The Home Ownership Thread

[Piobaire]

Finally pulled the trigger on redoing all the irrigation zones and heads. It had been pieced together after we renovated all the landscape/hardscape and since i got slammed with fungus this year i figured as good a time as any to rip up the lawn and re-sod with the good stuff.

Prime example of work i could do myself but just isn't worth it.

We re-did it last year after having our second major leak I didn't catch for a week that drove the water bill up. Got this new stuff, it's blue, that is supposed to be way better and actually came with a five year, no leak warranty. Got the Rain Bird controller, badass brass manifolds, and flow sensor so I can look in the app and see if the flow rate has gone crazy.

 

[Lizard23]

We re-did it last year after having our second major leak I didn't catch for a week that drove the water bill up. Got this new stuff, it's blue, that is supposed to be way better and actually came with a five year, no leak warranty. Got the Rain Bird controller, badass brass manifolds, and flow sensor so I can look in the app and see if the flow rate has gone crazy.

i already had put in a Hydrawise smart controller and flow sensor when i first moved in. Having an app to check it all is great and predictive watering is so much more efficient than your basic rain sensor. Hard to imagine going back now. I can even use siri or alexa to turn on a specific zone which has minimal utility except when you’re adjusting something and your hands are wet. Its also fun for the kids.

I also got the blue piping. Looks a lot like PEX but it wasnt that. I think its a similar tech though. We went all hunter for the rotors, nozzles, etc. To be fair nothing leaked previously with the standard builder grade black tubing (although i do blow the system out before closing each year). That being said a few extra bucks to prevent against underground leaks seems well worth it.

 

[Omega Male]

I think we have Hydrawise too. Our main problem was high iron gunking up the valves every few years so we bit the bullet and put in a sand filter at the well head. So far so good.

 

[Lizard23]

Its amazing how many zones you need if you want to water properly and efficiently. I remember thinking a 12 zones controller was nuts. I am now using all 12 and that is only enough because the zones that handle our privacy hedge got converted to drip so we were able to combine zones.

 

[Lizard23]

I think we have Hydrawise too. Our main problem was high iron gunking up the valves every few years so we bit the bullet and put in a sand filter at the well head. So far so good.

we have very hard water here. All inside water gets softened. Drinking water gets RO. I leave the exterior water as is... wonder if I should have addressed that. Damn.

 

[1969]

Put in an offer on a condo/townhouse this morning. Kind of have that "hope they don't accept feeling" that comes with every house purchase. I'm lucky in that I have a friend who's sole law practice is representing homeowners against HOA's and he was nice enough to review the declaration and financials for me although I'm still waiting on the most recent audit of the books. It's borderline criminal that you can enter into an HOA without knowing what you're doing.

 

[Joffrey]

Haha, I've had the feeling of sleeping better after one of my offers was rejected.

Any thoughts on living right across the street from a fire station? I'm used to fire engine/ambulance noise at my current rental since I live on a major artery and a block or two from a large retirement community. However, I've never lived so close to an actual station. A quick web search suggested it could be good for home insurance rates. The upsides are it's on the quiet side of a very popular portion of town so reasonably close to nightlife. The building has a rooftop too. I'm definitely more comfortable with the price compared to other spaces I placed offers on.

 

[PhilKenSebben]

Haha, I've had the feeling of sleeping better after one of my offers was rejected.

Any thoughts on living right across the street from a fire station? I'm used to fire engine/ambulance noise at my current rental since I live on a major artery and a block or two from a large retirement community. However, I've never lived so close to an actual station. A quick web search suggested it could be good for home insurance rates. The upsides are it's on the quiet side of a very popular portion of town so reasonably close to nightlife. The building has a rooftop too. I'm definitely more comfortable with the price compared to other spaces I placed offers on.

Depends, do you live in an area that is frequently on fire? If so, the noise might be obtrusive. I think you can check and see how many times each station rolled on calls, hat might give you a frequency distribution. And remember, I don't think every call sends the trucks out screaming from the station with sirens blaring and if you are in a residential area there might be some ordinances about the use of hours at certain times

 

[jeradjames]

About to do my first bathroom remodel and trying to convince myself not to go overboard with handmade tile by Heath or Cle Tile and to just settle for a similar tile that is drastically less expensive. Anyone have recs on decent mid range tile companies/suppliers to look at?

 

[1969]

About to do my first bathroom remodel and trying to convince myself not to go overboard with handmade tile by Heath or Cle Tile and to just settle for a similar tile that is drastically less expensive. Anyone have recs on decent mid range tile companies/suppliers to look at?

I like these terracota and plain whites. Not sure how they compare price wise. A good tile shop should be able to help you find something in your budget if you can be specific with them about what you want. I used some tile on a project years ago that was fantastic and about a third of the cost of my first choice based on a suggestion of the sales rep.

 

[jbarwick]

For those looking at houses, has the trend started in your area where people paint whole rooms black including fixtures, floors, ceilings? I am seeing more homes remodeled this way and think it would be annoying to live with long-term.

I am thankful the home we are buying went with the basic white and gray pallet so I do not have to live with crazy colors while I move in.

 

[Omega Male]

Must be a fungeon thing.

 

[PhilKenSebben]

For those looking at houses, has the trend started in your area where people paint whole rooms black including fixtures, floors, ceilings? I am seeing more homes remodeled this way and think it would be annoying to live with long-term.

I am thankful the home we are buying went with the basic white and gray pallet so I do not have to live with crazy colors while I move in.

Um. No. Who in their right mind thinks a completely black room is a good idea? Are you looking at homes in some sort of amateur photographer commune?

 

[RedLantern]

About to do my first bathroom remodel and trying to convince myself not to go overboard with handmade tile by Heath or Cle Tile and to just settle for a similar tile that is drastically less expensive. Anyone have recs on decent mid range tile companies/suppliers to look at?

I know B&W tile in southern CA, has a good reputation for making vintage colors and sizes.

 

[UnFacconable]

For those looking at houses, has the trend started in your area where people paint whole rooms black including fixtures, floors, ceilings? I am seeing more homes remodeled this way and think it would be annoying to live with long-term.

I am thankful the home we are buying went with the basic white and gray pallet so I do not have to live with crazy colors while I move in.

Wait, none of you guys have murdered out your house to match your black badge Rolls?

I think my wife finally believes me when I say, "if a house sits on the market (or comes back on after going pending), there's usually a reason." There are some delusional sellers out there right now. OTOH why not swing for the fences if you can afford to let your house sit?

As a person currently unsuccessfully trying to sell, I would add that there may be rational reasons to do so. Of course, every market is different. The unit I'm selling is priced high relative to where most recent transactions have occurred in a specific market that has been hard hit by COVID (high rise condos). It's a tough market to rent it out in (for the same reason) so I've resigned myself to letting it sit for a while and hopefully some unicorn buyer decides they have to own it. Have had a few showings but no offers as of yet. I am sure that if I race to the bottom I could have a quicker sale, now that there are deals closing, but it's not clear to me that it's in my best interests to do so.

I guess I should note there is a reason and I know what it is, I'm just not sure the best way to deal with it.