sean
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Post by sean on Sept 7, 2020 10:59:20 GMT -5
There are places in my city where you can buy secondhand windows. Could be worth a try for some bargains. Also installing storm windows would probably be cheaper than replacing what you have. But it sounds like you've done your research and probably know what you want at this point.
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Noodles
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Post by Noodles on Sept 7, 2020 12:31:35 GMT -5
About to try my hand at replacing all the windows in my house. The current ones are 35+ years old and absolutely shot. In most cases the seals are busted or the sashes won't even close all the way or latch. Constantly dealing with bugs in the house because of it. Windows are an absolute racket. There's no way i'll get my money's worth with them nor will they add more value to the property than they cost. I couldn't believe some of the numbers I was quoted. These are going to cost me $15k and that's me buying them wholesale and doing the install myself. And that was the cheapest I could find for wood clad replacements. Might take me 2 years to complete but I'll probably save $7-8k doing so. I have had really good luck finding windows in the clearance sections at Home Depot and Lowes. Its really hit or miss with sizes but if you're doing it over time, you might find some cheaper options there. If we were going with basic vinyl windows I'd have gone down that route. The big box stores only carry Pella and Anderson wood windows. I found out they are still using outdated metal spacers in their double panes which is energy inefficient and can introduce condensation to where glass meets wood. I wanted something that will last for however long I'm living here. wen't with a smaller company called TrimLine and so far the one test window I put in functions great and seems well constructed. |
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Noodles
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Post by Noodles on Sept 7, 2020 12:38:06 GMT -5
There are places in my city where you can buy secondhand windows. Could be worth a try for some bargains. Also installing storm windows would probably be cheaper than replacing what you have. But it sounds like you've done your research and probably know what you want at this point. If they were original historic true divided light windows I would have done that instead. But these are all wood sashes from the 80s that in absolute shit condition. Kind of regretting not trying to get more of a credit from the seller to help defer the cost, but we were focused on getting some cheddar for the retaining wall that was on the verge of collapsing at the time haha. have to pick your battles. |
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Post by escapedfromthevalley on Sept 7, 2020 12:39:51 GMT -5
Probably the least sexy 12k I have ever spent but I having my attic space re-insulated and the basement rafters sealed. NYS offered financing program to help contractors get jumpstared in the pandemic and I got the whole project financed interest free for 15 years Desperately want to do this but we currently have vermiculite in the attic and I'm terrified about the process and cost of removing it. |
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youvandal
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Post by youvandal on Sept 7, 2020 13:23:11 GMT -5
I have had really good luck finding windows in the clearance sections at Home Depot and Lowes. Its really hit or miss with sizes but if you're doing it over time, you might find some cheaper options there. If we were going with basic vinyl windows I'd have gone down that route. The big box stores only carry Pella and Anderson wood windows. I found out they are still using outdated metal spacers in their double panes which is energy inefficient and can introduce condensation to where glass meets wood. I wanted something that will last for however long I'm living here. wen't with a smaller company called TrimLine and so far the one test window I put in functions great and seems well constructed. Ah yeah, I don't know much about wood windows or honestly windows in general haha, I just assumed vinyl was all anyone offers. After putting in the new HVAC, I need to replace some windows too and make everything run more efficient and I'm not looking forward to it at all |
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gold soundz
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Post by gold soundz on Sept 7, 2020 13:47:37 GMT -5
I got a loan through a non profit that works with the regional utilities for my new windows and hvac system. The payments are added to my monthly utility bills, so theoretically since we installed energy efficient equipment, it offsets the cost. It’s a 15 year loan with pretty low interest. The windows alone were $15k (we had old metal framed ones that didn’t open or close so we had to replace all of them at once), so the loan was pretty much the only way we were able to make things happen.
I also got cash rebates through the utilities for the windows and ac unit. This particular program is for OR and WA, but there are probably similar programs elsewhere that might be worth looking into. I work in energy efficiency and my program offers cash incentives for appliances, insulation, water heaters, etc. I’ve found that most people don’t know this stuff exists so just helping spread the word.
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mindlis
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Post by mindlis on Sept 7, 2020 14:57:36 GMT -5
I got a loan through a non profit that works with the regional utilities for my new windows and hvac system. The payments are added to my monthly utility bills, so theoretically since we installed energy efficient equipment, it offsets the cost. It’s a 15 year loan with pretty low interest. The windows alone were $15k (we had old metal framed ones that didn’t open or close so we had to replace all of them at once), so the loan was pretty much the only way we were able to make things happen. I also got cash rebates through the utilities for the windows and ac unit. This particular program is for OR and WA, but there are probably similar programs elsewhere that might be worth looking into. I work in energy efficiency and my program offers cash incentives for appliances, insulation, water heaters, etc. I’ve found that most people don’t know this stuff exists so just helping spread the word. Yo, can you pm a little about that? My windows are old as fuck, but dunno if I'm trying to spend that much on my own. |
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Noodles
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Post by Noodles on Sept 8, 2020 8:20:12 GMT -5
I got a loan through a non profit that works with the regional utilities for my new windows and hvac system. The payments are added to my monthly utility bills, so theoretically since we installed energy efficient equipment, it offsets the cost. It’s a 15 year loan with pretty low interest. The windows alone were $15k (we had old metal framed ones that didn’t open or close so we had to replace all of them at once), so the loan was pretty much the only way we were able to make things happen. I also got cash rebates through the utilities for the windows and ac unit. This particular program is for OR and WA, but there are probably similar programs elsewhere that might be worth looking into. I work in energy efficiency and my program offers cash incentives for appliances, insulation, water heaters, etc. I’ve found that most people don’t know this stuff exists so just helping spread the word. Yo, can you pm a little about that? My windows are old as fuck, but dunno if I'm trying to spend that much on my own. We have a similar program in MA where you can finance new windows with a no interest loan. They used to give actual rebates for energy efficient windows but they stopped doing so a few years ago. I think I can at least get a tax credit of some sort. We had a chunk of change set aside from the sale of our old house for updates/repairs to the new joint. After putting in hardwood floors, a new retaining wall, walkway/stairs, a new boiler (not planned), and now windows, it's all but gone. Now everything here on out will be done a snail's pace. |
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refill
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Post by refill on Sept 15, 2020 19:25:34 GMT -5
Our dryer stopped getting hot, and I thought it was done for good.
Turns out, replacing the heating element is the easiest repair I think I've ever done. I used a multi-meter to diagnose an open circuit, popped it out, and saw that a coil had indeed broken. I bought a replacement that matched the part number on Amazon for 18 bucks. I popped it in and now it gets to its original heat.
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hayley
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Post by hayley on Sept 15, 2020 20:29:38 GMT -5
I've been in my house for about 3 years now. My wife has more projects in mind than I do, I don't really have any ambitions for the place besides living there and fixing shit when it breaks. My neighbors are cool. Will have a beer with them and shoot the shit if it's nice out and we see them outside. We did buy someone else's flip (was bought in Aug 2015 for $70K, back on market Nov 2015 for $180K, which is what we ended up paying for it in Mar 2016), which means there were some totally half-assed renovations. Everything looked nice, but the inspector (VA loans require one) pointed out (and we had the sellers fix): - Upstairs bathroom sink was not hooked up to water or drainage - Upstairs crawlspaces on either sides of dormers were not insulated properly, filled with rats-nest looking insulation debris - A couple jets in the jacuzzi-tub (which is totally wasted on me, I'm 6'4" and like 280 lbs, I haven't sat/laid down in a bathtub since I was like 10) didn't work - No switch to turn on vent fan in upstairs bathroom - Kitchen sink would not drain, spewed brown debris into sink when garbage disposal was turned on - PVC plumbing had no purple primer on it to indicate properly glued pipes - Breakers were not labeled - Sump pump motor was dead - No internal on/off valve for exterior spigots After all that was fixed, and we bought the place, we ran into the following issues: - The "Pull this tab before installation" tab was not pulled from HVAC condensation pump, found out the first day we used the AC and it flooded our basement. - Moving bolts were not removed from washing machine before installation, so it walked across the room the first time it wen't into spin-cycle. - Roof (which inspector said had 8-10 years left in it) leaked, needed to be stripped and replaced as it had already had 3 layers of shingles on it. - Corrugated steel pipe from kitchen sink drain rotted through, so when the dishwasher drained a huge plume of water would appear on our outside wall on the side of our house (thanks, neighbors, for pointing that out) - Internal on/off valve for exterior spigot was installed, however they installed it in a place where if you turn it off, it not only turns off the water to the outside spigot, but it also turns off the cold water to the kitchen sink. - Thermometer sensor in the oven (which was new) died after 1 year of use. Current things that are more inconveniences than emergencies are all pretty much electrical: - No external outlets, so I have to run an extension cord out the door to use outdoor electrical appliances. - Livingroom overhead recessed flood lights aren't on a dimmer, so either they're off, or bright as fuck. Bright as fuck is cool when I'm cleaning or searching for my keys or something, but not cool for any sort of chilling-type applications. Also, the on/off switch for said lights is also the on/off switch for the ceiling fan, so we don't really ever use the ceiling fan. - Kitchen needs some under-cabinet lighting and some brighter lights in general. When cooking I like my work-space to be operating-room bright. - Light bulbs in basement are those super-energy savers which take like 5 minutes to get fully bright, which is not what I'm looking for while carrying a laundry basket down the stairs. Those are one of those easy swaps that I've just never thought about any time I was anywhere that sold light bulbs. We looked a few bad flips too. Cabinets hung with plaster screws, one looked great but was separating into 3 pieces. I just dipped out of the search but my husband did find the perfect house. We moved in 3 years ago. We are on 2 acres and everyone around us is too. Our nextdoor neighbor is a state cop, super friendly and always offering to help. When Joe was at AT for 2 weeks a tree fell in our front yard and driveway. I bugged him to ask the trooper for help. He was on vacation but immediately sent his cop buddies over and they cleared everything. He was checking in every few days to make sure we had power and were still alive. The Trooper was wearing a DKM shirt so Joe told him about Fit For Abuse so... when concerts are allowed to happen again, he’s got a bunch of tix with his name in them. I don’t clean, OCD Shumsky does. But to have our own place is pretty sweet. I had been renting for 15 years. The last place we rented from my buddy was perfect. We lived there for almost 5 years but the school system sucked and then his mother in law, who lived on the top floor and I was friendly with dropped dead and nobody noticed for 8 days. I noticed a gross smell so I just walked the other way and then my friend walked in to check on her and she was on the bathroom floor... rotting, oozing and blue. When I saw the cops and my friend I wen't outside with no shoes in the winter and he just yelled “SHE’S DEAD!!!” And he couldn’t talk to the cops so I did and that night we knew we had to buy a fucking house!! |
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Post by escapedfromthevalley on Sept 25, 2020 10:46:22 GMT -5
Just got a message from our mortgage broker that rates have actually plummeted enough to make refinancing a good idea again. We bought the house in 2012 when rates were really low and are at 3.625% now. Refinancing would take us to 3%, for a 25 year mortgage with no points or fees. Adds up to about $1K a year savings for just filling out a few forms, so hell yeah!
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Pat
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Post by Pat on Sept 25, 2020 10:51:29 GMT -5
yeah but at what point does extending that out the extra years not seem worth it?
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I Gave You Power
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Post by I Gave You Power on Sept 25, 2020 11:23:55 GMT -5
Just got a message from our mortgage broker that rates have actually plummeted enough to make refinancing a good idea again. We bought the house in 2012 when rates were really low and are at 3.625% now. Refinancing would take us to 3%, for a 25 year mortgage with no points or fees. Adds up to about $1K a year savings for just filling out a few forms, so hell yeah! If you haven't already I would have him run some amortizations on 15 and 20-year terms too because I've seen a few come through recently in the 2.5% range. |
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Post by escapedfromthevalley on Sept 25, 2020 12:58:50 GMT -5
Just got a message from our mortgage broker that rates have actually plummeted enough to make refinancing a good idea again. We bought the house in 2012 when rates were really low and are at 3.625% now. Refinancing would take us to 3%, for a 25 year mortgage with no points or fees. Adds up to about $1K a year savings for just filling out a few forms, so hell yeah! If you haven't already I would have him run some amortizations on 15 and 20-year terms too because I've seen a few come through recently in the 2.5% range. Get the fuck out, really? We haven't sighned anything yet so it's still a possibility. Thanks. Pat This one turns out to be a wash. Our current mortgage has 25 years 8 months on it, so refinancing for 25 (instead of 30) totally makes sense. Now to look into 20 or 15 like IGYP suggested. |
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I Gave You Power
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Post by I Gave You Power on Sept 25, 2020 13:10:18 GMT -5
Obviously gonna depend on credit, LTV, etc, but in general rates that low are possible right now. Kind of surprising the broker didn't even attempt to float a 20-year to you, because if you go down a full percentage point you're probably still gonna have a lower monthly payment even when cutting five years off.
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refill
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Post by refill on Sept 25, 2020 16:09:00 GMT -5
We did our refi last month and got 2.75%. Could've gone lower, but it was the right balance of monthly savings and how much we wanted to pay upfront in points. I had a deal through my AMEX card that waived the inspection fee and knocked off $2500 from closing costs, so it was a no brainer.
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stevexzee
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Post by stevexzee on Sept 26, 2020 17:07:47 GMT -5
Just finished redoing the kitchen in steps throughout the whole summer. I've had my balls busted over picking a color very similar to the color Bam Margera and company painted his parents' kitchen but I love how it looks and the satisfaction of doing everything but the countertops (had help from a family friend building and installing them) myself with my gf and friends is nice too. Bathroom is next and then it's time to find money for new doors and windows. Before:  After:  |
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deadsouls
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Post by deadsouls on Sept 26, 2020 17:14:02 GMT -5
Just finished redoing the kitchen in steps throughout the whole summer. I've had my balls busted over picking a color very similar to the color Bam Margera and company painted his parents' kitchen but I love how it looks and the satisfaction of doing everything but the countertops (had help from a family friend building and installing them) myself with my gf and friends is nice too. Bathroom is next and then it's time to find money for new doors and windows. Before: After: How much did you spend if you don't mind the question, the kitchen is our first big project. Pretty much redoing everything. |
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stevexzee
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Post by stevexzee on Sept 26, 2020 17:42:48 GMT -5
Just finished redoing the kitchen in steps throughout the whole summer. I've had my balls busted over picking a color very similar to the color Bam Margera and company painted his parents' kitchen but I love how it looks and the satisfaction of doing everything but the countertops (had help from a family friend building and installing them) myself with my gf and friends is nice too. Bathroom is next and then it's time to find money for new doors and windows. Before: After: How much did you spend if you don't mind the question, the kitchen is our first big project. Pretty much redoing everything. I spent way less than I could have, if we gutted the entire kitchen and started from scratch it would have been a lot more. Let's see... *3 cans of paint for the cabinets and one for the wall under the new backsplash, call it $200 for the paint and trays/brushes/etc. Probably another $100 or so for all the new hardware. *Probably $400 on laminate flooring and corner round trim to hold it in place. The stuff I bought is $60 for a box of about 20 square feet but it's really nice stuff with the underlayment already built onto it. *Sink/faucet/drain and then universal drain kit was probably $400. *$800 or so for the smart tiles for the backsplash. Those were pricey but they're nice and the pattern my gf picked was more expensive than some of the basic patterns. *Counters are custom made vinyl laminate so I spent a little under $2000. The original plan was to replace them with pre-made pieces from Home Depot or Lowes but the island seen on the left isn't a standard size. The cabinets are also old and have seen better days so we didn't think it was worth getting granite/quartz/any stone like that. I guess we got out of it pretty cheap all things considered but that was partially because I did all the work that I could myself. Paying for labor and markup on materials drives these project costs way up. |
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adonis
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Post by adonis on Sept 26, 2020 18:01:01 GMT -5
kitchen looks way better dawg. Good job. My gf and I are re-doing the living room, kitchen cabinets, stairs and dining room in a month or so, ill post before and afters once thats done.
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deadsouls
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Post by deadsouls on Sept 26, 2020 19:51:04 GMT -5
How much did you spend if you don't mind the question, the kitchen is our first big project. Pretty much redoing everything. I spent way less than I could have, if we gutted the entire kitchen and started from scratch it would have been a lot more. Let's see... *3 cans of paint for the cabinets and one for the wall under the new backsplash, call it $200 for the paint and trays/brushes/etc. Probably another $100 or so for all the new hardware. *Probably $400 on laminate flooring and corner round trim to hold it in place. The stuff I bought is $60 for a box of about 20 square feet but it's really nice stuff with the underlayment already built onto it. *Sink/faucet/drain and then universal drain kit was probably $400. *$800 or so for the smart tiles for the backsplash. Those were pricey but they're nice and the pattern my gf picked was more expensive than some of the basic patterns. *Counters are custom made vinyl laminate so I spent a little under $2000. The original plan was to replace them with pre-made pieces from Home Depot or Lowes but the island seen on the left isn't a standard size. The cabinets are also old and have seen better days so we didn't think it was worth getting granite/quartz/any stone like that. I guess we got out of it pretty cheap all things considered but that was partially because I did all the work that I could myself. Paying for labor and markup on materials drives these project costs way up. Somehow this post reassured and scared me at the same time. Your kitchen looks almost exactly like mine, but I hate the bar part of our counter. It cramps the kitchen. The only thing I won’t change are the floors, so the price doesn’t scare me as much as me doing it myself. |
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gmaneb
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Post by gmaneb on Sept 26, 2020 20:29:26 GMT -5
Found out our well pump wen't today. Water had stopped yesterday evening, and given that we’re in a drought I had feared the worse of a dry well.
While I’m glad it didn’t have anything to do with the well itself, an unexpected, and still pricey, alternative.
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bandrus1
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Post by bandrus1 on Nov 14, 2020 16:37:22 GMT -5
Taking advantage of the crazy low rates to refinance. Looks like we can save over $400 month. Currently getting our papers to the underwriters and playing the waiting game. I hate deciding on when to lock in a rate. One place says do it now while another says to wait. You should lock in lower but make the same payments. I bet you can pay it off in less than half the term of the loan |
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xpatx
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Post by xpatx on Nov 14, 2020 18:30:01 GMT -5
Locked in at 2.9% (from 4.125%), saving $422 a month but I’m going to squirrel the money away so I can buy another house/property and eventually rent out my current house.
Also did my first electric project myself. It was only replacing a small 120volt cadet wall heater but electric work scares the shit out of me so I made two friends come over just so that if I did blow myself up there would be someone there to call 911.
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mouthofinfinity
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Post by mouthofinfinity on Nov 17, 2020 16:18:40 GMT -5
Spoke with my bank today and if I refinance I’ll go from 3.625 to 2.9 which will only lower my payment by $65.
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bandrus1
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Post by bandrus1 on Nov 17, 2020 16:22:01 GMT -5
Spoke with my bank today and if I refinance I’ll go from 3.625 to 2.9 which will only lower my payment by $65. With the same term correct The better way to go is like 2.3 percent and moving to a 15 year and cut the term in half for just a little bit more a month |
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BIL Security Team Alpha
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Post by BIL Security Team Alpha on Nov 17, 2020 16:31:48 GMT -5
Anybody done any painting?
We’re painting our bedroom and we mistakenly tried a green color then realized our room was too dark and small for that color.
Now we’re trying out various pink colors, hoping to get a nice warm tone, but also still worried that we’ll either pick to dark of a tone and have it be overwhelming or too light of a tone and have it have zero impact.
Every picture of the colors we’ve looked at have looked great on peoples’ walls In online photos, but at this point I can only assume it’s because they are using professional lighting when taking the pictures or are just rich and have lots of large windows and ample natural light.
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sarahohio
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Post by sarahohio on Dec 19, 2020 7:23:40 GMT -5
Finished signing our refinance tonight. Ended up with 2.99% and will be saving $570 per month. Thought about spending a couple $K to go a little lower, but it would have been a 5-7 year break even point. The cost to go below 2.75 started at $10K. We can save the same amount of interest by paying a little extra every year. Found a local guy to do our deck. Probably going to start in a month or so. hurray for refinancing right now.
damn! It dropped by 570 a month?! Can I ask how much you were paying a month before that?
I refinanced earlier this year. I had a 30 year loan i was 5 years into. Was able to drop it to a 20 year loan (so shaved an extra 5 years off), my monthly payments dropped a bit to around 900, and i received 3,000 cash back. So i was happy with the outcome.
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adonis
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Post by adonis on Jan 6, 2021 22:16:07 GMT -5
Re-fied are 30 year to a 15 year a couple of months ago. Will be worth it.
That said, is it me or do you start noticing / a ton more stuff needs fixing the moment you re-fi?
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Post by lordcamopantsiii on Jan 14, 2021 18:06:46 GMT -5
Any landlords? Our type is much maligned these days. No lie, I find the title to be so entertaining. People don’t think about it much but “Lord”. It’s funny we use this archaic, Feudal term in America
My brother and I are in process of updating some of the downstairs unit. I could not get through this much work without his help. Painted, got the vinyl flooring in, now doing baseboards, changing out a few bathroom and kitchen light fixtures, and replacing the dishwasher. After it’s done and rented I’ll finish my flooring upstairs.
I cheaped out, not realizing, and got $2.20 sq/ft flooring which is brittle and we had to be really gentle installing as it chipped easy. We were able to salvage it for shorter cuts usually but I kind of wish I would’ve gone with a better quality around $3 sq ft.
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