^ You don't need permits for existing boxes. You only need to get a permit if you're going to pull new wire.

8/23/2010 4:50:19 PM

Quote :

"Also, its hard for me to take any solid advice from DaBird since he thinks it is ok for unlicensed contractors to build new homes and do extensive renovations. Just my opinion."

what are you talking about? why would I think that when I am a licensed GC? unlicensed people take business from me all the time.

just because I disagreed with you about a particular situation and you were butthurt doesnt give you the right to make blanket statements about me.

Quote :

"Yes i is. I did not say anywhere in there that Tankless was better. You said that a tankless system would be better to be used frequently throughout the day than only occasionally and I was saying that was wrong. While tankless heaters only heat the water you use, they do so by consuming large quantities of gas. A lot of the heat created from the combustion is not transferred to the water and is wasted. This waste is what makes your state incorrect. When you use a lot of hot water you generally will end up using less gas by having a tank water heater. The main advantage of the tankless heater in that high usage case is you never run out but even then, most gas fired tank water heaters have a pretty fast recovery time."

what you are saying about the wasted energy makes sense and I had not thought about that. i have a lot of anecdotal evidence from suppliers and plumbers saying that the frequent use is better, but nothing empirical. i wont argue because i dont know the specific numbers.

we do agree on the cost/benefit analysis, however, which is the central point.

8/24/2010 7:26:09 AM

IIRC you do not have to be a licensed contractor to build a home for your own use and you can pull a permit for your own home renovations.

8/24/2010 10:50:58 AM

^^&^

I guess neither of you understand fully what is going on in my neighborhood. Here is a rundown.

One developer is blatantly lying to the city about construction costs and acting as his own GC. He has done 7 renovations so far.

One "gc" is renovating the home beside me to sale. He originally lied about construction costs until I turned him in to the licensing board for damaging my property and they made him change it. He them borrowed someone license until they caught him and now hehe had the homeowner pull the permits and he will get busted as soon as it goes on the market.
The other "gc" renovated 2 homes and built a new home using another guys license.

Rhys 11 opportunities that licensed guys have missed. ^^ you tried to make it sound like what they were doin was ok and t wis not. Being a licensed GC this should make you angry.

[Edited on August 24, 2010 at 1:06 PM. Reason : Hard to do on a phone]

8/24/2010 1:03:46 PM

That is definitely fraud. If you are using someone else's GC license to do work, that is illegal.

However, if I, as a homeowner, wanted to pull a permit to work on my own home, I could legally do so without being a GC. However, if the work included electrical, mechanical, or plumbing, I would need to sub out to each respective trade that held the appropriate licenses.

The difference is who the work is done for.

8/24/2010 1:16:29 PM

you cant 'borrow' another license. a company either has a qualifier or it doesnt. it is possible for one qualifier to qualify two completely different companies.

you can, however, as a GC, subcontract the job. if there is a GC who pulled the permit that GC could technically subcontract the entire job to an unlicensed contractor as long as the GC supervises the job and contracts with the owner (controls and is responsible for the money) and as long as the PME trades are licensed and listed on the permit.

and

Quote :

"However, if I, as a homeowner, wanted to pull a permit to work on my own home, I could legally do so without being a GC. However, if the work included electrical, mechanical, or plumbing, I would need to sub out to each respective trade that held the appropriate licenses. The difference is who the work is done for."

8/24/2010 1:52:03 PM

^ there was no money flowing through the GC that was on the permits. i thought i explained that in the other thread. maybe i didn't.

^^I am aware of that because that is how i did my home before I was licensed. You can actually hold yourself responsible for the MEP trades as well. It requires signing another waiver.

[Edited on August 24, 2010 at 4:27 PM. Reason : ^]

8/24/2010 4:27:22 PM

Quote :

"However, if I, as a homeowner, wanted to pull a permit to work on my own home, I could legally do so without being a GC. However, if the work included electrical, mechanical, or plumbing, I would need to sub out to each respective trade that held the appropriate licenses."

As long as the work is done to code, what says that a licensed contractor has to do these types of work ILO the homeowner?

8/24/2010 8:48:24 PM

^ that can be done. its just a waiver to sign

8/24/2010 8:55:33 PM

Quote :

"there was no money flowing through the GC that was on the permits. i thought i explained that in the other thread. maybe i didn't. "

this is really the crucial part. if I missed that in the last post I may have misunderstood. I was not saying I supported the actions of the guys in your neighborhood, only that those scenarios do exist.

8/24/2010 9:06:29 PM

i've never been under my house during the rain...i was completely unaware of the fact that there is a small river that flows under there when we have as much rain as we were having last night, after the ground was already saturated

i don't think it'll cause any problems, it was just really surprising (there was a decently-sized puddle that was in one corner, but it was gone this morning)

8/25/2010 7:33:27 AM

where is the water coming from? just the rain itself? or is it shedding from a creek or a diversion ditch that cannot handle the volume?

if it is coming from a common area, I would alert the HOA and seek remedy. you dont want a 'river' flowing under your house for any length of time.

[Edited on August 25, 2010 at 1:50 PM. Reason : ..]

8/25/2010 1:49:11 PM

it is really not ideal to have any water under your home.

8/25/2010 6:11:40 PM

^^^water flowing under your home or even near the foundation can have the long term effect of slowly washing out under the foundation and causing the house to settle more. This isn't normally a structural problem but you will get walls and tile floors that crack and doors / windows that don't open and close well.

8/25/2010 9:30:19 PM

Quote :

"^ that can be done. its just a waiver to sign"

Yeah, that's what I did installing the outlet for my tankless setup. It still had to be inspected, although the inspection was relatively simple. He didn't even pop the cover off any of the boxes to look at the actual wiring junctions. It coulda been twisted together and wrapped with electric tape in there and it would have passed.

8/26/2010 4:24:54 PM

^how much did it cost to get it inspected?

8/27/2010 12:45:51 PM

The inspection cost is included in the permit process. I think it was $72 total at the time the permit is issued. After the work was done (actually the work was done before I even applied for the permit, but whatever) I called them and scheduled the inspection. The guy came out, looked at it briefly, checked a ground iirc, and asked a couple of questions. Then he signed off on the permit and everything was complete.

I think you have to do your inspection within 1 year of receiving the permit.

[Edited on August 27, 2010 at 12:55 PM. Reason : l]

8/27/2010 12:55:26 PM

$72 per trade

plus a review fee, if you are permitting something with a drawing.

[Edited on August 27, 2010 at 11:29 PM. Reason : permit cost]

8/27/2010 11:28:50 PM

Re-post of a Chit-Chat thread...but here is my place.

"Just finished taking pictures of the house. A little background info...

The house was originally built into 1891. It was a top bottom duplex. The only way you could get to the top was on a fire escape on the side of the house. And there were no bathrooms, just out-houses. So when the contract re-built the house, he had to add stairs and bathrooms. So that took a little space out of the kitchen and 2nd bedroom, but I think it worked out well.

Nobody had lived in the house since 1950, so it was pretty dilapidated. The city bought it about 5 or 6 years ago along with many other run-down properties downtown and they were going to do some kind of housing project with all of them. However, the city ran out of money and eventually sold it to a contractor who specialized in re-building and re-modeling houses downtown. This was going to be his fifth such house just on this street. When I looked at the house it was completely bare, no cabinets or appliances in the kitchen, just beautiful hard wood floors (that he salvaged from the original) and the frame and porches.

I put a low offer, they countered with an offer in the middle, and we went under contract and I got to pick out cabinets, counter-tops, appliances, etc. I'm pretty much completely done with the house except that I'm waiting on plantation shutters and I need to furnish the upstairs porch. I also might put a small desk in my room because I'd like to door more work from home. Without further ado...we have, 37 Kennedy Street, Charleston, SC:



Old picture again, pre-construction.



Picture looking straight at the house from the street:



Side view of porches:



Driveway view:



Front porch view:



Front of house view with yard-work I've done since moving in:



Up-close view of front porch, with bistro table and chairs. This is the morning chill spot with the coffee and newspaper reading...also late afternoon wine and beer spot before I ride the bike out to eat and drink somewhere:



I LOVE my back yard. It's really hard to find a house with a decent back-yard downtown. This would be a very above-average sized backyard for downtown Charleston. I mow and weed-eat it every Sunday. Total, yard work takes about 30 minutes. I put a lot of work into the edges of the yard. The contractor put down these stupid wood-chips outside of the grass. Weeds were growing everywhere when I moved in. I pulled what I could, then I put down this anti-weed like tarp, and covered it all with straw. Works great. Borrowed an edger a few weeks ago and edged the yard. Now I just used the weed-eater. Again..I love my little backyard:



Backside view of the house:



Patio view. Patio is part of the original house from 1891...just old stone and brick. I love the palm tree that gives it shade during the day. New grill and aluminum patio furniture courtesy of Lowes...my new favorite store:



Shed me and a buddy built a couple weeks ago. Mainly to house yard equipment and my bikes (notice cup-holders in all bikes). I pretty much ride everywhere. One of downtown's luxuries:



Next post will be inside pictures of the house."

8/29/2010 1:57:43 PM

When you first walk in the house you see this:



You look the right, you see the kitchen:



You look to the left you see the den:



Better pictures of 1st floor, full bath:







More pics of kitchen:



http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs160.ash2/41341_832803947169_11812210_44779351_605410_n.jpg

Coffee, sugar, and sour patch kids, just the bare necessities:



I fucking love these fireplaces...there are two full ones, but one goes up from the kitchen to the 2nd bedroom, and the other goes up from the den into the master bedroom...here's the on in the kitchen:



More pics of the den. This is the hutch turned mini-bar. This is one of the pieces I got from my grandma's old house. She passed away this past January I've lucked up and got a ton of her furniture:



This is her old secretary that I've pretty much just made into a bookcase:



Den fireplace:



Bad-ass coffee table I found at a consignment shop for a great price:



The most ridiculously comfortable chairs you'll ever sit in...they go all the way back...oh, and they swivel:



My pride and joy, new Sony 46" LED flat screen...with accompanying Blue-Ray and Home Theater system:



Upstairs hallway, 2nd bedroom door...roommate was asleep, so no pictures of that room:



Left side of upstairs bathroom:



Right side of upstairs bathroom:



Hallway view of my bedroom:



I have two pretty small closets, but the cool part is that the closet doors were the old front doors of the original house:



Dresser with wall-mounted TV. One project left is to hide the wires on the upstairs and down-stairs tvs:



Better view of the master bedroom chimney:



Upstairs porch...work in progress. Thinking a hammock at the far end and just some rocking chairs on the near end:



NC State flag hanging...looks great compared to the puny UNC flag across the street with his shitty faded baby blue painted house:



One final look at the back-yard from the upstairs porch:

8/29/2010 2:01:34 PM

awesome place, i love Charleston.

8/29/2010 3:01:29 PM

the water pressure in my shower head has noticeably decreased. Any suggestion on how to fix this?

8/29/2010 5:30:53 PM

take it off and make sure that no trash has built up in it.

8/29/2010 8:44:06 PM

Quick question on replacing interior doors:
My old door measured 29 13/16". The doors at Lowes were in whole inch sizes (29" or 30"). I bought the 30" and it barely fit in the door frame, but it was a tight fit and I wasn't sure it would close once on the hinges. I mounted the door and sure enough it won't close.

I'm guessing I need to take around 3/16" off. Would a planer such as this one from Lowes be the best tool for the job:
http://tinyurl.com/3yl65tl

I've never really used a planar, but my understanding is that I'd be able to set a depth for it to cut and then take off exactly that much wood.

My other thought would be to rip it with a table saw. I do nut currently own a table saw, so I'm looking at buying a tool either way. I usually clamp a guide on and use my circular saw for really straight cuts, but I don't think I could get a perfect cut on something this long very easily with that method.

8/31/2010 3:41:01 PM

I would use a table saw. But I have access to one. I've never used a planer so.

8/31/2010 4:21:33 PM

A planer is definitely the way to go. Trying to rip the long side of a door on a table saw and keep it straight is going to be a big pain in the ass. The planer should be nice and uniform.

^^ My father in law uses a circular saw for door cuts freehand, but I have tried it without great results. I think the circular saw with a guide clamped down would also be a great idea.

Have you already nailed the frame in place?

[Edited on August 31, 2010 at 4:30 PM. Reason : .]

8/31/2010 4:26:46 PM

I'm just replacing the door, not the frame. My house has those shitty old hollow doors with a wood veneer, so I'm upgrading to the newer doors with the panels molded into them like you have in your house.

8/31/2010 7:22:03 PM

i dont think a planer would be super consistent. if i used that i would def. do it on the hinge side and then re-mortise the hinges.

9/1/2010 12:07:01 AM

The planar actually did the trick really well when I got back to it yesterday evening. I accidentally took a little too much off, but not enough that you can see daylight or anything. I doubt anybody would notice if I didn't point it out to them. I'm wondering how much trouble I'm going to run into tonight when I get back to it though. I have to pop the holes for the door knob and latch. I'm thinking there should be a little wiggle room there if it's not perfect, but keeping my fingers crossed.

9/1/2010 5:10:50 PM

they make a holesaw doorknob kit at lowes that is really helpful

9/1/2010 5:22:38 PM

I ended up going with the hot water heater. Had a neighbor help put it in and just got done. So while we are unloading it from the truck another neighbor comes over and says, "did you think about getting a tankless system?"

9/1/2010 8:55:43 PM

^^ I'll look into it. If it's just the hole saw for the handle and a spade bit for the latch I probably already have it covered.

[Edited on September 2, 2010 at 2:36 PM. Reason : s]

9/2/2010 2:15:20 PM

^^ had the same thing asked of me by various people.

While I wouldnt mind a tankless, its just hard to justify for me. My gas hot water heater has always worked well. Since I have a 50 gallon tank, I practically never have a problem with hot water, even when there are a lot of showers taken in a short period of time. The cost of my gas per month in the summer costs next to nothing for the heater (maybe $10-15 a month). Even if tankless is more efficient, its going to take a long time to recoup the expense.

If I had my hot water heater in my attic, which I do not, I'd consider tankless just because I dont want the water bursting through my ceiling when the tank goes bad, but thats about the only time I could personally justify it.

That said, if I were building a house from scratch, you might as well have a tankless.

9/2/2010 2:39:33 PM

my wife and I are looking for a cast iron tub for one of our bathrooms to replace that shower/tub insert. not clawfoot, and we're having a hard time locating one for a decent price. don't want one new, necessarily. not afraid of reconditioning. if anyone sees or reads about one, let me know.

9/4/2010 10:07:19 AM

I posted some pictures in the "Post Your Do It Yourself project Here" thread (message_topic.aspx?topic=589554&page=3) about my work on re-purposing the old TV nook in our house. I had a question embedded in my post though that might be better to single out here:

Does anyone know anything about flex molding as an alternative to having something custom-milled for the radius of an arched opening in your house? Pictures are in the thread I linked (last post on the page) to give you an idea of what type of opening I am thinking about putting some molding around.

Thanks a lot!

9/7/2010 10:54:47 AM

i'm on well+septic. my water filter seems to be filling up at an alarming rate, i have to change the filter every ~3 weeks now as it fills up with sediment which drops the pressure and flow in the house.

any recommendations on someone to come out and check my system? i'm guessing a well guy can see if the pump can be moved in the well to get less sediment.

9/7/2010 11:16:48 AM

^^I have used the flexible molding with great success. I would highly recommend. (it is $texas though)

9/8/2010 12:40:55 PM

Word. Where did you get it and how much $texas are we talking about? Still cheaper than getting someone to mill something I assume? If you didn't see the pictures I would say the arched portion I need is only about 4 feet in linear length along the curve/arch and it is just going to be painted white.

[Edited on September 8, 2010 at 1:12 PM. Reason : ]

9/8/2010 1:12:05 PM

housing prices in southeast texas versus the northeast
tax difference... pretty neutral
insurance prices in southeast texas versus the northeast

9/8/2010 5:09:21 PM

^^we just got done putting flex molding around all the arches in the new house, if you want I can search the trash pile to see if we had extra left over.

9/8/2010 8:50:45 PM

that'd be awesome man. If not, at least you might still be able to give me some advice.

9/8/2010 10:34:27 PM

Lesson learned: It is worth the time to do a little work here and there to keep your garden/flower beds weeded rather than only do it once every month or two. SO much more work that way.

I weeded my garden/flower beds about 2 months ago when I moved in, and havent touched them since. I pulled 4 trashbags full of weeds yesterday. PWNT.

[Edited on September 9, 2010 at 3:05 PM. Reason : .]

9/9/2010 3:04:05 PM

i hate yard work

9/9/2010 8:58:45 PM

^^



FTW

9/10/2010 9:08:35 AM

so, what's the consensus on siding for the house? I've got fairly new masonite, but I'm reading stuff on it that says it is bad. I don't have any intentions of ripping it out right now, but if it goes south, what should I look at for a replacement?

9/10/2010 12:58:54 PM

hardy plank?

9/10/2010 2:27:51 PM

Hardi

9/10/2010 4:56:17 PM

if you have masonite, you will extend the life of it by caulking/painting every few years. if you normally paint a house every 5 years, you will need to bump that down to like every 3 years.

a lot of masonite is surface-nailed - combined when the caulking at the nail heads is not maintained it soaks in water like a sponge. the caulking when you have masonite (and any siding, really) is super important and often overlooked.

9/10/2010 6:16:26 PM

^^^^^^^^

I searched the trash pile for about 30 minutes (didn't dig to much, sorry) and found a 2 foot piece. There maybe more in there but didn't see if from the surface. You are more than welcome to come search if you want. I did find about 4 empty boxes of it. 6ft/box. We purchased it from professional builders in Cary.

9/10/2010 8:08:51 PM

Quote :

"^^^^^^^^ I searched the trash pile for about 30 minutes (didn't dig to much, sorry) and found a 2 foot piece. There maybe more in there but didn't see if from the surface. You are more than welcome to come search if you want. I did find about 4 empty boxes of it. 6ft/box. We purchased it from professional builders in Cary."

Appreciate it, but I don't live in Raleigh. If you would have found some, I would have scheduled a visit to friends there that coincided with trying to pick some up but no worries. I really appreciate you at least looking! How much did you spend for each box if you don't mind me asking?

Also,

Some people in here might remember the retaining wall project I went through awhile back. This is a snapshot of what the yard looked like before...basically too sloped to be usable and just really eaten up and eroded and weed-eaten:




I still have a long way to go (and will do most of the rest of the work next year...but with the retaining wall and then laying a lot of sod down myself I think the yard looks 10x better than the previous owner left it:



You can see where the sod that I put down in May/June stops and where I have just thrown some seed and some seed netting down for this year (to at least get some roots). Next year I will either overseed a lot or maybe even tear some of that up and throw some more sod down. Either way, the yard is MUCH more level now (I left enough slope for the water to drain away from the house) and the grass helps a lot. The wall varies from about 3' to 4' tall and it is on the right side the picture (with the grass/weeds growing on the edge of it right now.

[Edited on September 11, 2010 at 3:13 PM. Reason : ]

9/11/2010 3:11:33 PM