All Forum Posts by: Miles Stanley

Any thoughts?

My electrician is recommending that we rewire the entire house bc the existing wiring is copper but does not have a ground (built in 1968). We plan to BRRRR this one. He says it would improve home resale value and we could use 3-prong outlets (that actually serve a purpose) so things like PC's and other devices that require that plug could have grounding.

Has anyone done this or have any insights? The numbers work "OK" if i have to spend the extra money, but i need to determine if i NEED to.

I think long-term, I'm more concerned with liability than sort term gains/savings. Since it'll be rented safety and liability are chief concerns for me.

Thanks

Any thoughts?

My electrician is recommending that we rewire the entire house bc the existing wiring is copper but does not have a ground (built in 1968). We plan to BRRRR this one. He says it would improve home resale value and we could use 3-prong outlets (that actually serve a purpose) so things like PC's and other devices that require that plug could have grounding.

Has anyone done this or have any insights?  The numbers work "OK" if i have to spend the extra money, but i need to determine if i NEED to.

I think long-term, I'm more concerned with liability than sort term gains/savings.  Since it'll be rented safety and liability are chief concerns for me.

Thanks

I had an electrician come out to give me a bid on some electrical work identified in my inspection report. House was built in 1968 and APPEARS to have copper wire.

The long and short of it, he says the wiring in the house does not have a ground wire, but a tracer instead (which doesn't do anything). Therefore, none of the wall plugs can have the 3-prong outlets per code bc there is no grounding in the wires. He says we must install 2-prong outlets, but most appliances and other household thing-a-ma-jigs have 3-prong plugs (computers, vacuums, electronics, etc)… Also as a result, we cant have GFCI outlets installed where needed and most of the other things in the report can’t be done effectively. His suggestion for safety: rewire the whole house to the tune of $12k-15k (and that’s not including the work then needed to be completed in the report).

Disclaimer: I realize most of the items the inspection report calls out are per current code, which this house obviously was not built under. But there are some obvious safety and wish-list things I want done, nevertheless.

Easy fix you might say, just install 3-prong outlets and forget about it! OK, but what are the risks here? If a tenant’s computer gets fried or something else due to the lack of grounding, am I not responsible?

Surely not every landlord or homeowner out there is rewiring their older homes just ‘cuz. Is it just a matter of how much risk I’m willing to accept?

Has anyone else faced this? Must I rewire this house??

Also, he made the remark that banks may take issue with this when it comes to refinance...truth?

I had an electrician come out to give me a bid on some electrical work identified in my inspection report. House was built in 1968 and APPEARS to have copper wire.

The long and short of it, he says the wiring in the house does not have a ground wire, but a tracer instead (which doesn't do anything).  Therefore, none of the wall plugs can have the 3-prong outlets per code bc there is no grounding in the wires.  He says we must install 2-prong outlets, but most appliances and other household thing-a-ma-jigs have 3-prong plugs (computers, vacuums, electronics, etc)… Also as a result, we cant have GFCI outlets installed where needed and most of the other things in the report can’t be done effectively.  His suggestion for safety: rewire the whole house to the tune of $12k-15k (and that’s not including the work then needed to be completed in the report). 

Disclaimer: I realize most of the items the inspection report calls out are per current code, which this house obviously was not built under.  But there are some obvious safety and wish-list things I want done, nevertheless.

Easy fix you might say, just install 3-prong outlets and forget about it!  OK, but what are the risks here?  If a tenant’s computer gets fried or something else due to the lack of grounding, am I not responsible?

Surely not every landlord or homeowner out there is rewiring their older homes just ‘cuz.  Is it just a matter of how much risk I’m willing to accept?

Has anyone else faced this? Must I rewire this house??

Also, he made the remark that banks may take issue with this when it comes to refinance...truth?

@Gary Siver@Kyle Nelson@Paul DeSilva@Billy Smith@Sean Mcevoy@John Underwood

So it seems the debate now is floating vs. full glue down LVP?  Is the replacement of a plank really as hard as Gary suggests?  Other than that possibility, floating seems like the way to go.

ALSO, in the house I'm rehabbing now, we pulled up the ancient carpet and found even older glue down tiles (possibly asbestos) in portions of the house.  Other parts are just bare concrete (nice!) but there is an obvious ridge/lip where the subfloor goes from concrete to the old tile.  If the tiles test positive for asbestos and I decide to leave them there, can I lay the floating LVP over it or will the ridges and other small details of the old flooring shine through?

Anyone ran into this situation?  Insurance company won't issue my any kind of policy bc the house is vacant...not even a landlord policy or 2nd home policy.  Is it typical to just be without insurance during renovations before tenants or owner move in?  Or is there some kind of policy to cover you just in case something happens?

@John Underwood

@Bob Prisco

@Marc Winter

Thanks all, so is that to say definitely do NOT go with tile then?  If not, why not?  Just curious

@John Underwood

so the planks are glued to each other, but floating on the subfloor correct?  Do you mean literal glue strips or are they interlocking?

What happens if you need to replace a piece located in the middle of the floor?

do you use this material throughout the unit/house?

Hi all:

I would like to request recommendations for flooring in a SFR I just purchased that I intend to rent out. Looking for durable, low maintenance, but cost effective as well (like everyone else right?).

We're anti-carpet and I don't see it lasting long anyway.

I've heard a lot of good about luxury vinyl tile.  My wife is hell-bent on tile, but that is more costly and I'm concerned about maintenance and safety (especially in the bathrooms and kitchen...urine stained grout and cracked tiles where tenants drop their cast iron pan on the floor...eeek + slippery when wet!).

Also want to know what's best to be used throughout the rest of the home...if one material will serve all areas well...I'm all ears.

Also, i live in south Texas and it's very hot & humid here during most months...just in case that's a factor.

Thanks

I don't like when people say things like "it's too late" or "all the deals are gone"...as if there is a finite number of them.  To me this is just a lot of noise that can either discourage some or motivate others to act.

Circumstances change every day and there are always deals to be made...question is whether or not you are willing to find them.  I'm sure a lot of the easy or obvious ones don't sit for long.  I just don't agree with promoting this scarcity mentality which instills a fear of missing out.  

My $0.02