any time you don't build a fence on the property line, you lose a little land

5/9/2013 8:08:06 PM

true, but I'm not talking 10'. Most people won't miss a foot and without a survey, I'd very hesitant to put something right on the property line. And I forget... if it is on the line, do you not have to deal with your neighbor for approval?

5/9/2013 8:29:27 PM

by "on the line" i mean as close as possible without crossing the line.

[Edited on May 9, 2013 at 8:36 PM. Reason : in other words, get a survey]

5/9/2013 8:36:12 PM

haha. yes, if by that you mean as close as possible, then yes, get a survey and have them string line/stake it well for you.

[Edited on May 9, 2013 at 8:38 PM. Reason : .]

5/9/2013 8:37:53 PM

plus, who wants to weedeat along both sides of a fence? fuck that

5/9/2013 8:39:54 PM

haha, you fool; don't. just leave it be and if you're neighbor is that anal, he'll eventually do it

5/9/2013 8:58:12 PM

water came up in my basement when it was pouring rain the other day

5/9/2013 10:23:27 PM

ruh roh.

any idea where from? any obvious sources? gutters/downspouts? window/door? cracks?

or do you mean up, like through a drain?

[Edited on May 10, 2013 at 9:07 AM. Reason : /]

5/10/2013 9:07:26 AM

Quote :

" just leave it be and if you're neighbor is that anal, he'll eventually do it "

My neighbor's property line comes right up to my driveway. In fact, I believe he owns part of the driveway as well. His fence line is a good 10' away from my driveway, and the fence runs about 75 yards parallel to the driveway. Needless to say, this needs to be mowed. Technically it's his responsibility to mow it, but we want that area to look nice when we have visitors so I keep it mowed. His daughter mows it sometimes, but usually I have to go behind her and mow it again because she does a shitty job.

So yeah, unless your neighbor just straight up doesn't care how it looks, I'd say he'd take care of his side of the fence.

[Edited on May 10, 2013 at 9:30 AM. Reason : a]

5/10/2013 9:29:31 AM

I can still see some of the pins for my property line in the back and in front it's just where the sod ends.

My neighbor still goes around the outside of his fence and mows. Good guy.

5/10/2013 11:22:36 AM

Get this shit!

My friend just called me to tell me what was going on at his parents' house. With all the rain we have gotten, his mom had been smelling an odor in the back yard that smelled like paint thinner. They call environmental services and find out that there is an old oil tank buried in there backyard, from where homes used to heat with oil back in the day. The tanks were supposed to be emptied when houses were converted to electric/natural gas, but apparently this one wasn't. Now the soil in their backyard is contaminated.

So, they are required to have the tank removed, along with all of the contaminated soil. Total cost estimate, $20k.

THAT SUUUUUUUUUCKS!!!!!

[Edited on May 10, 2013 at 12:42 PM. Reason : a]

5/10/2013 12:41:21 PM

damn that really sucks. but $20k is relatively cheap; I'm guessing the extent of leaching (if at all) has been determined? because if it leached... holy shit, it can be 6 figures in a hurry.

5/10/2013 1:44:43 PM

If I was in the area Smath, I would go help you find your corners with a metal detector that I have. I have been land surveying for a couple of years now, and I'm sure that we could find the pins. The pins are not always driven to be seen above ground because they are likely to be moved or hit with machinery (lawn mowers), so, we typically drive them a couple of inches below grade. Another surveyor can easily come in and find it, hopefully untouched, with a metal detector. We leave a wooden stake beside it to show the property owners where the metal pin is driven. In a farmer's field, we will drive the pin even lower to avoid being plowed and whatnot.

djeternal, fences and who is taking care of land is very important when it comes to land law. No matter where the pins are, if you and your neighbor are recognizing the fence as the property line, and you are taking care (mowing) the property, you have a case that the land you are taking care of, is now yours. This comes in to play alot with old deeds, no pins, and a fence line. If both parties recognize the fence as the line, it doesn't matter what is written on the deed and plat.

5/10/2013 1:51:20 PM

^^ Yeah, it's not terrible considering that price includes the new topsoil and sod. Plus his dad said he thinks he can write it off on his taxes. But still, that's some serious sticker shock on an unexpected repair.

5/10/2013 1:55:00 PM

oh yeh. If I all of a sudden had a $20k bill I'd die.

5/10/2013 1:59:46 PM

RE: Fence

Also, note the pin may not be the actual corner. It is the "physical representation" of an imaginary point. I've seen corners out as much as a foot.

5/10/2013 2:50:57 PM

^^ What sucks even more is it is most likely a legal obligation now. Last week, no problem. Today, do it or get fined. You smell something, call somebody to get it checked out only to find out you HAVE to pay the 20k to get rid of it. I'd probably try to sue somebody back down the line for not taking care of it properly in the first place, if the records could be found.

Sticker shock x 1000.

[Edited on May 10, 2013 at 2:55 PM. Reason : *]

5/10/2013 2:54:28 PM

^^true; I've found 3 pins on my line that were not my corners.

5/10/2013 2:56:23 PM

Quote :

"djeternal, fences and who is taking care of land is very important when it comes to land law. No matter where the pins are, if you and your neighbor are recognizing the fence as the property line, and you are taking care (mowing) the property, you have a case that the land you are taking care of, is now yours. This comes in to play alot with old deeds, no pins, and a fence line. If both parties recognize the fence as the line, it doesn't matter what is written on the deed and plat."

adverse possession, and it generally requires north of 10 years (usually depending on your state's statute) of recognition of the "new" boundary between the actual owner and the trespasser.

5/10/2013 3:03:06 PM

Regarding the storage tank issue...do some research. There might be assistance money available, start here:

http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/wm/ust

My company regularly gets calls regarding this issue, and I always refer folks to Joe Beaman over at this company:

http://www.hesnc.com/

5/10/2013 5:01:35 PM

New house woes

Grrg. Fridge is leaking a seal. Brand new. Cant come do anything about it till tuesday.

That and TWC evidently "recently" changed their rules for BC connections, so I dont get free cable any more Not that I used it much but its good when you want to watch the news or something.

Question for the group: Debating taking former owners to small claims for not turning over all the keys for the place. They gave me a front door and a garage opener. No backdoor, kitchen into garage or garage side door key. Plus theres a few padlocks on crawlspace accesses, etc.

Right now Im at $100 my cost to replace everything, and counting (still haven't done the padlocks, thankfully they were open so I didnt have to cut them)

Pretty sure this is covered in my buyers contract, so how feasible is this? Or should I push on my closing atty?

5/17/2013 11:38:30 AM

I'd just talk to the attorney. Not worth my time to go to court for $100

5/17/2013 11:55:08 AM

Don't most people change all the locks when they buy a place? I know I did both times. You never know if you've received all the keys or not, if they made a shitload of copies.

I'd say suck it up and get the new locks and move on.

5/17/2013 11:55:44 AM

I would have changed the locks anyway.

5/17/2013 11:56:08 AM

+1 on changing the locks. I don't have a key to the storm door and will have to get that taken care of, but my place was as is I knew it would have to be done.

5/17/2013 1:00:51 PM

You change the locks when you buy a new place. We did that the next day after buying the house.

[Edited on May 17, 2013 at 1:04 PM. Reason : ]

5/17/2013 1:02:43 PM

Locks were changed, its still the fact of the matter that they didnt give me any keys. Sellers were complete a-holes and Id love to stick it to them.

5/18/2013 11:23:24 PM

Not really worth it from what we know at least

5/19/2013 12:18:06 AM

Yes, the seller is supposed to provide keys or a means to operate all exterior locks.

When we sold our house in Raleigh, we'd already been out of the house for several months and lost our garage door openers. At closing, we just cut a check to the buyers for the cost of a universal garage door opener (~$30). The sellers may be perfectly happy to cut you a check for a hundred bucks, but you really should have asked them to pony up at closing. But really like everyone said, you should change the locks anyway when you buy a house. I don't think that making this an issue is really going to stick it to them, it's just going to be a waste of everyone's time.

I say that it isn't worth taking them to court over. Maybe a phone call, but not court.

5/19/2013 7:30:36 AM

$100? it cost me $5 per lock to have mine re-keyed. go to lowe's and tell them you need a random key from their bucket under the counter. make sure to get the right type of key (schlage, kwikset, etc.). then take the cores to a hardware store like Ace or an actual locksmith shop and they'll knock it out in about 5 mins per lock.

don't be a dickhead.

5/19/2013 3:34:48 PM

should i have my roof repaired or replaced? is there any kind of roi on a new one?

5/20/2013 7:08:21 AM

it can be a selling point if your current roof is in bad shape and you plan to sell the house. how old is the roof?

5/20/2013 7:40:30 AM

fuck, i dunno.

you've been up there, you tell me

[Edited on May 20, 2013 at 8:10 AM. Reason : repair dude said i can probably get another 3 years out of it]

5/20/2013 8:09:36 AM

While you really won't get a positive ROI for a new roof; an older or "needs replacing" roof can have a significant negative impact on your home's value. If I'm buying a house that needs a new roof, I'm either 1) telling the seller to fix it or 2) negotiating down the selling price even more. I prefer #2, so I can be sure a proper contractor is hired and the job is done correctly; the seller has an incentive to go cheap and just have it look new (not all sellers will do this, but the incentive is there for assholes).

If you're not planning on selling soon, then it's less of an issue for now. Though, I wouldn't wait until you have problems to need a new roof. If you do get a new roof, I always suggest you have the old shingles removed and have the roofing paper inspected/replaced as needed as well as checking the structure, underlayment (interior & exterior), vents, flashing, soffit vents, and caulking checked. No need to spend thousands of dollars on new shingles when there may be other existing problems.

A random check you should also do is ensure your attic ventilation is proper - soffits are not covered and ridge vent/roof vents are open to the attic. You'd be surprised how many idiots will cover soffits.

[Edited on May 20, 2013 at 11:06 AM. Reason : ,]

5/20/2013 10:55:25 AM

Underlayment should always be replaced with the shingles.

5/21/2013 5:40:31 PM

If you're up there you might as well do it...modern plywood is leaps and bounds better than even stuff made 10 years ago....

I've heard metal roofs can actually give you an ROI or at least pretty damn close, any truth to this?

5/21/2013 7:14:47 PM

Does anyone know how close you can build a shed to a property line? I live in Cumberland County and tried to pull up any kind of permitting and rules, but had no luck. I assume someone on here knows if there are general rules about this. I'd like to build a shed that'll probably be ~5' from the property line.

5/22/2013 5:10:24 PM

Dude, call their Planning Department...they'll tell you in 5 seconds

5/22/2013 6:17:13 PM

^^ You should consider applying for a permit to build the shed. That way it will have their stamp on it and if you ever sell your house it will be clear that everything is up to code.

5/22/2013 9:34:34 PM

RE: shed

I don't think it matters, as long as it does not have a permanent foundation (e.g., slab, CIP pier+footer).

[Edited on May 23, 2013 at 8:23 AM. Reason : .]

5/23/2013 8:22:39 AM

new washer and dryer

Good price on the appliances, but having to pay for hoses, plugs and ducts can suck it

5/29/2013 12:12:13 AM

I have some absolute gold for this thread.

5/29/2013 12:25:56 AM

have to get a new roof

the positive is that we have a local guy who is going to do it much cheaper than i thought we could get it done for (less than 5k). Also, it's an upgrade so it can't hurt the resale value... getting 50 year architectural shingles.

5/29/2013 2:31:15 PM

^ Home Owners Insurance isn't paying for it?

5/29/2013 3:17:03 PM

Had some really strange electric dryer behavior over the past month or so. Seemingly randomly and independent of the type of clothes or the cycle, the dryer would need to be run twice to get things dry. But then it would act perfectly normal. Then it got worse and needed to be run 3 times. Checked and cleaned duct work, no problem, pretty clean. Took dryer apart, cleaned and inspected all air passages and checked heating element, all to no avail. Then my wife calls me one day and tells me there is water coming from under the dryer. W...T...F...

Long story short, my dryer vents out of the roof (weird, I know), a very high and steep roof that I can't get on with my basic extension ladder. There is a square mushroom-cap style hood that diverts the air and prevents rain and critters from getting in. So although the ductwork was clean as a whistle, the plastic grate on all four sides of this hood was clogged with lint.

Turns out, the perceived randomness of the poor performance was just coinciding with rainy days where the lint would absorb moisture and block air flow. Then when it dried up it would pass enough air through to dry without issue. The water from under the dryer was when we had TONS of ran and the clogged lint got so saturated that it started to wick, drop down and make its way down the ductwork. After I cleaned it, the dryer has worked flawlessly. Just wanted to share my experience in case anyone else has similar confusion whilst troubleshooting their flaky dryer.

5/29/2013 5:07:32 PM

Quote :

"^ Home Owners Insurance isn't paying for it?"

well, it's a 20 year roof that is 20 years old. I was told by my roofing guy they don't typically cover that.

is that not correct info? I don't want to get my insurance company involved and then my rates go up. (or i get dropped)

[Edited on May 29, 2013 at 5:20 PM. Reason : ]

5/29/2013 5:13:05 PM

homeowner's insurance doesn't cover normal wear and tear. don't know why anyone would think it does.

"hello mr. insurance agent, my house needs painting. go ahead and cut me a check for that."

[Edited on May 29, 2013 at 5:53 PM. Reason : my car needs tires, better call my insurance agent]

5/29/2013 5:53:04 PM

No, my point is that if I needed my roof replaced I would just drop a tree limb on it.

5/29/2013 5:55:16 PM

insurance companies see that sort of shit all the time and they deny it. my aunt works in claims and has some hilarious stories.

not to mention that tree limb damage would generally be a relatively small area, and they are only going to pay for the damaged portion.

5/29/2013 6:00:05 PM

My friend got insurance money for a roof repair because of hail damage. I doubt you can find evidence of that now though.

5/29/2013 6:00:44 PM