|
Poltergeist.
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 07:21
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 00:05 |
|
|
Dr. Kyle Farnsworth posted:Wiring. Wiring. Wiring. This. A lot of older houses have what is called knob and tube wiring, which has been illegal in new construction for more than 50 years, can be a huge fire hazard, and wasn't designed to carry the power that modern appliances draw. It can be difficult to impossible to get homeowners insurance on a home with this wiring, and it is very expensive to replace. I wouldn't buy a home with knob and tube period, but at the very least you should have a certified electrician look at it and make sure you have the insurance lined up before you get too far along in the process.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 07:54
|
|
|
Cranbe posted:What are the things you should be conscious of when looking at older homes, built ca. 1930 to 1950 (edit: or even 1900)? I suppose the obvious one is to make sure the foundation is solid, but what are the less obvious concerns? Lead paint. Lots of it. Insulation (just kidding, there won't be any). One bathroom, and it's tiny. Wiring. Could be knob and tube, could be aluminum, almost certainly isn't up to the task of a modern home unless someone else has upgraded the service. Depending on your climate, HVAC might range from "not there" to "Victorian" to "Purchased at and installed by Sears in 1972." Single-paned, leaky windows. Be very wary of any previous renovations or additions. For some reason, people tend to think of structural beams as optional extras and just saw right through them to add another toilet or to move a wall vent. Look for ceilings and walls that are out of square, signs of cracking or shifting, stuff like that. Plumbing may be wonky. Did the area it's in have sewer service when it was built? Are cleanouts accessible? Asbestos. If you do find one that hasn't been messed with , you'll have a solid structure that you can renovate into a modern layout with a lot of charm. If someone hasn't gutted it recently, though, you may need to be prepared to do it yourself or live with its shortcomings.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 10:17
|
|
|
I bought a 1880s house. This person speaks truth.Tricky Ed posted:Lead paint. Lots of it.  quote:Insulation (just kidding, there won't be any).  quote:One bathroom, and it's tiny.  quote:Wiring. Could be knob and tube, could be aluminum, almost certainly isn't up to the task of a modern home unless someone else has upgraded the service.  quote:Depending on your climate, HVAC might range from "not there" to "Victorian" to "Purchased at and installed by Sears in 1972."  quote:Single-paned, leaky windows.  quote:Be very wary of any previous renovations or additions. For some reason, people tend to think of structural beams as optional extras and just saw right through them to add another toilet or to move a wall vent. Look for ceilings and walls that are out of square, signs of cracking or shifting, stuff like that.  quote:Plumbing may be wonky. Did the area it's in have sewer service when it was built? Are cleanouts accessible? quote:Asbestos.  quote:If you do find one that hasn't been messed with , you'll have a solid structure that you can renovate into a modern layout with a lot of charm. If someone hasn't gutted it recently, though, you may need to be prepared to do it yourself or live with its shortcomings. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 18:24
|
|
|
daggerdragon posted:House made before the 1980s and never renovated? Count on it. Ehhh...not entirely. As part if my job I have asbestos inspection training and child a license in PA. Asbestos was only huge from about 1950-1980ish. Asbestos production exploded during WWII and all these companies started selling commercial products with it to make use of the excess production capacity. If you're looking at a home where the bulk of it was built in the 1920s you probably won't find much at all unless they renovated in the 50s/60s.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 18:36
|
|
|
daggerdragon posted:I bought a 1880s house. This person speaks truth. Haha, point made. Probably more than I want to deal with on a first home. (Or ever.) Sucks, since the neighborhoods I really like are full of almost nothing but older homes—other than the ultra-modern / hideous monstrosities and duplexes that use every square inch of the lot and will look weirdly outdated in 5 years. When and why did that become a thing, by the way?
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 18:41
|
|
|
Cranbe posted:Haha, point made. Probably more than I want to deal with on a first home. (Or ever.) I just bought a 1890s house. The previous owners had the entire plumbing system ripped out and redone, all the knob and tube wiring ripped out and replaced (although there are still an insufficient number of outlets), and the furnace is a new high efficiency gas one instead of the ancient oil monstrosities elsewhere in the area. It actually has 3 full bathrooms as well, one of which was renovated rather nicely. That said there is certainly lead paint, old single pane windows everywhere, very squeaky floorboards and stairs, insufficient insulation, and no floor in the house is level. If you like the area and that's what the houses are like, you should look anyway. Just make sure you know what you are getting into if you buy. I don't expect to have a free weekend for the next few years...
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 18:47
|
|
|
daggerdragon posted:I bought a 1880s house. This person speaks truth. Don't forget the possibility of having several species of small mammal already living in the house. Insects as well! Cranbe posted:Sucks, since the neighborhoods I really like are full of almost nothing but older homes—other than the ultra-modern / hideous monstrosities and duplexes that use every square inch of the lot and will look weirdly outdated in 5 years. When and why did that become a thing, by the way? Bigger is always better right? And who wants to waste time doing yard work. Or it could be that the builders are using generic templates and buying the materials by the boatload causing all of the houses in a development to look the same.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 18:58
|
|
|
MH Knights posted:Bigger is always better right? And who wants to waste time doing yard work. Or it could be that the builders are using generic templates and buying the materials by the boatload causing all of the houses in a development to look the same. It's like some architecture student wanked out some ultra-modern crap as a joke; and then people fell for it, bought one set of blue prints, and built 50 of them within a 10 block radius. Edit: These aren't suburban developments either. They're crammed into great urban neighborhoods full of older 1200 to 1500 square foot homes on 0.15-acre lots. They're super out of place, which is one of the reasons I hate them so much.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 19:07
|
|
|
MH Knights posted:Don't forget the possibility of having several species of small mammal already living in the house. Insects as well! Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me.  That's an entire paper wasp hive in one stud and a squirrel nest filling up the stud next to it. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 19:18
|
|
|
Can someone tell me about different types of housing construction? I'm looking at buying a house, and am confused as to the pros/cons of different choices. I'm originally from the UK, where pretty much all houses are brick, with cavity walls and tile roofs. Compared with what I'm used to, a lot of the houses here (Austin, TX) seem not to be built to last. For example, I'd never heard of having to replace roofs regularly, and it never really occurred to me to think of the brick-and-mortar of a house as a depreciating asset. I'm worried about buying a house, and then having to spend a ton of money stopping it from falling down or leaking. I'm seeing houses listed as either mason, frame, or hardi-plank, and roofs as metal, composition shingle, or slate. Most of the housing stock in the areas I'm looking at is from the 30s-50s, with the occasional newer home. How long do these various sorts of construction, and various sorts of roof, hold up, and are there any major advantages/disadvantages?
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 19:39
|
|
|
See my post a few pages back with the hay-bale sized bird's nest. That was a 1940s house. That, original cast-iron sewer lines, old electrical (that the previous owner had gone entirely weekend-warrior on, doing almost nothing to code), plumbing code violations (including PVC going directly into the water heater and no traps on the sink), an original furnace converted from oil, and a really messed up slab in the garage caused me to kill the deal. I told the owners I would cut a check to replace the furnace, but they wouldn't budge on anything else. When they refused to at least get the birds' nest exterminated I had had it. That house is still on the market, good luck guys!
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 20:19
|
|
|
lumbergill posted:Can someone tell me about different types of housing construction? I'm looking at buying a house, and am confused as to the pros/cons of different choices. So this doesn't speak to house construction specifically, but it's got some information about most of the major maintainable/upgradeable/replaceable systems and aspects of houses. Source is my home inspection from last year in Massachusetts. I can't promise it's accurate, but it's some data for you. Frame is probably 2x4 or 2x6 exterior walls. For roofs, composition shingle probably refers to asphalt shingles. I'm not a builder or expert, but it seems like even within these categories there are huge variations in quality and environmental factors. For newer houses, you can get a lot of information from town hall (or county offices, whatever they have in OIL COUNTRY) regarding construction, sometimes you're able to get the developer off the permits and contact them directly. Even for older houses, look for any construction/repair/upgrade permits for information. You may be able to get information from the current owners, sometimes they're autists and know everything about their house (for example, they'll tell you whether it's 2x6 construction, when they last did the roof and what warranty length the shingles have, etc). Home Maintenance: Expected Lifetimes and Costs The only thing I've gotten an estimate on for our house is the roof, and it seems roughly in line (granted we're in a high-cost-of-living area, so it's at or above the upper range). I'm also not sure how the "lifetime" estimates are going to hold up in our brave new world of completely consumable appliances etc. Good luck!
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 22:29
|
|
|
daggerdragon posted:Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. Aww that cute squirrel was just helping to adequately insulate  .
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2014 22:47
|
|
|
So the sellers and I just signed a contract. How long before my pulse rate returns to normal and I stop wondering if I just made a huge mistake?
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 02:12
|
|
|
Stultus Maximus posted:So the sellers and I just signed a contract. How long before my pulse rate returns to normal and I stop wondering if I just made a huge mistake? After your signing-related coronary the doctors usually put you on some powerful meds to stabilize your heart.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 02:41
|
|
|
Stultus Maximus posted:So the sellers and I just signed a contract. How long before my pulse rate returns to normal and I stop wondering if I just made a huge mistake? I found that that feeling went away pretty quickly, and was replaced by a sort of crushed apathy within a year, brought on by the list of projects needed to maintain my home expanding faster than I can attack them, until I reached a point where I just started saying "eh gently caress it, we'll paint the house when we get around to it, who cares." Probably not everyone's experience is the same, though. I'm lucky in that my home is now worth more than I paid for it, which removes a lot of the sense of having made a huge mistake. Because if worse comes to worst, in the back of my head I know that "I can always just sell it and I'll be OK."
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 02:50
|
|
|
lumbergill posted:I'm seeing houses listed as either mason, frame, or hardi-plank, and roofs as metal, composition shingle, or slate. Most of the housing stock in the areas I'm looking at is from the 30s-50s, with the occasional newer home. How long do these various sorts of construction, and various sorts of roof, hold up, and are there any major advantages/disadvantages? As uwaeve said, almost all of the houses in that era will be wood-framed. The exterior materials listed are the the sheathing material for the exterior walls, and is for cosmetics only - the wood frame supports the structure. mason = brick or stone. Will last pretty much forever if periodically cleaned and re-pointed. Most expensive to repair, should you need to. Not tolerant of structure/foundation movement, so big diagonal cracks on exterior walls are a dead give-away of these types of issues. frame = usually wood or OSB ("chip board") siding. Cheapest, but prone to rot and decay if not well cared for. Will tolerate some structure movement, so a better choice on houses where foundation settlement is likely to be an issue. Can still last a long time, if kept pained, dry, and clear of insect harboring landscaping. hardi-plank = cement-impreganted fiber board. A fairly recent siding material, so you'll only see it on the newer homes, but has become popular because it's only a little more expensive than wood and drat near indestructible. Will not rot. Bugs won't eat it. Tolerates movement like wood. If you're picking based on value, hardi-plank is the winner, but not everybody likes the look. Since you're looking at existing houses, I would be more concerned about the condition than the material. Any of these materials can last when cared for. For roofs, composition shingle = fiberglass reinforced asphalt shingle. The most common type of roofing material here. Cheapest. Definitely expendable (these roofs wear out). Susceptible to wind and hail damage that can significantly accelerate wear or outright ruin it. Wide range of cost and quality that determines roof longevity, but typical is 10-30 years between replacements. A competent home inspector should be able to give you an idea of the roof's condition and estimated life left when you get that far in the home buying process. metal = sheet metal. Comes in a variety of forms, so it can look like a traditional metal roof, slate, or shingle. More expensive than shingles, but more durable. I'm not sure I'd call it a lifetime roof, but should not need to be replaced as often as even the best shingles. Usually very resistant to wind and hail damage. Helps with energy efficiency by keeping attic cooler than shingles. slate = slate tile. most expensive to install and repair. Potentially lifetime roof if cared for. Due to the weight, requires stronger roof support than shingle or metal.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 03:42
|
|
|
I have an older house and I'm looking for some lead paint advice. The paint in the house where there was covered with wallpaper or encapsulating paint. The wallpaper is flaking off the ceiling in some places because it was painted over too many times (with latex), making it brittle. The moulding and doors were painted with encapsulating paint, but there are spots that are chipped, damaged, and a couple spots where friction has worn the paint off. What are the best ways to approach this? For the wallpaper, I was going to cover those spots and paint over it. For the doors, I planned to repaint with encapsulating paint/primer and then put a couple coats of latex on it. Worst case, it may be easiest to replace the problem doors so they aren't rubbing against the moulding.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 04:10
|
|
|
uwaeve and SlapActionJackson, that was really helpful! Thanks for putting the time in to write such detailed posts. That's interesting that a metal roof keeps the attic cooler -- I was worried that a metal roof would make the house hot!
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 06:31
|
|
|
WeaselWeaz posted:I have an older house and I'm looking for some lead paint advice. If the underlying paint/wallpaper is holding up well and just coming off in a few spots where wear from doors and such is causing it fall off then encapsulation + re-balancing doors so they don't rub on the wood work and/or installing door stops/bumpers could work. It'll still be a bit of a gamble really. The only sure shot method to deal with lead paint is to have it all stripped out properly but that is expensive to pay someone to do and very difficult and time consuming to DIY so understandably few people do it. New-to-you home buying advice for the first timers: Personally lead paint is a deal breaker when buying a house. The paint in many of these homes is starting to get fairly old now and most people aren't careful to maintain it either. So its usually in bad shape and encapsulation usually works out to be a bit of a hail mary play. Particularly in bathrooms and around doors/windows. Short of the seller agreeing (and actually doing, always get proof and inspect it yourself before and after!) to strip out the old lead paint or they lower the selling price substantively to allow me to pay out of pocket for it to get done. Allllways low ball like a motherfucker when doing the latter because there will always be hidden, and very expensive, problems with these homes that the seller won't tell you about and you won't find until you start the process of lead removal. The seller won't do either? Walk away. Plenty of other homes out there for you to fall in love with.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 11:30
|
|
|
We put down our first offer last night. It feels a bit weird after only seeing like 5 places, but we have a very specific requirement (1 acre of land that we can garden on) that is hard to find in Pittsburgh. We'll find out today if it is accepted (we didn't haggle on price even). The house is cheap, it is good sized, and it has been owned by the same woman for 50 years, and her family owned it before that. It seems immaculately well kept, but definitely has a senior citizen vibe that is expected from an 80 year-old owner. Couple questions: 1) The house is listed as over 100 years old (they didn't know exact date of building). This says it is worthwhile to do lots of inspections. Beyond standard home inspection, I think I want to do radon (although we aren't smokers) and mold (although it didn't seem the slightest bit musty) and lead. Is that overkill? 2) There is a septic tank, not central sewage. I know it will involve cleaning every (few?) years. Beyond that, is there anything else to expect? Is there a septic inspection I could do and is it worth it? 3) Since we will probably be building a deer fence around the whole property eventually, I think we want a proper surveying done. I see stakes being mentioned as part of the services offered by a surveyor. Why are they so expensive? If I go with an initial cheap survey just to make sure there are no encroachments or anything, can the staking be done later at a cheaper cost, or will it save me money to just do it all at once? 4) It has drop ceilings. I don't mind the look, but it makes the ceilings feel lower than they should. Why do places go for drop ceilings, and how hard would it be to DIY remove them? The one benefit I can see is that it you can easily run wires across a room. 5) The only big immediate change we would want to do is replace all carpet with something hard, bamboo preferably (assuming there aren't already good hardwood floors underneath the carpet). Is this easy enough to do DIY?
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 13:46
|
|
|
Probably a dumb question for a BFC regular to make but can someone explain to me why people care so much about the property value of their primary home? I mean if prices go down it doesn't matter because the price of other homes went down as well. If prices go up it doesn't matter because the next house you buy will likely be priced higher as well. I guess it would make sense if you moved from a place where property values went up to a place where they went down or if you found a way to renovate the property cheaply.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 15:09
|
|
|
Orange_Lazarus posted:Probably a dumb question for a BFC regular to make but can someone explain to me why people care so much about the property value of their primary home? I mean if prices go down it doesn't matter because the price of other homes went down as well. If prices go up it doesn't matter because the next house you buy will likely be priced higher as well. Yes, other homes' prices might go down but your mortgage is still on the higher value.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 15:20
|
|
|
Chin Strap posted:We put down our first offer last night. It feels a bit weird after only seeing like 5 places, but we have a very specific requirement (1 acre of land that we can garden on) that is hard to find in Pittsburgh. We'll find out today if it is accepted (we didn't haggle on price even). 1. If you get a good home inspector and get him/her in early, with plenty of time before your P&S, he can help guide you much better than we can based on what he sees. Radon isn't just an issue for smokers, it's a carcinogen. He may find things that warrant calling a structural engineer, for instance. I'm not sure what Pittsburgh has for pest problems, but a pest inspection might be wise as well. Not sure what old houses around there are like, but in MA if you have an old house with a fieldstone foundation, you are susceptible to lots of bugs and rodents. Nothing's overkill in my opinion. If you're on a well, you may want a drawdown/pressure/recovery type test done, depending on what you're gonna use it for (does it have a Jacuzzi, hot tub, pool, and sprinkler system). The health department may also require a water quality test, but I'd get one either way. If you're on town water the first point's moot and they probably give annual test results or whatever. 2. You'll have to be careful what you put down your drains is all I can think of, and your code/good practice probably prohibits a garbage disposal. In MA we have a state-mandated inspection called a Title V that is, at the sellers' expense, supposed to basically say "the system is working as intended." It's not really a "septic system is LIKE NEW and will WORK FOREVER" thing that some people think, it's more like "you are probably not going to move in to a house with a fecal lagoon." You're likely free to hire your own septic inspector as well. When I chose inspections, I kind of looked at the fact that the general inspector was gonna broadly touch on everything. Beyond that, I considered what impacts health (radon, water test) and the big-ticket items (structural, roof, septic). 3. It depends on what the surveyor needs to do and what the records are like. Buying in a development where there are granite markers sunk everywhere? The surveyor probably just does some basic research, or the granite markers are good enough for fence purposes. Buying some farmhouse where the words on the deed are literally "starting southwesterly from the land formerly owned by the Jodrey family, proceeding northwards towards the land owned by the McGillicudies, bounded on the east by Mudstick Seasonal Pond...?" Everyone around has the same crap to deal with, and the company's gonna have to find the nearest accurate landmark and survey to your house from there, possibly from several houses away. That takes time, and I think they also charge hourly for research where they go to county offices and pull records etc. I'm not an expert (only looked into this briefly for an old house), but I don't think there's any cost savings to have something cheap done then a better one later. The better one's gonna need to do the entire job of getting an accurate survey. My recommendation is to have something cheap done, make sure you check local laws for stuff pertaining to fences like setbacks and encroachments, then build 15' back from where you think you can build it, or pick another number you feel comfortable with. With an acre, you probably won't notice the difference, and meanwhile you'll get your neighbors to mow 5% of your lawn for you  . A surveyor will flat out give you estimates and will know your area well. Just ask them to price out options for you. Also, speaking from experience, make sure you have a nice sturdy gate and supports for your fence so you can get your mower in and out easily without having to wrestle with sagging gate posts and warped gates and crappy hardware.4. Not sure, but it may be for upgrades including electrical like you said, and HVAC stuff. Orange_Lazarus posted:Probably a dumb question for a BFC regular to make but can someone explain to me why people care so much about the property value of their primary home? I mean if prices go down it doesn't matter because the price of other homes went down as well. If prices go up it doesn't matter because the next house you buy will likely be priced higher as well. Don't underestimate the need for people to feel rich on paper. Also, it's leveraged money, so if you go from 80% LTV to 60% LTV based on property price increase, you've just qualified for that home equity loan. Hello WaveRunners and boob job! Conversely, if you've just gone from 80% to 90% LTV based on a property price decrease, you're potentially stuck underwater and can't/won't want to move. uwaeve fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Jan 10, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 15:20
|
|
|
I always wondered this too, but now that I'm actually considering buying, I can see two reasons: 1. It reduces the chance of you being underwater on your mortgage. 2. Assuming rent prices rise approximately at the same rate, it reduces the cost of your mortgage relative to the cost of renting.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 15:27
|
|
|
Orange_Lazarus posted:Probably a dumb question for a BFC regular to make but can someone explain to me why people care so much about the property value of their primary home? I mean if prices go down it doesn't matter because the price of other homes went down as well. If prices go up it doesn't matter because the next house you buy will likely be priced higher as well. I'm 32k underwater on my mortgage right now because my condo nosedived in value in the two years afer I bought it(despite throwing 8k in extra principal curtailment the past two years). I've wanted to move for three years. I can't move. That sucks. Nail Rat fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Jan 10, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 15:38
|
|
|
Chin Strap posted:5) The only big immediate change we would want to do is replace all carpet with something hard, bamboo preferably (assuming there aren't already good hardwood floors underneath the carpet). Is this easy enough to do DIY? If that doesn't describe you or if that sounds like too much time/effort to invest I'd look into vinyl plank. It goes in quicker since the plank sections are much bigger than hardwood plank sections and its also pretty drat durable while still looking nice too.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 15:43
|
|
|
PC LOAD LETTER posted:If that doesn't describe you or if that sounds like too much time/effort to invest I'd look into vinyl plank. It goes in quicker since the plank sections are much bigger than hardwood plank sections and its also pretty drat durable while still looking nice too. Its not about looks so much as we have pets and want hard flooring because it cleans easier. It doesn't have to be bamboo, but we are interested in green materials in general.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 15:59
|
|
|
Chin Strap posted:We put down our first offer last night. It feels a bit weird after only seeing like 5 places, but we have a very specific requirement (1 acre of land that we can garden on) that is hard to find in Pittsburgh. We'll find out today if it is accepted (we didn't haggle on price even). As an owner of 2 100+ year old houses your situation sounds familiar. 50yrs owned by the same lady tells me that the house hasn't been updated in 50yrs so your probably going to be dealing with knob & tube wiring, galvanized (or even lead!) pipes, and all the other fun parts of old houses. That said, it can be very rewarding if your willing (and like) to do the work. Old houses can be a second career so don't take it lightly by any means. 1.) I live in an area that's prone to Radon so I feel like its a good idea. If you have a basement, or any part of the house under grade you want to use often, then knowing/fixing radon seepage is beneficial. I probably wouldn't bother with the lead and mold tests right out the gate. I would let my inspector, whom I checked references (this is important to do), do his thing and tell me if he sees any problem areas concerning moisture/mold or flaking lead paint. A good inspector needs to go into the attic, on the roof, into crawlspaces, and generally get dirty to find what they can. Their is always the risk they will miss something so finding a good inspector is worth the time. I think getting a termite inspection on top of the home owners inspection is more worthwhile than mold/lead since 50yrs of structural damaging insects could ruin the house. This is only my opinion. Your going to be living in the house so do what YOU need to do to feel comfortable about your purchase. Remember, you don't have to inherit the 100+ year problems if you don't want to. 2.) Beyond needing to be vacuumed out every year or so a properly designed septic tank should run maintenance free for 20+years. You start to get into problems when the septic tank laterals start getting clogged. Bacteria and gross stuff are going to start growing in the little holes of the laterals over time and eventually plug it up. Having the tank pumped when the sludge and sediment get high enough helps to delay this effect. A good homeowner will have records of their last pumping. A bad home owner will remember when it was last pumped. A terrible home owner won't even know what a septic tank is and thinks their poo poo magically disappears. You can hire a service company to check the sludge/sediment levels and the septic tanks integrity. Unfortunately their is no way to reliably check your laterals without digging them up. At least on an acre of land you should have plenty of room to run new laterals if they are clogged up at the cost of a few grand. 3.)I love this question since I'm in the business. In my area when a surveyor says "set stakes" to me that means they are going to put wood laths in the general vicinity of your property corners. They can do this with less research and have limited legal liability in it since its not a true property corner marking. If your going to be offsetting your fence 5' to 10' from your property line then this may be accurate enough. The city probably has fence regulations that dictate how close you can get to your property line. To legally mark your property corners takes a little more work. Your land is probably not located in a subdivision since its 100 yrs old and it probably doesn't have any property corner pins remaining that would help a surveyor re-establish your boundary. The surveyor is going to have to start at a land section corner and work his way over to your property based on the original land description. This takes more time and research. They'll come out and hammer in 1/2" rebar and place their surveyor cap on it. From there its a legal delineation Their is no real cheap way to verify if a neighbor is encroaching a few inches onto your land. If it was me and I was building a fence, I'd be more concerned about easements running along my land that may dictate if I can place a fence in them or not. Sometimes Cities will have a GIS site that shows water/sewer easements. Pulling a title report will also show any encumbrances (easements) on the property from private utilities such as power/gas/telecom. 4.)If the tiles are not made out of asbestos then its pretty easy to throw them away and take down the drop supports. Their will be significantly more work if they installed the drop ceiling so they could run electrical wires above the floor joists as opposed to through them. 5.) If the floor is level, or you don't care about it being level, then floating a new floor is pretty straight forward. I'm willing to bet you have hardwoods underneath the carpet and your money would be better spent restoring & refinishing them rather than floating a new floor. The first house I ever bought was 108 years old. I didn't know poo poo about home improvement or what the hell I was getting into. There were times were I was in a panic because things were breaking or just didn't work. Dark times, but I got through it. Owning an old as poo poo house you learn quickly that most of the components to a house are not all that complicated. You also learn that you can fix basically whatever breaks, the only limiting factor is time (and money). Getting your finished product to look good is another story that takes finesse and experience. Anyways, good luck....
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 16:07
|
|
|
fishhooked posted:Anyways, good luck.... Thanks for all the advice. I've gotten a good home inspector with many references, so we'll see what comes back from there. Ont he disclosure form, electrical was listed as "circuit breaker", which made me guess no knob & tube? Plumbing was listed as "mixed" which means nothing to me. We are definitely interested in learning how to DIY things. I'm reasonably handy and think with proper reading could tackle a lot of things (electrical scares me). Really appreciate the surveying advice. Do you think the the no staking, just gps or whatever based outline sketch, is worth doing as a pre-buy step? We can do the staking if we want when we actually start building the fence.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 16:47
|
|
|
Chin Strap posted:Thanks for all the advice. I've gotten a good home inspector with many references, so we'll see what comes back from there. Ont he disclosure form, electrical was listed as "circuit breaker", which made me guess no knob & tube? Plumbing was listed as "mixed" which means nothing to me. I'd say the survey is worthwhile. The proper boundary survey. We bought a house with two plots and didnt bother until we did the fence build. Found out both sides were encroaching on our property and that was a shitshow to sort out. Better to know in advance so you can deal with it beforehand.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 17:00
|
|
|
Chin Strap posted:Thanks for all the advice. I've gotten a good home inspector with many references, so we'll see what comes back from there. Ont he disclosure form, electrical was listed as "circuit breaker", which made me guess no knob & tube? Plumbing was listed as "mixed" which means nothing to me. A circuit breaker listed on the disclosure doesn't mean much. You can connect knob and tube to a circuit breaker just as easy as anything else, don't think its up to code though. Don't let knob and tube or electrical work scare you outright. I didn't know anything about it when I first went into it. I got lucky and had a nice electrician teach me ALOT when he rewired our kitchen remodel. That experience and a simple DYI book and I feel comfortable with anything inside the house. The SA DIY forum has an awesome electrician who's pretty happy to answer questions. Mixed pipe means all sorts of wonderful materials. Probably older galvanized for your drinking water along with newer copper/plastic. For sanitary its probably cast iron, lead, and plastic mixed in. If you have low pressure for your hot water then its a good bet you have old galvanized somewhere on the line. Survey now or later is all preference and what you can handle. If you can, and want to, put the fence right on your property line then its best to know about encroachments now so you can start that legal process or walk from the property. Your neighbors are going to hate you if they have to move a fence/landscaping ect. Their is also the chance that they built the house slightly over the property line since "building setbacks" were not really a thing 100 years ago. If off setting the fence even a few feet, and can live with the thought of your neighbor "stealing" a few inches of your property, then I'd wait. If your property is within city limits you can go here - interactive website and zoom to the property to get an idea of whats where. Usually good within 5+feet
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 17:34
|
|
|
I don't want to be super negative on old houses but my sister bought a house built in 1903 - the previous owners + and inspection said that all the knob and tube appeared to have been removed but apparently they just half assed it and made all the sockets appear to have been fixed but alot of the internals and junctions were still old wiring. Just saying to be wary  Luckily my sister immediately remodeled the kitchen so they caught it and fixed all the wiring themselves. Our house burned down when we were kids due to electrical so we are both super aware of those issues. People are scum Lying about wiring is the worst.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 18:21
|
|
|
Yeah I am certain that they rewired and re-plumbed this house because I can see the work they did. There is a brand new 200 amp panel in the basement, new wire runs snaking up into the walls above, and a sub-panel on each of the 2nd and 3rd floors with all new breakers and wiring again. If I go up into the attic and pull the floorboards I can see where they ran lines up there to drop down into the third floor. On the plumbing side they put in PEX everywhere and so it's easy to see that it runs to all the fixtures. If you are buying and old house and the sellers say they did stuff, you should definitely do your due diligence and not just take the statement as truth.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 19:34
|
|
|
I have an electrician here replacing my 70s style Bulldog electrical panel, that was up to code back in the day. There was hockey tape used as an insulator on every wire going into the panel. Lived here for 3 years now and I never would of known.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2014 20:45
|
|
|
Tigntink posted:I don't want to be super negative on old houses but my sister bought a house built in 1903 - the previous owners + and inspection said that all the knob and tube appeared to have been removed but apparently they just half assed it and made all the sockets appear to have been fixed but alot of the internals and junctions were still old wiring. This happens often enough to worry about it. People will replace the first foot or two of wire from each outlet, make it look good for a cursory check, but then have knob and tube throughout the rest of the house.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2014 00:13
|
|
|
Chin Strap posted:Its not about looks so much as we have pets and want hard flooring because it cleans easier. It doesn't have to be bamboo, but we are interested in green materials in general. 1) It is a more durable finish, which is great until it actually does dent or scratch from a pet claw, then it is very difficult if not impossible to refinish. 2) Because of #1, there WILL be gaps between the boards that are large enough for water (or urine) to run down into
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2014 00:27
|
|
|
That is true even with the good stuff too BTW that has been hardened. There is lots of cheap stuff out there at Home Depot or Costco that looks drat nice, and hey its (relatively) cheap! But lots of complaints too about the bamboo wearing (ie. 2-3 yr) prematurely since it wasn't hardened properly. There really is no way for the end buyer to tell if the manufacturer did it right, particularly with the stained stuff since hardened bamboo that is unstained will have a naturally darker color to it. I like bamboo too and plan on making a desktop out of a 4'x8' sheet of the stuff but there are too many issues with it right now as flooring IMO. And with animals to consider too...well they beat up on the floors harder than kids. Even if they don't poop and pee on it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2014 03:18
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 00:05 |
|
|
adorai posted:Bamboo is generally prefinished flooring. There are two downsides to this in regard to pets. So what would you suggest then for a green material that is more water resistant? What do you think about marmoleum?
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2014 03:23
|
|