tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post4360290503599736295..comments2024-03-28T22:03:06.328-04:00Comments on Live and Learn-Toss and Turn: House Changes--Part 5Live and Learnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-24889850096699669322016-11-02T02:56:46.006-04:002016-11-02T02:56:46.006-04:00Congratulations on buying your new house! The proc...Congratulations on buying your new house! The process can be long and complicated but it is worth it in the end. Sounds like you had a very thorough inspection done and you were able to get some money for a few things. Good luck in your new home and I hope you enjoy it for many years to come.<br /><br /><a href="https://electricalexpertsblog.wordpress.com/2016/10/06/let-a-trusted-electrician-install-a-gfci-outlet-for-your-homes-safety/" rel="nofollow">Neville @ Electrical Experts</a>Nevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01284636293810392289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-38134259484625550632016-08-16T15:42:39.208-04:002016-08-16T15:42:39.208-04:00I think it's going to be a good move.I think it's going to be a good move.<br />Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-21337338736421944552016-08-16T15:30:47.514-04:002016-08-16T15:30:47.514-04:00Haha, in the middle of the night. That's a go...Haha, in the middle of the night. That's a good one. I hope the house works well for you.Strayerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08124298302997708537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-86209603094579685912016-08-16T07:09:09.523-04:002016-08-16T07:09:09.523-04:00This area is on bedrock with naturally occurring r...This area is on bedrock with naturally occurring radon. It's a problem in most places. To mitigate it, they drill a hole through the foundation and install a pipe that goes through the roof. In the pipe there is a fan that continuously draws the radon rich air from under the slab to above the roof. It's a fairly simple process that works well and cost about $900 to install. We have done it to the current house we live in. Although I have to admit that we only did it recently in anticipation of selling. Another thing we've been meaning to get to that just happened.Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-78479565881850421862016-08-16T07:04:21.377-04:002016-08-16T07:04:21.377-04:00That sounds like an expensive mess. I have never h...That sounds like an expensive mess. I have never heard of an inspection for insurance, but I guess it makes sense.Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-41275335336903071912016-08-16T07:03:28.588-04:002016-08-16T07:03:28.588-04:00Good advice. I had thought of it earlier, but had ...Good advice. I had thought of it earlier, but had totally forgotten about it. I think that's the same brand my vet uses. Thanks.<br /><br />I wish I could tell what was going on with your browsers, but I have no clue. I do know that I have to use only Firefox for somethings and Chrome for others because somethings won't work on one or the other of them.Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-68572509302372384112016-08-15T22:28:35.029-04:002016-08-15T22:28:35.029-04:00Yowza! That was quick! So, what are you going to d...Yowza! That was quick! So, what are you going to do to mitigate the radon? I have to admit that while I'm not at all envious of the work involved, the idea of a fresh start home-wise does sound somewhat appealing. Can't wait to hear more as this saga unfolds!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-21385319734368859102016-08-15T20:58:47.123-04:002016-08-15T20:58:47.123-04:00Our house is 86 years old. We had a very comprehe...Our house is 86 years old. We had a very comprehensive house inspection that also took several hours (we were both present and followed the inspector around along with our agent) and yet we had a lot of problems once we moved in that required very very expensive and unexpected repairs pretty much as soon as we moved in. Going after the home inspector, according to the lawyer that we consulted, would have cost us more money and might not have resulted in a judgement in our favor if the inspector said there was no way he could have known about those specific problems. And maybe he couldn't have but it was still a tough pill to swallow. <br /><br />Among other things ALL the appliances either died or had to be repaired in the year that we moved in (the fridge died the same day) so the home warranty that we had insisted on the seller to include came in handy. If the appliances are older (including the water heater), you might want to ask for that. Back then it only cost something like $300 a year, not sure what it would cost nowadays.<br /><br />The electrical system in the main part of our house (the part built in 1930) isn't grounded, but at the time of our purchase, it was grandfathered in so we didn't have to replace it although we were told that it was very dangerous. Well, we've been here 14 years and so far so good, knock on wood. But the main electric panel for the house was the old kind with the knob fuses. It passed inspection back in 2002. Between 2002 and 2013 or 2014, that specific type and brand of panel was flagged as extremely dangerous because a lot of houses had gone up in flames due to it. So the insurance company that inspected our house refused to issue a policy unless we had it replaced. Since it had to be brought up to code and it was the main panel for the house, we also had to pay to have a riser installed on the roof because back when they had connected the electric wire from the electric pole in the backyard to that panel (years and years ago), the height of the wire connection was fine according to code but now it needed to be 3 feet higher (which frankly, suited me fine because I always thought that wire was too low and it made me nervous). So all this together meant that we had to spend $4,000 (I think it might even have been a little more, I've erased the real number from my memory) on that electric panel and riser for any insurer to cover our house. I suspect that when we go to sell it, we might have to completely rewire the house if the code now says that no house cannot be completely grounded. I'm afraid to ask the question because I'd rather not know until we have to know!<br /><br />I understand the situation that you're in where you either have to accept the seller's terms or walk away from the house. I think I will be that kind of seller when it comes time to unload this house, lol! I hope most of your repairs will have to be cosmetic :)Nathaliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01654610295436446555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-44826291577055048462016-08-15T20:48:21.495-04:002016-08-15T20:48:21.495-04:00OK, Firefox froze up on me, so I'll try this a...OK, Firefox froze up on me, so I'll try this again on Google Chrome. When my mom moved earlier this summer, the vet recommended she try a synthetic cat hormone to calm the cat and help him transition to his new environment, and I think it really helped. It is available in a variety of forms, but she used a plug-in diffuser in the room she thought he'd spend the most time in (which is tricky to determine in a new home--she went with where the litter box/food dish was placed). Here's the link if you are interested: http://www.feliway.comKrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-41831163057326794232016-08-15T20:22:59.813-04:002016-08-15T20:22:59.813-04:00It has one story living including laundry (now we ...It has one story living including laundry (now we have bedrooms up and laundry in the basement, eat in kitchen and dining room (now we only have a dining room) a mudroom (none now), a larger family room, smaller yard (now we have two acres and this one has one) a separate workshop for Ward (he uses half of our garage now), different county than we presently live in (present county has lots of taxes and regulations), a living area in the basement including a bedroom and full bath, canning kitchen in unfinished part of basement, lots of storage, etc. There are things we want to update and change, but it's good as it is. <br /><br />I'm not sure how the cats will adapt. I think it will take some transitioning. We don't have a good place to corral them in the new house like we do now in the present house. We like to keep them in the basement at night so we can get some sleep. One of the first orders of business will be to build a wall and fix a cat room in part of the unfinished basement area.<br /><br />Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-30942836413092171452016-08-15T19:45:48.892-04:002016-08-15T19:45:48.892-04:00So what are the real plusses to this house? And ho...So what are the real plusses to this house? And how do you think your cats will like the new place?Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-9718687140186013342016-08-15T19:21:07.876-04:002016-08-15T19:21:07.876-04:00After I got home from work today, I spent 3 hours ...After I got home from work today, I spent 3 hours on the phone and sending emails dealing with new house things. Tonight Ward and I have to go over a packet (60) pages that we got in the mail today and sign some things. Everything seems to be in hurry. But if we don't meet the settlement date, the owner can take the deal away.<br /><br />I hope I sleep well tonight also. A good night's sleep doesn't happen as often as I want these days.Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-73488366563284429902016-08-15T19:16:58.991-04:002016-08-15T19:16:58.991-04:00The house is 27 years old. Some of the building co...The house is 27 years old. Some of the building codes have changed since it was built. Is that what happened to you? <br /><br />We know that we are going to have to spend our own money to get most of the things fixed. The house is selling for less than it normally would because it hasn't been updated for a lot of years. So, we ask for things, but pretty much have to take what the owner says.Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-73600352938862239232016-08-15T18:36:01.912-04:002016-08-15T18:36:01.912-04:00Wow, you have a lot of info to process. I don'...Wow, you have a lot of info to process. I don't envy you. Hope you sleep well tonight!Krisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315851262843522940.post-3043020139838779452016-08-15T18:22:42.731-04:002016-08-15T18:22:42.731-04:00Congrats on having a contract on the house, but ma...Congrats on having a contract on the house, but make sure you get enough money for the fixes. We had to replace our electrical panel a couple of years ago when we needed to get a new HOI company to cover our house since ours had dropped us, and it cost us several thousands of dollars just for that. They had sent someone over to inspect the house for electrical problems due to the age of the house and the panel, that had passed home inspection 14 years ago, had since then been deemed dangerous and outlawed, although we had no idea that it had!<br /><br />How old is the house?Nathaliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01654610295436446555noreply@blogger.com