The Home Ownership Thread

[jgold47]



Not really expecting it to burst apart, but I'm periodically checking to see if there's seepage etc.

Next up - connecting all the plumbing and drains for the kitchen I'm putting in downstairs, then probably a new water heater.

There is a whole lot I don't like about how you did that, but I'm not a plumber, so to each their own. Why so much galvanized piping? I would have switched to a brass shutoff valve at the main, then used a dielectric union ontop of that to go to all copper. And you installed a PR, but didn't install gauges to check to see if its working.

also, what made you think your pressure was too high?

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

There is a huge difference between apartment flat cheap white and excellent drywall prep with a studio white in eggshell.

 

[RedLantern]



There is a whole lot I don't like about how you did that, but I'm not a plumber, so to each their own. Why so much galvanized piping? I would have switched to a brass shutoff valve at the main, then used a dielectric union ontop of that to go to all copper. And you installed a PR, but didn't install gauges to check to see if its working.

also, what made you think your pressure was too high?

The plumbing in the house is galvanized. Eventually I'll replace everything, but not today. For instance, it's only a 3/4in main, and whenever I update, I'll want to switch to 1" main.

I'm not aware that most people have fixed gauges to monitor the water pressure.

The pressure was tested during the pre sale home inspection.

 

[PapaRubbery]

There is a huge difference between apartment flat cheap white and excellent drywall prep with a studio white in eggshell.

I read this in Patrick Bateman's voice and ******* lost it. So fitting!

 

[jbarwick]

Well we are putting in an offer for a traditional Georgian? house built in 1959. Oak floors throughout with a lot of character, upgraded kitchen, but the bathrooms look to be original. Cast iron tubs, sinks only with no counter space, updated toilets, and tile up about half the wall in different colors for each bathroom. Previous owners put in new water heater, electric furnace, and a/c unit around 2011.

The bathrooms are probably the only things keeping this on the market. We will be able to manage and slowly update but now I have to do a lot of research on traditional styling for bathrooms as well as home furnishings.

Also didn't mention it sits on 1.65 acres in a nice neighborhood where there are a lot of houses being torn down and $1 million homes being built in their place.

EDIT: I think it is more Georgian style now that I look at housing styles. Doors are 3 panels and solid wood.

 

[E TF]



Well we are putting in an offer for a traditional Georgian? house built in 1959.  Oak floors throughout with a lot of character, upgraded kitchen, but the bathrooms look to be original.  Cast iron tubs, sinks only with no counter space, updated toilets, and tile up about half the wall in different colors for each bathroom.  Previous owners put in new water heater, electric furnace, and a/c unit around 2011.  

The bathrooms are probably the only things keeping this on the market.  We will be able to manage and slowly update but now I have to do a lot of research on traditional styling for bathrooms as well as home furnishings.

Also didn't mention it sits on 1.65 acres in a nice neighborhood where there are a lot of houses being torn down and $1 million homes being built in their place.  

EDIT: I think it is more Georgian style now that I look at housing styles.  Doors are 3 panels and solid wood.

Sounds great, hope you get it. I'd keep everything just as it is including the bathrooms, but then I'm like that. I would have killed for original untouched 50s bathrooms in our place - spent a fair bit of time and money faking some age back into it after the previous owner badly modernised everything in the mid 90s. Old cast iron baths, the freestanding roll-top type, go for hundreds if not thousands of pounds here, depending on condition.

 

[RedLantern]

I would imagine having a really old bathroom is like having a really old car. Even if it's in really good condition, it's kind of a PITA as a daily driver. Cool looking though.

 

[Gus]

I would update your bath before moving in. At least in the Master and the main guest bath. Roll the cost into the mortgage. Bathrooms and kitchens add so much to the daily enjoyment of a home.

You don't have to go top-end on things, just simple and clean looking.

Now more than ever buyers expect bathrooms and kitchens to be up-to-date.

 

[otc]

I dunno...as long as it works and is in good shape, what's the big deal? Although my preference would be for some real countertop area. A standalone sink would suck (especially losing storage space underneath for extra TP/soap/hair dryer/etc), and even a single sink sized vanity is a bit of a let-down.

I suppose my parents did have a bit of a tough time finding replacement valves/spout for their bathtub. Something about only being able to find crappy hardware until they found a plumber who happened to have some NOS stuff (I did a quick search, and I do see hardware with dual knobs and a separate spout...so maybe it was a sizing issue to fit the existing tile that they struggled with).
But now they have new hardware that they shouldn't have to worry about for another 30 years.

Honestly, I'd prefer to find a place where they haven't done over the kitchens and baths just to sell (especially because then it is likely flipper grade crap). You probably get a discount of more than the value of the renovation since the market expects it...and then you get to pick it how you like it.

 

[Douglas]

Our old house had those tiny little toilets and a clawfoot tub. I hated pooping at home and getting in and out of that tub was treacherous.

Lots of character though.

 

[otc]

The girl I have started seeing bought a place earlier this year and I saw it for the first time this weekend. I really quite liked it.

Great corner unit in a century-plus old warehouse that went through conversions maybe 20 years ago. Super high timber ceilings, great big windows on two sides, lots of space. Not keen on the fact that the 2nd bedroom is too loft-like with its lack of walls that reach the ceiling or even wrap around all of the way to the wall on one side (wtf is the point of a wall with a door on one edge...if the other end leaves a 3-4ft gap between it and the exterior wall)...but that is perfectly fine if nobody lives in it and it gets used as an office or something.
It was enough to make me rethink a neighborhood I had always discounted as being full of real estate boom high rise condos (half of which are still unsold) and terrible new loft things.

Previous owners hadn't done anything with the kitchen or baths....so, while she dislikes her cabinets and will have to replace them eventually, she got to benefit from a depressed sale price and replace the appliances with exactly what she wanted instead of some random stainless-steel flipper specials.

 

[jbarwick]

Since the master bath will be a much bigger endeavor, we will probably move in then update the guest bath closest to the master bedroom first. There are 4 bedrooms on the 2nd floor which includes the master. We could then figure out what we want in a master bath and go from there. We have the option of taking over a bedroom and making a larger master bedroom and thus a larger space for expansion of the master bath. Wish I had a mapped floor plan I could post.

 

[Douglas]

I've converted a lot of the bulbs in my house to LED and I've been happy. Our most-used lights are the recessed floods in our kitchen/family room and I found reasonable replacements at supposedly 2700K that are dimmable and equivalent (in fact, a little brighter even) to the 65W bulbs we had in there before.

They don't dim quite as well, and they don't get even warmer/more orange like the incandescents did, but that warmth at lower dimming was a flaw of the technology as much as it was a "feature." I'd say these hold their temp relatively even throughout the dimming range. The slight 1/2 second delay after flipping the switch was a little odd at first but it's not at all a reason to hold out. Overall, I'm happy with them.

The big question mark for me will be whether or not they last as long as advertised. The "economy" of the LED bulbs relating to their longevity seems like a big gamble to me. Only time will tell what brands will last the longest and be the most reliable, and considering how much you want to be price-conscious when replacing, say, 15 or more bulbs at $15-30 each, price is a real consideration.

Fluorescents are awful. I've had them, I never will again. They are absolutely terrible.

The ***** for me will be when I have to replace the 40+ MR16 spots I have in all my living room track lighting. And I'm not sure if the ban extends to the 24 naked candelabra bulbs in my chandeliers. That's going to set me back what, a grand or more? So far I'm dubious of spending $35/MR16 replacement, unsure if my expensive dimming switches and "boosters" that I had to spend on to make it all work will create problems. I wanted to go with low-voltage when we installed it just 2 years ago, but even then nobody could really point me to a product that would work. It was a massive pain.

Anyone know anything abotu Soraa lighting? They seem to be the only maker out there with a dimmable 50W MR16 equivalent.

 

[jbarwick]

See the attached floor plan I mocked up in excel. The red lines are doors so we could possibly expand the master through the closets into bedroom 1. The problem comes with building new closets, expanding the master bathroom and last but not least....finding matching oak flooring for where the closets were. The white in the middle is hallway and the guest bath opens into it. Also this is from memory but is the general shape and what we are working with.

 

[Ataturk]

Watch out for replacement MR16 LEDs. They are often larger than the originals and may not fit in the same fixtures. That, or they may overheat in enclosed fixtures.

I got a box (10) of 12v MR16s, for landscape lights, about 30 watt equivalent I'd say, for something like $30 on ebay. I ended up giving them away, but I heard they're all still kicking nearly a year later. Similar bulbs have really good reviews on Amazon. They are larger (deeper) than regular halogens, however.