The "Looking to become a homeowner" Thread

[drew]

In related news, I think my house in IN sold. Closing next week anyway.

[thesameguy]

GET THE MONEY!

Then spread it around.

We did a little furniture shopping the other day. Well, looking. Bought nothing. I found something at a consignment store I am pretty sure I need, but I don't know where to put it and not confident I have the skill to refurb it. BUT IT'S AWESOME.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19742&authkey=!AGcLn14lFe98zH4&ithint=folder%2c

[Random]

GET THE MONEY!

Then spread it around.

We did a little furniture shopping the other day. Well, looking. Bought nothing. I found something at a consignment store I am pretty sure I need, but I don't know where to put it and not confident I have the skill to refurb it. BUT IT'S AWESOME.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19742&authkey=!AGcLn14lFe98zH4&ithint=folder%2c

Use it as a teev stand for the ultimate in technological dissonance? :D

I agree, that's rad.

[thesameguy]

They had another similar piece - much smaller, lighter wood, but a Magnavox console TV. It would be a fine consolation prize. I am seriously thinking about doing exactly what you said - using it for a TV stand in the exercise room. Right now, that's some half-assed Ikea Gorm shelving that's been kustomized, but I'd throw that shit in the fireplace to have a vintage record, 4mm, and 8-track player. It's two bills! That's it!

[Random]

Dude. How is it that you have not yet fired up the Ferd?

[thesameguy]

TBH, wha?

[speedpimp]

Ford?

[thesameguy]

That's what I thought, but what Ford haven't I fired up?

[Random]

Did you sell the F150 already?

[thesameguy]

Not yet - on schedule for sometime this month. I have one more giant load of brush to make & dump, and a pile of wood to buy from Lowes/HD etc. I was hoping to do that this weekend so I could put it up for sale next, but this weather is not friendly to working outside. I'm probably delayed a bit.

[Random]

SO, make use of it for moving a largish piece of furniture instead. ;)

[thesameguy]

Ooooooo...IC. That might happen this weekend, but I am feeling vaguely depressed about the whole thing (there are more pieces in play) and probably won't do anything at all. This year has been a struggle house-wise, and I'm just about out of fight as far as it's concerned.

[Random]

Word.

[thesameguy]

Finally got to a sensible temp around 8pm so I started back on the garage. The story isn't important, but check out the wack "construction" between the shop and the garage....

From the garage towards the shop: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19751&authkey=!AGC9JxtDXPCr-CQ&v=3&ithint=photo%

Going the other way: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19752&authkey=!AB3YjTK4Vm7iaOk&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

Dafuq?

Thank Dog I had a long ass drill bit.

Cutting the hole for a low voltage box was a mistake, obviously. So, oops. Gonna have to go surface mount, hopefully it covers the hole.

[JoshInKC]

In all, I will definitely say you've got a building that's been added on to.
Okay, looks like you've got three layers going on. Good deal. That first pic appears to be some sort of cheap fiberboard siding - not too terrible to deal with, but it will flat-out devour saw blades and the like. Then you've got old, bias-laid 1x4 (or 6) with black(maybe tarred) paper sealant on one side (visible in the second pic). Finally, there's textured 1/2 inch sheetrock mounted to some kind of 1-by-x toe board or spacer. A pain in the ass, but no real big problems. You could do an inset box, but it'd be a ton more work for little actual gain. If you're worried about covering the hole, use a surface mount double outlet box intended for outdoors use - It'll cover the hole, be sealed from dust, and you'll be able to attach conduit to it if you need/want.

[mk]

Cutting the hole for a low voltage box was a mistake, obviously.
Why, cant you use things like gypsum anchors?

[thesameguy]

In all, I will definitely say you've got a building that's been added on to.
Okay, looks like you've got three layers going on. Good deal.

Yeah! I always thought the workshop was added onto the garage, but now I think it's the opposite. Maybe the workshop was a garage converted into a workshop and then the garage was added on. Very odd. I cannot figure out the wall construction behind the drywall in the shop. That toe board is all sorts of weird. It's 15" or so down from the ceiling, like in the middle of the wall. No idea why you'd need something like that there. Not understanding the reasoning behind the construction, I opted out of the cut-in box - I don't want to inadvertently compromise some weird-ass assembly. So, surface mount it is.


Why, cant you use things like gypsum anchors?

Not enough depth unfortunately. The sheetrock is laid over what appears to be solid wood construction *mostly* - not a modern stud framing. Very odd. At least I know now why my studfinder was having such a hard time finding studs. :lol:

Fortunately I cut the hole for the cut-in fairly undersized, so a replacement surface mount box covered it. :up:

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19756&authkey=!AA9KCIC-As-8cEI&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

I need to order more speaker wire to connect it to the receiver.

For the rehab'ed Bostons, I got some EZ Anchors to facilitate hanging them:

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19758&authkey=!AEyTgqqijFIKllY&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

I love EZ Anchors.

$8/pair Monoprice speaker mounts are not bad. Not good, but not bad,

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19757&authkey=!ALPjulhRbSKNVjA&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

They hang 28lb/ea Bostons ok.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19754&authkey=!APxwdoMrI0qQTOI&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

Got the garage side wired up without issue. I will wait for testing before securing the speaker wire any better.

Inside the garage, really awful $3/pr mounts hold some Pinnacle monitors. These mounts are SCARY BAD. I will replace them soon - I am pretty sure they are going to melt in the heat, and that's not an exaggeration.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19755&authkey=!AEbIR_D0a7LfMWk&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

So, I just need some additional speaker wire and, I think, an "impedance matching speaker switch" -

http://www.parts-express.com/wired-home-ss8-speaker-selector-impedance-matching-1-in-8-out--300-974

I could do some math and get non-impedance-matching one and get some better power out of the amp, but with three sets of 8 ohm speakers to deal with, it's just easier this way. :)

[speedpimp]

Not enough depth unfortunately. The sheetrock is laid over what appears to be solid wood construction *mostly* - not a modern stud framing. Very odd. At least I know now why my studfinder was having such a hard time finding studs. :lol:















Just do what I do and look in the mirror.

[thesameguy]

Anyone have any commentary on these

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19965&authkey=!AE8m_x8Dc1sLSG4&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

Versus these

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=761A647D1BA02FAC!19966&authkey=!AA2e1UB8vDzc-uI&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

?

[Random]

I like the first one--it looks like it stabilizes in more directions.

[thesameguy]

It definitely might. I don't know enough about construction to really understand the application of this stuff. :lol:

Someday someone is going to see what I've done here and wonder what asshat decided to pick up the tools in the first place.

I don't even know what you call these things to do research on the internet. Oops.

[Kchrpm]

Either could be called L brackets or corner brace/brackets, from a coworker and quick Google.

Maybe inside corner bracket for the fancier one.

[thesameguy]

Check! Off to do some research and discover how I am misusing them. :)

They were just an easy choice for the prototype, but I'm starting on the final product this weekend. I want to do it right. :)

[Kchrpm]

Personally I'd probably trust something like this the most, since it has a cross member directly along the path you're trying to reinforce

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WxKtW4Q9L._SX342_.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/Faztek-Aluminum-6063-T6-Bracket-Anodize/dp/B008MQ9LHM?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

[thesameguy]

Ha! I just saw that - that piece looks awesome. I looked at more of Fastek's stuff while I was there. It makes me excited!

I don't think I need much strength here. I am basically using these brackets to make the framing easier. They are being completely covered with 5/16" engineered ply. Once assembled they are VERY rigid. The brackets just help ensure everything is square and I can move them around before the surface is installed.

That said, I really like the way those Fastek pieces look, and even though they are expensive I just might go with them. Did I mention that they look cool?

[thesameguy]

Just realized I need 24 corners worth of brackets. I am not made of enough money to spend $264 on hardware.

I think this is my backup:

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Hardware-3-Inch-Corner-Plated/dp/B000JH8SYO?ie=UTF8&keywords=zinc%20corner%20bracket&qid=1465411663&ref_=sr_1_7&s=industrial&sr=1-7

Lowes *says* they have a similar part for $2ea, but you can't order it. Home Depot has them for $5ea. Amazon at $4.50 ($9/pr)seems like the best bet.

[mk]

The brackets just help ensure everything is square
Second ones wont do that.

Dont save in cross-measuring.

[thesameguy]

This project is moving forward NOW. Amazon should be delivering 24 of these:

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/400/d5/d5ab4b80-9415-4800-98a7-96a2fadb0f79_400.jpg

today. I will pick up a stack of 2x4s and 2x6s tonight or tomorrow and get to framing the thing.

The surface is going to be engineered siding, which should be good for resisting the environment. The edges of the siding are shiplap, which creates some complications - I have four 62" wide doors and two 56" wide doors, and the siding is 48" long. I can buy two sheets of siding for each door and have only four cuts in two different sizes but a mountain of waste and extra cost (~$150), or I can treat the install as a linear project and have six or eight completely different cuts and almost no waste. The first approach would mean I could just have Lowes/Home Depot/whatever make the cuts and be done, the latter means I have to make the cuts. I have no way to cut ply sheets. After agonizing about it for a while, I opted for the latter approach and ordered a small, fairly cheap circular saw:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMLWL6W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Instead of spending $150 on plywood I'd mostly throw away, I'll spend $80 on a saw that I get to keep. I can live with that.

I'm not positive I can, but there's a good chance I can finish this project this weekend - Lord knows I've been staring at it long enough I should know what I'm doing by now. That leaves only a couple dump runs of mostly tree parts left for the F150, then it's gone!

Also, signing refi papers on Monday. 3%, 15 years. Payment only goes up by $150/mo, shaves nine freakin' years off the mortgage. Times like these I remember why I really don't like payment plans on anything - having the freedom to take on a bigger monthly nut for a good cause is a-ok.

Snap... just remembered that Parts Express is probably delivering my speaker switch and additional speaker wire today. I can finish my entertainment install so I have tunes while futzing with the garage doors. Yeah! Once this is all knocked out, I only have about two billion things left to do on the house!

[thesameguy]

I was in the office till about 4am this morning so I took the AM hours off for sleep. I didn't actually do that, so I went outside and worked before it got too hot (which, for me, is >95F).

Three years ago I figured out the solution to a garage that can't have a rollup door.
Two years ago I finally found the hardware necessary to put that design together.
Last year I forked over the nearly two grand for said hardware and installed it.

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AqwvoBt9ZBp2nA9z_ctaBp1sXDW7

It took a whole year for me to figure out exactly how to make the doors and then execute, but at long last it's done.

Closed: https://1drv.ms/i/s!AqwvoBt9ZBp2gZ8_nA4bEkHBiJ9GUA

Car side open: https://1drv.ms/i/s!AqwvoBt9ZBp2gZ8-z5aZYlwI4pINAA

There is some overhang into the Falcon's side when open that could not be avoided - https://1drv.ms/i/s!AqwvoBt9ZBp2gZ89LhhwDkEZpJpISA

The garage is plenty wide so it won't be an issue. And if by some chance I really needed that extra 14", the doors obviously slide the other way as well.

There is still some work to be done - the brackets need adjustment to make the doors hang perfectly vertically... it's just a pair of 7/8" nuts per door, not a big deal. I need to figure out some sort of handle, some sort of latching system, and if I can get my brain to fire on all thrusters some sort of locking system. But the big effort is done, and it works really well. The round channel and Delrin & ball bearing rollers make moving the doors easy. It's two finger light.

I am really stoked to finally have a way to keep the outside outside. Unfortunately, after I do a thorough cleaning of the garage this weekend I am then left in the unfortunate situation of having zero excuses for not replacing the gutters and painting the whole structure. I'd really rather not, but I know I'll be happy when it's truly done.

Also this weekend is a mountain of tree-trimming so I can use the F150 one last time. I'm nearly two months behind, but hopefully next week it can go up for sale. At least I can use whatever I get for it to help fund the gutters. :|

[21Kid]

Neat!

I like the look of Barn doors when I see them in website photos. But, when I think of them, it seems like a waste of wall space when open. I'd much rather prefer pocket doors. Your installation looks nice and functional. :cool::up: Do they all slide to one side?

[thesameguy]

There are two tracks with three doors each and the doors can slide right or left. There is unfortunately no way to open all three sections of the garage at the same time, but that's just not a concern, there's no need to do that. Any two sections can be open at a time, with the caveat that if both car sections are open there is that 14" unsolvable overhang/blockage by the Falcon. Given how wide the garage is, a loss of 14" is not an issue.

There are so many things I wish I could have done for a cleaner installation, but I was limited by the construction of the building. The eve isn't level with the ground, which limited door height. The assembly of that front crossbeam is suspicious (and part of the reason why a rollup door wasn't possible) and I didn't want to over-lever it which limited thickness of the doors - hence the six holes at the top of each door recessing the hardware. I'm not even sure there is clearance for any trim, but I'm going to try. The doors look pretty bland as they are. We'll see.

I stared at things for a while last night and I have some good (I think) ideas for creating a locking/latching system. Horizontal clearance is again an issue there. I'm going to work on that, I need to secure the surface joints, look into some trim, paint, and maybe insulate the doors with radiant barrier to help keep heat out of the garage. Although, honestly, the engineered siding is so dense it doesn't transmit a great deal of heat. Even at the peak of the heat yesterday the interior of the garage was totally fine. A huge improvement.

So much work to do this weekend!

[21Kid]

I was just wondering because it didn't look like there was anywhere for the doors to go 'left' in the pictures. :) Definitely a good compromise.

[thesameguy]

Yeah, there isn't. The only way to clear that section with a left-hand slide would be to hang the rails out in space which can't work.

For a long time I've been irked that the door to the workshop is all crowded into the (facing) right corner as it creates a space-usage issue on the inside. In the end that really worked to my benefit, as it gives the doors a place to stack without interfering with access to the workshop. :lol:

[Random]

I've been slowly chasing down leaky sprinkler heads in our front lawn. SO FUN. :smh:

Looks like the front corner leak is actually the supply pipe--joy.

[Yeti]

The Volvo is officially up for sale because I want a hause :(

I'll probably regret that but *shrug*

[21Kid]

:(

[Random]

At least you live some place where selling the Volvo gets you materially closer to buying a house. ;) :)

[novicius]

The Volvo is officially up for sale because I want a hause :(

I'll probably regret that but *shrug*
D'oh! Just rent for another year or two... :(

[Yeti]

Even without selling the Volvo I can just save longer for a down payment, but a bigger down payment never hurt anyone.

[novicius]

...but at what cost, man?! :D

[Phil_SS]

After coming back from a week vacation my wife decided she had finally had enough of our 80's tastic brown plastic Kitchen. So I spent my July 4th weekend priming and then painting the cabinets & doors and painting the walls near the cabinets.

Looks much better and should allow for a respite before a total redo in a few years.

[Yeti]

...but at what cost, man?! :D

What if I promise to buy something cool later on?

[thesameguy]

After coming back from a week vacation my wife decided she had finally had enough of our 80's tastic brown plastic Kitchen. So I spent my July 4th weekend priming and then painting the cabinets & doors and painting the walls near the cabinets.

Looks much better and should allow for a respite before a total redo in a few years.

Afraid we're going to need to pics.

[21Kid]

They're on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/abrito/posts/10153552531551813?pnref=story).

[thesameguy]

The best thing about Facebook is that I'm not on it.

[Phil_SS]

Hopefully this works. The first pic was from the day we bought the house. The drapery looking thing above the sink was removed a split second after we walked in after signing the papers. But the rest was still there.

181218131814

[Random]

At least your draperies didn't look like lady parts.

[thesameguy]

Mmmm... Country Style. ;)

Huge improvement and nice work!

When we moved in, I left all the horrible drapes to help motivate me. Unfortunately, that had the opposite effect and over time I grew accustomed to them. Oops.

[Random]

Did they look like lady parts?

[21Kid]

We left ours too... However we painted before we even moved in. It was easier without a bunch of stuff in the way.

[thesameguy]

Did they look like lady parts?

Depends on where you get your imagery of lady parts, but I'm gonna go with yes. Although not the type of lady parts you see indoors. Not the clean ones.

[shakes]

Any idea what options exist for adding forced air heating/cooling to a house that has no basement or crawlspace? Its a 1960s slab on grade open concept bungalow. And it has no attic, the ceilings are all vaulted right up to the roof line. Right now the place has baseboards everywhere and a natural gas fireplace in the living room. I have no particular issue with the baseboards other than the fact that electricity in Ontario is stupid expensive and it gets pretty cold in the winter. Definitely need a forced air furnace and it'd only take a few years to recover the installation cost with savings on the hydro bill.

Is my only option running bulkheads and ductwork everywhere along the ceilings?

[mk]

We use stoves and thrue the wall air to air heat pumps, air to water if possible.
Ground heat is also used, mainly for new stuff, I guess.

IMO quite optimal is:
Water circulated central heating with
over the heating period carrying hot water storage,
solid fuel capable CHP for electricity and
solar steam for storage charge.

[dodint]

Ontario, California or Canada?

[Yeti]

Mini-split heat pumps like mk mentioned are an idea, but they simply stop being effective in properly sub-zero weather. Mitsubishi makes the best ones, both in terms of how well they work and how easy they are to repair, IMO (before my current jorb, I spent five years working as a service tech at a Carrier FAS/Mitsubishi Diamond/Burnham HVAC contractor). Daikins, Samsungs, Fujitsu's, etc are cheaper but you get what you pay for.

Hanging exposed spiral ductwork from ceilings was a trendy thing for a while, lel. Still kind of is. If you've got some weird modern house, maybe that would look kind of appropriate.

The thought of heating a house like you describe with electric baseboards and not going broke in the process is making my head spin.

[shakes]

I was exploring the idea of in-floor radiant heating but quickly realized that'd create more problems than it would solve. I'd have to rip out perfectly good flooring, put down a sub-floor to accomodate the hot water tubing and then install a new floor on top of that. Then I'd have to figure out what to do with every single door in the place since none of them would fit anymore.

I'm liking the idea of exposed ductwork along the ceilings, they're all high enough that it'd work and the modern/industrial element would definitely work well with the rest of the house. The roof is not flat but its a low enough pitch (1/12) that I might even be able to install the HVAC unit on the roof.

[mk]

Have you tried how far you can get with portable generator?

3800 Watt Dual Fuel
10.5 hours on a 20 lb. propane tank at 50% load

So 1,9kW and 10,5h is approx. 1kWh with 1lb of propane.
How much/little is that?

[Yeti]

A rooftop gas pack is definitely an idea, but two things.

1. You'll need to do quite a bit of work on the roof, installing a curb, structural considerations, etc.

2. You'll have a far longeer-lived system if you can keep the heat side indoors. A standard furnace installed in your closet or utility room will last about 20 years if cared for. A rooftop? 12 if you're lucky.

[Tom Servo]

As I guess is customary, the seller bought a year's worth of a "home warranty" for us. A few weeks back, we noticed that water was leaking out of both AC units onto the floor. Call home warranty people, and they send someone out who says that both of them have clogged drains. The one upstairs has an access panel and apparently will be easy to clean out, the downstairs goes into the ceiling above the bathroom, and a hole needed to be cut into the ceiling to access it. Home warranty says they'll cover the drain cleaning, but not the hole/patching for the ceiling :/

So, we had the good subcontractor from our kitchen job come out and cut a hole in the ceiling for us. Then we schedule another AC appointment, but it's a massive heat wave so they can't get out here for another 4-5 days. Fine, we'll live.

Then my wife goes to take a shower and water starts pouring out of the hole in the ceiling. No idea how long this has been going on, but it's clearly sub-optimal. Call home warranty people again, they send a plumber out to look at it. Shower pan is leaking. They can do that, but they have to basically break up the floor of the shower to get to it, and that's the job of another contractor. Now we wait until, presumably, the home warranty people say they won't cover that either, and who knows how much that will cost.

Thankfully we have a bathtub that's separate and still working, but the wife is now talking about probably having to wash her hair in the kitchen sink.

So far, homeownership has not been a particularly wonderful thing.

[Kchrpm]

You'll get past all the teething problems and then it'll be great :)

[Tom Servo]

I'd just like to know when that's going to happen. Some relatives invited us to come to stay with them in the Yucatan later this year, but this is going to kill all the savings for that.

[Tom Servo]

Claim got denied. They cover replacing the shower pan, but not going into the shower floor to do it. Just like they cover cleaning out the drainage pipes for the AC, just not cutting into the ceiling to get to them. Or fixing the pipes, but not cutting into the wall to get to them.

Wish I'd learned sooner that home warranties are a total scam. As soon as I started in on the "flood my social media" with how awful this company is, all I'm hearing is that they're all that shitty. So, now we wait until Sunday to get an estimate from the good subcontractor on our kitchen for the work.

My personal vow to try to make the world a better place: If we sell this place, in lieu of buying a home warranty policy for the buyer, we'll pay that amount of money towards the buyer's closing costs instead. It's my realization now that this company, beyond what the seller paid them for the policy, has collected somewhere around $260 from us and has provided no service. That's how they survive. Most first-time homebuyers probably contribute at least $500 overall before they realize what's going on. Get enough volume of that and life is good.

Now it's making me wonder if the initial inspection was bullshit or not. You have to use their contractors who get a cut of the fee when they come out. What's easier than rolling out, saying it's something you know the warranty won't cover, collecting your cut 15 minutes later, and heading out to the next gig?

Fuck everything about these people. Now I get to spend the next few days wondering how much the shower is going to cost.

[21Kid]

:( Sorry to hear.

They're similar to extended warranties on electronics. Or any other type of insurance. They make money by finding was to not fix things. And being super specific to what they cover.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Maybe you can sue the inspector company... if it's under $10k, take them to small claims court.

Heck, try to take the home warranty company to small claims court too if you can...

Or maybe work with your contractor... to bill you extra for fixing the pipes but include cutting and patching up the wall for free?

Home ownership has its headaches, but at least it's not a total money pit compared to renting. Unless you end up living in a ghost town, you'll get your money back eventually... real estate prices will most likely only go up... hang in there.

[JoshInKC]

Yeah, pretty much all home warranties are like that - Where they become useful is when your water heater/furnace/AC/fridge, etc. dies. Then, you take the (low)monetary value that they pay you for your broken appliance and use that to partially pay for your upgrade.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Home insurance should also cover some of it if the damage is high enough, right?

[Tom Servo]

It feels weird to say this is unfortunate, but that's the unfortunate part of catching it before it turned into a total disaster. There isn't much damage from the water, and it wasn't a "sudden accidental discharge of a large volume of water", so for now it's not covered.

[Tom Servo]

Had the good contractor from the kitchen remodel come out and take a look. Says it's not the shower pan, it's that the drain from the shower isn't even connected to the drain pipe below it. It wasn't connected up and whoever did it before just wrapped it with insulation to "protect" it from leaking. Don't know if it was the former owner of the place that decided that that was okay, if a contractor did it without telling her, or if this has been that way for a very long time.

Have to destroy the bottom half of the shower to fix it, and it's not like we can match the tile that's there, so we're basically going to have to redo the shower. Means the shower will be out of commission for about two weeks and cost a small fortune.

At least the car didn't turn out to be too bad. Wheel bearing had gone bad in the front left, and the brake pads needed replacing, too. At least that problem is fixed.

[Random]

Likely the PO's contractor did it.

Contractor can't fix it from below?

[Tom Servo]

Not seeming like it. I'm pretty ignorant overall in this, but looking up there it looks like it's up above part of the frame of the place, not just drywall/plaster, so it looks pretty difficult to get to from below.

[mk]

Isn't it an error?

Leak and installation/construction error should be different.

[Tom Servo]

Probably a more accurate description, yes.

[mk]

Insurance should be different also.

Like a liability protection, for and against.

[Tom Servo]

That'd be nice...this is definitely not an expense we had planned for.

[Drachen596]

Anyonr understand points for a mortgage? Chaes website seems to contradict itself or im just not getting it.

[Tom Servo]

The shower has now been demolished, but the demolition crew apparently didn't know how far down they were supposed to demolish. They didn't go down far enough, so now they can't do the plumbing work they were going to do today, and it's illegal on a Sunday to go bashing through a floor like that due to noise.

So, everything's postponed a day now. At least it gives us time to go do the tile shopping.

[Tom Servo]

Tile's been bought. Porcelain that looks a hell of a lot like natural stone in a lighter caramel sorta color with some copper-like tiles for accent work, like in the back of the niches that we're putting in.

That turned out to be more expensive than I'd wanted, so the plan to swap out the lighting in the rest of the bathroom has been pushed aside. Tuesday is when we try to figure out what fixtures we want.

[Random]

Anyonr understand points for a mortgage? Chaes website seems to contradict itself or im just not getting it.

You pay extra up front to get a lower interest rate, i.e. instead of getting a 4% mortgage, you pay 1% ("a point") (of the mortgage value) and get a 3% mortgage.

[Drachen596]

So... I'm going to see a realtor and probably a mortgage lender or my bank this week.

do you think i can safely estimate payments using the fact i know what my coworker is paying what he put down and his sale price? His house is more than the one i am looking at and per him his credit is 100 or so lower than mine.

[21Kid]

Paying points only makes sense if you plan on keeping your house for more than 10 years.

There are plenty of online mortgage calculators. If you look up the house on Zillow, there's one there. Or BankRate.com's is pretty good, because you can also see what current rates are like. Even Google has a mortgage payment calculator.

I'd go with zillow or realtor.com because they should already know the property taxes to calculate in the payment.

[Drachen596]

Fwiw i feel like their estimators are really low. They show in the 300 range for payments.

my banks shows 400 to 500 on a 30 year with just over 10% down.

is there any harm to takin a 30 year and just making bigger payments vs a 15 year?

[Kchrpm]

You can get offered a lower interest rate on a 15-year loan than a 30-year loan.

[TheBenior]

is there any harm to takin a 30 year and just making bigger payments vs a 15 year?
Apart from higher interest rates, not really. I pay an extra few hundred a month on my mortgage.

[Tom Servo]

It smells very bad when people use hot tar in your house.

[Random]

Fwiw i feel like their estimators are really low. They show in the 300 range for payments.

my banks shows 400 to 500 on a 30 year with just over 10% down.

is there any harm to takin a 30 year and just making bigger payments vs a 15 year?

Monthly payments on a 30-yr fixed should be lower than on a 15-yr fixed, but you make more of them and end up spending more money in total (assuming you stay in the house, etc etc). That's the big trade off. Lower payments (but more of them) vs. lower interest rate and higher payments.

For example, if we refinanced our house at the moment, bankrate.com thinks we'd get 3.375% for a 30-yr fixed and 2.625% for a 15-yr fixed. On a loan of $250k, payments about $600 less for the 30-yr, but we would spend almost 3x in interest over the life of the loan vs. the 15-yr.

edit: shit, I hadn't realized that rates had gotten so low again. May need to re-fi...

[21Kid]

Fwiw i feel like their estimators are really low. They show in the 300 range for payments.

my banks shows 400 to 500 on a 30 year with just over 10% down.

is there any harm to takin a 30 year and just making bigger payments vs a 15 year?Most of them default to 20% down. Make sure all of the variables are accounted for. Interest rate, down payment, taxes, insurance.

I'd personally take the security of the lower payment on a 30yr and just pay more each month. You don't have to make it a certain amount. Anything extra used towards the principal helps bring down the total in the end. The earlier you can throw some extra $$$ at it, the more you'll save in the end because of compounding interest.

[Yeti]

I'm starting to take the actual houses less and less into consideration while looking.

Now I'm more interested in having enough land to build a garage.

I should just buy a few acres and park a doublewide on it. And then build a fancy garage :lol:

[21Kid]

Just live in the garage. :cool:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/7a/0a/0a/7a0a0ad5736886f0698c166b08a4e682.jpg

[Random]

Zoning is occasionally an issue for converted warehouse space. Plus figuring out how to condition the living space...house within a house?

But other than that, I'm a fan. :D

[Kchrpm]

...Switch that Camaro for a Grand Sport and I am totally fucking in.

[Drachen596]

Bank or mortgage company? Which is better to talk to about preapproval and such?

[21Kid]

I'd personally say a mortgage company, but that's from my own experience's working with them. Mortgage companies will sell your mortgage to someone else, usually Fannie or Freddie, then they pick a servicer to take care of the payments, etc...

If you go to a bank, they usually are keeping it for their own portfolio. Which means you only have access to their certain products/rates/etc...

While you may not like that the mortgage gets sold, that means they have the option to search around for the best rates for your application. Some companies have better rates for people with lower credit scores, some companies have better rates for FHA loans, for Homestyle programs, investment properties, etc...

And honestly, the bank may end up selling it someday anyway.

Just be careful of application fees. You should be able to get prequalified for free.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Bank or mortgage company? Which is better to talk to about preapproval and such?

Big banks probably are more capable of 'talking' with you rather than small mortgage companies... you're just in to see how much you can get pre-approved, so it doesn't really matter where you go... just make sure you don't get charged for it. I suggest you goto the bank you're currently banking with...

When you're actually ready to borrow the money to buy a particular house, mortgage companies probably wll be cheaper than big banks. You definitely need to shop around to get the best rates. Bigger banks usually won't be cheaper...

[Kchrpm]

If I was going to host annual GTXFPs and monthly Meetup parties, I'd buy this place: https://www.redfin.com/OH/Goshen/2443-Ohio-28-45122/home/71341680

https://ssl.cdn-redfin.com/photo/158/bigphoto/892/1484892_5.jpg

[mk]

Leftmost must be robot mower r&d.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I think that's just a swing set for the kids..., but yeah, I can't imagine how long it'll take to mow the lawn of that place!!!

[mk]

Leftmost
Hiding behind the tree.

[dodint]

There is zero chance Keith grows his own food.

I love that the house has a two car garage in addition to the larger un-attached garage. That way you can show favoritism towards your vehicles, you can have house cars and outside cars, like pets.

[Kchrpm]

Would a lemon tree count?

[dodint]

I get the feeling if life gave you lemons you'd just post about it on Facebook.

[Kchrpm]

Arguably the most important things to happen to me in the last few weeks haven't even been hinted about on Facebook.

[novicius]

Pics or gtfo :assclown:

[Kchrpm]

Unfortunately she is already g(ing)tfo :(

[dodint]

Arguably the most important things to happen to me in the last few weeks haven't even been hinted about on Facebook.

Bro, it's been months since I was there.

;)

[novicius]

Unfortunately she is already g(ing)tfo :(
The first challenge is catching their interest. The second challenge is keeping it. #goodluck

[Kchrpm]

The third is keeping their job from moving them out of state.

[Tom Servo]

As of tomorrow morning, we'll have a working shower. Painting happens next week after all the fun stuff has dried, but the shower will be working.

It feels like it's been forever.

[Tom Servo]

We got to shower this morning!

Downside is that it didn't get quite hot enough and took a while to heat up. I think that's something that can be adjusted on the valve, but going to ask our contractor to check that out when he comes back to finish things off. Plus side, we didn't have to drive to Santa Monica at 6am to take a shower!

https://m.ctznapp-demo.com/s3/demo.ctzn/cb/61/6c5de5b773c247f07a4d9ad086b3073769d3.jpg=s2048x204 8

[Crazed_Insanity]

Looks good!

Can you adjust your shower head and place it any higher though? :D

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, they did put it pretty high. A little late to change it now though.

[Kchrpm]

High shower head = more like rain = more fancy.

Although, with a shower like that, it's hard to get much fancier #mustbenice

[21Kid]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91k-Hqmc1YL._SL1500_.jpg

[Kchrpm]

I meant more the fancy tile than the shower head, but it's nice of you to pretend you're down here with the rest of us.

[Tom Servo]

The nice thing about the tile at least is that they appear to have figured out how to make porcelain look like stone. Looks fancier than it is. But yeah - knowing that we wanted to eventually remodel the bathroom, when you're looking at about $4k for the repairs alone it just kinda feels like you might as well drop some more doing it right the first time rather than go through the whole process only to do it again a few years down the road.

[JoshInKC]

I love a high showerhead. Being 6'2", it's sometimes hard to find a shower in which I can both stand up straight and wash my hair at the same time.

[Yeti]

When I actually own a house I plan to install a central showerhead on my shower. Even if I have to half-ass it and run the plumbing exposed. I don't care. I used a shower with a large central showerhead on it once and now I want one.

[21Kid]

I still haven't tried one. I always wonder about it though, because you can't direct the water to a different area.

[Kchrpm]

What if you have a detachable shower head and then put a mount/handle on the ceiling?

[Crazed_Insanity]

It'd be easier to just put your hand up in the general vicinity of the ceiling to enjoy the rain like effect..., when you're tired of it, then put the shower head back on the mount. :D

[21Kid]

What if you have a detachable shower head and then put a mount/handle on the ceiling?

I got one of these (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CFACMI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for my kids to use the shower head at a lower height... It didn't work. :(

[Tom Servo]

I still haven't tried one. I always wonder about it though, because you can't direct the water to a different area.

That was the problem I had with it. We had one of them at a hotel room during our honeymoon. We both saw it and thought "That looks so awesome!", then we actually took showers and thought "So that's why they don't have them everywhere..."

[shakes]

After a couple of failed attempts (lost out in a multiple offer situation, financing issues and then stupid sellers) I finally managed to get a sold sign on this little place. Houses aren't particularly expensive where I live but there is a lot of competition among buyers for good quality housing at a reasonable price. The yard was the main thing that sold us. Its half an acre (87 feet by 250 feet) backing onto a forest and in a rural setting. It needs a few minor things here and there but the bones are good.

1920

[JoshInKC]

Roofers at my house because in the torrential rainstorms we've been having the seam between my house and garage (with less slope) started leaking. When the job was quoted, it was just replace the soft decking on the garage, fix the seam, and re-shingle. They showed up this afternoon and began tear-off of the garage roof, only to find that the rafter are beyond f*cked and need to be replaced. Ugh.

[George]

Josh, did you run that through your homeowners insurance company or just call some roofers directly?

Curious, because I'm in a similar situation, though hopefully it's just leaks around our skylights and not rafters being beyond f*ucked.

[JoshInKC]

Talked to my insurance agent informally, he said that the roof was of an age that they probably wouldn't cover it since we didn't have hail or other impact damage. I'm glad now that they didn't - they would have called it a pre-existing condition or something and it would take a hell of a lot more money and time with a partial roof to get it fixed the "right" way, as opposed to the much easier and cheaper 99% way.

If I were you, I'd call a roofer for a free estimate first, decide if you can afford it out of pocket, and leave insurance out of the loop, but then I'm very mistrustful of insurers, etc.

[George]

I've called roofers but as soon as I say "repair", they lose all interest and suggest I contact a handyman. I'm very mistrustful of handymen, based on prior experience with several. What's worse is I've been up on the roof an everything looks perfect. I was hoping to see some damage or an obvious leak, but as it is now, I don't even know where the water is coming in. The roof is probably five years old, I'll guess. I'm sure I could look it up in our files and find out.

We've had good luck with our home insurance company, so I'll probably call them next. Thank you for your input.

[JoshInKC]

That makes sense, at five years old it really shouldn't be leaking.
Good luck, skylights can be a real pain to stop leaks - not unlike t-tops on a car.

[dodint]

Wish I had a high shower head. Mine directs the spray at about nipple level.

[Random]

FWIW, rates (*in the US) are super-low still/again. We're looking at refinancing into a 15-year mortgage at 2.75% :eek: It will add a few hundred to our monthly payment, but save us over $100k in interest. (And yes, we're planning to be in this house for the life of that loan. :))

[TheBenior]

These super low rates and locally appreciating property values have got me curious to see if I can refinance and ditch PMI. I bought my house at $250k with 5% down at 4.25% on a 30 year note 2 years ago. Down the block, a not particularly spectacular, slightly larger house just sold for $296k.

[Drachen596]

So... how difficult to add central air to a house that already has central heat?

Finding a lot of houses i like are old enough to not have it and havent been retrofitted yet. 1000 to 1500 sq ft places.

[JoshInKC]

Usually its not to bad but it depends, the hard part is done - running the vents, etc. Occasionally though, you'll run into weird stuff like being unable to sensibly locate the compressor.

[George]

Occasionally though, you'll run into weird stuff like being unable to sensibly locate the compressor.

Yeah, and then you'll see it in strange places, like on the roof! I see that sometimes in downtown Denver on old homes on TINY lots with nowhere in the yard next to the house for it to fit.

[George]

https://m.ctznapp-demo.com/s3/demo.ctzn/cb/61/6c5de5b773c247f07a4d9ad086b3073769d3.jpg=s2048x204 8

Ooh, I'll have to go back and read the story about that nice-looking shower. I need to do something like that in our basement bathroom, which developed a crack in the 31" square economy plastic shower bottom from some previous owner. I tried to buy another, but now minimum code size is 32" so I can't buy a replacement. I'm going to have to hire a tile due (an unreliable handyman, I figure) and have him build something custom like that built, since the drain is too far away from the wall to use a standard bathtub (which would otherwise fit in the room) and would be off-center in a 32" square shower bottom, which I'm told only come pre-drilled.

[dodint]

What's the upfront cost of a refi? Is is a few thousand in fees or do you just roll it into the loan?

I'm at 3.625% for 28 more years. ;)

Neat. My credit union offers 10-, 15-, 20- and 30 year terms. I figured they'd only do 15/30.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yep, for sure they make a few thousands dollars to refi your loan and I'm sure most just roll it into the loan itself.

[21Kid]

Depends on what rate you want. ;)

[dodint]

Checked their site and the rates don't seem to warrant the effort. I don't get the negative points thing but I'm not going to bother learning, it's superfluous right now.

We're planning on moving in 3-4 years, it would be shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic I think.

[21Kid]

Not really. No. Unless it'll save you 1% or more. You may just break even in that amount of time.

[Yeti]

So... how difficult to add central air to a house that already has central heat?

Finding a lot of houses i like are old enough to not have it and havent been retrofitted yet. 1000 to 1500 sq ft places.

If the house has forced air heat:

- Install new plenum above furnace w/cased or uncased evap coil.
- Install larger drop and filcab if necessary for adequate airflow after performing static tests (generally 400cfm per ton of cooling is a good rule of thumb)
- Find place outside to put condenser unit
- Subcontract electrician to run appropriate 230v circuit and disconnect to that place.
- Install condenser unit on a pad and run/braze lineset
- Install new control wiring and thermostat if needed.

Cost: As expensive as a regular AC removal and replacement.

If house has hydronic heat:

- Install insulated flex duct in attic if ranch house. Install insulated flex duct in attic AND standard metal duct in basement if a two story house.
- Install floor registers/ceiling registers as needed for basement and attic systems.
- Install appropriate fan coils, pans, etc in basement/attic as needed.
- Steps 3-6 from above list..
- Install necessary equipment to remove condensate from attic if an attic install.

Cost: Expensive as fuck, yo.

OR:

- Install Mitsubishi mini-split units.
- Subcontract electrician to wire everything.

Cost: Expensive as fuck, yo.

Is generally the three things my old shop did.

[Drachen596]

I kinda figured that any adding of ac units would be costly even with existing ductwork. Think a spliy unit might make some sense but require more work due to running extra lines/wiring.



anyone have experience with short sales? One popped up that looks like a good deal but not sure if its a good idea to mess with that as a first time buyer.

[Yeti]

Adding AC to an existing forced air system will be the cheapest option BY FAR.

[Crazed_Insanity]

anyone have experience with short sales? One popped up that looks like a good deal but not sure if its a good idea to mess with that as a first time buyer.

I bought my current home that way. got a great deal, but you just have to be patient.

Selling agent was getting frustrated with all the buyers walking away from the deal because they just couldn't wait any longer..., we promised to not walk away and after more than a year... We got our house!

[Drachen596]

A year looking or waiting on the offer to be accepted? Cause thats for sure way too long for my planned time line.

[21Kid]

anyone have experience with short sales? One popped up that looks like a good deal but not sure if its a good idea to mess with that as a first time buyer. Yes, quite a bit. It's fine for first time home buyers. It's just a lengthy process.

The biggest problem is that most banks won't fix anything wrong with them. They're all sold as-is. Get a good inspection done before you purchase. It may be $400 or so, but that could save you thousands if there are roofing, hvac, structural problems.

Do you know which bank currently owns it? Or is it a HUD REO?
And make sure your realtor is experienced with short sales. They will save you a lot of time & hassle by knowing what you will need to submit to the bank for approval.

*I can explain more if you want. My last job was to approve short-sales for a major bank.

[Crazed_Insanity]

A year looking or waiting on the offer to be accepted? Cause thats for sure way too long for my planned time line.

If time is limited, then short sale is probably not for you, but you could still try. Won't hurt.

Yes, get a realtor that has short sale experience... and make sure you talked to the seller's agent to at least make sure you are actually waiting for bank approval... not waiting in a queue of bunch of other offers...

In my case, I was shopping around supposedly at a down time during 2009, but we were constantly out bid by cash offers... (rich bastards from china coming here to take advantage of the down turn)so it was super difficult to actually buy a house in our neighborhood at the time even during a down turn...

My short sale home was in pretty good condition, but the seller was getting frustrated because while buyer A's offer is waiting for approval... buyer A ended up buying another home instead because the wait was so long... so by the time bank is ready to review and approve buyer A, the offer isn't good anymore... then comes buyer B..., but then buyer B needed to wait for a long time to for the bank to review his offer... again buyer B walked away during the wait... and this went on for God knows how many buyers... finally we came along. My agent promised that we won't walk away and to send our offer to the bank... so after a long wait, the home was eventually ours. I think our total wait time of an year included a partial wait for the previous offer... selling agent was trying to convince the bank to just switch out buyers name to me, I have great credit and we don't change anything else on that offer... but the bank denied that request... so we had to start over and wait all over again for the bank to approve me... pretty dumb proceess.

Anyway, I don't know how the market is right now... maybe there are not a lot of short sale homes in your neighborhood so the wait might not be as long.

The key is to make sure you negotiate with the selling agent to put your offer to the bank..., make sure you're the one waiting for bank to approve your offer. Don't just make an offer without talking to the selling agent... because he probably has a bunch of offers... you have to somehow convince him to pick your offer 1st... then you wait for the bank to move their slow ass... hopefully within the timeframe you have in mind.

[Yw-slayer]

http://m.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/2040679/whod-buy-car-park-space-hk48-million-someone-conduit-road

Meanwhile... (hkd4.8 mil is about usd615k)

[21Kid]

Eff that

[Yeti]

I'm really starting to lean more towards moving out to the hicklands of the county to take advantage of large spaces at cheap prices.

Some day I'll want room to build a pole barn/garage with 12' walls and that just isn't going to happen in the city.

Not this place in particular, but it's the idea: https://www.redfin.com/WI/Sturtevant/12912-Kraut-Rd-53177/home/109080384

A mask made of human skin and a chainsaw will be a necessity but I'm pretty sure I can find those easily enough.

[tigeraid]

Well, just keep in mind there will be some serious shit to get adjusted to. I'm still not used to the shitty half-assed wireless Internet, or the lock of natural gas. :smh:

Seeing a full sky of stars every night is pretty badass TBH tho.

EDIT: also mowing 2 acres of grass. Podcasts have served me well. :|

[Cam]

Lori and I have been talking serious about getting a house. Still at least a year out though, if something else does not come up... like a job offer in a different country. :fingerscrossed:

[21Kid]

Kraut Rd :lol:
You shouldn't have to go that far out in the Racine area, to get decent land.

re: mowing. It blows my mind that people spend so much time/money mowing something that they will never use. It's starting to get kind of irritating. Why do they mow the median on the interstate? If anything I think it would reduce the speed of any potential oncoming traffic, and possibly cut down on oncoming headlights. :|

I've seen people spend 1/2 a day in the summer just mowing acres of grass. Why? :? It seems like such a waste of time & energy. Why not just mow 1/4 of an acre close to the house that you are actually going to use?

[Kchrpm]

They want it to look good, because it is a reflection of their work ethic and personal pride.

[Yeti]

Drought conditions in the summer plus 2 feet of unmowed dry grass.

2+2=brush fire

My grandma has about 3 acres in Waterford. Takes me about 2 hours to mow it, admittedly with a huge John Deere front deck mower.

[dodint]

If I never have to mow grass because it burns itself down I'm taking that as positive.

[21Kid]

Drought conditions in the summer plus 2 feet of unmowed dry grass.

2+2=brush fire

My grandma has about 3 acres in Waterford. Takes me about 2 hours to mow it, admittedly with a huge John Deere front deck mower.
Get shorter grass. :p

Good point. Wouldn't mowing just 1/2 around the house have the same effect though?

I was driving home from Southern Illinois a while back and saw people mowing 2+ acres of their "yard" and they were still surrounded by 5 more acres that isn't mowed. That's what I was wondering.

[Drachen596]

Found a couple places i like. Similar prices main difference is ac and garages.

one house no ac the other has ac and a heated garage.

[JoshInKC]

Regarding medians, and to an extent, yards -- Taller grass harbors wildlife. You'd probably end up with a lot more animal strikes on the highways if they stopped mowing medians/ditchs/&c.

[Phil_SS]

I find cutting grass to be very meditative.

[dodint]

I find cutting grass to be very meditative.

There is something about seeing the immediate fruit of your labor that is mesmerizing. I enjoy it too.

[tigeraid]

This.^

But honestly, my whole second acre is just one big lawn, and I don't much care what it LOOKS like--but if I let it grow long, bugs in the area get WAY worse.

Same goes for my overall lawn, which I do want to look good, yeah.

[Kchrpm]

Get me a lawnmower that looks like an oversize Power Wheels and I'll mow all of your lawns.

[21Kid]

I wish there were some kind of limitation on lawnmower (and all 2-cycle engines) exhaust.

[Crazed_Insanity]

After 20 years of use, my Honda mower's pull string broke. (Only things I've changed were oil, air filters, spark plugs and a set of rear wheels...) So I decided that I don't want to mess with it anymore... so I sold it to the local gardener for $50 and convert to electric mower. I wonder if my electric mower can last me 20+ years...

Anyway, lawnmowing is indeed very meditative... and also gives me a chance to do some physical labor, which can be good considering I'm a pretty lazy bum.

[TheBenior]

I wish there were some kind of limitation on lawnmower (and all 2-cycle engines) exhaust.
I don't think one has been able to buy a 2-stroke mower (or snow blower) in close to a decade.

Though the current 4 stroke engines are loud, they're quieter and much cleaner than the old 2 strokes were.

[21Kid]

Nice! I didn't know that. I haven't had to buy one in nearly a decade. :lol:

[shakes]

This is why I mow:

Before:
2013

After:
2014

When we bought the house it had been sitting empty for nearly a year after the tenants left and the cheap owners didn't want to pay to have someone come in and maintain it while it was vacant. Thats a years worth of lawn that my beast of a mower took down easily. I will never buy anything but Honda again.

[tigeraid]

Yeah I dunno if any 2-strokes are available anymore--or maybe commercial only? My buddy has a big ol' Kubota 2-stroke diesel, it sounds like a goddamn Top Fuel car with 2 plug wires pulled off.

Age definitely plays a role--my current Craftsman 17 1/2 horse is WAY quieter than my old Toro 20 horse V-twin.

[21Kid]

I think people are misconstruing what I meant. :lol:
I fully agree to mow that shit near your house. I'm talking when you have 2-5-19 acres. Why mow the whole 2389 acres, instead of just the 1/2-1 acre that is immediately close to your house... that you'd actually use.

Nevermind. Forget I said anything. :p It was more of an internal musing than anything.

[tigeraid]

Like I said, I'd 100% agree with you if it didn't result in Independence Day-level clouds of mosquitoes.

[shakes]

For the homeowners who live in snow country, what are you all doing for snow removal? My driveway is definitely too big to shovel (unless we're only dealing with an inch or two of snow), but I'm having a hard time justifying the cost of a snowblower thats only going to get used 3 or 4 months out of the year. I have a neighbor (retired farmer in his 70s) who's mentioned that he'd be willing to plow my driveway out with his tractor but I don't know how much I can depend on him (e.g. if he gets sick, or if I have to leave for work before he's had a chance to plow). He's only asking for gas money and for what a snowblower would set me back, I could have gas money to last into the next decade. Who's got a snowblower and how much do you actually end up using it?

[21Kid]

I use to have a snow-thrower. Really only used it 2-5 times a year. Most of the snowfalls were lighter, and could push them with a shovel. It wasn't worth it to use the snow-thrower when it was so light. But, you live a little further north, so YMMV.

[speedpimp]

Bought my first snow blower about ten years ago and I got my money's worth out of it and its successor. Lighter snows are cleared with a shovel but if its heavy and wet I break out the blower.

[TheBenior]

I have a 208cc (212cc? I forget) Troy-Bilt single-stage that I bought after I got my house, which has a 100 ft long side drive. I don't remember what I paid, but it was on sale when I bought it. It was definitely worth it that winter, though last winter wasn't as snowy.

I'll clear my driveway, sidewalk (which are a bit wider than the typical sidewalk on my main street), the plow ridge that gets left in front of my driveway, and my elderly next door neighbors' sidewalk. I'll also clear a narrow path up and down my block if I'm feeling ambitious.

[Kchrpm]

and my elderly next door neighbors' sidewalk.
What a sweetheart. I hope you get some hot cocoa and/or baked goods as a thank you.

[tigeraid]

Buying a new snowblower even in most parts of Canada can sometimes seem like a "waste." I only used mine twice all last winter, but it was an ABNORMALLY small amount of snow last year.

I don't think I'd ever buy a new one, but a used one for a couple hundred bucks is worth the investment, in my opinion. Especially if you have a gravel or dirt driveway, as opposed to paved. Shoveling a paved driveway is merely a good workout--shoveling dirt or gravel is a pain in the ass.

[shakes]

Although it might require the jaws of life, I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and pry open my wallet. Thought about buying a cheap used one but I think I'd rather get something that lasts. The world of power equipment definitely seems to be 'you get what you pay for'.

[Godson]

So, I'm currently on a kick to reinsulate my house. I've decided I want to use a slow rising spray in foam. Tiger Foam has a really easy to use and understand mobile site, and from what I can tell, a decent product.

Anyone have any experience with this stuff.

I'll be doing the work myself.

[21Kid]

My step-dad was a construction foreman and they sprayed the upper level of their 100+ year old farm-house. But, they hired contractors. It worked pretty good from what I could tell. I'd imagine that if you have painted a car before, that it's roughly the same technique.

Starting from scratch, I probably wouldn't use it. But, retrofitting an older house it makes sense, IMO.

[Cam]

Lori gets home this morning and I think we're going to start looking for realz. :eek: Thankfully, real estate is cheap here compared to other major cities. Equivalent houses in Hamilton, for example, are more than twice the price as here. One of Lori's colleagues left Stanford to come here to USC and bought a half-million dollar house, pretty much with cash money, because their California house was so valuable. :eek: A mortgage would easily be 2/3s to 1/2 of what we pay in rent right now. When we ordered the Forester, I joked to Lori, "So we have to buy a house now to afford a new car." :lol: She did not take it as a joke.

[drew]

:up:

[dodint]

Looked at 8 houses on Saturday (we only had one weekend to do this).

Narrowed it down to 3.

Then 2.

Then one of those got an offer put on it on a Sunday afternoon, because reasons. Buh.

1 house stands.

And thus, the process begins.

The guy that owns it was a car nut, though. Really curious what he was driving. The garage is fully decked out with work benches, cabinetry, ceiling mounted industrial space heater, ceiling mounted lighting (Snap-On 8 bulb spot light), and the largest NOS bottle I've ever seen in my life standing in the corner. :lol: I assume only the cabinets will be staying.

[Cam]

Alrighty my trusted internet friends, school me on home ownership. What do I need to do and keep in mind before, during and after the purchase?

[dodint]

Had the cabinets written into the contract, just in case.

Offer made and accepted. Time to do the financials and inspect everything.

There is a lot of stuff to know, but I will offer this tidbit: film your walkthroughs of houses. I filmed mine and it was hugely helpful. I carried around my tablet with the camera running. Don't bother looking through it or you won't actually look at the house, just treat it like a body cam. Huge help to us in deciding.

[Tom Servo]

Damn, dodint, that's a great idea about filming.

Michele's advice is to pay close attention to the neighbors. They may end up being a good reason to GTFO.

With the administration looking to wipe out Dodd-Frank it may not be as much of an issue, but we had to provide the past two years of tax returns, last two retirement statements for any retirement account we have, pay stubs, and bank statements going back three months. Be ready to have all of that on hand.

Be aware that your home inspections are surface-level only. They won't catch shit that's inside the walls, for instance. Like we found out with the shower.

Home warranties are bullshit. Don't get one, don't let a seller use one as an incentive. Trying to use ours put us worse off than if we had just paid ourselves, as their contractors did so much damage that we ended up having to spend more out of pocket.

Also, find a realtor who actually listens to you. It took us a few before we found one that was sending us properties we actually liked rather than just whatever they thought we might be able to afford.

[21Kid]

Realtors get paid when you buy a house. Keep that in mind. Even if they say they work for you, they only get paid when the purchase is complete. So, they'll push anything to get you to buy something.
I'd personally do as much internet research as possible. Zillow, trulia, realtor.com, there are a ton of ways to view properties. Anything that has a MLS# can be viewed online. And even ones that don't thanks to zillow, craigslist, etc... Just ask Nate. ;)
Don't over-extend your budget. Feel free to PM me if you have any mortgage specific questions.
Find an area that is a good compromise of convenience and amenities.
Don't forget, if you buy a single family residence, you'll need yard equipment, ladders, tools, etc... which can add up if there are other purchases you have to make to furnish, or do any fixing.
Take your time.


Damn, dodint, that's a great idea about filming.

Michele's advice is to pay close attention to the neighbors. They may end up being a good reason to GTFO.

With the administration looking to wipe out Dodd-Frank it may not be as much of an issue, but we had to provide the past two years of tax returns, last two retirement statements for any retirement account we have, pay stubs, and bank statements going back three months. Be ready to have all of that on hand.

Be aware that your home inspections are surface-level only. They won't catch shit that's inside the walls, for instance. Like we found out with the shower.

Home warranties are bullshit. Don't get one, don't let a seller use one as an incentive. Trying to use ours put us worse off than if we had just paid ourselves, as their contractors did so much damage that we ended up having to spend more out of pocket.

Also, find a realtor who actually listens to you. It took us a few before we found one that was sending us properties we actually liked rather than just whatever they thought we might be able to afford. It would take quite a while for any undoing of Dodd Frank to take effect, IMO. And I don't know how much it would really change from a documentation perspective.

[dodint]

Kid is good people. He sniffed out a few weird quirks of properties by pulling them on on Google Maps and looking at the satellite imagery. Stuff like a shared driveway or close proximity to a commercial zone.

[dodint]

Russ (you mentioned in chat), if you go to 1:55 you can see a crude walkthru of the garage:


https://youtu.be/E8yJ_DsyUbA?t=1m55s

The blue thing by the door is the biggest NOS bottle I've ever seen.

[Phil_SS]

Offer made and accepted. Time to do the financials and inspect everything.

Where at?

[Crazed_Insanity]

Alrighty my trusted internet friends, school me on home ownership. What do I need to do and keep in mind before, during and after the purchase?

Location location location! Check on Zillow to see how the neighborhood schools are rated... Probably should avoid neighborhoods with bad schools unless you have other amazingly compelling reasons to ignore that.

It's also going to take a while for you to finally get the house you want... So be patient.

Keep us posted, good luck!

[Cam]

Uh, I don't and won't have kids.

[Tom Servo]

Hey, he said amazingly compelling, Cam.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Schools are just good indicator of quality of neighborhood. Even if you don't have kids, property value of your home should stay higher relative to others if you have better schools.

Of course there can be other considerations as well, but I personally think having good schools is your best bet. We bought our property without kids and wasn't preparing to have kids at the time either, but of course we also didn't rule out having kids...

[dodint]

Where at?

Allison Park, but closer to Rt.8 instead of 279. More into Shaler.

http://www.northwood.com/real_estate/pa/allison_park/2810_college_park_road/671-1-1250480/

[Random]

Oh, the place with our rug. :lol:

[dodint]

Hah, yeah.

[balki]

so what's the deal with good school neighborhoods?
I know people like billi who swear by them, but the upfront cost is noticibly higher (which you can get back) and the annual taxes are much higher (which you won't get back).
Why not get a starter and when you have kids of school-age look for a 'better' neighborhood. Even then, Grad school -> Undergrad > HS > JHS > elementary > K

[dodint]

As a childless couple we only considered schools because of the resale value and rentability of the property. I wouldn't pay anything extra for it, certainly. I already paid enough taxes to send other peoples kids to school, not looking to do it at a premium here if I can help it.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I kinda doubt property tax varies by school district and its performance. your house value can definitely vary, that's probably because it's just a better neighborhood.

Anyway whatever the reasons, locations are important. Besides k-12 schools, check and see if you're also near a college or university... Because those places have awesome rentibility in the future. on a flip side, you probably want to avoid huge factories or military bases where most of the neighborhood goes to work there or supported by them... Because those thing are more prone for closures during down time. Then you'll be in a ghost town.

Also make sure there are no dams up stream! :p

[Kchrpm]

Property tax varies by school district because of levies, I don't know the relationship between good school districts and districts with a lot of levies.

[Tom Servo]

That may be less of an issue here in LA where the LA Unified School District is pretty massive. The bigger thing here is the reputation of specific schools. I used to rent near a middle school that had a reputation as a particularly bad one, and one where students with behavioral issues were bused to. I don't know how true that is, but that was the reputation. I'd imagine that brought property values down some.

The area immediately around where we bought is pretty much all religious private schools (predominantly jewish and catholic), so that doesn't affect property taxes in any way.

[balki]

Within city limits (as a % of property value) taxes are pretty low, but the burbs by me get ridiculous (15-25k/yr for 2500sq-ft) mostly based on their schools.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Anyway, schools can be used as a pretty good indicator, I'm not suggesting Cam to buy a house based solely on that reason alone. Just that given 2 same exact properties, one must give preference over the property with better schools...

A 3 bedrm/2bath property with good schools will have the most popular demand should someday you want to sell.

If resale is absolutely not a concern, if you plan to die in it, then these factors can be ignored. Just get a property YOU like and that's that.

Balki, exactly WHAT costs $15~25k/yr? Actual tuition?

[balki]

Agreed that " schools can be used as a pretty good indicator" and if you can afford the upfront costs it makes sense even if you don't have kids.
the $15~25k/yr is property taxes, whether you have or not. Obviously other things go into those taxes, but very similar houses (also in good neighborhoods) can have taxes below $10k (about $8k) with the main difference being 'good schools'
Police officers and teachers can start off 2x as much from one county to another (and the counties in the east coast are pretty small geographically)

[Crazed_Insanity]

What the heck, where do you live?

I pay $6.3k/yr for property tax. My house is only 1450sqft, but houses double the size of mine won't cost twice as much! My home was purchased in 2010 for $440k so property tax was computed based on that price... back in 2010, I probably paid a bit less than $6k/year. Zillow also rated my neighborhood elementary school to be 10, middle school 8 and high school to be 10 as well. I don't think I'll see much tax savings around poor performing schools...

I can't imagine having to pay $15k... and Paying $25k/year is freaking outrageous. Might as well save that money and send your kid to boarding school! :p

Are you sure you are not off by one decimal point? $2.5k not $25k? Are you sure your prop tax is like buying a new car every year??!?!?!? You could be paying $2,000/month on prop tax alone not including your mortgage payments and home insurance?!?!? East and west coast differs that much? Wow. If I really have to pay $2000/mon on taxes, fuck, I'm renting.

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, at least out here property taxes are based on the assessed value of the house when you buy it, I think it's close to 1.5% of the value of the property per year. I'm not sure if that's a county thing or a state thing, though I do believe the idea that it basically doesn't go up unless you trigger a new property assessment is a state-wide thing. Either way, has nothing to do with the schools you live by, it's purely based on the value of your home (which I guess means that it kinda does, since living by better schools does tend to drive up property values).

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, the CA tax system obviously contributes to the widening gap between rich and poor. Poor performing schools that might need more money will have lower home values... consequently they'll end up with less tax money. The already good performing schools will have even more money since they can collect more taxes...

Poorer folks also tend to have more kids... and richer folks often end up with less kids per capita...

On 2nd thought CAM, for the sake of humanity, maybe you should go buy in an area with poor performing schools. That way you can ease the burden of the poor performing schools there. :D

[dodint]

In Sparta, WI we had a regular propery tax and a seperate school tax. I was not impressed.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Wow. You Spartans are hardcore about educating your future!

[balki]

billi, yes, those numbers are legit. The lower end if for Long Island (not just the Hamptons), Northern and Central Jersey covers the full spectrum. I'm in-between, where the taxes are roughly 1/4 of that but housing is about 2-8x (if you exclude the outliers) per square foot

In Sparta ... we had a... separate school tax.
this is madness!

[dodint]

I can't remember where I read it, but PA is looking to do away with municipal school tax and go to one big statewide pot of tax money. That way high revenue generating districts can subsidize low income districts. I can't remember the details of it because it really only affects me in one way, as a taxpayer.

[balki]

I bet the high revenue generating districts will just add an additional local school tax, so get ready for that

[Yeti]

I could've bought a Skyline GTST.

Instead I stuck that money in a high-yield savings account. And every extra dime and dollar is going into it until I have enough to own the whole trailer park. Frig off, Lahey.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Wow. I have no idea property tax can be that expensive... I thought CA is expensive... and due to our price differences, good schools end up getting more money than poor schools..., I thought that contributes to the wealth gap, but you guys are freaking worse off! Good areas tax the hell out of rich guys for schools, while poorer district probably just get nothing? Unbelievable.

Anyway, Cam, you need to talk to your local realtor to ask about these unforeseen expenses. CA prop tax is annually about 1.5% of your home value. Like I said, my $400k home ended up to be about $6k/yr. But apparently this # can vary widely depending on your area...

[GreatScawt]

Getting in to the process for looking for a home. Got an agent, and a recommended mortgage company to get the pre-approval process off the ground.

The fiancee and I will be touring a new townhome/single-home community tomorrow. They have some pre-builts, but depending on what's available and what's planned out, we may be leaning for a new build (surprisingly affordable, but I'm betting they throw all the desirable options into multiple-of-$10k packages... we'll see).

The place building is rated an A+ on BBB, with 2 yelp reviews. Any other way to research their quality? How much weight can I put in a BBB rating?

[balki]

affordable new build on-site? or is it mostly pre-fab?

billi, do you guys have local income taxes in CA? I noticed NYS has lower income and sales taxes, but nearly ever county w/i the state adds significant local taxes

[Crazed_Insanity]

I have zero experience buying brand new homes, so not sure how to help you there, GS. If I were you, I'd want to pay visits to their past developments and see how those look over the years. If you feel brave enough, maybe knock on a door or two and ask the current home owners how they like their new homes so far... ;)

Balki, I pay income taxes to the federal government, state government. Then the property tax per our discussion and sales tax(~9%). Only basic food items like milk and produce are exempt from the sales tax. I really don't recall any additional taxes that we Californians have to pay. We probably also pay a much higher gas tax than you guys, but not sure about percentage..., this is probably why our gas is usually above national average. I really can't imagine how you guys can charge such expensive special taxes in specific local areas like you described... makes me wonder if those taxes really are worth it... or designed to keep rift rafts like me out of their neighborhood? ;)

[Yeti]

Getting in to the process for looking for a home. Got an agent, and a recommended mortgage company to get the pre-approval process off the ground.

The fiancee and I will be touring a new townhome/single-home community tomorrow. They have some pre-builts, but depending on what's available and what's planned out, we may be leaning for a new build (surprisingly affordable, but I'm betting they throw all the desirable options into multiple-of-$10k packages... we'll see).

The place building is rated an A+ on BBB, with 2 yelp reviews. Any other way to research their quality? How much weight can I put in a BBB rating?

Unless you can talk to people who bought their homes already, or even better, the tradesmen from the subcontractors who did various parts of the houses (the HVAC installers/plumbers/electricians/tilers/drywallers/etc) and aren't employed by the general contractor, you're going to be flying a bit blind into this one.

[dodint]

Loan was approved. Now we wait for Appraisal.

[shakes]

Loan was approved. Now we wait for Appraisal.

This part of the transaction was the most unpleasant for me. Looking at houses was fun, packing up and moving went pretty smoothy. But the whole going back and forth over selling price and then waiting for the financing to get approved and hoping that the home inspector doesn't uncover anything really nasty was/is the worst part.

[dodint]

Yeah. Because neither the seller nor buyer are happy with the deal, the house coming in under the offer value will likely torpedo the whole thing. Fun!

[shakes]

I also found this is the time where the most amount of shady business between the realtors takes place. Mrs. Shakes and I put in an offer on one place and gave the sellers 48hrs to respond. Our agent got a call from the listing agent asking for more time to respond to our offer (sellers were on the road travelling back from Florida). We said 'sure, if you need another day to get back to us, thats fine'. Little did we know that the listing agent took that extra day to arrange ANOTHER competing offer so he could present two offers to the sellers and get the two potential buyers competing against each other. The plan backfired because as soon as we found out we pulled our offer and the other buyers (once they knew our competing offer was off the table) went in with a low-ball amount.

[Tom Servo]

I can't remember where I read it, but PA is looking to do away with municipal school tax and go to one big statewide pot of tax money. That way high revenue generating districts can subsidize low income districts. I can't remember the details of it because it really only affects me in one way, as a taxpayer.

I believe that's how it's supposed to work here. In practice, the people in the richest areas/with the nicest school districts are also the ones who tend to contribute to city council campaigns, who then vote to make sure that no funding is moved away from the schools where their donors send their kids.

[speedpimp]

Property taxes for my house are less than $100/yr.

[dodint]

That's. That's...

2.2% of my soon-to-be tax bill. :(

[speedpimp]

But you can't put rims on yours though.

[dodint]

Fun fact. When I was 11 or so we moved from NC to PA when my Dad got out of the Marines. We lived in a mobile home and rather than pay to move it or try to sell it (only lived there for about a year or two) they left it there. Defaulted on the loan and had it foreclosed.

So, yeah, willfully defaulting on a trailer has to be just about the most white trash thing someone can do, right?

Not sure if that's technically a repo or a foreclosure. *shrug*

[KillerB]

From my understanding, it's a repossession, not a foreclosure. A mobile home is chattel (moveable personal property), while a regular house, which in most cases cannot be removed from the land, is real property, which would be foreclosed upon.

Not sure how much of a difference it makes, really.

[dodint]

Interesting.

I would've drawn the distinction between whether it was financed with a regular installment loan or a mortgage, if I were to be serious about it.

[speedpimp]

Considering that it has to be titled at the DMV(though this may vary depending on your locality) I'd say it's a repo.

[Godson]

I guess this goes here?


So. My house is a cool two story built in 1919, and I love it for the gobs of character. Stone basement, stone porch. I love the house.

On of the issues with old houses is the old as shit plumbing. My upstairs bathroom is directly above my kitchen. The old lead plumbing developed a leak at one of the joints. I had a home owners warranty for this exact reason, knowing it was going to fail in the near future.

So it developed a leak, and for the plumber to get access, he needed to drop my cabinets down on one wall and cut up the drywall, and the lath and plaster to remove the old failed plumbing. I am currently replacing the drywall with the professional support of my dad. New drywall = purchasing paint. The current paint is builder beige. Those who own homes know exactly where I am going with this.

I'm not paint my house builder fucking beige.

So begins the joy of selecting paint. I don't like trendy, because in the drop of a hat, your choice becomes dated and repulsive. Making later sale harder to accomplish. Which is what I am thinking about doing in 2-3 years.

I start looking around, and nothing looks like I want it to. I kick in the idea of a back splash to help out. Subway tiles are my jam, and the house age and design would support it really well. I start looking into white subway tiles and black grout. Then my mom sends me a link for a house that has cabinets very similar to mine, with white subway tiles and gray grouting. The grey is kinda trendy, but that isn't a bad thing. Because it allows me to grab a little trend, and mix it with a safe and stable design choice. I think that could be a solid option. For future turnover.

Now here comes the frustrating part.

Part of the issue I had with the kitchen when I bought the house is the terrible layout, and the lack of counter space. First thing we did was pull down and move 2 cabinets to make room for a fridge in a better location. I then bought a bay of drawers to use below said moved cabinets. The kitchen actually has a lot of functional flow now because of that. Downside, is the counter-tops use some formica that would cost me some 400+ dollars to replace a section needed to tie into the bay of drawers. My fix is to use Butchers block counter top to replace the dumb formica that doesn't allow me much design freedom with paints and all.

What initially started as a fix for the old plumbing has pretty much turned into redoing 2/3rds or so of the kitchen. All because of paint.

I'll post photos up when things start happening.

[21Kid]

From my understanding, it's a repossession, not a foreclosure. A mobile home is chattel (moveable personal property), while a regular house, which in most cases cannot be removed from the land, is real property, which would be foreclosed upon.

Not sure how much of a difference it makes, really.
Interesting.

I would've drawn the distinction between whether it was financed with a regular installment loan or a mortgage, if I were to be serious about it.
It depends on if it's had it's axel's removed. (No Rim$ :() If it can be 'moved' then it cannot qualify for a mortgage.
The problem with mobile homes is that they don't appreciate like regular homes do. There are certain criteria that the mobile home would have to meet to be considered for conventional or FHA financing. I don't remember all of them because I haven't worked on them in probably a decade. But, they are available.

[21Kid]

What initially started as a fix for the old plumbing has pretty much turned into redoing 2/3rds or so of the kitchen. All because of paint.
i.e. the joys of homeownership. :lol:

[Godson]

Purchased new countertop. Maple butcher block

[21Kid]

We had one in our WI house. They are nice. Just remember to take care of them. And be careful of getting stains on it.

[tigeraid]

I wonder, is it common to lay down wood flooring with no underlay on upper floors?

I've accidentally had minor floods in my kitchen twice (water cooler fuckup, dishwasher fuck up), and in both cases the water has flooded down between the wood, through the original 2x8 floor and pissed all over the basement, including the wiring hanging all over the place. Kinda got me worried. Not sure I'm up for tearing up the whole kitchen area and doing it over either, though... :/

[mk]

What you think there should be?

If it drips it will dry.

[tigeraid]

Oh I know, it's just the odd electrical fire I was concerned with, not so much the water itself.

I guess I just figured it would have some kinda membrane like in a basement floor.

[21Kid]

I wonder, is it common to lay down wood flooring with no underlay on upper floors?

I've accidentally had minor floods in my kitchen twice (water cooler fuckup, dishwasher fuck up), and in both cases the water has flooded down between the wood, through the original 2x8 floor and pissed all over the basement, including the wiring hanging all over the place. Kinda got me worried. Not sure I'm up for tearing up the whole kitchen area and doing it over either, though... :/

IDK... My current place doesn't seem like it either. I'm on the 1st floor and a leak on the 3rd went to my lower level (duplex). Plus the sound is so bad, I can hear them sweeping the floor on our ceiling. :mad:

[novicius]

Yeah well they probably heard Dennis snoring from the basement so take it easy on your neighbors, Kid. ;)

[tigeraid]

:up:

[mk]

You can relax after few thoughts.

Would you put there an electrical connection.
Around here it's always from exit to exit of closed place, with tubing or not.
Old ones are different of course but have you seen any of these inside of anything.

Only possible active connection in there would be water and it is not going to burn very easily.

[Edit]
They say HHO is different.

[Cam]

Lori and I looked at several houses today.

[dodint]

In what country?

[Cam]

trollololol

[Phil_SS]

On what continent?

...

[mk]

Must take some back, but it's not here and only a wall.

Didn't remember a story where something invisible was constantly stinging a wall leaning hand.

It was overpainted live plain metal wire.

[21Kid]

Yeah well they probably heard Dennis snoring from the basement so take it easy on your neighbors, Kid. ;)

I thought that was you... :finger:

[novicius]

In the past, maybe. ;)

[Cam]

We are abruptly and unexpectedly close to putting in an offer. :twitch: