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The Home Improvement Thread. Successes and Failures

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Oh snap. I just realized. It might be a combination of circumstances

it's worst in the mornings when we have the bathroom exhaust fan blowing for significant amount of time. I also set the furnace to two degrees higher than hold temp (and four or five degrees higher than sleep temp) during "morning showers" so the bathroom isn't so cold for my wife who wakes up first.

Amyways, it's possible that the hour-long exhaust fan in the bathroom combined with the furnace exhaust fan turning off right around then AND the morning showered draining the water heater combine to create a weird overpressurization in the house that doesn't allow the unpowered hot water exhaust to leave.

I should just borrow one of the gas detectors we have at work to see if it's SOX, NOX, or something else.
 
I was chatting with the HVAC guy that came to service the furnace last year and my issues with the backdrafting water heater came up. He said it is a very common issue in older houses that have updated their windows and doors to become more airtight. Many haven’t boosted up their intake for their system to get the air it wants. It become even more of a problem for people that go to a HE furnace, because the water heater usually ends up orphaned on a flue that’s way too big for it.
 
This is interesting. Could be related. Ambient carbon monoxide increased to 1,000 ppb according to air quality sensors in the twin cities. my VOC level was roughly 1800 ppb about 8 hours earlier. I have to believe that was part of the spike itself.
 
So every year I take a couple weeks off work in December to deep clean the house and do all the home improvement items I've put off.

I decided to start with the easy stuff. Scouring the shower doors with abrasive*, descaling the dishwasher, and descaling the faucets.

Everything was going swimmingly until the bathroom faucets. They have enough hard water build up to need a wrench. My sink came undone easily. Unfortunately when I went to do my wife's sink I just sheared off the entire internal head of the sink.

fuck. Well, we've been talking about replacing the entire vanity and sinks to be something less... early 90s. Bonus points if you can guess the exact faucets we had in our bathroom.

*barkeeper's friend works wonders. We squeegee every day after showers but the water here is hard enough to cut diamonds so there's only so much you can do without getting a water softener. Which I'm somewhat hesitant to do given the environmental impact, cost, and maintenance. OTOH, it would have saved me the cost of a faucet and/or vanity. Le sigh.
 
dxmnkd316 said:
So every year I take a couple weeks off work in December to deep clean the house and do all the home improvement items I've put off.

I decided to start with the easy stuff. Scouring the shower doors with abrasive*, descaling the dishwasher, and descaling the faucets.

Everything was going swimmingly until the bathroom faucets. They have enough hard water build up to need a wrench. My sink came undone easily. Unfortunately when I went to do my wife's sink I just sheared off the entire internal head of the sink.

****. Well, we've been talking about replacing the entire vanity and sinks to be something less... early 90s. Bonus points if you can guess the exact faucets we had in our bathroom.

*barkeeper's friend works wonders. We squeegee every day after showers but the water here is hard enough to cut diamonds so there's only so much you can do without getting a water softener. Which I'm somewhat hesitant to do given the environmental impact, cost, and maintenance. OTOH, it would have saved me the cost of a faucet and/or vanity. Le sigh.
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Stop doing stuff like this yourself. Write a check to a bonded professional; make it his problem.
 
Kepler said:
Stop doing stuff like this yourself. Write a check to a bonded professional; make it his problem.
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People are expensive. I can do things like swap out outlets, replace faucets, etc. they aren't that difficult. Especially nowadays with the fittings they use on most faucets.

Flood or burn down the house type of stuff gets dispatched to a pro
 
dxmnkd316 said:
People are expensive. I can do things like swap out outlets, replace faucets, etc. they aren't that difficult. Especially nowadays with the fittings they use on most faucets.

Flood or burn down the house type of stuff gets dispatched to a pro
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Meh, it keeps the trades alive, plus DIY gets expensive when the dominoes start falling like in your example.
 
I’m likely insane but im paying for a prelist home inspection later this week.

my house is 70 years old. 90% chance any buyer will run an inspection these days- so I’m getting ahead of it. I’m willing to spend 20k or so making house ready but I want to prioritize. I really don’t want a big surprise come offer time, so I’m doing this.
 
dxmnkd316 said:
Bonus points if you can guess the exact faucets we had in our bathroom.
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w9e455yv4sd61.jpg
 
Deutsche Gopher Fan said:
I’m likely insane but im paying for a prelist home inspection later this week.

my house is 70 years old. 90% chance any buyer will run an inspection these days- so I’m getting ahead of it. I’m willing to spend 20k or so making house ready but I want to prioritize. I really don’t want a big surprise come offer time, so I’m doing this.
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Some (unsolicited) comments on this.

First, when you sell your house in Minnesota, you are required to give the buyers a disclosure statement that discloses relevant facts about the roof, foundation, and other parts of your home, and any issues or problems with those areas. This disclosure is basically to the knowledge of the seller, so in terms of the disclosure, and any omissions or misrepresentations in that disclosure that the buyers might later complain about, the existence of this inspection report will place certain knowledge in your head, just in case you don't either fix all the items identified, or fail to disclose what you learn from the report to the buyer. You can't claim that you had no knowledge of issues with the roof when you got an inspection two weeks earlier telling you about those problems.

In fact, I might go so far as to give them a copy of your report with your disclosure. But if you don't fix everything the report identifies, you will be giving the buyers ammunition with which to negotiate.

In terms of the disclosure, it is true that "ignorance is bliss."

The parties can also agree to waive the requirement of a disclosure, and as the seller I always ask to do that.

It is also true that many people conduct an inspection, then use things found in the inspection to re-negotiate on price. However, not everyone gets an inspection, and not all inspections are equal. I've seen a lot of them where the inspector does a terrible job, and doesn't do a lot more than flip the light switches on and off. Thus, you run the risk that your inspector will find things that their inspector wouldn't have, and thus you will have paid to fix items the buyer wouldn't even complain about.

Finally, and this depends a lot on whether it's a buyers or sellers market, but if it's a sellers market (which I still think it is, somewhat), buyers are much less likely to complain about or try to negotiate on repair issues, for fear that another buyer will have their offer accepted.

Just my two cents.
 
I am aware of all that. I’m pretty sure there are a few things the previous owners knowingly hid which makes me mad. I’ve fixed all the bigger things that the inspection turned up when I bought- installed a new roof, backup sump, chimney small issues, electrical things here and there.

I’m a very nervous person who worries a ton so my realtor basically suggested this for my own good. If this was two years ago it’d be different- but no one knows yet how spring will be and I’m certain someone will be running an inspection
 
Honestly, you can still buy nearly that exact same faucet. It costs $125 and the nicer ones cost $140. I'll give up an extra Tubman for something that isn't a relic just yet.
 
SJHovey said:
Some (unsolicited) comments on this.

First, when you sell your house in Minnesota, you are required to give the buyers a disclosure statement that discloses relevant facts about the roof, foundation, and other parts of your home, and any issues or problems with those areas. This disclosure is basically to the knowledge of the seller, so in terms of the disclosure, and any omissions or misrepresentations in that disclosure that the buyers might later complain about, the existence of this inspection report will place certain knowledge in your head, just in case you don't either fix all the items identified, or fail to disclose what you learn from the report to the buyer. You can't claim that you had no knowledge of issues with the roof when you got an inspection two weeks earlier telling you about those problems.

In fact, I might go so far as to give them a copy of your report with your disclosure. But if you don't fix everything the report identifies, you will be giving the buyers ammunition with which to negotiate.

In terms of the disclosure, it is true that "ignorance is bliss."

The parties can also agree to waive the requirement of a disclosure, and as the seller I always ask to do that.

It is also true that many people conduct an inspection, then use things found in the inspection to re-negotiate on price. However, not everyone gets an inspection, and not all inspections are equal. I've seen a lot of them where the inspector does a terrible job, and doesn't do a lot more than flip the light switches on and off. Thus, you run the risk that your inspector will find things that their inspector wouldn't have, and thus you will have paid to fix items the buyer wouldn't even complain about.

Finally, and this depends a lot on whether it's a buyers or sellers market, but if it's a sellers market (which I still think it is, somewhat), buyers are much less likely to complain about or try to negotiate on repair issues, for fear that another buyer will have their offer accepted.

Just my two cents.
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Whew. The good news is, after a 3 hour $850 inspection today…it’s all minor crap. A huge relief
 
Deutsche Gopher Fan said:
Whew. The good news is, after a 3 hour $850 inspection today…it’s all minor crap. A huge relief
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Here's my lesson learned from selling our first house a while back: whatever the buyer's inspector comes back with, don't try to fix it. Just be willing to drop the price some and leave it to the buyer to fix up (or not). The hassle of trying to get a contractor out prior to closing and getting the buyer to agree it was done correctly isn't worth it.
 
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