Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with house and renovation

Purchasing an old home: lead water and air duct questions inside.

Wrongshanks — Thu, 09 May 2013 01:23:55 -0800

The home my wife and I are possibly about to purchase was built in 1900 and we have a few questions about aged systems and family safety. Lead water pipes and asbestos tape, oh my! My wife and I are about to purchase our first home. We've found one we like, and the inspection was just done today. The home was built in 1900 but has had a lot of updating, and while no major issues turned up, lots of minor ones did. The inspector was great, and offered good suggestions for how to fix the issues, but I'd like some further clarification from people who have gone through similar problems or who have knowledge in these areas, since neither of us are particularly knowledgeable or handy about this kind of stuff.

1. The water line running out to the street is made of lead. Forking out $5k to get it replaced isn't feasible, but the inspector said a filtration system, either at point of use (taps) or point of entry (water line) would be okay, or we could just flush the pipes every time we've let the water sit for more than 6 hours. I'm having a difficult time finding POE filters on the internet (I think I'm just not parsing this correctly), and I'm wondering if anyone else has been in a similar situation, and if you've just gone with a tap-filter or taken a different approach. If anyone has a POE filtration system, any ballpark idea on how much it would cost?

2. While flushing the water before drinking (or filtering it) is necessary before consuming or cooking with it, what about showering or washing dishes? I haven't found any conclusive answers for this online.

3. Many of the air ducts in the basement are sealed with asbestos tape, much of which is peeling. The inspector recommended sealing all of this up (over the tape and all) with a product he referred to as "Duckmastic". Has anyone used this type of sealant, and what were the results?

We have a 9-month old baby and are planning on more children in the future. Would issues like these be a deal breaker? Our financial situation is fairly solid, though we are not well off. The house is in the low $60ks, and we are not in a major rush to move out of our rented house, but we really do like the house we've found.

Any insight or thoughts on all of this is greatly appreciated. This whole home-buying experience has been both frightening and fun, but words like "lead poisoning" and "asbestos carcinogens" keep running through my mind. I know a certain amount of issues like this are definitely going to be present in a house of this age, but I'd like a little insight into anyone with similar experiences.

Thanks in advance!

Drip Drip Drip

terrier319 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:25:46 -0800

Am I stuck with shouldering this or can I still go after the contractor? Water leaks from the upstairs shower into the kitchen on the first floor. This, after the bathroom was completely gutted and new plumbing, fixtures and tile installed. Problem is, the renovation was completed just over five years ago. Other considerations: it is the very same leak we had BEFORE the renovation, so I'm suspicious about the supposedly "new" plumbing that was installed. Because this was the typical rocky contractor-homeowner relationship -- filled with missed deadlines, cost run-ups and nasty confrontations -- the likelihood of him making good on his own is slim.

Am I stuck with this or do I have legal or some other recourse? Thanks for any thoughts or advice.

Help me beat the heat (in my attic)!

iminurmefi — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:02:50 -0800

Calling all home improvement gurus and energy efficiency wizards--help me figure out how to better insulate my attic! I've read through a bunch of information on energystar.gov and other websites about insulating attics, but the more I read the more confused I get about how to do this, because I have the world's weirdest attic. HELP. So, we recently purchased a lovely small brick house in Colorado with no A/C. For the past few weeks, I've been dying of heat inside nearly every day--which was quite surprising, as the rental I used to live in down the street (same size, but made out of river stone rather than brick) had no A/C but remained a lovely 70 to 75 degrees no matter how hot it was outside. I suspect the issue is heat leaking down from that attic, and I'm desperate to fix it.

The primary air leak appears to be through an enormous and not-well-sealed set of attic stairs. The stairs were built by a previous owner, and use a rope-pulley system to allow someone to basically pull down 10 feet (yes, you read that right) of the house ceiling/attic floor into the main space of the house. The pulley system plus the size of the hole in the ceiling for the damn stairs (3 feet wide by 10 feet long!) means it's not going to be possible to just add on an attic tent or build a box to seal off the air flow, which was my original plan. So, I'm thinking we need to add insulation to keep the attic itself cooler, because then at least the air leaking into the house wouldn't be SO DAMN HOT.

However, all the information I'm able to find online about adding insulation assumes that the CURRENT insulation is tucked in along the floor joists of the attic, and suggests just laying more on top. (Oh, how I wish it was that easy!) In our house, the joists are actually covered by wood making a flat, regular-looking floor, and the R-19 insulation is tucked up along the attic ceiling between the rafters and along the attic walls. Not around the whole attic, mind you, just in a 20 foot by 10 foot area centered around the attic stairs. So, my questions are:

1. Am I right in thinking that the best way to accomplish my ends is to insulate along the attic ceiling rather than along the attic floor, given that it doesn't appear we can totally stop the air flow from the attic space into the house? Or would there be some benefit to spreading insulated batting all over the floor, except for the gaping 30 square foot hole that is the attic stairs?

2. How in the world do we add more insulation to the attic ceiling, when it doesn't look like there is any room to tuck more insulation between the rafters? (The rafters aren't that deep.) Should we rip out the R-19 that is in there and replace it with something bigger?

3. Is the current set-up of an "insulated room constructed from R-19 batting inside the attic" (that is, insulation doesn't run all the way to the outside edges of the attic) going to cause us problems in the winter, or is it okay assuming the only real air leakage we have (that I know of) is inside that little insulated room?

4. One idea I had was to install radiant barrier loosely hanging off the rafters, which should at least cut down some on the heat radiating down from the asphalt shingle roof into the attic (and subsequently from the attic into the house). I think this should help with the heat in the summer, but probably won't do anything to help heat from leaking out into the attic in the winter. Is there a better solution, or is this the best I can do?

Sorry for the long question--there's a ton of great information about insulating attics on the internet, but none of it appears to address the total weird factors in play in my attic. I'm hoping some mefite with more handyman/DIY experience might have some good ideas for me.

ISO electrical expertise

iminurmefi — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:53:51 -0800

I just bought a house (yay!) and I need some schoolin' by educated mefites about the relative importance of various electrical upgrades my inspector recommended. If you're an electrician, a handyman with electrical expertise, or just a homeowner that's been through this, I'd love some thoughts on what is worth spending $$$ to upgrade now, versus not that important. To head it off at the pass: there wasn't anything life- or house-threatening that the inspector found in the electrical system. It's just an older house (1950s-vintage) with 60-amp service and un-upgraded electrical stuff that the inspector said "you might want to upgrade at some point." We're not planning on doing it ourselves, and what I'm really looking for is some educated opinions about how to prioritize or think about the necessity of some of these upgrades BEFORE I have an electrician come out and give me quotes.

The things that the inspector recommended we consider are:

1. Replacing the panel and/or upgrading the 60 amp panel to 200 amp service (I'm not sure if this is the same thing). It's a small house (brick, one-story, less than 1500 sq ft) without AC and I'm hoping to avoid installing it. The panel has some double-tapped wiring and no room for more breakers, so this was pretty high on the inspector's list of things to take care of. He also recommended moving the panel from the main floor, where it is behind the refrigerator (which slides in and out pretty easily) to the basement, in order to make it easier to access. I'm much less sure if the cost of moving the panel is really worth it, especially away from the main floor where we will do most of our living and to the downstairs basement.

2. Lots of 2-prong and ungrounded outlets throughout the house. I'm not sure how big of a deal this is or what the potential fixes are. I know that it's safer to have grounded outlets but I am having a hard time evaluating HOW much safer, or if it's a big deal in my home office (with router/computer/printer) than in my bedroom (where the only thing plugged in is my alarm clock).

3. The inspector recommended maybe adding GFCI outlets "where needed." Talk to me like I'm stupid: what's the difference between adding GFCI outlets and upgrading old 2-prong and ungrounded outlets? Is this the same thing? Kitchen outlets aren't GFCI, but I think the bathroom outlets are. Is it important to upgrade the kitchen outlets to GFCI? What about office/bedroom/living room?

4. One of the outlets in the living room has reversed polarity. I know this indicates shoddy work, but is it really dangerous? The first electrician who gave us a quote for everything on the list wanted to charge $150 to fix this, which seems.... high.

Generally, we're doing a bunch of repairs over the next 2-3 weeks before we move in, and my thinking is that if I don't get this taken care of now then it's not going to get easier to find the money and deal with getting quotes. (So I want to upgrade in a smart way that doesn't assume I'll be doing a lot of upgrades later.) On the other hand, we're having to re-roof and re-gutter the place, plus put in a radon remediation system, so I don't particularly want to throw thousands of dollars at electrical upgrades that aren't needed given that it's a tiny house without AC.

Google is useful for looking up specific terms, but metafilter really shines at helping put this stuff in context and provide a framework for how I should be thinking of things. Help me make good decisions that I won't regret later!

it doesn't look like it'll kill us. i think.

joyceanmachine — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:51:25 -0800

When househunting, what are signs of quality renovation? What are signs of a shoddy renovation? We're looking into buying our first home house. Hurray! We barely know one end of a hammer from the other. Boo.

The stock in our area consists of renovated 50-150 year old rowhomes and/or Victorians. We're worried about buying a home that has been shoddily restored by somebody out to make a quick buck/where major systems issues have been papered over. We'll definitely get inspections, and we'll definitely get all the home disclosure paperwork about when the roof was re-done and when new windows were put in and whether the appliances come with the house and so forth, but what are things we can look for at open houses/initial showings to see if a place is worth further investigation?

Examples of what we look for now:

- If the floors have been re-done to be hardwood or laminate, then they should be even and should not tilt alarmingly to one side. We also check the millwork around stairs and doors to see whether there are gaps and/or whether the pieces match the rest of the floor.

- The shower/bath fixtures have an access panel that is easily accessible, so that fixtures can be replaced down the line without ripping the wall apart.

- If there is exposed brick, it should be an interior brick wall. If there is exposed brick or an unfinished basement, there shouldn't be any effloresence.

Are we correct to look for these things? If so, what are other things like this we should look for?

We've seen this, but are looking for tips on the construction side of things.

Can't cope with buying, can't cope with renting

Violet Hour — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:09:30 -0800

I need help getting a mortgage on a property that needs minor repairs. I'm currently under contract on a house and it's a big mess.

Problem #1: The appraisal came back with a value higher than what I would be paying for the house, but with conditions. The conditions were minor repairs they wanted done. I wanted to negotiate with the seller to do the repairs, or (if that didn't work) pay to have them done myself. The bank said that even if the conditions of the appraisal were met, they still wouldn't make the loan. (Huh? Can someone explain this to me?)

Problem#2: My realtor advised me to go with a renovation mortgage on the house. I really, really, REALLY don't want a reno loan. However, I really want the house and don't see any other option. I'm in process with Wells Fargo for a conventional renovation loan (not FHA203k or FHA203k Streamline). I was hoping this would at least save some red tape by not doing the FHA part of it (I don't want the house to have to meet FHA requirements), and was advised that since I'm putting 20% down, it wouldn't make sense to do FHA203K since they require mortgage insurance on a 30-year loan no matter how much you put down.

Problem #3: As part of the renovation loan process, I had to get bids for the work to be done from a licensed general contractor. I only wanted bids on the items that were called out on the original appraisal. The contractor added a lot of "recommended" things to the bid--i.e, if I want to replace the water heater instead of just moving it, it will cost $X more. That would be well and good, but the contractor sent the entire thing including the recommendations to Wells Fargo. I find this completely unethical, since now their appraiser will be looking at those items to make them a condition of the loan.

I know a lot of people will want to tell me to just walk away from the house. That's a valid option, but the problem is that I know I will face these issues on any house I am interested in--the types of houses that I like in my price range are ALWAYS going to need at least some minor work. I paid for a home inspection on this house and there were no major problems, or else I wouldn't have gone forward.

I have good credit (high 700s) and am putting 20% down. I just want a regular, 30-year fixed rate mortgage. Is there some option I haven't considered? How likely is the Wells Fargo appraiser to require all the crazy "recommended" crap that the contractor suggested? If you bought a house that needed minor (or major!) work within the past year, how did you do it? (The time frame is important, because appraisal underwriting never used to be this picky.) I can't help but think that the only way to buy the type of house I want is with cash.

Insulating a small brick area.

zvs — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:04:33 -0800

How can I insulate under my front door? I tore up the floor in the entryway to my house, and I'm building a new one. In the process, I exposed the brick directly under the door, which will soon be covered up again. (The area is about 5' by 8").

I'm guessing since the floor is usually not missing, I should insulate this spot while I have the chance. What's an appropriate material to put in this area? Bonus: I'm pretty sure moisture sometimes makes its way in here.

Good source for attractive doorhandles?

The corpse in the library — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:15:29 -0800

Do you know where I can get some inexpensive and attractive lever-style doorhandles? I want to replace the hideous doorknobs in my house. My friendly neighborhood door store sells the perfect doorhandles, but they cost $175 each. I'm hoping to spend closer to $35 each. Schlage has some lever-style doorknobs that are the right price, but the style isn't quite right -- they're flat, not round.

Any suggestions? I'm in the US, near Seattle, and like shopping on-line.

Needles in my eyes

terrier319 — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 17:20:47 -0800

The end is near. Now, how do we expedite it? I'm talking about a house renovation, and a contractor who is trying to shake more money out of our pockets at the 11th hour. What would you pay for, knowing that this guy can make our lives a living hell with a mechanical lien or litigation. More inside ... My wife and I are close to completing a massive renovation on our dream house. We were displaced from the house for more than five months (the contractor "verbally" said it would not exceed two months) and have dealt with all of the frustrations of missed deadlines, unfulfilled promises, and the normal ups and downs of a project of this scope. (I told my wife I would rather have needles poked in my eye than endure another one of these projects.)

Generally, we are pleased -- the guy is a premier builder and has done a good job. But as we attempt to close out and get a C-of-O (certificate of occupancy), the builder is now hitting us with charges that we never agreed to -- labor and materials that we always assumed would be part of the overall contract. There are various non-detailed "allowances" for building materials, electrical, etc.

These "extras" were either never presented as our responsibility to pay for or the contractor told us verbally he would cover. So we have been hit with charges for work and materials, post-install, when the contract states that all such "change orders"must be presented in writing and signed off on prior to any work being done. The spirit of this is to give us an opportunity to shop around the prices that are presented.

There are other issues, as you might relate to, associated with on-the-spot decisions made by the builder to deviate from the architect's plan, but these were never presented in the way the contract specified, namely in writing. So we have issues there as well. I have already consulted a lawyer and his advice was to sit down and attempt to negotiate with the builder -- even though he did not follow the specifications of the contract in billing, without approval, after the work was completed.

I know this is a long description (sorry about that) and probably hard to follow, but my questions are the following:

-- would you pursue on the specifications of the contract -- i.e. changes must be presented and approved beforehand -- or attempt to negotiate with the builder since the work is already completed and presumably they have a right to be paid?

-- what is your experience, if any, with the way these things turn out? ... should I be concerned about a lien against my property, is it better to wait it out or attempt to resolve now?

We are not trying to screw the builder (it's not in our DNA to do that to anyone) but we do feel that based on his actions he is trying to suck more money out of us before we complete our dealings with him.

Tearin down the house

mikel — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 21:09:58 -0800

I bumped into my neighbour the other day and he asked to meet with us and his neighbours on the other side. Apparently it is a legal requirement in Ontario that when you undertake serious renovations that you discuss it with the neighbours. So I asked him what he planned on doing. His response: we're going to demolish the existing house and build a new one. In the long run this is nothing but a good thing. We live in a good neighbourhood and his house is the ugliest on the street, so a good job should be good for me (we'll sell in 4-5 years) and everyone else on the street I suppose.

But in the short term what kinds of things can/should we be checking into when we meet with the owner, builder, and architect tomorrow? We have dogs, so I'm going to need assurances that the fence between our houses is never breached. As well, I suppose that they'll need some kind of insurance in case some activity related to the building affects our (100 year old stone) foundation. Can we make requests about the starting time in the morning (beyond what bylaws allow) for power tools or something like that?

What else should I be looking at in this situation?

house renovation resource needed

mailhans — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 04:05:53 -0800

Bought a house last year (1901) with a lot of old ceilings and woodcraft. Some parts really need a good renovation. Are there any good resources for these specific operations?