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Dazerbeams posted:Why did the previous owners decide that having carpet in the hall and NOT the bedrooms made sense? Last year she came up with several of her own reasons why we should cover up our lovely pine plank flooring but my internal reason "so she doesn't slip while carrying our new baby" was motivation enough for me. If expense had been an issue, I would have also prioritized the stairs and hallway over bedrooms.
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May 13, 2016 20:22
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SiGmA_X posted:So my buddy was talking home automation last night. He's going with Wink stuff, it seems excessively consumer to me - but kind of cool. There was a discussion on this a few days ago, IIRC. Right now I think that the consensus is that the industry is still very young; devices come with all sorts of non-obvious flaws baked in (sometimes the security vulnerabilities are quite serious) and companies fall over and die pretty regularly. There's lots of VC cash in home automation right now, which tends to foster short-lived startups. While there are some interesting applications (automatic notifications in an emergency, automated emergency response, etc), the Home Automation field is mostly a hub of idiots who just want to wank over the Internet of Things (I want my fridge to use bitcoin to order more pickles when it senses that my pickle jar is empty!), so there's a lot of useless poo poo out there. Don't buy wifi-enabled locks or light bulbs, they're a waste of time and money. Do look at water, temperature, and smoke/co sensors as well as automated thermostats.
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May 13, 2016 20:36
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Proximity locks are really all I *want*, but I would rather like having some climate data and control over the HVAC based on climate feedback. Wireless locks sketch me out due to hackability.
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May 13, 2016 22:40
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Is air duct cleaning something you should actually do every once in a while or just another useless "service" designed to separate homeowner's from their paycheck?
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May 14, 2016 21:04
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It is generally the latter unless you have some actual problem that you should fix first, or you never use a filter in the air return.
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May 14, 2016 21:07
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SiGmA_X posted:Proximity locks are really all I *want*, but I would rather like having some climate data and control over the HVAC based on climate feedback. Wireless locks sketch me out due to hackability. Don't proximity locks have to be wireless?
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May 14, 2016 23:43
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Subjunctive posted:Don't proximity locks have to be wireless?
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May 15, 2016 09:39
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Buy a decent schlage deadbolt and use it instead of whatever qwikset crap your house has now, random kids who read the MIT guide to lockpicking are not going to be able to pick or bump their way through.
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May 15, 2016 22:29
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Nah, buy a Kwikset Smart Key and https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sR-h64WwfW8 . It'll be fun!
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May 15, 2016 22:50
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The best thing about deadbolts is its impossible to lock the door behind you on accident if you go out without keys.
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May 15, 2016 22:58
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Pryor on Fire posted:Buy a decent schlage deadbolt and use it instead of whatever qwikset crap your house has now, random kids who read the MIT guide to lockpicking are not going to be able to pick or bump their way through. Most, if not all schlage uses the SC1 key blank, which takes about 5 seconds to find a pre-cut bump key on the internet. If its sold at Home Depot, its probably crap. I have nice locks. Yes, you could smash a window, but then at-least I'll have no problems filing a claim with my insurance.
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May 16, 2016 04:35
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Brigdh posted:Yes, you could smash a window, but then at-least I'll have no problems filing a claim with my insurance. Are you suggesting that if someone entered your home and stole stuff, and you had left the door unlocked, that your insurance company might refuse to pay out? I don't know this for a fact but I'd be very surprised if an insurance company can get out of a burglary claim by claiming you failed to adequately secure your house. Short of leaving the door wide open with a big sign saying "FREE STUFF, COME ON IN AND TAKE WHAT YOU WANT," going into a private residence and taking things is still theft no matter the condition (or lack of) locks.
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May 16, 2016 04:41
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Leperflesh posted:Are you suggesting that if someone entered your home and stole stuff, and you had left the door unlocked, that your insurance company might refuse to pay out? It's really going to depend on your policy. This blogger seems to think that some insurers will refuse a claim if it looks like there was no sign of forced entry, and I really don't find that surprising at all. Insurance companies don't want to pay out on claims, and if the language of your policy allows them to do that because of something that you did or did not do, then you can be certain that they'll capitalize on that.
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May 16, 2016 04:56
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mastershakeman posted:The best thing about deadbolts is its impossible to lock the door behind you on accident if you go out without keys. However it is very possible for your 2 year old to lock you out when you go to take out the trash. Ask me how I know!
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May 16, 2016 14:30
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QuarkJets posted:It's really going to depend on your policy. This blogger seems to think that some insurers will refuse a claim if it looks like there was no sign of forced entry, and I really don't find that surprising at all. That blogger is posting about London, so I assume he's referring to UK law. After I posted above, I spent a few minutes looking around, and saw multiple assertions that in the US, insurers absolutely do not and can not put in limitations on their policies of this kind, and it's been this way for decades. I have not found much in the way of completely verifiable legal opinions, but I've seen posts by people claiming to be insurance agents, adjusters, and lawyers, and they generally agree that policies cannot include a 'test' of security, and that you can even leave home with your door standing wide open and that still doesn't get them out of paying out a claim. On the other hand, installing and using an effective security system can get you an insurance discount. And I could see an insurance company canceling your policy (perhaps retroactively) if you're claiming a home security system discount, but then they discover that you disabled or removed your system and didn't update them. I agree with you in general that insurance companies use every tool they have, to avoid paying out claims, though.
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May 16, 2016 22:16
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Leperflesh posted:Are you suggesting that if someone entered your home and stole stuff, and you had left the door unlocked, that your insurance company might refuse to pay out? Yes. Your individual situation may be different, but I have a policy with a large, well known company so I would think that the "boilerplate" terms and conditions of my policy are standard across all of the polices my insurance issues, if not standard across the industry - barring any local laws in other jurisdictions that may prohibit such clauses. I've read my policy, and it has a clause indicating that if most any claim is the result of my negligence, the policy may (aka will) refuse to pay out. If I leave the garage door open while I go out running errands and all my tools are taken, or leave the water in the bath running while I run errands resulting in flooding the basement - insurance is gonna tell me to pound sand. The exceptions tend to resolve around personal injuries - ie someone gets drunk at a party and falls off my deck, insurance can't try to claim I should have had professional bartender training and cut the fool off at 2 drinks.
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May 16, 2016 22:27
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This goes directly to the definition of the word "negligence." Generally for insurance it means something like "how a normal person would act," which is itself somewhat wishy-washy. When it comes to burglary, I do not know if courts have determined that (say) leaving a door unlocked is negligent. Perhaps it would be negligent in a neighborhood where everyone locks their doors, but would not be negligent in a neighborhood where ordinary "reasonable people" leave their doors unlocked? I'm failing to pull up obvious case law, but IANAL so that's not surprising. e. I've decided to ask about this in the legal questions megathread. my post Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 22:55 on May 16, 2016 |
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May 16, 2016 22:45
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Leperflesh posted:This goes directly to the definition of the word "negligence." Generally for insurance it means something like "how a normal person would act," which is itself somewhat wishy-washy. When it comes to burglary, I do not know if courts have determined that (say) leaving a door unlocked is negligent. Perhaps it would be negligent in a neighborhood where everyone locks their doors, but would not be negligent in a neighborhood where ordinary "reasonable people" leave their doors unlocked? Maybe. From my perspective, ~$200 in locks (retail, I actually asked some friends for some surplus stock) and two hours of my time is a hell of a lot cheaper than retaining a lawyer to fight the insurance company in court.
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May 16, 2016 22:57
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No doubt. For me, security is more about trying not to have my poo poo stolen, and less about trying to make sure my insurance company can't weasel out of a claim, but the latter isn't a completely dismissable idea and that's why I'm looking into it. I have a preconceived notion about what is and isn't negligence, but it's not well-founded and worth learning more about.
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May 16, 2016 23:03
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Oh, I agree. Priority #1 is prevention. Priority #2 is what happens when prevention fails (since unless you live in a concrete underground bunker, there is probably some "hole" in your security), and I've had a lot of lovely experiences with some company making a promise (insurance, warranty, etc) and not following through without some kind of fight. I may be pessimistic and paranoid, but it seems like that is the kind of world that exists today.
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May 16, 2016 23:22
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Bought a house in 2015, and while my yard isn't as beautiful as my retired neighbors next door (left), I work for a living and don't have a ton of disposable daylight to spend in the yard.  Not beautiful, but clean. Pardon the car hoard. After some torrential rains over Thanksgiving, the occasional backup in my basement's floor drains turned into a full-on swamp. Had the main drain line rodded, which produced a ton of roots, and then cammed, which uncovered a complete break out by the sidewalk.  "It seeps some during rain storms, but adding downspout extenders helped" - The Sellers  My sewer line is now a leach field. Time to dig up the yard! Job #1 was repairing the break in the line, located under the sidewalk. (fortunately not out in the street) Job #2 was installing a cleanout access, since my house didn't have one. The first guy had to remove a toilet in the basement & run the rod & cam through the drain. Job #3 was replacing the original run of broken up clay pipe with PVC.  Job #3 was optional, but may as well dig 20 more feet of trench and do it right while the equipment is there. Keeps the tree roots and groundwater out of the drain as well.  Bit of interesting history - bottle came from the Elgin Eagle Brewing Company, Elgin IL, which went out of business in 1920. Because of Prohibition. My house was built sometime in 1920, so the original builders may have been doing a little post-prohibition drankin' on the job. More on these boneheads later... New line is laid, trench is covered up, sewer runs fine and the drains no longer hint of backing up. There are plenty of other plumbing issues such as the galvanized supply lines full of gunk, no proper vents for the upstairs sink or any of the drains in the basement, improper connections and rusted stuck shutoff to the hose spigot, but those will be tackled later. Winter comes and goes, and the dirt mound outside is settling.  Sidewalk square will be poured when I get around to it...  I have the dirt mound scraped away & the old flower beds removed from the front. I planted some grass and it started growing pretty quick, and things looked like they'd get back to presentable pretty soon. Knock-knock. It's the neighbors. "We'll be doing some work on our sewer this weekend, Sorry if there's a lot of noise!" Said it was fine, as I'm out of town this weekend. Good luck!  Ring-ring. It's the neighbors. "Our sewer line heads right under your driveway. We're gonna have to dig through it." Said it was fine, as long as they promised to put it back to a usable state. The original drive was crappy cracked up weathered concrete, blacktop will be an improvement.  Ring-ring. It's the neighbors. "Our sewer line actually goes right to yours, where the plumbers did their work last year. They disconnected us when they ran your new line. They're going to need to come out and re-connect us." Told them that's a matter they'd have to take up with those plumbers - and the plumbers actually did come out and they did reconnect them. I guess they did it for free, too, but not like I was going to get involved. First off, who in their right mind connects two sewer systems together like this?? I guess it passed whatever building code there was in 1920, or the idiot contractor building these houses greased some palms to get away with it. Certainly had to be easier than digging two trenches to the city's main line. Second, what kind of legal ramifications will this have? Should I come back and charge my neighbor for half of what I paid to re-pipe and reconnect my main line earlier last winter, back before I knew his line was connected to mine? I feel like I'm already being pretty accommodating by letting him cut through my property to get to his sewer line, potentially saving him tens of thousands in trenching a new line through the street to the city's main.  My yard looks like this now, and I've got all summer to wait for the mound to settle. Can't wait for the weeds to populate the mound and look terrible. My yard didn't look like much to begin with though, so I'm not too pissed. Maybe I should install a shutoff valve on his side of the line before the trench gets backfilled, for insurance that he puts my yard & driveway back together. Or just for fun when I get cranky. WHO RUN BARTERTOWN?
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May 16, 2016 23:30
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gently caress. So how much sewage did they dump under your lawn before they figured out what was going on? Good job ensuring that this clusterfuck continues for another couple of generations.
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May 16, 2016 23:45
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I'm really surprised the plumbers didn't opt to run a home-run back to the sewer main and instead went with that weirdo setup you've got there. I'm surprised that the city didn't require them to fix that once they discovered it. Also there's nothing "thankful" about the break being under your sidewalk instead of in the street-if it was in the street it would be the city's problem (and at least in Chicago they're pretty prompt about fixing broken sewer lines).
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May 16, 2016 23:49
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Sorry to hear about all these problems with poo poo everywhere. Depending on your local codes (and legal requirements) the sewer should be an independent connection to the street unless there is an easement on the title. Their line is their problem unless it's allowed to be there. Probably a bad idea having a second pipe connected unless it was sized to deal with two houses worth of sewage. Anyway onto my bitching I'm getting sick of contractors constantly working out of my garage. However the upside is there might only be a weeks worth of worth left to finish the retaining wall. The downside is I'll have a heap of work to do fixing up the lawn (as it's pretty much dirt or weeds after all the work being carried out).
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May 17, 2016 00:28
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Oh god, you're still working on that? Ugh
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May 17, 2016 00:40
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minivanmegafun posted:Also there's nothing "thankful" about the break being under your sidewalk instead of in the street-if it was in the street it would be the city's problem (and at least in Chicago they're pretty prompt about fixing broken sewer lines). Not necessarily. I know (because I checked) that I'm responsible for the entire run of my sewer line until it joins the main, which runs down the middle of the street, and my line runs at an angle to it. So I own about 30 or 40 feet of sewer line under the street, and if I ever want to replace it, I will have to pay for the street excavation and repair. Or more accurately, I will pay for trenchless sewer replacement, because gently caress that. e. This is in California, and I think it probably varies by state/municipality/sewer district/etc.
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May 17, 2016 00:41
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slap me silly posted:Oh god, you're still working on that? Ugh It's a lot of work with various subcontractors. Also due to the height they've built a handrail (they got a bit carried away with that though even in the areas where it wasn't needed). The backyard will be significantly improved as an outside area, instead of shrubs to keep people away from the edge it'll be grass all the way to the handrail. Still things to bitch about for now.
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May 17, 2016 00:45
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Devian666 posted:Their line is their problem unless it's allowed to be there. This comes up from time to time on reddit's legal I'm surprised that the guys working on your line didn't notice that there was a sewer line spewing waste water every once in awhile. Maybe their line was also damaged and clogged so basically none made it to your yard. Anyway I found a vertical crack clear through my garage foundation wall. No spalling or water, but I don't want it to develop more so a foundation guy is coming on saturday. Plus my GC is coming to plan out a fuckin awesome patio! PS those pictures were awesome I'm going to try to take some before and after as well.
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May 17, 2016 01:19
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It was the path of least resistance to just let them update the run, they took my authorization to dig as an authorization to dig & were most of the way through when they saw it would keep going. Plus it's just grass, and code already prevents me building anything permanent between my foundation and the street. I've done exactly zero landscaping in the front yard, and once the trench gets backfilled and driveway is connected I'll be whole. And yeah, if I had to cut through the street I'd pay the whole way. Kind of like I pay to maintain the sidewalk and the land past it, but it's still the city's property. Just to cut the sidewalk was $150 permit & $100 deposit to make sure I pave it again.
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May 17, 2016 01:58
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Neighbor's loquat tree branch fell onto our fence. Then a swarm of bees decided to move into the tree next door. Like, we were out on the deck looking at the fallen branch and this TORNADO of bees just swarms over our neighbor's roof and into our yard. My husband is deathly allergic, so we hightailed it back into the house until they settled down. Then called a beekeeper to come get the swarm which was super interesting to watch (he said you could basically scoop the bees up with your hands, they're not angry at all when they're swarming to find a new hive). So now I have learned a lot about bees, plus after cutting up the fallen branch I got to harvest a bunch of loquats and make loquat jam. Neighbor traded us some homemade pickles after I gave him a jar of loquat jam. Thrilling times in homeownershipland  Next up this summer: redoing our whole back deck which is rotting through in most places. Hurray!
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May 17, 2016 03:35
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Getting a bunch of work done around the house: Called guy about getting a new side gate: Came out hour early, great bid price, lots of photos of previous work, signed contract on the spot. Home Depot installing a new wall oven we got a great deal on: Guy came out and took measurements. Was unsure if it could be installed or not. Said he'd call on Friday, Monday at latest to setup install time. No call back. Lowes installing a new custom order door: Came out and took measurements on Thursday. Said they'll call with pricing by the end of the day. No call back. Called concrete company who did work for us 3 years ago. Called Monday, Wednesday, Thursday trying to get an estimate. No call back. JFC let me give you guys money!
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May 17, 2016 03:40
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FCKGW posted:JFC let me give you guys money! Are you in a urban or rural area? When I lived in Broomfield, CO, I had zero problem with calls being returned and work being done, whether it was an emergency ("Hot water heater dying!"), "emergency" ("Uh, I bought a toilet and didn't correctly measure the distance from the wall; can you install an offset flange...today?), or non-emergency stuff ranging from new furnace, house painting, etc. It was my first home and I completely took it for granted that it was how services worked. I moved to rural-ish Vermont, 20 minutes between Burlington and Middlebury and it's exactly as you've described. What's hard for me to understand is that the area is not as economically well off as Colorado and it seemed like people would be chomping at the bit for money.
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May 17, 2016 14:15
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How can a range of bids from well reviewed contractors be $1,100 to $26,500? I mean if you are going to be 26 times the price you must just only get people that only get one bid and happen to have just won the lotto.
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May 17, 2016 14:17
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Elephanthead posted:How can a range of bids from well reviewed contractors be $1,100 to $26,500? I mean if you are going to be 26 times the price you must just only get people that only get one bid and happen to have just won the lotto. I would figure that they are using different assumptions about what you want done, and/or the contextual difficulty (need to reinforce stuff or harder to access or whatever).
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May 17, 2016 15:39
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When I had my HVAC replaced I had bids that ranged from 4k to 27k. Granted, the 4k was a system that wasn't going to work, because it wasn't large enough and he only priced it to show us what smaller houses were getting, but Jesus. We paid 7k for a zoned system that works well with a new furnace. The 27k was some dickhead who wanted to install two separate systems that were both larger than what we had, with top of the line fans and a bunch of other bullshit. He still calls me randomly and asks me if I still need work done. We had a similar experience with carpet. Two bids came in at 5k and the rest all came in around 2k. Just... always get like 5 bids. Always.
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May 17, 2016 16:52
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King Burgundy posted:Yeah, I gave up on maid services. None of the three I tried at various times(move out cleaning, move in cleaning, etc) have been worth a drat. And contractors in general, just not calling back, not showing up, not billing, etc I just don't understand how any of them stay in business. One time I came home in the middle of the day to check on a new cleaner and she had done zero work but was in my basement throwing up in the bathroom hungover. Perfection.
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May 19, 2016 18:55
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Zanthia posted:Awesome Tree Planting Guide This is absolutely fantastic, thank you so much for the effort post! That was exactly what I needed. For whatever reason, I was just derping out on my Google searches to find a succint tree planning guide that would help me avoid common screw ups. SiGmA_X posted:So my buddy was talking home automation last night. He's going with Wink stuff, it seems excessively consumer to me - but kind of cool. For those worried about hacking, the vast majority of property break ins are crimes of opportunity. Eg, you left your garage door open and sometime steals your snow blower. Or you left a window open, or valuable poo poo out while a shady contractor visited. Or, in my case, the apartment was clearly vacant while you're moving and sometime crowbars in the front door. The rest of break ins are usually deterred with advertising a legitimate basic security system, especially one with central monitoring. Like I said, most crimes are that of opportunity, and the random bad actor passing through your neighborhood will probably just move on to your neighbors unsecured house if there's not an easy obvious target. Plus my house is covered in big windows so I'm not worried about my front door lock being vulnerable to a specialized tool or someone with the know,how to bump it with a special tool. Home locks are there to inspire trust in each other, not to be any kind of hardened impenetrable barrier. Re: smart things going forward, I've had no noticeable issues with my Samsung Smart Things hub, in terms of server outage issues or whatnot. I do eventually want to host my own locally control hub, and there's several crowdfunded startups offering such a thing, so maybe in a few years I might go that route once it's more established. The actual devices and sensors I've accrued are universally compatible, and connect to a hub via z-wave or zigbee, so I'm not worried about getting siloed to a particular brand there. Yes Nest bought and bricked the revolv hub (they wanted the employees), but they've caught a bunch of bad press for that and are compensating owners, so I'd be surprised to see something so drastic happen again. If you're going to go with something right now, I'd recommend looking into smart things and nest. I believe Apple might be coming out with their own thing here soon, I'm not sure.
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May 19, 2016 21:02
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HEY NONG MAN posted:One time I came home in the middle of the day to check on a new cleaner and she had done zero work but was in my basement throwing up in the bathroom hungover. Perfection. Don't make your booze so hard to find next time ahole and I will do a better job.
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May 19, 2016 21:08
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I keep reading and hearing about how a sunroom is a bad investment and a bad idea, especially for resale value. I get that a room you can only use a few months of the year unless you want to burn money and heat the poo poo out of it isn't appealing. But what about a four-season solarium? They seem to be a lot nicer and they're insulated therefore more useful. I'd definitely get more use out of it than a patio in an Eastern Canadian climate. What factors determine whether this 30-40k investment would be worth it for market value? Do they really turn away a lot of buyers?
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May 19, 2016 23:16
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Got a reply about the liability vs. locks question:Phil Moscowitz posted:As you say this is going to be very state-by-state and I doubt you will be able to get a solid answer on this that applies to more than one state. Certainly not any specific case law that is good anywhere but in the state you are in. My take on this is, don't leave your door standing wide open, but otherwise you're probably fine and don't need to worry about a denied insurance claim on the basis that, say, you forgot to lock your back door, or your locks were kind of crap, or something like that. But still do get good locks if you think your neighborhood calls for them.
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May 20, 2016 00:29
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