Home Buyin/Maintenance Thread - Where most of us are 30ish but act 47. Oh, and fuck home inspectors

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Swim Cantore, May 4, 2015.

  1. ned's head

    ned's head Well-Known Member
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    I'm sure it won't, but I'm trying to do everything I can to be on the other side of a bidding war

    I can definitely have it done before an offer is even accepted, so I suppose I could order it before the showings and have the agent say a fix has been paid for. I just figured someone would have some glass in stock
     
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  2. Imurhuckleberry

    Imurhuckleberry Avid spectator of windmill warriors
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    Best smart light switch that could replace this? PXL_20210418_022732493.jpg
     
  3. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    Dear God what is that
     
  4. NDfanPSUgrad

    NDfanPSUgrad Well-Known Member
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    Maybe just a couple of these will make it smarter.
     
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  5. Open Carry

    Open Carry TMB Rib Master
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  6. goblue31602

    goblue31602 Well-Known Member
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    Holy shit that needs an exorcism
     
  7. a.tramp

    a.tramp Insubordinate and churlish
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    Fucking burn the house down and start over.
     
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  8. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    where exactly in the house we lookin' here
     
  9. Tommy Jefferson

    Tommy Jefferson Well-Known Member
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    This room

    B24E7727-8315-417A-8C41-7189178BF213.jpeg
     
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  10. Imurhuckleberry

    Imurhuckleberry Avid spectator of windmill warriors
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    Main living room. 10 can lights and two ceiling fans. Also got these two. But going to do the first one first. Previous owner apparently was an amateur electrician.

    PXL_20210417_155617037.jpg PXL_20210417_155635581.jpg
     
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  11. EMAW FC

    EMAW FC Proud Smucker
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    Made good progress today before golf, finishing the rest tomorrow. After that time to shore up joists and put more in since the spacing is shit

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  12. NineteenNine

    NineteenNine Divers are, in fact, wankers. It's science.
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    this is more switches than the 10000sf store I work at.
     
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  13. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    Sorry, we are busy making fun of that switch situation to even begin to understand where you're taking these pictures from
     
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  14. Imurhuckleberry

    Imurhuckleberry Avid spectator of windmill warriors
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    If you could, in between guffaws, make suggestions as to a replacement switch I have an electrician coming out this Wednesday and hoping to get at least one replaced, and learn from him how to do the install. My first thought though is that maybe their isn't a need for all of those light zones. And just dropping it to one or two zones with a paddle switch might be enough. But curious if there is a smart switch that might be a better solution which doesn't require buying 10+ smart bulbs.
     
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  15. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    Yes there are smart switches available

    I'm assuming every single can light you have is on its own switch
    Problem there is each one has its own wire running to those boxes and that's gunna be way to many wires to cram into a couple of switches.
    He could combine the wires into a couple of joints then go to the two switches, but I think that's gunna leave you with the boxes in place because he will need them as j-boxes, so you'll have blank plates in their place

    Best solution would be rewire the lights in the attic, but that's gunna cost more in labor
     
  16. pratyk

    pratyk Arsenal FC, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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    Do you have a z-wave hub like smart things or ring? Or are you looking at WiFi switches? There are pluses and minuses to each approach.

    I had Lutron Caseta z-wave smart dimmers in my apartment but switched to Leviton Decora smart dimmers for the new home. Primarily for the $$ as I managed to get a 10 pack off eBay for about 25 a pop vs. 50-55 for a Caseta. The Leviton dimmers were finicky at times when I installed them and had to reset them a few times to work with the hub but it's been pretty smooth ever since.

    Kasa makes good WiFi switches. I wasn't sold on the GE ones when I had looked at them.
     
  17. ned's head

    ned's head Well-Known Member
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    OR he could seal them all, fix the drywall, and install a clapper to turn them off and on
     
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  18. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    only issue we haven't been able to 100% defeat is a subtle milk smell from dishwasher after it runs, after a few hours none of the dishes still smell of any significance but it's annoying

    tried basically every cleaning fix, took the thing apart and cleaned, checked drains, on and on. still happens. unit is old so replacing it isn't a problem but don't want to replace all the appliances so might have mismatched.
     
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  19. Imurhuckleberry

    Imurhuckleberry Avid spectator of windmill warriors
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    I did always want a clapper. Still occasionally will clap when I walk into a house with 80s decor.

    Planning dry walling in all of the remaining spaces instead of plates. Each switch has a zone with two or 3 can lights on it. The upper two control the ceiling fans. The goal would be to get the house remodel and sale ready by the end of the year so it doesn't really need to be smart tech. Just needs to not turn off the wife in a future buyer couple.
     
  20. goblue31602

    goblue31602 Well-Known Member
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    Yeah that wiring is going to have to be combined elsewhere and then zoned better. A company named Brilliant has a really cool setup, but it's not cheap. It also does a lot more. I have linked a 3 gang switch below, but they have more options. I'm not sure of any that could keep that many zones, and I can't imagine there are, because you're not fitting a smart switch and that many wires into one box.

    https://www.brilliant.tech/products...ome-smart-lighting-three-switch?variant=white
     
  21. arrdub

    arrdub Well-Known Member
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    Have 4 wifi Leviton smart dimmer switches (note: non z-wave/ no hub required) and have had maybe 2 connectivity issues that simply took an on/off to fix in about 3 years.

    I had intention to swap out a chandelier with a smart switch like this too but ran into something beyond my skillset to solve. Looked like it was formerly a 3-way switch and could not figure out a config that worked. Rehooked old dimmer without a picture of original setup and house has not burned down so still consider that a successful venture.

    The only other first world problem I have with smart lighting is trying to name them something logical so Alexa can do her thing. “Living room recessed” vs “living room lamp” and the like is annoying once you have a critical mass of these. But no way fam will go for zone alpha, beta, gamma or otherwise try to memorize something non-intuitive. Have to reserve the very obvious names for the ones they’ll want to use frequently. But the manual paddles and dimmers still work fine for those that don’t want to remember the labels.
     
  22. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    Brilliant looks awesome.
     
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  23. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
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    Lutron Caseta has been fantastic for me so far
     
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  24. AptosDuck

    AptosDuck Pedantic Hausfrau
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    I'm still flabbergasted by the 2x12s spliced and tacked to the posts, which btw don't look to be pressure treated and are sunk into the concrete instead of being bracketed on top several inches above ground level because moisture/rotting, but oh well
     
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  25. WillySaliba

    WillySaliba Well-Known Member
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    For that light switch fun, is there access to at least the ceiling above where those fans and lights are? If so it may be easy to pull and reposition on another wall. Also not sure if there is anything on the backside of that wall, but I’d consider throwing a switch there to break up interstate look.
     
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  26. WillySaliba

    WillySaliba Well-Known Member
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    Minor edit: I say that without thinking. I’d bet that asshole stapled the wire every 3 inches for each run.
     
  27. PAHokie

    PAHokie Can't a bitch living say I bought her Michael Kors
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    The girder is 100% wrong and I would fix it now. The post could be an issue but if we don’t see damage I would probably keep it moving. That can get fixed later if needed.
     
  28. BigReff73

    BigReff73 Well-Known Member
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    Honestly curious as I’m a structural engineer with no wood experience... what’s not per code? I feel like I see a girder attached to deck posts via lag bolts all around my area.
     
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  29. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    replaced shower head/arm with one the MIL had an extra of some fancy Moen one

    flange won't sit flush

    think i'm just going to use some silicone glue to attach it on one side
     
  30. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother I’d rather be down the allotment
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    this is the best thing ever posted in this thread
     
  31. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother I’d rather be down the allotment
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    set your echos and your lights up in rooms on the Alexa app. then you just say “turn on the lights” and she’ll know you want the lights in the room the echo is in.
     
  32. PAHokie

    PAHokie Can't a bitch living say I bought her Michael Kors
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    The connection probably has enough capacity, but you should have a direct bearing connection of some sort, but the main item of code is that the two 2x12 members are separated and do not act as one. The inside member will take more of the load and will be overloaded.

    This is a common condition from 80s and 90s, but hasn’t been code complaint in the last 20 to the best of my knowledge.

    Just an FYI to the board, here is the prescriptive deck guide.

    https://www.awc.org/pdf/codes-standards/publications/dca/AWC-DCA62015-DeckGuide-1804.pdf
     
  33. BigReff73

    BigReff73 Well-Known Member
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    Interesting and thanks. Definitely think direct bearing is the way to go.
     
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  34. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    Dammit EMAW
    All your decks are falling
     
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  35. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    This worked and then stopped working for me. Long story short Alexa is sometimes a dumb bitch.
     
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  36. EMAW FC

    EMAW FC Proud Smucker
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    From upstairs bathroom window about 20 feet up from the deck.

    thanks for all the feedback. Here’s some more photos now that we’re done with taking everything out. The posts are all in concrete, there’s a raised bed under the deck which is filled with sand and has pavers over it. So you can’t see the concrete from the top for the other posts in the ground. The joists are all spaced more than 16 inches (some as much as 25 inches) so I’ll have to put more 2x10 joists in but other than that I don’t think there’s much that needs to be reinforced.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  37. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    Three story house in Kansas?
     
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  38. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    Pretty clearly taken from the second floor
     
  39. a.tramp

    a.tramp Insubordinate and churlish
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    Almost every house in Kansas has a basement and seemingly the majority of houses in KC are 2 story so yeah, 3 story houses.
     
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  40. arrdub

    arrdub Well-Known Member
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    Combos of recessed, chandeliers, wall sconces, lamps render suboptimal outcomes here. Different lights for different needs yo. I do use scenes and routines to manage this, but it can’t handle everything.
     
  41. EMAW FC

    EMAW FC Proud Smucker
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    LKBIQ
     
  42. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    I know, it just feels really high up
    Like I though he was on the roof or it was a snap from a security cam on the eve in the first pic
     
  43. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    it looks like it may be a fisheye photo.
     
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  44. Degausser

    Degausser #NewProfilePic
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    Fuck carpenter bees

    IMG_18042021_170401_(750_x_1000_pixel).jpg
     
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  45. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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  46. Degausser

    Degausser #NewProfilePic
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    I don't kill anything, but I just caught the dude making another hole and rage killed him with a shoe.
     
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  47. Degausser

    Degausser #NewProfilePic
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    Back porch ceiling
     
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  48. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    What kind of wood is it?
     
  49. Degausser

    Degausser #NewProfilePic
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    It's beadboard
     
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  50. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    That's what I thought it looked like

    I just don't know about builders putting wood on the exterior of homes, even under soffit and like that where it's covered
    It's just exposed to too many things that will easily damage it

    Seems like it's done pretty often and it does look nice, but there are so many products out there that are much better suited to being exposed to the elements

    I'm in commercial construction so maybe the thoughts are different in my world
     
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