The Home Ownership Thread

[SkinnyGoomba]

Looks nice. I really enjoy the moldings in older houses, they really put some effort in.

I think your contractor is right, those doors will be hard to replace with something comparable even though they were somewhat basic at the time of manufacture. You can find someone who will build comparable doors but it will be somewhat expensive by comparison to even very good doors at most places.

 

[gnatty8]



She's probably right, as to borrow from Gordon Gecko, you have to watch your capital reserves as you can't pee in the tall grass with the big dogs without them. We'll just save another year.

Your wife is a very, very wise lady.. Hold on to that one..

I've been looking at homes lately.. not because I want to buy at this point, but I sure as hell do in the next 3-4 years after I settle down in a city and it's fun looking at what I could get. And boy, prices are a racket! Obviously depends on location, but we've recovered from the housing crisis, and then some, no?

Do any of you get nervous that we'll have another housing correction in the next five years or so? We're seeing high-end housing prices starting to come down and inventory building up. Doesn't that trend eventually flow downmarket?

Even if I were in the market now, I would be hesitant to pull the trigger and would maybe wait it out for another couple years.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Well, considering housing prices are basically back where they were pre-crisis, and it's barely been 8 years since a correction, I'd be nervous about buying, particularly if you can't commit to your property for at least 10 years.

 

[Piobaire]



Your wife is a very, very wise lady.. Hold on to that one..

Thanks and that's the plan. I look at some friends with spend-a-holic wives and know they'll never retire.

 

[sugarbutch]

Piob, what are you using for a NAS?

 

[MrGimpy]

Has anyone done research on microwave ovens lately? Our Panasonic gave up the ghost today. I never liked it and want something better.

One catch: our other appliances are black with glass facades. I think this limits our options. We could do either built-in or countertop with a mounting kit.

 

[Piobaire]



Piob, what are you using for a NAS?

Can't remember the exact model but Synology and I loaded it up with four, two TB Western Digital Red NAS discs. Easy to set up, easy to use, data protected very well. Also comes with USB ports you can plug in various things like an iPod dock, an external disc (I have a couple other WD 1 TB externals connected).

 

[sugarbutch]

Thanks

 

[emptym]

Last night I had a nightmare about what was beneath the floor of that small, outdoors closet, the one that had the rotten door frame. In my nightmare it was full of termites, spiders, and rats. First, I ripped up the vinyl surface:


That revealed rotten plywood flooring. Our contractor warned me that there might be a deep hole under the floor, possibly even an old well, so to rip off the vinyl, I spread out my legs and arms like Spiderman, trying not to step on the rotting plywood.


But when the plywood was gone, you could see that beneath that and the rotting 2x4 frame was concrete. No termites or rats, but quite a few spiders and, strangely, even more earthworms.


Nice and clean after the rotten wood (spiders and earthworms) had been shoveled and swept up:


Almost filled two demo bags with the debris:

I'm not sure what we'll do with the little room eventually. But I'm thinking we may just leave the floor concrete, since it'll probably be used for gardening tools and supplies, at least I the short term.

The contractor and his workers were busy today, ripping out one kitchen wall. We knew it concealed a chimney for a small fireplace, but it also has the original vent pipe for a stove, as well as smaller pipes for the carbide lamps.

 

[Numbernine]

@emptym I have a stove vent like that in my kitchen wall. It is asbestos, not a huge deal but be sure to treat accordingly

 

[emptym]

****. Thanks. Our contractor once told me that since the house is over 100 yrs old, he assumes everything in it has asbestos and/or lead. But I'll let him know. They keep everything really clean.

The wall had two sheets of half-inch drywall, then the original laths and a half-inch of plaster -- I guess to insulate the kitchen from the fireplace and heating duct.

 

[MrG]



Why do you hate it?  We have engineered wood in our kitchen now and like it.  Probably go with regular hardwood in the new place. The contractor first warned against it, bec. he once had a client whose dishwasher leaked and ruined the flooring.  But he said it's the easiest way to get the kitchen floor level with the hallway.  Otherwise he'd have to do what he did in the bathroom (screw 2x4s to the joists and then plywood planks to the 2x4s), and that would be really expensive in the kitchen since it's larger.

The leaky dishwasher is a good example. It's also harder to clean up, which is a problem given the nature of what goes on in the kitchen, and it's exacerbated by the fact that I'm kind of a messy cook and have small children who are prone to spills. I feel like I spend a lot more time cleaning every time there's a spill than I would with another flooring type because I have to do stuff like clean in the grooves.

Also, I worry a lot about durability. The kitchen is pretty high traffic, which ages the wood faster, and it seems like every dropped fork, cup, etc. leaves a new mark in my floor.

That all said, I didn't realize when I made that post that you'd had wood in the kitchen before (hehe), and it sounds like it's still the best option, so my gripes are likely moot for you. Unfortunately, I'm guessing they will be for me, too, because my floor plan kind rules out having the kitchen floor finished in something different from the family room (though I've seriously considered adding a feature to mitigate that when the time comes).

 

[Numbernine]

I had crappy looking linoleum in my kitchen when I moved in so I threw down some "pergo"thinking I would replace it a couple years down the road.20 years, washing machine floods,on the path to the back door,three kids and countless animals later it still looks brand new

 

[emptym]

^Nice. My parents have 20 or 30-something yr old linoleum that looks virtually new.

@MrG, yeah wear and water are good concerns. My brother suggests putting in a water sensor that automatically shuts off water to the dishwasher and sink.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Looks good, nice work clearing out that mess and I think you are also right to leave it concrete. This may be a hair-brained idea, but bringing it up to the level with the other flooring?

Making headway with the HVAC, paid a fellow to patch it up and keep things cool until Sep when I can get a rebate on a new system with a contractor who uses Trane equip. Neighbor just used him and said it was fantastic, great pricing as well.

My neighbor is a pretty tough negotiator so I'm simply asking for the same pricing plus rebate

 

[NorCal]

I love that old school angle bracing and lath and plaster.