"Aremmes" (aremmes)
02/16/2020 at 21:00 • Filed to: garage goals, Houselopnik
3
25|
"Aremmes" (aremmes)
02/16/2020 at 21:00 • Filed to: garage goals, Houselopnik | 3
| 25 |
When I bought our current house 13 years ago, the process from offer to settlement was a calm, sedate affair, sometimes waiting weeks for some things to complete. It seems the business has become more hectic and hurried up since that time, though, apparen tly even more so in high-demand locations like where our current house is located. We accepted an offer on February 10th, on the same day our offer for the next house was accepted.
Now both house inspections have completed. I’m waiting on the inspection report for my house, wondering if I’ll have to fix anything before I turn it in, however I got word that apparently they found only a few minor issues. I went to do the inspection on the new house the next day, and spent some time following the inspector around looking for possible house booboos. It looks like that house is mostly in good order, save for a number of cosmetic items that the current owner hasn’t addressed, old (but working) garage door openers, a non-working sump pump, an improperly installed radon vent system (has the fan in the basement and the exhaust at ground level), loose stair balustrades, old water heater and furnace, evidence of rodent intrusion, and an underground oil tank. I can deal with most of them at my leisure, except for the balustrades and the oil tank — the former might require redoing the whole thing, while for the latter I’ll look at testing for possible leakage and getting tank leak insurance if it hasn’t failed yet. Also, I found from the seller that the kitchen had a downdraft range hood, but he removed it when he replaced the cooktop. Lame.
As for the garage, other than the old door openers, we found that the window tends to stick closed. That was it as far as issues there. The floor is bare concrete, and I’m considering whether or not to give it an epoxy coating. Also there are two massive steel beams across the ceiling, which makes me wonder if they’d be useful for... uh... lifting things.
BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
> Aremmes
02/16/2020 at 21:07 |
|
Those all seem like really minor issues. Good luck, hope it turns out okay.
Chariotoflove
> Aremmes
02/16/2020 at 21:13 |
|
Good looking garage. Glad there are no structural issues, but I cross my fingers as I say that. I hope the oil tank is okay.
Are you guys happy with the interior, or will there be remodeling/updating?
|
Aremmes
> BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
02/16/2020 at 21:14 |
|
I think so as well. The inspection report I got a short while ago makes them seem super spoopy and stuff, but they're fixable. For the price that I offered, they're almost expected.
SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> Aremmes
02/16/2020 at 21:19 |
|
There’s room there for many girder trollies! That said though...a structural engineer could quickly tell you whether they are sized sufficiently to carry both the upstairs and another thousand pounds or so without deflection.
Clearly the house buying process over there is very different to here. We got our this place inspected only for glaring structural building failures (we could see there weren’t any) and termite damage or current occupation (yes and no). That's it. Everything after that is buyer beware...
|
Aremmes
> Chariotoflove
02/16/2020 at 21:21 |
|
I do hope the tank is OK as well. I’ll talk to my agent about doing a soil test.
We like the interior as is, but we will probably do some painting, and most likely will paint some of the bedrooms. There’s an unusual pervasiveness
of semi-gloss paint outside of the kitchen and bathrooms. There’s also a bit of work to do fixing nail pops and joint seams, but I can teach my son to work on
those.
|
Chariotoflove
> Aremmes
02/16/2020 at 21:25 |
|
Those imperfections are why I think builders around here like the textured walls. It’s spray on stuff that prevents them from having to make perfect seams
Bathrooms are the rooms that get dated the fastest.
OPPOsaurus WRX
> Aremmes
02/16/2020 at 21:28 |
|
The short beam intersecting the long on is in an odd place. I bet its carrying something above it, maybe an intersection point in the roof framing. It could probably lift some stuff but its probably not sized out specifically for it. It would suck to find out that it can;t lift stuff. If you had a way of shortening the span, that would help a lot.
|
Aremmes
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
02/16/2020 at 21:49 |
|
I’ve already searched for beam trollies on Amazon. I’ll wait until I move before actually sizing them up, though. Also, I wouldn’t want to lift anything heavier than a quarter ton with them, even if they’re capable of heavier loads.
These inspections are needed because the banks will not issue a mortgage loan on a decrepit building. They also serve as bargaining tool and as an excuse for getting out of a sale contract if moderate issues are found. Also one doesn't want to buy a house only to find black mold that the seller didn't notice hidden inside a wall or some other similarly dangerous condition.
|
Aremmes
> Chariotoflove
02/16/2020 at 21:52 |
|
The basement was textured walls. They feel like 60-grit to the hand. Fortunately, it’s just
the basement.
|
Aremmes
> OPPOsaurus WRX
02/16/2020 at 21:56 |
|
There's a bedroom above it. Specifically, the bedroom that my son picked out. I don't plan on putting any load on that short beam. The long beam has a support post between the first and second bay, so if a beam trolley goes anywhere it'll be on the short end.
|
Chariotoflove
> Aremmes
02/16/2020 at 22:05 |
|
This is what they gave us. It’s fine, but I like old fashioned smoothness better.
|
Aremmes
> Chariotoflove
02/16/2020 at 22:15 |
|
Ooh, that's certainly different. That looks a lot like the non-skid texture on the deck of my old sailboat.
someassemblyrequired
> Aremmes
02/16/2020 at 23:21 |
|
Oil tank you’ll want to address/keep a close eye on but other than that sounds like it’s in pretty good shape.
Is gas an option for you? Might be a good time to convert if the water heater/furnace are older.
|
Aremmes
> someassemblyrequired
02/17/2020 at 00:37 |
|
The neighborhood where this house is located doesn’t have a gas line, so switching to gas would involve installing a propane tank.
If the oil tank hasn't leaked, I can get some use out of it before deciding to either remove it or abandon it in place.
haveacarortwoorthree2
> Chariotoflove
02/17/2020 at 08:30 |
|
Ah, one light switch - those were the days. Houses in Florida are crazy - we have so many light switches. I was sitting at our breakfast bar the other day and counted 18 light switches that I could see by rotating 360 degrees. That was just the kitchen, family room, patio lights , and openings to a couple of hallways. Plus the bedrooms all have remove controls for the lights/ceiling fans,although one of the switches has to be flipped for the remote to work . And there is one switch in every bedroom that just controls the top outlets in that room.
My wife and kids laugh at me because I still only have a 50-50 chance at getting the light I want to turn on every time I flip a switch (and we’ve lived in the house since August).
|
someassemblyrequired
> Aremmes
02/17/2020 at 09:42 |
|
Ugh, yeah if the neighborhood didn’t have gas
laid in when the houses were new, the cost can be astronomical.
I’d plan on pulling the tank - will make the house a lot more saleable in future. Instant equity in pulling an underground tank and replacing with a modern above ground tank or propane. Even an empty old tank can cause lots of expensive
issues, and I’d be very surprised
if even PA would let you leave it in place (lots of places they are grandfathered in
and must be pulled when replaced).
|
Aremmes
> someassemblyrequired
02/17/2020 at 10:10 |
|
The neighborhood in which my current house is located doesn’t have gas service either, however the condo neighborhood next to it does. We got a quote for extending the gas line to our neighborhood, amounting to $20,000... per house.
PA does allow leaving the tank in place (closure-in-place in their parlance), requiring that the tank be emptied, cleaned, and filled with an inert non-shrinking material. It's easier, less expensive, and nearly as safe a method than removal, which would cost around $14,000 and require around two cubic yards of fill.
|
Chariotoflove
> haveacarortwoorthree2
02/17/2020 at 10:26 |
|
That’s just the closet light. We have the same problem with the fans on remotes too. Some aren’t though, and they get variable speed switches also, there are dimmers on the ceiling fixtures. Here is the main living room panel
So you live in FL full time now?
|
haveacarortwoorthree2
> Chariotoflove
02/17/2020 at 10:38 |
|
Yes, we moved in August. Got tired of going back and forth, plus I really needed to be at the office full-time to do the job the right way. No good driving roads that I have found, though. OTOH, beaches!
|
Chariotoflove
> haveacarortwoorthree2
02/17/2020 at 10:41 |
|
Blue water FTW! So much better than muddy Galveston, the closest beach we have.
ClassicDatsunDebate
> Aremmes
02/17/2020 at 11:31 |
|
That’s a great garage. Lots of space! Updated lighting would make a huge difference.
|
someassemblyrequired
> Aremmes
02/17/2020 at 12:30 |
|
Yeah it’s crazy if you have to add the line, in Connecticut they will lay the line for free as long as you buy gas appliances, didn’t know whether PA had the same deal.
Wow surprised they allow closure in place, I’d still be tempted to pull it depending on the cost differential. Might not be allowed forever, and might be cheaper long term to pull it now. Kinda depends how long you plan on staying.
|
Aremmes
> someassemblyrequired
02/17/2020 at 12:38 |
|
W e have unstoppable underground fires and some rock-solid hard water , so what difference does a properly decommissioned 500-gallon tank going to make?
/s
|
someassemblyrequired
> Aremmes
02/17/2020 at 12:46 |
|
Lol yeah, a little diesel in the ground might actually improve the situation
Stef Schrader
> Aremmes
02/18/2020 at 13:59 |
|
That garage is FANTASTIC.