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VelociBacon posted:You're much better off instead of yelling (which won't fix anything and will give them a reason to not come back due to verbal aggression) to get everything in writing, like right now I'd be looking for a written statement acknowledging that this was not done correctly and their statement of intent to rectify the issue, in as much detail as you can get from them. That I have. I followed up with restating the issue and their solution and got an affirmative in writing. I don’t actually think I’ll get into a shouting match. I don’t lose my poo poo at people as a rule and calmly restate my issues and work toward resolution.
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Mar 9, 2023 02:09
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corgski posted:You can probably find some dude in a rural cornfield in Iowa who's happy just to have the opportunity and it's throwing the whole estimate off. 2k for a service upgrade isn't even get out of bed money to an electrician. I got mine done for about $2800 in 2020. I'm sure prices have gone up since then but I doubt they've doubled. I live in one of the higher CoL areas in Michigan too. About to get quotes for a kitchen rewire tho so guess I'll be finding out real soon how much it costs to get an electrician out of bed these days.
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Mar 9, 2023 03:12
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Sirotan posted:I got mine done for about $2800 in 2020. I'm sure prices have gone up since then but I doubt they've doubled. I live in one of the higher CoL areas in Michigan too. I got a recent quote of 4k to do a panel and a ton of outlets in NC, it doesn't seem unreasonable around here.
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Mar 9, 2023 03:14
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corgski posted:You can probably find some dude in a rural cornfield in Iowa who's happy just to have the opportunity and it's throwing the whole estimate off. 2k for a service upgrade isn't even get out of bed money to an electrician. Anytime I see TOH or Quora estimates on work I just take that number and multiply it by 3 for San Diego and that usually gets me in the ballpark.
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Mar 9, 2023 03:41
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Sirotan posted:I got mine done for about $2800 in 2020. I'm sure prices have gone up since then but I doubt they've doubled.
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Mar 9, 2023 17:35
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My girlfriend and I just bought a house, and the second time we returned to it after getting the keys we found this waiting for us in the garage: It's a split level with a steep sloping yard, so the garage is almost entirely underground. We just had someone come out and take a look at it and they found that the wall on the left with the electrical panel is bowing. Our home inspector had noted some evidence of water soaking through the brick but nothing on this scale nor any issues with the wall, but the wall was bad enough I could see it myself. The guy who came out recommended that we install carbon fiber straps on the bowed wall to reinforce it and then dig out around both that wall and the rear wall (which also has some evidence of leakage, but not to the same level) to install a drain connected to a sump pump that would then move the water out to the downhill side of the house. This is our first house and we have no idea what we're doing in this area of things. I'm an IT guy who's comfortable with low voltage and will will do some simple electrical or plumbing but nothing more. They quoted us just over $10,000 and said almost half that would be the five carbon straps that he quoted around $800 each. That part seems to check out with some basic searching I've done, and $6000ish for the rest of the parts plus all the labor doesn't seem unreasonable, but I'm entirely out of my element here. Is this even a reasonable solution for the problem we have here, and if so does that price seem to be in the right ballpark?
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Mar 11, 2023 18:28
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wolrah posted:My girlfriend and I just bought a house, and the second time we returned to it after getting the keys we found this waiting for us in the garage: The price doesn't seem crazy, consider this your welcome to home ownership moment. Isn't it grand?
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Mar 11, 2023 18:38
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xsf421 posted:The price doesn't seem crazy, consider this your welcome to home ownership moment. Isn't it grand? Especially underground living
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Mar 11, 2023 18:49
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wolrah posted:My girlfriend and I just bought a house, and the second time we returned to it after getting the keys we found this waiting for us in the garage: Is the person recommending this solution to you a licensed engineer, or do they employ a licensed engineer? This is a really important question.
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Mar 11, 2023 18:59
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Anza Borrego posted:Is the person recommending this solution to you a licensed engineer, or do they employ a licensed engineer? This is a really important question. They are a local father and son waterproofing company, no claims have been made about engineering licenses as far as I'm aware.
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Mar 11, 2023 19:26
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wolrah posted:They are a local father and son waterproofing company, no claims have been made about engineering licenses as far as I'm aware. Then it's time to hire a structural engineer to determine what if any fix is appropriate. Jim bob's waterproofing and excavation isn't qualified to make that call, especially not when we're taking 5 figure bills.
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Mar 11, 2023 19:32
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xsf421 posted:The price doesn't seem crazy, consider this your welcome to home ownership moment. Isn't it grand? I think you mean ten grand. 
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Mar 11, 2023 20:15
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Is the wall cracking? Are there any other signs that the bowing is a recent development, such as cracks in the paint, patching of older cracks, or breaks at grout lines? You are safest hiring an engineer, but if this a long-term issue due to hydrostatic pressure and there is no sign that the wall has moved in recent history, getting the soil mass relieved from the wall and installing tile & drainage would be the correct approach. Ten grand is not bad for that, and I'm guessing that the contractor has ample room to work with on that side of the property. HOWEVER what an engineer can do is determine whether or not you have proper footings there, and that unloading the wall won't cause a stability issue on the left elevation, which is critically important if there is another level built above the garage. It's another grand or so well-spent.
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Mar 11, 2023 21:17
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I realized I wasn't clear in my initial post since it went through a few edits and I apparently took out some parts that described it better, the proposed solution involves no excavation outside of the wall, they were going to cut out about a foot of the garage floor away from the two walls and dig down to the footings from inside, then install a drain pipe leading to a sump pump in the dug out area and drill some holes to allow water outside the wall to come through in to this controlled area where it could then be pumped out of the house. While the side wall that's bowing would be possible to dig out from the outside, the kitchen and dining room extend further back than the garage so the rear wall can not be reached without tunneling. There is no visible cracking, but the person we had come by today said it was bowed enough that he'd expect to see cracks and he thinks the previous owners patched it up to look nice before painting the walls. edit: We've decided we probably won't be going with this guy one way or another for other reasons anyways, we came in to this thinking it was a waterproofing issue but obviously now we see it as more of a foundation issue that has water involved. Will definitely heed the advice to look for firms with an engineer on staff or try to find one to hire independently. wolrah fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Mar 11, 2023 |
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Mar 11, 2023 21:44
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Definitely get an engineer to evaluate it and give you a plan for remediation.
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Mar 11, 2023 21:47
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It seems to me like figuring out how to address the water before it gets to your garage (French drain?) vs just addressing it after it comes through into your garage might be beneficial. Then again, it's not my house and I'm not an engineer.
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Mar 11, 2023 21:54
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wolrah posted:I realized I wasn't clear in my initial post since it went through a few edits and I apparently took out some parts that described it better, the proposed solution involves no excavation outside of the wall, they were going to cut out about a foot of the garage floor away from the two walls and dig down to the footings from inside...  Nope. That's a great way to have the wall fail inwards. Definitely engineer time. The water intrusion is a symptom but is, frankly, the least of your problems.
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Mar 11, 2023 21:56
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Would a home inspection not have caught this kind of thing or was it not done? Not trying to make OP feel bad but just surprised it wasn't brought up if it's a visibly bowing wall.
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Mar 11, 2023 22:02
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While you're trying to find an engineer, do your downspouts drain close to the foundation? You might be able to extend them to help a little bit (this is by no means a permanent fix)
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Mar 11, 2023 22:28
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VelociBacon posted:Would a home inspection not have caught this kind of thing or was it not done? Not trying to make OP feel bad but just surprised it wasn't brought up if it's a visibly bowing wall. It's one of those industries that need some semblance of regulation.
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Mar 11, 2023 23:11
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VelociBacon posted:Would a home inspection not have caught this kind of thing or was it not done? Not trying to make OP feel bad but just surprised it wasn't brought up if it's a visibly bowing wall. devicenull posted:While you're trying to find an engineer, do your downspouts drain close to the foundation? You might be able to extend them to help a little bit (this is by no means a permanent fix)
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Mar 11, 2023 23:20
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wolrah posted:Home inspection was done, pointed out some efflorescence, inspector told us it wasn't significant. Bowing of the wall was not noted, though now that I've seen it I have no idea how he missed it. They are probably clogged or leaking underground and that water is going into the garage. Get a 20foot long downspout extender for each one and get the water away from the house and see if that solves the problem for now. Then you can take some time on the actual best solution for the wall.
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Mar 11, 2023 23:24
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VelociBacon posted:Would a home inspection not have caught this kind of thing or was it not done? Not trying to make OP feel bad but just surprised it wasn't brought up if it's a visibly bowing wall. On a related note, isn't the PO required to disclose known issues with the house?
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Mar 12, 2023 02:31
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Good luck proving they knew!
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Mar 12, 2023 02:50
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:On a related note, isn't the PO required to disclose known issues with the house? e: Home inspections are probably worth doing, but they are very very far from complete or comprehensive and plenty of home inspectors don't know poo poo. Realtors are often who recommend home inspectors to buyers, and realtors' (both buyers' and sellers' agents) incentives are a closed sale and a paycheck, not necessarily a problem-free house. The home inspectors that derails the fewest closings are definitely the ones they prefer. If you really want to know what's potentially wrong with a house, get a good GC that mostly does remodels to walk through it and under it. Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Mar 12, 2023 |
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Mar 12, 2023 02:51
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Schedule all home inspections during a rain storms.
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Mar 12, 2023 02:57
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Calidus posted:Schedule all home inspections during a rain storms.
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Mar 12, 2023 03:12
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slave to my cravings posted:They are probably clogged or leaking underground and that water is going into the garage. Get a 20foot long downspout extender for each one and get the water away from the house and see if that solves the problem for now. Then you can take some time on the actual best solution for the wall. Alternatively, find someone to come and run a camera down all the downspouts. This is completely routine plumber stuff, and whoever does it will likely have the equipment to clear a clog. You're looking for something like "drain inspection" or "hydrojetting". If you get someone to do this, make sure they locate the pipes on the surface w/ spray paint or whatever. Take measurements of these and transfer them onto a survey or something like google maps so you know where they are in the future.
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Mar 12, 2023 04:00
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We're getting a lot of wet storms the last week or so in the mountains in California, and there's a very deep snowpack. As a result, my sump pump is getting a workout. Something that's been happening more consistently lately is a thump-thump-thump-thump noise whenever the pump shuts off. My understanding is that the check valve can make this noise as the remaining water in the vertical pipe flows back down when the pump shuts off. But given that it seems more pronounced and frequent now, I'm wondering if this is normal/okay or if it indicates a problem. Would it normally just be a single "thump" as the flap slams closed? Or is it expected that it would repeat a bit as it, perhaps, flaps open and shut a handful of times? If not actually a problem and just an annoyance, I'm guessing there's nothing I can do to eliminate it short of replacing the check valve with a different type? Here's the best video I was able to get of the noise: https://i.imgur.com/jmbSGFU.mp4
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Mar 12, 2023 18:35
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Check valve is bad, I can see the water coming back through the pump.
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Mar 12, 2023 19:03
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Can you show me where you see that? I don’t have the trained eyes for this, apparently
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Mar 12, 2023 19:08
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Steve French posted:Can you show me where you see that? I don’t have the trained eyes for this, apparently Look at the top edge of the electrical box on top of the pump, you can see the water level slowly rise after the check valve closes.
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Mar 12, 2023 19:32
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EVERYWHERE 
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Had a skunk get stuck in a rusty hole and spray the gently caress out of my bulkhead. At ground zero skunk spray has an intensity that is almost industrial. This is in the middle of a new england winter so opening the windows means turning the heat down to about 45. Spent my Sunday bleaching and vinegaring my crawlspace and house. I have owned this house for 1 year and 3 months. I'm so tired I hate houses
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Mar 12, 2023 19:42
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Eason the Fifth posted:I'm so tired I hate houses
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Mar 12, 2023 20:05
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meatpimp posted:Look at the top edge of the electrical box on top of the pump, you can see the water level slowly rise after the check valve closes. Not doubting that it's bad, but just to make sure all info is on the table: there's a lotta water and you can also see it continually flowing into the sump pit behind the pump; it's kicking in every few minutes; I suppose I could go back down and get a sense of how much faster it's refilling right after the pump goes off. This itself seems pretty bad to me! But it seems to be keeping up with things. At any rate, ok, bad check valve. How urgent is this to resolve? Given the amount of water coming in I'm hesitant to make a DIY fix here and risk having a non-functioning pump for an extended period while things fill up, and I would anticipate having problems finding someone to fix it for me given the weather and surely others around with more severe issues than mine. Okay to wait until things calm down a bit and replace it when convenient to save wear on the pump? Or get on it ASAP? I will if necessary.
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Mar 12, 2023 20:09
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Either the check valve is failing or something is preventing it from sealing cleanly. As long as it’s shifting most of the water out, you have time. Even when it fails completely it will still shift most of the water out but you will have diminished cycle time which will work the pump more frequently. How high is it lifting? That will tell you about how much backflow you’re getting. Is this amount of groundwater rare? You have quite a lot coming in; for such volumes you probably should plan to have an actual crock rather than a five-gallon bucket. It’ll decrease cycle times and keep the water table under your slab a bit lower. Crocks are at least three feet deep.
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Mar 12, 2023 21:07
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PainterofCrap posted:Either the check valve is failing or something is preventing it from sealing cleanly. It's lifting about 3 feet, maaaybe 4, so I figured with a 2" ID (?) pipe, I don't see it being responsible for that much of the refill that you see in the video even if all of it is going in there, unless I'm doing bad math or missing something. This amount of water is uncommon, for sure. Some of you may have heard some about the storms hitting CA lately; I'm in the Sierras and we have followed up record or near record setting snowfall with a warm atmospheric river. The amount of snow on my roof with impending rain was definitely going to push my snow load rating, so I cleared it off before the rain came in but that's not gonna do much for water soaking down and easily draining out of the yard, with about 2 meters of snowpack before the rain came and now large snowbanks next to most of the house. In case any of you are jonesing for some schadenfreude:     Those were from before another round of cold storms came through and dropped a foot and a half or two. Then:   
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Mar 12, 2023 21:49
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Jesus Christ
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Mar 12, 2023 22:02
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Where is the sump pump pumping the water to in all that snow? Is the exterior drain frozen?
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Mar 12, 2023 22:04
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Seems like perfect weather to do donuts in a Bitchin Firebird .
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