Calling all homeowners! I'm going to be closing on my first home next week and I'm interested in hearing your horror stories, success stories, and lessons learned.
Questions I have for you:
What are the tasks that you call a contractor for that aren't worth DIY'ing?
What things should I do immediately upon receiving the keys to the house?
What are the must-have tools you have in your home maintenance kit?
>What are the tasks that you call a contractor for that aren't worth DIY'ing?
Anything you can't/won't do. Try to learn to do as much yourself as you can, but don't feel bad if you have to call in a tradie to clean up your mess.
>What things should I do immediately upon receiving the keys to the house?
Change the locks and the toilet seats. Make any necessary repairs before your stuff is in the way.
>What are the must-have tools you have in your home maintenance kit?
Buy tools as you need them, and get decent tools. Don't buy tools just to have them, or you're going to end up buying shitty tools you'll never use or will let you down when you need them.
>Change the toilet seats.
Why not change the bathtubs and sinks too. And the floors/floor coverings as well. And the door knobs and window handles, light switches, and cabinet door knobs, and closet door handles. Frick, burn it down and build a new one.
I laughed heartily.
One of these things has piss and shit from however many years, the others do not.
Probably.
I just cleaned mine with soap and water and bleach, just like I do every couple of weeks.
Dont leave stuff from your last place still in boxes for 20 years
not op but why?
Thats just hoarding. Unpack that shit and use it or throw it away.
>What are the tasks that you call a contractor for that aren't worth DIY'ing?
anything you don't want to do. for me it was new roof, painting my 2 story house, installing a 120sf tuff shed.
>What things should I do immediately upon receiving the keys to the house?
Check for termites, change the locks when you can, clean all the drains they will be clogged with hair. remove all nails in walls and fill the holes. paint, replace carpet, treat for termites while the house is empty even if you don't see them (you're welcome). do not buy flooring or carpet from empre today they are a shit company to work with.
>What are the must-have tools you have in your home maintenance kit?
battery powered:
drill
1/4 inch impact driver
sawzall
non battery powered:
circular saw
if you really know diy:
clamps and lots of them
drywall and deck screws
a small bandsaw
an electric pipe cutter
a table saw
a drill press
air tools
compressor
things you should already have:
hammers (all sorts)
screwdriver set
wrench set
socket set
electricians wire cutters/stripper
> horror stories
Bought a 70s flat and literally every single electrical wire was black.
> What are the tasks that you call a contractor for that aren't worth DIY'ing?
Where I live you can hire people for tiling or plastering really cheap. I did both myself but without any experience those in my opinion these aren’t really worth the time to diy. Probably spent 30 hours with 3 people plus a bought bunch of tools for what would have been a €600 job.
Also sanding hardwood floors can be done but you need to rent like 4 machines and pay hundreds for sanding pads/belts so you may consider a specialised floor guy.
> What things should I do immediately upon receiving the keys to the house?
Moisture and foundation go on top of the list. Check for cracks in shower tiles and caulk, and ventilation. Most house problems are essentially moisture problems these days especially in wood+drywall construction. A shower is used every day so one small leak into the wall will cause it to rot away over time and many home owners install inadequate shower ventilation. Check the crawl space too to get an idea of the foundation state and moisture.
If you plan to redo a floor or paint a ceiling do it now before you move stuff in.
It may be tempting to remodel and do a lot of jobs that aren’t really necessary just because you’re moving in. Try to avoid that, you don’t want to spend your entire maintenance budget on new kitchen tiles and find out after winter that the roof needs repairs
> What are the must-have tools you have in your home maintenance kit?
See and ignore tool hoarders
Jesus shut up already
First order of business: build a workbench
Other things learned: plumbing jobs have mostly been pretty easy. Electrical isn’t too bad as long as you’re not trying to diagnose half assed sparky stuff done before you, but you need to get comfortable with a multimeter.
Drywall repair is pretty easy too, don’t put off fixing that water stain or hole in the wall.
Oh and another thing that was easier than expected upon buying the house… lighting fixtures and ceiling fans are easy as hell to replace if there’s already an existing fixture there. Same with faucets and shower heads and stuff, it’s not that expensive to upgrade those old fixtures and put new ones in that you like. Nest thermostat was super easy too.
noo don't replace your own lights. call me and have me to it for $75 a fixture.
>2 screws and 3 wire nuts
Tbqhwy, $75 is probably pretty damn fair compared to what most sparkles would charge.
thats if im doing at least 2 lights. $150 minimum.
but yea, ive read some wild prices from people. super high and super low.
I was thinking where to buy an old bench but building one makes more sense, how much all up in materials?
Note: You sign this with an unrestricted signature, which allows the bank to cash it at the fed window.
Mortgage: this is a separate document, where you pledge to pay the bank the entire amount, plus interest, despite that they have already gotten the purchase amount through the Note.
If the basement floor isn’t painted, do it before you move all your shit in there. Otherwise it will never get done. Ask me how I know.
>just closed on my first house last week
>hear hissing sound coming from wall
>shut water off, sound goes away
>turn back on and read the meter
>~6 gal/hr
>narrow it down that it's under the floor in the crawl space
>inspector didn't see it because there are pipes blocking the crawl space entrance
>either sellers didn't know or failed to disclose
>went to utility company to look at water bills
>been leaking 4-6 thousand gallons per month since June (house has been unoccupied)
Waiting for plumber but in a weird limbo of not knowing if they are liable to pay for repair and damage or if I'm stuck with the bill.
Advice?: check the meter with nothing running
Did you check for a sinkhole?
It’s good advice indeed to always check the meter with everything closed after you make changes to the water lines. And check the heating for pressure drop after you make changes to heating lines. Oh and test your gfci’s
>Did you check for a sinkhole?
Plumber is literally here right now. He just rerouted the pipes that were blocking the entrance. Now he'll crawl in there and look
holy shit dude
so what happened?
The mole people got him
Tell us about your new home 🙂
>built 1957
>2 story bungalow
>1800 sqft
>3 bedrooms
>forced air oil furnace
>secondary baseboard heaters in some rooms
>200A panel
>basement finished and converted into a workshop, office/bedroom, and family room
>previous owner was an old couple. Selling because husband died and kids have moved away
>property plot is in the "old part" of town and the plot is ~9,900 sqft
It's a nice little house with a lot of the expensive/PITA renovations completed.
One of the first things I need to do when I get the house is fix the upstairs showers. Whenever the tap turns on water weeps from the lower part of this valve where it joins the bathtub spout thing. Pic related is valve after running the water
the chimney is missing flashing around its base at the roof. When the snow melts or it rains the chimney weeps into the attic.
I'm going to call a roofing contractor for this part
Congrats anon! The security and freedom that comes with owning your own home is incredible. The old part of town is usually a nicer place to live than the new developments, as stuff was laid out in a more logical way. Also, no HOA is incredible.
My house is in rural PA, and I DIY literally everything. When I feel annoyed and consider getting a contractor, I just call one and immediately reconsider once I hear how much it will cost. That $4k to replace the soffits and fascia could buy two ATVs for my wife and I to ride around on, or could cover 2.5 months of living expenses.
If you're in the northeast, consider getting a wood stove. If you harvest your own wood (people are always giving away firewood on Facebook/Craigslist), you can save a TON on your heating bills, especially since your furnace is oil fired.
No kids?
I am in the North-East and it's funny you should mention a wood stove. The previous owner installed this wood stove in the basement. The chimney goes right through the concrete wall and the stack goes up to the roof in the backside of the house.
I'm going to remove it and build a shed around it in the backyard once my home-projects account fills back up. It's not listed in any of the building documentation as being a heat source and its not covered by my home insurance. When it warms up some more I'm going to remove the chimney stack and fill the hole with concrete. In the mean time I'm going to shove some pink panther fibre glass in there and cap it where it disconnects from the stove.
Leave it. you'll miss it when you lose power or see your electric heat bill.
Should I be using Type M or Type L copper pipe for replacing the leaking piece?
I'm going to be soldering it
>What are the tasks that you call a contractor for that aren't worth DIY'ing?
Depends on your skill and availability of contractors in your area. They are all building new goygoxes where I'm at so I do 90% of shit myself, even when I really don't want to.
>What things should I do immediately upon receiving the keys to the house?
Sodomize yourself with a pineapple on your front porch to assert dominance over the neighborhood.
>What are the must-have tools you have in your home maintenance kit?
12ga shotgun and a bottle of vodka
Buy tools as you need them, don't get into tool funko collecting.
You probably have the basic normie tool set, just expand on that.
>What are the must-have tools you have in your home maintenance kit?
Assuming you have been a rentoid and have actually nothing
Screwdriving: demolition screwdriver set and then a bit driver + bit set.
Hammering: 16-20oz claw hammer, 1-2lb deadblow or soft faced mallet
Cutting: scissors/shears, utility box knife, hacksaw, jab saw
Pliers: slip-joint, channelocks, needle-nose, diagonal cutters, locking pliers, wire stripping pliers
Layout: Tape measure, spirit level, stud finder, speed square
Strictly speaking house hold DIY you don't really need sockets or wrenches but I heavily recommend at least a simple ¼" socket set and an adjustable wrench. And also flexible putty knives are golden for many tasks, grab a 2 or 3 pack with different sizes.
Always youtube it first. Just the money I saved on auto maintenance and repair alone. There's a billion YT channels with renovators, how-to guides, tool reviews, in every trade.
Protip: GCs are usually morons and now less than the guys they employ. Not always, but in my experience working for GCs, they're basically just glorified salesmen and deal with paperwork, insurance, payroll etc. If you end up needing a contractor, do a deep dive on them. Not just with price but quality of work.
My 2 cents.
you can absolutely find a video of anything on youtube...like people dry pouring concrete and deleting all the negative comments!
People colossally fricking up is half the fun of watching.
youtube removing the thumbs-down display really did a great job on diy stuff.
Check all your light fittings and buy a few spare bulbs. When one goes out just after you move you will not know your way around enough to leave it. Also be prepared to discover some serious DIY sins. Don't take anything for granted. Just because something looks okay doesn't mean some knucklehead hasn't plastered over textured wall paper. Ask me how I know
Check around your gas, electric, and other things that go through the side of the house.
Whoever built my house didn't bother to seal the giant gap around the electrical conduit which has allowed mice to access the basement for 40 years. It's not pretty. The basement is finished but it won't be for long at this rate. I will not tolerate infestation.
I think you should be more concerned about the hand coming out of your ass to hold that box OP
>horror stories
Currently have termites swarming everywhere in my house. Vacuum one up ten more take its place. It takes years for a termite colony to grow big enough to start swarming and I've lived here for less than a year, so the seller fricked me.
Backup power - either check with your new neighbors, or just go ahead and plan for the worst, but either way, stick a heavy-amp, 240V circuit breaker in the panel and wire up an outlet in the garage/work area (or have an electrician do it). Having an outlet, that you can jack an emergency generator into, at a moment's notice, is a hell of a nice feature. Doubles as a place to plug in a welder. If you live in the country, surrounded by trees, consider this to be a MUST-HAVE. Plus backup power. 5,000W backup genny will NOT run a well, house heat and a water heater, but it can get you by, if you juggle the switches. I'd go 10,000W, if you can.
Also, don't sweat it, if shit breaks right after you buy it - that does happen.
>folks get an apartment
>I move back into the area where I grew up
>they sell me their house
>Big 4 burner, top and bottom oven, stove is left behind
>I know, for a fact, that thing has worked flawlessly, for 30 years.
>Go to cook my first meal as a new homeowner
>Upper oven literally arcs out and blows up, in my face, on MY FIRST FRICKING DAY
I had a handful of plumbing fixtures start leaking within a few months. I think the lady was an empty nester and only really used one bathroom, so those other o-rings and seals hardened up a bit until I bought the house and they began to leak with regular use.
>What are the tasks that you call a contractor for that aren't worth DIY'ing?
Foundation work, you want someone insured in case they frick it up. Siding/roofing, these are jobs that can take a team of 5 a week, not pracitcal to DIY unless you're just patching some damage.
>What things should I do immediately upon receiving the keys to the house?
Change locks, clear drains and gutters.
>What are the must-have tools you have in your home maintenance kit?
A hammer, plug in powersaw, spirit level and battery powerdrill with bit/socket set will cover 80% of what you need to do DIY.
>roofing, these are jobs that can take a team of 5 a week
If the 5 mexicans you hired take longer than a single day they are shit at their job bro. A single man can do a 1600 square foot simple pitched re-roof in 2-3 days as long as the weather is good. Frick out of here with this boomerism.
get a breaker finder and an bulb to outlet plug. find and label every circuit.
you'll never have uncluttered access to shit like you do before you move in. clean and do repairs, replace carpet, floor or refinish.
I power washed the garage while it was empty the day I got the keys.
remember the inspector is in it with the realtors, they want to find a few obvious things for you to negotiate over but ultimately they too are in the business of having the house sell. expect they missed things, possibly big ones.
Carpets can be dirty and smelly but they're not going to cause problems down the line if you don't replace em. It's mostly a niceness/convenience of cleaning thing to get them ripped out. Don't worry about it, I lived with my ugly green shag carpets for about 4 years before replacing them.
you are now aware thst the word homeowner has meow in it.
>hoMeowner
>jobs not worth doing
Anything with any type of concrete without experience. Anything hvac past putting a different filter in. If you're handy, you can do surface level electrical and plumbing. If you don't have a clue, you're playing with fire. Painting is the best thing to start with with zero exp. It forces you to obey a process and follow the rules.
If you can assemble your own furniture or layout and stick a backsplash then you're on your way to some designing freedom.
>must have tools
Basic hand tools hammer, tape measure, utility knife, caulk gun, paint brush, etc. Get started with one of those brand kits with drivers, a circ, a multitool. This is basic stuff you can diy with, but it's what people use in the field. You can customize your closets or make shelves with it. If the craft catches you then a tablesaw, some jigs, and a shelf full of finishing products will let you make nice things.
Shut up…..frick youre a taaaaard
no one cares about your newly purchased trailer
And the bar lowers again…you are a total toad
>NOOOO CALL THE HECKIN' LICENSED PROOOOOO
You will die getting beaten in a nursing home by a non-white who doesn't speak english that you voted for.
>Potentially having a home in May
Direct contact with seller. House is next door to my parents. She's the daughter of our neighbor. No realtor. The sweet little old lady is in a retirement home with Alzheimer's now sadly and her bills are pretty bad, so her daughter is selling it.
House is in good shape, but we live in a stupidly competitive area and she showed me the cash down offers she got from companies. I managed to squeeze a little bit more off and we're currently drafting contract. Waived inspection and to cover some fees and basically offered her straight cash to sweeten the deal since the house is right at the edge of our budget.
Some details:
>built in '57
>remarkably well kept and in good shape
>New mechanical a few years ago.
>much better than our house next door that my dad renovated by himself.
>Dad's a licensed sparky/mechanic/all around handyman
>Worked with him in construction before finishing college (I'm a computer janny)
>Plan to work weekends/over the summer on it together and being taught the ropes
>Free tools
>Good chunk of free materials from whatever we've saved around job sites
>he knows the house well because over the past 20 years he's been the first person our neighbor got in touch to fix things that break. And during that time hardly anything's been really wrong.
It's been a bit of a tough sell for my fiancee since it blows our wedding budget. But I think it's worth it.
Pic related. Basement with bar and weird little garden gnome faux window mural.
>buying next door to your parents
I wouldn’t live in the same neighborhood as parents for free. Do you have kids that they care for or something?
Things I learned in the house buying process (USA only):
-Don't just stick to big banks for mortgage preapprovals, local credit unions offer better rates.
-Certain nonprofits offer below market rates. (Literally just be brown and apply for NACA, you can get a 30 year fixed interest at 5.75% right now. It takes a few months and you have to attend a few gay meetings)
-Look into first home buyer programs for your state, even better if you qualify for Conventional Fannie May/Freddie Mac. 10k down payment/closing assistance, low PMI, the ability to refinance whenever, etc.
-These programs force you attend Home Owner Buyer Classes. Do it, it's worth it.
-Be aware that the federal government offers USDA loans for rural designated areas. Some designations can end up in surprisingly urban areas. And their interest rates can be pretty low. I've seen even 5%.
-VA loans are amazing. No down payment. No PMI. But Uncle Sam requires your kneecaps as a blood sacrifice
-Look into the MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) of where you're buying. If your income is below the MSA average, you might qualify for mortgage assistance. Either state or federal, sometimes both.
-Related to the above, if shopping with a partner, get preapprovals together as well as individually. So long as you're not legally married, depending on your income, you might qualify for housing assistance which offers WAY better deals than shopping together. Consider this like staying in the welfare trap.
-Related to the above, if your girl has a low credit score, keep her the frick off it because lenders will select the lowest score when offering you a loan, even if your dual income qualifies your for better homes. You will get dogshit quotes.
-Don't be afraid to ask your lender for multiple quotes at different down payments and programs
-ARMs are worth considering in this current market environment
-Depending on state, first time home buyers can apply for property tax homeowner exemptions
>live in the only state with its own state-capitalism bank
>they offer below market rates to first time state resident home buyers
>got a rate nearly 3% lower than the current commercial average
I'm still not on equal footing with the people who got basically 0% mortgages a few years ago by a lot better than 7%
>live in the only state with its own state-capitalism bank
Which state?
Rocket Mortgage gave me the lowest rate out of everyone else and the lowest mortgage insurance
I did go to local banks, big lenders and everything but I kept telling all of them I'd go with the lowest rate and I made them fight for my business.
check places out after it rains. didnt know my garage would half fill when its wet out.
NEVER get into an HOA
make a diagram of your street and write your neighbors names on it as you learn them. figure out when trash day is. exterior lighting go bright, get a timer, motion sensors for occasional lights.
sillicon caulk on everything, control bug entry points you are a new food source.
get a closet company in to plan your closets and garage. banker box for each holiday, flags are nice. Run cat6, cable is always faster than wifi, double pane windows. turn your soil, do a mason jar soil test have a couple campfires you want larger animals to notice spread the ashes around your property. feed the birds for a few months cuts down on flying insects. stay up late and listen.
>spread the ashes around your property
What's the purpose of this?
Not sure if you're joking or not.
>tasks call contractor for
roof. miserable work and warranty is nice.
plumbing , generally, that takes the whole house water supply down until fixex if it doesn't go exactly to plan. if I frick up the shitter inlet I can't just turn the water back on without flooding the place. as a UC sufferer I cannot afford to have toilets that don't work.
HVAC when it's middle of winter and the pipes are gonna freeze if you don't get it back on.
any electrical work involving the panel
basically shit that I need fixed pretty fast or is truly miserable work. that it's worth paying for.
>do immediately
change locks
take apart every power outlet, replace any that are even remotely borderline.
figure out what light switches do what and again replace any jank ones.
fix anything wrong that has to do with water ASAP.
locate all smoke and CO detectors. replace with new ones.
probably test for radon if you're gonna spend a lot of time on the lowest level of your house.
go through and form a punch list of other items you want to address.
Paint then carpet/flooring. if desired. in that order.
swap light bulbs for LEDs
clean the range hood grease filters they're probably disgusting
clean clean clean. everything.
>must have tools
power drill (hammer function ideally)
bit set (for drilling and for fasteners) including masonry bits
flashlight
screwdriver (multibit/8-in-1 is fine)
pry bar or some shitty screwdrivers to use as such
precision screwdriver set
socket set
box wrench set
hammer
level
tape measure
wet dry vac
sharpie
masking tape
saw(s)
knipex pliers wrench or generic
channel locks
needle nose pliers
monkey/pipe wrench
couple various pairs of good snips n other pliers
wire strippers
electrical tape
multimeter
good knife
clamps. all kinds of clamps. c clamps bar clamps nipple clips vise grips all good shit. never can have too many clamps
rope
rags
bucket
drain snake
plunger
assorted screw and fasteners tho this is getting away from what I'd call a tool.
>probably test for radon if you're gonna spend a lot of time on the lowest level of your house.
can one somehow harvest residual radon gas and make money from it?
Evening boys and girl. I’m cleaning this wall to prepare it for repainting and this section of paint is lifting and flaking a bit. Should I scrape off all the flaking paint or just paint over it or what?
My house has been a money pit so far. $40k in repairs and upgrades so far and it hasn't been 2 years yet
u are like baby watch this
>$22k in flooring replacement
>$15k in kitchen replacement (not even counting appliances)
>$5k in plumbing repairs
>$1.2k in wall repairs following the plumbing repairs
>$11k in roof replacement
>$1.4k in water heater replacement +$400 for expansion tank later
>$750 in termite treatment
all in less than 1 year. My HVAC is still going strong but I expect the 30 year old AC unit to die this summer