Thanks. I got another estimate (from Roofwerks) that came in around what Otto wanted. I think I'm going to give Cole a call too like CarZin suggested.

4/6/2015 12:43:28 AM

Do they handle crawlspace issues as well? That's what i need here, HOA takes care of roofing needs. Thanks

4/6/2015 9:06:26 AM

He was talking about something else. What sort of crawlspace issues are you seeing?

4/6/2015 3:33:58 PM

Figured Id post this here instead of somewhere else. We are having this discussion at work right now and Ive firefighter and power company friends backing me up on this. Ive several idiots at work doing this wrong and Im half tempted to have some fire marshals visit them next time the power goes out.

If you want a "whole house" generator, which are normally fed via a natural gas or propane line, they have to be specifically wired in by a certified electrician with a special circuit breaker called an ATS (automatic transfer switch).

If you attempt to wire in your portable gas generator to your house, you are highly likely to either get a power company employee fixing lines killed and/or set fire to your house. If the FD or the power company sees you doing this, they will take your power meter most likely, and require you to pull electrical permits and inspections before they reconnect your power. Which normally takes a few weeks and thats after whatever disaster that is going on is resolved. So its not worth it.

4/8/2015 9:17:20 PM

^haha. yep

4/9/2015 10:01:37 AM

if anyone's trying to outfit their garage, sears has the Gladiator 30" welded cabinets for $100 a pop. These aren't the shitty ones made of flimsy sheet metal you assemble, but come fully assembled and welded together in the factory. You'd be hard pressed to find or build better garage cabinets for less.

http://slickdeals.net/f/7792349-gladiator-30-wall-mount-gearbox-garage-cabinet-99-99-reg-239-99-sears

4/13/2015 12:58:00 PM

I just ordered a couple to go along with this tool box for our new home.

http://t.homedepot.com/p/Husky-46-in-9-Drawer-Mobile-Workbench-with-Solid-Wood-Top-HOTC4609B1QBD/203859406?cm_mmc=CJ-_-1225267-_-10368321&AID=10368321&PID=1225267&SID=723494f4e82d4c53b720b50226c55531&cj=true

4/14/2015 4:56:05 PM

^ i'd be interested to know how you like it once you get it. I saw that one too and was tempted, but i didn't like how the drawers didn't slide out very far on the tracks and held off.

4/14/2015 4:58:04 PM

I put it together tonight and I am perfectly happy with it for $200. I am sure there are better boxes, but doubt it for the price. Bear in mind this is based in just putting it together.

I haven't examined a lot of tool boxes, but don't a lot of them slide on the tracks the same way? I thought they slide out nice and smooth with the ball bearings.

I am half tempted to order another and hold on to it for bit and see how the garage comes together. I want to be more organized than I was at the last house.

4/14/2015 11:05:16 PM

Fencing in a yard. Give me suggestions, companies, and what you think it will cost.

YIKES!

4/16/2015 12:01:12 AM

^^ yeah i honestly don't know that any of my hesitation would really be a big deal in practice. I had it in the cart and almost ordered it and then closed the tab on an impulse.

4/16/2015 11:07:13 AM

I've got a spot 20X20ish section behind my house that is currently mostly pine straw/roots/rocks...was thinking of covering with mulch. Any downsides to that? On big rains it can get pretty wet there, but it takes a lot of rain for that to happen, if that matters.

4/16/2015 12:30:33 PM

I've got a spot 20X20ish section behind my house that is currently mostly pine straw/roots/rocks...was thinking of covering with mulch. Any downsides to that? On big rains it can get pretty wet there, but it takes a lot of rain for that to happen, if that matters.

4/16/2015 12:30:33 PM

Just dropped 6 grand on a new split system heat pump for upstairs. 15 years is about the shelf-life, I suppose. Coil leaked like crazy and I had zero refrigerant in the system when I fired it up a week or so ago. Compressor also seized. The joys of being a home owner.

4/16/2015 4:57:03 PM

^ New system broke or are you describing what happened to the old system?

4/16/2015 6:19:49 PM

The condensing coil on my split unit got a hole in it. Local HVAC outfit said they couldn't repair it and quoted me $2300 to replace the condensing unit or over $4k for a whole new unit. My HVAC buddy came over, soldered up the hole, vacuumed, and filled. Cost me $100 for the refrigerant and I gave him some gas money, grilled him some lunch, and took him fishing for a couple hours.

4/16/2015 10:56:49 PM

^ #winning

Most companies wont repair bad parts anymore, they wanna replace the bad part or the system so they don't get accused of shoddy work.

A guy told me he would not bend a condensate float switch once because the tenant had bent it to circumvent its function, and he could not be held responsible for messing with it if something went wrong later. I literally bent the stick on it back with one hand, it works fine.

4/16/2015 11:06:52 PM

yeah, i understand why they don't repair stuff. if they did that and it developed another leak in a different spot, someone without much technical knowledge might think the HVAC company screwed them over.

4/17/2015 9:02:57 PM

anyone ever widened the hole in a bathroom vanity countertop that's either cultured marble or quartz (can't exactly tell what this is) and if so what did you use to cut it? my current top is standard with a hole designed for an above-counter mount vessel sink. I want to put in another vessel sink that requires a slightly larger opening. large enough that I can't just Dremel it wider. if anyone has attempted this before, i'd be curious what you used. i have a jigsaw, and I suppose with the right blade it might be able to tackle it.

4/21/2015 8:38:13 AM

Quote :

"Fencing in a yard. Give me suggestions, companies, and what you think it will cost. YIKES!"

Where, total length, height, style, material, any challenges during construction, etc.? You can go from $10/ft to $60/ft and beyond.

Quote :

"I've got a spot 20X20ish section behind my house that is currently mostly pine straw/roots/rocks...was thinking of covering with mulch. Any downsides to that? On big rains it can get pretty wet there, but it takes a lot of rain for that to happen, if that matters."

Is it flowing water or just ponded? I much prefer mulch over other ground coverings, but it does lend to eventual weed/grass intrusion if it's not turned, refreshed, or sprayed. If it's currently pine needles, I'd say leave those and add more if needed to cover the area, otherwise, you'll just have pine needles overtop of mulch eventually (assuming pines in this area are responsible for the needles). If it's flowing water, a heavy mulch would stay better, provided the flow is low velocity.

[Edited on April 21, 2015 at 12:38 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on April 21, 2015 at 12:39 PM. Reason : .]

4/21/2015 12:35:30 PM

Quote :

"^ New system broke or are you describing what happened to the old system?"

Whoops, I suppose I worded that a bit ambiguously. The old system failed in the manner I described, which forced me to buy the new system. It's all in and works great. Much more efficient, bla bla bla. That bill stung pretty badly though.

4/21/2015 1:47:30 PM

Caught my next door neighbor throwing all of his sticks into my yard. Pissed me off so much. We have a language barrier so every time I want to talk to him I have to use his kids to translate for me... kinda takes the fun outta yelling at him. Plus I have a kid who is perfectly capably of picking up sticks so I guess it sucks to be him.

4/21/2015 3:28:24 PM

Throw all the sticks right back over there?

5/4/2015 10:32:38 AM

forget that, you have two options:

1. Talk to him about what he is doing or go outside when he is doing it and catch him in the act.
2. Deal with it.

You have to live next to these people, no sense in creating a toxic relationship. If the relationship is already bad, don't get yourself riled up over sticks, it's not worth it.

My neighbors dog shits in my yard every day, I just deal with it and pick it up when I mow. I could ask them to keep an eye on it, but they both just let their dogs free roam the neighborhood and I'm not going to convince them to stop letting them do that. It's not worth ruining a relationship over dog shit.

5/4/2015 4:09:43 PM

Hot water heater busted tonight. Bulging out the back and leaking. Someone that has been through this before, tell me my best/cheapest route! Local plumber, home Depot type place, sears? I don't know where to start

5/6/2015 10:31:51 PM

Quote :

"anyone ever widened the hole in a bathroom vanity countertop that's either cultured marble or quartz (can't exactly tell what this is) and if so what did you use to cut it? my current top is standard with a hole designed for an above-counter mount vessel sink. I want to put in another vessel sink that requires a slightly larger opening. large enough that I can't just Dremel it wider. if anyone has attempted this before, i'd be curious what you used. i have a jigsaw, and I suppose with the right blade it might be able to tackle it."

for the daily double, the answer is: what is an angle grinder with a dry-cutting, continuous rim, diamond masonry blade?

5/7/2015 8:56:13 AM

^^ local plumber. Expect to spend between $1000 and $1500.

5/7/2015 3:57:39 PM

^^^ is it gas or electric? attic or basement (how easy to access)?

I replaced a water heater at my house and at my aunt's house. I bought the water heaters at Lowes and followed the instructions to wire them up (both were electric). It was not terribly difficult, but I did have to cut the pvc pipes myself (making liberal use of the quick connect fittings). 10 year later, still no leaks *knock on wood*

5/7/2015 4:26:42 PM

Water heater installation isn't hard, but I wouldn't recommend a complete novice attempt it (especially with natural gas).

5/14/2015 11:06:01 AM

just put an offer in for a house. It just came on the market today, and it already has at least two offers. buying a house in Raleigh sucks right now. keep your fingers crossed for me.

Kid is due any day, just had new countertops installed today and getting ready to do more drywall/paint repair and put up a tile backsplash this weekend, new roof two weeks ago, and just planted $300 worth of flowers to get my house ready to sell. Best friend is getting married two weeks from now in Houston, and my wife is stressed already about me leaving (especially if the kid hasn't come yet). I already had to back out of his bachelor party this weekend for him in Pittsburgh, and I'm hosting a Raleigh bachelor party for him next weekend. I can't wait for our beach week at the end of June and only having to worry about a month old kid (no work, no house, no new house, no wedding stuff).

5/14/2015 10:46:57 PM

how aggressive were you with your offer? did you go over list price? I know the Raleigh market does suck for buyers right now. Crazy markups based on location.

[Edited on May 15, 2015 at 9:27 AM. Reason : ]

5/15/2015 9:27:28 AM

double post...I know... but does anyone know around how much it would cost to add a really basic single car garage to a house?

5/15/2015 9:48:08 AM

we offered list price with an aggressive due diligence and earnest offer. I also don't have to sell my current house. The agent wants to keep what little money I have left to use for a counter.

My next door neighbor is putting a garage on his house with a new master bedroom and bath on top. His will be $75k because they have to bring in rock/gravel/dirt to build the foundation for the concrete slab for the garage floor (I think that is large portion of the cost because he is on a hill). Without the garage being fully finished, my wild ass guess would be in the 10-20k range, but that depends on the size of the garage, the slope where you want to put it, if you are adding storage above it, etc.

[Edited on May 15, 2015 at 10:15 AM. Reason : ]

5/15/2015 10:14:41 AM

good luck to you and thanks for the estimate! I definitely won't be building a room on top of the garage, so I hopefully am in the 10-20 range.

5/15/2015 10:48:28 AM

Anyone have a ballpark figure for what it would cost to take out a basic tub/shower and put in a new shower configuration? Would want the walls and all to be tiled and a couple shower heads but nothing that should require too much in terms of pipe relocation as the current location is fine. Right now we just have a crappy generic tub and I would much rather have a big shower with a glass door/wall instead of a shower curtain.

5/15/2015 12:00:35 PM

Probably around 4-5k for materials and labor. We spent around 9k for a full bathroom gut (guest bath), but had the tub replaced and tiled all around the tub. We also had a new toilet, vanity, exhaust vent, painting, sheet rock, insulation, and floor. We did buy all the materials ourselves and had a contractor install it.

The tub would require some plumbing work and that adds a lot of cost. I was kind of surprised.

I would get a sq. ft. estimate for the amount of tile you want and you can work up a total material cost based on that. Throw in the tub, doors, tile backing,plumbing materials (faucet, drain, etc is usually sold as a package for between 100 and 300 depending on quality), and grout. That would give you a great estimate for material cost.

5/15/2015 12:34:42 PM

^ good stuff thanks. This is one of those things that would be nice to have but not really needed as the bathrooms were remodeled before we moved in (just at a basic level). What I would really like to do is take a full bath and half bath that are literally sharing a connecting wall and make it one big, nice full bath. Just need $texas.

5/15/2015 1:15:19 PM

our offer was not accepted

we submitted an offer for listing price on Thursday night, didn't hear back Friday at all (except for them to say they were waiting on additional offers), and I told them last night that our offer expires Saturday morning at 10am. They never countered our offer, never contacted us, but I received a notification that the home was contingent at 10:30 this morning. It's frustrating to not even get a response on an asking price offer that they had for over 24 hours, especially when we specifically asked to know either way. I'm guessing they used our offer as leverage to counter someone else's offer.

5/16/2015 6:19:45 PM

5/16/2015 7:21:26 PM

^^After losing a couple of houses early in our search (under contract in <2 days), when we found the one we wanted we offered list, high/aggressive DD, and 45 day close (there were 8 other showings the first day it was listed). We put a noon deadline the next day (offer went in 8:30pm), and by 10am we had a "verbal agreement" and were waiting to get the estranged wife to sign. Wasn't until 8pm that night that we got the signed paperwork back. I'm sure they were taking other offers, buyers' deadlines are meaningless in this market. We were never going to back out (I was willing to move up a bit too). It is pretty shitty on the listing agent's part to not let you know.



[Edited on May 18, 2015 at 11:10 AM. Reason : .]

5/18/2015 11:08:30 AM

Has anyone added a detached garage in Raleigh?

5/18/2015 8:10:04 PM

^^ yeah, we offered list price plus $1k due diligence and $4k earnest and closing of June 30th on the day it was listed (and our offer was not contingent on us selling a current house). I asked my realtor about setting an expiration, but she said to not put one since there was other offers this would allow us to get feedback and go up to our max offer price. We just never heard anything back.

5/19/2015 9:26:38 AM

yeah, it's a hot market right now and people are getting shafted left and right. I hear there are houses getting taken up within minutes of listing since there are more buyers than sellers in Raleigh at the moment.

5/19/2015 11:13:31 AM

Closing Thursday morning. CAN. NOT. WAIT. to get this shit over with.

5/19/2015 1:18:38 PM

Moving to a new (to us) house!!! Woot!!!! Offer accepted, closing at the end of June. Moving from Southeast Raleigh to North Raleigh (movin' on up!). Beautiful house sitting on a 3/4 acre lot in a nice neighborhood.

itshappening.gif

5/21/2015 9:06:52 AM

^Congrats!

Just closed on our first house this morning! So excited and scared at the same time. It'll be nice to still be close to downtown W-S, living in one of the most desired neighborhoods (Ardmore).

5/21/2015 11:48:06 AM

Does anyone know someone who does brickwork around the Durham area?

I need two small sections rebuilt and tied back onto the studs.

5/21/2015 11:52:27 AM

Fucking washing machine is doing all types of shit. Doesn't seem to be draining properly, spin cycle is slightly off, and we've had a few loads that had some weird brown stains that had to be re-washed. Really don't want to have to purchase a new set (it's a top bottom combo...no way the wife would go with the same brand that's fucked up after five years). Wife is working from home today and is troubleshooting with online suggestions. I can't imagine that working out.

5/21/2015 12:55:39 PM

^gl with that.

I had a maytag that had a magnetic switch go out which caused it to think it's lid was always open (top load) - an $8 part fixed the situation >> but i'll be damned if the thing immediately started to wobble on the spin load afterward. the basket/barrel component (or whatever it's called) was coming off the shaft that spins it - the lock nut was failing. no amount of locktite or even fucking JB weld would keep that thing together. I gave up.

I feel like when they're going, they're gone and there's little that you can do to turn the tide.

5/21/2015 1:17:34 PM

I think we're going to have neighborhood dude come by and take a look at it. I've done all of the repairs that a non-expert can do (replaced the seal and a cracked "drum baffle")...but this is definitely out of my wheelhouse.

Miss the days when a call to the landlord would work and it would be out of my hands.

5/21/2015 2:30:06 PM