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Motronic posted:Right.....decent. Not great. And without the lot. And the lot better already have utilities, etc. My land and house all together cost less than half of that, including all the costs for utilities and landscaping and so on. And I think my houses quality is pretty decent.
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Feb 20, 2021 08:02
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Hed posted:Kind of related... what do you think provides the most sticker shock for new builds compared to what people have in their heads ? Never really had any of these moments because we specifically selected a builder that was part of a hardware store chain and they included everything house related in our price so we never had to source anything on our own, basically we got to choose from their line and the price was factored in, there where options to upgrade though for additional costs. We had several meetings with their interior decorators and went over how we wanted our kitchen for instance to be laid out, we looked at materials in the same store and picked up tiling and wallpaper etc etc, she also gave us tips on what worked well with what and asked what our furniture looked like and how that would fit with what we had chosen. Likewise also had several meetings with the architects and house planners to go over any customizations we wanted to add or change. Only thing I remember that I hard to order on my own was the bathroom cabinet, all they had where all wooden based and I knew that's bad for a bathroom. I bought on my own a bathroom cabinet in steel and glass, their electricians installed it though. One shocker I remember was the bill for soil and gravel, 12.5k€ because they had to fill up a lot, since we're building in a slope, it's not a steep slope but it adds up. I think it was like 60-70 truckloads worth of soil (and also various grades of gravel) and we got that cheap, thanks to the guy we hired to do the excavation, he knew they where building a new supermarket and knew the people working there and they had loads of soil they wanted to get rid of, so we got to take it for free, just cost of transportation.
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Feb 20, 2021 08:14
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DELETE CASCADE posted:two words: central vacuum Central vacs keep your air so much cleaner than a regular one it's crazy.
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Feb 20, 2021 08:18
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Elem7 posted:Would you mind sharing what region that is or what the average home value is? Be nice to get an idea what the cost of living is where you did that project. SFBA. So consider the land value completely separately. But also note that trashy houses are often still discounted by 100-300k, so there are a lot of people who decide to try to find a livable but old house and then remodel it significantly. The key is either being in the industry, having really strong project management skills, or knowing *a lot*. But there's always some risk. EG. My family has done multiple cheap remodels before, but never needed to hire an architect/perform structural changes. Additionally, considering that there were issues with rats, a lot of really overgrown weeds, a potential deck leak, risk of needing to do a sewer lateral re-work, and a bunch of other things, then it's a very tough decision to make. There needs to be some risk otherwise it would be easy. It's knowing how to manage risks and how to make good decisions when situations end up turning poorly. (1) Asbestos risk - Well this has a specific price attachment to it, and there are multiple ways to address it including pretending the problem doesnt exist all the way to actual removal of asbestos. Even during our construction, we found asbestos on some old heating radiator which we then pretended didn't exist (as it was put into the trash). (2) Structural risk - We had to reapply for changes to the permit, all while trying to get work done. We started some of those structural changes even without official approval from the city in order to streamline construction as to not add delays. (3) Rats - Yeah that sucked and we had to clean up the entire 2nd floor attic and decontaminate it. (4) Demolition/tree removal - Turns out there are a lot of laborers who can do this, and they all know or have access to cheap prices at dumping facilities, as those laborers are friends with the managers of those dumps (5) Sewer Lateral inspection - This could have led to needing to dig under the road and was a big one, cause that could have led to a 14-15k cost. (6) Kitchen delays - in particular in getting the cabinets built, supply materials acquired, and to set up subcontractors to install counters and things (7) COVID stay at home policies - We almost had to stop work due to COVID hitting, but found out that we could get an exception. (8) Inspections during COVID - I had to have a phone call with the head building department to get an inspection during COVID times, and that was nervewracking (9) Electrical PGE panel switch during COVID. Since I was working at home, I needed to set up the panel switch properly so that power still remained at my house so I could still live in it. And so on. And then there is the list of things that are remaining to do (1) Roof replacement. The roof will last another 10 years, but needs to be replaced because there's probably stuff stuck in between the Roof and the really old shingles. Also necessary to install Solar. The installation of the roof would be around 23-25k, and the installation of solar would be another 16-18k. (2) Re-do deck railing. (3) Re-do extra room. (4) Landscaping the backyard. (5) Re-do the shed in the backyard. But hey, I have a mostly remodeled house that is beautiful and that's all that matters for now.
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Feb 20, 2021 09:44
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How much of that 500k would it cost to have one of those gorgeous 50k craftsman houses in the middle of nowhere carefully taken apart and shipped to *fantasy location*?
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Feb 20, 2021 10:00
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His Divine Shadow posted:Central vacs keep your air so much cleaner than a regular one it's crazy. Speaking of central vac systems, I'd never seen one in the wild until I bought this place. The system works well but the hose and attachments that came with the place seem sort of crummy. Anyone have any recommendations? I'm at a bit of a loss with the number of options there are. Also if anyone is a pro the actual central vac unit is in the basement which is also where my workshop is and I've been idly wondering if I could hook into it to use it for dust collection. I imagine I'd need to add an additional dust filter or something in front of the shop dust to keep it from clogging the poo poo out of a system designed for vacuuming your house, but are there other flaws in this plan I'm missing? Wallet fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Feb 20, 2021 |
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Feb 20, 2021 14:20
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Steve French posted:What are folks thoughts on humidifiers? cakesmith handyman posted:How much of that 500k would it cost to have one of those gorgeous 50k craftsman houses in the middle of nowhere carefully taken apart and shipped to *fantasy location*?
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Feb 20, 2021 14:28
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The highest estimate I found with a casual search was $200k (which didn't match with the $16/sq ft) but for purposes of daydreaming, it's in our 500k budget. One of the this old house ancient seasons detailed this process
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Feb 20, 2021 15:47
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We desperately need a whole house humidifier on the next hvac refresh. Even with replacing the windows about a year ago we’ve been running the plug in humidifier nonstop. starting to install cameras around the exterior. Put two up front to cover the driveway, front door, and yard, and I just installed this one in the back corner to watch the garage 3rd bay exit door. It’s relatively secluded from the neighbors and someone could take their time back there. I’ve run 4” screws into the strike plates, etc already. It will be time to replace that door in the next couple of years so I’ll install a full blown reinforcement kit then.  All POE, with appropriate patch panel connections, etc. The dvr software runs inside a safe; the safe has an Ethernet and power pass through built in. Just need to install one more on this corner to cover the back door/window and I’m set.
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Feb 20, 2021 18:29
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devmd01 posted:The dvr software runs inside a safe; the safe has an Ethernet and power pass through built in. what in the mission impossible is this nonsense is your house often raided by tom cruise? or do you get pistol-whipped by Chains, Hoxton, Dallas, and Wolf on a regular basis? Deviant fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Feb 20, 2021 |
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Feb 20, 2021 20:00
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No but the option was available when I bought my gun safe years and years ago and I thought it would be useful. Overkill? 1000% yes, but I also don’t really care because it’s so ridiculous. I’m in lily white suburbia with an insanely low crime rate, cameras aren’t even necessary. I just like to have projects to stay busy. devmd01 fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Feb 20, 2021 |
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Feb 20, 2021 20:03
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Don’t believe him, he’s obviously hoarding smuggled blood diamonds in there.
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Feb 20, 2021 20:10
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devmd01 posted:We desperately need a whole house humidifier on the next hvac refresh. Even with replacing the windows about a year ago we’ve been running the plug in humidifier nonstop. So where is the envelope leaking? That should be the first question you answer.
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Feb 20, 2021 20:12
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if you'd like i can send you some of my humidity stupid florida.
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Feb 20, 2021 20:16
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A little ways back but I must have missed it if anyone mentioned it: what's that type of stone or that layout called? It's really popular on ranches and split levels around here, and I love the look of it. We have kind of a MCM knockoff house and I think it might look cool on ours.
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Feb 21, 2021 02:40
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Deviant posted:if you'd like i can send you some of my humidity I too was reading all of the humidifier chat with barely-concealed jealousy. It’s 60% in here now. In the winter. 
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Feb 21, 2021 04:59
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DaveSauce posted:You had me until bathroom master closet. Knock that off, nobody wants a closet that they have to go through the bathroom so they can retrieve wet, poo poo-smelling clothes. My master bath is also laid out this way and it has never in any way been a problem or something that has concerned me at all.
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Feb 21, 2021 07:51
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Wallet posted:Speaking of central vac systems, I'd never seen one in the wild until I bought this place. The system works well but the hose and attachments that came with the place seem sort of crummy. Anyone have any recommendations? I'm at a bit of a loss with the number of options there are. I don't know about the hoses and stuff, only ever used the ones that came with ours. Not sure about using it as a dust collection system though, think at the least you need some kind of cyclone then to put between the central vac and your shop stuff, so all that can go into it's own container, they fill up really fast, the container on a central vac is a lot smaller.
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Feb 21, 2021 08:42
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BonerGhost posted:A little ways back but I must have missed it if anyone mentioned it: what's that type of stone or that layout called? I've commonly seen this referred to as ledgestone, though I don't know if that's its proper name.
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Feb 21, 2021 09:27
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Just saved myself a lot of work. Seems we're getting new neighbors and these guys cleared away the trees that's gonna be their property (it was just forest between the two houses until now), I caught them just now as they where leaving and asked them if they could take down a few trees for me before leaving which was no problem, even cut them to 5,20m lenghts (I need 5m). I will use the logs for holding up the roof in my new shed/storage/smihty I am building. Now for cleaning up and storing the logs so they dry properly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6GuH6vy3T4
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Feb 21, 2021 11:15
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His Divine Shadow posted:Just saved myself a lot of work. Seems we're getting new neighbors and these guys cleared away the trees that's gonna be their property (it was just forest between the two houses until now), I caught them just now as they where leaving and asked them if they could take down a few trees for me before leaving which was no problem, even cut them to 5,20m lenghts (I need 5m). I will use the logs for holding up the roof in my new shed/storage/smithy I am building. Now for cleaning up and storing the logs so they dry properly. Very nice, some true serendipity there. I'm interested in hearing a little more about your smithy. the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. "Serendipity is looking in a haystack for a needle and discovering a farmer's daughter."
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Feb 21, 2021 15:13
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A smithy is just gonna be a small part of it, like it will be mainly a storage shed, but I can keep my anvil in there instead of in my shop and I could probably keep a forge just inside the door. I got a coal forge I built from oil drums but it's outside and that's not gonna work if I wanna do any winter time smithing in the future. I got ideas of my own english sideblast forge, but somehow portable, or just an improvised chimney so I can stand in the door and work.
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Feb 21, 2021 17:58
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Hey guys. I've been daydreaming about what I want to do with this mostly defunct koi pond in my backyard for a while now. I was thinking about dropping a hot tub in before, but once I found out that the earth is much more thermally conductive than open air is, I realized that wasn't going to be an option. I've since come to find out that people have been making use of stock tanks to make little pools in their backyard, which I like the idea of. I watched a few videos and the setup seems easy enough. Here's the main one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfGpXwan3MI The plan would be to use it as a cooling off pool for the summer, with the option to warm it to hot tub levels a few times in the spring and fall (but not maintain those temps for longer than an evening). It would be unused in the winter. Tell me why this is stupid and I shouldn't do it please (I live in upstate NY so winter weather applies)
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Feb 21, 2021 21:15
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How often do you goons get your home AC professionally serviced? Doing some quick googling it looks like some of the tasks can be performed relatively easily (cleaning coils, condensate drain etc), but I wanted to get some opinions on this.
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Feb 22, 2021 04:06
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BonerGhost posted:A little ways back but I must have missed it if anyone mentioned it: what's that type of stone or that layout called? Relevant! https://twitter.com/TylerEllis18/status/1363032308169666565
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Feb 22, 2021 05:23
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Wallet posted:Speaking of central vac systems, I'd never seen one in the wild until I bought this place. The system works well but the hose and attachments that came with the place seem sort of crummy. Anyone have any recommendations? I'm at a bit of a loss with the number of options there are. I bought from my manufacturer and they were reasonably priced and decent quality. https://www.zenexvacs.com/shop/kits/hose-tool-kits/ devmd01 posted:The dvr software runs inside a safe; the safe has an Ethernet and power pass through built in. How did I not think of this? I just ran a camera drop into my strongroom-- time to reverse that poo poo.
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Feb 22, 2021 07:07
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I gasped.
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Feb 22, 2021 07:39
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nbakyfan posted:How often do you goons get your home AC professionally serviced? Doing some quick googling it looks like some of the tasks can be performed relatively easily (cleaning coils, condensate drain etc), but I wanted to get some opinions on this. Does the AC also do heat (heat pump), or do you have a separate furnace? Do you live in an area where being without AC for a few days would be a hazard? If both of those are 'no', I'd probably just do the basic servicing myself, because, as you said, it's mostly just checking a few things, cleaning coils, and change filters. If you know how to check amp draw and capacitor status, that's 95% of the service. By saving the yearly PM service fee, you can then spend it for a call-out if/when the unit fails.
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Feb 22, 2021 17:37
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nbakyfan posted:How often do you goons get your home AC professionally serviced? Doing some quick googling it looks like some of the tasks can be performed relatively easily (cleaning coils, condensate drain etc), but I wanted to get some opinions on this. I pay for a 100/yr service plan that includes two visits (spring coil clean/fall furnace backup heat check) and 12 filters. I figure at 7-8 bucks retail a pleated filter it's almost a wash, and then I'm a current customer if I need emergency service. It's an inverter heat pump that reports pressures and voltages so they really don't need to do much and I could save some by just buying filters but id rather not clean the coils.
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Feb 22, 2021 20:59
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Pre-closing through went really well, many things were better looking than we remember and closing looks like it'll be smooth tomorrow. One thing that did *not* look very good at all were the kitchen appliances. Looks like the prior owner was just real drat bad at keeping these things clean or in good repair. So we're in the market for a new fridge, electric range, dishwasher and over the stove microwave. Y'know, the classic package. From what I hear it doesn't really matter where you buy big kitchen appliances, since they seem to cost the same wherever, and also that there are a lot of things in short supply these days due to COVID, such as Bosch dishwashers. Let me know if that's  That being said, are President's Day sales worthwhile enough for us to grab a couple things on sale this week? If the sales don't move the needle then I suppose we can just wait and see what comes up - would give us more time to research too.
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Feb 22, 2021 22:07
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Let me know if there's a better forum/thread for this. The previous owner of our house put a brick path into the backyard and I want to rip it up. It appears to be brick and mortar on top of a concrete pad. Is this something I can tackle with a hammer drill and a long weekend of labor? https://imgur.com/a/Ckn201S
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Feb 22, 2021 22:36
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You'll need a way to dispose of all the debris. I don't know what good a hammer drill would be. A beefy sledgehammer and/or a concrete saw would be my weapons of choice. Knowing how long the path is and how deep the pad goes might change the suggestions.
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Feb 22, 2021 22:42
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armorer posted:You'll need a way to dispose of all the debris. I don't know what good a hammer drill would be. A beefy sledgehammer and/or a concrete saw would be my weapons of choice. Knowing how long the path is and how deep the pad goes might change the suggestions. Seems like around ~150 sq ft of brick to rip up and pad is only an inch or so based on some quick digging.
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Feb 22, 2021 23:01
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shirts and skins posted:Pre-closing through went really well, many things were better looking than we remember and closing looks like it'll be smooth tomorrow. We bought our current washer and dryer on a Presidents’ Day sale. The next big sale for big box stores is Memorial Day. If you are buying furniture keep in mind a lot of furniture stores can haggle over the prices. In store prices for furniture also may be priced higher than the website so be sure to keep an eye on that.
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Feb 23, 2021 03:19
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I might dig under those bricks and try a crowbar or lever to lift and focus the stress so it breaks as it peels up. I'd do a half trashcan a week.
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Feb 23, 2021 04:13
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If your area is anything like mine, if you put those bricks on the curb and advertise "free" on facebook marketplace, they will be gone in 48 hours tops.
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Feb 23, 2021 04:27
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nbakyfan posted:We bought our current washer and dryer on a Presidents’ Day sale. The next big sale for big box stores is Memorial Day. If you are buying furniture keep in mind a lot of furniture stores can haggle over the prices. In store prices for furniture also may be priced higher than the website so be sure to keep an eye on that. Thanks! Yeah I think we're going to pick up a few things tomorrow once I can get into the house and measure. The main impediment for our appliance choices seems to be covid supply issues. I'd planned to get a nice Bosch dishwasher but it seems they're backordered basically everywhere.
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Feb 23, 2021 06:23
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shirts and skins posted:Thanks! Yeah I think we're going to pick up a few things tomorrow once I can get into the house and measure. The main impediment for our appliance choices seems to be covid supply issues. I'd planned to get a nice Bosch dishwasher but it seems they're backordered basically everywhere. I just ordered a Bosch dishwasher a few days ago and it is arriving today. A ton of models were back ordered but I was able to get one by not being super picky. Across Lowes, HD, BestBuy, abt.com I found one-two in stock model in each of the 300, 500, 800 series depending on config. My wife wanted the towel bar so that meant 800 series from BestBuy was the only option. Also try regional appliance stores. I went to Yale Appliance and they said they were big enough to get a continuous stock of Bosch dishwashers, but they were only carrying the highest end 500 and 800 series without the towel bar. Would have liked to have been able to order from them, as they run their own service department for in and out of warranty repairs. Not looking forward to dealing with BestBuy if something goofs. mcgreenvegtables fucked around with this message at 12:54 on Feb 23, 2021 |
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Feb 23, 2021 12:48
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mcgreenvegtables posted:I just ordered a Bosch dishwasher a few days ago and it is arriving today. A ton of models were back ordered but I was able to get one by not being super picky. Across Lowes, HD, BestBuy, abt.com I found one-two in stock model in each of the 300, 500, 800 series depending on config. My wife wanted the towel bar so that meant 800 series from BestBuy was the only option. That's a good point about service centers, I'll have to consider that. We found a nice looking Kitchenaid dishwasher on sale that we'll probably go with, but if that becomes unavailable I may stop by a nicer local store.
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Feb 23, 2021 14:34
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Don't let stock numbers stop you from getting the Bosch you deserve. Or whatever else you want unless they're talking literally 6 months. Unless the stuff is literally broken appliances are easy to swap when you move in and if you don't get a Bosch dishwasher you will be shunned from the Home Zone.
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Feb 23, 2021 15:51
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