haha yeah

half of what we own is still in there. We're still unpacking at the new house.

8/5/2008 8:51:46 PM

unpack with caution

like unpack and shake out in the garage before bringing in the house

8/5/2008 9:59:06 PM

i may be joining you bobby in the pest control treatment area. the past few times i've driven up to my house at night i've seen cockroaches crawling on the foundation and when the headlight hits them they run up under the siding. i have yet to see any in the house but i'd rather nip it in the bud before that happens.

btw, do you have a relative named Thomas who is probably about 25 years old?

8/5/2008 10:44:15 PM

word, they're coming out tomorrow, i'll update this thread with how successful it is after a couple of weeks.

and yeah Thomas is my cuz, you know him?

8/5/2008 11:22:36 PM

yep. he was a year behind me in high school but then he went to S&M my senior year. i saw a picture on facebook that had you or a comment by your name or something on one of his pics and thought hmmm, is that BobbyDigital perhaps? small world.

8/6/2008 12:09:29 AM

Is anyone doing that surge protection program from Progress Energy? Know what it consists of? The person I spoke with said something about a meter...but i don't know what kind of protection a "meter" provides

8/6/2008 8:23:23 AM

there are few things that are more of a pain in the ass than a non-operational dishwasher.

you either never realize or forget how much it sucks cock to wash every single thing by hand

[Edited on August 6, 2008 at 9:05 AM. Reason : and of course you dont know it's busted till you've got a full load to wash]

8/6/2008 9:04:48 AM

Quote :

"My Ortho Home Defense Max is weaksauce. It can't handle the motherfucking zombie spiders that I have around here. Or does anyone know where i can get some DDT?"

Bobby, I'm in the same boat as you. I don't own a house yet, but the one I'm renting in a highly-wooded area has lots of pests. The landlord hires a pest control service, but I also have been doing some stuff on my own. Get yourself a bottle of

http://tinyurl.com/6nomfc
or
http://tinyurl.com/5pqema

Mix about 0.75oz per gallon into a sprayer, and you have a commercially-rated insecticide. I sprayed this in my basement and had the opportunity to watch a cockroach walk across a treated area. Within seconds it was spazzing out on its back on its way to a certain death.

I went from seeing 2-3 spiders, roaches, and other critters a week to about once a month. And they're always dead. I spray the perimeter inside and outside once a month.

[Edited on August 6, 2008 at 9:17 AM. Reason : .]

8/6/2008 9:16:31 AM

Quote :

"Is anyone doing that surge protection program from Progress Energy? Know what it consists of? The person I spoke with said something about a meter...but i don't know what kind of protection a "meter" provides"

it's a ripoff. it's just a crap surge protector that they attach to the meter outside. it doesn't get all spikes and isn't guaranteed to block anything. the separate surge units they recommend you use inside the dwelling are the cheap ones you can get at big lots for 9.99. there is no insurance if a surge manages to get through an destroy stuff anyway, unlike the units you buy at the store.

you have to pay installation and a monthly fee. YOU are responsible for making sure the equipment is functioning properly. the system doesn't work unless you have additional surge protection inside the home (surge strips).

8/6/2008 9:29:40 AM

Quote :

"it's a ripoff. it's just a crap surge protector that they attach to the meter outside. it doesn't get all spikes and isn't guaranteed to block anything. the separate surge units they recommend you use inside the dwelling are the cheap ones you can get at big lots for 9.99. there is no insurance if a surge manages to get through an destroy stuff anyway, unlike the units you buy at the store. you have to pay installation and a monthly fee. YOU are responsible for making sure the equipment is functioning properly. the system doesn't work unless you have additional surge protection inside the home (surge strips). "

From what the lady said they'll replace anything in your house that gets killed by a power surge...but they I don't see a word about that on the website... http://www.progress-energy.com/custservice/carbusiness/powerquality/surgeprotect.asp

Quote :

"it doesn't get all spikes"

Where have you heard it isn't effective? Did you have the service?

8/6/2008 10:14:31 AM

Quote :

"Will the Meter-Based Surge Protector protect all my equipment? No, not by itself."

Quote :

"Where have you heard it isn't effective? Did you have the service?"

Dude, if they want you have an outside surge unit AND multiple units inside, that tells me that their system isn't worth squat. I'd rather have everything in my house connected to surge strips and my HT connected to a power conditioner. Let me know when progress energy starts offering a whole house surge/power conditioner, I'll be the first in line.

There is also a 2 year commitment that you agree to when signing up for the service.

No I've never had the service. When they tell you that your items are covered and won't send you documentation of it, that's sketch. If you're fine with that, I say go for it.

[Edited on August 6, 2008 at 12:02 PM. Reason : e]

8/6/2008 11:57:36 AM

yay the ac got fixed today. no more sleeping on the couch. back to down comforters and goose feathered pillow tops which the ac cranks on me

8/15/2008 12:36:06 AM

Quote :

"i'll update this thread with how successful it is after a couple of weeks. "

so far, no more black widows, and no more mutant zombie wolf spiders.

lots of dead crickets in the driveway too. I actually feel kinda bad for them, I see 'em crawling around on the driveway in circles with only one or two of their legs working.

8/15/2008 7:57:51 AM

the neurotoxins a workin.

[Edited on August 15, 2008 at 11:29 AM. Reason : or signal interrupters or something]

8/15/2008 11:28:36 AM

the issues we have encountered in the new home (moved in at the end of May):

faulty fuse in a ceiling light
completely blocked dryer vent that had to be replaced
all 3 faucets leak, but 2 are ok if the handle is positioned JUST RIGHT
windows needed replacing (mostly covered by seller)
yard is a weedy mess and is partially eroded away
replaced all light switches/covers/outlets due to being painted over by previous tenants
all the blinds need replacing
afternoon sun cooked that side of the house and we had to double-cover those windows
ants
random roaches (being consumed by the cats)
doors need to be re-sealed
front glass door broke off the hinge (1st day)


what we've done to improve the place on top of repairing:

installed security system
created breakfast bar between kitchen and living room
repainted all rooms
remodeled the kitchen
fenced in the back yard
assembled a shed
new washer/dryer
portable dishwasher (house doesn't have one)


left to do in the next year:

re-side the house
landscape the lot and repair the lawn
install gutters
remodel both bathrooms
replace carpet

flip this house!!!

[Edited on August 16, 2008 at 1:24 AM. Reason : ]

8/16/2008 1:23:00 AM

^ have you seen the movie "money pit"?

the sellers won big time.

8/17/2008 11:54:54 AM

^ No joke, it sounds like you really got screwed on that purchase unless you got an amazing price on it.

How "new" was this new house? 70's? 60's?

8/17/2008 8:25:39 PM

it's amazing how much people will put up with in a house they paid a little less than full value for.

unless you just paid for the land, most people get ripped off and realize it later.

i also hate home inspectors. most of them have no idea what they are doing.

[Edited on August 17, 2008 at 11:26 PM. Reason : d]

8/17/2008 11:26:26 PM

Quote :

"so far, no more black widows, and no more mutant zombie wolf spiders. lots of dead crickets in the driveway too. I actually feel kinda bad for them, I see 'em crawling around on the driveway in circles with only one or two of their legs working. "

Who did you use? The crickets are getting too comfortable in my home


oh and does anyone know how much should i expect to pay for the electrician? to install the following two items:
1) ceiling fan in room with no overhead light.
2) motion activated light on side of home. again no light currently in place.
There is an attic but there are no stairs (need ladder) and I get the idea theres not a whole lot of room up there

8/18/2008 8:48:57 AM

Bulwark. They supposedly use all "organic" pesticides. I didn't really check that out b/c that's not a big selling point for me-- Dead Spiders is a big selling point for me.

8/18/2008 8:52:19 AM

^^ is there a light already there where the ceiling fan will be? if so, i'd try to do this yourself. installing ceiling fan's isn't that hard, it's just awkward.

8/18/2008 10:44:19 AM

Yeah, I haven't done mine yet but I've heard the same thing.

I just got my property tax value reduced by 20K so that will save me some cash over the next 7 years.

8/18/2008 10:50:37 AM

Quote :

"oh and does anyone know how much should i expect to pay for the electrician? to install the following two items: 1) ceiling fan in room with no overhead light. 2) motion activated light on side of home. again no light currently in place. There is an attic but there are no stairs (need ladder) and I get the idea theres not a whole lot of room up there"

3 hours for fan, 2 hours for light. $70-90/hr.

8/18/2008 11:04:11 AM

Quote :

"is there a light already there where the ceiling fan will be? if so, i'd try to do this yourself. installing ceiling fan's isn't that hard, it's just awkward."

Quote :

"with no overhead light."

^thx

8/18/2008 11:57:03 AM

sorry, i thought you meant that you wanted a ceiling fan installed that was just a fan with no light. but after reading it further that makes a lot more sense

8/18/2008 1:33:32 PM

Quote :

"i also hate home inspectors. most of them have no idea what they are doing."

My home inspector found $6000 worth of repairs that the seller paid for instead of me.

8/18/2008 2:12:55 PM

Quote :

"i also hate home inspectors. most of them have no idea what they are doing."

yeah i'm calling bs on that too

8/18/2008 2:15:48 PM

^
I'll agree with him. I'm a super with a custom home builder and most people who buy a house do get it inspected and I'm cool with that. But half the stuff most of these inspectors are making comments on show their stupidity. A lot of these guys were builders 10-20 years ago and haven't kept up with all the advances and change of materials, etc.

The last inspector said he had never heard of vinyle flashing. wtf?

8/18/2008 8:24:54 PM

i had to interview 4 home inspectors before i found one that was competent.

that says something about any sort of certification they have.

8/19/2008 12:59:46 PM

Home inspector was worthless (for us) showed me nothing that as a someone with less than a years construction experience I didn't already know... With that said, we've had:

Water Heater failure (complete with rust-colored water leaking under the carpet) We've now got a nice Bosch Tankless.

Flea Problems like crazy (.44 acres of woods make this one ongoing) Anyone have a really great solution for a wooded lot?

Mosquitoes (not so much a product of home ownership, as it is just living in NC)

Attic vent fan wasn't functioning sometime after buying the home. (replacing wasn't so bad, except for the insidious heat that came up and out of the attic the moment I removed the old fan)

And by far the most exciting... The flood that came with TS Alberto. (Luckily the photos show it just below the peak of the flooding, and while the yard needed a lot of cleanup... the crawlspace never got water)

8/19/2008 2:08:58 PM

wow. major suckage there.

8/19/2008 3:24:32 PM

Yeah, it was deep enough by the end of the backyard that there was no indication whatsoever that there was a fence back there. (A 4' high fence) So if I were to guess we had a good 6 or 7 at the lowest point in the yard.

As you might imagine, mosquitoes were really bad in 06.

8/19/2008 4:22:26 PM

I'm so glad I sold my house in March!

8/19/2008 10:05:26 PM

Hey bro, show them the pics of the termite infestation on the logs in your yard.

We definitely dropped some bricks when we realized what those little bastards were and that they were flying directly towards your house, haha.

8/19/2008 10:27:40 PM

Pictures... I have not.

Video however: http://rustylong.com/video/

Those are some nasty insects.

8/20/2008 11:46:29 AM

Quote :

"We've now got a nice Bosch Tankless."

those things be loud.

i thought about getting one a while back, just got regular natural gas unit. hot water if the power goes out is invaluable. as is being able to cook with a gas range. fuck the cost.

yeah letting your dog swim in huriicane water is not so good.

see the previous posts. they have some good info on yard sprays. just don't flood anymore.

flood ins?

i dig the crawl space. makes life SO much easier.

8/20/2008 4:58:48 PM

I think they put one in at work in the lab and it is quite loud.

8/20/2008 5:27:14 PM

^^ This is why tap water runs to your outside faucets, and it's why we buy hoses.

8/20/2008 6:22:01 PM

i'm referring to a story someone posted about their dog jumping in unclear water and getting run through by a tree branch that they couldn't see.

highly possible with flood water.

[Edited on August 21, 2008 at 2:02 AM. Reason : i could give a damn about how dirty your animals are.]

8/21/2008 2:02:22 AM

^ Definitely not possible given that the backyard was cleared out a while ago, the water was moving slowly (read: it was runoff water that couldn't drain so it turned into an instant pond), and there weren't big branches that fell off the tree during the storm. The water itself would've been a bigger threat (for chemicals, microbes, etc).

8/21/2008 7:29:52 AM

Guys, relax. I'm well aware of the risk of floodwaters, hence you only see one photo of the dog in the water. She was quickly called back.

Quote :

"those things be loud."

Where was the tankless you used installed? Ours is in a pretty good size closet (ventilated of course), and doesn't make any recognizable sound unless you're either in the closet, or standing right in front of it.

Also, it's the Bosch tankless with hydrostatic start (ie: hot water regardless of power situation.) Very nice.

The flood was actually a one-time issue due to the collapse of a corrugated metal drain pipe under the nearby road. It has since been replaced with two colossal precast concrete tubes. So (barring dual simultaneous failure) we should be golden.

8/21/2008 7:58:18 AM

There are some pros and cons with tankless heaters just as there are with tanks.

What I really hate is how so many builders like to put the water heaters in the attic. The idea is to locate them closer to the showers, but that benefit is not worth the risk of tens of thousands of dollars in water damage when it leaks?

My new house has an attic based water heater. At around the 5 year mark, i'm either going to have it moved to the garage, or have a tankless installed, unless we wind up moving before then. I really hate the idea of it in the attic.

A lot of this stems from conversations with a guy who lived in my old neighborhood. He worked for a company who specialized in water and fire damage. They got the bulk of their income from from busted water heaters in the attic.

------

To change the topic slightly, Any pros and cons with hydroseeding vs. slit seeding? From what i've read, hydroseeding incorporates mulch into it. I'm thinking that might be a better route for me, as my barren backyard has had a decent amount of erosion from all the rain.

Or, is it better to have topsoil put down, and then seed over it?

Any recommendations for companies to use or avoid?

8/21/2008 9:58:04 AM

I too need to find a good company to do this for me.

8/21/2008 10:46:06 AM

^^ I've always thought the same thing about water heaters in the attic. The inevitable crap-out of a water heater + Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation should be an obvious "lets not do this" I was very happy to see that my water heater is located in the crawlspace, right beside the access door.

8/21/2008 10:54:18 AM

Quote :

"What I really hate is how so many builders like to put the water heaters in the attic."

As unhappy as I was about the little bit of water damage we had when ours broke on floor level, I cannot imagine the devastation of it happening in the attic.

The neighboring rental house (while vacant) had a toilet replaced, and then later they turned the water back on (On a Friday). On Monday morning we noticed water coming out of their foundation drains and called up the company. A quick peek inside showed water dripping off of the floor joists in the basement (the toilet being on the floor above)

Apparently it had been leaking for a solid 72 hours. They got all the damage fixed but it sure puts things in perspective when I complain about having to dry out a couple square feet of carpet.

[Edited on August 21, 2008 at 11:07 AM. Reason : .]

8/21/2008 11:07:03 AM

Oh man, that reminds me of when my aunt and uncle were building a house a couple of years ago. The whole thing had been a mess because the builder took forever (like 9 months to build this house), but it was all finally coming together. The plumber came in to turn on the water, and then apparently immediately left. The dishwasher had not been connected, so water ran for days. The hardwoods warped, the subfloor was ruined, custom cabinets were ruined, the crawlspace and the main level were standing in water. It was a nightmare. Needless to say, my aunt and uncle were able to back out of that contract and got any invested money back, but I did see that the builder eventually sold that house. I feel for the buyer.

8/21/2008 11:13:49 AM

Our hot water heater is on the 3rd floor/attic and I came home one day after work and I notice a drip from the light in the kitchen. Eventually I made my way to the attic and sure enough the HWH had rusted out and the drain pan failed.

Long story short - had to let things air and dry out for a few days but all was good. It turns out it was more expensive for the guy to move it to the crawl space than it was to just reinstall in the attic. Made no sense to me if you knew the layout of the house so I I let him have his fun lugging that old one down and new up those stairs. I think he realized what I was trying to tell him once he got into it.

8/21/2008 11:19:22 AM

Yeah it's definitely more expensive once you factor in the costs of rerunning the gas line and water line as well as installation of a new heater stand. This also assumes that the heater can be located next to an external wall, venting is relatively easy, etc.

But lookingg at it from the perspective of what it'll cost me when the two floors below my busted tank are soaked with hot water...

It's a brand new house, so i don't have to worry about it for a little while, but I don't think i'll let it go any longer than 5 years. They don't build 'em like they used to.

8/21/2008 11:24:16 AM

My wife's house had a bunch of major work done before I even met her, so no big problems yet . She removed a bunch of nasty mold from the wall behind the shower where the pipes had leaked for god only knows how long. She put down new Pergo floors where there had been ugly wall-to-wall carpet. Now the only problems are a couple leaky faucets and a kitchen overhead light that doesn't work.

8/21/2008 12:08:15 PM

Bobby, I dont know how big your back yard is in your new house, but you should consider sodding it if it has any real elevation change (you mention erosion). trying to get grass to grow where the seeds can be swept away is not easy. I have been trying for years at my house.

I finally gave up. I installed a 6 zone irrigation system in the yard, and will be sodding the entire damned front yard in about 1 month (doing it myself).

About the water heater:

having it somewhere like the garage is awesome. Mine is 10+ years old, and when it busts, it will just flow out the garage, and down the driveway. Nothing to really ruin. I would hate to worry about that thing going in the attic.

[Edited on August 21, 2008 at 3:03 PM. Reason : .]

8/21/2008 3:02:09 PM