Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
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Post by Lizard Queen on Sept 7, 2021 10:57:44 GMT -5
Oh geez, generic repairs have only cost us about $1000 or so/year. We bought this house knowing we'd remodel the whole thing gradually, though, and that's where the big bucks come in.
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happyhoix
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Oct 7, 2011 7:22:42 GMT -5
Posts: 20,781
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Post by happyhoix on Sept 7, 2021 13:06:25 GMT -5
Tornado hitting the house. About 10,000 k for tree removal and yard repair on our 1 acre lot (home owners only covers tree damage to trees that fall on your house) and around 20,000 to cover the repairs the home owners didn’t- like replacing all the windows so they would major, not just the 50% that actually broke).
Yes we had good insurance, that’s just what insurance does to mitigate their losses - pass as much onto you as they can.
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Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 23:44:23 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2021 14:20:15 GMT -5
So, I was thinking getting the account to $10k would be good. We’re not far from that now. I want to keep that as a sort of EF for the house. Does that sound reasonable, or should it be more?
If it is, I want to use whatever we save for the house over that amount, to take care of some things that aren’t strictly necessary. The only necessary repairs I see on the horizon is the deck, we’re going to need to do something with it, either rebuild it or tear it down and use the patio underneath. We also need to repair the walkway to the front door, it has a spot where it’s crumbling. I guess new windows are a need too, since all of them are drafty. I kinda don’t want to think about that right now though, because that sounds really expensive. I think I’ll let Mister figure that one out.
I do better with saving money when it’s for a specific thing. Even when we’ve been able to pay for repairs without using the account, it always helped my peace of mind knowing that if we needed it, it was there. Especially after it started to seem like we were constantly having to fix one thing or another.
Anyhoo, thank you all for sharing your experiences with your homes and the costs.
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Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 23:44:23 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2021 14:33:30 GMT -5
Tornado hitting the house. About 10,000 k for tree removal and yard repair on our 1 acre lot (home owners only covers tree damage to trees that fall on your house) and around 20,000 to cover the repairs the home owners didn’t- like replacing all the windows so they would match not just the 50% that actually broke). Yes we had good insurance, that’s just what insurance does to mitigate their losses - pass as much onto you as they can. One caveat on insurance: if you're in an area that gets a lot of windstorms, you may have only partial coverage on an older roof. That means that if you've got a 20-year roof and 10 years after it's installed it needs replacement after a windstorm you'll get half the cost of a new roof, not 100%, from the insurance company. In areas such as TX, it was really driving up the cost of homeowner's insurance when every windstorm meant the insurance company paid for a brand new roof even if they'd just paid for a new one 3 years before. And this is/was why all those roofing contractors swarm the area from out of state and put up signs (Free Roof!* *Must have insurance) after a major storm. They smell money. Eventually the cost of multiple roof replacements gets passed on to policyholders in the form of higher premiums.
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Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,357
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Post by Tiny on Sept 7, 2021 14:50:51 GMT -5
I think being aware that 10K of your money is for house repair/big maintenance is a good idea. It helps when planning big expenses for the house. I don't think keeping 10K in an account earning less than 1% interest is a good plan. Oddly, I've never had a house "emergency expense" where I needed more than $500 in cash or check available. All of the other big expenses were things where I had the opportunity to figure out how I would pay for the thing or how long I needed to 'wait' in order to afford the thing. It's a bit of a balancing act combined with a juggling act. You want to have some $$ in the EF - maybe 1K or 2K (that would cover most house emergencies) the rest of the 10K can go somewhere working for you - invested? I'd go invested. Especially if I had access to a HELOC and CC cards. Then you just have in your head that if you need to - you can "spend your investments" up to X dollars on your house - because you SAVED that money to spend. If you do an inventory of your house/property - ages of the appliances, water heater, HVAC, sump pump(s)/battery backup, roof, wood or plastic fencing, decks or porches, patios or driveways, any structures on your property - like a garage or a shed... and then think about the life span of them and where you are in those lifespans. Odds are you are doing yearly (or every few years) checks or maintenance on some of the things - staining fencing/replacing rotted boards, staining decks or porches, sealing concrete patios or driveways (or just making sure water drains off them correctly). That should give you some idea of things that MAY need money thrown at them in the near, middle, or distant future. You might want to work in any remodels you want and need to do.. this is the time to think about it and how it fits into the other "moving parts" of your house. Doing this exercise doesn't set things in stone - but it does give you an idea of what might be coming up or what big expense you might want/need to be aware of in the middle term future (5 to 10 years). And then you can plan your "spending plan" around that. I've found that the bigger my "investment accounts" got the less I felt I need to keep in easy to get to money (earning no interest). Instead of 40K or 50K - I've whittled it down over the years to about 15K - some of which is the "minimum balance" cushion in various accounts to keep the accounts free. I am currently slowly building some "cash" as I am planning/expecting to replace my roof in the next 24 months. I will probably have cash on hand - when the time comes - but I will most likely use a combo of cash and HELOC (or 0% offer CC) depending on interest rates.
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bean29
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 22:26:57 GMT -5
Posts: 9,887
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Post by bean29 on Sept 7, 2021 14:57:34 GMT -5
We have a flexible budget, so I don't have a specific pot of $$ for maintenance.
We should replace the front door and the slider in the kitchen.
I have two windows that the Gas in the center of the panes is leaking. Mfg sent replacement panes, one is fine, the other one is the wrong size. I sent and e-mail telling them that, no response. I have to follow up on it. One window is over our badement stairs...DH wants to do both windows at the same time.
We need to stain the deck.
We need a new upper patio on the rental property.
We need blinds for DH's office.
We want new flooring in our house.
I would like a new fridge, but that will lead to changing out other appliances, so I am waiting till I lose at least one. I also wanted a new sink, but, we decided not to mess with it, b/c DH is afraid that changing the sink will lead to damage to the counter top. I would like to change the kitchen layout, so I am holding off until the last possible moment to change anything in the kitchen.
DH is working on DS's house. Yesterday he went to change the fan in the lower, and realized that there was no support holding up the old fan. The piece that was supposed to be going between the joists, was going parallel to the joists, so the whole weight of the fan was pulling down on the ceiling. DH said that is why the ceiling has cracks in it. Grr. Took a few hours, but he got it all installed. Next is order carpet, install the vinyl plank flooring we bought and order some carpet. Oh, and we are going to change up things in the kitchens, but it is not as important.
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sesfw
Junior Associate
Today is the first day of the rest of my life
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 15:45:17 GMT -5
Posts: 6,268
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Post by sesfw on Sept 9, 2021 19:09:16 GMT -5
Our biggest repair last year was replacing windows. The seal had broken in them including a door wall and the total cost was just under $20K. Out of pocket.
We have added things through the years, but this was an actual repair.
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countrygirl2
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 7, 2016 15:45:05 GMT -5
Posts: 16,715
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Post by countrygirl2 on Sept 21, 2021 23:48:26 GMT -5
$6k for hardwood. We plan to finish the basement don't know the cost. DIY is us, so build walls at each end, same with outside wall. Add bathroom down there. Probably $1500 for the bathroom fixtures, drywall, and paint plus drop ceiling in the basement. That' won't be cheap. Then the house will be done.
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Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 23:44:23 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2021 8:05:47 GMT -5
Our biggest repair last year was replacing windows. The seal had broken in them including a door wall and the total cost was just under $20K. Out of pocket. We have added things through the years, but this was an actual repair. Yeah, this can be a killer. When we bought this house we knew that there was condensation between the panes in many of the windows and got a concession on the price but it wasn't enough to cover the actual costs. Whatever prices are posted on-line, double them. Somehow every window will turn out to be a custom size and cost more. We also ended up changing the configuration of the windows to save money on the replacement (I don't remember the details now) but that meant the blinds didn't fit anymore. Eventually I got plantation shutters. More $$$ but I love them. If all goes well next year (no giant unexpected expenses, decent investment returns) I have a couple more windows to replace.
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thyme4change
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 13:54:08 GMT -5
Posts: 40,327
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Post by thyme4change on Sept 22, 2021 9:32:37 GMT -5
We replaces our HVAC about 18 years ago. It was 6k, but we got a good deal, it probably should have been closer to $8. We will need to replace it again soon, and I was talking to the guy and he said the best ones are $15k, and then spent time telling me how they have improved. I dont know if the 15 includes labor.
New roof - probably 10k.
Finding out our sewer pipes have all disintegrated and digging up the slab to replace all of them - that was about 20k, I think. Luckily we were already redoing the floor and one of the bathrooms, so this just added 20k to the cost. If I hadn't been doing that anyway, I would probably tell you it cost more because I had to replace or repair everything. We also had to go stay elsewhere. In hindsight, I should have been more firm with my husband. He kept saying we could stay there, or stay at my Mom's and we kept moving around. Knowing what I know now, I would have found an air-b-n-b that would give me a deal on 6 weeks. It would have been way less stressful.
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laterbloomer
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 26, 2018 0:50:42 GMT -5
Posts: 4,347
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Post by laterbloomer on Sept 22, 2021 10:16:21 GMT -5
Ok, my list in the 9 years I have owned this house; redo driveway - $5,000 renovate basement - $10,000 renovate upstairs bathroom - $12,000 new HVAC - $9,000 (stupidly financed it at a high interest rate) update electrical to breakers - $3,000 installed Generlink with generator - $3000 Upgraded front steps - $1000 Finishing touches on existing deck - included in $1000 for front steps New roof and siding on wooden shed- $1,200 New flooring through out - $3,000 Total - $47,200/9 = $5,244/year I'm not sure I like this game, it seems like a lot when I list it like that!
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nidena
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 28, 2010 20:32:26 GMT -5
Posts: 3,575
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Post by nidena on Sept 22, 2021 14:22:11 GMT -5
We replaces our HVAC about 18 years ago. It was 6k, but we got a good deal, it probably should have been closer to $8. We will need to replace it again soon, and I was talking to the guy and he said the best ones are $15k, and then spent time telling me how they have improved. I dont know if the 15 includes labor. New roof - probably 10k. Finding out our sewer pipes have all disintegrated and digging up the slab to replace all of them - that was about 20k, I think. Luckily we were already redoing the floor and one of the bathrooms, so this just added 20k to the cost. If I hadn't been doing that anyway, I would probably tell you it cost more because I had to replace or repair everything. We also had to go stay elsewhere. In hindsight, I should have been more firm with my husband. He kept saying we could stay there, or stay at my Mom's and we kept moving around. Knowing what I know now, I would have found an air-b-n-b that would give me a deal on 6 weeks. It would have been way less stressful. In 2018, I replaced two HVACs, a water heater, and a garbage disposal. It was $22k all together and I saved some on labor because everything was done within the same 8-hour window. ETA: This was on the east coast.
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tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,831
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Post by tskeeter on Sept 22, 2021 17:37:51 GMT -5
So, I was thinking getting the account to $10k would be good. We’re not far from that now. I want to keep that as a sort of EF for the house. Does that sound reasonable, or should it be more? If it is, I want to use whatever we save for the house over that amount, to take care of some things that aren’t strictly necessary. The only necessary repairs I see on the horizon is the deck, we’re going to need to do something with it, either rebuild it or tear it down and use the patio underneath. We also need to repair the walkway to the front door, it has a spot where it’s crumbling. I guess new windows are a need too, since all of them are drafty. I kinda don’t want to think about that right now though, because that sounds really expensive. I think I’ll let Mister figure that one out. I do better with saving money when it’s for a specific thing. Even when we’ve been able to pay for repairs without using the account, it always helped my peace of mind knowing that if we needed it, it was there. Especially after it started to seem like we were constantly having to fix one thing or another. Anyhoo, thank you all for sharing your experiences with your homes and the costs. I think that most sales of replacement windows are kind of a scam. Most of the energy efficiency improvements that window sales people tout comes from modern window installation techniques, not from the window itself. Unless your window frames are rotting or failing in some other fashion, I wouldn’t replace the windows. Drafty windows, such as yours, are usually caused by one of two issues. Wear of the seals that the window opens and closes against. Or, more frequently, gaps that allow air to leak between the window frame and the framing for the house (a likely problem for any house built more than 15 or 20 years ago, before sealing the gap between window frames and house framing with foam was a standard practice). The window seals are replaceable. (We’ve seen Norm and Tommy do it dozens of times on This Old House.) That’d be a lot smaller project than replacing the entire windows. Air leaking around the windows is fairly easily corrected, too. Remove the interior window trim, remove any old insulation between the window frame and the house framing, squirt some low expanding foam into the gap (the foam actually seals the gap against air leakage), reinstall the window trim. I’m thinking that you should be able to repair your drafty windows in the whole house for about the cost of replacing just two or three of the windows. An experienced DIYer could probably do either project for a few hundred dollars.
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Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 23:44:23 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2021 18:06:26 GMT -5
$6k for hardwood. We plan to finish the basement don't know the cost. DIY is us, so build walls at each end, same with outside wall. Add bathroom down there. Probably $1500 for the bathroom fixtures, drywall, and paint plus drop ceiling in the basement. That' won't be cheap. Then the house will be done. Is a house ever really “done”? I don’t think so lol.
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Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 23:44:23 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2021 18:12:09 GMT -5
We replaces our HVAC about 18 years ago. It was 6k, but we got a good deal, it probably should have been closer to $8. We will need to replace it again soon, and I was talking to the guy and he said the best ones are $15k, and then spent time telling me how they have improved. I dont know if the 15 includes labor. New roof - probably 10k. Finding out our sewer pipes have all disintegrated and digging up the slab to replace all of them - that was about 20k, I think. Luckily we were already redoing the floor and one of the bathrooms, so this just added 20k to the cost. If I hadn't been doing that anyway, I would probably tell you it cost more because I had to replace or repair everything. We also had to go stay elsewhere. In hindsight, I should have been more firm with my husband. He kept saying we could stay there, or stay at my Mom's and we kept moving around. Knowing what I know now, I would have found an air-b-n-b that would give me a deal on 6 weeks. It would have been way less stressful. I’m fortunate to have an HVAC guy that works cheap. He’s not happy that we have a Trane here. He says their slogan is true, that it’s hard to stop a Trane, but when it does stop, it’s a problem. You can’t just go buy parts to fix it like other brands. If I had to spend $40k to fix my house, I’d cry a river of tears.
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Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 23:44:23 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2021 18:19:23 GMT -5
So, I was thinking getting the account to $10k would be good. We’re not far from that now. I want to keep that as a sort of EF for the house. Does that sound reasonable, or should it be more? If it is, I want to use whatever we save for the house over that amount, to take care of some things that aren’t strictly necessary. The only necessary repairs I see on the horizon is the deck, we’re going to need to do something with it, either rebuild it or tear it down and use the patio underneath. We also need to repair the walkway to the front door, it has a spot where it’s crumbling. I guess new windows are a need too, since all of them are drafty. I kinda don’t want to think about that right now though, because that sounds really expensive. I think I’ll let Mister figure that one out. I do better with saving money when it’s for a specific thing. Even when we’ve been able to pay for repairs without using the account, it always helped my peace of mind knowing that if we needed it, it was there. Especially after it started to seem like we were constantly having to fix one thing or another. Anyhoo, thank you all for sharing your experiences with your homes and the costs. I think that most sales of replacement windows are kind of a scam. Most of the energy efficiency improvements that window sales people tout comes from modern window installation techniques, not from the window itself. Unless your window frames are rotting or failing in some other fashion, I wouldn’t replace the windows. Drafty windows, such as yours, are usually caused by one of two issues. Wear of the seals that the window opens and closes against. Or, more frequently, gaps that allow air to leak between the window frame and the framing for the house (a likely problem for any house built more than 15 or 20 years ago, before sealing the gap between window frames and house framing with foam was a standard practice). The window seals are replaceable. (We’ve seen Norm and Tommy do it dozens of times on This Old House.) That’d be a lot smaller project than replacing the entire windows. Air leaking around the windows is fairly easily corrected, too. Remove the interior window trim, remove any old insulation between the window frame and the house framing, squirt some low expanding foam into the gap (the foam actually seals the gap against air leakage), reinstall the window trim. I’m thinking that you should be able to repair your drafty windows in the whole house for about the cost of replacing just two or three of the windows. An experienced DIYer could probably do either project for a few hundred dollars. I’m not good at DIY, and Mister is great with mechanical stuff, but I’m not so sure about fixing the windows. My other house is even older than this one, and didn’t have these kinds of drafts. I thought the double pane windows at the other house were a plus in some way (idk exactly how lol), vs the single pane windows here. I’m good with just repairing whatever will get rid of all the drafts. Idk if Mister knows repairs are possible, or if he just wants new windows. I don’t care one way or another, if he wants new windows even though these could be repaired, that will be his baby.
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souldoubt
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 4, 2011 11:57:14 GMT -5
Posts: 2,745
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Post by souldoubt on Sept 22, 2021 18:34:21 GMT -5
We're in the process of getting rid of all the carpet in our house and having vinyl flooring installed on our stairs. The guys doing the work removed the old balusters and left the handrail in place. I was ready for the cost of the flooring but what I wasn't ready for is the quotes I've gotten to sand, refinish and stain the old handrail while installing new balusters on the staircase. This isn't some grand staircase where you'll take a picture of your kids as they head off to prom and we aren't looking to have any design on the balusters yet the quotes are coming in at $5K and up. I'm going to keep looking and check with one of my neighbors who is a contractor to see if he knows anyone but I'm not going to hold my breath that it comes in much cheaper than that. Like laterbloomber we're just over 9 years in and have spent about the same as she has. A lot of it was for projects that went from fixing into renovating but it's still more than I would have thought we would spend on a place we keep saying isn't our forever home.
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thyme4change
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 13:54:08 GMT -5
Posts: 40,327
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Post by thyme4change on Sept 22, 2021 18:34:38 GMT -5
We replaces our HVAC about 18 years ago. It was 6k, but we got a good deal, it probably should have been closer to $8. We will need to replace it again soon, and I was talking to the guy and he said the best ones are $15k, and then spent time telling me how they have improved. I dont know if the 15 includes labor. New roof - probably 10k. Finding out our sewer pipes have all disintegrated and digging up the slab to replace all of them - that was about 20k, I think. Luckily we were already redoing the floor and one of the bathrooms, so this just added 20k to the cost. If I hadn't been doing that anyway, I would probably tell you it cost more because I had to replace or repair everything. We also had to go stay elsewhere. In hindsight, I should have been more firm with my husband. He kept saying we could stay there, or stay at my Mom's and we kept moving around. Knowing what I know now, I would have found an air-b-n-b that would give me a deal on 6 weeks. It would have been way less stressful. I’m fortunate to have an HVAC guy that works cheap. He’s not happy that we have a Trane here. He says their slogan is true, that it’s hard to stop a Trane, but when it does stop, it’s a problem. You can’t just go buy parts to fix it like other brands. If I had to spend $40k to fix my house, I’d cry a river of tears. We have put more into the house than we paid for it originally. But we keep doing projects. It cost us 50k to redo our backyard, fence and exterior doors. It was 12k to do a bathroom. We added a laundry room and that was like 40k. We did the rest of the house for 150k. Now our pool needs to be resurfaced and a new AC. I think we are still ahead in real dollars because values in the neighborhood are crazy, but it is close. I guess better than escalating rental rates around here. Probably a wash.
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tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,831
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Post by tskeeter on Sept 22, 2021 18:58:53 GMT -5
I think that most sales of replacement windows are kind of a scam. Most of the energy efficiency improvements that window sales people tout comes from modern window installation techniques, not from the window itself. Unless your window frames are rotting or failing in some other fashion, I wouldn’t replace the windows. Drafty windows, such as yours, are usually caused by one of two issues. Wear of the seals that the window opens and closes against. Or, more frequently, gaps that allow air to leak between the window frame and the framing for the house (a likely problem for any house built more than 15 or 20 years ago, before sealing the gap between window frames and house framing with foam was a standard practice). The window seals are replaceable. (We’ve seen Norm and Tommy do it dozens of times on This Old House.) That’d be a lot smaller project than replacing the entire windows. Air leaking around the windows is fairly easily corrected, too. Remove the interior window trim, remove any old insulation between the window frame and the house framing, squirt some low expanding foam into the gap (the foam actually seals the gap against air leakage), reinstall the window trim. I’m thinking that you should be able to repair your drafty windows in the whole house for about the cost of replacing just two or three of the windows. An experienced DIYer could probably do either project for a few hundred dollars. I’m not good at DIY, and Mister is great with mechanical stuff, but I’m not so sure about fixing the windows. My other house is even older than this one, and didn’t have these kinds of drafts. I thought the double pane windows at the other house were a plus in some way (idk exactly how lol), vs the single pane windows here. I’m good with just repairing whatever will get rid of all the drafts. Idk if Mister knows repairs are possible, or if he just wants new windows. I don’t care one way or another, if he wants new windows even though these could be repaired, that will be his baby. I suspect that the reason the older house doesn’t have drafty windows is that the windows might have been replaced (the clue is the dual pane windows in an old house) and the new windows might have been sealed with foam when they were installed. Dual pane windows are more efficient than single pane, but it’s a matter of degrees. Although a dual pane window is nearly twice as energy efficient as a single pane window, the savings is less than you’d think. Newman Windows and Doors estimates that dual pane windows would save you between $100 and $400 a year, if you have electric heating. Since electric heat is significantly more expensive than gas or fuel oil, most folks would probably save closer to $75 to $300 a year by replacing single pane windows with dual pane windows. Assuming relatively ambitious savings of $300 a year, it would take nearly 67 years of savings to pay for $20K worth of windows.
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Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 23:44:23 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2021 19:54:34 GMT -5
We're in the process of getting rid of all the carpet in our house and having vinyl flooring installed on our stairs. The guys doing the work removed the old balusters and left the handrail in place. I was ready for the cost of the flooring but what I wasn't ready for is the quotes I've gotten to sand, refinish and stain the old handrail while installing new balusters on the staircase. This isn't some grand staircase where you'll take a picture of your kids as they head off to prom and we aren't looking to have any design on the balusters yet the quotes are coming in at $5K and up. I'm going to keep looking and check with one of my neighbors who is a contractor to see if he knows anyone but I'm not going to hold my breath that it comes in much cheaper than that. Like laterbloomber we're just over 9 years in and have spent about the same as she has. A lot of it was for projects that went from fixing into renovating but it's still more than I would have thought we would spend on a place we keep saying isn't our forever home. I intended for my house to be a “starter” house. Then a lot of stuff happened with my children, I pretty much went broke over a few years of trying to keep them alive and healthy. A few years after that, they graduated high school, went to college/moved out, and my house didn’t seem so small anymore. I’d started to recover financially, but my then I had my eye on retirement even though I was nowhere near close to it. Going broke made me kind of cheap in some ways, so I chose trying to retire ASAP over buying another house, and my “starter home” became my “forever home” in my mind. So I started spending money on it. I had a spreadsheet with everything I wanted to do, the order I wanted to do it in, and estimated costs. I started with necessary repairs, then moved on to the structure/ things attached to the house that improved what I called “function”. I saved the strictly “wants” and fun stuff (that were also the most costly) for last. Just when I got to that part, I met Mister. Then we got serious and started making plans, and I was in limbo with my house because I was no longer sure it would be my forever home. Even with that, in the 20 years I’ve owned the house, I don’t think I’ve spent $20k on repairs and improvements. I was a single woman and I always “knew” people (NOT necessarily in the Biblical sense!). When I started doing all the real work, I met a contractor that had his own business was a master electrician and licensed plumber, he could fix anything on a house, and did good work. Most of the time, I just had to pay for materials. He never wanted my money for his labor. I think he charged me $30 one time, and I was happy to give it to him. I was willing to pay him his real rates, but he would never let me, so I’d take him out to dinner or cook for him. And he did a LOT of work for me on my house. So “knowing people”, especially that one guy, saved me a bundle of money at my other house. I was shocked how much it cost when I had a plumber come out after Mister and I got serious. And honestly, I was not happy. Sanding and refinishing and staining your handrails sounds similar the problem we ran into trying to get the rail around our deck refinished. We were advised it would be less expensive to just replace it.
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Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 23:44:23 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2021 19:57:48 GMT -5
I’m not good at DIY, and Mister is great with mechanical stuff, but I’m not so sure about fixing the windows. My other house is even older than this one, and didn’t have these kinds of drafts. I thought the double pane windows at the other house were a plus in some way (idk exactly how lol), vs the single pane windows here. I’m good with just repairing whatever will get rid of all the drafts. Idk if Mister knows repairs are possible, or if he just wants new windows. I don’t care one way or another, if he wants new windows even though these could be repaired, that will be his baby. I suspect that the reason the older house doesn’t have drafty windows is that the windows might have been replaced (the clue is the dual pane windows in an old house) and the new windows might have been sealed with foam when they were installed. Dual pane windows are more efficient than single pane, but it’s a matter of degrees. Although a dual pane window is nearly twice as energy efficient as a single pane window, the savings is less than you’d think. Newman Windows and Doors estimates that dual pane windows would save you between $100 and $400 a year, if you have electric heating. Since electric heat is significantly more expensive than gas or fuel oil, most folks would probably save closer to $75 to $300 a year by replacing single pane windows with dual pane windows. Assuming relatively ambitious savings of $300 a year, it would take nearly 67 years of savings to pay for $20K worth of windows. I’m leaving the decisions about the windows to Mister. As long as he has something done about the drafts, I don’t care about new windows or not. I’ve NEVER lived somewhere that I could stand near a window and feel cold air coming in. I don’t like it, and I’m sure it affects our heating and cooling costs.
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laterbloomer
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 26, 2018 0:50:42 GMT -5
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Post by laterbloomer on Sept 22, 2021 20:12:12 GMT -5
$6k for hardwood. We plan to finish the basement don't know the cost. DIY is us, so build walls at each end, same with outside wall. Add bathroom down there. Probably $1500 for the bathroom fixtures, drywall, and paint plus drop ceiling in the basement. That' won't be cheap. Then the house will be done. Is a house ever really “done”? I don’t think so lol. Ain't that the truth! Every time I think I'm getting to the end of my list I suddenly see a couple more things I really want to do.
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countrygirl2
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 7, 2016 15:45:05 GMT -5
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Post by countrygirl2 on Sept 22, 2021 20:24:22 GMT -5
Our geothermal heating and cooling system was original to the house, its now 18 years old, same as the carpet. A couple of years ago spent $2k on it and its been fine since. We hear the loop in the ground should last 30 years or more. I asked out of curiosity what a new one would cost, over $30k. I doubt we do that. If it comes to that will likely go propane, will see if the time ever comes. There is little or no maintenance for this system except for filters which are not cheap. We have been here 9 years, hard to believe.
In fact we turned the heat on this afternoon, its 57 out right now, is to get to 44 tonight and 41 tomorrow night, brrrr.
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Cookies Galore
Senior Associate
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 18:08:13 GMT -5
Posts: 10,708
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Post by Cookies Galore on Sept 22, 2021 20:50:11 GMT -5
This year we had the gas line in the kitchen moved back (fun fact, convection ovens don't have that little indent in the back that fits around your gas line), had a French drain and sump pump installed in the basement, got a new hot water heater and replaced old galvanized pipes in the basement, replaced some downspouts, redid the flat roof in the back of our house, and I think that is it for this year. Fingers crossed. I'm pretty sure this has been our most expensive year so far, aside from the day I had to get a big bank check to buy this house. In 2017 we replaced the furnace, AC, and had some ductwork done; that was $10,000. We did need to surprise buy a new range in December, but we put that on the ol' Best Buy card so we could just pay some each month instead of dipping into savings (yay 0% offers, boo ovens releasing unburned gas when you just wanted to bake cookies). Our house was built in 1911. One of these days we're going to get away from the structural updates and get to do fun things, like tear down our mudroom and rebuild, and add a half bath and bring the laundry upstairs. Previous owners of our house redid the kitchen and bathroom. Or maybe we'll just paint, lol.
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tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
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Post by tskeeter on Sept 22, 2021 22:20:35 GMT -5
Our geothermal heating and cooling system was original to the house, its now 18 years old, same as the carpet. A couple of years ago spent $2k on it and its been fine since. We hear the loop in the ground should last 30 years or more. I asked out of curiosity what a new one would cost, over $30k. I doubt we do that. If it comes to that will likely go propane, will see if the time ever comes. There is little or no maintenance for this system except for filters which are not cheap. We have been here 9 years, hard to believe. In fact we turned the heat on this afternoon, its 57 out right now, is to get to 44 tonight and 41 tomorrow night, brrrr. Hmmm - When it is time to replace your ground loop, I wonder if you could just pull a new pipe (or some kind of pipe liner) through the old pipe?
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countrygirl2
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 7, 2016 15:45:05 GMT -5
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Post by countrygirl2 on Sept 23, 2021 7:38:44 GMT -5
I have no idea about the loop. They do say they can last 40 years, so maybe it will.
We put on a 40 year metal roof, the supervisor at the Amish company, said he has been there longer then that and so far none have ever failed.
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susana1954
Well-Known Member
Joined: Feb 23, 2021 18:50:55 GMT -5
Posts: 1,392
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Post by susana1954 on Sept 23, 2021 16:45:13 GMT -5
Well, I just noticed that the top board on several of my decks' railings are rotting. It has been a strange summer with rain and then heat, rinse and repeat.
I'm having the house painted and decks stained in the spring so I will have them replaced then. I have two decks, one small and one large. It annoys me because the deck is only 12 years old and has been maintained religiously.
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Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 23:44:23 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2021 16:04:33 GMT -5
I don’t know how old our deck is, but it has started to work my nerves. We’re going to have to make a decision on what to do with it soon.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Dummy (previous homeowner) built it himself. It looks like his kind of work.
Given that, I’m guessing we should probably tear it down and rebuild it instead of trying to fix it. Or tear it down and just use the patio underneath
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trimatty471
Established Member
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 3:59:02 GMT -5
Posts: 482
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Post by trimatty471 on Oct 17, 2021 13:48:07 GMT -5
Old house: $8200 to replace the wooden deck. The wood was rotted on the old one.
Current: $6500 to bring the electricity up to code.
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countrygirl2
Senior Associate
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Post by countrygirl2 on Oct 19, 2021 10:35:20 GMT -5
I just can't imagine money like that. Hubs has saved us a fortune on everything. The man can fix mechanical, electrical, carpentry, and more. He admits the new electronics are beyond him mainly because of so much of the test equipment, so that costs, but not often.
He fixes his backhoe, truck, and tractor. He has a lot of BIG tools but once in awhile does not.
Repairs mowers and everything, puts in water lines. And he is still a working fool.
Hubs tells me all the time if he passes on first to start selling out, that maintenance now at my age would eat me alive. I agree, just can't work like I used to. Our son is picking up like dad able to do all kinds of things, plus electronics, but he is to far away and won't want to come back here. Hubs said you might be better off to just rent, also not stuck in one place. Will consider that, because if that ever happens, I'm moving to where ever son and DIL are.
The bad thing at our house there will be very little maintenance other then lawn care, this place requires no exterior painting and geo thermal is clean heat so rarely needs painting inside. And its new enough that not much will happen to the structure. But just to far out, may have to rethink that, but I definitely will sell the rentals.
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