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1. Basement flooded. 2. Water heater broke.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 16:11 |
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# ? May 9, 2024 06:07 |
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LloydDobler posted:Probably the most frustrating thing about selling a house is fixing all the poo poo that the inspection uncovers that you should have fixed years earlier so that you could enjoy it. How? I have the same problem!
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 17:27 |
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My dad would always throw thousands of dollars into comfort and efficiency improvements the day after they moved out of the house but before it sold. Why blow in insulation as part of the sale when you could do it 10 years prior.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 17:47 |
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H110Hawk posted:My dad would always throw thousands of dollars into comfort and efficiency improvements the day after they moved out of the house but before it sold. Why blow in insulation as part of the sale when you could do it 10 years prior. In my experience this is how most people do it and it's never made sense to me. It probably comes down to thinking "there's always tomorrow" to do it, and not having the money. When you're anticipating recouping the funds in the near future you're able to spend the money to do it now.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 17:58 |
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It sucks to live in a house that's partially under construction, it makes sense for bigger projects.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 18:22 |
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Jenkl posted:How? I have the same problem! Keep a list. I have a whiteboard for it. Write down things you find/notice as you notice them. Then when you have some downtime work on it. The next time you go to LowesDepot you now have a project list so you can go get other poo poo besides that one thing you were focusing on today, and have the material on hand to get the jobs done. This is just like how a lot of people treat their cars. They end up selling/trading them in because they feel "old" and people like me buy them cheap and fix all the annoying creature comforts that are broken and all that crap. Maintenance debt is a thing. Don't get to deep into that hole on anything.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 18:27 |
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Thanks. I actually have a list going. I literally meant the window lock thing, hahaha.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 18:33 |
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Jenkl posted:Thanks. I actually have a list going. All good. I just meant in general. I see lots of people who don't categorize/prioritize projects and just start to feel overwhelmed and honestly don't get motivated to start knocking them off, because they don't remember them when they have some time. I know I don't. poo poo just fades into the background and you only notice when you interact with it.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 18:40 |
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Residency Evil posted:1. Basement flooded. My boss lives in your neck of the woods. Most of that area flooded, so it's probably not just your basement. A friend closer to Philly got just over 6" of rain! Still sucks though.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 18:40 |
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There's a few things that I have on my list to do for my condo. Refinish hardwood floors. Refacing the kitchen cabinets. Changing counters. Replacing the tiles and bathtub in the master bathroom. I can afford to do all of those right now without going into debt. But there's nothing that I can imagine being less appealing right now than packing and moving my stuff, living out of boxes, having people working around the house for days, etc. And I imagine that as we get more settled and more used to the way things are worn down, it will get harder, not easier to do it. Rationally, I know that doing all of those things will be better if I do them while I can enjoy them. But in terms of personal mood, "something else" always beats "pack stuff, move it, shop around for contractor, live in the middle of an unfinished home for a few days"
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 18:41 |
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Jenkl posted:How? I have the same problem! Mine are the side sliding aluminum frame windows from the 80's. One of the rollers on the sliding part was crooked so it biased the window inward. There's a tiny overlapping lip of aluminum on the window with a mating one on the frame (on the vertical rail in the center). The lips were bumping each other instead of overlapping. I loosened the roller, tightened it while holding it straight, and bam, the window closes. And yeah I thought I learned my lesson on my first house, before I moved in to this place I did a shitload of remodeling and painted everything. I figured I'd replace the windows someday so I never got around to doing any work on them at all. Plus I was burned out on work by the time I got moved in and did the bare minimum for the next 14 years. I kinda feel bad for the next owner, the water heater, furnace, and windows are all past end of life. But they work so gently caress it.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 18:44 |
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joepinetree posted:There's a few things that I have on my list to do for my condo. I get it on the big projects. But I'm talking about the little things that are achievable in an hour/the afternoon. Things like that window lock. Sticky/squeaky doors. That cabinet that doesn't latch quite right. The noisy bathroom fan. Or the bathroom fan that your kids always leave on that you should really put on a timer or humidistat. The unbalanced ceiling fan. That saddle valve someone put in for the ice maker that you know is eventually gonna flood something so you should replace it. The garage door that has the sagging/worn out bottom seal. The screen with the tear in it. The outlet that everything you plug into falls out immediately because it's just worn out. These are all minor quality of life issues that if you let them build up seem nearly insurmountabl at some point.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 19:00 |
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I knock out those little things from time to time and somehow the list never gets smaller. I just got done painting a guest bedroom, including cleaning up a bad finish on the ceiling. My arms are beat but also I want to do the last remaining bedroom we haven't touched right away.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 19:13 |
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LloydDobler posted:Mine are the side sliding aluminum frame windows from the 80's. One of the rollers on the sliding part was crooked so it biased the window inward. There's a tiny overlapping lip of aluminum on the window with a mating one on the frame (on the vertical rail in the center). The lips were bumping each other instead of overlapping. I loosened the roller, tightened it while holding it straight, and bam, the window closes. It's YOU!
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 19:15 |
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Struensee posted:It's YOU! There's a little PO in all of us. I mean, I had to replace the water heater when I moved in, I've just been here 14 years.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 21:30 |
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LloydDobler posted:I kinda feel bad for the next owner, the water heater, furnace, and windows are all past end of life. But they work so gently caress it. It's me, I'm the next owner. Also on our house we need to replace the roof in 5 years. Womp womp
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 21:35 |
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Residency Evil posted:1. Basement flooded. Alarbus posted:My boss lives in your neck of the woods. Most of that area flooded, so it's probably not just your basement. A friend closer to Philly got just over 6" of rain! Yeah, the flooding was pretty minimal: sump pump took care of most things, so by the time I got home it was just some dirt/a few puddles in the basement. Plumber came today and we're getting a new 75 Gallon water heater for $1800 installed tomorrow, which doesn't seem crazy. I'll add it to the car repair, taxes on buying a new car last month, and week-long "vacation" we just took. Oh and yeah, still need to get a new roof next year. And repaint our downstairs after the water damage from our shower caulking letting water through.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 21:44 |
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Motronic posted:I get it on the big projects. But I'm talking about the little things that are achievable in an hour/the afternoon. Things like that window lock. Sticky/squeaky doors. That cabinet that doesn't latch quite right. The noisy bathroom fan. Or the bathroom fan that your kids always leave on that you should really put on a timer or humidistat. The unbalanced ceiling fan. That saddle valve someone put in for the ice maker that you know is eventually gonna flood something so you should replace it. The garage door that has the sagging/worn out bottom seal. The screen with the tear in it. The outlet that everything you plug into falls out immediately because it's just worn out. I just did projects like that every weekend or so once I knocked out the big items from the pre-purchase inspection. My reasoning was that I wanted to enjoy a nicer house while I was there, not put in the work for the next owners. I took a month to replace all the switches and outlets in the house. Things like that are easy to do a bit at a time.
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# ? Aug 5, 2020 23:13 |
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Residency Evil posted:Yeah, the flooding was pretty minimal: sump pump took care of most things, so by the time I got home it was just some dirt/a few puddles in the basement. Plumber came today and we're getting a new 75 Gallon water heater for $1800 installed tomorrow, which doesn't seem crazy. Could have been worse, you could have a finished basement like us. Confirms my plan to replace our 15 year old water heater now instead of waiting until it fails. But of course it's at the same time we're dropping $10k on a new HVAC.
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# ? Aug 6, 2020 02:53 |
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I have to fix the sagging door to the patio and reinstall the strike plate. I have to paint all of upstairs and along the stairs. I have to remove and reapply plumber's tape so the water faucet in the back doesn't leak whenever I use it. I have to figure out why water is pooling at said back patio due to said leak. I have to water the grass because they're starting to turn yellow. I have to sand down the fresh layer of drywall in the master bathroom and paint that also. I have to figure out how I'll fix the crumbling plaster near the bathroom window. I haven't even moved in yet. Fun times! Does it ever end?? Also, if any of the neighbors were watching, they saw me blast myself in the face while figuring out how to configure the sprinkler.
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# ? Aug 6, 2020 04:53 |
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It doesn't end, it just descends in to a list of issues minor enough to ignore until the next buyer's inspection reveals them. Speaking of which, even more embarassing than the window was my sliding glass door. 5 minutes of actually studying it revealed that a previous owner slammed it shut with the lock in the closed position and bent the catch. I bent it back and now it locks. The door was also slightly tilted, and I learned from a youtube video that glass door rollers have height adjusting screws on them. A few turns of the left roller screw and now the door is square and locking. Again, 10 minutes to fix issues I "solved" 14 years ago with a stick. The only real difference is that I wasn't on a deadline to fix it until now.
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# ? Aug 6, 2020 07:08 |
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How much would you trust original drawings of your home? We're talking stamped by city inspector, engineers approval letter attached, drawings. Wondering if I can knock down those walls marked non-load bearing based on said drawings...
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# ? Aug 6, 2020 12:55 |
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Jenkl posted:How much would you trust original drawings of your home? We're talking stamped by city inspector, engineers approval letter attached, drawings. They're handy to have, but remember; Unless its an airplane, as-designed is not the same as as-constructed, and as-constructed is not the same as as-exists. You never know what chucklefucks have done what in the intervening years.
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# ? Aug 6, 2020 13:27 |
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Jenkl posted:How much would you trust original drawings of your home? We're talking stamped by city inspector, engineers approval letter attached, drawings. I'd crawl up in the attic and make sure the rafters are built as the drawing shows, and then trust it. Or maybe have a pro confirm it. My dad intentionally built his entire house with zero load bearing walls by using trusses. I could gut it into a 40 x 60 skating rink if I wanted to. I might just end up doing that in the living area. All the bed and bathrooms are on one end of the house, the other is divided into two big rooms. Dining/living and Kitchen/family. I just have to knock down a single wall and it's one big room. The hardest part would be patching the floor. Also there's wiring, I should probably just saw it down to a half wall so the outlets are still usable but it gives the open feel. LloydDobler fucked around with this message at 16:28 on Aug 6, 2020 |
# ? Aug 6, 2020 16:23 |
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Residency Evil posted:Yeah, the flooding was pretty minimal: sump pump took care of most things, so by the time I got home it was just some dirt/a few puddles in the basement. Plumber came today and we're getting a new 75 Gallon water heater for $1800 installed tomorrow, which doesn't seem crazy. $1800 later, we have hot water.
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# ? Aug 6, 2020 16:32 |
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Residency Evil posted:$1800 later, we have hot water. 1800; is this a gas system, hybrid?
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# ? Aug 6, 2020 18:46 |
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Blindeye posted:1800; is this a gas system, hybrid? Gas, 75 Gallon tank installed.
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# ? Aug 6, 2020 18:48 |
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What type of damage is this? I noticed tons of tiny little bugs which scatter- could we be looking at termites? https://imgur.com/a/qwbm8RB
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 02:00 |
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whatever it is, it isn't your friend. maybe beetles? https://www.abchomeandcommercial.com/blog/wood-boring-beetles/ get a pest inspection
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 02:03 |
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Termites build little tubes they travel through so normally you see those, but I can't say for 100% certain they're a requirement in this scenario.
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 02:47 |
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Thank you. They're not white, so probably not termites. I've got pest control coming out next week.
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 03:52 |
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Bioshuffle posted:What type of damage is this? I noticed tons of tiny little bugs which scatter- could we be looking at termites? Business, Finance, and Careers › House Ownership Thread: Uh, did you have the house inspected before you bought it?
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 05:00 |
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Bioshuffle posted:Thank you. They're not white, so probably not termites. I've got pest control coming out next week. There are brown termites too, but they're typically subterranean. Definitely get pest-dude out there.
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 08:09 |
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Motronic posted:Business, Finance, and Careers › House Ownership Thread: Uh, did you have the house inspected before you bought it? I completely forgot that I had termite inspection done. Ignorance, paranoia and fatigue do not play well together. I just have no idea why that part of the wall is torn up like that. I need to recaulk the shower and bathtub. I also need to paint and prime the room. Which order do I need to do it in?
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 13:42 |
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Clean first. Then caulk.
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 15:11 |
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It's hard to mask caulk, it's easy to caulk over paint.
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 16:40 |
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It’s also easier to remove caulk that doesn’t have paint on it.
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 18:01 |
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Bioshuffle posted:I completely forgot that I had termite inspection done. Ignorance, paranoia and fatigue do not play well together. I just have no idea why that part of the wall is torn up like that. Have you considered that some kind of electrical fault might cause the house to burn down and that you'd be able to build an entirely new one? I know I have.
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 19:27 |
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Oh no! Would that put your over-insured, rapidly depreciating sports car at risk of replacement, too?!
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 19:29 |
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# ? May 9, 2024 06:07 |
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Struensee posted:Have you considered that some kind of electrical fault might cause the house to burn down and that you'd be able to build an entirely new one? I know I have.
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# ? Aug 7, 2020 19:33 |