Homeowner Thread |OT| A Thread for Homeowners

[Ether_Snake]

What's in it for the contractor to offer to take cash payment and not charge taxes? If they charge the taxes, they pay them with our money anyway. If they write off the taxes because we pay cash, they don't pay the taxes, which they wouldn't in both cases anyway.

The only advantage I can see for them is that if they offered a service for something optional that the client wouldn't do because it's too expensive, asking for cash payment to avoid charging the taxes might make said service more affordable, which allows them to make more than nothing since the client would have otherwise turned down the offer.

Also, legally speaking, I feel it gives them an open door to cut corners to increase their profit margin since you couldn't sue them because it would be like calling the cops for someone stealing your marijuana.

 

[Fuzzy]

You paying cash = them declaring less income and paying less tax themselves.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

You paying cash = them declaring less income and paying less tax themselves.

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Yep. And possibly hiring workers who get paid in cash (under the table) and don't pay tax.

 

[Ether_Snake]

You paying cash = them declaring less income and paying less tax themselves.

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But aren't taxes passed to the client anyway? I'm in Canada, this is a sales tax.

 

[whatsinaname]

But aren't taxes passed to the client anyway? I'm in Canada, this is a sales tax.

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Not sales tax on materials. They won't pay income tax on what you pay them.

Personally, I wouldn't pay cash for anything over $500.

 

[captive]

Not sales tax on materials. They won't pay income tax on what you pay them.

Personally, I wouldn't pay cash for anything over $500.

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This is pretty much an open secret with every small business owner.

But why wouldn't you pay cash for anything more than 500?

If I got a cash discount you bet your ass I would.

 

[whatsinaname]

This is pretty much an open secret with every small business owner.

But why wouldn't you pay cash for anything more than 500?

If I got a cash discount you bet your ass I would.

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If they are asking cash, that also means there is no contract/work order. If they come back half way through the work and say - 'we had agreed to $1000 but it is now going to cost me $2000', I am stuck.

 

[captive]

If they are asking cash, that also means there is no contract/work order. If they come back half way through the work and say - 'we had agreed to $1000 but it is now going to cost me $2000', I am stuck.

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Yea that's not how it works. They still do contracts/work orders.

And I have news for you if you think a contract is going to prevent a bad contractor from asking for more money.

 

[Deleted member 9135]

Can I ask what you guys think this looks like?

We just had tile and a new bathtub installed a little over a year ago and it looks like grout is seeping out from behind the tile and on to the tub. The sealant is also peeling off and getting dirty.

The grout seems to be spreading as of late too. Like months ago it was a small lining but not to anymore. At what point will it stop?

https://imgur.com/a/oGj1i6i

 

[whatsinaname]

I do minor fixes around the house like replacing a storm door handle and I feel like I have accomplished a lot...

-_-

 

[Ether_Snake]

Anyone has recommendations for an air conditioning technology that requires no invasive work at all? Something I can just put on the wall. I could plan for an outlet ahead of time if needed. I don't like the idea of putting a window unit, looks like crap.

Can I ask what you guys think this looks like?

We just had tile and a new bathtub installed a little over a year ago and it looks like grout is seeping out from behind the tile and on to the tub. The sealant is also peeling off and getting dirty.

The grout seems to be spreading as of late too. Like months ago it was a small lining but not to anymore. At what point will it stop?

https://imgur.com/a/oGj1i6i

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Looks like mold, need to make sure the room is well heated, sealant well applied to reduce the chances water will stay on the surface for a long time. The grout I don't know, but I have to assume the room is not well ventilated.

 

[Cheerilee]

Anyone has recommendations for an air conditioning technology that requires no invasive work at all? Something I can just put on the wall. I could plan for an outlet ahead of time if needed. I don't like the idea of putting a window unit, looks like crap.

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There are also portable air conditioners, but they need a hose which you have to drop outside of your window, while you mostly seal the window around the hose. Because the heat has to be ejected outside somehow, without letting new heat in. You could potentially hook one of them up to something like a clothes-dryer vent, for minimal appearance.

Then there's also retrofitting an AC unit onto a hot air furnace (not possible with hot water radiator heating, it needs to use the air ducts of a hot air furnace). It's very invasive to your furnace, and leaves a big radiator exposed somewhere on the outside of your house (preferably in the wind and shade). Can only really be done by professionals.

Or maybe you can install an attic vent fan. It can blow the heat out of your attic while it (hopefully) draws air from basement windows that have been cracked open. Cheap to operate and minimally invasive, but not nearly as effective as AC. The ghetto version would be to get a fan that is capable of pointing upwards, and blow the fan into your open attic door. (Orienting a box fan vertically will burn out the box fan's bearings, because they're not designed for vertical.)

 

[Ether_Snake]

There are also portable air conditioners, but they need a hose which you have to drop outside of your window, while you mostly seal the window around the hose. Because the heat has to be ejected outside somehow, without letting new heat in. You could potentially hook one of them up to something like a clothes-dryer vent, for minimal appearance.

Then there's also retrofitting an AC unit onto a hot air furnace (not possible with hot water radiator heating, it needs to use the air ducts of a hot air furnace). It's very invasive to your furnace, and leaves a big radiator exposed somewhere on the outside of your house (preferably in the wind and shade). Can only really be done by professionals.

Or maybe you can install an attic vent fan. It can blow the heat out of your attic while it (hopefully) draws air from basement windows that have been cracked open. Cheap to operate and minimally invasive, but not nearly as effective as AC. The ghetto version would be to get a fan that is capable of pointing upwards, and blow the fan into your open attic door. (Orienting a box fan vertically will burn out the box fan's bearings, because they're not designed for vertical.)

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I see my options are limited. I'll have to check with my contractor. Right now the plan is to have a window unit. I can only hope that by now we have some that don't look like pieces of junk and that aren't super noisy. I would prefer to have one of those that are wall-hung and sound like sea waves like I had in a sea-side hotel, but it seems you need some condenser and some tube going to it outside.

 

[Violence Jack]

Does anyone have solar panels installed on their home? I'm told that it's a good investment, and we just signed up to have them installed on our roof. Are there any downsides?

 

[QuigleyMcShine]

Does anyone have solar panels installed on their home? I'm told that it's a good investment, and we just signed up to have them installed on our roof. Are there any downsides?

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Are you buying them outright or is it one of those where they install them for free and you're essentially paying a new lower electric bill to the solar company? Are you in the US?

 

[Violence Jack]

Are you buying them outright or is it one of those where they install them for free and you're essentially paying a new lower electric bill to the solar company? Are you in the US?

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Yes I'm in the US. They're installing them for free and I'll be paying a monthly bill until they are paid off.

 

[Phonzo]

Yes I'm in the US. They're installing them for free and I'll be paying a monthly bill until they are paid off.

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By investment do you mean if you were to sell the house? Then No, unless you buy it outright. It's actually a terrible investment to rent solar panels if you plan on selling house. Cause the new owners will have to take on the lease. And most people would be turned off on the idea that they would be forced into a lease on solar panels when buying a house. If anything it'll lower the value of the house. However if you buy the solar panels outright thats a diferent story.

I know cause i did research on this very topic. There was a house i liked but there is a 18year lease on a solar panel attached to it. That house is still on the market. And they tried to sell the with solar panels like as if thats a plus. If i want solar panels i'll do my own lease, not forced into it.

 

[Fuzzy]

Just make sure your roof is in good shape before installing them. For example, if your roof only has 5 years left on it before needing replacement then it's gonna be a bigger cost to replace the roof later. Also make sure to talk with the installer about the possibility of leaks after installation and what steps they'll be taking to ensure there won't be any. You should be doing a lot of research before even contacting an installer.

 

[Violence Jack]

Thanks for the advice. I've been doing my research, but my wife convinced me after we spoke to a representative, and she contacted her best friend and dad who also got solar installed. I asked about the roof, and they said that they would give a discount if our roof needed to be replaced since the company installing them is also a roofing company as well. They also mentioned about having the panels added to our home insurance so that they would be covered by act of God events like hail storms or leaks. But the home inspector did say that our roof would eventually need to be replaced down the line when we moved in about a year ago.

We don't plan on selling the house any time soon. And if we did, we'd pay off the panels before putting it on the market.

 

[Ether_Snake]

So as I'm trying to lower my renos' costs, I'm thinking of leaving the bathroom where it is and rework it, but one definite improvement would be using a sliding door to make going in and out easier. The problem is, a sliding door for a bathroom sounds like a really bad idea due to smell and noise. What's the solution? A loud fan? :)

edit: Now that I think about it, I have large indoor windows in the top part of the walls. So I guess it's already a lost cause, a loud fan is the solution!

 

[Zoe]

So as I'm trying to lower my renos' costs, I'm thinking of leaving the bathroom where it is and rework it, but one definite improvement would be using a sliding door to make going in and out easier. The problem is, a sliding door for a bathroom sounds like a really bad idea due to smell and noise. What's the solution? A loud fan? :)

edit: Now that I think about it, I have large indoor windows in the top part of the walls. So I guess it's already a lost cause, a loud fan is the solution!

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If you can do a pocket door, it's no worse than a regular door.

 

[whatsinaname]

If you can do a pocket door, it's no worse than a regular door.

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Aren't pocket doors a lot more expensive though?

 

[Zoe]

Aren't pocket doors a lot more expensive though?

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Probably cheaper than all the piping needed to move the bathroom

Ours was only 300, but of course that was on a new house, so that's probably only materials cost.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Probably cheaper than all the piping needed to move the bathroom

Ours was only 300, but of course that was on a new house, so that's probably only materials cost.

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Yeah the bathroom was going to become a laundry and storage room with a pocket door so it should be doable. Even if the bathroom would be smaller than if it had moved I found some references that convinced me it can look much better.

 

[Nostremitus]

I picked up about 50 free pallets.

My first project was a small vertical herb garden.

I think it turned out ok.

 

[captive]

Thanks for the advice. I've been doing my research, but my wife convinced me after we spoke to a representative, and she contacted her best friend and dad who also got solar installed. I asked about the roof, and they said that they would give a discount if our roof needed to be replaced since the company installing them is also a roofing company as well. They also mentioned about having the panels added to our home insurance so that they would be covered by act of God events like hail storms or leaks. But the home inspector did say that our roof would eventually need to be replaced down the line when we moved in about a year ago.

We don't plan on selling the house any time soon. And if we did, we'd pay off the panels before putting it on the market.

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we have solar panels, feel free to ask me anything. someone also just started a solar panel thread with questions as well.

Aren't pocket doors a lot more expensive though?

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not really no. we used them several times in our house.

 

[Fuzzy]

Aren't pocket doors a lot more expensive though?

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Only if you compare converting an existing door to just buying a new door. At the construction phase there's practically no difference except the thickness of the wall.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Guys, does this look like asbestos? I'm talking about the dark hair.

https://imgur.com/LSeFzZx

https://imgur.com/c3LCmLm

 

[Cheerilee]

Guys, does this look like asbestos? I'm talking about the dark hair.

https://imgur.com/LSeFzZx

https://imgur.com/c3LCmLm

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Looks like horse-hair plaster to me. Asbestos is generally white-ish, and looks more ripped and frayed and shattered and jaggy (as I understand it).

Horse-hair plaster generally predated asbestos plaster. Basically, the plasterers would mix up their rock-water and spread it around, and then they realized that the dried product was weak and brittle. So they tossed in some cheap horse hair (from the glue factory, back when that's how glue was made), and the hair fibers anchored and tied things together with some stretchyness, which helped stop the plaster from cracking.

Then some geniuses realized that asbestos is fireproof, so they made plaster more fireproof by using asbestos fibers instead of horse hair fibers.

Then they realized that ripped asbestos is sharp like glass and has nasty barbs all over it, so when fine particles get broken free and float in the air they fuck up your lungs real bad and cause cancer.

Since it looks dark and hairy, I'd say it looks like you've got the oldschool stuff. You could probably snip some of that off and send it to ancestry dot com to look at some old horse DNA, cause you've got the ghosts of dead horses in your walls.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

Yeah, that's not asbestos. You could get it tested though to put your mind at ease.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Yeah looking at photos of asbestos it doesn't look like it and would have been an unusual place to find it. It definitely looks and feels like hair.

Thanks!

 

[vacantseas]

Anybody have an estimated cost for a kitchen reno?

I did a master bath reno myself last year as well as a basement reno. I'm pretty handy and know what I'm doing, but I think hiring someone to do a kitchen renovation would be so much easier and quicker in the long run.

My wife and I had a kitchen designer out recently to draw up some plans and different ideas. We like what we see, and I could demo everything myself, but I think having someone do the install, especially moving around some plumbing and other things of that nature would be best to leave it to someone else.

 

[Chitown B]

I feel like it really matters what you're looking for. Hard to give a blanket estimate.

 

[vacantseas]

Yeah I know. I'll just have to do some googling for basic information.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Anybody have an estimated cost for a kitchen reno?

I did a master bath reno myself last year as well as a basement reno. I'm pretty handy and know what I'm doing, but I think hiring someone to do a kitchen renovation would be so much easier and quicker in the long run.

My wife and I had a kitchen designer out recently to draw up some plans and different ideas. We like what we see, and I could demo everything myself, but I think having someone do the install, especially moving around some plumbing and other things of that nature would be best to leave it to someone else.

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Go with Ikea, then replace the doors with custom ones if you feel really fancy later.

 

[dubc]

I moved into a new (to us) house a couple months ago, checked to see if the furnace worked last week as fall is here. No dice. I spent way too much time troubleshooting the thermostat and furnace. Dialed it in to the shitty thermostat (nest) not being able to do the main job of a thermostat, i.e. run the furnace. Bought a new brand/type, worked perfectly out of the box. +5000 for devices that do what they're designed to do and not "tech" marketing. /old man shakes fist at cloud.

 

[whatsinaname]

I moved into a new (to us) house a couple months ago, checked to see if the furnace worked last week as fall is here. No dice. I spent way too much time troubleshooting a shitty thermostat (nest) and finally just bought a different brand/type. Worked perfectly out of the box. +5000 for devices that do what they're designed to do and not shitty marketing of internet enable shit. /old man shakes fist at internet enable clouds.

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Wow, that's surprising. Was it missing any standard cables?

It took time to figure out my ecobee connection (non-standard setup of Heat Pump, Furnace + old disconnected emergency heat supply) but I would have had that trouble with any thermostat.

 

[dubc]

Wow, that's surprising. Was it missing any standard cables?

It took time to figure out my ecobee connection (non-standard setup of Heat Pump, Furnace + old disconnected emergency heat supply) but I would have had that trouble with any thermostat.

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It was installed when I moved into the house and worked fine for a couple months with fan only and AC. I decided to check the furnace with fall coming/here and it went into a 'no power from equipment' on Rh wire loop. It would die and I would have to recharge it on a micro USB cable prior to installing back on the base, only to have the same result. I checked Rh voltage to GND: 24V. I checked the furnace: safety switch not tripped, fuse not blown. The breaker wasn't tripping. I spent about an hour on the phone with a helpful, but very loud background India customer support center before finally deciding I had spent enough of my time to just buy a new thermostat and be done with it. I purchased a new Honeywell thermostat yesterday and it's been working perfectly without changing any wiring or doing anything to the furnace.

 

[Jedi2016]

The Nest thermostats require constant power through a "C" wire. Their documentation says they don't, but it doesn't hold charge well enough coming off the power only when the AC/furnace is running. I started having a lot of problems with my Nest about six months ago because of that (about two years after it was installed). Thankfully, the wiring harness between the furnace and the thermostat had an extra wire that wasn't being used, so I tapped into the "C" power through that, and it's been working perfectly fine ever since.

 

[dubc]

Interesting. I never saw that searching around. Oh well, I like the new thermostat much better.

 

[Ether_Snake]

I have decided I will eventually replace my interior stairway to have built-in storage in every step. Some sort of pull-up storage.

I am fighting for every inch, especially after having to throw away 60% of my architect's plan due to bad budgeting on their part :( On top of that I now realize this whole project was started on wrong assumptions and that's on me first and foremost. It should have been all about improving space-usage in every nook and cranny. There was a lot of waste in my plan and I now see everything differently.

I'm even thinking of having some storage unit that can come down from the overhead space above the stairs with some sort of mechanism. Some future project.

A tip for anyone planning to do renos in a new place: live there first to really figure what needs to be done, you'll never until you're swearing at the place as you do your routines. And never trust a 2D plan! Everything looks far more spacious in 2D. Go on site, visualize, mimic, use your arms.

 

[Falore]

I accidentally posted in the wrong thread, sorry.

 

[Give]

Does anyone have experience purchasing a home that they were renting? My wife and I are starting to look but we really love the home we've been renting for the past 3 years. Before we start seriously looking we want to reach out to the homeowner and she if she'd be interested in selling, but I'm wondering if we should already be prepared with an agent or something. Anyways, would love to hear some experiences.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

Does anyone have experience purchasing a home that they were renting? My wife and I are starting to look but we really love the home we've been renting for the past 3 years. Before we start seriously looking we want to reach out to the homeowner and she if she'd be interested in selling, but I'm wondering if we should already be prepared with an agent or something. Anyways, would love to hear some experiences.

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My boss did this, I'll ask him. But I think I'd start by just reaching out to the landlord and even seeing if they're interested in selling and then go from there

 

[Ether_Snake]

Trying to cut in my reno cost evaluation. Jesus Christ everything is so expensive 😫 I cut and cut and cut and yet so many other expenses aren't even included and you know there will be "extras" along the way. I don't know where to cut anymore and still have to cut a lot. I'm at the point where I might have to skip having a duct installed for the range hood and go ductless and even that will save barely anything. I want to go back in time and not buy this condo, didn't think things through. I might recoup only 20% at best of the renos' cost if I was to sell right after. Can only hope that yearly house price increases softens the blow over time + the morale benefit of living in a place that is "mine", but the later is pretty much dead as I'll always think about the money I put into this. Plus, there is probably another unplanned reno I'll have to go forward with down the line anyway.

I won't be ruined, but it just sucks to know I jumped head first into something I should have taken a more gradual approach with. It's throwing money in the trash at the end of the day. 😣

Edit: yeah since I'm going with an induction range and I am planning to have a window in the upper bathroom wall which is next to the kitchen I could use the bathroom fan if I'l cooking something that smokes. Yay maybe I saved 1200$! Gotta keep scratching. Gotta keep scratching.

 

[Sobriquet]

Yeah renovation costs are crazy! I live in a house that's over 100 years old so every time you pull some wood or whatever, it's always worse than expected. Currently getting a new roof, building a porch balustrade, and replacing some rotten siding. Over half of the support beams under the roof were rotten. The wood under my porch columns is rotten. Etc. 😬

 

[captive]

Anybody have an estimated cost for a kitchen reno?

I did a master bath reno myself last year as well as a basement reno. I'm pretty handy and know what I'm doing, but I think hiring someone to do a kitchen renovation would be so much easier and quicker in the long run.

My wife and I had a kitchen designer out recently to draw up some plans and different ideas. We like what we see, and I could demo everything myself, but I think having someone do the install, especially moving around some plumbing and other things of that nature would be best to leave it to someone else.

Click to shrink...

15-20k is a pretty standard range. Depends on how much plumbing you want to move around, what kind of appliances you want to get.

 

[Annihilator]

Had windows put in by window world...I will not be recommending them to anyone thats for sure. Owning a home is not always good.

 

[J-Wood]

So I have a house that was built in 2013, and have noticed these small bulges in the ceiling on my top floor (above the ceiling is the attic). One of these was present when we bought the house, but looking at it i feel like a few more have popped up, but maybe not, i really can't recall. We've lived here for two years now. Is this something I should be concerned about? Really have no idea. Here are some pictures. One of them you can see a nail head, the others you can't.

I took a hammer to each of these spots and definitely knocked a nail back into place. I'm assuming maybe just the drywall came loose against that beam and that explains why it's basically in a line? I guess should I be worried about anything?

 

[Zoe]

Can't explain why, but those are the drywall screws popping out.