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shame on an IGA posted:A million times this, also check your breaker panel and if you see anything made by Zinsco or Federal Pacific have it all replaced tomorrow. lol i think the breakers in my apartment are Federal Pacific am i going to die in an electrical fire
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Jan 3, 2019 17:13
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Get an emergency fund built up ASAP cause you’re almost certainly gonna find some nasty surprises that the previous owners covered up before selling. Such as a $6000 re-wiring of half the house, because someone decided to play electrician with duct tape and loose wires. Seconding the air filter replacement — that was something that my husband and I didn’t even think about, until half a year into owning it and realizing we were getting poo poo airflow from the vents. The filter was completely black and had bent itself into the air duct because literally no air could pass through it any longer, lol. Changing air filters also made us stop smoking spliffs altogether because the filters were noticeably grosser during the month we were doing that.
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Jan 3, 2019 17:36
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BexGu posted:But then you gotta watch out cause just because its new doesn't mean its good. Once saw a bunch of million dollar homes using cheap rear end PVC piping for all their plumbing and other short cuts and hiding it behind a nice layout. So is this old goon quote true, GBS? Tricky Ed posted:Old construction is better than new construction because older homes were usually overbuilt in structural terms. They'll also usually be in better parts of town, in more established neighborhoods, and closer to city centers and services because they were built before everyone drove everywhere. Old houses were built by tradespeople who treated construction as a career and took pride in their work. They were built to last forever. You'll have a yard and a sidewalk that leads somewhere you want to go. You'll have a cozy fireplace and a formal living room.
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Jan 3, 2019 17:50
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buglord posted:So is this old goon quote true, GBS? 100%
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Jan 3, 2019 17:58
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HAM ON THE BONE posted:Such as a $6000 re-wiring of half the house, because someone decided to play electrician with duct tape and loose wires. lol my mom got into a real spiral with this about ten years ago first it started with a roof leak in the garage. okay, no big deal, maybe just get up there and re-shingle... oh, it's all rotten and hosed up here. okay, time to call roofers. then the roofers found out the entire roof of the garage was hosed up, as in structurally un-sound, because the previous owners DIYed it (no, not the garage roof, the entire garage - it was an addition to the existing house) and didn't design/build the roof structure correctly. then mom had to get a permit because the previous owners didn't get a building permit when they built the garage. also they didn't even manage to build the garage square. lol then as part of this, some of the garage wiring had to be re-done... but the electrician arrived and immediately said he wouldn't even touch the garage wiring until the main breaker box was fixed, because apparently the previous owners had DIYed that too, and installed a main breaker that was bigger than the service connection was even rated for then for some reason I can't remember they had to re-do the wiring going to the electric oven in the kitchen, which is when mom discovered that there was literally no insulation in the exterior kitchen wall... but at the same time, this probably had prevented the house from burning down, because when the previous owners ran the electrical line from the breakers to the oven, they spliced the electrical line together where it ran through the studs, and there were literal no-poo poo scorch marks on the wood and of course since it's an old house and it'd been awhile and the roofers were out anyway, mom had them just go ahead and re-do the entire roof of the house while they were out and at it. this was a few months after i'd started working full-time and was still living at home building up savings and paying off debt before moving out, so i basically kicked a couple paychecks over to mom to help out. i figured it was the least i could do after all she'd done to help me over the years.
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Jan 3, 2019 18:00
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buglord posted:So is this old goon quote true, GBS? It's extremely true, but he's talking about OLD old construction there My house was built in the early 80s and it's basically like you put that post in a blender and then picked at random
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Jan 3, 2019 18:02
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A pool is a hole in the ground you throw money into, and don't use nearly as much as you thought you would. Also, be wary of any rooms that seem added onto the house. My house originally had a small 2 car garage, but the previous owner had half the garage turned into a den. I would have like the extra garage space, but I get way more use out of the den as a gaming room. Anyway, the den had a baseboard heater in it, and one (and only one) vent from the HVAC system. Just an output, no return. It also had a fireplace, which I thought was cool and classy. So it turns out, that that vent had abysmal airflow, because they just tapped into the main HVAC with some flexi-duct and called it a day. The flue in the fireplace won't stay closed, as it seems to be missing some parts. I managed to kind of rig it with a short section of chain and some springs so that there's not a constant draft. But I don't use it nearly as much as I would like. And that baseboard heater? It didn't work either. Sure it drew plenty of power even when the control on the wall was turned off (which I later discovered wasn't actually connected to anything) and my first electric bill was over $500. After that I shut off the breaker it was on, and it's probably a good thing, because soon after that, a broken pipe triggered a 75% gutting and remodel where I discovered that the 220v line feeding that baseboard heater was run along the floor, under the baseboard molding but over the drywall, through this window seat thing they put in where it was just kinda hanging out, and the whole length of it was just riddled with nails complete with scorched wood.. It's a miracle the house didn't burn down. So I removed all the old 220v wiring, and rerouted it into the garage where I have now have a place to plug in a welder or any other assortment of power hungry tools. I also discovered some places where they notched out the studs to run wiring to the point where there was only a fingers width of wood left. And upon peeling up the floor, found a hand poured, unlevel, uneven, rough as gently caress excuse for a concrete slab, which I had to level and smooth before laying tile. So yeah, beware of any rooms that seem like additions or conversions. Jay_Zombie fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Jan 3, 2019 |
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Jan 3, 2019 18:02
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oh yeah and then the next year a fuckin' tax assessor from the county tried to jack up the assessed value of the house because of the "property improvements". mom wound up fighting that one, fortunately she won
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Jan 3, 2019 18:05
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Farmer Crack-rear end posted:lol my mom got into a real spiral with this about ten years ago seems like a home inspection should have found at least some of those issues prior to buying the house
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Jan 3, 2019 18:05
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Mozi posted:seems like a home inspection should have found at least some of those issues prior to buying the house i think you're right. protip kids, don't skip the basics just because you're buying from someone you know!
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Jan 3, 2019 18:10
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Get a whole house fan, gently caress A/C forever. (unless it's humid)
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Jan 3, 2019 18:23
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The best home horror stories are from people on the east coast in colder climates that bought homes with stucko exteriors. Nearly all of them are having to pay up to 40% of their home's value getting the entire exterior redone, mold damage repaired, and all the stuff that goes along with gutting the exterior and insulation of your home. Turns out stucko inspection is a completely separate thing from a normal home inspection.
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Jan 3, 2019 18:39
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Nerses IV posted:It's extremely true, but he's talking about OLD old construction there This is true. Mine was built in 1892 and its built like a brick poo poo house for real. Thing is a tank, but I'm def scared about whats behind the walls. manderson fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Jan 3, 2019 |
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Jan 3, 2019 18:41
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I think the "old house" truisms only hold up until the mid 60s. After that it starts to turn to poo poo.
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Jan 3, 2019 18:41
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Don't flush baby wipes
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Jan 3, 2019 18:42
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Wrath of the Bitch King posted:I think the "old house" truisms only hold up until the mid 60s. After that it starts to turn to poo poo. 40s houses involve a lot of cardboard as a substitute for materials needed in wartime IIRC.
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Jan 3, 2019 18:45
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Mozi posted:seems like a home inspection should have found at least some of those issues prior to buying the house Oh yeah. Never skip a home inspection. Even if you end up going with a contract that doesn't require it just get one to find out stuff that will be a issue later.
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Jan 3, 2019 18:46
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1950s houses are the sweet spot. Post-war and before build quality started going to poo poo.
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Jan 3, 2019 18:50
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General Dog posted:Don't flush baby wipes Always know where a flashlight (with extra batteries), and always keep fuses beside it. You will thank yourself, and not have a night of no power.
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Jan 3, 2019 18:53
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Solicit SA for advice on how to fix a giant hole in your roof. Disregard all the advice given, and mix strange chemicals in your un-ventilated basement.
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Jan 3, 2019 18:59
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General Dog posted:Don't flush baby wipes Even though every godamned package says flushable, don't do it.
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Jan 3, 2019 19:11
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If you have a septic, be mindful of what you put down your drains. Grease, fats, flushable wipes are all bad because they can block the drainage paths (Don't use a garbage disposal either). But also some of the automatic toilet cleaners (2000 flushes) will do damage and you ought to try to limit how much chemicals you put down there. There's good bacteria living in there which is munching on and helping to break down your poops which you don't want to holocaust with bleach.
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Jan 3, 2019 19:20
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Instead of ever doing DIY renovations consider burning the place down and collecting the insurance for a down payment on a new home. Make friends with your local fire brigade and ask them for tips, and make sure they do the insurance inspection!
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Jan 3, 2019 19:25
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I tried fixing the heat but I might have wired the emergency heat by accident because my electric bill was $250
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Jan 3, 2019 19:38
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RocktheCaulk posted:Instead of ever doing DIY renovations consider burning the place down and collecting the insurance for a down payment on a new home. Make friends with your local fire brigade and ask them for tips, and make sure they do the insurance inspection! 
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Jan 3, 2019 19:44
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Don't ever DIY anything unless you have prior knowledge or are a professional yourself. Do your research and you'll find a contractor that isn't dogshit. Yeah it will cost more, but you can hold the contractor liable if they do gently caress your poo poo up.
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Jan 3, 2019 19:44
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bradzilla posted:1950s houses are the sweet spot. Post-war and before build quality started going to poo poo. It depends, I live in an area that’s been heavily blue collar since post war. There are a few pre war houses, the center of the neighborhood is 50s around that late 60s and around that 80s to now. The 50s houses are more poorly built because being even a few miles outside of Baltimore meant bum gently caress nowhere. The late 60s houses were when steel workers were leaving the city with all this money and wanted quality poo poo. Has to replace the aluminum wiring though but otherwise this house is a goddamn tank.
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Jan 3, 2019 19:53
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has abnyone said Home Boner yet?
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Jan 3, 2019 19:54
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Tinfoil Papercut posted:If you have a septic, be mindful of what you put down your drains. Grease, fats, flushable wipes are all bad because they can block the drainage paths (Don't use a garbage disposal either). But also some of the automatic toilet cleaners (2000 flushes) will do damage and you ought to try to limit how much chemicals you put down there. Slowly add bleach over time so the bacteria builds up a tolerance.
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Jan 3, 2019 19:56
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FogHelmut posted:Slowly add bleach over time so the bacteria builds up a tolerance.  Over There posted:I tried fixing the heat but I might have wired the emergency heat by accident because my electric bill was $250 What is your current setup for heat?
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Jan 3, 2019 19:58
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Honky Dong Country posted:Even though every godamned package says flushable, don't do it. Mine actually said not to flush them, but I'm a maverick
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Jan 3, 2019 20:37
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Tinfoil Papercut posted:
Electric. Had to rewire the thermostat.
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Jan 4, 2019 05:36
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Over There posted:Electric. Had to rewire the thermostat.  This data is for Maine - but the concept should be roughly the same everywhere. Do you see electric way down at the bottom there? It's the most inefficient way to heat your home (unless you're using a heat pump which are really good). I'm not sure what your climate is like where you are - but if you are going to be heating your home during the winter time, you ought to seriously consider changing your primary heating method. It will cost money now but save you in the long run. I bought my pellet stove in 2014 and it's already paid itself off.
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Jan 4, 2019 21:58
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Tinfoil Papercut posted:
We are currently trying to get a wood heater installed. We got one for free but we just need to make the heat shield.
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Jan 4, 2019 21:59
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Wood stoves rule and I love them. Burn about two cords the whole winter.
Honky Dong Country fucked around with this message at 22:02 on Jan 4, 2019 |
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Jan 4, 2019 21:59
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Dont they raise the insurance cost enormously though?
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Jan 4, 2019 22:03
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Oscar Wild posted:Dont they raise the insurance cost enormously though? Honestly I have no idea. My exposure to one was when I was still in high school with my parents. I knew it was cheap as gently caress but they never mentioned the insurance being a huge problem. E: Google's telling me yes it does increase premiums but iunno, maybe the low cost more than eats that.
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Jan 4, 2019 22:32
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I'm up in the northwest and any old house that is being remodeled is having them torn out. I'm with you, I'd love having a wood stove.
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Jan 4, 2019 22:37
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They really are great and I miss the one at my parents' place. Looks good and warms real well. Plus they're in a log cabin with the stove on/in front of stone which seems to do real well at warming up and keeping the place good and warm even after the fire's been shut down at the end of the night. The other benefit is if you're using it all the time you almost never actually have to build a fire. You shut airflow down at the end of the night and in the morning when you clean out the ash there's still-smoldering coals to easily fire things up again.
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Jan 4, 2019 22:41
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Upstate new york here, lol im owning myself with the high tax rate and worse, anyways my gas bill is 78 dollars a month, but the break down is weird, it goes as followed, delivery fee 40.98, supply services 14.15 line maintenance 5 taxes 17 dollars.
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Jan 4, 2019 22:45
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