Motor in my AC unit died.
Saying good by to $560 to hvac repair person.

5/21/2015 9:32:13 PM

Fan motor in HVAC?

I just replaced one for $150 with an upgraded unit. HVAC company quoted $1000.

5/22/2015 8:26:29 AM

Ouch. And you can't go without AC with that baby. Sucks, bro.

5/22/2015 9:38:59 AM

Clogged filter in the washing machine. Wasn't happy to pay $170, but don't think it was too bad. It MIGHT have been something I could have done on a Sunday with about an hours worth of online research and probably two hours of taking the washing machine apart....but (1) I might have never figured it out, (2) I might have fucked up trying to fix it, and the most important (3) we have company coming into town for Memorial Day and my wife had about four loads of laundry, including clothes, sheets, and towels...don't think laundromat was an option.

All in all...not too bad. And I don't have to replace the washing machine!

5/22/2015 9:56:04 AM

^^^ I have a single unit, dual zone system.
The motor that controls the buffer/ zone control flap died.
May have been able to do it myself, but have a now 6 day old and just needed it fixed.

5/22/2015 10:46:21 AM

Quote :

"Clogged filter in the washing machine. "

What exactly had to be changed?
My Samsung has a filter you can get to from the front of the machine...but it rarely clogs somehow.


Also if anyone needs a good appliance repair guy, i know a guy who does good work on the side. PM me for info.

5/22/2015 1:14:40 PM

^ Nothing, just about three+ hours of labor. My wife exaggerrated a ton of the problems so he did some troubleshooting of his own. It was also a top bottom washer/dryer, so a lot of work there (while I was at work). I got back to the house in time to see him take the filter out and show us all the shit caught in it (stuffing from dog toys that I told my wife not to put in the washing machine!!! ).

5/22/2015 4:56:01 PM

Just got a new roof quote for my house and was wondering if this seems reasonable. Seemed a little high to me, I was hoping around $7,500.

~$8,900 for 27 squares (I think he estimated 30 squares when you include waste) on a one story ranch style house. Roof is a little steeper than average. I think the actual square footage of the roof is about 2,300-2,400.

5/22/2015 5:48:57 PM

Quote :

"1600 sqft single story house. Otto - 5378 for 25 year architectural shingles, 6068 for 50 year shingles, no ridge vent (plus $450 each to replace two skylights) Scro's - 8000 for CertainTeed Landmark Architectural Shingle (dude didn't even come to the house, used GPS to determine the size of my roof), no ridge vent Housetop Roofing - 5800 for 30 year architectural shingles, and install ridge vent (plus $350 each to replace two skylights) I am going ahead with Housetop Roofing, although Otto was cool too (it would just be nice to have the ridge vent in addition to my other ventilation)."

5/22/2015 6:55:53 PM

Thanks. My house is actually only about 1,500 sq. ft of living space but the two car garage kills me. Was your roof 1,600 sq ft or was that just your house living space? Also, were you happy with your contractor?

5/22/2015 7:04:46 PM

House is officially on the market!
http://estately.com/listings/info/2917-mark-oak-court?noapp=1

Had showing requests within two minutes of listing! Hope we can sell this weekend!

5/23/2015 8:42:58 AM

Wow....13 showings and my house sold at 7K over list on the first day! Woot!!!!!

5/23/2015 9:54:59 PM

damn, well done!

5/23/2015 10:06:12 PM

My house does not have a garage, 1600 total living space. I couldn't be happier with housetop roofing, A+ job and customer service.

5/24/2015 8:43:51 PM

Great, thanks.

5/25/2015 11:21:55 AM

How can I tell if a brace in an attic space was temporary during construction?

I have two side walk in attics, and one of them has the following layout:



I feel like that bracing was something that should have been removed after the house was built. It makes it extremely difficult to get to that back area for storage, and it just looks out of place.

Without just removing it and crossing my fingers, how can I tell if this is actually structurally important?

5/26/2015 10:04:05 AM

Is there a wall underneath that brace?

5/26/2015 12:06:01 PM

You mean downstairs underneath the support?

5/26/2015 1:27:27 PM

my gut tells me not to get rid of it.

5/26/2015 4:13:11 PM

why remove? to alleviate aggravation from having to finagle things through the studs?

you could build a new one with an oversized header piece and fewer upright studs and remove the old one, that may help without jeopardizing something.

5/26/2015 4:20:00 PM

Yes, maximadrvr meant a wall in the room beneath this area. If there is a continuous wall, it certainly is part of the load bearing structure. Many stick-built roofs have intermediate supports like this; yours was built more as a wall than just a few scrap 2x4s tacked into place. Most people would like your setup as it makes finishing/shelving/etc. easier.

If it were my house and I wasn't sure if it was load bearing, I wouldn't touch it. But if you're set on changing things...

Frame it like a doorway with a homemeade glulam header (glued & screwed 2x4s sandwiching a 1/2" piece of plywood); remove 2 center studs to act as jack studs to hold the header. Screw everything together and from both sides. To take the ceiling angle out of play; I would leave about 4-6" of the two center studs in place (connected to the rafters) then place the header below those.

[Edited on May 27, 2015 at 10:02 AM. Reason : .]

5/27/2015 10:01:37 AM

Hot tip: Property owners in Wake County are publicly listed in GIS.

http://maps.raleighnc.gov/iMAPS/

5/27/2015 11:04:45 PM

glass window pane randomly cracked, and cracked extensively. $300 to fix.

5/28/2015 10:41:13 AM

If I have cracks in the walls of my fireplace, do I need to replace the entire fireplace or is it possible to just replace the wall panels?

5/29/2015 1:22:26 PM

I found out that I should be able to just replace the wall panels.

5/29/2015 5:38:28 PM

All kinds of fun, when it rains it pours. A few weeks after dropping $6500 on the new split system heat pump, I go under the house to get my extension ladder only to find a mud puddle. Water heater is leaking like crazy, had to get a new one.

The very next day, totally unrelated, I find water damage and a big mold spot in the drywall behind some shelves. Turns out I hit a 3" PVC drain pipe with a screw and over time it rusted and created a leak path. Got into the project and found another painted over nail from the previous owners that was driven in to the pipe. Then after cutting the drywall away to fix that one I found another hole that had been patched. I'm the 3rd owner of this house, so it seems all three homeowners have hit this pipe with a fastener.

I cut a semicircular sections of a 3" coupling to make "collars" that I cemented on over each of holes. Here's hoping that does the trick.

Never done much drywall work, but I replaced a 27x32 section and my first mudding attempt has turned out pretty well.

6/1/2015 9:39:18 AM

I have recently noticed that hot air is coming down through my exhaust fans in the bathrooms (when they aren't running). Is there any way to prevent this? I would prefer to prevent major leaks like these because it gets pretty hot here in the summer (Texas) and it is hard enough to keep the house cool.

6/2/2015 2:40:37 PM

http://www.lowes.com/pd_433278-131-433278_1z0uawo__?productId=4566288&pl=1

that should help out a little - you'll have to get up in zee attic though.

6/2/2015 4:19:29 PM

Thanks. I really would like to avoid that but it is what it is. My attic is a bitch, I was just up there twice last week when it was thankfully pretty cool. No floor + low ceiling + zero lighting = fucking awful to navigate through

6/2/2015 5:19:42 PM

After some mis-steps (lost the first place we offered on due to a weird right of first refusal clause from another buyer) we should be closing next week, so I imagine sooner or later I'll find myself posting here. The house is a 2317 sf cape cod, built in 1946 but pretty substantially updated over the years, nice recent kitchen, finished basement. Small lot but it's a good location, not far from downtown but county schools/taxes.

The mortgage process has been kind of a woe, actually. Our lender has not been the most competent so far--we were originally scheduled to close tomorrow but had a nearly 10 day delay due to new computer software (the loan officer did not realize there was an extra step to submit for underwriting compared to the old software package) and then a delay in the appraisal (no reason given but I suspect the appraiser went on vacation over Memorial Day weekend without having submitted the appraisal, then submitted it when he got back).

Hoping we can close sometime next week so as not to reschedule the movers. Ready to get this move going.

6/4/2015 10:48:31 AM

Quote :

"The house is a 2317 sf cape cod, built in 1946 but pretty substantially updated over the years, nice recent kitchen, finished basement. Small lot but it's a good location, not far from downtown but county schools/taxes."

Almost sounds like the house we closed on in Winston-Salem. A little less sqft, but the basement isn't finished.

6/5/2015 10:30:01 AM

Ugh. My tenant has been a royal pain in coordinating with the contractor to repair the linoleum floors in the kitchen and bathroom after the washer broke. Now she's threatening to sue me for two full month's rent (May and June) because apparently having just a concrete floor in the kitchen and bathroom "makes the house completely unlivable." Nevermind that the drying out process had to be done before any flooring could be replaced, and that took two weeks. Also, nevermind that she didn't have any complaints about it being "unfit to live in" until three weeks after that. Did I mention that she wouldn't allow the new washer to be delivered despite being given a week's notice, and she refused to be there for delivery, making me almost have to make a three hour drive?

Then she tried to ask for $200 for the electricity cost of the fans running for a week. Too bad I can do an electricity usage calculation based on the current rating of the fans in thirty seconds and tell that it only added $50 at most. I almost hope she takes me to small claims over that, just so I can see the look on her face when the judge bitch slaps her as I hand in that calculation.

Offered her $100 reduction in rent for May based on "reduction of market rental value," 80 for the electricity (to cover my ass), and told her she can terminate the lease right now without penalty and without paying June rent. She was due to move out at he end of June anyway. Why do people have to be scumbags?

[Edited on June 6, 2015 at 1:41 AM. Reason : ]

6/6/2015 1:36:51 AM

Quote :

"Almost sounds like the house we closed on in Winston-Salem. A little less sqft, but the basement isn't finished."

How's it treating you so far? Hoping for the best...nearly 70 years is pretty old, but our inspector did say it's near the best condition for its age that he's ever seen. (As a fan of old houses I was actually hoping for 1900-1920, common in a couple of nearby neighborhoods, but nothing came up that fit our needs and our budget.)

We will be in the Northside/Lakeside area of Richmond. A photo, for however long Zillow decides to leave it up:


[Edited on June 6, 2015 at 4:46 AM. Reason : z]

6/6/2015 4:43:16 AM

Nice house, congrats!

I vented some frustration on the last page about a seller not even responding to my offer of asking price after sitting on it for 2 days. Well, the original buyer backed out (seller says they don't know why, but I am going to be pretty particular in the inspection). I offered 10k less the second time around and they signed the offer Friday.

Trying to get an inspection this week and see what needs to be addressed. I know there is a damaged sill (seller already offered to fix), plus a damaged furnace (which is also being fixed), but the HVAC is 30 years old and the roof is 20 years old. There was also tire tracks in the back yard near the sewer overflow, so I am trying to get some more information on that. The seller said the city was going to cut down trees and she stopped them, anyone know how I can contact the city to see what they were doing?

6/7/2015 4:27:34 PM

Any suggestions as for someone who can fix a soft spot in a kitchen floor?

Thanks!

6/7/2015 8:11:43 PM

can you get under the house and see why it is flexing?

Rick
All Phase Remodeling
919-616-1326

He has done work for me and my dad and it a good handyman.

6/7/2015 9:19:33 PM

Cool, thanks. Yea, there is a crawl space. It was from a leaky fridge years ago. Just needs the under boards replaced and a new flooring top.

Thanks for the contact info!

6/8/2015 8:42:24 AM

Quote :

"How's it treating you so far?"

Haven't moved in just yet, the sellers needed extra time to find another house. So they're "paying us rent" & covered some extra closing costs. We did plant some flowers in the foreground of the pic below two weekends ago. We're moving in about 2 weeks. I, too, was hoping to find something older and closer to downtown (West End), but the properties are either out of our price range, needed a good deal of work, or have been split up into units (too "chopped up"). Pic of our house below (pic was taken in March, so the landscaping is a bit more lush now):



[Edited on June 8, 2015 at 9:25 AM. Reason : ]

6/8/2015 9:24:37 AM

Always something... Spent a day busting my ass doing shit ton of yard work to come inside to a spot in the kitchen ceiling. Cut into it, and the water is coming from the toilet drain. Pull the toilet and notice the flange is cracked. Have to excise a decent amount of tile to put the repair kit in there, but now fixed. Now I have to do what I hate... Drywall repair. Fuck drywall repair and all the dust that it creates...

6/8/2015 1:40:32 PM

just dodged a bullet!!! wasn't able to get a homeowner's insurance quote without knowing the roof age and the seller didn't list it on the property disclosure. luckily they only lived there for a year, so I was able to pull up the property disclosure from when they bought last year. turns out, the roof was only 1-5 years old when they bought it! w00t!!!!

can't wait to move! june 29th can't come soon enough. ready to start cooking in this kitchen!

6/8/2015 4:13:30 PM

^Holy storage, Batman. That's a ton of cabinets. Nice setup!

^^^Looks good, I like the portico. Huge screen porch too (or is that a sunroom?) Your experience sounds like ours--we currently rent in a neighborhood just west of downtown Richmond, and really like the area, but anything we could have afforded in this neighborhood would have been too small (<1300 sf), needed a good deal of work, or both. Happy with the house we found, and I think we'll like the neighborhood, if we can ever get to closing on the damn thing. Most recent development is that our lender rejected the first appraisal and has ordered a new one, so we're on hold until that is done. Grrrrrr.

[Edited on June 8, 2015 at 7:33 PM. Reason : d]

6/8/2015 7:33:07 PM

I have an odd air conditioning woe. The blower motor in the attic runs nonstop regardless of what the thermostat is set on. But the condenser outside only kicks on when the thermostat calls for cooling. So the condenser functions normally but the blower motor runs all the time. Seems like this is either a bad thermostat or some kind of relay or switch connecting to the blower in the attic correct? I need an HVAC tech friend

6/9/2015 7:01:32 AM

whtmike2k, it's a relay that gets stuck. I had this happen a couple of summers ago. I just replaced the whole logic board inside the air handler. I was able to buy one off of ebay.

6/9/2015 1:16:21 PM

I did the same thing. Replaced the circuit board and it fixed things for me. I had the opposite problem where the relay was stuck and wouldn't turn the blower on.

6/9/2015 2:57:26 PM

Hot water isn't flowing from the shower in my guest bedroom. Heater seems fine, and every other faucet gets hot water.

6/15/2015 9:15:49 AM

What kind of valve do you have? A single handle that controls both, or individual knobs?

6/16/2015 9:45:45 AM

Single handle

6/16/2015 10:47:15 AM

so if you turn it to full hot, is there any flow (or reduced flow)? sounds like a bad faucet... or you've got a big leak

6/16/2015 1:46:17 PM

Sounds like a bad mixer valve. You'll likely need a plumber. They'll probably replace the valve from behind (I suspect the end of the shower with the valve butts up to a closet. The mixer valve won't be too much if you are doing something standard. Maybe $100. The plumber is probably going to charge 2.5-3 hours of labor to swap it out around $75 an hour for the labor. If it is copper, you are going to add another 2 hours, and the materials will be a bit more.

Yeah, he doesn't have a leak. I assume your hot water works in the sink in that same bathroom, and your pressure is normal? You have a bad valve.

[Edited on June 16, 2015 at 4:53 PM. Reason : .]

6/16/2015 4:51:51 PM

^^ Yes, very low flow.

I've read around that it might have something to do with a cartridge or some such shit. I figure if it's a leak I would've seen some evidence of it by now.

6/17/2015 8:31:51 AM