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Jealous Cow posted:In NE Ohio higher end builders are using 36” OC with 2x6 studs to reduce thermal bridging, which sounds cool and I assume the wider stud makes up for it? 2x6 is not really what anyone would call "wide" in the context of an exterior wall. SpartanIvy posted:Call me old fashioned but I don't trust it. That video was too insufferable to watch, but scanning through I picked up on such "novel" concepts as rigid foam and tape. It's not a new thing to use those. It's just more expensive to use enough to eliminate the need to use cheaper material inside to do the same job and with no regard to time to payoff if all you are looking for is style. And that sure is a particular style.........
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Feb 8, 2019 06:30
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If the insulation is on the outside of the house then isn't it going to deteriorate and need to be replaced? Having to rip apart and replace the entire outside of your house seems like a nightmare but if that's every 20 years then the builder shouldn't care I guess
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Feb 8, 2019 07:12
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That house looks like a drat FEMA trailer.
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Feb 8, 2019 15:36
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Fallom posted:That house looks like a drat FEMA trailer. Nothing says comfortable home like fully-exposed, steel outlet/switch boxes and outdoor-rated, zinc-plated floodlight fixtures used for indoor lighting. Why did they even bother to run wiring in the walls? They should've just used metal conduit everywhere for the complete 'warehouse superstore' look. I really like industrial, and it can be very beautiful if done well, but it's not cheap or easy to make it look good. If it's done poorly, it just looks like an unfinished basement goon-cave.
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Feb 8, 2019 16:20
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I must be a weirdo because that house really speaks to me, and I think it's a pretty impressive build.
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Feb 8, 2019 16:54
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I agree they should have used conduit everywhere that part is just lazy. it's an interesting idea tho but I'm sure I don't know enough to know about how that insulated foam lasts over time.
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Feb 8, 2019 19:42
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So my shelf saga is coming to an end. I've installed extra studs to give me ~16" on centers. Yes a few slight mistakes were made but it's going to turn out alright think. I also added some blocking between the new studs and old studs to give them a little more side-to-side support. I just need some more screws (the order doesn't come with enough for every screw hole?) and the actual shelves, which I'm on the phone with Home Depot about now. Apparently my order was marked as completely picked up so I have to get that corrected and get them to ship the last part to me... Also framing nailers loving own. Get you one. 
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Feb 10, 2019 01:10
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I am fine with an extremely sore and permanently damaged elbow thank you very much.
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Feb 12, 2019 01:41
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So I have a question about determining property lines. My home is squarely between two other homes on a city street. The side and backyard are surrounded by fences, with the front yards of my neighbors and I being open to the street. So imagine that every home has a fence extending out from its sides going in both directions and meeting up with the next house, and that these fences then go back around the backyards dividing up the yards of each home. Ok, nothing too weird yet. Now, on one side of my house instead of solid fence there is a gate, and that gate leads to a space between my house and my neighbor's house and then there is a second fence going between the two of them that cuts off the backyards. This leaves a tiny rectangle between our two homes where it's not clear who owns what. This area is also where the HVAC units for both houses are. So, up till now I've been assuming the fences in the side and back yards are the edges of the property, that the edges of my front yard are essentially where my neighbors stop mowing their grass, and that the small rectangle of property I mentioned above was essentially split down the middle between my neighbor and I. That is, until this weekend when I decided to locate every single irrigation sprinkler in my front lawn. Lo and behold several of sprinklers are in areas that are mowed by my neighbors. The irrigation system was installed by an owner who had the place since the 70's and I'm starting to think that neighbors on both sides started creeping over onto property that was technically part of my home as the house went through several different short-term previous owners. I'm now almost a hundred percent sure that shared space, for example, may actually be all mine since I think those two gates are actually part of my house's property. How do I go about officially figuring out the actual property lines of my house?
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Feb 12, 2019 22:17
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Anonymous Zebra posted:So I have a question about determining property lines. My home is squarely between two other homes on a city street. The side and backyard are surrounded by fences, with the front yards of my neighbors and I being open to the street. So imagine that every home has a fence extending out from its sides going in both directions and meeting up with the next house, and that these fences then go back around the backyards dividing up the yards of each home. Pay for a land survey.
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Feb 12, 2019 22:22
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I had to have a survey done when buying my house so you might have one already.
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Feb 12, 2019 23:16
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Anonymous Zebra posted:So I have a question about determining property lines. My home is squarely between two other homes on a city street. The side and backyard are surrounded by fences, with the front yards of my neighbors and I being open to the street. So imagine that every home has a fence extending out from its sides going in both directions and meeting up with the next house, and that these fences then go back around the backyards dividing up the yards of each home. Real answer is to do a survey, as mentioned. That is the only way to have any sort of legally acceptable boundary of your property. Everything else is literally guesswork in the eyes of the law. But if you want something approximate in the meantime, google maps will usually give approximate boundaries. You can use the "measure distance" tool to trace it (right click on the map, it's an option), and then switch to satellite view to get an overlay.  Yes this is my house, and no those lines aren't exact, but they're actually pretty close. The NE and SE corner are radiused, but it is true that the sidewalk is NOT on my property. You can also see a clear line in the grass on the SE corner where the neighbor thinks their property is. If you look close, you can see a few dots just above the line... those are big bushes now. Planted by the neighbor... on my side of the line. Yup, going to be a fun chat when we want to get a fence put up. If google doesn't have this info, then you're probably SOL. Your local city/county/state GIS should have it, but I would imagine that's where google is pulling its data from... so if google doesn't have it, it probably isn't easy to find. Also take note: there may be squatters rights/some other bullshit depending on how long fences/etc have been up (adverse possession). Around here, if someone fences off your property in plain sight (i.e. isn't hiding it) and it goes on for 20 years without being contested it, it's theirs now. This would throw out any existing property lines, but of course someone would have to fight you and be able to prove that they gained possession of the property in whatever manner your jurisdiction says is legal. So first find out where the deeded property lines are with a survey, then if anything is on your side of the line you're going to need to talk to your neighbors about it to clear it up.
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Feb 13, 2019 02:27
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You are likely in a subdivision which makes adverse possession almost impossible. Those lot sizes take an act of immense bribery to get changed.
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Feb 13, 2019 04:16
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We had a property assessment done to be sure. It'll come in handy if you ever need to pull a permit for a deck or something.
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Feb 14, 2019 00:51
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So I just got the tax assessment for my house, it went from $76k to $118k - has anyone dealt with a massive change like this?
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Feb 14, 2019 15:28
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Medullah posted:So I just got the tax assessment for my house, it went from $76k to $118k - has anyone dealt with a massive change like this? At least around here there are attorneys that specialize in appealing assessments like that and they base their fee around how much they save you in the first year
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Feb 14, 2019 16:16
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Yeah it's fun. Our house jumped from around 180k to 260k over two years (big remodel in there) and our escrow tax estimates were/are all hosed up because our escrow pays taxes. We bought at 225k and figured the escrow would not just base it on the previous years value estimate but here we are. Not sure what to do to prevent it because we are idiots but it sure is a pain. Other than that, no real issues. If you didn't put 20% down and are getting into the 20-25% LTV range with the increased value, check with your mortgage people to see what their process is to remove PMI based on a reassessment. We are going to look into it next year if our value keeps heading up. For our bank you have to pay a few hundred to get it reassessed and I don't want to do it unless I'm fairly sure it's gonna drop off PMI. Edit - forgot to mention the increase not related to remodel (maybe 25k over prior year) was generally neighborhood wide so we had a few neighbors challenge it and their attorneys were basically told to kick rocks. SHRUG
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Feb 14, 2019 16:19
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Got our first window quote, $28k for the whole house. Time to save up and do the first floor soon at least!
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Feb 14, 2019 16:52
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devmd01 posted:Got our first window quote, $28k for the whole house. Jesus. I was able to get all 9 of my windows replaced for 6k. Then again, 50s house, so they are simple vinyl horizontal sliding windows. Are they wood framed architectural windows?
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Feb 14, 2019 19:05
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Here the assessments have a clearly defined dispute process. Last year we replied to a proposed increase and just sent in our recent appraisal and the county was like "OK". If you haven't had an appraisal recently, depending on the increase in taxes it might be worth paying for one. They also seemed open to us coming up with our own list of comps but the appraiser did a much fancier job.
sadus fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Feb 15, 2019 |
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Feb 15, 2019 01:50
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Blindeye posted:Jesus. I was able to get all 9 of my windows replaced for 6k. I got a similar quote (~$30k), for me it is because my house has 30 windows and is 90 years old so getting windows that fit the style is more expensive
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Feb 15, 2019 02:38
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Jose Valasquez posted:I got a similar quote (~$30k), for me it is because my house has 30 windows and is 90 years old so getting windows that fit the style is more expensive Yeesh, that hurts. As much as I love old houses an old house that needs work like that seems daunting for a first time homeowner like myself.
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Feb 15, 2019 03:05
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And how much would it cost if I wanted high quality windows like they have in Germany? Triple paned, hermetically sealed. I mean, real, actual windows, not the couple panes of glass lazily put between some metal.
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Feb 15, 2019 07:30
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Medullah posted:So I just got the tax assessment for my house, it went from $76k to $118k - has anyone dealt with a massive change like this? Yes, my tax assessment went from $130k to $280k. I appealed it. There are orms on my city's website for tax assessment appeals, and they gave me an option for trial or non-trial. I went with the non-trial, which means I had to present my case via paper and send it in the mail. I basically just made a spreadsheet with comparables in my area, specifically my block. In my city they break down the land and the house, and my land was $40k higher than everyone on my block for no reason at all, so I included that. I also wrote a little cover letter explaining my case, and referencing the spreadsheet. An old neighbor of mine basically told me that the city pretty much approves all appeals because so few people actually submit them. I'd let you know how it went, but I submit my paperwork last October and the appeal is still pending!
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Feb 15, 2019 14:50
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The natural gas provider for my neighborhood is replacing all the lines on the street and had to remove sections of the concrete sidewalk to do it. This was their fix at the end of today. What does everyone think the chances of this asphalt being temporary are?
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Feb 17, 2019 00:48
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zero percents
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Feb 17, 2019 00:56
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SpartanIvy posted:The natural gas provider for my neighborhood is replacing all the lines on the street and had to remove sections of the concrete sidewalk to do it. This was their fix at the end of today. What does everyone think the chances of this asphalt being temporary are? Depends on the municipality, but that appears to be cold patch and is probably required to reopen the sidewalk rather than leaving it blocked off. A place that has sane practices like that is pretty likely to require the gas company to also repair it properly within a reasonable amount of time.
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Feb 17, 2019 00:59
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SpartanIvy posted:The natural gas provider for my neighborhood is replacing all the lines on the street and had to remove sections of the concrete sidewalk to do it. This was their fix at the end of today. What does everyone think the chances of this asphalt being temporary are? My neighborhood has original gigantic slate sidewalk pads that are at least 5x5 feet. When we got a notice from dominion that they’d be replacing the gas main a few forward thinking neighbors went to the city to demand that they require Dominion to preserve the sidewalk slabs. They did, for the most part. During the work I saw several stacked up with 2x4s between them. They only broke one as far as I can tell, but the spot where that one would go I’d still just tamped earth almost 6 months later.
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Feb 17, 2019 01:05
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Motronic posted:Depends on the municipality, but that appears to be cold patch and is probably required to reopen the sidewalk rather than leaving it blocked off. A place that has sane practices like that is pretty likely to require the gas company to also repair it properly within a reasonable amount of time. It was definitely cold patch. I was working outside in my garage when they did it. They just picked it up from a pile down the street, dropped it on, raked it kinda level and smashed it down with shovels. I would have asked the workers about it but they were only speaking Spanish and mi espanol es muy mal. I think they've got a sign down the street with a phone number on it. I'll give it a call later and get some answers. SpartanIvy fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Feb 17, 2019 |
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Feb 17, 2019 01:06
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Anecdotal, but when I had NG run to my house they did basically the same thing but they spray painted a big TEMP tag on it. A few weeks later they came by and patched it properly and now you can barely see it. Granted, this was all asphalt and no cement involved because we don't have sidewalks on my street.
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Feb 17, 2019 05:56
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Hey stupid question: I have an attic. There is a portion of it that is floored, and other portions that are not. I need to get to the unfloored portions to do some work and I'd prefer not to slip off a beam and crash through the ceiling... How thick of a board do I need to not fall through? Pretty sure it's 16" centers, but not 100% sure. My plan is to get a 4x8 and have the hardware store chop it in to 4 2'x4' pieces and fasten them down in a few key locations. Follow-up: I assume I'll need to drill a pilot hole if I'm going to screw things down? I could just nail it down, but I'd rather do it right.
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Feb 28, 2019 18:52
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DaveSauce posted:Hey stupid question: I have an attic. There is a portion of it that is floored, and other portions that are not. I need to get to the unfloored portions to do some work and I'd prefer not to slip off a beam and crash through the ceiling... Honestly? Screws in OSB/Plywood is primarily for shear loads, so you can get away with three screws for each stud. Live load for incidental occupation is 20psf, which for 16" o.c. just any old 1/2" OSB can handle. Mind you, insulation in your attic should be well above the level of the studs, so maybe put little flags to mark the path you make if you plan on covering it over with blow-in insulation. Using a 1 5/8" spax self-tapping screw should be fine without a pilot hole, but feel free to do so.
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Feb 28, 2019 18:59
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I only buy squarehead screws now, phillips can go burn in hell
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Mar 1, 2019 03:24
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Torq self tapping screws are a gift from satan himself. Personally just lay down some 2x6 boards so you can remove them and have the insulation fluff back up unless you plan on moving into the attic like some horror movie.
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Mar 1, 2019 03:37
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100 HOGS AGREE posted:I only buy squarehead screws now, phillips can go burn in hell It's Scandinavian, you racist gently caress!
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Mar 1, 2019 21:05
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If i have a metal roof is it ok to pressure wash it? I know asphalt shingles shouldn't be pressure washed because you'll score them but metal is ok, right?
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Mar 2, 2019 00:59
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I noticed that a section of my floor near the back door in my kitchen right along the wall is soft and noticeably gives when I push on it with my foot in that area. It seems to me like moisture is getting in and has started to rot the subfloor. What kind of contractor handles this?
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Mar 11, 2019 16:27
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Similar to the poster above, this is what the floor along my master bath shower looks like. The sheet does not meet the edge of the shower and the area around the shower door is wet where I can touch it. I'm going to peel the sheet back to take a closer look later to see if there is a big problem. What type of contractor do I hire for this if the floor below the sheet is wet?
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Mar 15, 2019 03:40
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Does anyone have experience with energy rebates and tax implications? I had some work done last year with a sizable rebate from my state's energy program. Googling is unclear whether this is considered taxable income or not. Since this is America, I assume it is), but I can' figure out from HR Taxcut where I'd report it or if the state program should be giving me a form to attach.
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Mar 18, 2019 13:53
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Cheesus posted:Does anyone have experience with energy rebates and tax implications? Which state which rebate?
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Mar 18, 2019 14:12
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