I was just going to pull the panel and finish the drywall

"SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza" (saigashooter) 04/19/2018 at 15:57 • Filed to: homelopnik, renovation

2

48

And then I found this mess behind the first sheet I removed.

We finally bought a house last friday and have been cleaning it up and getting paint done, things like that. One of the things we wanted to do was to pull the wood paneling off the one wall that had it as there was drywall behind it. I didn’t however plan on finding this mess. My wife wants to be moved in this weekend, so I think this project will have to wait as I don’t have time to fix whatever they did to this wall.

vicali > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:05

15

Put it back, PUT IT BACK!

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:19

2

Hidden chamber? Voyeur hideaway? Really odd placed door?

It seems like 75% of home reno jobs are fixing the crappy shit that previous owners did. Just last week I replaced my moms kitchen faucet that was soldered to the water pipes...

LOREM IPSUM > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:20

1

Looks like someone walled over the door to the closet you’re supposed to hang your coats in.

Pero por que? 

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:20

3

The part where that was apparently like a mini-linens closet or a pass-thru I can get. The part where there’s a quasi-artistic arrangement of mismatched ex-stair tread(?) sheetrock-stained leprosy boards? That’s a whole other level.

Ash78, voting early and often > vicali 04/19/2018 at 16:20

20

If you put the panel back within 5 hours, it doesn’t count; you saw nothing.

/personal rule

//homeowner since 2004

WilliamsSW > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:21

2

TIL that children can be carpenters apparently

functionoverfashion > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:24

0

How was that easier than.... literally any other option?!

vicali > Ash78, voting early and often 04/19/2018 at 16:25

1

I’ve forgotten it already.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > Ash78, voting early and often 04/19/2018 at 16:27

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Can confirm panel is right back where it came from. Baseboard re attached and now I’m just waiting for the carpet installer like nothing happened

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 04/19/2018 at 16:29

2

Wait soldered to the lines to the fixture? Why?!?!

vicali > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:29

0

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > functionoverfashion 04/19/2018 at 16:34

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You know whats easier than driving 3 miles to Menards/Home Depot and getting a sheet of drywall? making 86 cuts on a table saw to fill this void with left over sections of wood, I will then both nail and screw them to the studs making sure none of them actually touch each other and make sure to leave large voids in the wall.

We’ve found lots of half-assed stuff. A cut in light switch that has no ears on the front of the box, nor the tabs at the back of the box. It is only held in place by the cable and the switch itself being slightly larger than the ragged hole they cut into the drywall with a rusty butter knife.

A light switch in the living room that doesn’t control any of the outlets, oh and their are no recessed lights in the ceiling, so who knows what this switch is for.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > WilliamsSW 04/19/2018 at 16:36

2

This was the work of a class of first graders.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > LOREM IPSUM 04/19/2018 at 16:37

6

I’m starting to think we leave the panel off, instant accent wall!

WilliamsSW > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:38

1

Because teflon tape isn’t a real thing.

No leaks, beeeeeoooootchhhh!

shop-teacher > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:39

3

Put the paneling back on and paint it. It’ll look about a thousand times better.

LOREM IPSUM > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:39

4

Did you shine a flashlight in there to see what treasures might be hidden inside?

shop-teacher > vicali 04/19/2018 at 16:40

1

Forgotten what?

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:45

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There’s so, so much stupid fucked up shit in her house from a 1940s previous owner who thought he was a handyman. The electrical is a total rats nest. None of the pluming has shut-offs. There’s an addition that I’m pretty sure is made out of construction paper.

The first time she told me that an outlet stopped working and must have just “gone bad” I was like, you need to move.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > LOREM IPSUM 04/19/2018 at 16:45

5

Negative, I was too afraid.

WilliamsSW > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:45

6

Any older house is guaranteed to be a complete shit show once you start digging in. We currently own a house that has:

- hardwood floor installed in the kitchen, on top of whatever was there before, and after the appliances were installed. Want to remove that broken dishwasher? Fuck you, you gotta pull out either a) the floor or b) the granite counter top

- washer dryer needs to be moved to a separate circuit? Did you know that you can remove the ends of an extension cord and hardwire that in, because conduit is for pretentious assholes?

- went to install GFCI’s in the kitchen. Pull out the existing outlet to see if it’s 2 wires or 4. Fuck you, it’s EIGHT. One of which is actually a through wire - yeah, they took the insulation off of the MIDDLE of a wire and connected that

All that, and a fuse (yeah I said fuse) box that’s been banned for about 30 years. Awesome.

WilliamsSW > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:46

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I give them a C-.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > WilliamsSW 04/19/2018 at 16:49

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We’ve already done some of the electrical, upgrading everything to proper grounded outlets. We had 3 bedrooms, the dryer, all of the basement and the bathroom on 1 circuit. I don’t know how on earth that was actually working.

LOREM IPSUM > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:50

1

Could be gold, silver, cash, or bonds in there!

Or just dust and spiders.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > LOREM IPSUM 04/19/2018 at 16:53

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I’m afraid it would be past due medical bills or something.

WilliamsSW > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 16:57

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Yeah this house is small, but it has central air, and all your typical appliances (including broken dishwasher), on about 4 circuits.

I did the GFCI’s in bathroom, but NFW was I doing anything to that fucked up kitchen box - got an electrician for that. Still sketchy AF, but we actually plan to tear the joint down next year, so if it burns down maybe it saves us a few $$.

LOREM IPSUM > shop-teacher 04/19/2018 at 17:01

3

Truth. We have a wall in our place that was old light colored paneling that had been scraped, scratched, and scored over the years. Actually used a gel based wood stain on it.

Would have chosen a slightly lighter color were I to do it again, but it was cheaper and easier than replacing it. Also, this is a rental, so not trying to really invest in it.

LOREM IPSUM > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 17:04

2

Or a corpse.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > shop-teacher 04/19/2018 at 17:12

1

I think that will be our plan for the time being. Not sure how the color we picked for that wall will look on the panel, but we shall see

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 18:23

1

I’d cover the opening in a contiguous piece of half-inch plywood — or OSB — with 8d nails hitting whatever studs are present about 8" apart, then replace the paneling as Shop Teacher suggested. But cover the whole thing in a single sheet cut to fit. Then paint the paneling.

shop-teacher > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 18:30

1

Slap a coat of primer up first, you’ll be good to go.

bubblestheturtle > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 18:47

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We hid the bodies back there. Just leave the paneling up. It’ll be better for everyone.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 19:12

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Looks like they closed off a coat closet and gave the space to another room.

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 19:13

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Is it just me or is this really as creepy as it looks?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > LOREM IPSUM 04/19/2018 at 19:13

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Or drugs.

RacinBob > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 19:25

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If you Spackle the grooves in the drywall, it will give you better results painted or wallpaper.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 19:26

1

Rule #1 for owning an old home: new paint, new baseboard, but touch NOTHING ELSE. EVER.

just-a-scratch > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 04/19/2018 at 19:56

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Aannyong Bluth in there, listening?

random001 > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 20:24

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I mean, there’s some nice patina in there....

functionoverfashion > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 22:05

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It’s pretty incredible, I mean, our house is only 30 years old. We bought it from the original owner. And yet, there are some things that defy explanation.

I will say, in general, we haven’t had any true surprises; things were done mostly right, and the place has been sound overall. Thankfully. Even some renovations we’ve done, the guys have said, “well, this was done right the first time, luckily” so really I can’t complain.

functionoverfashion > WilliamsSW 04/19/2018 at 22:08

2

Oh man, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come across something where I’ve had to decide: ‘make this much harder for myself RIGHT NOW or make this much harder for someone else LATER.’ Most of the time, I choose to do the right thing, because we have no intentions of moving and I expect that I’ll be the one who deals with the “much harder later” scenario. But just imagine, the accumulated effects of that.

Those house flipping shows scare the crap out of me. It’s like a condensed, magnified version of “let someone else worry about the details later, just make it work/look decent for now.”

functionoverfashion > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 04/19/2018 at 22:11

1

It seems like 75% of home reno/car repair/boat repair jobs are fixing the crappy shit that previous owners did.

FTFY

ranwhenparked > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 22:33

0

I’ve seen people fill the grooves with joint compound, too, but, it seems like that’s enough work that you might as well just go to drywall.

ranwhenparked > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/19/2018 at 22:36

1

What’s on the other side of the wall? Looks like that was a door opening, that was blocked whenever the front door was open, probably a hall closet. Looks like a transfer vent next to it.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > ranwhenparked 04/20/2018 at 09:14

1

There is a bedroom on the other side. Given how small that door seems to have been, it must have been a coat closet, no way an average sized human could use it as a proper door.

ranwhenparked > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/20/2018 at 09:23

0

Probably was an awkward closet, not much room to maneuver around in front of it, and couldn’t open the door with the front door open.

Did they reorient it to open into the bedroom, or add the square footage to the bedroom?

MM54 > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza 04/20/2018 at 11:20

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I had a mystery switch in the living room, when I replaced all my outlets and switches (they were old, loose, and the wrong color) I discovered it used to switch one outlet, but someone had bypassed it to leave the outlet always on. I made it switch the outlet again.

nerd_racing > LOREM IPSUM 04/20/2018 at 13:15

1

Cask of amontillado!