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disaster pastor posted:Bought our first home, looking for peace of mind on one hopefully minor thing. Cheapest option is going to be to build a pedestal for the fish tank. Even if you crazy overbuild with like 4x4s, it'll still be cheaper then getting someone in to move that.
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Feb 27, 2021 01:46
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disaster pastor posted:This is entirely possible, I am very much an idiot about this stuff right now. It is almost certainly the same ventilation system. It would probably be great if it were an intake, then we'd have to worry less. I'm certain that is a return air grille. Turn thr heat off and see if it gets warm or not. You have smaller registers around the house that provide warm air throughout. Furniture is fine to put in front as long as there is a little clearance.
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Feb 27, 2021 02:17
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Thanks, all, I appreciate it. We're not going to worry too much about it in that case.
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Feb 27, 2021 18:03
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I have a furnace in my basement with a condensate pump that's failing. The pump sits on the floor next to the furnace and the reservoir keeps filling up, causing the furnace to shut off. Only a couple feet from the condensate pump is a little well with a sump pump. They both already pump into the same place. It would be pretty convenient just to let the sump pump handle it. Is there any reason I shouldn't just let the furnace drain onto the concrete floor to let the sump pump handle the water instead?
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Feb 27, 2021 18:04
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rt4 posted:I have a furnace in my basement with a condensate pump that's failing. The pump sits on the floor next to the furnace and the reservoir keeps filling up, causing the furnace to shut off. Only a couple feet from the condensate pump is a little well with a sump pump. They both already pump into the same place. It's a fine temporary solution, go for it. But your sump pump is very likely real loud compared to a proper condensate pump.
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Feb 27, 2021 18:22
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Yeah call an hvac guy. Make sure when your heat is on (or just kick your fan on) that air is coming out of it too. It could be an air return so it won't be putting out hot / cold air, but they are important so don't block it entirely.
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Feb 27, 2021 19:04
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Any Californian home-owners in this thread? I just got my county supplemental assessment for the increased property tax from a Prop13 purchase (updating to market value), and I can't figure out if that's something my escrow is going to take care of, or if I need to write a check. I mean, I can wait until Monday and try to call people, but 
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Feb 27, 2021 23:26
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Sundae posted:Any Californian home-owners in this thread? I just got my county supplemental assessment for the increased property tax from a Prop13 purchase (updating to market value), and I can't figure out if that's something my escrow is going to take care of, or if I need to write a check. I mean, I can wait until Monday and try to call people, but The first supplemental I had to pay out of pocket. It took like 2 years to shake out despite it being simple multiplication to get it right out of the gate but... File your homestead exemption. Get your $70 back.
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Feb 27, 2021 23:31
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Thom ZombieForm posted:I am researching leather couches for the first time (in the United States) and the struggle is real. It seems the general options are: Thanks for the advice goons. After a bunch of hunting I found a well-reviewed made-to-order couch store nearby that will be more expensive (~3.5k for leather 3 seater ballpark), but has a 7 yr warranty and a guarantee that the foam won't depress past a threshold. (it's in san francisco/san rafael is anyone else is in the market, will give a trip report after going in and trying the couches out: https://mysofacreation.com/)
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Feb 28, 2021 00:24
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So a week or two ago I was standing next to our clawfoot tub waiting for the water to warm up when I heard a clunk and suddenly the shower shut off. I could still get water to come out the tub side, but not out of the shower. This was a relatively recent installation, so I called up the manufacturer who thought it was a broken diverter cartridge (basically the valve that switches which way the water was going between the tub and shower). They sent out a replacement, which I dutifully installed, and which did not fix the problem. I was very confused. I finally narrowed it down to a fitting between two pieces of pipe on the shower head. It turns out the diverter cartridge had a screw on the end that had worked its way loose. It shot up and jammed itself into the tiny hole in the fitting and stayed there because of the water pressure pressing it upwards. Houses, man.
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Feb 28, 2021 01:24
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Thom ZombieForm posted:Thanks for the advice goons. After a bunch of hunting I found a well-reviewed made-to-order couch store nearby that will be more expensive (~3.5k for leather 3 seater ballpark), but has a 7 yr warranty and a guarantee that the foam won't depress past a threshold. (it's in san francisco/san rafael is anyone else is in the market, will give a trip report after going in and trying the couches out: https://mysofacreation.com/) Congrats! Post a trip report when you get it.
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Feb 28, 2021 03:45
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Thom ZombieForm posted:I am researching leather couches for the first time (in the United States) and the struggle is real. It seems the general options are:
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Feb 28, 2021 04:57
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gvibes posted:I ended up going bullet number 3, with Hancock & Moore. Awesome! I love our Hancock & Moore couch more than any other furniture we have.
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Feb 28, 2021 04:58
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rt4 posted:I have a furnace in my basement with a condensate pump that's failing. The pump sits on the floor next to the furnace and the reservoir keeps filling up, causing the furnace to shut off. Only a couple feet from the condensate pump is a little well with a sump pump. They both already pump into the same place.
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Feb 28, 2021 12:56
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Cross-posting from the home buying thread since I figured this might actually be more applicable to people who already own homes:PageMaster posted:Got an accepted offer on a house and in the course of the lending process (getting a home insurance quote) found out it sits in a high fire severity risk zone (in California) so our usual home insurance company (as well as many other ones online) will not insure it. Our options as I understand it are to find a private home insurance policy, or apply and try for a CA FAIR policy and then an additional wraparound policy for the non-fire comprehensive coverage. Anyone smart on how I would even start looking for private insurers? online google results in a ton of companies that go through the entire "get a quote, enter your personal info and address" process before kicking back to "not eligible for coverage."
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Mar 1, 2021 01:50
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PageMaster posted:Cross-posting from the home buying thread since I figured this might actually be more applicable to people who already own homes: You need a local broker who can shop this around to 100 insurance companies for you. You're unfortunately going to need to talk on the phone with someone it's awful.
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Mar 1, 2021 03:45
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H110Hawk posted:You need a local broker who can shop this around to 100 insurance companies for you. You're unfortunately going to need to talk on the phone with someone it's awful. I guess as long as I have someone else talking to 100 companies instead I can survive this One. I'm assuming since they're not actually selling me the insurance but getting after from it I should be able to trust what in getting from then?
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Mar 1, 2021 06:43
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PageMaster posted:I guess as long as I have someone else talking to 100 companies instead I can survive this One. I'm assuming since they're not actually selling me the insurance but getting after from it I should be able to trust what in getting from then? Yeah generally. They should be able to talk clearly about what you are and are not getting. There are various tiers of homeowners insurance, you want the one that is going to almost certainly get you a house rebuilt with replacement cost contents.
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Mar 1, 2021 07:59
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high fire severity risk zone... yes, that is where I want to settle down
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Mar 1, 2021 17:25
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Thesaurus posted:high fire severity risk zone... yes, that is where I want to settle down Definitely not ideal, but looking at the county map I guess I'm lucky half of San Diego hasn't burned down... 
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Mar 2, 2021 06:18
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Residency Evil posted:Awesome! I love our Hancock & Moore couch more than any other furniture we have. Head on over to myfurnitureforum.com and talk to Duane. He's the man (also a porsche guy). Normal/full custom prices are kind of ridiculous, but they have some limited buying programs that are sort of in the realm of reasonable.
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Mar 2, 2021 07:10
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PageMaster posted:Definitely not ideal, but looking at the county map I guess I'm lucky half of San Diego hasn't burned down... I lived in San Diego back in 2007 when it did. No bueno.
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Mar 2, 2021 12:47
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What are some good places to get patio furniture (online?). Local options seem to only be the usual Lowe’s/HD. It’s for a large covered front porch so no real direct element exposure aside from temps and maybe a little rain. I feel like I keep seeing the same 5 sets rebranded online.
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Mar 2, 2021 14:37
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gvibes posted:We've had ours for like ten years now (sofa and love seat). The dog has done some damage to the leather finish, but the structure/foam is like new. And I have five kids (and the aformentioned dog). Yup, that's where we got our couch from! Great guy, will probably buy from him again.
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Mar 2, 2021 14:42
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Spring Heeled Jack posted:What are some good places to get patio furniture (online?). Local options seem to only be the usual Lowe’s/HD.
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Mar 2, 2021 14:43
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Had our new build house for just over 11 months. I just noticed today that all the clothes hangers/shelves in the master closet are pulling out of the wall.  I am so frustrated that stuff keeps breaking in my new house because it was obviously never built to last.
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Mar 2, 2021 17:39
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LLSix posted:Had our new build house for just over 11 months. I just noticed today that all the clothes hangers/shelves in the master closet are pulling out of the wall. Interested to see what more experienced people are going to say about this. I am having the same crisis; i bought a new build in November and have had to have them come out for warranty at least 3 times, once of the times was because NINE doors no longer closed correctly due to settling. I now have 4 drywall cracks diagonally from the doorframes they adjusted, and around 30-40% of the caulking has split from the seams around windows/trim/floor trim. (They warranty the above issues, but i feel like i'm needing more and more stuff fixed every month and their fixes cause more issues) 5 doors they've already adjusted (by grinding down the striker plates or otherwise) once again do not close correctly
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Mar 2, 2021 17:56
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Keep on them. Pray you don't wind up with a big issue. A failed foundation or improper framing etc will result in years of court time all on your dime until settlement, unless you can convince the city to literally condemn/red-tag your house. During this time they may just say gently caress it and go out of business. The house settling a little bit and needing some true up is normal, it settling "a lot" would point to site prep issues with the foundation.
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Mar 2, 2021 18:05
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DoubleT2172 posted:Interested to see what more experienced people are going to say about this. I am having the same crisis; i bought a new build in November and have had to have them come out for warranty at least 3 times, once of the times was because NINE doors no longer closed correctly due to settling. I now have 4 drywall cracks diagonally from the doorframes they adjusted, and around 30-40% of the caulking has split from the seams around windows/trim/floor trim. (They warranty the above issues, but i feel like i'm needing more and more stuff fixed every month and their fixes cause more issues) 5 doors they've already adjusted (by grinding down the striker plates or otherwise) once again do not close correctly That sucks man. I would be pissed. Your issues are far more than the closet ones above. If none of those shelf cleats had been caulked and painted, it wouldn't be as noticeable. You'd just have a gap open and close as the house breathes with the seasons. I want to say eventually your house will rest as it is fully settled and the wood is fully acclimated and these things are less of an issue. In reality every house on my block from the 70s to 80s change with the seasons. Doors in the winter will close themselves and stay open in the summer. Keep addressing these issues and learn to live with some imperfections.
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Mar 2, 2021 18:11
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StormDrain posted:That sucks man. I would be pissed. Your issues are far more than the closet ones above. If none of those shelf cleats had been caulked and painted, it wouldn't be as noticeable. You'd just have a gap open and close as the house breathes with the seasons. Thank you. I got inspired to put in the warranty email after writing this out. The builder has been A-ok so far with fixing stuff, but that's also probably because they're across the street building 3 more houses currently. I had that issue with the crazy frost last week, doors stopped closing correctly and now close right with it having warmed up. I guess i'll just bother them monthly with issues and really abuse the warranty until it runs out
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Mar 2, 2021 18:37
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You just paid a firm at least a six figure sum to build you something that is essential for your life. Abuse the ever loving love out of it because no one's going to say at your funeral when the house collapses on you "you know, that good person DoubleT2172 never bothered the builder."
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Mar 2, 2021 19:08
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kw0134 posted:You just paid a firm at least a six figure sum to build you something that is essential for your life. Abuse the ever loving love out of it because no one's going to say at your funeral when the house collapses on you "you know, that good person DoubleT2172 never bothered the builder." I'm not worried about that, I really just feel like i'm getting gaslighted by my wife and friends who are all "houses settle, this is normal!" and i'm sitting here with 75% of the doors needing to either have the strikers ground down, or doors adjusted with what sounded like sledgehammers (i was working while they were doing it) to get them to close again. And caulking failing everywhere after 6 weeks of living here.
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Mar 2, 2021 19:14
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DoubleT2172 posted:I'm not worried about that, I really just feel like i'm getting gaslighted by my wife and friends who are all "houses settle, this is normal!" and i'm sitting here with 75% of the doors needing to either have the strikers ground down, or doors adjusted with what sounded like sledgehammers (i was working while they were doing it) to get them to close again. And caulking failing everywhere after 6 weeks of living here. That's not a normal level of "settling" for a quality build in my area. Not even for basic development builds. That's more along the lines of "I think I want to make a call to my real estate attorney just to get the ball rolling" to me. Because if yours is doing this I bet the rest are. And if this places gets a reputation as a bunch of shitboxes say bye bye to a bunch of your resale value. Your real estate attorney will probably first tell you to keep detailed and immaculate records of problems, contact with the builder in both directions, times when they sent someone to do a repair (who and what), how long they were there, whether it worked or not, etc. Motronic fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Mar 2, 2021 |
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Mar 2, 2021 19:16
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DoubleT2172 posted:I'm not worried about that, I really just feel like i'm getting gaslighted by my wife and friends who are all "houses settle, this is normal!" and i'm sitting here with 75% of the doors needing to either have the strikers ground down, or doors adjusted with what sounded like sledgehammers (i was working while they were doing it) to get them to close again. And caulking failing everywhere after 6 weeks of living here. Youre not wrong at all. Keep it going and also keep records of all of it. Called on x day for this location, repair occurred on this day with subsequent damage.
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Mar 2, 2021 19:18
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DoubleT2172 posted:Interested to see what more experienced people are going to say about this. I am having the same crisis; i bought a new build in November and have had to have them come out for warranty at least 3 times, once of the times was because NINE doors no longer closed correctly due to settling. I now have 4 drywall cracks diagonally from the doorframes they adjusted, and around 30-40% of the caulking has split from the seams around windows/trim/floor trim. (They warranty the above issues, but i feel like i'm needing more and more stuff fixed every month and their fixes cause more issues) 5 doors they've already adjusted (by grinding down the striker plates or otherwise) once again do not close correctly Uh were they grinding the doors directly or just parts of the frames? You want them adjusting the frames and strike plate and mounting for hinges and not sanding down the doors themselves because if they keep sanding doors as the house settles you’ll just have hosed up wonky-looking doors that still might not fit and if you eventually reframe the doorways you’ll have to get new doors. I’ve seen plenty of doors in various houses/apartments that have been irreparably hosed up due to repeated sandings to make them continue to fit in their frames. But usually this happens over decades and not four months wtf.  Also now I’m thinking about all those hilariously crooked Tudor buildings in Lavenham, England that were built from green or otherwise insufficiently seasoned lumber.  Wonder what it was like living in these during the warping/settling period. I’m imagining a ton of cracked plaster, stuck doors, and broken windows (or maybe just cracked/deformed windows because they were leaded and made using tiny panes of glass).
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Mar 2, 2021 19:19
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StormDrain posted:Youre not wrong at all. Keep it going and also keep records of all of it. Called on x day for this location, repair occurred on this day with subsequent damage. All my warranties are via email thankfully so i will have records of all of it. I'm at a loss here because i really feel like this house is a lemon and told my wife as much and she just thinks i'm being overly dramatic with it. Queen Victorian posted:Uh were they grinding the doors directly or just parts of the frames? You want them adjusting the frames and strike plate and mounting for hinges and not sanding down the doors themselves because if they keep sanding doors as the house settles you’ll just have hosed up wonky-looking doors that still might not fit and if you eventually reframe the doorways you’ll have to get new doors.
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Mar 2, 2021 19:20
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Spring Heeled Jack posted:What are some good places to get patio furniture (online?). Local options seem to only be the usual Lowe’s/HD. It may be excessively built for your needs but LL Bean makes great outdoor furniture The wood stuff is quite resilient to everything except repeated thawing/freezing. I imagine would last pretty much forever in the situation you’re describing. But they also offer everything in a plastic composite that is utterly indestructible as far as I can tell. I’ve left a chair and side table outside since the day I bought them, directly exposed to the New England elements 24/7 for two and a half years, and they look like they just came out of the box. Anyone looking for stuff that can stay outdoors permanently without winter storage, it’s worth a look. They have a decent selection of individual pieces, plus a couple full outdoor dining sets. I’m planning to buy several pieces in the next few weeks.
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Mar 2, 2021 19:23
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Motronic posted:That's not a normal level of "settling" for a quality build in my area. Not even for basic development builds. What could a real estate attorney realistically do for me? This is only my second house I've bought, the first one was completely trouble free and I really have no idea about any of this, I'm sorry for the dumb question.
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Mar 2, 2021 19:24
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DoubleT2172 posted:What could a real estate attorney realistically do for me? This is only my second house I've bought, the first one was completely trouble free and I really have no idea about any of this, I'm sorry for the dumb question. Construction defect is the term to Google.
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Mar 2, 2021 19:26
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DoubleT2172 posted:All my warranties are via email thankfully so i will have records of all of it. I'm at a loss here because i really feel like this house is a lemon and told my wife as much and she just thinks i'm being overly dramatic with it. I don’t think you’re being dramatic about it. Settling to the point of doors not working in a matter of months really doesn’t seem normal. Hell, my house is 110 years old and all my doors still fit and most of them still actually latch. Some of my fellow prewar house-owning friends are less lucky and have wonky doors and uneven floors and whatever, but hey, that’s a prewar house for you. No excuse in new construction. quote:They have only done grinding on the striker plates, not the doors or anything Okay good. For outdoor furniture, if you’re in the Northeast, check out some Lancaster, PA-based Amish furniture showrooms/brokers (their websites, that is).
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Mar 2, 2021 19:40
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