|
Mercury Ballistic posted:As a soon to be incidental landlord, may I ask what makes a cool landlord? A lovely one? Good communication from both sides goes a long way.
|
#
?
May 20, 2014 19:21
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 22:28 |
|
|
Any thoughts on how to avoid some crappy construction? I am laying down some kiln dried douglas fir tongue and groove porch boards and want to seal them (and possibly stain). My wife liked the Olympic line of stain and seal, but the reviews on the company's own website are terrible so I'm not doing that. I know I want a all over application of "product" prior to installation, but using what "product"? Spar varnish? Some kind of Oil Based Urethane? Something else?
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2014 20:02
|
|
|
Motronic posted:That was my point. It's like rust: what you can see is only the tip of the iceberg. The "damage" was already done, you were just pulling off weak spots that were already bad. You didn't do that damage: water did by getting into the cracks. That's just it, I did a hell of a prep job: prying, scraping, chiseling and wire brushing out every single loose piece I could find along those cracks. When I was done, except the one pictured, all that was left were cracks I couldn't even fit a razor blade in and maybe a 1/8" by 1/8" triangle missing from the surface. That's why this whole "notching out the hairline cracks" business still doesn't sit right with me, but I'll go back and fix them all if you say so. This "V" you're talking about, I assume it's similar to the notch you're supposed to cut out along a crack for hydraulic cement?
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2014 22:14
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:That's why this whole "notching out the hairline cracks" business still doesn't sit right with me, but I'll go back and fix them all if you say so. This "V" you're talking about, I assume it's similar to the notch you're supposed to cut out along a crack for hydraulic cement? Yes, that's the "V" I'm talking about. You don't have to go crazy if what's around it is solid, but you do need at least 1/4" wide by about that deep for mortar or hydraulic cement to have enough contact area to do it's job. If you just jam it into the cracks it's going to break up and fall out again. If you're not comfortable with that, simply paint over what you've done (it was painted to begin with) and make sure it stays painted. That should keep the water out, but you're going to end up with shrinkage (and therefore cracked paint) where you put the caulk. Because that's what caulk does. If I really didn't want to mortar those things up I would have chosen a 2-part epoxy so I would be sure of it setting and staying.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2014 22:23
|
|
|
Bad Munki posted:3) On that note: the safety deposit IS NOT A loving CLEANING DEPOSIT.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 05:39
|
|
|
Bad Munki posted:3) On that note: the safety deposit IS NOT A loving CLEANING DEPOSIT. If you require a $500 safety deposit, that is ONLY for damages above and beyond normal wear and tear. It seems to be a 100% correlation between lovely, dickhead landlords and trying to claim 100% of the deposit so they can have the place cleaned (and then they probably won't actually have it cleaned, but that's a different bullet point altogether.) Since you assumed you're going to shampoo between tenants (which costs basically nothing, especially if you do it yourself), you only need to deduct from the deposit for the holes in the walls or the intractable stains on the carpet. THAT is what the deposit is for. This is not true. In my leases, the security deposit can and will absolutely be applied for cleanings costs if the tenants leave a place filthy. I'm sure if you read the agreements you have signed, you'd find them to be the same. Mine are worded that the deposit will be applied towards any necessary cleaning and any damage beyond reasonable wear and tear. That's completely standard. That said, I've never had to keep a cent of any of my tenants' security deposits and I really would love it if I never have to ever. Giving them their full deposit back is, for me, the best possible outcome and I hope for it every time. I'm sorry you've had poo poo landlords who probably did take advantage of their position, but you're really mistaken about what a security deposit is for.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 06:15
|
|
|
Nolo goes into more details. I think Bad Munki is pretty clearly talking about landlords stealing the security deposit based on nonexistent "needed cleaning." In my own case, two out of three landlords stole my deposit for various bullshit reasons. Most recently in the last place I rented, after five years with a very good relationship with my landlord, they came and met us for a walkthrough at the end and agreed verbally in person that we were leaving the place in good shape. I agreed that they could use part of the deposit to have the carpets cleaned if they wanted. They then proceeded to keep all $1600, sending me a letter with a handwritten list of items including having a professional cleaning company clean the oven (which was less than a year old, and had a built-in cleaning cycle), all of the windows and rooms and whatnot, at over $60 an hour; plus painting, complaints about the worn carpet (which was old when we moved in, so of course five more years of wear on their lovely builder's grade carpet wore it out some more), etc. We'd just moved into our house, had a ton of related expenses, and did not have the time or energy to fight with them about it. Which is of course exactly what lovely landlords are accustomed to happening when they steal people's deposits. Here's a question for you: do you track, and remit to your tenants, the interest you earned on their security deposit? Because in California, you're required to by law, but nobody I've ever spoken to about it has had a landlord do that. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 07:00 on May 21, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 06:57
|
|
|
The deposit is not for normal cleaning. It's not for shampooing the carpet between tenants or throwing up a fresh coat of paint or running a vacuum. If a deposit is used for cleaning costs, it needs to be for stains (actual stains, not wear and tear), repairs, or filth. The deposit is to fix what tenants have messed up through damage or neglect, not the process of poo poo getting old.
BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 07:01 on May 21, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 06:59
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:
My current landlord sends us a check for a couple dollars once a year. Bless that man, I'm not moving until he keels over dead and his ungrateful grandchildren sell this house. If it hasn't fallen down on our heads before then.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 07:36
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:Here's a question for you: do you track, and remit to your tenants, the interest you earned on their security deposit? Because in California, you're required to by law, but nobody I've ever spoken to about it has had a landlord do that. In the area where my units are, you are obligated to inform the tenants of the bank, address, and account number where their deposit is held if you do indeed hold it in a bank account (which is required only for buildings of 6 units and up). Interest is owed to the tenant, less up to 1% "management fee" that the landlord can keep. No savings accounts are over 1% these days so most tenants are probably not getting their 80 cents per year in interest in my area.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 07:48
|
|
|
DNova posted:This is not true. In my leases, the security deposit can and will absolutely be applied for cleanings costs if the tenants leave a place filthy. I'm sure if you read the agreements you have signed, you'd find them to be the same. Agreements don't mean poo poo when they violate the law in your jurisdiction. Everywhere I've lived, deposits can not legally be used for cleaning. If, say, the carpets are damaged with dog poo poo stains, that's damage and thus the deposit applies. If the tenant didn't vacuum and the carpets are grody but can be cleaned via normal means, that's just cleaning. In fact, even if the carpets are dirty and require special attention or even replacement but it's due to normal wear and tear, that's not damage and thus the deposit doesn't apply. Again, that depends on the jurisdiction, but you can't just make that rule go away by putting it in the contract. However, this is something I'm willing to guess 99% of landlords either don't know or don't care about, and a similar percentage of tenants don't know either. NancyPants posted:The deposit is not for normal cleaning. It's not for shampooing the carpet between tenants or throwing up a fresh coat of paint or running a vacuum. If a deposit is used for cleaning costs, it needs to be for stains (actual stains, not wear and tear), repairs, or filth. The deposit is to fix what tenants have messed up through damage or neglect, not the process of poo poo getting old. 
Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 14:18 on May 21, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 14:14
|
|
|
Bad Munki posted:Agreements don't mean poo poo when they violate the law in your jurisdiction. Everywhere I've lived, deposits can not legally be used for cleaning. If, say, the carpets are damaged with dog poo poo stains, that's damage and thus the deposit applies. If the tenant didn't vacuum and the carpets are grody but can be cleaned via normal means, that's just cleaning. In fact, even if the carpets are dirty and require special attention or even replacement but it's due to normal wear and tear, that's not damage and thus the deposit doesn't apply. Again, that depends on the jurisdiction, but you can't just make that rule go away by putting it in the contract. It's like you aren't even reading my posts, but that's ok. It's completely legal in NY and CA, both highly tenant-friendly states, for what it's worth. I don't have comprehensive knowledge of all states' laws.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 14:39
|
|
|
Here's a good summary: http://www.landlord.com/security-deposit-law-guide.htm Note: only six states are listed as allowing the deposit for general cleaning. Everything else is "beyond normal wear and tear," unpaid rent, and the like. Some states (such as NY) are per borough or county. In any event, I think you and I are actually in agreement, I don't know why you started with "That's not true." I said, in short, "It's for above and beyond," and then you said, "That's not true. It's for above and beyond," and then you talk about your leases having wording that allows for it but don't mention your jurisdiction until later to defend yourself? And seriously, agreements/contracts don't mean poo poo if they're written contrary to the law, which was the point I was trying to make in your most recent quote. Anyhow, I don't really give a poo poo, do whatever you want to your tenants, it's your job to make sure you're remaining legal. If you're doing so, congratulations. For the other 80% of the country where deposits are not for general cleaning, deposits still aren't for general cleaning, regardless of what the contract says. e: For what it's worth, I've seen a lot of states have rules for leaving a house "broom clean" when selling. That is, the seller doesn't have to shampoo all the carpets and scrub all the walls, but gross debris and the like should be removed. I suspect there are similar rules, again in most states, about leaving a rental as a tenant. Thus a "filthy" place would be above and beyond, but if the place is more or less clean, shampooing the carpets, for example, would be your own choice as a landlord and, in most states, wouldn't come out of the deposit. Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 15:04 on May 21, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 14:58
|
|
|
Bad Munki posted:Here's a good summary: That guide is not very good, but I'm not asking you to prove anything to me and I don't feel the need to prove anything to you. That said, do you really believe that you can return an apartment to a landlord in a dirty state and think that's ok? Maybe the issue is how we think of "general cleaning" and what that means. To me, if I get a unit back and it's dirty, and I have to spend my time, or pay someone to spend theirs to clean it, that's going to get taken out of the deposit (legally). This doesn't mean I expect the carpets to be shampooed or anything above what a normal person would do to clean their house. Thankfully I have not rented to any scumbags who would leave a place like that and hopefully such people will be rare. edit: quote:Thus a "filthy" place would be above and beyond, but if the place is more or less clean, shampooing the carpets, for example, would be your own choice as a landlord and, in most states, wouldn't come out of the deposit. This is exactly how I feel about it, personally. Of course, if a carpet is damaged ("above and beyond") and can be restored with a shampooing then maybe I would charge for that. sleepy gary fucked around with this message at 15:11 on May 21, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 15:04
|
|
|
DNova posted:That guide is not very good, but I'm not asking you to prove anything to me and I don't feel the need to prove anything to you. The guide wasn't really for you, it's for everyone else who might be a landlord or be becoming a landlord. Like you said, you've got it figured out in your state. It's not meant to be a legal guide, it's a rough overview. See my edit, but basically, I'm counting "broom clean" as clean. And yes, many tenants are good about getting that far before departing. I've also seen tenants simply abandon, that's a weird one but obviously dealing with that comes out of the deposit. Personally, I do scrub the walls and floors before I go. I'm not a landlord, but my father rented a duplex basically my entire life, and so I helped manage it more and more as he got older. Our approach was that the place shouldn't look filthy, but we were still going to do certain cleaning things between tenants no matter what. Painting the walls, shampooing the carpet, that sort of thing. If those normal things that we were doing anyhow didn't address the issue, THEN we dinged the deposit. We don't expect the previous tenant to leave the place ready to move into for the next tenant, it should just be ready for us to do the deeper cleaning we were going to do anyhow. Not a rhetorical question: do you expect your tenant(s) to leave the place ready for the next tenant to move in to? Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 15:20 on May 21, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 15:12
|
|
|
Bad Munki posted:Not a rhetorical question: do you expect your tenant(s) to leave the place ready for the next tenant to move in to? It should be as close as possible to how I gave it to them, which is move-in condition. I still expect to do some sprucing up to make it look as nice as possible for the showings but if I'm scrubbing out an oven or cleaning a moldy fridge or painting over drawn-on walls, that's not ok with me. I've never been disappointed or asked anyone to do more cleaning, so my expectations must not be out of line. More on topic but still related to the derail: I had a set of tenants who bought those little rubber-backed rugs for kitchens/bathrooms and had two of them in the kitchen on the linoleum floor. When they moved out, there were two horribly discolored rectangles where the carpets were. Have any of you heard of that or seen it before? Luckily I had already planned to re-do that whole kitchen when they left, so it didn't matter, but it would have really sucked for everyone if it was newer and not about to be replaced. V V V Yes we are in agreement I think. I'm a good landlord I promise. sleepy gary fucked around with this message at 15:24 on May 21, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 15:19
|
|
|
I think we're actually in agreement here, whatever. Let's just say gently caress it, hug it out, and move on before we both get probated for the lamest derail in the history of this thread. Tenants: please don't leave poo poo all over the apartment. Landlords: please don't ding your tenants for poo poo you would do no matter what.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 15:20
|
|
|
Indolent Bastard posted:Any thoughts on how to avoid some crappy construction? I am laying down some kiln dried douglas fir tongue and groove porch boards and want to seal them (and possibly stain). My wife liked the Olympic line of stain and seal, but the reviews on the company's own website are terrible so I'm not doing that. I know I want a all over application of "product" prior to installation, but using what "product"? Spar varnish? Some kind of Oil Based Urethane? Something else? I buy Olympic when I'm OK about using cheap paint. I won't use it in my house but I sure as poo poo am using it for the baseboards of my wife's new business studio. I have found that when I did use Olympic in one of my bedrooms, any water or sweat/oil that hit the paint would not wipe off, it would leave a smear. Just confirming what you already determined.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 18:38
|
|
|
Suave Fedora posted:I buy Olympic when I'm OK about using cheap paint. I won't use it in my house but I sure as poo poo am using it for the baseboards of my wife's new business studio. I have found that when I did use Olympic in one of my bedrooms, any water or sweat/oil that hit the paint would not wipe off, it would leave a smear. Just confirming what you already determined. Even their facebook page has negative reviews all over it? How are the still in business?
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2014 19:09
|
|
|
Indolent Bastard posted:Even their facebook page has negative reviews all over it? How are the still in business? Because they are everywhere and the price is right. Most people go to the store and buy what they find in the color they like with little thought beyond "paint is paint."
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2014 02:40
|
|
|
Bad Munki posted:I think we're actually in agreement here, whatever. Let's just say gently caress it, hug it out, and move on before we both get probated for the lamest derail in the history of this thread. Tenants: please don't leave poo poo all over the apartment. Landlords: please don't ding your tenants for poo poo you would do no matter what. The best part about the picture: that's a plaque of the State Committee For Construction in Russia, a gov't regulatory body responsible for building codes, etc. Way to raise the bar 
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2014 04:12
|
|
|
Naturally Selected posted:The best part about the picture: that's a plaque of the State Committee For Construction in Russia, a gov't regulatory body responsible for building codes, etc. Way to raise the bar I see it as artwork. It's a commentary on how we should functionally always in the present but should never forget the lessons of the past. Lest we be doomed repeat them. Or something.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2014 18:37
|
|
|
Suave Fedora posted:I see it as artwork. It's a commentary on how we should functionally always in the present but should never forget the lessons of the past. Lest we be doomed repeat them. Or something. More like ignore and plaster over the mistakes of the past and pretend the trappings of modernity are all that matters even as the legacy of authoritarianism and irredentism steer you back down the hole you'd been climbing out of.  Wait, which board am I in again?
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2014 23:19
|
|
|
I probably should have posted my last workshop-design question here instead of in the "Fix it fast" thread, oh well. Anyway, got the soffits worked out for my workshop plans, and now I'm trying to figure out how the overhangs at the ends of the building should work. Here's what I have right now: Front view:  Side view, with rafters and ridge beam:  The ridge beam extends 2' beyond the wall, so it needs an extension of the sheathing to enclose it. In the front view, the top triangles are sheathing that covers part of the varge rafters and the ridge beam; between the 16"-tall ridge beam and the 2x8 rafters, that sheathing is about 2' tall. Below the ridge beam, there's a sheet of sheathing parallel to the ground, that returns the sheathing system to the wall. Then it's just normal sheathing as usual for the rest of the wall -- except for those "wings" on the ends, which cap off the soffits. I have 2x2s in the plans (not shown in these images) for the sheathing to be nailed to, so it's supported on all edges. Does this make sense? It's a lot of customized plywood shapes, which I imagine isn't going to be a lot of fun to install, but I'm unclear on how to handle this without running into that problem.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2014 16:54
|
|
|
Someone this thread posted a video awhile ago where some guy was laying cinder blocks, but it was one of the most zen things ever. Does someone have it or knows the title on Youtube?
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 03:37
|
|
|
http://www.wimp.com/cinderblocks/ The music makes it.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 03:37
|
|
|
HardDisk posted:Someone this thread posted a video awhile ago where some guy was laying cinder blocks, but it was one of the most zen things ever. Does someone have it or knows the title on Youtube? http://www.wimp.com/cinderblocks/ E;fb, I was too mesmerized watching it
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 03:38
|
|
|
Thank you both!
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 03:40
|
|
|
Watching that man work makes me happy. 
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 03:48
|
|
|
I love how he lays like 20 blocks in a row, and when he gets to that steel support bar, he's exactly the right length to fit in his block up against it. The pink line is keeping him straight in one direction, but there's nothing stopping him from over- or under-spacing the blocks as he goes, except for his experience and attention to detail both of which are impressive as hell.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 04:24
|
|
|
TooMuchAbstraction posted:I probably should have posted my last workshop-design question here instead of in the "Fix it fast" thread, oh well. Anyway, got the soffits worked out for my workshop plans, and now I'm trying to figure out how the overhangs at the ends of the building should work. Here's what I have right now: I'm unclear if you're question is about the outriggers that support the overhang or the bird boxes at the soffits. The barge rafter (end rafter on a gable roof) is usually supported by 2x4s (either vertically or horizontally depending on overhang depth) that run over the gable end and are attached to the first rafter past the gable end and bird boxes give the soffit something to be nailed to. Bird boxes and outriggers are pretty standard roof framing, you might pick up a basic framing book for details.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 07:33
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:I love how he lays like 20 blocks in a row, and when he gets to that steel support bar, he's exactly the right length to fit in his block up against it. The pink line is keeping him straight in one direction, but there's nothing stopping him from over- or under-spacing the blocks as he goes, except for his experience and attention to detail both of which are impressive as hell.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 11:49
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:I love how he lays like 20 blocks in a row, and when he gets to that steel support bar, he's exactly the right length to fit in his block up against it. The pink line is keeping him straight in one direction, but there's nothing stopping him from over- or under-spacing the blocks as he goes, except for his experience and attention to detail both of which are impressive as hell. Are skilled brickies that rare in the US, then? Because I'm surrounded by brick buildings and the mortar joints are all equally sized, so building a wall to specification doesn't seem like that much of a challenge (for a skilled bricklayer, no doubt difficult for a DIYer, I couldn't do it). E:just showed the video to my architect father and he says that there's nothing remarkable about that guy's bricklaying. HortonNash fucked around with this message at 12:19 on May 26, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 12:07
|
|
|
HortonNash posted:Are skilled brickies that rare in the US, then? It's not something normal people would usually have seen done before.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 12:39
|
|
|
Collateral Damage posted:It's always a pleasant feeling to watch someone who is really good at their job. The soothing music helps too.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 13:32
|
|
|
DNova posted:It's not something normal people would usually have seen done before. It's this. I assume most brickies are that sort of skilled, but they're not often filmed and most people don't hang out on building sites to watch them. Same with basically any skilled manual trade, I have a feeling it's why videos of woodturners working get good amounts of hits.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 14:28
|
|
|
Tora! Tora! Tora! posted:I'm unclear if you're question is about the outriggers that support the overhang or the bird boxes at the soffits. Thanks for coming back to this; I figured my question simply got forgotten. I was mostly just looking for a sanity check that the design wasn't obviously broken in the way the sheathing gets extended past the gable wall to cover the ridge beam and barge (verge/varge) rafters. I do have the outriggers; you can kind of see the notches in the gable rafters in the second diagram. I should take another look at the soffit end and make certain it's not just bits of plywood slapped together. Sometimes making sense of this in a 3D modeling program gets really difficult.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 15:55
|
|
|
thespaceinvader posted:It's this. I assume most brickies are that sort of skilled, but they're not often filmed and most people don't hang out on building sites to watch them. Same with basically any skilled manual trade, I have a feeling it's why videos of woodturners working get good amounts of hits. Seconding. I was early for an appointment at a rowhome in South Philadelphia and as I sat waiting in my car, the world's oldest brick-mason was building a monolithic exterior stair set & landing. I was so mesmerized by this master's economy of motion that I ran ten minutes over my time. The video clip has the same effect. I've done this work, and, while having a competent result, I made an entire hash of it. Content:  This was in a basement in West Philadelphia, and had been like this for at least 20-years. I have no idea where they went or what they powered. I need to take more photos of homes in my territory...in one home, the owner laid laminate floor directly over carpet & pad. Walking on that required sea legs. I was amazed that I didn't break through. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 02:13 on May 27, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 02:06
|
|
|
PainterofCrap posted:I need to take more photos of homes in my territory...in one home, the owner laid laminate floor directly over carpet & pad. Walking on that required sea legs. I was amazed that I didn't break through. I lived with a friend for a short period right after he bought his house. All three of the extra bedrooms had this done to them. Not too terrible, until the AC condensate overflowed, and soaked all three rooms to the point that water squished up from between the laminate when you stepped on it. ...And then the ceilings in the master bedroom and dining room collapsed from water damage, necessitating new drywall and stucco in a third of the house, and a new tile roof. (The HOA, while generally really chill, cheap, and non-invasive, requires roof replacement to be with equivalent materials, so no shingles.) The laminate floors took a back burner for awhile, and then the water caused all the laminate, carpets, and carpet padding to turn into a mold factory. It moved back up the list of things to do.  IT WAS A COMEDY OF ERRORS
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 03:05
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 22:28 |
|
|
PainterofCrap posted:This was in a basement in West Philadelphia, and had been like this for at least 20-years. I have no idea where they went or what they powered. Duh. They went to Bel Air. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 00:24 on May 28, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 28, 2014 00:22
|
|