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c0ldfuse posted:I hope you all laughed as hard as I did when I read this in the blog. How do you not just throw yourself off the next bridge at that point (which is something like post 20 of suicide worthy problems). I know I would! Have you guys seen The Incredibles, where Mr. Incredible trips the alarm and is captured by expanding sticky balls fired from cannons? Yeah, "Great Stuff" is exactly like those balls.
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Papercut posted:Triples as a death trap. Don't forget it's also a dust trap. Enjoy keeping that clean.
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Jul 11, 2014 06:37
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quote:Those responsible took great care to run the transaction as a 1031-Exchange through the IRS, they provided fake contact info, and likely used offshore bank accounts. That is not how that works, holy poo poo. This dude needs to get ahold of the IRS ASAP. If anyone can find these cocksuckers, and put them in prison, the IRS can and will. The only way his transaction can be a like-kind (1031 exchange) is basically if he traded them some property of his own. (There's a lot more to it, but I'm not writing that post.) He basically needs to demolish the bastard, sell the land, move into an apartment and prepay the rent for however many months he can with what he gets for the land sale, then declare bankruptcy. Credit ruined temporarily or not, he's still better off. Anil Dikshit fucked around with this message at 07:01 on Jul 11, 2014 |
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Jul 11, 2014 06:51
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I don't know how much this stuff costs in minnesota, but wouldn't it be cheaper at that point to tear it all down and build a lovely but not loving awful house? Even a pre-fab would be better than that poo poo right there.
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Jul 11, 2014 07:08
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No. Building a new house is easily over $100k. Demoing the old one, getting permits, and living somewhere else for a year while having a new house built would make it impossible even if he had the money, which he doesn't. That house was probably originally built to code. It's been savaged by multiple bad renovations and repairs, and may have always had a serious water problem, but it's definitely economically feasible to salvage the house. Worst case would be taking the entire structure down to the studs, excavating all the way around the perimeter to install good drainage, and then re-finishing the structure... and that would still cost less than a total demolish and rebuild from the ground up. Consider Kastein's property - even as bad as his house is, it's still worth his while to fix rather than replace. And it's in way, way worse shape (just due to decay) than that dude's.
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Jul 11, 2014 08:07
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After all the fixes he's done to the place now, it doesn't seem that bad. Well aside from the fact that he did all that work then went and put carpet in the bathroom kinda blows me away, still boggled by the fact that it didn't die out entirely in the 70s like it did here. And americans complained when we put up wallpapers...
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Jul 11, 2014 08:56
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kizudarake posted:That is not how that works, holy poo poo. This dude needs to get ahold of the IRS ASAP. If anyone can find these cocksuckers, and put them in prison, the IRS can and will. The only way his transaction can be a like-kind (1031 exchange) is basically if he traded them some property of his own. (There's a lot more to it, but I'm not writing that post.) If this is true, maybe you should send him some info via email?
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Jul 11, 2014 15:58
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me and my roomate are giving our apartment kitchen a much-needed make-over. should really be done by the landlord, but previous fixes of theirs have been so shoddy and temporary that we're doing everything ourselves this time. anyway - i discovered this lovely setup. i doubt it's up to code and i'm worred it's a fire hazard. oh hey, someone's snipped off a cable. let's follow it!  okay, it leads to an unconnected plug. phew, at least it's not live! i've never seen an extension cord being used/masked as an installed cable. wait, the cable running from the four-outlet socket also leads to a plug? connected into an extension? wtf?   aaaand it connects to an extension which hangs, unsupported, from a socket in the wall. the fridge & freezer also connects to this extension. the last monstrosity was hidden behind a piece of plywood above the fridge. at least it's all grounded. i think/hope.
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Jul 11, 2014 17:00
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StickyNavels posted:me and my roomate are giving our apartment kitchen a much-needed make-over. should really be done by the landlord, but previous fixes of theirs have been so shoddy and temporary that we're doing everything ourselves this time. Humans are absolute pros at kludging up quick fixes that maim/kill them and/or burn their homes down.
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Jul 11, 2014 19:28
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Is there a book somewhere on how to build a really robust house? Like, the opposite of groverhaus/hellflipper house... a house that will last centuries and maintain its resistance to falling apart.
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Jul 11, 2014 20:44
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atomicthumbs posted:Is there a book somewhere on how to build a really robust house? Like, the opposite of groverhaus/hellflipper house... a house that will last centuries and maintain its resistance to falling apart. As I understand it, simply knowing and following the codes will get you a good initial result. Everything after that is maintenance. A certain percentage of hellhouses are buildings that were never built right in the first place, or were ruined by "renovations", but the rest are simply people ignoring necessary maintenance jobs. It's amazing how many obvious, glaring problems people are willing to ignore in the interests of not having to deal with it today. Hell, I have a number of issues in my house that I know I need to deal with, but I do keep finding excuses to put them off... For my workshop project, I've been reading this book, and the diagrams and text have really helped solidify my understanding of how Board A fits into Slot B, that kind of thing.
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Jul 11, 2014 21:14
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This one is good too, it breaks a home down conceptually into a collection of systems (soil drainage, foundation, frame, floor, electrical, hvac, etc.) and covers each of them individually in a way that is thorough, but not overwhelming. I learned an enormous amount about plumbing from it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1402743165/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1405110049&sr=8-3&pi=SL75
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Jul 11, 2014 21:24
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Some of the oldest houses in egland are cob buildings, so I guess build a cob hippy hovel? That or just actually follow or exceed building codes and then proper upkeep. Upkeep really is key. I've seen so many perfectly fine houses get demo'd because some old retired people ran out of money and decided to just stop any upkeep for 15 years as they wait to die. Or hoarders. Or "investment properties" owned by some out of town shithead who thinks its the tenants job to do upkeep and letting the house become condemned. It sadly happens in a lot of gorgeous heritage buildings. There comes a point where they just can't be saved, not because they were built poorly, but because they were abandoned. It's amazing how fast it can happen too. Something as simple as "What, 5,000 for a new roof? That's too expensive" very quickly leads to "What, 20,000 to fix this rot problem and fix the caved-in roof?!". Deferred maintenance is not a way to save money, if you can't afford upkeep of a house sell it because it's going to rapidly lose its value.
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Jul 11, 2014 21:44
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There are houses built on Caribbean islands designed to withstand repeated hurricane impacts year after year. Basically you can build a structure out of steel and reinforced concrete that will last for centuries. You can even built it in an earthquake zone, if you do a bunch of special stuff to make sure it won't just be torn apart. You could overbuild everything in a house if you want. Figure out how much support the roof needs and then triple it. Use 4x4s throughout as wall studs instead of 2x4s. Put on an industrial-strength steel roof instead of tiles or shingles or tar. Sink massive concrete pilings into the ground for your foundation. It's all about cost, though, and most of that poo poo is completely unnecessary and massively expensive. People build to a level of quality that is reasonable for the cost. Sure, you can build like a medieval castle, but those things took decades or even centuries to complete, millions of man-hours of labor. You probably can't afford that. So, just find out what your code is, use the highest quality materials you can reasonably afford, overbuild a little (like 10% or 20%, not 200%), and understand that a lot of the extra money you spent will not translate into a higher resale value (there is a reason why so many tract mcmansions get built these days, and it's because they're the most profitable).
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Jul 11, 2014 22:08
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Baronjutter posted:Some of the oldest houses in egland are cob buildings, so I guess build a cob hippy hovel? That or just actually follow or exceed building codes and then proper upkeep. Upkeep really is key. I've seen so many perfectly fine houses get demo'd because some old retired people ran out of money and decided to just stop any upkeep for 15 years as they wait to die. Or hoarders. Or "investment properties" owned by some out of town shithead who thinks its the tenants job to do upkeep and letting the house become condemned. It sadly happens in a lot of gorgeous heritage buildings. There comes a point where they just can't be saved, not because they were built poorly, but because they were abandoned. The roof, siding, window framing, and plumbing are THE VERY FASTEST WAY to lose a house. Water is your mortal enemy. Much like Lincoln's quote about having six hours to cut down a tree and spending the first four sharpening the axe... the roof comes first. Oh, as for overbuilding - don't use 4x4s, use 2x6s or 2x8s. You gain a LOT more strength wise by widening the web, you only double strength by using 4x4s instead of 2x4s. And 2x6s or 2x8s bring with them the increased R value of having a 6 or 8 inch (nominal) wall cavity full of insulation, too. If you want to overbuild, build a good foundation, moisture-proof your walls (use pressure treated structural timber if necessary, plus proper ventilation and proper vapor barriers), overbuild your roof trusses, and go with a slate or standing seam metal roof. Good siding and windows + trim that are impervious to weather and you're basically down to the details internally. Build the rest however the hell you want. kastein fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Jul 11, 2014 |
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Jul 11, 2014 22:22
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Leperflesh posted:There are houses built on Caribbean islands designed to withstand repeated hurricane impacts year after year. Basically you can build a structure out of steel and reinforced concrete that will last for centuries. You can even built it in an earthquake zone, if you do a bunch of special stuff to make sure it won't just be torn apart. And to reinforce the previous statements, these will only last for centuries with regular maintenance. They'll take a little longer to develop water infiltration and then fall apart than a normal every day stick built house will, but it will still happen all the same. Leperflesh posted:It's all about cost, though, and most of that poo poo is completely unnecessary and massively expensive. People build to a level of quality that is reasonable for the cost. Sure, you can build like a medieval castle, but those things took decades or even centuries to complete, millions of man-hours of labor. You probably can't afford that. And to further reinforce them... most of the medieval castles haven't been actively maintained and are now closer to piles of rubble than inhabitable structures.
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Jul 11, 2014 22:29
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Then what's the advice for maintenance? Being a first time owner, I am totally ignorant of what normal sounds were. I trusted the seller's HVAC company that our compressors were fine, and found out later that the sound was not normal and things had to be replaced. Are there things we should do annually besides the normal keep things clean, and don't let anything sit in water?
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Jul 11, 2014 22:32
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I want to sink giant steel I-beams into the earth, and then weld all the walls and roof to them. Fill the 18" thick walls with NASA-grade spaceship insulation, paint the outside with automotive paint and clearcoat, build a huge culvert next to the house capable of whisking away a hundred thousand gallons of water a minute, run fiber to and throughout the house, and have dozens of independent 30-amp circuits (at least two per room) all going through a panel encased in concrete with electrical service capable of powering a small factory. Give me a house so overbuilt it could survive a direct hit by a Cat 5 tornado, and will last a thousand years. I mean, if money was no object. Rurutia posted:Then what's the advice for maintenance? Being a first time owner, I am totally ignorant of what normal sounds were. I trusted the seller's HVAC company that our compressors were fine, and found out later that the sound was not normal and things had to be replaced. It kind of depends a lot on your house and where you live. Do you have gutters? Clean them out annually. Is your house made of wood? check the exterior for rot, replace decaying beams and panels. Keep it painted. Do you have a basement? Inspect for widening cracks, water intrusion, excessive moisture. Look for termites or vermin intrusion. Keep trees from growing right next to your foundation. There's a lot of stuff that is just common sense. Think of your house as having a number of different systems. There is probably a drainage system, an electrical system, an air circulation system, and so on. Each system has parts, and some of those parts are wear items. Watch for the wear, and repair or replace when they're worn out. Exactly when or how often or what to do depends on your climate, neighborhood, type of foundation, soil, annual rainfall, drainage, type of roofing, age of the building, etc. etc. too much to give really specific advice. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Jul 11, 2014 |
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Jul 11, 2014 22:34
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Yeah now that I'm thinking about it, I guess what I really meant was a book on how to design and/or construct an overbuilt house. I want a concrete pile foundation, steel framing, modular plumbing, modular wiring, 3-phase power to the basement, kitchen, workshop, and garage,  Is there a home design thread? Leperflesh posted:I want to sink giant steel I-beams into the earth, and then weld all the walls and roof to them. Fill the 18" thick walls with NASA-grade spaceship insulation, paint the outside with automotive paint and clearcoat, build a huge culvert next to the house capable of whisking away a hundred thousand gallons of water a minute, run fiber to and throughout the house, and have dozens of independent 30-amp circuits (at least two per room) all going through a panel encased in concrete with electrical service capable of powering a small factory. you can already get NASA-grade spaceship insulation for your home! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_insulated_panel
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Jul 11, 2014 22:39
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Zhentar posted:And to further reinforce them... most of the medieval castles haven't been actively maintained and are now closer to piles of rubble than inhabitable structures. I recall reading an article where some medieval castles were for sale for--by rich people standards--quite cheap. It quickly became obvious that the problem with those places really is maintenance.
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Jul 11, 2014 22:40
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Well, atomicthumbs posted:Yeah now that I'm thinking about it, I guess what I really meant was a book on how to design and/or construct an overbuilt house. I want a concrete pile foundation, steel framing, modular plumbing, modular wiring, 3-phase power to the basement, kitchen, workshop, and garage, I imagine all that education that goes into being a qualified architect or building engineer takes up more than a single book. I don't think we have an architecture/structural engineering megathread.
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Jul 11, 2014 22:42
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Leperflesh posted:Well, I guess it would be more "what to specify to the architect/engineer" than "what to put in the home you are designing by yourself". My brother's an architecture student and so much of that stuff is so far above my level it's scary.
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Jul 11, 2014 22:57
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atomicthumbs posted:I guess it would be more "what to specify to the architect/engineer" than "what to put in the home you are designing by yourself". My brother's an architecture student and so much of that stuff is so far above my level it's scary. True, and besides that, the hardest part to come up with a overbuilt house, is that the knowledge needed only stems from experience, and a trio of a good architect, a good structural engineer, AND a good costumer that can communicate well with each other. But then again, personally I would prefer a reinforced concrete pillar and beam frame, with hollow brick walls, with air gap, XPS and all the other barriers, and a aluminium or ceramic siding, and rock wool and cork interior insulation, with gypsum board inside. Most people tough, don´t care about this type of wall, and prefer one that it's just up to code and save 30% on the building costs. As for the age of a building, well, in my school the most recent building we have classes in it's from the mid XIX century, and the other is a XVII palace, therefore i might be biased.
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Jul 11, 2014 23:12
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atomicthumbs posted:I guess it would be more "what to specify to the architect/engineer" than "what to put in the home you are designing by yourself". My brother's an architecture student and so much of that stuff is so far above my level it's scary. That's still too broad of a question. Function, weather and aesthetics need to be addressed first. Then budget. But be assured that minimum code requirements are mostly poo poo and not a good guideline. Especially now the the big builder lobbies have gotten their way.
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Jul 11, 2014 23:13
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Leperflesh posted:I want to sink giant steel I-beams into the earth, ... Your construction technique isn't really compatible with your stated desire. Your giant steel I-beam is going to corrode to nothing (or close enough to it) in significantly less than 1,000 years. Depending on soil conditions, it could be challenging to get a full century out of it. atomicthumbs posted:you can already get NASA-grade spaceship insulation for your home! Those are way more fragile than what Leperflesh is asking for. And way more insulating - NASA-grade spaceship insulation is on par with the worst fiberglass batts. Spaceship insulation is only noteworthy for it's durability and thermal tolerance requirements.
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Jul 11, 2014 23:15
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We'll fill the walls with the finest of shaved pony hair, then. Obviously the sunken I-beams have to be set into concrete, much like the pillars of a huge bridge. We'll seal the concrete, too. If that's not good enough, we'll make the beams out of stainless steel.
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Jul 11, 2014 23:29
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If you're going for a 1,000 service life, 18" of spaceship insulation isn't a bad choice, per se. You could probably save quite a bit on cost by picking a more practical material that doesn't need to maintain integrity at 3000°F or endure rapid temperature swings of several thousand degrees, though. Foamglas comes to mind (in fact, at a basic level it's pretty similar to spaceship insulation).
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Jul 11, 2014 23:51
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Leperflesh posted:We'll fill the walls with the finest of shaved pony hair, then. Concrete is water-permeable, as I understand it. And most moisture barriers seem to have strictly limited lifespans (especially if you, say, let light shine on them). Rather than build a stationary spaceship, it seems like you get the best results for your money from designing buildings that direct water away from the parts of the structure that can't cope, and have mechanisms for removing whatever water does manage to get inside. As for insulation, if only it didn't basically dissolve in water, aerogel would be amazing stuff...
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Jul 11, 2014 23:52
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It really doesn't take much in the way of added material to overbuild a house. It's mostly about choosing material and a building site that works for your climate/location. 50 years ago concrete block houses with metal roofs were popular in tropical climates because they were cheap and strong against hurricanes but they get sweltering in the sun and are too heavy for the foundations they were built on. Start with a solid building lot, the best foundation will crack or tilt if it is built on a reclaimed landfill whereas any modern concrete foundation on bedrock probably won't go anywhere in the next few centuries. Right now the Germans are building some great stuff with Aerated autoclaved concrete. Really though the problem is that we build to make the most money off the smallest investment in the short term.
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Jul 12, 2014 00:00
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Which is really sad because just minor poo poo like better insulation and seals pay for them selves within a few years, but builders never do it because it means their house will be 10k more than the competition's house. Basically people only care about the cost per square foot to buy the house and never factor upkeep or energy into it. People rather save 10k on purchase cost than 50k on reduced upkeep. People are short sighted and stupid and our market system is not designed to produce good houses it's designed to produce profit for the developer.
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Jul 12, 2014 00:09
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Concrete is water-permeable, as I understand it. And most moisture barriers seem to have strictly limited lifespans (especially if you, say, let light shine on them). We'll sink our pylons into blocks made of solid gold. quote:
I did specify an enormous culvert... quote:As for insulation, if only it didn't basically dissolve in water, aerogel would be amazing stuff... We'll use a close-cell ceramic foam impregnated with pockets of aerogel, dipped in rubber and wrapped in sheets of mylar. Or maybe whale blubber, I hear that's pretty good at keeping whales warm.
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Jul 12, 2014 00:11
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mind the walrus posted:I recall reading an article where some medieval castles were for sale for--by rich people standards--quite cheap. It quickly became obvious that the problem with those places really is maintenance.
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Jul 12, 2014 01:17
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Insulating concrete forms are pretty rad at both structural and insulation. I've been seeing more and more higher-end homes with the basement or even the majority of the house built out of them.
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Jul 12, 2014 01:59
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I've been thinking about getting a house built, and it's totally gonna be ICFs.
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Jul 12, 2014 02:07
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slap me silly posted:I've been thinking about getting a house built, and it's totally gonna be ICFs. The big ICF lego bricks are literally the best thing. You can get ones that are self sealing, water proof, R-19, and have a 50 year lifespan.
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Jul 12, 2014 05:01
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We bought and moved house a few times when I was a kid. My mom told me that the most important thing when you're house shopping is to first shop for a good contractor to be your inspector, and THEN start shopping for houses. I didn't realize at the time that this was deep wisdom.
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Jul 12, 2014 05:21
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Methylethylaldehyde posted:The big ICF lego bricks are literally the best thing. You can get ones that are self sealing, water proof, R-19, and have a 50 year lifespan. What happens after 50 years?
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Jul 12, 2014 05:52
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Methylethylaldehyde posted:The big ICF lego bricks are literally the best thing. You can get ones that are self sealing, water proof, R-19, and have a 50 year lifespan. I'm really new to this thread and am absolutely ignorant/atrocious when it comes to DIY and Construction but I've got to ask-- are those really new and do a lot of building materials take cues from Lego, because I think that's kind of brilliant.
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Jul 12, 2014 05:57
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One of the keys to a long life span I would hazard is good prep job on the foundation site itself.
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rekamso posted:What happens after 50 years? I reckon your R-19 starts dropping because the bugs eat the foam.
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Jul 12, 2014 06:10
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