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Home stuff šŸ” Home improvements

Big Owl said:
I am working on a HVAC replacement. I'd like to go from one unit for the whole house to having one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Or possibly zoning. Both would require some changes to the duct work. My house is 100 years old so I pretty much have to have a 100% contingency because nothing is simple and surprises are constant occurrences.
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I have been to that party before. Thankfully this is in the beach house which is a ranch over a crawl space. The furnace and ducting live in the crawl space so it's readily accessible and pretty straightfoward. Supply chain issues and contractor availability have been the biggest challenge in the last couple of years.

A prior home of mine in SC had a two zone system, one for downstairs and one for upstairs and it kept the house evenly cooled/heated while not being an energy hog.
 
kjel said:
I have been to that party before. Thankfully this is in the beach house which is a ranch over a crawl space. The furnace and ducting live in the crawl space so it's readily accessible and pretty straightfoward. Supply chain issues and contractor availability have been the biggest challenge in the last couple of years.

A prior home of mine in SC had a two zone system, one for downstairs and one for upstairs and it kept the house evenly cooled/heated while not being an energy hog.
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The last owners of our house installed two new AC/Heat pumps about 7 years ago. I can tell they are struggling and our HVAC building inspect said they're seeing a lot of the same type units quit around 10 years.

Our house is only 80 years old, but I've got to figure out how to seal it up a better. We've always had problems with a little water seeping through the bricks in our crawl space, but the humidity has been staying around 70-80% which can't be good. Last month our power bill (no gas except the stove) almost hit $500 and we've been keeping the thermostat around 78. Some of that is due to the fuel surcharge from the power utility. So is due to bad insulation and leaking windows.
 
Big Owl said:
I am working on a HVAC replacement. I'd like to go from one unit for the whole house to having one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Or possibly zoning. Both would require some changes to the duct work. My house is 100 years old so I pretty much have to have a 100% contingency because nothing is simple and surprises are constant occurrences.
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We added a mini-split for the upstairs a few years ago with 2 separate zones. The units went into the attic with new duct work. All former ductwork came from the basement. Air barely reached the upstairs. This was costly, but one of the best investments we've made to the house.
 
noottamevas said:
We added a mini-split for the upstairs a few years ago with 2 separate zones. The units went into the attic with new duct work. All former ductwork came from the basement. Air barely reached the upstairs. This was costly, but one of the best investments we've made to the house.
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My issue with adding a mini-split or a second unit is that I will likely have to upgrade my existing 100 amp electric service to do that which may open a pandora's box that I don't need to open just yet. I need to make some phone calls, get some quotes/recommendations from a couple of hvac guys, and go from there.
 
Big Owl said:
My issue with adding a mini-split or a second unit is that I will likely have to upgrade my existing 100 amp electric service to do that which may open a pandora's box that I don't need to open just yet. I need to make some phone calls, get some quotes/recommendations from a couple of hvac guys, and go from there.
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I had my entire house rewired in 2010 and upgraded to 200 amp service at that time.
 
Do I have to give up my planner card because I didn't anticipate a contractor being an idiot?

The condensed version:
I started meeting with a contractor in April to discuss garage tear-down and new build;
met with his architect shortly there after (still in April), gave them a photo of what I was thinking but (in error?) admitted that we were open to suggestions to make the job/ price reasonable.
Months and months go by; we texted and called, waiting for the architect's drawings; he responds every few days with vague comments but little actual answers.
[We've had 2 other quotes since then and the prices were higher.]
Original builder changes architect; I speak to new architect, ask her to come do site visit; she says she'd rather not based on time constraints.
We pay for 1/2 the cost of the plans to the builder in July.

All along, we've been asking for a price and told the builder our budget. We get the final price last week (without seeing the plans) and the builder wants us to sign a contract.
I'm not comfortable signing a contract without seeing the plans. Builder tells me that the architect won't release the plans until we pay the rest of the fees, which have gone up $1,000 because of "substantial changes". Apparently the architect has now drawn two sets of full construction drawings. (Also, she has no contract with the builder, even though she's asked him repeatedly for one).

That doesn't make sense to me. Why would she do construction drawings without talking to the client? We aren't getting answers to texts or phone calls so we ask builder to stop by. He comes over and basically says we need to sign a contract with him immediately and that the architect is holding our plans hostage. We tell him we'll have an answer by tomorrow.

Today, he texts demanding an answer (keep in mind, we started this conversation in APRIL).

I call the architect to figure out the communication gap. She tells me that the price of the plans are $1600 cheaper than what the builder told me. She also says that the builder made sure that the plans would be his, not ours -- even though the payment is coming from us.

... SO, I'll be buying my garage plans directly from the architect for about $1000 cheaper than I've been told (we've already paid the builder $600 more than he's paid the architect). Then I'll be shopping the plans around to get the best value for the building we want.

And I'll be smarter next time around... hopefully.

:cursing::woozy::monocole:
 
It's always either the builder or the architect. It's never the planner. Although I did get a set of plans from an architect for the house of a private sector planner I know so of course I called and harassed him about the plans. They were good, I just had to give him crap.


My advice to for future appliances, don't buy Fisher Paykel. Our house came with them and I swear every one of them has broken or I've had to do some repair work on it. Damn lady that owned the house before bought "cool" stuff. Most of it is nice like outlets with usb outlets, but the appliances and faucet suck, but they look nice.
 
DVD said:
My advice to for future appliances, don't buy Fisher Paykel. Our house came with them and I swear every one of them has broken or I've had to do some repair work on it. Damn lady that owned the house before bought "cool" stuff. Most of it is nice like outlets with usb outlets, but the appliances and faucet suck, but they look nice.
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The condo we are renting has a Miele dishwasher. It's is awesome, it should be though since they run $1,500...
 
RandomPlanner said:
Do I have to give up my planner card because I didn't anticipate a contractor being an idiot?

The condensed version:
I started meeting with a contractor in April to discuss garage tear-down and new build;
met with his architect shortly there after (still in April), gave them a photo of what I was thinking but (in error?) admitted that we were open to suggestions to make the job/ price reasonable.
Months and months go by; we texted and called, waiting for the architect's drawings; he responds every few days with vague comments but little actual answers.
[We've had 2 other quotes since then and the prices were higher.]
Original builder changes architect; I speak to new architect, ask her to come do site visit; she says she'd rather not based on time constraints.
We pay for 1/2 the cost of the plans to the builder in July.

All along, we've been asking for a price and told the builder our budget. We get the final price last week (without seeing the plans) and the builder wants us to sign a contract.
I'm not comfortable signing a contract without seeing the plans. Builder tells me that the architect won't release the plans until we pay the rest of the fees, which have gone up $1,000 because of "substantial changes". Apparently the architect has now drawn two sets of full construction drawings. (Also, she has no contract with the builder, even though she's asked him repeatedly for one).

That doesn't make sense to me. Why would she do construction drawings without talking to the client? We aren't getting answers to texts or phone calls so we ask builder to stop by. He comes over and basically says we need to sign a contract with him immediately and that the architect is holding our plans hostage. We tell him we'll have an answer by tomorrow.

Today, he texts demanding an answer (keep in mind, we started this conversation in APRIL).

I call the architect to figure out the communication gap. She tells me that the price of the plans are $1600 cheaper than what the builder told me. She also says that the builder made sure that the plans would be his, not ours -- even though the payment is coming from us.

... SO, I'll be buying my garage plans directly from the architect for about $1000 cheaper than I've been told (we've already paid the builder $600 more than he's paid the architect). Then I'll be shopping the plans around to get the best value for the building we want.

And I'll be smarter next time around... hopefully.

:cursing::woozy::monocole:
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No you do not. As someone who has worked on the construction management side, hire your own professionals like architects and engineers to design and spec out your work. Then shop your plans to contractors. If you like your architect ask them for recommendations of which contractors they've liked working with-they'll usually tell you. Do not sign a contract with the contractor/builder immediately and find a new one (also don't give a contractor money without a signed contract and they should give you a copy of their contractor's license as well as liability and worker's compensation insurance coverage certificates). Get everything in writing, the contract should have a detailed scope of work, a detailed budget, a project completion schedule, and enumerate the responsibilities of you, the contractor, and the architect/engineer if providing construction management services.
giff57 said:
The condo we are renting has a Miele dishwasher. It's is awesome, it should be though since they run $1,500...
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I bought a Miele vacuum cleaner this weekend. It's the base model that normally sells for $349 but I paid $299. Made in Germany and well built, cleans far better than I expected.
 
kjel said:
No you do not. As someone who has worked on the construction management side, hire your own professionals like architects and engineers to design and spec out your work. Then shop your plans to contractors. If you like your architect ask them for recommendations of which contractors they've liked working with-they'll usually tell you. Do not sign a contract with the contractor/builder immediately and find a new one (also don't give a contractor money without a signed contract and they should give you a copy of their contractor's license as well as liability and worker's compensation insurance coverage certificates). Get everything in writing, the contract should have a detailed scope of work, a detailed budget, a project completion schedule, and enumerate the responsibilities of you, the contractor, and the architect/engineer if providing construction management services.

I bought a Miele vacuum cleaner this weekend. It's the base model that normally sells for $349 but I paid $299. Made in Germany and well built, cleans far better than I expected.
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Yes! I've been asking for a contract, in writing, with scope of work, budget, etc and have gotten nowhere! Last week, the builder did come over to the house (as requested) with a rolled-up bunch of papers... he didn't open the papers and took them with him.

Do other people just let their builders do whatever they want?
 
RandomPlanner said:
Yes! I've been asking for a contract, in writing, with scope of work, budget, etc and have gotten nowhere! Last week, the builder did come over to the house (as requested) with a rolled-up bunch of papers... he didn't open the papers and took them with him.

Do other people just let their builders do whatever they want?
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Absolutely not. Part ways with this guy.
 
Note to self: 10'-0" sticks of shoe molding will not fit in a Mazda 3 sport hatchback without extreme bending, but 8'-0" sticks fit just fine.

That is all.
 
Have on-man crew outside now trimming all my trees and removal of two trees that are either dead or a volunteer growing too close to the prop line.
 
We are finishing our bathroom project. We took out a tub and installed a large walk-in tile shower. We then took out the old stand-up shower and installed a sauna. It was one of those freestanding models that we adapted (and installed additional insulation around) and built the wall around with an access panel and vent. The large wall mirror was replaced by two framed mirrors, swapped out all the faucets and fixtures. All that is left is floor tile and paint.
 
michaelskis said:
We are finishing our bathroom project. We took out a tub and installed a large walk-in tile shower. We then took out the old stand-up shower and installed a sauna. It was one of those freestanding models that we adapted (and installed additional insulation around) and built the wall around with an access panel and vent. The large wall mirror was replaced by two framed mirrors, swapped out all the faucets and fixtures. All that is left is floor tile and paint.
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We need pictures of this. Sounds like a good project.
 
Gedunker said:
Note to self: 10'-0" sticks of shoe molding will not fit in a Mazda 3 sport hatchback without extreme bending, but 8'-0" sticks fit just fine.

That is all.
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A Subaru Outback will cart 10' lengths of material if you put the back seat down and let it rest between the driver and passenger seats :)
MD Planner said:
Open the passenger window and let it hang out.
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I brought home a 6' bare root tree in the back seat by having the upper portion of the tree go through the sun roof. That was a hilarious ride home with people pointing and laughing along the way.
 
The furnace is not working. I discovered this last night and am not amused. We had a water leak that dripped onto the furnace/blower unit during summer which knocked out the A/C. The leak was repaired and the A/C restored to service, they could not test the heat because it was 90F outside. It got a little cool in the house and it's been humid due to all the rain. We know the whole thing is on borrowed time anyways and got a quote for a new system from our HVAC person but my daughter has been procrastinating with finalizing the quote and filling out the gas company's on bill financing application (0% APR for 7 years up to $15K). She got her ass in gear last night though when it was 65 in the house and me squawking at her that supply chain issues and labor availability are still making things more complicated than they need to be. There's an old fashioned cast iron wood stove, but we've never used it so I called someone to come inspect the chimney and come show us how to use it without lighting the house on fire. Figured it's not a bad supplement to forced air heating given the recently approved natural gas rate hikes.
 
kjel said:
There's an old fashioned cast iron wood stove
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My in-laws heated their house with a wood stove (primarily) that was on the enclosed back porch. It would be toasty on the porch... almost unbearable really, and nice and warm in the kitchen. The main living areas were comfortable and the bedrooms were a bit chilly but with comforters it was comfortable sleeping. They supplemented with an oil burner furnace but only used it on the coldest days.

My father-in-law developed lung issues though and they had to forego heating for free (they live on a hundred acres and had plenty of firewood).

But my point is, you can heat a house with a wood stove.
 
Doohickie said:
My in-laws heated their house with a wood stove (primarily) that was on the enclosed back porch. It would be toasty on the porch... almost unbearable really, and nice and warm in the kitchen. The main living areas were comfortable and the bedrooms were a bit chilly but with comforters it was comfortable sleeping. They supplemented with an oil burner furnace but only used it on the coldest days.

My father-in-law developed lung issues though and they had to forego heating for free (they live on a hundred acres and had plenty of firewood).

But my point is, you can heat a house with a wood stove.
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It's a small ranch house, the wood stove is in the living room in a huge floor to ceiling brick surround (someone's dream) and the living room and kitchen tend to be colder in winter as it has vaulted ceilings and the existing HVAC equipment wasn't properly sized for the volume of the space. It hasn't been used in 5 years at least and I am not sure the prior owners ever used it either. When we had the roof redone last year the roof contractor said the exterior of the chimney was in good shape and the cap was firmly in place. I just want to make sure there isn't a chipmunk or something inside and the liner is good.
 
Doohickie said:
Got the first coat (Kilz 3 primer) on the ceiling this weekend. I want to get the ceiling finished so we can paint the walls before holiday decorations go up.
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You get a T for tenacity. A sheetrocker would likely give it a smooth skim. Textures have lots of blemish hiding features.

Are you sure you don't want a "mop" stipple there?
 
kjel said:
The furnace is not working. I discovered this last night and am not amused. We had a water leak that dripped onto the furnace/blower unit during summer which knocked out the A/C. The leak was repaired and the A/C restored to service, they could not test the heat because it was 90F outside. It got a little cool in the house and it's been humid due to all the rain. We know the whole thing is on borrowed time anyways and got a quote for a new system from our HVAC person but my daughter has been procrastinating with finalizing the quote and filling out the gas company's on bill financing application (0% APR for 7 years up to $15K). She got her ass in gear last night though when it was 65 in the house and me squawking at her that supply chain issues and labor availability are still making things more complicated than they need to be. There's an old fashioned cast iron wood stove, but we've never used it so I called someone to come inspect the chimney and come show us how to use it without lighting the house on fire. Figured it's not a bad supplement to forced air heating given the recently approved natural gas rate hikes.
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With wood stoves it is also about clearance to combustibles. 12 " is min. if you have a brick hearth that stands clear a little or is backed by sheet metal standing clear.
My wood heater is 1/4" steel and has worked for me since 1988, in a great room 24' square with 12' vault ceiling that slopes to 8'.
Fuel from 5 acre oak/hickory woodlot I cut from.
Solid fuel appliances deliver radiant heat that is very cozy in cold weather.
 
Both my parents and grandparents used wood stoves as primary heating for some time growing up. If everything is working well, its not bad. Just need to find a good supplier of wood. They had a wooded farm and kids to haul, split, and load wood.

My grandmother would occasionally cook on her stove, especially if it was some sort of stew or soup. It was great if we ever lost power for more than a few days during the winter.
 
fringe said:
With wood stoves it is also about clearance to combustibles. 12 " is min. if you have a brick hearth that stands clear a little or is backed by sheet metal standing clear.
My wood heater is 1/4" steel and has worked for me since 1988, in a great room 24' square with 12' vault ceiling that slopes to 8'.
Fuel from 5 acre oak/hickory woodlot I cut from.
Solid fuel appliances deliver radiant heat that is very cozy in cold weather.
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The stove sits on a brick hearth and is surrounded by brick on all sides with two feet of clearance on the sides and about a foot away from the rear. Here's a photo from the real estate listing in 2017 https://www.redfin.com/NJ/Ocean-Gate/139-W-Arverne-Ave-08740/home/37446341
 
Thanks for sending this. I still work as a home inspector, and enjoyed the series.

The masonry behemoth is actually cool to me but as some say down South, "too much sugar for a dime".

I'm shocked by the listing price but even in GA prices are out of control.

I think the setting wood be great for a newer model stove. There are some that make efforts to look good, and are more efficient.

The design is a lot like cave dwelling isn't it?

Notice no pics showing HVAC.

The vaulted ceilings look pretty well done.
 
fringe said:
You get a T for tenacity. A sheetrocker would likely give it a smooth skim. Textures have lots of blemish hiding features.

Are you sure you don't want a "mop" stipple there?
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There's a bit of a texture left after scraping the popcorn off. You can see a few patches here and there. The Kilz is a semi-gloss. I expect when I use the ceiling flat the flaws will be less apparent. Most people don't stare at the ceiling anyway so not much point in spending a ton of time on it, imo.
 
bureaucrat#3 said:
Wow. Was the previous owner a brick mason? Maybe they just thought all that brick would be a nice heat sink to keep everything warm.
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Exactly. Heat all that up and bask in the radiant waves.

My wood stove is a high capacity with a modest masonry mass behind it but some nights you can open it's glass doors and really bask.

The posted pics are very unusual for an SFD.
 
bureaucrat#3 said:
Wow. Was the previous owner a brick mason? Maybe they just thought all that brick would be a nice heat sink to keep everything warm.
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I have no idea. The brick work was really well done though. Looking back through those photos is kind of a trip because of all the work we've done! The entire interior was repainted, we replaced all the dark floors with the same Pergo that was in the kitchen, we did a gut reno on the bathroom two summers ago, placed the garage back in service, removed all but 3 trees, redid the front yard reducing the lawn and increasing planting areas plus added a paver walkway.
 
Replaced the stupid water heater this weekend. I hate plumbing, but at least I've got another 10 years to wait on that one.
 
kjel said:
Absolutely not. Part ways with this guy.
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My daughter had trouble with custom build-in inside her 12th floor condo. When casework was installed without shoe mold the contractor said shoe mold was part of the flooring system and their job did not include it.
 
fringe said:
My daughter had trouble with custom build-in inside her 12th floor condo. When casework was installed without shoe mold the contractor said shoe mold was part of the flooring system and their job did not include it.
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Ridiculous given the inexpensive cost of most shoe molding and the ease of it being installed.
 
DVD said:
Replaced the stupid water heater this weekend. I hate plumbing, but at least I've got another 10 years to wait on that one.
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Water heater is big job but saves the most for home repair jobs. Did you use shark bite fittings?
 
kjel said:
I have no idea. The brick work was really well done though. Looking back through those photos is kind of a trip because of all the work we've done! The entire interior was repainted, we replaced all the dark floors with the same Pergo that was in the kitchen, we did a gut reno on the bathroom two summers ago, placed the garage back in service, removed all but 3 trees, redid the front yard reducing the lawn and increasing planting areas plus added a paver walkway.
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Its a really cute house in those pictures. I'm sure it looks great after all the work. The location looks really nice as well. Just a few blocks to the water.
 
bureaucrat#3 said:
Its a really cute house in those pictures. I'm sure it looks great after all the work. The location looks really nice as well. Just a few blocks to the water.
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My oldest daughter owns the home, she bought it 5 years ago because I told her she was making and wasting good money. We used it as a weekend home year round since my house is in Newark which is loud, busy, etc. and sometimes you just need some peace. When the pandemic started and everything went remote we went there as my husband felt it would be better as there are less people. We stayed and my oldest and her boyfriend now live in the Newark house as they've both returned to work/school in person and it's conveniently located for them. I joke that it's my retirement home and all the renovations we've done have had accessibility and aging in place in mind.

It's about 6 blocks from the Toms River/Barnegat Bay and the town has a nice sandy beach, the swimming is good in summer, a one mile long boardwalk that is easy to walk, and a tiny main street. There's a small community school with 125 K-6 students where kids walk to school and still play outside. I never fancied living in such a small town but we really do enjoy it. We're only 10-15 minutes away from much larger Toms River.
 
fringe said:
Water heater is big job but saves the most for home repair jobs. Did you use shark bite fittings?
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Yes! They make one now that is a shut off valve and pipe shark bite fitting specifically for water heaters. Wish I knew that before I bought a separate shut off valve and pipe.

It wasn't too bad other than the weight of a water heater. Just screw the stuff in.
 
DVD said:
Yes! They make one now that is a shut off valve and pipe shark bite fitting specifically for water heaters. Wish I knew that before I bought a separate shut off valve and pipe.

It wasn't too bad other than the weight of a water heater. Just screw the stuff in.
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...such a job is like a homeowner eagle scout badge. I ve been there twice and didn't enjoy either.
 
kjel said:
I have no idea. The brick work was really well done though. Looking back through those photos is kind of a trip because of all the work we've done! The entire interior was repainted, we replaced all the dark floors with the same Pergo that was in the kitchen, we did a gut reno on the bathroom two summers ago, placed the garage back in service, removed all but 3 trees, redid the front yard reducing the lawn and increasing planting areas plus added a paver walkway.
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I think your auxiliary heating via solid fuel appliance would work very well in cold weather. Our friends around here have wood heaters made of soapstone and steel that are so stylish.
 
We're a couple of weeks or so away from a contractor we hired breaking ground (literally) on a massive hardscaping project - two new retaining walls to terrace the east side of the backyard that's currently an eroding steep slope, a new retaining wall on the west side of the backyard to extend the usable area of that (slightly less) steeply sloped yard, replacing several existing wood retaining walls with masonry walls, replacing the wood steps with stone, replacing the backyard fence, and I'm probably missing a couple of things.

Me, thinking about this here project:

200w.gif
 
Doohickie said:
Got the first coat (Kilz 3 primer) on the ceiling this weekend. I want to get the ceiling finished so we can paint the walls before holiday decorations go up.
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Got the finish coat on this afternoon/evening. For the parts that are fully dry it looks MARVELOUS. I want to see what it looks like in daylight. For the most part I don't feel the need to fix the random flaws but there is one spot that may look too prominent so I may try to spackle it a bit more and repaint. I need to get some pictures and post them when everything is dry.

We've settled on wall colors: mostly a lighter green with a darker green in the entry hall and one dining room wall (where the built-in buffet is). I'll work on that soon.
 
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