I need to replace some fascia on the front and side of my house. What I am trying to determine is, what type of wood do I use? I have read a few articles and each mentions something different. What I have seen so far is white pine, pressure treated and Hardi Plank. I would think that Hardi would be the best bet but I don't think the sell that at Lowe's and I want to do all of this on Saturday. I assume pressure treated is next best thing. What would you all do?

6/4/2010 3:46:05 PM

1. HardiPlank (Which I believe they carry at Lowes but it is pricey)
2. White Pine (As long as you keep it painted and caulk any joints it will last)
3. Treated Pine (You have to wait until it dries out before you paint it. Prob 90 days or so)

6/4/2010 3:55:56 PM

The front part of the second story of my house cantilevers out over the 1st story. The corner above the main entry way had been showing some signs of water leaking in from the siding. Opened it up yesterday and it was a lot worse than I was thinking. The main load bearing supports (2 2x10's) for the side wall and roof of the second story are half rotted for about 4 ft of a 14 ft board. Started removing them and then noticed that there is some major insect damage to both beams further into the house. Hope I don't find more insect damage today.

6/6/2010 8:59:35 AM

Dishwasher randomly decided to just stop working yesterday

6/7/2010 10:33:54 AM

Anyone have general estimates on new AC systems? Mine is leaking freon and they're recommending I get a new system (I think the one I have has been there since 1984 when the condo was built).

I'm dreading a $10k bill.

6/8/2010 3:43:04 PM

I have a dual-fuel (gas or electric) system that consists of 2 units. Equipment and everything installed was $8400 so I don't think $10k should be on your mind.

Call Chuck 9192019501 and tell him Chris Neese sent you. He will do you right. He is not much on looks and is hard to understand on the phone but he is the real deal.

6/8/2010 4:46:37 PM

was that for the duct work as well?

6/8/2010 7:52:17 PM

that was a turn key price for the hvac system in a new construction home

6/8/2010 8:21:34 PM

are you related to john neese?

6/8/2010 9:42:11 PM

^^^^appreciated but I'm in Charlotte. Using Angie's List, going to get a couple estimates and also see if the current system is salvageable (sp) for the current time.

6/9/2010 9:12:02 AM

^10 4
^^no sir

6/9/2010 9:50:40 AM

Hmm, so the house I bought has a CPI security system installed (appears to be a re-branded GE system) and I don't have the master security code. I don't want to pay for the service but would like to have the audible alarm capability.

Anyone ever dealt with this scenario? I'm hesitant to call CPI b/c I imagine they won't want to help me unless I buy the service and fear they'll be very annoying once they get my phone number and recognize they have a "potential" customer.

Also...to make matters worse, the thing was left in some super high detail announcement mode. It beeps very loudly (like I can hear it 2 floors up) every few minutes, announces every time an entry door opens or closes, and often claims to have aborted a report. And anything I try to do, it asks for the code first. I did find connections in the control box labeled speaker, but I'm kind of hesitant to disconnect them just yet. I'm worried it might get stuck in some incessant alarm mode if I go un-doing wires.

6/9/2010 10:46:17 PM

^Had the same thing. Bought a house with a Brinks system, and didn't get a code or anything. We did get the manual from the previous owners, and you can do some stuff with that. If you don't subscribe to the service, all the company will tell you to do over the phone is disconnect the whole thing.

Long story short: It beeps when someone opens a door or window (which we like having), so we kept it like that after we moved in. Three years later, the alarm (the loud one, not the "call the cops in secret" one) randomly went off one night (I mean randomly, I had been home for a half hour and was just standing in the hallway), and I didn't have the code to turn it off.

Called Brinks and asked how to turn it off, and the lady started telling me what to do with some screwdrivers. Hung up, called the old owners, and asked them for the code. Got the code, turned off the alarm.




So that's like the longest way possible of saying you should call up the previous owners and ask them what the codes are.

6/10/2010 9:42:48 AM

The hot water in my shower has been lukewarm at best. It's fine now, but it's gonna suck in the winter to take shower. I've check the sinks/bath tub and the hot water is hot. Any idea what could be wrong?

6/13/2010 7:55:19 PM

^ I'd guess a flow issue with the hot water supply to the shower....sediment build up in a valve or some such thing. First thing I would look at is the tempering valve (which I assume your shower has).

6/13/2010 9:08:55 PM

Got an estimate for my AC work:

Equipment Specifications
2.0 Tons
15.25 –SEER
25,200 Btu Cooling
24,000 Btu Heating
8.6-HSPF
Outside Condensing Unit (XR15)
4TWR5024E1
Air Handler VARIABLE SPEED
4TEE3F31B1
Heat Strips 5KW
BAYHTR1405
Trane Programmable Thermostat
TCONT803
The installation shall include the following:

Pre –installation audit
Abandon old ceiling air handler Leave in place
New pad for outdoor unit
Re-use existing refrigerant lines. Clean with factory approved R410a flush kit
New thermostat Advanced thermostat dehumidification control
New 220 volt line to attic Low and high voltage wiring by our electrician Includes a one year service agreement (spring and fall tune-ups)
Meet all federal, state and local laws Complete system start up and clean our work area to customers satisfaction
All work to be performed by McClintock “bonded” employees. No sub-contractors
Onsite installation management
System carries a Trane 10 year all parts and 1 year labor warranty.
System has Trane’s “Comfort Specialist” guarantee

Total = $6,986.00

$200 instant rebate from Duke Energy and $1500 Tax Credit from government. As well. Going to get another estimate or two.

6/14/2010 2:21:11 PM

Arg my AC is acting up now too. Last week it was fine but now during the day it won't get below 77 degrees. I can feel the cold air coming out of the vents I guess it just isn't as cold as it should be. When I turn on the AC from the thermostat it's doing weird things too. Got a guy coming to take a look tomorrow, it would suck immensely if my AC died.


(Just changed the filter last week too)

6/14/2010 2:25:52 PM

^^^^ Some Valves have an anti-scald device in them that is easy to adjust. I would take the handle off (should be with an alan screw) and see if there is a little plastic ring that you can adjust.

^^ make them compete with each other after you get some quotes. guys are hungry out there. everyone is pricing stuff like they used to but will sharpen their pencil just to get the job.

6/14/2010 9:42:52 PM

just received my tax credit, along with about $40 in interest. Not bad considering it was only about 2 months between when i sent in the revised tax return.

next up, fence building. Need to contact the HOA to see how I have to work it out with the neighbors. I think all I have to do is get them to sign off on it. Shouldn't be too bad...

6/15/2010 10:47:27 AM

Quote :

"just received my tax credit, along with about $40 in interest. Not bad considering it was only about 2 months between when i sent in the revised tax return. next up, fence building. Need to contact the HOA to see how I have to work it out with the neighbors. I think all I have to do is get them to sign off on it. Shouldn't be too bad..."

depending on how big the fence is, you might want to get a survey done to be sure you are not encroaching.

6/15/2010 11:53:47 AM

sent in my revised tax return on 5/28. I'm hoping for the $8K to come quickly. Need money for furniture.

6/15/2010 2:57:08 PM

So, the gas water heater up in my attic is sitting on a board w/o enough support. One end of the board has buckled 2-3 inches and it almost seems like the nails are the only thing holding it up.
Diagram here https://docs1.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1pgTa1_SbPYxb6cti2sWdW9d-d2Nba0zfiEVvGUC-XMc&hl=en&pli=1.

My plan is to drain and temporarily move the water heater. Pull up the boards, insulation, and add maybe three 2x4's nailed into the rafters and a 2x4 running down the center to hold everything up.

My chief concern though, is how to go about dealing with a gas water heater. I've helped my dad with electric ones, but gas is new to me. Does anyone know the proper procedure for disconnecting and reconnecting gas lines?

The only cut-off I have (except the main, which I'd rather not do because I also have some gas furnace thing hooked up) is directly above the joint coming out of the heater. It has a connection similar to the one in the left of this picture. Could I simply use some type of wrench (I'm thinking vice-grips) to un-screw the piece coming off the t-intersection?

6/15/2010 9:07:48 PM

after our retaining wall was completed a few weeks back we had a HUGE rainstorm before the sod up on top of the wall was here. Some of the topsoil washed out and of course some of that settled in our neighbors yard behind us. The thing is that it wasn't really that much settled down in our neighbors yard below/behind us. They have a pretty patchy bermudagrass lawn with a lot of thatch and dead bermuda in between the live strands. The little bit of dirt (1/8" or so I'd guess) that settled, settled in the dead/thatch areas and so she thinks tons of dirt washed down simply because the gray/yellow thatch has more of a brown/red color to it now because of the clay colored water that washed over it.

She complained to me and I told her I was sorry but we got 4" of rain in 2 days and even then the amount of dirt that washed down there is minimal and won't be affecting their yard in any way. So, today she hits me with an email that CCs the HOA president and a landscaping contractor she was apparently talking to that has a bid to re-sod her entire back yard and part of her side yard . She said her landscaper said this was "the only way to restore the yard back how it was so that she didn't have to see 'dirt' in her yard..." The bid listed $3500 for 2500 ft2 of sod, which, for starters is a ridiculous price. If I felt like she in any way needed something re-sodded, I could go get top of the line tifblair bermuda sod for $150 a pallet and do the same area for $750 and labor on a weekend.

On top of that, like I said, her yard was patchy, spotted with clovers, and just not a lawn that was well-manicured. It might have been sodded when they moved in 5 years ago but it in no way shape or form looks like a well-manicured sodded lawn. I even offered to seed and fertilize her yard for her just to help it get thicker if she thought it was somewhat damaged (since this is cheap, easy work) and she told me "we don't have a seeded yard. we have sod. I don't want you spreading bermuda seed back here when we spent a lot of money for sod grass"

I can't see anything wrong with her yard as a result of the rain besides the fact that the thatch changed color basically. I am chalking this one up to: someone wants to get a better looking yard and is twisting and manipulating the smallest thing to try and get someone else to pay for it. Hopefully the HOA aren't pushovers with stuff like this like most HOAs are.

/rant

[Edited on June 16, 2010 at 2:23 PM. Reason : ]

6/16/2010 2:15:19 PM

How restricitve is your neighborhood? In my neighborhood, if I make changes like a wall, I have to get buy-off from every neighbor that borders my property and any property which has line of sight. I hope you either 1) got the HOA approval before you built this wall or 2) dont have a restrictive HOA.

Do you have pictures of the damage? It would at least give us some basis as to if this neighbor has a legitimate claim.

Even if she didnt have a nice yard, if the dirt that filled her yard as a result of you not securing it presents a present or future problem, then you need to take care of it.

Good news, I suspect your home owners insurance will cover this.

6/16/2010 3:20:51 PM

good questions and probably stuff that should be stated; I was just too focused on the rant to provide all the info the first time around haha.

I did have to get approval from the HOA on the wall before getting the work done. They came out before construction and looked at the site with me and the neighbor the wall would border (who is complaining now) also bought off on the wall. They had to approve material (natural boulders) as well as how it would impact drainage and what hours they would be working etc. I did all that according to our covenant.

I actually even went out of my way during construction to be nice to her because she started complaining that it wasn't being built as I detailed it. The HOA came back out and sided with me that it pretty much looked exactly like I specified it, right down to the dimensions. She started ranting about not wanting to have to look out her window and "see a pile of rocks" and how the HOA should have something against that. But, the material was approved beforehand. At this point, I offered on my own to plant holly bushes along the backside of the wall this fall that would break it up and eventually start to cover it from their perspective just to appease her.

And yes I definitely agree that we need to do something about preventing washout in the future and I am in the middle of getting that done. We got screwed with timing. I had sod ordered (which has gotten pushed back to this Friday) that got pushed back by rain a few times and that would have helped/prevented the runoff. I also had several hundred feet of Jute/erosion netting that I was going to lay out in the areas that I seeded that would hold the dirt in place before the root system was established. Unfortunately, the day after the wall was done it rained for 4 days almost non-stop including 4" the first 2 days. This was before I got to lay sod and other things down to secure the soil (they are down now except the area that sod is going).

At present time I do not have pictures to show on here. I will take some this weekend of the "after" of her yard and I have some before pictures as a portfolio for my wall project that happen to have her yard in it before as well.

Thanks for the heads up on the home owner's insurance; I will have to check into that to see if it is something they would cover if I get stuck paying for some of this.

6/16/2010 4:12:25 PM

^^^ As long as you cut the gas valve off that is on the pipe connected to your WH you should be ok. Then use a pipe wrench when you disconnect it. Put some pipe dope on the threads when you connect it back

6/16/2010 5:30:39 PM

^^ sounds like you covered all yours bases, and you have a bitchy neighbor and were the victim of bad timing.

I am fairly confident that home owners will be able to cover this, but who knows

6/17/2010 9:14:48 AM

that really sucks. There is nothing worse for a homeowner than having a bad neighbor, and CalledToArms, it sounds like you have a pretty shitty neighbor.

6/17/2010 9:57:39 AM

2nd estimate for AC also came in around $7k. Blah.

6/17/2010 10:21:34 AM

I think if I ended up paying to sod my neighbor's whole back yard just because a little dirt washed down there it might end up raining Round Up about three months later.

6/17/2010 11:40:03 AM

Quote :

"and CalledToArms, it sounds like you have are a pretty shitty neighbor."

I kid, I kid

[Edited on June 17, 2010 at 1:09 PM. Reason : .]

6/17/2010 1:08:55 PM

haha

6/17/2010 1:42:31 PM

More like Pre-Home Ownership Woes:

So I'm buying a house from a Contractor who completely re-built an old, run down house in Charleston that was originally built in 1891.

I went under contract at the very end of April (basically the last day to be available for the tax-credit).

Since then, it's been all about the paperwork. We set the closing date for June 10th, but hit a couple snags and it's just now finished up. New closing date (signed an extension) is set for June 30th, but could be done a week earlier. I personally don't think the time it's taken to close is that much of an aberration, but again, this is my first house, so what do I know.

But a problem has arisen because of the Contractor's Mom. The house was actually purchased under her name (her and her deceased husband were contractors as well for many years). And apparently she missed out on a bid for another property because we weren't able to close on time. And the contractor is incurring some added costs by not closing on time (paying extra electric and water bills, having to hold some of his workers while waiting to start another project, miscellaneous shit like that).

So the seller's realtor is saying that the Mom is demanding $600 in costs related to the violation of the contract not being closed by June 10th. If I don't pay, then they'll put it back on the market.

Do I call their bluff or do I pony up the $600?? First, if they're so antsy about getting rid of this house, then I don't think they want to put it back on the market and risk it taking another two months for it close. There's always the possibility of someone having all of their ducks in a row and being able to close rather quickly, but I'd say odds are that it would be a similar time frame to what I'm going through.

I am, however, scared of losing the house. It's a phenomenal house and I'm getting a great deal on it. The realtor has been showing the house for the past couple weeks and I know they have interested buyers. I got it for $10K less than it was listed, and I was surprised I got that deal. I'm fairly certain that if it goes back on the market that it will go for at least the original asking price. I think that's weighing on the mother's mind.

What would t-dub do?

6/17/2010 3:40:07 PM

Sounds like something your realtor should advise you on. Did they sign the extension too? If so I don't know why they wouldn't be required to carry through with the deal and I'd probably be threatening them with a lawsuit if they back out.

6/17/2010 4:36:59 PM

^^ Is he a licensed GC?

6/17/2010 5:41:53 PM

Yes. And I like him...his mom is the one being a bitch about everything.

6/17/2010 5:45:47 PM

Seems like if there is a signed extension, then there is no breach of contract by you. It also sounds like it has less to do with missing the deadline and more to do with having other buyers ready to snap it up if your contract is dissolved.

6/18/2010 9:11:08 AM

$600 ain't much in this deal. If that's all it took to do the deal, I'd pay it and chalk it up to stuff not going your way sometimes, and then not give it a second thought..

6/18/2010 10:03:53 AM

^ I would request a detailed break down of that money before you did that. I am not sure I understand the extra costs that involve her missing out on something and the workers deal.

6/18/2010 10:07:48 AM

starting a paint project this weekend. NOT looking forward to paiting. esp the trim work.

6/18/2010 10:33:37 AM

buy the paint. call jose. will cost you a couple hundred bucks.

6/18/2010 1:17:42 PM

Quote :

"1. BUY THE PAINT 2. CALL JOSE "

3. Profit$$

6/18/2010 1:48:46 PM

lol. let me know if that is the plan and I'll give you Jose's number.

6/18/2010 2:01:44 PM

I close on my house next wednesday! Cant freakin' wait.

6/18/2010 4:38:53 PM

The compressor half of my upstairs AC unit died today. It's currently 80 in my bedroom.

6/20/2010 8:24:06 PM

contractor came out and fixed my roof leak.
2 rain storms since then, and no more leaks.

6/21/2010 1:30:18 PM

plumbing

6/21/2010 7:29:01 PM

replaced a capacitor and we're back in cold air. Yay for that.

6/22/2010 12:38:33 PM

So... how does one acquire a Jose?

I've considered paying some students to do it, but they're lazy.

6/22/2010 1:10:54 PM

I will never understand a water heater that is placed above living space.

Any leaks and you're fucked.

6/22/2010 2:13:37 PM