Don't light any matches.

1/7/2010 3:27:07 PM

Get a gas leak detector...or use soapy water if you want the cheap route.

1/7/2010 3:33:39 PM

woke up this morning...
went to take a shower...
no hot water...
went to the crawlspace...
water gushing out of a water line leading from the hot water heater....

1/7/2010 8:02:07 PM

at least it was the water line and not the water heater. Water line is a cheap easy fix. I had to replace the water heater at my mom's a few months ago. That SUCKED!

1/7/2010 9:28:39 PM

at least the water heater is in the crawlspace and not in the attic.

1/8/2010 5:05:01 AM

So the walls in my stair wells are starting to bother me with how they look. Various marks and scuffs. What do you people recommend for cleaning up this type of thing?

Preferably something non-abrasive as I used one of those mister clean eraser things on a couple marks left by my couch after move in and now the color is gone but the areas i used it on now look different from the rest of the wall.

1/8/2010 11:39:40 AM

I usually just use the same color paint and touch it up if it's the type of paint that the magic erasers will discolor.

1/8/2010 11:45:00 AM

Yeah, even my white paint works fine after a few coats.

1/8/2010 2:41:57 PM

I just found out i have black mold in my crawl space.

1/8/2010 4:27:43 PM

Magic erasers don't work too well on paint that has any texture to it, ie the little bumps left by an inexpensive paint roller. It'll take whatever mark you want off the wall, but it'll also remove that areas texture leaving you with a weird overly smooth spot.

[Edited on January 8, 2010 at 4:28 PM. Reason : *]

1/8/2010 4:28:24 PM

The brick facade on the area beside the garage door has peeled away from the wall. The one on the opposite side is fine.

WTF.

Is this something I can put some liquid nails on and restick? Do I need to call a guy? I tried to move it by leaning on it, but it will not budge.

Would the really cold 17degF night cause poorly done brickwork to fail and peel off? Why wouldn't it move back when I pushed it? Is there a larger issue at work here?

I have called the builders, but the home is out of warranty.

Any ideas or tips on fixing or recommendations for a company?

[Edited on January 11, 2010 at 1:16 AM. Reason : d]

1/11/2010 1:16:00 AM

Not really an immediate woe, but one that I'm going to more than likely have to deal with.

I'm looking into a house that was built in the 60's. The house is solid, with only "minor" issues that I'm not too concerned about. However, being that it's a 60's house, it still retains the old aluminum wiring. I'm curious if anyone has any experience with converting this using copalum connectors? Has anyone here dealt with "converting" their aluminum connectors to cooper and have suggestions/recommendations on electricians? I am going to give a couple electricians a call from the yellow pages and see what they can do and for how much. I'm very much happy with this house minus the wiring.

1/11/2010 6:23:33 AM

don't use the yellow pages. use servicemagic.com. i've used this quite a few times already and each time i have been very pleased with the results.

the gist of it is you put in what you need done and they'll select about 5 - 7 companies who can do that service for you. Then these people will call you and try to get your business because they know the other 4 - 6 companies have your info and will do the same. they will also then give you a really fair price.

1/11/2010 9:27:29 AM

i had shingles blow off of my roof. damn same spot they always do.

1/11/2010 10:26:26 AM

are you sure the 60's house has aluminum wiring? From my experience it isnt a problem in raleigh unless it was built in the mid to late 70s, early 80s. Anything i have looked at built earlier than 75 has copper. That said, aluminum wiring is safe as originally installed. Make sure that a.) no one has upsized the breakers, b.) no one has added any outlets/lights/ etc to the original aluminum system. I would just pull all the outlet/switch covers and verify you dont see copper, or see only copper. Aluminum wiring gets a bad rep from people making standard twist connections between aluminum and copper wires or overloading the circuit. I have a house built in 70 with copper wiring that i am trying to sell in n. raleigh if you are in the market.

1/11/2010 5:12:45 PM

Up at midnight posting pictures of a half bath renovation project on Facebook.

1/12/2010 12:16:17 AM

Spent a few hours on Saturday crawling around in my tiny crawl space putting some insulation on the water pipes so they don't freeze. The odds of them freezing were low to begin with since even though it was like 20 degrees outside it was quite warm under the house, but meh, peace of mind. Unfortunately I found some rodent droppings down there so I threw down some rat traps too.

1/12/2010 12:47:09 PM

Ugh. Wildlife in the crawlspace.

I accidentally ruined my basement/crawlspace's ecosystem by spraying spider killer. Now I have camel crickets everywhere.

1/12/2010 1:07:01 PM

I have a the same problem. I assume you just have to let it balance itself backout?

1/12/2010 2:08:58 PM

Actually, I've been meaning to get an everything-killer the next time I'm at Lowes.

1/13/2010 7:23:12 PM

scorched earth!

1/13/2010 9:03:11 PM

Garage door opener not working. Looks to be the link to the chain. Gotta see if the home warranty covers this.

I swear every lightbulb has crapped out since owning the house.

Everytime I tighten the spout on the sink, it loosens right back up. Stupid crap.

WOES

1/14/2010 12:51:55 PM

Any thoughts on how much to put in to a place you're probably going to sell in the next five years?

I have some items I want to do around my place, but I don't see myself staying there five years from now.

Planned jobs:

- Quartz/granite countertops in kitchen (small kitchen with limited countertop, shouldn't be too expensive)
- New sink fixtures in bathrooms (2 full baths, 3 total sinks)
- New carpet in 2 bedrooms
- Possibly new countertops in bathrooms

1/14/2010 1:40:26 PM

^Its all about ROI in a case like yours...Bathroom and kitchen upgrades are good for that. A good realtor should be able to give you an idea of what improvements will increase value most.

1/14/2010 4:35:47 PM

^^ Depends a lot on how undesirable the current stuff is. If they're white cabinets with decent looking laminate counters that are all in good shape I might not do it, but if it's in really bad shape and really old you probably should. You can always do new counters or new sink tops with new hardware and paint the existing cabinets to save cash if they're in good shape.

[Edited on January 14, 2010 at 7:50 PM. Reason : l]

1/14/2010 7:49:18 PM

white cabinets ftl

1/14/2010 11:10:53 PM

Yes they are white cabinets

They don't look that bad and are offset with a good color on the wall. I have such a small space that the granite/quartz probably won't be too expensive but would add a really nice touch.

1/15/2010 2:35:10 PM

Stone countertops seem like a lot of work (not getting them wet &c). How easy are they to permanently mess up, especially if you like to leave cleanup for the morning?

1/18/2010 3:25:14 PM

I've got granite and nobody ever told me not to get them wet. I've sprayed them with granite sealer once a year and haven't put really hot pans or pots or anything directly on them, and they've been fine for three years now.

1/18/2010 3:41:42 PM

ugh i have a corner where water has apparently leaked through and there is a place in my wall that is soft due to water damage. i could probably replace the area myself, but it's in a corner where the wall meets the (angled) ceiling and I'm not sure how i'd do that.

1/18/2010 7:39:22 PM

Yeah, granite really isnt difficult to keep clean. mine get wet all the time. I seal them about once a year.

1/18/2010 8:32:53 PM

we seal ours about once every 1.5 yrs and don't treat them special at all and they look great still

1/18/2010 8:46:22 PM

my fucking garbage disposal isnt running. it cuts on but its not moving its making a noise like something is stuck in it

i unplugged it and put a gloved hand in there and couldn't feel shit

any ideas?

1/18/2010 10:35:06 PM

use a broom handle to force it to move. also, have you tried the reset button?

1/18/2010 11:23:14 PM

Quote :

"we seal ours about once every 1.5 yrs and don't treat them special at all and they look great still"

Didn't know you were supposed to seal your granite countertops...


Good to know...

I figured they were less maintenance and were more durable (ie: hot pans, cutting, etc..)

[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 2:32 AM. Reason : .]

1/19/2010 2:31:12 AM

^Full disclosure, we've got friends who have never sealed their granite, and it's been fine for like 6 years. But the sealer's cheap and it just goes in with teh Spring cleaning.

1/19/2010 8:50:32 AM

def. seal the granite. it is very porous and will suck up red wine with the quickness.

1/19/2010 9:55:33 AM

Ours is a black colored granite so it could be all stained and we'd likely never know.


Really the only thing I don't like is the underhung sink. Gunk is always getting in the crevice between the sink and the counter.

1/19/2010 10:18:31 AM

clean out the existing caulk (if there is any) and re fill with some clear silicone.

1/19/2010 11:06:37 AM

Yeah, I've done that. The thing is you still end up with a place for crud to congregate, even if the sealant is done well. This would be in comparison to a solid surface engineered countertop that has the sink cast integrally.

1/19/2010 11:16:23 AM

Quote :

"my fucking garbage disposal isnt running. it cuts on but its not moving its making a noise like something is stuck in it i unplugged it and put a gloved hand in there and couldn't feel shit any ideas? "

There should be a screw on it which you have to turn alternate clockwise-counter clockwise a few times (half circles). This will help clear anything that is stuck in it. Download a manual and it should have proper instructions about how to do it. It takes about 5 minutes to do this.

[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 12:55 PM. Reason : a]

1/19/2010 12:54:47 PM

Quote :

"def. seal the granite. it is very porous and will suck up red wine with the quickness."

Isn't there some type of paste you can mix to suck out moisture that granite countertops has absorbed?

1/19/2010 1:46:39 PM

not sure about that. i know some people with some nice level 3 granite that would LOVE to hear about it though.

1/19/2010 2:09:10 PM

Something like this....called a poultice:

http://www.ehow.com/how_114334_remove-stains-stone.html

never heard of anyone using anything like it though...Might try it out in a few weeks, I have some stains on the more heavily used sections in the kitchen.

1/19/2010 3:51:38 PM

Again:

Quote :

"We have a husky. He's lovely. Except for tearing down the gutters, chewing the handle off the hose spray nozzle, chewing up a $$$ rope swing, and muddying up the yard something fierce. He wears trails in the grass very, very fast. It'll go from not there to noticeable within a day, and pure mud in another two days. We need a non-permanent way (i.e., not stepping/paving stones) to keep him from ruining the yard, and to let the grass rehabilitate itself. We're not lawn nazis, so labor-intensive shit that's all about making it pretty...no. We just want the grass to grow over his trails. Right now, managing his "routes" is the best we can come up with: moving his dog house around the yard. There are a few trails we don't mind, and actually want to keep their location, to encourage him to stick to those. Is mulch/incomplete compost the best way to cover these trails to protect them from further damage until spring? Any other ideas? $rhodeisland is a primary consideration, so sod is out."

I think we're gonna have to move to metal downspouts in order for them to stay up.

I don't know whether or not the lack of downspouts is responsible for how swampy the yard is now, or if that's Glacier. The yard is sloped, and the high end, the one near the house, where he's torn up the yard, is the squishy, swomped up, muddy mess (muddy even where there is still grass).

1/19/2010 4:21:27 PM

Quote :

"let the grass rehabilitate itself."

If your lawn is a fescue lawn, it will not come back on its own. Bermuda is both highly tolerant to traffic, and it spreads naturally, so that if you do get bare spots, they will fill in by themselves.

I would suggest seeding bermuda this spring, if you don't have HOA covenants dictating grass type.

1/19/2010 4:27:26 PM

I'll be damned if I know what type it is. It looks like st aug's and bermuda grass; it's whatever was here when we moved in.

There are some patches that look kinda fescue-y, but that's a very small percentage of the yard.

1/19/2010 4:59:56 PM

^You can go to the Farmer's market this spring and buy a few rolls of sod for $5 each from Super-sod. Far end of the main building in a trailer. That'd be the way to get some established grass without your dog killing the sprouts.

1/19/2010 5:23:34 PM

My wife and I are going to look at a handful of houses this weekend. Its the first time we have ever looked at any; we're pretty excited. I've been ready to buy since last year, but stuff at work has been shaky. It still is shaky, but I am hoping to have a better view of the project I am on sometime in the next month or two. Figured we should start the process now though so that if I feel comfortable to buy, we are already a lot closer to making offers etc. in an attempt to meet the new homebuyer's credit time line. Could be a stressful spring!

Assuming if things seem stable at work, as long as we get an offer accepted on a house we are interested in by late March, we shouldnt have much of a problem meeting that April 31st(?) deadline right?

[Edited on January 20, 2010 at 3:01 PM. Reason : ]

1/20/2010 3:00:08 PM

^ I'll tell you what... you're going to be stressed. I'm sure that they will be able to fast-track the underwriting and get you closed before the deadline, but if I were you, I would aim to close mid april... just in case.

Also, don't expect to get your money any time soon. We closed mid september... still no $.

1/20/2010 4:14:56 PM