^^yes and yes, but my wife works from home now so it's always keeping the house within the set range. and I run the fan more often now too. Before all taht, I think the nest saved a little bit based on reverting to energy-saving temp range when no one was home.

8/29/2019 7:10:13 AM

^what does running the fan accomplish for you? I have the nest set to run the fan after the AC has stopped to keep circulating the cool air, but i never just run the fan independently.

I have it on auto-learning which has created a schedule. It auto-senses when we are gone and reverts to the leaf mode. I have tried dropping that temperature down so it's not having to cool down such a substantial amount in the evenings to see if that has any effect.

8/29/2019 10:42:08 AM

The weeds on my lawn just grow like crazy in one single month. It's like everywhere now. I was scared as fuck. Fortunately my worker came in the day before yesterday and took care of it. He promised me they would be gone in two weeks.

8/29/2019 10:48:33 AM

running the fan with the AC off is probably just adding humidity back into your house, get some ceiling fans or room fans

8/29/2019 12:08:44 PM

how you figure?

9/3/2019 7:03:35 AM

^^ Unless you have leaky ducts, it's just moving the air in your house around and the humidity shouldn't be affected.

9/3/2019 12:00:12 PM

the ducts are probably leaky, but it's also blowing any water off the coil back into the air

9/4/2019 1:16:23 PM

The ducts and AC are also my headache.

9/4/2019 1:36:39 PM

^^ I suppose a little. Most of that water should have drained off.

9/5/2019 1:43:30 PM

Has anyone been gifted a house? We're probably going to be gifted a house that we want to live in from a family member. Just wonder if there's any pitfalls. The family member won't exceed the gift tax lifetime limit. I think we need to get an appraisal.

9/12/2019 10:17:37 AM

Talk to a tax lawyer. This sounds like one of those situations where it's better to "buy" the house. A few hundred bucks for a consult is usually worth it to know whether or not you're going to have a bad encounter with the IRS.

9/13/2019 9:37:33 AM

Yeah, the step up tax basis is nice when it's not gifted.

9/14/2019 1:13:27 AM

I'll officially be joining this thread 10/25. Did y'all do anything special prior to moving in? ... would think it would be the best time to deep clean the house prior to actually moving in.

10/10/2019 7:13:26 AM

^if you have any popcorn removal or painting you want to do, do it before you move in.

10/10/2019 9:31:46 AM

I replaced the carpet in rooms I planned on keeping carpet.

Also, if you pull up the carpet and matting, screw down the floor boards to keep them from squeaking if that shit bothers you.

10/14/2019 7:55:33 AM

my next door neighbors to the left and right are both moving in the next month. here's hoping new neighbors will be aight.

[Edited on October 25, 2019 at 4:04 PM. Reason : ]

10/25/2019 4:04:26 PM

Turns out we're just gonna straight up buy the house instead of it being gifted, but thanks

10/25/2019 9:08:51 PM

I had Homecraft Gutter guards installed a couple months ago and I am very pleased with the results so far. My roof gets a lot of leaves and i was blowing out my gutters at least twice a month this time last year. Especially those wide poplar leaves that hold water and turn into a nightmare. These guards shed those leaves easily and catch almost all of the water from the roof. I probably paid too much, but they were fast to install, did a good job, and so far i'm happy about it.

10/31/2019 10:34:34 AM

How many of y'all don't have vapor barriers in your crawl space?

The house we've moved into is at the bottom of a hill. The previous owners installed several french drains and landscape work to minimize the water flowing into the bottom of the house, but after last week's rain the exposed dirt at the high end of our crawlspace is noticeably wetter than other areas.

Most folks I've talked to suggested a vapor barrier to prevent water from entering our house, but I assume doing so wouldn't address water entering the crawlspace, which over time I'd think would lead to bigger issues.

I plan on installing the vapor barrier after we finish moving in, but I believe the issue wouldn't properly be fixed without yard work to pull drain water away from the back of the house

[Edited on November 4, 2019 at 3:06 PM. Reason : .]

11/4/2019 3:04:59 PM

Vapor barrier isn't going to prevent rain water from coming into your crawlspace. You need to fix your drainage issue around your house, or maybe you could seal your crawl, though I am not sure if even a sealed crawlspace would prevent rain water from entering.

11/4/2019 4:30:45 PM

^^Depending on how bad it is, you may be able to fix that with a pump and/or dehumidifier in the crawlspace.

11/5/2019 8:43:48 AM

if you have water coming in from rain you should fix that

is it coming through the foundation? do you have vents on that side? are they in vent wells or exposed to the ground?

11/6/2019 7:19:31 PM

The crawl space is 5'-8' high, depending on where you're standing. Vents are not on that side but 4'-6' above grade.

There's what appears to be a rubber waterproofing barrier painted on the below grade foundation, but who knows how long ago it was installed. I assume it's failed and that's how the moisture has entered the space.

I placed a humidity gauge in the crawlspace with the hopes that humidity would decrease... nope. It read 99% when I got home from work. I hoped that number would decrease the further we moved away from the rainfall last week, but no such luck.

I don't have a ton of experience with house maintenance (rented for 10+ years) but I guess this comes with the territory of purchasing a 40 year old house.

11/7/2019 9:22:19 AM

Do you have any mold on the joists in your crawlspace?

11/7/2019 10:52:18 AM

if not yet he will if the moisture level is that high

since the crawlspace is that high then the vapor barrier would be an easy and fairly cheap DIY project, i'd definitely start there and see what it does to your moisture levels.



i'm doing conditioned attic and crawlspace whenever i do a new build

11/8/2019 10:35:01 AM

I spot checked last night, no mold yet. The previous owners installed two layers of insulation, sandwiching the fiberglass parts so there's a paper moisture barrier between both the flooring and the insulation and the insulation and crawlspace. Parts of the insulation were damp. Would like to replace those after I tackle the vapor barrier.

I'm planning on installing a simple vapor barrier (only +/-500 SF) this weekend as well as work outside on the yard. The previous owners installed a berm and interconnected drainage system in 2017 to tackle this. I admittedly haven't done much yard work in the last two weeks because I've been focused on the inside of the house. Hopefully clearing leaves and cleaning up the drains will help prevent this from happening in the future.

Thanks all for the suggestions, always nice to bounce this stuff off others.

11/8/2019 11:27:24 AM

Water issues are tricky in homes. My house is not at the bottom of a hill or anything and is generally well graded except for one corner. By all accounts I would have expected this house to have some foundation issues or potentially mold or buckling in one corner that tends to collect water during big rain storms (not all the time, just the big summer downpours we get here).

But, the house is 70 years old. I inspected this spot myself when I was inspecting the house, had a structural engineer from a foundation company look at the whole house including a focus on this corner, and my general home inspector and there was no sign of mold or foundation issues or any issues related to water collecting in that spot. I have a good relationship with the previous homeowner (an Architect who did a lot of work during his 11 years in the house before we took it over and continued to renovate - so I've coordinated with him understanding the changes he made when making my own) and he said they had a similar concern when they moved in 11 years ago. Kept an eye on it and never had any issues, any mold, any floor buckling etc. so just decided not to mess with it. If I have to, I'll put an area drain in that corner and pump it out but for now I'll keep an eye on it - otherwise I'm taking the same approach the previous owners did.

11/8/2019 12:05:44 PM

vapor barriers aren't going to do much; though if you tape the seams and seal around the foundation (kind of like encapsulating), then you'd have a decent impact on the issue.

If there is not a direct flowpath (vent, cracked foundation, pipe penetration, etc) then it's likely just groundwater seepage. The grade in your crawlspace is likely lower than external grade. The soil on the exterior is getting saturated and hydrostatic pressure will force water out of the ground at a low point... your crawlspace.

You can try an exterior perimeter drain, especially if the house footprint is small. If that doesn't work, then bite the bullet and encapsulate (which includes a dehumidifier). And don't dehu without encapsuating and don't encapsulate without adding a dehu. The two go together. Always.

[Edited on November 8, 2019 at 12:59 PM. Reason : .]

11/8/2019 12:58:11 PM

Quote :

"You can try an exterior perimeter drain, especially if the house footprint is small. If that doesn't work, then bite the bullet and encapsulate (which includes a dehumidifier). And don't dehu without encapsuating and don't encapsulate without adding a dehu. The two go together. Always."

100%

11/8/2019 2:04:48 PM

^^are you saying the two go together only because if you don't encapsulate you're basically trying to dehu. outside air?

I have small area of my crawlspace, with the same issues as MONGO, and i had a tile drain and sump pump installed. It has taken care of everything. I keep a small dehumidifier in their now and it runs periodically to keep things nice and dry. I don't have this area encapsulated at all. but the way my foundation has been built, with add-ons over the years, this portion is very much partitioned off from the rest of the crawlspace. So essentially i'm just dehumidifying a small 12x12 portion and not the entire underside of my house.

11/11/2019 9:59:01 AM

that, but also because using a dehu without encapsulating creates a sink that can draw soil moisture into the crawlspace. so now there's the risk of implementing a solution that is causing the problem, or in other words, making the dehu work even more.

In the vast majority of cases, if the issues are severe enough to warrant a dehu, then they're severe enough to warrant encapsulation. In the small proportion of cases were this isn't true, generally at least two of the following are true: the soil moisture / water intrusion is very weather dependent and very occasional (e.g. not a year-round issue), it's a relatively small space, or other drainage corrections have been made.

11/11/2019 11:42:18 AM

gotcha. yeah, mine is very weather dependent and almost exactly as you described earlier with the oversaturation of ground water causing hydrostatic seepage into the crawlspace.

11/11/2019 11:49:56 AM

is there anything you can do to prevent/limit drafts with a vented gas fireplace?

in the past i've just killed the pilot and closed the gas line and shut the damper, but that means anytime i use it i have to open the damper and re-light the pilot and that's a pain. i'd like to use it more, but there is a noticeable draft on cold mornings just leaving everything open with the pilot light.

11/13/2019 11:05:13 AM

going to be building a screened in room on my patio. now applying for a permit. wish me luck!

11/13/2019 3:00:30 PM

Double post...whatevs...

[Edited on November 13, 2019 at 6:31 PM. Reason : ^^nvm...just realized what I was suggesting wouldn't work in your case.]

11/13/2019 6:30:51 PM

Builders Discount in Wendell my best bet for wood/molding?

Looking base board, think they have 4 1/4 for .89 LF

11/15/2019 2:03:03 PM

Is condensation under vapor barriers normal?

I installed a clear vapor barrier without taping up the sides last Thursday and in the span of two days, condensation had started to collect under the barrier. I've read it's normal as long as it doesn't pool together, but wanted to double check.

11/18/2019 9:27:51 AM

^ yes, what you read is correct

11/18/2019 7:21:00 PM

Added the dehumidifier... humidity is now below 60%. Great! Need to set up a drainage system but otherwise I'm pleased with the results.

Bad news - found more mold, and so much insulation was packed into the corner one of the joists is either rotted or full of mold.

https://i.imgur.com/TWOYYx6.jpg

Wood doesn't give but is moist to the touch.

[Edited on November 19, 2019 at 8:47 AM. Reason : .]

11/19/2019 8:44:44 AM

looks like both mold and wood rot.

11/19/2019 2:39:01 PM

mouse droppings too

11/20/2019 9:26:13 AM

I, too, noticed mouse pewp

11/20/2019 3:09:26 PM

that mold will die and not be an issue if your solution keeps the humidity down, just keep an eye on it

11/21/2019 11:20:46 AM

Are there ceiling fans that let you change the direction from a remote/app?

11/23/2019 2:18:42 PM

remote? 100%. I had these in my last house 10 years ago and they were just a cheap-o brand.
App? I can't imagine that they don't, considering the above.

I do not unfortunately have any useful input or recommendations on brands. I am however in the market for replacing one ceiling fan in our 2nd bedroom and would like to get one that at least has a remote if not app-enabled as well.

11/25/2019 12:46:16 PM

Yes. You can also buy addons that enable app control.

11/25/2019 7:06:59 PM

that let you change the fan direction?

my fan uses the fanSync BT app and remote but i still have to physically flip the switch on the fan to change the fan direction

11/26/2019 8:52:32 AM

The solution that Hunter sells supports it. I'm sure others do as well.

11/26/2019 9:13:28 AM

my Harbor Breeze fans have the direction switch on the remote.

12/4/2019 3:10:20 PM

There is so much shit in my house.

12/4/2019 9:21:12 PM