Home Projects (upkeep/repair/mods/cool sh*t/advice/question)

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Aug 21, 2018 3:56 am

I have front hedges that I HAVE to get to before cold weather. I cant see out the windows. Theres at least 2 foot that needs to come off plus assorted vines growing on the siding. Will be nice to be able to see the road and the bird feeder. The size of them makes me wish for a gas trimmer thats twice as big in cutting length but then again Im saving on weight. having to bend out and over and hold my arms straight out is deadly tiring and the weight savings means a lot.

I have a nice old Black & Decker I got many years ago still like new because I try to take care of tools...try. The cord had about 5 splices in it..the outdoor extension cord. Ive cut it each time with those trimmers. Even cut my tv cable once. And this is me being super duper careful and knowing to watch out for that damn cord. Its a wonder I have fingers left.So I took it out the other day and simply cut all those out and spliced it once. Everything works and Im ready for my body and the weather to cooperate with me. All thats left is oiling the blades.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:00 pm

Been in my attic for the last hour, hunched over like Gollum and looking for where exactly rain water is coming in through my roof, and into my bedroom. While the hipster waterfall it has created next to my side of the bed is amazing, it's also enraging and immeasurably frustrating. It's only raining a little bit now, but I suspect as it picks up and/or you add some wind, the nature of the leak will reveal it's true mysteries to me.

I've had just about enough of this house, or at least everything in this house constantly failing, needing repair/updates/modifications/replacements. It's a never ending battle.

Oh well. Back into the attic. Maybe if I inhale enough insulation I'll go on a vision quest.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:07 pm

No smoke'm the fire retardant .

Me Im still sol. I didnt get to the hedges and its cold now. My back has been out of place for 4 days. I can barely get into and out of bed and sitting here take extra pain medicine. I should have taken the guy up on his offer to help with the hedges months ago but NoOooo not me. So bathroom still needs cleaned, hedges need cut, and many other things need doing. It would be so much easier to simply burn it all with me in the middle. Argh.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:16 pm

A leak in the skylight in our daughter's room transformed into a new roof. Yea for us! But it does look nice. Best roof ever. Ever I say (thousands of dollars later because, new roof)

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:16 pm

I get to call a plumber and see which part of the master shower is leaking water through the wall and into my closet carpet.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:25 pm

$iljanus wrote: Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:16 pm A leak in the skylight in our daughter's room transformed into a new roof. Yea for us! But it does look nice. Best roof ever. Ever I say (thousands of dollars later because, new roof)

The first guy I called for a repair let me explain the whole problem and what I needed (someone to go on the roof and troubleshoot flashing and shingles).

"So you don't want a new roof?"

"No, it's like 15 years old."

"I can't help you."

Apparently they should be calling themselves "New Roofers" because that's all they're interested in doing.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:38 pm

Smoove_B wrote:
$iljanus wrote: Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:16 pm A leak in the skylight in our daughter's room transformed into a new roof. Yea for us! But it does look nice. Best roof ever. Ever I say (thousands of dollars later because, new roof)
The first guy I called for a repair let me explain the whole problem and what I needed (someone to go on the roof and troubleshoot flashing and shingles).

"So you don't want a new roof?"

"No, it's like 15 years old."

"I can't help you."

Apparently they should be calling themselves "New Roofers" because that's all they're interested in doing.

There were some shingles that flew off our garage roof a while ago and due to the pitch I figured I'd ask a roofer to come out and replace them. Ha, ha, ha. One at least returned my call to say they don't do small jobs. The rest acted like their shit don't stink and didn't return my calls. At least when the roof was replaced recently those shingles were replaced too.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:30 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:25 pm
$iljanus wrote: Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:16 pm A leak in the skylight in our daughter's room transformed into a new roof. Yea for us! But it does look nice. Best roof ever. Ever I say (thousands of dollars later because, new roof)
The first guy I called for a repair let me explain the whole problem and what I needed (someone to go on the roof and troubleshoot flashing and shingles).

"So you don't want a new roof?"

"No, it's like 15 years old."

"I can't help you."

Apparently they should be calling themselves "New Roofers" because that's all they're interested in doing.

That's probably because water leaks in the house (from above) can be notoriously difficult to pinpoint. It's a low return, high risk job (because what they do the first, or fifth time you call them back, might not work - ask me how I know this)

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:04 pm

Interestingly enough, I had one of the six people I called show up today and in 15 minutes he figured out that (1) I don't need a new roof and (2) the people that put the last roof on were idiots. How does he know? Because he said there's no ice shield or step flashing around the chimney. He said they just ran the shingles up to the chimney and apparently went ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. He was subsequently amazed that in the 11 years we've been living here we're only noticing an actual leak inside the house now. I'm not - it's the continued slow screw the prior homeowner just keeps giving me, a solid decade later.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 12:49 am

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:04 pmI'm not - it's the continued slow screw the prior homeowner just keeps giving me, a solid decade later.

With my previous two properties I tried to leave the place slightly better than when I left it (other than every day wear and tear). In my condo I had a family friend who does historical house repairs come and put a few hours into fixing the pocket doors (they went from barely working to kind of working) and do some serious work in the hallway to fix a wall that was leaning over. In my first house we replaced the entire kitchen, put in a new wall w/ 21st century electrical (usb ports, channels for wires in the wall, etc.) between an awkwardly open kitchen and living room, and replaced the floors in both first floor bedrooms / the hallway / the living room and made them all the same height - the living room used to be two inches higher. I just can't ever picture myself leaving a place worse than how I found it. While my current house has some issues (bats in the attic, leaky showers) the 90+ year old that we bought it from had replaced the furnace, windows and roof within the last five years prior to our purchase. Nothing is perfect, but she tried to keep the important things functioning.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 1:18 am

I figure about $125-150k would get our house in tiptop shape. Since we expect to sell it in the next 4-5 years, and the "home repairs" budget line is just $120/mo, that obviously ain't gonna happen. My original plan was to add just enough debt to the HELOC to cover those improvements that will pay for themselves at sale time...but rising interest rates have scotched that idea. Now I'm wondering if we should just save our money and sell to one of those "we buy ugly houses" companies to avoid realtor and repair costs. If I don't add anything to the HELOC, it will be paid off in 4 years. Whoever buys this place will most likely want to gut it anyway -- it was spruced up before we bought it, but hasn't had a real renovation in 70 years. It needs new ceilings, floors, and everything in between.

Alternately, we are old enough now to withdraw retirement money without a tax penalty, so I could use the IRA instead of debt to do a few vital, pay-for-themselves projects. This spring I want to upgrade the electrical system to modern standards. After that...well, one hurdle at a time. We've been nicking the IRA to pay for Wife's bionic mouth project, so that might not be an option, either.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 12:15 pm

I will add my troubles. I live in a townhouse with a HOA. When I bought the house there was an assessment added to the HOA fee for fixing the heaving concrete on the patio. Part of buying negotiation the sellers payed off the assessment. It has been a couple years and in the winter the concrete heaves so much I cannot open my front door. The HOA refuses to do anything and now come back to me and says it is a "limited common element and is the homeowner's responsibility to pay for the repair". The HOA is responsible for the exterior of the house and it has already been paid for you assholes! They refuse to acknowledge that fact. They want me to pay another $7000

.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 3:32 pm

Time to get a lawyer.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 4:09 pm

Achievement unlocked: I successfully reattached the downspout that the wind sheared from the house a couple of days ago. Only took half an hour with materials and tools on hand. Yay me!

mori · Post by **mori** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 12:54 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Sun Dec 23, 2018 3:32 pm Time to get a lawyer.

Yep.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Dec 26, 2018 5:21 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:16 pm I get to call a plumber and see which part of the master shower is leaking water through the wall and into my closet carpet.

Shower pan failure, not covered by insurance. They'll cover the water damage, but not the root cause. Some reimbursement is better than nothing, I suppose.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat Jan 05, 2019 9:28 pm

mori wrote: Mon Dec 24, 2018 12:54 pm
Isgrimnur wrote: Sun Dec 23, 2018 3:32 pm Time to get a lawyer.
Yep.

Spoke to another member in my development who has the same problem and received the same letter. She is wanting to sell their property so that is 10k out of their pocket because it has to be fixed before any sale. We are getting a lawyer together. Hopefully get a couple more owners with us. Problem for me is my next door neighbor is the treasurer of the HOA

. I never had to worry about any of this shit as a renter

.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sat Jan 05, 2019 9:40 pm

Fun times. Every housing situation has its own drawbacks.

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:16 am

I posted in the randomness thread but it belongs here...

We have a 27" drop-in oven that is no longer working. The stove top works fine but the oven doesn't heat up.

We've never liked that oven much anyway - it was here when I bought the house in 2004 - so we thought we'd just replace it. Turns out there's only one 27" drop-in oven on the market and it's $1500.

We gave in and called a repair guy to take a look. It's the thermostat which would be an easy fix - if the oven wasn't ~40 years old. That part is no longer made.

Fine. I'll buy the $1500 oven.

GE no longer makes that 27" drop-in. No one makes 27" drop-in ovens. Our only option is to remodel the kitchen.

Or buy a used one like Kasey linked in the Randomness thread but the one he linked is now sold out. I imagine with others facing this same problem that used models are going to be hard to find.

Also our smoke detector decided 2:30 AM was a great time for a false alarm.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:17 pm

Maybe you're better off repairing the one you've got, since it can't be replaced. It might be as simple as an igniter.

I had a similar problem a year ago and found an Amana range at Sears, but ours is only 20." Apparently 30" is the standard nowadays, and 27" was never a very popular size. You can still find 20" and 24" ranges.

Could you go with 24" and tolerate a 1.5" gap on each side?

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:22 pm

Kraken wrote: Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:17 pm Maybe you're better off repairing the one you've got, since it can't be replaced. It might be as simple as an igniter.

I had a similar problem a year ago and found an Amana range at Sears, but ours is only 20." Apparently 30" is the standard nowadays, and 27" was never a very popular size. You can still find 20" and 24" ranges.

Could you go with 24" and tolerate a 1.5" gap on each side?

He said it was a thermostat that is no longer made or available.

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Sun Jan 06, 2019 2:11 pm

stessier wrote: Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:22 pm He said it was a thermostat that is no longer made or available.

Yeah, fixing it is no longer an option.

I don't see any 24" drop-in ranges but there are 24" slide-in models. There's nothing under the oven now other than a blank cabinet front so it may be cheaper to remove that false front and come up with 3" of filler than it would be to move the existing cabinets over 3" to accommodate the new 30" standard.

No matter what it's not going to be cheap. I think we'll stick with the toaster oven solution for a little while longer.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Jan 06, 2019 2:16 pm

stessier wrote: Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:22 pm
Kraken wrote: Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:17 pm Maybe you're better off repairing the one you've got, since it can't be replaced. It might be as simple as an igniter.

I had a similar problem a year ago and found an Amana range at Sears, but ours is only 20." Apparently 30" is the standard nowadays, and 27" was never a very popular size. You can still find 20" and 24" ranges.

Could you go with 24" and tolerate a 1.5" gap on each side?
He said it was a thermostat that is no longer made or available.

Ah, so I see.

Well, I guess his only options are to pay the big bucks for the last 27" range out there, or downsize to 24."

Our 20" Amana is actually about an inch narrower than the range that was there for 70 years before it, leaving gaps on either side that are *just* wide enough for cooking utensils and random bits of food to fall through. Wish we could've remodeled the kitchen and gotten a grown-up range, but the less-than-ideal $500 Amana beat out the $25,000 kitchen upgrade. Exodor's $1500 solution doesn't look as bad from that perspective.

Being 70 years old, our kitchen needs a new ceiling, modern lighting, wall coverings (the knotty pine paneling is probably beyond rehab and certainly beyond stylish), floor, counters, cabinets, some wiring and plumbing...basically a complete gut. $25k is a lowball estimate.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:31 pm

https://lakeland.craigslist.org/app/d/w ... 62034.html

If it would save me $1300, I'd probably even pay for shipping.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:37 pm

Here's one in Portland for a bit more. https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ppd ... 26502.html

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:22 pm

em2nought wrote: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:37 pm Here's one in Portland for a bit more. https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ppd ... 26502.html

Holy crap - that's the model that's been discontinued that's $1499 new.

We'll give them a call tomorrow.

Thanks!

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Tue Jan 08, 2019 8:07 pm

$499 later and we have a working oven again.

Sure, it's a little scratched in places but that (and $500) is a small price to pay compared to the cost of remodeling the kitchen.

Thanks again em2 for finding that listing!

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Tue Jan 08, 2019 9:32 pm

Congrats! Hopefully it will last for as long as you need it!

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:09 am

I bought myself a Ring 2 Video Doorbell for Christmas. Love it so far. I am still enjoying tweaking it on a daily basis (I'm sure that will get old soon), from the chimes (both on my app and the chime that the button pusher hears), to the sensitivity and range of the motion sensor.

My wife calls it creepy (*chime* "Someone's at the front door!").

She also woke me up the other night in a near panic because she thought she heard the sound that the Ring uses on our apps for "motion detected near the front door". It took some time for me to convince her it was just the Deep Sky weather app on my iPad announcing that showers were about to start in our immediate area (I normally don't leave the iPad in the room at night, and my iPhone is in "DND" mode - but iPad apparently was not).

If you have been considering one, the prices have really come down (esp. around BF they had some insane sales). Highly recommended gadget.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:36 am

Exodor wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 8:07 pm Thanks again em2 for finding that listing!

I'm glad it worked out for you.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jan 09, 2019 11:31 am

On Saturday, I will be replacing the bathtub faucet in the 2nd bathroom, as the shower diverter leaks. This, of course, was only discovered once the wife and I started using that one because the master bath is leaking water into my closet.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Wed Jan 09, 2019 11:51 am

We inhereted a Ring Doorbell Pro with our home last June. Its doorbell function works nicely (we've got a remote chime which provides an audible alert which is observable house-wide, and it also pings my iOS devices — not sure if MHS also has her iOS devices synced). The motion detector took a bit of tweaking: I had to set the sensitivity to the minimum (basically human faces only), then I had to manually create an area that does not include the tree or bushes in our front yard, as wind was still sufficient to create a trigger; then finally I had to disable the iOS alerts associated with motion detection as there were still too many annoyance positives. We do allow the audible chime (the really benign default chime) when it picks up motion, which does a nice job of alerting us when a delivery person has made a drop-off (and not rung the bell) or prior to someone actually ringing our doorbell. The fish-eye camera is pretty limited in viewing scope, and the timing of captures doesn't always include the portions of the event of interest (generally the walk-up, before the person is too close to see their full body/the porch-level). Because of the limited value of the camera, I also installed a wired Logi Circle 2 camera above our front door and I was able to set its fish-eye to include everything of interest. I'm a big fan of the Logi software (amazingly enough, as I've hated all their resident peripheral software on my PCs), and camera quality, and it's always our go-to device for front-door viewing. I think the Circle 2 has spoiled us, as overall I'm pretty lukewarm on the Ring.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:07 pm

I live in a part of NJ that is known for radon. As expected then, my home has a radon mitigation system (as required by law), which is basically a giant fan that runs 24/7 and a series of tubes (!) that intercepts radon, collects it, and re-routes it outside.

Not surprisingly, when you run a fan 24/7, eventually it gives out - and that's where we are. I think the fan itself is probably $50 and another $50 worth of labor to install. Maybe $200 tops if I am being generous.

Well, as it turns out, my radon mitigation system isn't up to code and so a simple fan repair cannot be done. Instead, my entire system needs to be replaced and the estimate is $2100.

If there was a club or group I could join that decries the absurdity of home ownership, I would do so in a minute. Between my (still) leaking roof and now the $2100 fan upgrade, I've had just about enough.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:12 pm

Ah, New Jersey. Where even the ground is trying to kill you.

RMC · Post by **RMC** » Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:38 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:07 pm I live in a part of NJ that is known for radon. As expected then, my home has a radon mitigation system (as required by law), which is basically a giant fan that runs 24/7 and a series of tubes (!) that intercepts radon, collects it, and re-routes it outside.

Not surprisingly, when you run a fan 24/7, eventually it gives out - and that's where we are. I think the fan itself is probably $50 and another $50 worth of labor to install. Maybe $200 tops if I am being generous.

Well, as it turns out, my radon mitigation system isn't up to code and so a simple fan repair cannot be done. Instead, my entire system needs to be replaced and the estimate is $2100.

If there was a club or group I could join that decries the absurdity of home ownership, I would do so in a minute. Between my (still) leaking roof and now the $2100 fan upgrade, I've had just about enough.

Umm... Can't you replace the fan yourself? Thank god I live in Ohio, where we don't have to upgrade to code to repair something. Added on to my house and I have a very old septic system. The health department said if I touched the spetic system I had to upgrade to code, but if I left it alone then it was grandfathered in. So I didn't update the leach field like I wanted too... Well, I didn't have the contractor do it, I did it after the fact.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:40 pm

Maybe. I didn't look into sourcing the fan and seeing if I could find a replacement. I'm also the opposite of handy, but the fan is not hardwired in either. I dunno. I might look into it, yes. What I didn't know (and what I suspect) is that the fan itself (and the specialized housing) might be something that only a licensed radon mitigation specialist can order. It's not like a generic fan - it's a special unit that's mounted between 4" PVC pipes.

EDIT: Interesting....Amazon sells them (of course they do)

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:13 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:40 pm Maybe. I didn't look into sourcing the fan and seeing if I could find a replacement. I'm also the opposite of handy, but the fan is not hardwired in either. I dunno. I might look into it, yes. What I didn't know (and what I suspect) is that the fan itself (and the specialized housing) might be something that only a licensed radon mitigation specialist can order. It's not like a generic fan - it's a special unit that's mounted between 4" PVC pipes.

EDIT: Interesting....Amazon sells them (of course they do)

We had a system in WI and the pieces were not specialized - it was really just a blower to keep the air moving. The fact that it is moving radon really didn't factor into anything. YMMV of course.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:40 pm

Unfortunately I'm over a barrel because we're looking to sell this goddamn hellhole over the next 6 months. I'm afraid that for a radon mitigation system there's no way for me to do it myself and have it be acceptable to a bank.

Unrelated, do you know anyone that wants to buy a spacious 4 BR house in rural NJ?

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:56 pm

Kraken wrote: Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:17 pm Maybe you're better off repairing the one you've got, since it can't be replaced. It might be as simple as an igniter.

I had a similar problem a year ago and found an Amana range at Sears, but ours is only 20." Apparently 30" is the standard nowadays, and 27" was never a very popular size. You can still find 20" and 24" ranges.

Could you go with 24" and tolerate a 1.5" gap on each side?

We have kind of the same problem. Old smaller GE electric stove that I have been told by a repairman has probably an unfixable glitch in the controls. I keep thinking one day we would re-do the counter surfaces, and that is what I would do if we had to yank out and put in a new stove.

mori · Post by **mori** » Fri Jan 11, 2019 11:15 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:40 pm Unfortunately I'm over a barrel because we're looking to sell this goddamn hellhole over the next 6 months. I'm afraid that for a radon mitigation system there's no way for me to do it myself and have it be acceptable to a bank.

Unrelated, do you know anyone that wants to buy a spacious 4 BR house in rural NJ?

For a Jersey boy you seem naive in the dark arts. Don't you know somebody that knows somebody?