Homeowner Thread |OT| A Thread for Homeowners

whatsinaname · Apr 22, 2019

Anyone has any tips/suggestions for indoor plants? I am in Michigan - have west facing windows but as you can imagine, no direct sunlight for a reasonable part of the year. indoor temps are almost always above 60F.

Also, how does the whole planter/pot thing work? If I get a large planter for a 2-3 ft plant, do I have to add soil and remove the plastic container the plant comes in and re-plant it? Or do I just drop the plastic pot in and the planter is just a decorative thing?

whatsinaname · Apr 25, 2019

Any good LED bulb suggestions. Looks like my previous owners put new ones in right before the sale (1-year) and some are already dying. (Ecosmart HD ones I think).

TarpitCarnivore · Apr 25, 2019

whatsinaname said:
Any good LED bulb suggestions. Looks like my previous owners put new ones in right before the sale (1-year) and some are already dying. (Ecosmart HD ones I think).

Cree seem to be the best brand for standard A19 bulbs. The smart home ones are still hue but there's some good alternatives

whatsinaname · Apr 25, 2019

TarpitCarnivore said:
Cree seem to be the best brand for standard A19 bulbs. The smart home ones are still hue but there's some good alternatives

I will look up Cree, thanks. Was looking for standard A19s.

Went with a couple of nanoleaf configurations for where I might have used hue - love those so all set on that front.

Rocketz · May 6, 2019

This past weekend was finally time to redo the landscaping of the front of the house. This was a few weeks ago. The bushes in front of the porch had yellow leaves and the one's in front of the tree are purple. But they all look like shit. I hated them when we bought the place.

So now the final product

Cut down the tree
Removed all of the bushes
Removed old 4x4s that were in place from an old porch set up
Removed the old mulch and weed barrier
Replaced with new weed barrier and mulch
Bushes are Boxwood and where the tree was is little lime hydrangas

Linkura · May 6, 2019

Rocketz said:
This past weekend was finally time to redo the landscaping of the front of the house. This was a few weeks ago. The bushes in front of the porch had yellow leaves and the one's in front of the tree are purple. But they all look like shit. I hated them when we bought the place.

So now the final product

Cut down the tree

Removed all of the bushes

Removed old 4x4s that were in place from an old porch set up

Removed the old mulch and weed barrier

Replaced with new weed barrier and mulch

Bushes are Boxwood and where the tree was is little lime hydrangas

What an adorable lil' house! Great job. :)

Nostremitus · May 6, 2019

Rocketz said:
This past weekend was finally time to redo the landscaping of the front of the house. This was a few weeks ago. The bushes in front of the porch had yellow leaves and the one's in front of the tree are purple. But they all look like shit. I hated them when we bought the place.

So now the final product

Cut down the tree

Removed all of the bushes

Removed old 4x4s that were in place from an old porch set up

Removed the old mulch and weed barrier

Replaced with new weed barrier and mulch

Bushes are Boxwood and where the tree was is little lime hydrangas

Nice. I'm trying to figure out what to do to my front yard

Captain Tuttle · May 6, 2019

Rocketz said:
This past weekend was finally time to redo the landscaping of the front of the house. This was a few weeks ago. The bushes in front of the porch had yellow leaves and the one's in front of the tree are purple. But they all look like shit. I hated them when we bought the place.

So now the final product

Cut down the tree

Removed all of the bushes

Removed old 4x4s that were in place from an old porch set up

Removed the old mulch and weed barrier

Replaced with new weed barrier and mulch

Bushes are Boxwood and where the tree was is little lime hydrangas

Nicely done, looks so much better!

Rocketz · May 6, 2019

Linkura said:
What an adorable lil' house! Great job. :)

Nostremitus said:
Nice. I'm trying to figure out what to do to my front yard

Captain Tuttle said:
Nicely done, looks so much better!

Thanks everyone! From the new paint color this past Labor Day and now the new landscaping, it's nice what a couple hundred bucks can do for your home.

Now it's on to getting the growths along the fences in the backyard under control.

Deleted member 47843 · May 7, 2019

whatsinaname said:
Anyone has any tips/suggestions for indoor plants? I am in Michigan - have west facing windows but as you can imagine, no direct sunlight for a reasonable part of the year. indoor temps are almost always above 60F.

Also, how does the whole planter/pot thing work? If I get a large planter for a 2-3 ft plant, do I have to add soil and remove the plastic container the plant comes in and re-plant it? Or do I just drop the plastic pot in and the planter is just a decorative thing?

Type of plants you don't really have to worry about if you buy locally. Stores will carry things that do well in your area, and you can read tags on them about their temperature range (if you're someone that keeps your home way colder/warmer than most people).

It's generally best to toss the plastic pot and add some soil and replant. Otherwise it can be tough to find planters/pots the same size as the plastic crap they come in so they sit upright. Most things will need replanted overtime anyway as they grow or else they'll get root bound and die.

The other thing to research is how often things need watered if you take long trips. No sense buying a bunch of stuff that needs watered weekly if you're often gone for 2+ weeks as it's a hassle to find someone to come water your stuff and not over do it etc.

Chitown B · May 7, 2019

whatsinaname said:
Any good LED bulb suggestions. Looks like my previous owners put new ones in right before the sale (1-year) and some are already dying. (Ecosmart HD ones I think).

Philips and Cree. I do Philips since I like their smart bulbs.

Chitown B · May 7, 2019

Rocketz said:
Thanks everyone! From the new paint color this past Labor Day and now the new landscaping, it's nice what a couple hundred bucks can do for your home.

Now it's on to getting the growths along the fences in the backyard under control.

Looks great! Good job!

Hutty211 · May 9, 2019

Im sure this has been asked already, but anyone have a good line on a place to buy affordable but not crappy furniture? Have to fill out a 3 bedroom after ex took all the furniture and I would like it have a semi-cohesive modern style.

Chitown B · May 9, 2019

Hutty211 said:
Im sure this has been asked already, but anyone have a good line on a place to buy affordable but not crappy furniture? Have to fill out a 3 bedroom after ex took all the furniture and I would like it have a semi-cohesive modern style.

Bob's is decent for the price, if you have those.

Honestly IKEA isn't terrible and won't break the bank.

Nostremitus · May 9, 2019

Hutty211 said:
Im sure this has been asked already, but anyone have a good line on a place to buy affordable but not crappy furniture? Have to fill out a 3 bedroom after ex took all the furniture and I would like it have a semi-cohesive modern style.

Ikea is probably the best bet.

fick · May 11, 2019

I'm so happy with the house/location. Still won't feel like "home" until the blinds are installed and we have a back yard, though. I've been lazy and have completely neglected to do my clean ethernet cables.

view out back (not gonna lie the pic is kind of misleading because it's not empty land, just a park)

deer were there this morning

plus I get to drive by cows (and protector donkeys) on my way to/from work

whatsinaname · May 11, 2019

fick said:
I'm so happy with the house/location. Still won't feel like "home" until the blinds are installed and we have a back yard, though. I've been lazy and have completely neglected to do my clean ethernet cables.

view out back (not gonna lie the pic is kind of misleading because it's not empty land, just a park)

deer were there this morning

plus I get to drive by cows (and protector donkeys) on my way to/from work

Damn, that is a nice looking space at the back. Like you moved into a Windows XP desktop...

fick · May 11, 2019

whatsinaname said:
Damn, that is a nice looking space at the back. Like you moved into a Windows XP desktop...

yeah we lucked out. New development, and this was one of the last lots available. They were trying to finish this section up, and move on, so they knocked a shit ton off the price of the house. We were able to put it on hold for 24 hours in order to get our initial money to start the process going. Agent said that after we left that day, like 4 or 5 other people wanted it. Honestly the entire process was such a fucking breeze this time.

Like I said, we got extremely lucky with everything.

Captain Tuttle · May 11, 2019

fick said:
yeah we lucked out. New development, and this was one of the last lots available. They were trying to finish this section up, and move on, so they knocked a shit ton off the price of the house. We were able to put it on hold for 24 hours in order to get our initial money to start the process going. Agent said that after we left that day, like 4 or 5 other people wanted it. Honestly the entire process was such a fucking breeze this time.

Like I said, we got extremely lucky with everything.

That's great. Beautiful views and I'm happy that it was relatively easy

whatsinaname · May 11, 2019

Fuck dandelions. They are everywhere and some of them are the size and shape of a bloody lovecraftian monster.

Nostremitus · May 11, 2019

whatsinaname said:
Fuck dandelions. They are everywhere and some of them are the size and shape of a bloody lovecraftian monster.

Harvest them for salad.

Vex · May 14, 2019

OMG IT FINALLY HAPPENED.

I got someone to accept an offer I made! Fucking hell, battling cash buying investors for 2 years (off and on searching)! I fucking nailed a sweet two story home yea fuck you investors >:D. Got the appraisal done, got the inspection done (pretty good for a place built in 1982 even the inspector was surprised). The people who were in it prior to me were renting higher than what I will be paying monthly because I have been working on my credit for years. This market is so hot that the appraisal came in HIGHER than what I bought it for which is sweet because my new home appreciated! The interior was completely redone with clean carpet and counter tops!

Man Im finally out of this shitty fucking apartment after 5 years of living here!

Linkura · May 14, 2019

Vex said:
OMG IT FINALLY HAPPENED.

I got someone to accept an offer I made! Fucking hell, battling cash buying investors for 2 years (off and on searching)! I fucking nailed a sweet two story home yea fuck you investors >:D. Got the appraisal done, got the inspection done (pretty good for a place built in 1982 even the inspector was surprised). The people who were in it prior to me were renting higher than what I will be paying monthly because I have been working on my credit for years. This market is so hot that the appraisal came in HIGHER than what I bought it for which is sweet because my new home appreciated! The interior was completely redone with clean carpet and counter tops!

Man Im finally out of this shitty fucking apartment after 5 years of living here!

Congrats!!!!!

TarpitCarnivore · May 14, 2019

Vex said:
OMG IT FINALLY HAPPENED.

I got someone to accept an offer I made! Fucking hell, battling cash buying investors for 2 years (off and on searching)! I fucking nailed a sweet two story home yea fuck you investors >:D. Got the appraisal done, got the inspection done (pretty good for a place built in 1982 even the inspector was surprised). The people who were in it prior to me were renting higher than what I will be paying monthly because I have been working on my credit for years. This market is so hot that the appraisal came in HIGHER than what I bought it for which is sweet because my new home appreciated! The interior was completely redone with clean carpet and counter tops!

Man Im finally out of this shitty fucking apartment after 5 years of living here!

That's great. Where are you?

vacantseas · May 14, 2019

whatsinaname said:
Fuck dandelions. They are everywhere and some of them are the size and shape of a bloody lovecraftian monster.

My wife and I bought our home 4 years ago, and it was foreclosed, and sat a few years with little maintenance. That first summer in 2015 we had a major dandelion problem. I spend two weekends digging them out of our yard by hand and there was still a lot that popped up. Tried a few rounds of weed and feed over that summer and subsequent years. Finally this year I've been able to get a hold of them, and only have a dozen or so popping out, which is pretty good.

Chitown B · May 14, 2019

whatsinaname said:
Fuck dandelions. They are everywhere and some of them are the size and shape of a bloody lovecraftian monster.

Yeah I hate them. I started the habit of just checking every day or two and removing them with a tool, by the root. I also sprayed the entire yard. Across the street it's a sea of yellow, and none in my yard. Gotta get them early, so they don't breed.

Vex · May 14, 2019

Linkura said:
Congrats!!!!!

TarpitCarnivore said:
That's great. Where are you?

Thanks all!!!!!111

I am in North Carolina (Charlotte). This city is growing fast population wise and I have been watching the price of homes shoot up. Investors would buy homes from right under my nose and resell them when they appreciate in a few months for ~15%. It's and insanely aggressive seller's market right now.

Charlotte has had a tight housing market for several years. There are houses being built, but not fast enough.

According to a March 2019 article from The Charlotte Observer:

"New construction isn't keeping up either. Housing market research firm Metrostudy found that Charlotte has the lowest inventory of new housing out of any of the cities it surveys across the country, including places like San Francisco with white-hot markets."

Phonzo · May 17, 2019

So as i start looking to buy a home, i am realizing that many homes don't have a kitchen range vents? Where all the cooking smoke go? All around the house?

Zoe · May 17, 2019

Phonzo said:
So as i start looking to buy a home, i am realizing that many homes don't have a kitchen range vents? Where all the cooking smoke go? All around the house?

You sure some of them don't have downdraft vents?

whatsinaname · May 17, 2019

Phonzo said:
So as i start looking to buy a home, i am realizing that many homes don't have a kitchen range vents? Where all the cooking smoke go? All around the house?

Zoe said:
You sure some of them don't have downdraft vents?

Many I had looked at (including the one I bought) don't seem to have one.

Fortunately I have a window opening into my backyard next to the range, so I stuck a high cfm fan there for times when I think there'll be smoke/odor.

TarpitCarnivore · May 17, 2019

We've had a heloc since January and have been trying to get this addition off the ground. So many phone calls and waiting just to event get final quotes.

Sobriquet · May 17, 2019

Phonzo said:
So as i start looking to buy a home, i am realizing that many homes don't have a kitchen range vents? Where all the cooking smoke go? All around the house?

That's entirely too common. My house didn't have a range hood either. And yes, the smoke goes all over the kitchen. We would have to open windows until we put in a hood.

Muu · May 17, 2019

Great timing on the conversation. How difficult is it to add a vented ranged hood to your house? I'm looking at a under-cabinet type. It should be a pretty straightforward cut to vent out, but shit if it doesn't make me nervous to create a cutout outside. No idea if there'a stud right there either. Would this be something I can handle w/ a little bit of handiness or better to pay some dude to do it?

Chitown B · May 17, 2019

Muu said:
Great timing on the conversation. How difficult is it to add a vented ranged hood to your house? I'm looking at a under-cabinet type. It should be a pretty straightforward cut to vent out, but shit if it doesn't make me nervous to create a cutout outside. No idea if there'a stud right there either. Would this be something I can handle w/ a little bit of handiness or better to pay some dude to do it?

Take the drywall off and look at what you're dealing with. Make sure there's nothing in the way, or at least if there is, that you can move it. It's easy to put drywall back if it isn't going to work out. Don't know until you open it up.

TarpitCarnivore · May 17, 2019

Muu said:
Great timing on the conversation. How difficult is it to add a vented ranged hood to your house? I'm looking at a under-cabinet type. It should be a pretty straightforward cut to vent out, but shit if it doesn't make me nervous to create a cutout outside. No idea if there'a stud right there either. Would this be something I can handle w/ a little bit of handiness or better to pay some dude to do it?

Check your local code

Ours goes into the cabinet above and the 90 degrees to outside. Can't be more than 5 feet

Maven · May 17, 2019

Home owning is great! Hope some of y'all buy one some day

Nostremitus · May 17, 2019

Vex said:
OMG IT FINALLY HAPPENED.

I got someone to accept an offer I made! Fucking hell, battling cash buying investors for 2 years (off and on searching)! I fucking nailed a sweet two story home yea fuck you investors >:D. Got the appraisal done, got the inspection done (pretty good for a place built in 1982 even the inspector was surprised). The people who were in it prior to me were renting higher than what I will be paying monthly because I have been working on my credit for years. This market is so hot that the appraisal came in HIGHER than what I bought it for which is sweet because my new home appreciated! The interior was completely redone with clean carpet and counter tops!

Man Im finally out of this shitty fucking apartment after 5 years of living here!

Congratulations! That's awesome!

tangeu · May 20, 2019

Ugh the house across the street from me was foreclosed on in the winter so now there is a lot of debris from spring storms and now the grass and weeds are a mile high. I don't want to be that guy but it's becoming more and more of an eyesore and I'm not sure who I should call to complain? There is a realtor sign out front so maybe them but everywhere online I look it seems to have been delisted so maybe not. Has anyone dealt with abandoned/empty houses as neighbors?

TarpitCarnivore · May 20, 2019

tangeu said:
Ugh the house across the street from me was foreclosed on in the winter so now there is a lot of debris from spring storms and now the grass and weeds are a mile high. I don't want to be that guy but it's becoming more and more of an eyesore and I'm not sure who I should call to complain? There is a realtor sign out front so maybe them but everywhere online I look it seems to have been delisted so maybe not. Has anyone dealt with abandoned/empty houses as neighbors?

The bank is responsible for the house so it's in them to fix it. You can call the town but they might not be able to do much

Fuzzy · May 20, 2019

TarpitCarnivore said:
The bank is responsible for the house so it's in them to fix it. You can call the town but they might not be able to do much

If it's like my city, they'll levy fines and then eventually city workers will do the work then the cost of the cleanup is billed to the owner of the property (the bank).

Doomguy Fieri · May 20, 2019

Who here stretched on their house purchase? I mean, figured out a price that would only be discussed if it was an absolute dream home, then added on another 10%. My wife is very into this home. I like it too, but I feel like we're eating ramen for the first few years. Would like to read experiences being house poor and how it affected lives and relationships.

My lean is no, bordering on hard no.

TarpitCarnivore · May 20, 2019

Fuzzy said:
If it's like my city, they'll levy fines and then eventually city workers will do the work then the cost of the cleanup is billed to the owner of the property (the bank).

And the bank will flip this onto the buyer

TarpitCarnivore · May 20, 2019

Doomguy Fieri said:
Who here stretched on their house purchase? I mean, figured out a price that would only be discussed if it was an absolute dream home, then added on another 10%. My wife is very into this home. I like it too, but I feel like we're eating ramen for the first few years. Would like to read experiences being house poor and how it affected lives and relationships.

My lean is no, bordering on hard no.

Our first house made us house poor and it definitely put stress on us. Unexpected issues will come up or just in the volume of stuff you may find yourself needing for the house, like yard care equipment. Having to balance saving for an emergency and buying essentials can feel stressful.

whatsinaname · May 20, 2019

Doomguy Fieri said:
Who here stretched on their house purchase? I mean, figured out a price that would only be discussed if it was an absolute dream home, then added on another 10%. My wife is very into this home. I like it too, but I feel like we're eating ramen for the first few years. Would like to read experiences being house poor and how it affected lives and relationships.

My lean is no, bordering on hard no.

I ended up 'stretching'. By a fair bit, considering I was buying on a single income. (But that also meant I could take on a housemate to help). Had to do it because of the market/location though, not because of 'falling in love' with the house.

Cpt-GargameL · May 20, 2019

What home security system do you guys recommend? (In the US) just purchased a a 3/2 two story home by a lake in South FL.

Nostremitus · May 20, 2019

I'm curious about home security recommendations too. I've been looking at SimpliSafe, but I'm not sure...

I'll probably end up setting up a few wifi cameras and building a NAS pc to run them and record the feed.

TarpitCarnivore · May 21, 2019

Nostremitus said:
I'm curious about home security recommendations too. I've been looking at SimpliSafe, but I'm not sure...

I'll probably end up setting up a few wifi cameras and building a NAS pc to run them and record the feed.

Cpt-GargameL said:
What home security system do you guys recommend? (In the US) just purchased a a 3/2 two story home by a lake in South FL.

I wrote about this at some point in here but I'll try to some up thoughts as I went through a lot of research on this:

Those 24/7 IP Camera set ups are nice because they're cheap, but all the apps are atrocious. They're all just rebranded cameras that get sold under different names and their updates are few and far between. They're also often incredibly finicky to get right with sensitivity to trigger alerts for timestamping in the software. Synology, NAS company, has decent tech for this but the software suffers the same alert problems. You'll also need to hardwire them with PoE.

The "smart" solutions are much more user friendly and much better with detection, but they will all suffer from delay. Meaning they'll trigger motion and begin recording 0.5-1second after it happens. This may mean you miss something if god forbid something happens. So it's better to have multiple (Well this is a thing in general) to cover all your bases. The Arlo & Logitech solutions are nice, Nest are costly w/ the subscription plan, I don't trust Wyze or Ring.

As for alarms, all the monitoring systems work the same: Alarm triggered -> monitoring center notified -> monitor calls you to verify/investigates -> notifies authorities. So it could be 15/20/30/whatever before someone actually shows up. I think ADT offers direct call to police but I don't recall.

QuigleyMcShine · May 21, 2019

Anyone here ever deal with a smelly sump pump? We closed on a house last week and as soon as we walked in something smelled off. Ended up spending a ton 9f money having Roto Roorer clean the sump, test for mold, and ensure it wasn't hooked into the sewage line. The previous homeowners had a very loud exhaust fan above the sump (which was definitely off during the showing and walkthrough, and the inspector even came back to and said he would've noticed if it was running during the inspection). The fan even vents at ground level, so you occasionally get a whiff of it in the backyard.

Talked to the neighbors and apparently the groundwater just has a sulfur smell to it, but they have a little PVC chimney that vents their sump above the roof. The whole situation is just bizarre to me. I wish I could fill in the whole basement and just not think about it again.

Chitown B · May 21, 2019

tangeu said:
Ugh the house across the street from me was foreclosed on in the winter so now there is a lot of debris from spring storms and now the grass and weeds are a mile high. I don't want to be that guy but it's becoming more and more of an eyesore and I'm not sure who I should call to complain? There is a realtor sign out front so maybe them but everywhere online I look it seems to have been delisted so maybe not. Has anyone dealt with abandoned/empty houses as neighbors?

honestly? if I had to look at an eyesore every day like that and no one would do anything, I'd mow it.

Nostremitus said:
I'm curious about home security recommendations too. I've been looking at SimpliSafe, but I'm not sure...

I'll probably end up setting up a few wifi cameras and building a NAS pc to run them and record the feed.

We have Simplisafe. It took about 30 min to install everywhere, maybe 45. Costs $25 a month for service that will link to the police. So far so good, had it about 18 months.

No cameras, but we live on a very busy street and aren't too worried.

Spinluck · May 21, 2019

Just moved to Chicago and while I'm loving it...

I think in a couple of years I will move back to Florida and buy first home there and decide what to do next. Been looking at Sarasota. I want somewhere chill, peaceful, by the beach with, in a blue county, with good food and an art scene.

Guess I should start saving even more for that now though. Really tired of dealing with landlords, pet issues, not having my open space, and so on. Sarasota seems like a great 2nd home option too.

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