it would be pretty ugly besides. I'd do it if I could, and hopefully a prospective buyer wouldn't be put off by it. Even if you can't get white ones, you can get shingles that have an infrared reflective coating that, while not as good as white tiles, still heat your house up less.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 02:29
|
|
|
Pillowpants posted:We're looking to buy next year and I'm pretty sure I'll be doubling my expenses, but really...6k for a roof? Most shingles are asphalt which are the cheapest type but they also tend to fall apart faster than the given rating and the warranties are a joke. In places like CA you can get away with them lasting longer because of the weather but elsewhere it isn't uncommon to see 30 yr rated shingles needing replacing after 20 years or so. This is still true even for the 40 year shingles BTW. The only roofs that will really last 30 years or more reliably are either incredibly expensive (ie. clay or concrete tile, clay is best) or mind blowingly expensive (ie. zinc/metal). Worth it if you can afford them though. Installed properly they can last a life time, in the case of zinc over a lifetime. I think there are buildings in the EU that have zinc roofs well over 100 years old now and they're still fine. PC LOAD LETTER fucked around with this message at 02:33 on Oct 4, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 02:30
|
|
|
Ozmiander posted:Sounds like a lot of you guys either bought pricier houses than you really needed and/or didn't think of where you could be in five years time. Yeah, no poo poo. We followed the American dream, now hoping to give others the information we didn't have when we were listening to our friends and family.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 02:45
|
|
|
HOAs are awesome, don't hate. I moved into a cul-de-sac with no HOA 6 years ago. Was pretty happy about getting a place with no HOA. I could do whatever I wanted! Turns out my neighbors could do whatever they want, too. Such as build another home in their back yard. Twice. One of them actually built a duplex so that plot of land has 3 families living in it now. My next store neighbor (who lived alone when I bought) left and rented his house to 3 white trash assholes and their girlfriends and their 6 cars (with no garage) and their boat and their un-chained pit bull roaming their un-fenced back yard. 2 other families in the cul-de-sac let their extended families move in. And of course every family had a kid or 3. Not one mother fucker in this place (besides me) uses their garage to put their cars in, and there is no street parking to speak of. The population of this place has over doubled since I bought the house just 6 years ago. I loving wish we had a HOA. It wouldn't solve all my problems but it would help with a lot of them. I can now afford a nicer place in a better neighborhood, and am trying to offload my current house. The listing looks great! Lots of people come to see it. "We love the house, and the yard! But the neighborhood is just to crowded for us!" 
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 04:49
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:By the way - I urge any of you who do get a new roof, to get a white one. Many people live in cold places where they could use the extra heat.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 11:35
|
|
|
dark roofs/siding lose more heat than they gain in the winter.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 12:22
|
|
|
Molybdenum posted:dark roofs/siding lose more heat than they gain in the winter. Not to mention that they'll be covered in snow a good portion of the time.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 13:27
|
|
|
I'd get a roof that has solar panels and pray every night that I don't get hail. They're fairly common in Hawaii I noticed when I was there last year, but it's probably because they have the highest cost of electricity in the US and it makes economical and seasonal sense there.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 15:15
|
|
|
DancingMachine posted:HOAs are awesome, don't hate. In all fairness: this is really something that ought to be addressed not by an HOA, but by your city's planning commission/dept. In my state, you can't build houses or structures on your property without approval. Technically you can't make any alterations without approval, including remodeling and stuff like that, but in practice that's difficult or impossible to enforce. quote:My next store neighbor (who lived alone when I bought) left and rented his house to 3 white trash assholes and their girlfriends and their 6 cars (with no garage) and their boat and their un-chained pit bull roaming their un-fenced back yard. quote:2 other families in the cul-de-sac let their extended families move in. And of course every family had a kid or 3. Nothing anyone can do about this, I guess. An HOA can enforce occupancy rules so here you'd be better off I suppose. quote:I can now afford a nicer place in a better neighborhood, and am trying to offload my current house. The listing looks great! Lots of people come to see it. "We love the house, and the yard! But the neighborhood is just to crowded for us!" DO NEVER BUY But yeah, maybe you can find a huge family with six cars who want to move in? Molybdenum posted:dark roofs/siding lose more heat than they gain in the winter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_roof#Cool_roofs_in_cool_climates Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 17:15 on Oct 4, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 17:05
|
|
|
I am spending ~$27k on a kitchen/bath remodel. Do never buy. I could probably have shaved maybe $4k off of that by going with a super-cheap granite and bottom-end appliances. Though my kitchen is going to look loving awesome.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 17:31
|
|
|
A kitchen remodel is probably the single most expensive routine thing you can do to a house, at least it's out of the way! We have to do one next year  Kitchens seem to cost the same amount as a midsize sedan, you just get to chose between Honda and BMW.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 17:37
|
|
|
necrobobsledder posted:I'd get a roof that has solar panels and pray every night that I don't get hail.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 17:37
|
|
|
sanchez posted:A kitchen remodel is probably the single most expensive routine thing you can do to a house, at least it's out of the way!
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 18:05
|
|
|
Well poo poo, our home's not even on the market yet and we already got an offer for over asking price. Looks like we'll be looking to buy another house sooner rather than later. I'm going to have so many questions for you all!
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 18:59
|
|
|
moana posted:Really wish the government would subsidize solar instead of oil. Depending on the state you live in I thought there was a huge tax credit for solar or something? gvibes posted:I am spending ~$27k on a kitchen/bath remodel. Do never buy. I could probably have shaved maybe $4k off of that by going with a super-cheap granite and bottom-end appliances.  Have to reseal it every few years though but then that is true of granite as well normally. e: Total custom work that fancy is indeed expensive. Most concrete counter top/sink guys have a bunch of molds you can choose from and you mix and match those how you like. That is how you get closer the low end of the price spread here rather than the top. \/\/\/\/\/\/ PC LOAD LETTER fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Oct 4, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 20:02
|
|
|
PC LOAD LETTER posted:Granite is nice but you can do some cool things with cast in place concrete sinks/counter top and it can be cheaper too. We actually went with quartz.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 20:34
|
|
|
PC LOAD LETTER posted:Depending on the state you live in I thought there was a huge tax credit for solar or something?
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 21:12
|
|
|
I know stone counters are the big thing (and have been for like a decade or more) but I really think there's nothing wrong with formica/laminate counters. I see the price quotes people talk about for kitchen remodels and they just seem staggeringly expensive. I know an upgraded kitchen can add to the home's value, but... well. I guess it's just that my wife and I would love to remodel our kitchen, but the prospect of saving $20k just to do that is beyond us. Hasn't anyone done like one of those advertised IKEA kitchens that are supposed to cost like $10k or something?
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 21:16
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:I know stone counters are the big thing (and have been for like a decade or more) but I really think there's nothing wrong with formica/laminate counters. Oh absolutely, particularly if you want to save cash but still want something durable. Bang for the buck is unbeatable IMO. There are some very cool things you can do with laminate too if you like the custom look. The problem is for the custom laminate stuff (ie. complex beveled edges, design inlay, etc.) the cost is so high that you might as well buy low end concrete or low end granite anyways.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 21:30
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:I know stone counters are the big thing (and have been for like a decade or more) but I really think there's nothing wrong with formica/laminate counters. I think the super-cheap laminates look pretty bad, but I'm not sure if people still actually use those. Leperflesh posted:I see the price quotes people talk about for kitchen remodels and they just seem staggeringly expensive. I know an upgraded kitchen can add to the home's value, but... well. I guess it's just that my wife and I would love to remodel our kitchen, but the prospect of saving $20k just to do that is beyond us. Leperflesh posted:Hasn't anyone done like one of those advertised IKEA kitchens that are supposed to cost like $10k or something? gvibes fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Oct 4, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 21:36
|
|
|
Guacala posted:Anyone that has homeowners insurance - if you are going to receive money for roof repair, don't pocket the money. You'll have a harder time selling if you fail to do so. Usually insurance companies try to discourage pocketing of roof payouts by figuring an Actual Replacement Value, then just cutting you a check for the Depreciated value up front. Once an invoice for a repaired roof is submitted to the insurer, the homeowner gets a check for the rest of the ARV.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 21:51
|
|
|
I'm not sure if pricing has come down a lot from the last time we looked a few years ago, but we got a 9' slab of granite and backsplash for under $230. Found an installer who threw it in for $250 flat rate and we had a new granite countertop for under $500. This was a straight galley style kitchen though, no turns or islands or weird edges.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 22:00
|
|
|
As I've said several times in this thread, I've gutted my house, including the kitchen. I certainly can't afford $20k+ for a kitchen... hell, I can't even afford $5k. "Retail" kitchens are staggeringly expensive. I'd like granite countertops, sure, but I ain't gettin' them. However, there are bargains to be had if you'll shop around and are willing to do a little DIY. Buying a new, basic cabinet from, say, Home Depot, just to hold the sink would cost me $80+, never mind cabinet-ing the rest of the kitchen. Alternatively, I tried shopping on Craigslist... in order to get enough cabinets for my own kitchen, I need to either buy them piecemeal and hope they fit, or pay $250+ for a complete set. Those $250 deals are almost always crappy particleboard and not worth it. That's ridiculous, and I always thought pre-built cabinets wasted a lot of space. I'm a fan of European style cabinets, which are literally a box with a door on the front. You can't get any simpler than that, and it's very easily DIY'able. Best of all, you can get a basic table saw from Home Depot for $120 which can (almost) build you the entire kitchen. If you need a fancier-looking kitchen, you can either buy or make your own "crown molding" for dirt cheap with a router bit (call it $25-$50, less if you can get a deal on eBay/Craigslist). Here's what my kitchen has cost (not including drywall, electric, etc) while borrowing a friend's tools: Free - brand new gas stove that came with the house $500 - brand new top-of-the-line dishwasher, HUGE refrigerator, oven hood, undermount stainless steel sink, and electric stove from a friend's mother (paid $800, sold the stove for $300) $40 - 20 or so 2x4's to frame out the cabinets $20 - plywood to put on top of the base cabinets to support the countertop $118 - IKEA wooden countertop (Lagan), $59 for 96", I need 2 for my L-shaped countertop, plus I will have enough left over for the 4' breakfast bar $45 - 2x metal corbel brackets to hold up the breakfast bar in a floating style (still need two stools - these can be had for cheap off Craigslist) $23/sheet of cabinet-grade plywood for the outer facing wood, doors, and interior shelves - not quite sure how many I need, but it'll be less than 8 - currently shopping around for a cheaper alternative $25 - "antique-looking" interior hinges and handles I found in a bulk lot on eBay $30 - gallon of premium stain and another of clear-coat $50 - 250 sqft of tile some rich dude sold on Craigslist to get rid of them because his wife didn't like the look of them and made him go out and buy $8,000 worth of butt-ugly "Galaxy" tiles  Let's call it $1,500 even for odds and ends I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting like screws and tile grout. $1,500 and two weekends of cutting/sanding/staining/laying tile to get a fully functional kitchen vs $10,000+ and however long it takes for the contractors to come and install your stuff. It's a no-brainer. DO NEVER BUY retail cabinets unless you really don't want to build your own/install them yourself. daggerdragon fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Oct 4, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 22:03
|
|
|
daggerdragon posted:DO NEVER BUY retail cabinets unless you really don't want to build your own/install them yourself. The big problem is the cabinets IME if you decide to use laminate counter tops. Cheap retail cabinets are particle board + foil poo poo boxes...and the moderate prices ones aren't much better. You don't start getting decent retail cabinets until you start spending over $400 (bargain price), usually more like $700 a pop. Truly good retail cabinets are where you end up spending $10K+. DIY is where you can really save a lot here but unless you have the tools and some experience or experienced help then it might not be worth it to try.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 22:08
|
|
|
eddiewalker posted:Usually insurance companies try to discourage pocketing of roof payouts by figuring an Actual Replacement Value, then just cutting you a check for the Depreciated value up front. Once an invoice for a repaired roof is submitted to the insurer, the homeowner gets a check for the rest of the ARV. In instances I've encountered, insurance companies have an adjuster inspect the damage first hand, then write a check for the amount.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2011 23:17
|
|
|
gvibes posted:If it's Ikea advertising, it's probably just parts, not installation, right? Regardless, advertised kitchen prices are usually for kitchens that are smaller than most actual kitchens. IKEA does installs, although maybe they subcontract that part. They actually have an online tool I've been playing with that lets you lay out the whole shebang, pick cabinets and appliences and tile and etc. etc., and then dumps it all out to plans & pricing. Then you go in to a store, chat with a consultant, and I guess at that point they estimate the labor costs and you get a total price. Based on loving around today using my own kitchen's dimensions and what I'd need, I got a parts-list that came to $5300. Includes: -14 cabinets of various sizes, varying from about $50 for the smallest to about $250 for a tall wide two-glass-door cabinet -$1000 nice double-door fridge, and a really nice $650 dishwasher -$300 sink, $230 faucet -$550 exhaust hood to go over the stove -Birch veneer -"PRÄGEL countertop white 96 7/8x25 5/8" times three (whatever the gently caress this stuff is) for $207 seems to be sufficient for all the countertops I've included -hardware, drawers, rails, feet, hinges, handles, a plinth, etc. Not included is flooring, new paint for the walls, and a new light fixture. For flooring I'd be happy with linoleum but my wife will probably want tile - we actually have white tile right now that I think is fine, so I'm not sure if we'd even need to change that. I already have a new stove I bought when we moved in, so I didn't include that either. I also have a garbage disposal. So with $5300 in parts, and I'd do my own tear-out, how much could labor really be? (Famous last words...)  This shows a table and a sideboard to stand-in for some furniture we already have. Basically it's a kitchen at the top, and a dinette at the bottom, since our house does not have a dining room. The big door on the right goes out to the patio, the smaller below it goes to the garage, and the main hallway is on the left - the big open area at the bottom left opens onto the living room. Of course this is all IKEA, so probably pretty poor-quality particleboard cabinetry and their cheapo laminate countertops. Then again, I'm sure I could get a fridge and (especially) dishwasher for a lot cheaper than these, I don't really need glass door cabinets, and I haven't had my wife look at it yet either. So... yeah. e. Daggerdragon's stuff is pretty interesting, though. I'm big on DIY (if I can blacksmith, repair my car, resurface my hardwood floors, and my wife builds robots for fun, I think we can handle poo poo like cutting up wood and screwing in screws) but I'd be concerned about fit & finish - we do intend to eventually sell this house (in like 10+ years) and we would not like to have to fix a lot of mistakes caused by DIY ineptitude. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Oct 5, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2011 00:56
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:e. Daggerdragon's stuff is pretty interesting, though. I'm big on DIY (if I can blacksmith, repair my car, resurface my hardwood floors, and my wife builds robots for fun, I think we can handle poo poo like cutting up wood and screwing in screws) but I'd be concerned about fit & finish - we do intend to eventually sell this house (in like 10+ years) and we would not like to have to fix a lot of mistakes caused by DIY ineptitude. I have no skill with cabinetry and I'm going to tackle this project myself with a little help from friends (one of whom has skills in cabinetry, but it'd be more like him telling me how to make something structurally sound). As for fit and finish, if you can make sure the cabinets are square and level (at least the tops and shelves), then stained or painted cabinets always look good. You can dress up the door fronts (or make a door front with an inset for glass, if you like that look) and hide the tops/bottoms of cabinets with crown molding. That's essentially what the retail cabinets are: a box with a door with fancy bits nailed all over. I also intend to sell my house eventually, but I have enough faith in my basic crafting skills and anal-retentiveness to not end up with trapezoid cabinets, for example...
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2011 02:03
|
|
|
daggerdragon, I'd really like to see some photos when your kitchen is done, some of the stuff in your list is a result of luck and can't reliably be repeated (flooring and appliances) but the cabinets in particular sound very interesting. The retail ones seem like a colossal racket to me as well, as you say, they're just wood boxes, why should wood boxes cost 5k or 10k for nice ones.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2011 13:09
|
|
|
daggerdragon posted:I have no skill with cabinetry and I'm going to tackle this project myself with a little help from friends (one of whom has skills in cabinetry, but it'd be more like him telling me how to make something structurally sound). As for fit and finish, if you can make sure the cabinets are square and level (at least the tops and shelves), then stained or painted cabinets always look good. I hope your build goes better than my buddy's. He too decided to build rather than buy cabinetry and he had all the proper tools (including a very well equipped table saw) and woodworking experience. He figured it'd take him a month's worth of weekends. 3 months later, he had barely got the kitchen reassembled into a usable state and he was so sick of spending all his leisure time working on the kitchen that it took him another two years to finish all the trim and detail work.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2011 14:44
|
|
|
Anyone ever put Pergo over hardwood? I'd rather not refinish it and have a dog with dagger claws, who has done a ton of damage with her nails. I think I will lay it in my kitchen as well.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2011 14:53
|
|
|
sanchez posted:daggerdragon, I'd really like to see some photos when your kitchen is done, some of the stuff in your list is a result of luck and can't reliably be repeated (flooring and appliances) but the cabinets in particular sound very interesting. I'll eventually make a thread in DIY with the entire house progress and it'll be the poster house for DO NEVER BUY.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2011 15:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 5, 2024 17:39 |
|
|
sanchez posted:A kitchen remodel is probably the single most expensive routine thing you can do to a house, at least it's out of the way! They are also one of the few things you can do that are proven to increase the value of your home at least as much as the reno cost, if not slighly more. Kitchens sell homes. With regard to the quality of material you use (laminate, or higher end like Corian/Quartz/Granite), you've got to know your market. I wouldnt bother putting granite into a home worth less than 200k, for example. In some neighbourhoods you better have the high end stuff. Saltin fucked around with this message at 16:13 on Oct 5, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2011 16:11
|
|