sometimes i hate owning a house

IAmTheDood · #1 02-04-2008, 11:58 AM

been putting off getting my roof repaired as long as i can .. the valleys in my roof have been cracking and leaking every now and then for the last 2 years ... I'd go up and patch and repair them but they keep coming back ..

since i got my tax refund already I decided to call in some roofers to replace the 2 valleys in the house .. $1200..

grrrr ...

ah well, at least i won't have to continue to worry about it again whenever it rains...

Tony G · #2 02-04-2008, 12:00 PM

Yup, home ownership isn't fun. I've only been a home owner for about 4 years, and the many things I've had to do to fix and maintain my home have been really annoying.

tplyons · #3 02-04-2008, 12:05 PM

How old is your house and/or roof?

My parents own a 1951 Cape Cod that I do 90% of the work on. It's both a pain, and a bit of a pleasure. I take great pride in maintaining that home, albeit it's a large pain in the arse.

RWP · #4 02-04-2008, 12:06 PM

It's the truth. However, if you bought your home more than a few years ago it will repay you handsomely.

Pilgrim · #5 02-04-2008, 12:07 PM

It comes with the territory. Lots of interesting learning goes on through the process of maintaining a house.

tplyons · #6 02-04-2008, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

It comes with the territory. Lots of interesting learning goes on through the process of maintaining a house.

Yep... the primary thing I learned was that the people before us were really a bunch of idiots.

IAmTheDood · #7 02-04-2008, 12:10 PM

house was built in 1941 ... a couple bought it and flipped it before i bought it 5 years ago. didn't really know a thing about maintaining them .. i try to do as much as I can myself .. i've got all the tools, watch the diy shows .. a nice 900sq foot garage that i finished and turned into a shop ..

the couple that flipped it did a horrible job .. i've already done the following replacements from what they did:

1) carpet (cheap white crap that kids ruin)
2) 700 sq. ft of 12x12 porcelain tile that they installed wrong ripped up and laid floating wood down.
3.) finish 900 sq. foot garage complete with 50amp subpanel, insulation, and furnace.
4.) replace hot water heater and furnace last year.
5.) replace brick patio they did a crappy job on with a new brick patio and 12x16 deck.

and a bunch of other little odds and ends like painting, ceiling fans, lighting, etc...

Bryan316 · #8 02-04-2008, 12:11 PM

My drummer just bought his first house.

First step... replacing the Buss fuses, and getting circuit breakers.

Second step... adding circuit breakers and wiring so we can power our amplifiers in the basement for a new permanent band rehearsal place!

All in the name of rock and roll! See? Just attest your roof repair to... oh, keeping the leaks from hitting your basses! Yeah! That's the ticket!

tplyons · #9 02-04-2008, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IAmTheDood

house was built in 1941 ... a couple bought it and flipped it before i bought it 5 years ago. didn't really know a thing about maintaining them .. i try to do as much as I can myself .. i've got all the tools, watch the diy shows .. a nice 900sq foot garage that i finished and turned into a shop ..

the couple that flipped it did a horrible job .. i've already done the following replacements from what they did:

1) carpet (cheap white crap that kids ruin)
2) 700 sq. ft of 12x12 porcelain tile that they installed wrong ripped up and laid floating wood down.
3.) finish 900 sq. foot garage complete with 50amp subpanel, insulation, and furnace.
4.) replace hot water heater and furnace last year.
5.) replace brick patio they did a crappy job on with a new brick patio and 12x16 deck.

and a bunch of other little odds and ends like painting, ceiling fans, lighting, etc...

Think of it like buying a MIM Fender... slapping on more parts to make it your own, and to replace the inferior hardware

i_got_a_mohawk · #10 02-04-2008, 12:25 PM

It does come with the territory.

You are lucky those little leaks havent caused any serious damage!

When my folks and i moved into this house, there was a little bit of damage in the roof that the surveyors hadnt picked up on, fast forward to about a year later, large sections of the inside of the house need cut out because it was riddled with dry rot, stemming from the hole in the roof

. That was quite a while back now tho

IAmTheDood · #11 02-04-2008, 12:28 PM

well whenever it would leak i would immediately patch it ... i've been lucky with the leak not being too bad ... i lived in an apartment once where i started noticing a stain in the ceiling, put my finger through the drywall, and out came about 10 gallons of water.

TallLankyBastyd · #12 02-04-2008, 12:39 PM

Quote:

well whenever it would leak i would immediately patch it ... i've been lucky with the leak not being too bad ...

Hey... those are almost the exact words a home owner said to me about 20 years ago when I was doing house remodeling...

...we then proceeded to follow (and demolish) the wood rot from his roof all the way down through two stories of supporting walls to the cement basement/foundation.

Get that roof done now... tear off the old crap... inspect for any water damage and then replace the new! Do not do one of those freaking cover jobs... remove the old... inspect... put up new!

Just sayin'...

Deacon_Blues · #13 02-04-2008, 12:49 PM

I own an apartment, which is a "safer choice" than to own a house. Anyway, it's in a house from the sixties and the pipes need to be replaced or cleaned thoroughly within a few years. I just don't know when. Anyway, that renovation usually costs 300-500 € per square meter apartment size, and you can't live there during it. It takes normally about four months. As you might understand, I don't look forward to that at all. I just hope I have moved and sold the apartment before it happens.

Anyway, I enjoy owning the apartment, because it means I am free to do (almost) whatever I want with it. I have invested a couple of thousand euros in the interior design and equipment, and it looks a lot more appealing now than what it did when I bought it. I still plan to invest in new kitchen hardware and redesign the bedroom. Then I'm satisfied with it I think.

Folmeister · #14 02-04-2008, 01:48 PM

Home repair nightmares come in threes. Just like celebrity deaths. Last month it started with a hot water pipe with a hole in it. It went from there to repairing the pipe-work the previous owner had done on the cheap ($3000). Then the garbage disposal died and, for some unknown reason, took the sink faucet with it. This summer I have to paint the entire exterior, start thinking about a new roof, and finish the new pool plumbing.

Baryonyx · #15 02-04-2008, 01:59 PM

Watch out for cowboy builders!

Pilgrim · #16 02-04-2008, 02:20 PM

It's always interesting to get into a repair or remodel and find something that is done in a way that I never would have done it. Not careless or half-assed, but simply puzzling. it makes me pull back and ask myself "why did they do that, and what were they trying to achieve? I KNOW there had to be a reason for this."

Sometimes you can figure it out, sometimes not. And sometimes, of course, they did it half-assed and kept going.

Atoz · #17 02-04-2008, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TallLankyBastyd

Hey... those are almost the exact words a home owner said to me about 20 years ago when I was doing house remodeling...

...we then proceeded to follow (and demolish) the wood rot from his roof all the way down through two stories of supporting walls to the cement basement/foundation.

Get that roof done now... tear off the old crap... inspect for any water damage and then replace the new! Do not do one of those freaking cover jobs... remove the old... inspect... put up new!

Just sayin'...

Agree 100%. I had my roof done this past summer. The house is 54 years old and had never had the shingles stripped - just covered with new layers. There were 4 of them

. The previous ownders had obviously been doing it htemselves, as no legitimate roofer would do 4 layers AFAIK. I had mine stripped down to the wood, the good bit of rot removed, and new felt/shingle laid down. A lot of coin, but well worth the expense.

Pilgrim · #18 02-04-2008, 03:00 PM

My house was built in 1968 and still has the original shake roof. Hasn't leaked yet. those are some pretty massive shakes - some are 1.5" thick at the butt.

40 years from the original shakes is pretty darn good - and the climate at 5,000 feet in Colorado helps. But I know the days are numbered. I just stay off that roof unless it's 100% necessary to set foot on it.

iamlowsound · #19 02-04-2008, 03:13 PM

Get the entire roof replaced. It really isn't as scary as many people make it out to be. If you have a free Saturday and a few friends with one that knows what they are doing you can do it for really cheap. Also, put on good shingles, not the crappy 15 year ones.

lowsound

iamlowsound · #20 02-04-2008, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atoz

Agree 100%. I had my roof done this past summer. The house is 54 years old and had never had the shingles stripped - just covered with new layers. There were 4 of them

. The previous ownders had obviously been doing it htemselves, as no legitimate roofer would do 4 layers AFAIK. I had mine stripped down to the wood, the good bit of rot removed, and new felt/shingle laid down. A lot of coin, but well worth the expense.

There are some roofers that will just cover the old ones. Depends on the building codes in the area and what the manufacture specifies.

lowsound