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FIND YOUR DREAM HOME OR APARTMENT
31Comments
Apr 8, 2013 8:03AM
I bought a cute Cape Cod two years ago that was pretty much a 70s museum. Dark paneling everywhere, but it had good bones. I hired a home inspector who was an engineer prior to the closing and he pronounced it in good shape except for a chimney leak. I've done a lot of painting since I bought it which lightens and brightens it. I have gotten rid of the 70s wagon wheel chandelier and a nasty kitchen counter with swivel stools. The bath tub was just re-glazed last week using a kit from HD and the entire bath is being tiled by a friend in the business who gets plenty of free tiles. I would say this house isn't perfect and will need a new roof soon, but I knew that going in. However, I will say it's been worth the effort and I enjoy the tax breaks. Every single person who walks in here tells me what a beautiful home I have. It's come a long way in two years and most of it was DIY stuff.
Jan 26, 2013 2:24AM
Dec 16, 2012 3:36PM
It is absurd to tell a mass audience what they are each capable of doing for themselves. There are klutzes who can't open a can of paint without tipping it over. Others have the knowledge, confidence, tools, coordination, common sense, and skill (gained from practice) to do all of those tasks and more. I live by Red Green's pronouncement, "If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy."
Nov 27, 2012 8:54PM
@Plumb sensible.
Typical neanderthal response from a threatened and so-called professional trying to safeguard his turf.
Slumlord? Hardly. We own two rental properties, our former home and another we invested our IRA in, and both are in far better shape that would ever be required of rental properties. So the only one coming across as idiotic is you for your erroneous and floundering comments.
As for the work and the Sharkbites, need I point out that their suggested use came from an actual plumber of many years standing, and a man whose advice I have sought constantly with plumbing issues? He recently retired, so doesn't mind passing on his thoughts or suggestions to friends. I was all set to go the standard route of connecting the water heater the way they always have, and it was his advice to go with the Sharkbite fittings instead.
And as for 30 minutes, well of course a plumber would want to maintain the smoke and mirror aspects of their profession in order to keep charging the earth for installing water heaters. Once the old unit is drained and ready to be replaced, exactly how much time to you think you can squeeze a customer time-wise to cut a few pipes, disconnect the simple wiring, wheel out the old unit, and install the new unit (loosen a plate, screw in a few wires, and attach the shark bite fittings?) - oh of course, don't forget turning on the water and the power, that REALLY takes up a lot of time!
And surprise, it did pass inspection, because we don't take chances with either our two sets of tenants or our insurance. Shark bite fittings are perfectly in compliance with local code, which is a pain for people like you, right, because of course they make the connection process infinitely easier - and far more within the realm of home owners and DIYers, which stiffs you out of a steady income. So thanks for providing another opportunity to highlight what a rort many plumbers have going with the prices they charge for installing water heaters in this day and age.
It's not the first time either. We wanted to move the sink in our kitchen to the other side of the area when we were rehabbing the house, and I ended up doing it myself. Again with the advice of the retired plumber, I cut into the slab, located the main pipe, glued in the appropriate fittings, and cemented the area back up - took me about 4 - 5 hours to do the job, other than of course waiting for the cement to dry. Know why I decided to do it myself? Because we got quotes of up to $2,000 to do the job from plumbers - I know lawyers who don't make that kind of an hourly rate!
Typical neanderthal response from a threatened and so-called professional trying to safeguard his turf.
Slumlord? Hardly. We own two rental properties, our former home and another we invested our IRA in, and both are in far better shape that would ever be required of rental properties. So the only one coming across as idiotic is you for your erroneous and floundering comments.
As for the work and the Sharkbites, need I point out that their suggested use came from an actual plumber of many years standing, and a man whose advice I have sought constantly with plumbing issues? He recently retired, so doesn't mind passing on his thoughts or suggestions to friends. I was all set to go the standard route of connecting the water heater the way they always have, and it was his advice to go with the Sharkbite fittings instead.
And as for 30 minutes, well of course a plumber would want to maintain the smoke and mirror aspects of their profession in order to keep charging the earth for installing water heaters. Once the old unit is drained and ready to be replaced, exactly how much time to you think you can squeeze a customer time-wise to cut a few pipes, disconnect the simple wiring, wheel out the old unit, and install the new unit (loosen a plate, screw in a few wires, and attach the shark bite fittings?) - oh of course, don't forget turning on the water and the power, that REALLY takes up a lot of time!
And surprise, it did pass inspection, because we don't take chances with either our two sets of tenants or our insurance. Shark bite fittings are perfectly in compliance with local code, which is a pain for people like you, right, because of course they make the connection process infinitely easier - and far more within the realm of home owners and DIYers, which stiffs you out of a steady income. So thanks for providing another opportunity to highlight what a rort many plumbers have going with the prices they charge for installing water heaters in this day and age.
It's not the first time either. We wanted to move the sink in our kitchen to the other side of the area when we were rehabbing the house, and I ended up doing it myself. Again with the advice of the retired plumber, I cut into the slab, located the main pipe, glued in the appropriate fittings, and cemented the area back up - took me about 4 - 5 hours to do the job, other than of course waiting for the cement to dry. Know why I decided to do it myself? Because we got quotes of up to $2,000 to do the job from plumbers - I know lawyers who don't make that kind of an hourly rate!
Nov 27, 2012 12:25PM
Nov 27, 2012 12:22PM
You can save even more money by buying not covering the entire lawn with sod. Buy a fourth of the sod that you would need, cut the sod into "plugs", and plant in your dirt. Try to space them evenly apart. It's more work and you'll have to wait for the rest of the lawn to grow in but you'll also save at least 75% of your landscaping budget. If you don't have to have a ready-to-use lawn immediately, it's well worth it.
Nov 27, 2012 11:30AM
The bit about the water heater is absolute garbage. When you realize how easy it is these days to swap out a standard water heater you'll be furious at how much you've paid for professionals to do it for you in the past. Connecting the power is a doddle if you even vaguely know what you're doing, and Sharkbite hoses and connections make it infinitely easier these days to connect a new unit up to the existing pipes. I changed one over at a rental property of ours only a few months ago and it took me less than half an hour.
I can't speak for the tankless variety, as I've never used one, but I can't imagine it's any harder.
I've renovated a number of houses from top to bottom, and most of it isn't rocket science, just accuracy, attention to detail, and asking a lot of questions online or at a store when you're not sure. What it really boils down to is how much time you have to devote to major projects and what your time is worth compared to the costs of getting pros to do it. Bear in mind though that standards have slipped so much in recent years, especially in my home state of Florida, that you're often times better off doing a job yourself because its such a crap shoot getting a contractor to do the job - even when they come recommended.
I can't speak for the tankless variety, as I've never used one, but I can't imagine it's any harder.
I've renovated a number of houses from top to bottom, and most of it isn't rocket science, just accuracy, attention to detail, and asking a lot of questions online or at a store when you're not sure. What it really boils down to is how much time you have to devote to major projects and what your time is worth compared to the costs of getting pros to do it. Bear in mind though that standards have slipped so much in recent years, especially in my home state of Florida, that you're often times better off doing a job yourself because its such a crap shoot getting a contractor to do the job - even when they come recommended.
Nov 27, 2012 11:19AM
Nov 27, 2012 11:18AM
Nov 27, 2012 11:16AM
So the simple truth is if you think you can do it ...Do It. As a professional contractor in Oregon I receive lots of call after the home owner bite off more than they can do, Wasting both money and time. the quotes for some of the professionals are far off the mark $750 for a 300 ft room? Where! Because i should move there. Paint jobs, by responsible contractors is based of the sq footage of room and if you are paying more than 1.00 a sq foot including supplies your getting robbed.
Nov 27, 2012 11:09AM
Nov 27, 2012 9:48AM
So basically, if a trained monkey could do it, it's a DIY project, but if it takes more brains or experience than that, it's not. Come on, guys. It completely depends on how much knowledge, experience, and confidence the homeowner has. Some people hire a plumber to clear a clogged drain, but others can build a house from the ground up. It's obviously not a "one-size-fits-all" kind of deal. There is a lot of information on the internet about how to do simple repairs. People need to know their limitations, but hiring an electrician to replace a light switch is foolish and expensive.
Nov 27, 2012 9:37AM
Nov 27, 2012 9:10AM
Buuuut if you need a pro contractor who only gets paid after your job is complete(material and labor) to assure your comfort of knowing you get what you pay for, call me at 717-813-0895 or at least check out my fence website at www.fencingsales.com I serve about a 200 mile radius in central Pennsylvania
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