All Forum Posts by: Mike McCarthy

I would definitely recommend a pre-closing inspection. There are some great builders out there who build a solid house and stand behind it with a warranty. Unfortunately there are others who cut corners including the warranty support. It'll be MUCH better to find issues before you pay the final amount and move in - you still have leverage. Once you've bought it, you are relying on them to be good builders and support their warranty. Anecdote: I have a cousin in Canada who bought a house in a new built neighborhood. Second winter they were there, they got literally 6-12" of snow IN their attic. Builder's first response was 'out of warranty, not a construction issue.' The builder did eventually fix the vents that caused the issue and insurance handled the damage, but it was a good reminder that anything can happen, even in a brand new house.

For a set of college students living in the house, I think it is a genius idea. No one likes cleaning and even with a cleaning schedule, it probably rarely gets done. Keep it simple, vacuum the common areas, quick scrub on the bath and kitchen. Don't go into the bedrooms. If you can hire it out and still make money, I think it will set your house apart from the rest.

I think Charlie John has your solution. You need to get an electrician or telecommunications person out for an hour or two to remove what's no longer needed and clean up what's there. It's not hard, but takes some time to do it right and make it look presentable. I doubt the satellite company will come out for free unless it's for a new installation/contract.

There are hundreds of 'build your own website' tools out there. I've personally used Wix, and it works reasonably well. You need to decide if this is just a static website that will just give your background, contact info, and maybe some pictures. Or are you looking for something to be highly ranked in search engines, blog, allow people to contact you and submit requests/applications, etc. the answer to either is quite different.

They recommend a replacement, but can it just be fixed? Most HVAC companies will recommend replacing an older unit. Higher efficiency, fewer problems, etc. but in your case, maybe a few hundred $$ can fix the panel and ductwork? I wouldn't try to hide anything by fixing it, but a 1 year old unit should have a few years left in it.

I personally wouldn't self-treat for any wood rating insect that is in multiple walls. There's too much risk in not doing it right and not getting them all or having them come back. I also understand that Texas is known for its wood destroying insects! (Amongst other things too)

Maybe I'm completely misunderstanding the structure of the 'crawl space' but you said there's 6-8" between the ground and the joists. There are a number of brick 'piers' that hold up the joists. Just run the plastic between the piers, even if they are only 4-8' apart. Seal the plastic where you can, but having the soul 95% covered is way better than 0%. Regardless, since you can't fully encapsulate it, you need to get some air movement down there. I've heard of people adding a vent to the living space, with a small bathroom type vent fan to move the air. I'm not sure I'd be a fan of that though with bugs and whatever else is down there. I agree that foundation vents are inferior to other solutions, but I haven't heard a better solution here yet.

I've never heard someone who refinished their own tub and have been happy with the results. It's too easy to mess it up and have an awful looking tub right away. And even if you do it correctly, it's likely to chip or peel. The pros use an electrostatic process that binds the glazing to the tub. Much higher quality - but still do your research. Some companies are much better than others.

I think you need to get some plastic on the ground. It sounds like you have a lot of the floor already up, so it shouldn't be a huge deal. If there's ground moisture, it will continue being a problem, rotting the joists and subfloor. Lay down 8mil plastic, wrap and seal it the best you can around the piers. It won't be perfect, but it'll be 100x better than what you have now. I'd also consider a pair of vents cut in the foundation. Foundation vents aren't the best solution, but you need some kind of air flow down there.

Also the tankless water heaters need a lot of gas/electric to run.  Depending on your electric or gas service, it may need to be upgraded to support them.  While it is an energy savings, when they are running, they suck more gas/electric.