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Based on news/hysteria and the prodding in another thread I am now looking at refinancing as well. Current payment with tax/escrow is $1370 a month. Potentially dropping my payments down a $100 a month and like $40K over the course of my loan! Would also make my mortgage a lower interest rate than even student loans for the wife so we could start tackling those next.
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Mar 4, 2020 21:12
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Best I could see was right at 3. After my paperwork went through my lender (credit union if it matters) said that the banks have been getting so many refinance requests that they're going to start jacking up the price on loan fees in the future to make more money.
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Mar 13, 2020 01:32
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Dr.Donkeypunch posted:Anyone have any experience with battery-powered outdoor landscaping equipment? I’m specifically looking for a leaf blower and hedge trimmer. This is from a bit ago but heres my two cents. I have an Ego lawn mower and leaf blower. They're both awesome and I love them! I bought the mower with the bigger battery and I can get my whole lawn mowed (roughly 60 x 180 ft lot with driveway and a 1500 sqft house on it) on one charge. It handles tall grass just as well as a regular gas mower. The leaf blower gets neighbors admiring it every fall. It works awesome and can really send poo poo flying with the turbo button. Would highly recommend either one.
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Jun 18, 2020 19:51
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Looks like foundation repair work to keep a wall from caving in. Definitely worth having a couple of foundation repair companies come take a look and get some quotes.
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Jun 19, 2020 21:14
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Washer chat: I bought this washer 2-3 years ago and have had 0 problems with it. Its been very reliable and performs well so far - Maytag MHW5500FW . I got the matching dryer as well and have also had 0 problems with it. The plumber I had install both said that the Maytags have been reliable in his opinion. Also someone was asking about air purifiers earlier. Based on a ton of reading I came across, like: https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/5/7/21247602/gas-stove-cooking-indoor-air-pollution-health-risks https://www.vox.com/2020/1/8/21051869/indoor-air-pollution-student-achievement I went out and bought 2 bigger Winix air purifiers from Costco, one for our dining room, one for our upstairs area, and a smaller one from Amazon for our bedroom. My initial thought behind buying them was to help with my wife's allergies. They've helped slightly but not as much as I had hoped for. I dont know that I notice a huge improvement in air quality, I guess my air feels fine? Its probably all placebo effect. Where they have definitely helped though is in cutting down on dust. I'll probably buy a few more for our TV room and guest bedroom eventually.
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Jul 2, 2020 15:20
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This looks to be the right thread for this sort of question. I'm expecting a kid in roughly 7 months, our first. We'd like to finally finish our basement to have more room so that we can move our bedroom to the 1st floor where our only current bathroom is. With interest rates as low as they are I am thinking about taking out some sort of home improvement loan to do this. I have no idea on the costs of this sort of project. Friends who had a similarly rough basement but a smaller house had theirs fully finished for $25k. Ball park I would guess $30-40K to do the same to my house. Is that a stupid amount to borrow for this sort of thing? What type of loans do I look for? I only have about 20% equity in my house right now (no PMI). Is it way to early to even think about borrowing for this? With our current savings rate we could pay to do this out of pocket in about 5 years, of course thats our current savings rate without paying $1k+ a month for future childcare.
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Jan 4, 2021 16:21
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The Dave posted:There might also be considerable savings to be had if you wait out the quarantine. Building supplies are still in high demand because everyone is stuck home wanting to fix things and by the end of 2021 that hopefully corrects itself. Thanks for mentioning this, I knew this from reading the news the past few months but with a kid on the way and being laser focused on trying to prep for that had completely forgotten about that. Motronic posted:In the current lending climate and the concerns over job losses, etc I'm going to predict this makes your entire project a non-starter. Unless you can fund it otherwise. Interesting about the lending climate. I just started a new job about a month ago as well which would probably make lenders even more picky so I guess I'll put this idea to rest for now. I just ballparked the estimate. My friends had a basement in similar shape and completely finished it last year for around $25k and their house is 2/3 the footprint of mine. Since we installed gutters early last year we havent had any water issues in the basement. But we were already planning on getting the grading redone around our house and installing french drains this spring to prepare our basement to be finished one day. Thats costing us $10k.... the joys of home ownership.
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Jan 4, 2021 16:45
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Thats good to hear as well. Yeah just sort of looking around for info at this point. I wasnt even expecting it to be done or started by the time the kid was born. We'll sit on this for now, maybe wait another year or two to see how much cash we have and go from there. The crazy thing is that if I wanted to just go buy a new house and spend another $100k on a mortgage I could probably do that and it'd be a cheap monthly payment. But we like where we are at and improving the house here and there as we can afford.
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Jan 4, 2021 17:37
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When I first bought my house I got quotes from 3 different tree places. All of them agreed on trimming the 4 giant Oak trees I have, and cutting down 2 small crappy pines on the property. Like H110Hawk said they're more financially incentivized to want those trees alive for more trimmings down the line. I can say that after years of neglect, having 3/4 trees now trimmed has made a big difference in their health to my untrained eye. The crown was raised and branches arent over my house as much. And the trees that I've had trimmed all kept their leaves a lot longer this year than the untrimmed trees.
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Jan 7, 2021 18:25
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Just use regular traps. Yeah its gross but its effective, and it will eventually (if you seal gaps into your house) eliminate them. I mean unless you like mice poo poo all over your house and having them chew up god knows what in your walls, ceilings, attics, etc. When I bought my house it had been empty for 6 months and I had major mice issues. 3 months of trapping, and about 30 dead mice later, I havent seen one since. I did have to go around and seal up gaps on the outside here and there until I discovered their ultimate entrance, a floor drain that they were crawling in and out of in the basement.
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Jan 13, 2021 17:19
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That looks like the sort of work I do 6 beers in after being meticulous for a full day, getting no where and getting impatient. I wouldnt pay for that sloppy work.
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Feb 11, 2021 22:52
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Has anyone here used one of those custom made to order blinds sites like SelectBlinds or can recommend a company? I had no idea blinds were so incredibly expensive. I've gotten a single quote so far and for 8 windows with roman fabric shades it came out to $4100 from one company. And about $2000 if I ordered online. In my mind blinds dont seem like something that would be that hard to install but maybe I'm missing something.
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Feb 19, 2021 14:44
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:I think I'm going to replace my furnace instead of chuck any more money into it. When I bought my house and immediately had to replace the boiler a few years back I was lucky enough to be friends with a senior plumber/HVAC guy. The one thing he said was actually worth it, at least for my house, was this thermostat that measured the outside temp and fed into the control unit. Basically it could sense the temps outside and automatically start increasing the heat before the inside of my house got colder. I dont think it was that much more. Besides that the only other thing I upgraded was the control unit was a bit fancier, again based on his advice. Lets me do zone heating and split the temps between my 2nd and 1st floors.
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Feb 23, 2021 14:43
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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: My wife and I just went through this process over Christmas as we decided a new couch would be our gifts to each other. Buying online seemed to be a crapshoot. Costco has some good options at a good price but less selection, and were often sold out. Might be an option for you to consider. Also most physical locations we went to had massive backorders and shipping delays. There were a few couches we liked but would've been a year out for delivery. Ultimately we found a Flexsteel, which seems to be a well regarded brand, for $3200 with only a month delivery time that we liked. Good luck in your search! Supposedly Feb-March is often the best time to buy furniture cheap, at least according to a single ConsumerReports article I read while researching.
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Feb 24, 2021 18:34
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I mean there was a massive supply crunch for lumber this year, so its not out of the realm of possibility, but doesnt excuse shoddy work. I've about given up on getting any contractors to do anything to my house for the next 5 years. Credit is cheap and everyone stuck at home has the same home improvement ideas that I do.
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Mar 3, 2021 16:05
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Well my boiler quit working last night, and is throwing an error 302 code low pressure. Looks like my expansion tank sprung a leak. Fun stuff! Just when you think everything is going well.
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Mar 4, 2021 15:03
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Well my boiler quit working last night, and is throwing an error 302 code low pressure. Looks like my expansion tank sprung a leak. Fun stuff! Just when you think everything is going well. $2k to fix. Not a problem with the boiler or the expansion tank but some sort of air bleeder valve. They need to completely empty water out of the system and purge air too. Fun stuff.
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Mar 4, 2021 19:56
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I use Farm Bureau and have been happy with them. You have to pay some upfront member cost to join each year a lot like Costco, but they've been super easy to work with on the few times I've had to contact them. The price while not the absolute cheapest when I was shopping around was only like $2-3 more than the next cheapest.
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Mar 8, 2021 14:56
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KidDynamite posted:Got another paint quote for 8k. Life is pain. Was this for the exterior of your house? I need to paint soon, and have someone peel off the 50+ years of people just sloppily painting over already peeling paint. Was wondering what it would cost me and if I could save any money trying to peel some off myself.
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Apr 7, 2021 18:01
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Zarin posted:I would think you could save some money; I've been talking to contractors about painting and landscaping and asking for a rough itemization with the understanding that "if I do some of it myself, how much can I save?" and nobody has seemed to take offense to that. Yeah I planned on a combo of scraping and a heat gun to get some stubborn parts off. I live in a 100 year old house with old wooden clapboard siding so I was a bit nervous about taking the pressure washer approach. Let me know how yours goes, will be interested to hear more.
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Apr 7, 2021 18:59
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I've used these before - https://www.amazon.com/3M-717834209102DUPE-LeadCheck-Swabs-8-Pack/dp/B008BK15PU Never tested positive for anything on the interior of my old house at least. So cant say how well they work.
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Apr 7, 2021 20:02
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Blindeye posted:Welp, the refrigerator broke. Probably a compressor failure. Oh well, it's not like I needed 1300 more dollars in my life. How old is the fridge? We had an old one die on us a few years ago. Replaced some parts for like $250 and got another 3 years out of it before we ultimately had to replace it. Might have some luck getting it repaired for cheap if its not 10+ years old.
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Apr 15, 2021 18:52
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I had a similar experience with a company. We were getting quotes for new gutters. Most of the time a guy came out, took some measurements asked a few questions, and 15 minutes later we had a quote. Then this fuckhead from Lindus construction comes, with a laptop to play us a movie, a full working diorama thing of the gutters with leaf guard and a little hose that would sprinkle water on the gutters and fake leafs, and like an hour sales pitch. We kept pushing him to hurry up as we had an appointment, and basically started putting on our coats and shoes telling him we were leaving for somewhere before he finally gave us a quote. $25,000 for gutters on a 1500 sqft house... Blocked his number, blocked his email, and never dealt with that company for anything again.
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Apr 26, 2021 18:50
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tater_salad posted:Holy gently caress, 25000 is what I'm hoping to spend on a KITCHEN REMODEL for a simlarly sized house (like 150sqft kitchen if that) not gutters. Yeah it was INSANE. Just to give some context the company we went with for gutters ended up charging us $3200, and that was with some extra add-ons included. It was so absurd, that I wonder if they sell gutters to anyone ever.
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Apr 26, 2021 20:31
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How long do people think this construction and remodeling boom goes on? I'm saving up to finish our basement, and we're attempting to have all the money saved up within 5 years. I waffle between just taking out a loan to do it now and paying the small interest rate and higher costs, or waiting for prices to come down and just paying straight cash.
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May 11, 2021 15:23
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Bi-la kaifa posted:What are the advantages of doing it now and paying interest on higher prices? Seems like a no brainer to wait if you don't have to do it now. Most obviously I get my basement sooner! Sorry I didnt phrase my question very well. I guess the risk is that costs keep going up within the next 5 years, that this is a long term boom I might not be able to necessarily wait out. DaveSauce posted:I mean, if you need to finish your basement to add a bedroom for a baby or something, then that's one thing. But if it's just to have a rec room or entertaining space, then it's something you can absolutely wait for. This is the reason for our basement remodel. We have 1 kid due in the next 3 months, and want to have one more in the next 2 years. We can make it work with babies but eventually will want the room for kids. I also like our house/neighborhood and dont want to just move to a bigger place. Would rather fix up and remodel our ancient cool house.
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May 11, 2021 17:23
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Making plans for improvements to our new house. This is the kitchen, its a bit small, but not by much and entirely usable for us.  One thing we would like to do is add some sort of range hood and vent it outside. By the looks of it this doesnt seem easily done. If you look close there is a raised bit behind the stove that is the old brick chimney. Its a 100+ year old house with plaster and lathe, and stucco exterior. Running a vent outside seems like it'll be a pain. Are we better off getting some sort of like filter hood instead? Just a big sized charcoal filter to run air through?
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Apr 20, 2022 03:10
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Silicone caulk is a bit more stretchy too if you didnt use that the first time. Its a pain to clean up if you get it where you dont want it, but its worked well for me in spots.
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Apr 21, 2022 02:26
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Consider yourself lucky! None of that seems all that bad. Of course youre probably just scratching the surface and some new exiting and fresh horrors await you.
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Apr 21, 2022 14:08
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So my new house has a toilet like this: It does not appear to be a reproduction model, ie new trying to look old, its just old. Is this a must replace right now sort of thing, or can I safely leave it as is so long as Im ok with the extra water usage? The inspector turned up no leaks, concerns, etc with it.
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May 10, 2022 14:43
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Id love to keep it! I think it looks cool and it turbo blasts turds into oblivion. Just hope it keeps on flushing away happily and leak free.
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May 10, 2022 15:05
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That sort of thing screams Costco to me. Likely to be high quality at a good price, good return policy, etc. I'd check out what they have online.
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May 11, 2022 02:24
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Here's a gross question. I'm moving soon. Do I leave the bolt on seat/bidet on the toilet? Or replace it with a regular one for the new owners?
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May 13, 2022 20:17
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Upgrade posted:This turned out nice - had a local guy build this. Need to paint it this weekend. Looks super nice! nwin posted:Convey. If it conveys, it stays. Yeah thinking ill leave it. It was there during showing, theres language that nothing with the house materially changes between showing and closing so yeah.
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May 14, 2022 01:07
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My father was a professional full time drywaller, and as a result I was an unpaid semi-pro drywaller in summers. In the time I could hang and finish a closet (still looking nice), he could have an entire room done. In my opinion do the demo yourself, maybe even do the hanging yourself if you consider yourself handy. But absolutely pay someone to come in and finish. That is if you can find someone to finish the lovely hanging job you just did.
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May 20, 2022 14:41
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I just discovered that eBay has a ton of old vintage hinges and outlet covers that would look great in my 111 year old craftsmen house. What a fun rabbit hole to go down.
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Jun 24, 2022 14:05
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I love This Old House so much. Though they're at least partially to blame for inspiring confidence in me to tackle projects larger than I ought to.
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Jun 24, 2022 18:55
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$1400 later and I'm about to have mostly lead free water in my house! Sucks to have to spend this money, then roughly $2-400 a year in filters, only to have to turn around and spend several thousand more in a few years when the city replaces the lead service line, but oh well. At least my kid wont grow up with lead brain and become some sort of delinquent, at least not because of lead poisoning. Question for the thread. My new house has 4 Mitsubishi mini split units. Whats maintenance supposed to look like on these? So far all I've seen are air filters that need cleaned out.
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Jun 30, 2022 14:18
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nwin posted:The other two places want to do a sit down with me and my wife to explain everything which seems like a pain, but seems to be common for the window industry. They want to do their whole sales pitch song and dance and will be in your home for an annoyingly long time. Just as another reference for you. My new house had 26 new double pane HE Pella windows installed last year and it cost the previous owners somewhere around $40k I believe.
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Jun 30, 2022 16:23
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StarkingBarfish posted:Is this the cost of replacing your end of the service line onwards? I just did the same, but at least the utility went plastic at their end ages ago so I was replacing the 30 or so feet of lead between the house and the hookup. Feels good man. From a while back. The $1400 is just for a whole house heavy metal filter to be installed, that includes all the parts, which I didnt think was terrible. Sometime in the next 1-10 years according to the city, they will be digging up the street in front of me, and part of my yard and replacing the old lead pipes and their half of the service line. When they do, we will pay to have the rest of our front yard dug up and replace our half of the service line and our sewer line at the same time. I dread how much that ends up being, but the lines are over 100 years old and it'll never be cheaper with the city paying to have half of the yard dug up already.
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Jul 5, 2022 15:45
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