The Home Improvement Thread

[Taco Loco]

Its not electrical problems since everything is fine. The issue I found with the breaker box is that it appears I do not have a main shut off switch for everything. I could be wrong and maybe something was not labeled but I would rather not have everything burn and loose it to find out the insurance wont cover it.

I think per NEC if the main breaker panel is attached to the house it should have a main breaker to turn everything off, should have been caught during the home inspection

 

[Anathollo]

I like having smart fiends. The thing is that after messing with the breakers tonight it does not appear my box is up to code so an electrical fire may cause some red flags with the insurance.

An old house is not expected to meet current electrical code. As long as it met the electrical code when it was built that matters. Or if a complete remodel was done, then the electrical has to be brought up to the current code.

 

[TacoXpo]

An old house is not expected to meet current electrical code. As long as it met the electrical code when it was built that matters. Or if a complete remodel was done, then the electrical has to be brought up to the current code.

Typically any permitted work over about $1,000 will trigger a couple of things like smoke detector to current code, house numbers (back lit in some municipalities), etc.

Regarding a sale, the biggest issue is disclosure of what the homeowner knows. Failing to disclose can get an ambulance chaser on your ass. Many municipalities require a city inspection. It's a revenue generator more than anything else.

 

[Anathollo]

Typically any permitted work over about $1,000 will trigger a couple of things like smoke detector to current code, house numbers (back lit in some municipalities), etc.

Regarding a sale, the biggest issue is disclosure of what the homeowner knows. Failing to disclose can get an ambulance chaser on your ass. Many municipalities require a city inspection. It's a revenue generator more than anything else.

Definitely varies by state or city codes. If you remodel your masterbath and it's permitted, you aren't expected to add wired smoke detectors all over your house. However, the electrical, plumbing and framing has to be done to current code in that room, but you won't be expected to swap out your electrical panel or anything big like that. If they did that in the state of Texas, they would have even MORE un-permitted jobs than they already have. The city just wants your money...they could care less about the rest of the house.

Edit: Forgot to add that after you get your CO on your permit, your taxes for the next year go up since you improved your property! So now you get to spend more money to not live in a shitty broken house!

 

[TacoXpo]

Definitely varies by state or city codes. If you remodel your masterbath and it's permitted, you aren't expected to add wired smoke detectors all over your house. However, the electrical, plumbing and framing has to be done to current code in that room, but you won't be expected to swap out your electrical panel or anything big like that. If they did that in the state of Texas, they would have even MORE un-permitted jobs than they already have. The city just wants your money...they could care less about the rest of the house.

And from what I see, the more affluent towns have much higher expectations. The town just south of me, they have a required inspection on transfer. My town, they have guys that make the rounds looking for dumpsters or any signs of rehab and they investigate. I would tell them it's none of their business but most self-incriminate or a neighbor reporting what their asshole neighbor is doing. Then there are parts of the REAL big town north of me that would allow you to have 1o families living in a garage - because they see it as 20 more votes.

 

[Anathollo]

And from what I see, the more affluent towns have much higher expectations. The town just south of me, they have a required inspection on transfer. My town, they have guys that make the rounds looking for dumpsters or any signs of rehab and they investigate. I would tell them it's none of their business but most self-incriminate or a neighbor reporting what their asshole neighbor is doing. Then there are parts of the REAL big town north of me that would allow you to have 1o families living in a garage - because they see it as 20 more votes.

Yeah pretty sad. I know my town used to have people that did that, but they got caught spending $200k for two people to drive around the city and take a toll on how many houses still had blue tarps on their roofs from Hurricane Ike so they could fine those people. They found 5 houses that still needed to be fixed. For $200k, we could've fixed those roofs for those people and actually provided a helping service to them. Blows my mind...

 

[Oswego]

Be mindful when in NYC.... they are "self inspect" for new construction

 

[TacoXpo]

Be mindful when in NYC.... they are "self inspect" for new construction

WTF?

 

[Anathollo]

X2

WTF?

 

[Anathollo]

Cleaned and organised my garage. Finally getting it to where I want it.

Installed a new phone line at my mom's and made her internet/cable line signal better. Sheer laziness on comcasts part. F**kers.

 

[TacoXpo]

Cleaned and organised my garage. Finally getting it to where I want it.

Installed a new phone line at my mom's and made her internet/cable line signal better. Sheer laziness on comcasts part. F**kers.

Being that we cut the cable, we have a digital antenna. In the most recent months the signal has greatly decayed. I'm thinking it's time to replace the cable and minimize the connections - I reused the cable that the cable TV company installed in our home.

 

[Taco Loco]

I had a dream, that this tree must come down.

Felled a 30'+ BBQ tree this morning, it was leaning towards shop, half the trunk was rotten. Tied off at the main tree about 20 feet up, had the wife and kids pull while I cut.

 

[Oswego]

WTF?

X2

Oh yea.... it's a big sham... Self-Certification (New York City Department of Buildings) - Wikipedia

 

[Anathollo]

Being that we cut the cable, we have a digital antenna. In the most recent months the signal has greatly decayed. I'm thinking it's time to replace the cable and minimize the connections - I reused the cable that the cable TV company installed in our home.

I've read that a lot of those digital antennas aren't made very well and go out quite often. But my mom's went from the main comcast cable > to a secondary cable that ran up 10' on a column > to a two way cable splitter > to her cable boxes. I just eliminated that 10' of unnecessary cable and ran the main comcast line straight to the splitter and ran a new ground wire down.

 

[xJuice]

Big, old school metal antennas pull in TV way better than those "digital" antennas. I use the one from my parents house from 1988 up in my attic. Perfect crystal clear HD channels all day.

 

[Mauzer]

Cleaned and organised my garage. Finally getting it to where I want it.

Started the same project this weekend, outfitting with overhead storage and Gladiator wall organizers hooks, etc

 

[thekidcatcher]

I had a dream, that this tree must come down.

Felled a 30'+ BBQ tree this morning, it was leaning towards shop, half the trunk was rotten. Tied off at the main tree about 20 feet up, had the wife and kids pull while I cut.

Not a fan of the old lady? j/k

 

[Taco Loco]

Not a fan of the old lady? j/k

She is a couple years younger, so I can't call her my old lady

I had a dream, that this tree must come down.

Felled a 30'+ BBQ tree this morning, it was leaning towards shop, half the trunk was rotten. Tied off at the main tree about 20 feet up, had the laundry fairy and kids pull while I cut.

fifm

 

[TacoXpo]

Water heater was not working. Turned out to be the controller. Rheem sent me a new controller and the damn Mexican manufactured controller has a buggered thread for the thermocouple to connect. So, now I have to have them send me a new one again. For now I stuffed a ball of solder in there so that the tc will at least make contact (the threads don't go all the way up into the controller so the tc end was not pushed up against it by fitting. Nor real excited about replacing it a second time. ... but it is nice to have a hot shower again.

 

[Silverback]

Water heater was not working. Turned out to be the controller. Rheem sent me a new controller and the damn Mexican manufactured controller has a buggered thread for the thermocouple to connect. So, now I have to have them send me a new one again. For now I stuffed a ball of solder in there so that the tc will at least make contact (the threads don't go all the way up into the controller so the tc end was not pushed up against it by fitting. Nor real excited about replacing it a second time. ... but it is nice to have a golden shower again.

FIFY..