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Post by ellewoods on May 30, 2018 8:24:47 GMT -6
Our house was built in 1996 and we’ve done the absolute minimum to it. I want to update it but I’m thinking that is a lower priority. What kinds of things should we be doing?
I’m having house power washed and I plan to get roof inspected - I’m trying to hold off on that for another year - the having it replaced part.
We got a new hvac, appliances, and water heater.
What should we be doing?
Thanks!
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Post by allthedrinks on May 30, 2018 8:31:34 GMT -6
Have you considered paying for a home inspection rather than just a roof inspection? They’re really good (typically) at finding things that need to be fixed.
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Post by ellewoods on May 30, 2018 8:43:35 GMT -6
Have you considered paying for a home inspection rather than just a roof inspection? They’re really good (typically) at finding things that need to be fixed. No - that’s a good idea.
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Post by spicysalmonroll on May 30, 2018 9:05:46 GMT -6
I'd say if you have a father, in-law, uncle, brother, friend, anyone who knows anything about general home repairs and maintenance that they can point out the same things as a home inspection and save you $500. The roof and furnace would be my top priority. Not sure if furnace was included in your HVAC you've already done.
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2018 9:07:49 GMT -6
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Minerva
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Post by Minerva on May 30, 2018 9:13:54 GMT -6
If you have decking and fencing, make sure to check it and potentially refinish and repair it.
Chimney cleaning and maintenance.
Duct cleaning.
Check windows for drafts, potentially replace.
If you feel like your home style looks dated, refreshing rooms one at a time w/ new paint, hardware, lighting, counters/vanities.
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Post by ellewoods on May 30, 2018 9:30:01 GMT -6
If you have decking and fencing, make sure to check it and potentially refinish and repair it. Chimney cleaning and maintenance. Duct cleaning. Check windows for drafts, potentially replace. If you feel like your home style looks dated, refreshing rooms one at a time w/ new paint, hardware, lighting, counters/vanities. I read mixed reviews on duct cleaning and it seemed expensive - is it necessary?
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sarenu
Amethyst
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Post by sarenu on May 30, 2018 9:32:54 GMT -6
If you have decking and fencing, make sure to check it and potentially refinish and repair it. Chimney cleaning and maintenance. Duct cleaning. Check windows for drafts, potentially replace. If you feel like your home style looks dated, refreshing rooms one at a time w/ new paint, hardware, lighting, counters/vanities. Check doors for drafts as well. You can have new weather striping installed to improve the seal. Dryer vents should be regularly cleaned. As well as moving the fridge for cleaning. Drains should be checked (hair and build up). Cleaning carpets. It may look clean until you actually have someone come in to do it. Also, padding can degrade and create a lot of dust under the carpet. Wax seals on your toilets should be changed as well. If this isn't done it can cause a slow leak and a lot of problems. As for upgrades, it depends on you. You aren't going to get all your money back if you update a room. So weigh the benefits with the cost.
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Post by sudokufan on May 30, 2018 9:33:33 GMT -6
I would get a roofer in to inspect your roof, rather than a home inspector. Our home inspector told us we'd get another 5-10 years out of our roof, and he wasn't wrong, but the actual roofer that did our replacement pointed out that the flashing was wrong, nails were wrong, vents were wrong, and parts of the roof should NOT have been shingled at all because the slope was too shallow (which led to the wood decking the shingles were nailed to rotting and he was able to put a hand through our laundry room ceiling...). Also, he pointed out that the giant maple tree planted next to the house would shorten the life of our new roof by years. If he had inspected our roof, we'd have replaced it years earlier and not have had to deal with the leaks the last couple.
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Post by ellewoods on May 30, 2018 9:36:26 GMT -6
If you have decking and fencing, make sure to check it and potentially refinish and repair it. Chimney cleaning and maintenance. Duct cleaning. Check windows for drafts, potentially replace. If you feel like your home style looks dated, refreshing rooms one at a time w/ new paint, hardware, lighting, counters/vanities. Check doors for drafts as well. You can have new weather striping installed to improve the seal. Dryer vents should be regularly cleaned. As well as moving the fridge for cleaning. Drains should be checked (hair and build up). Cleaning carpets. It may look clean until you actually have someone come in to do it. Also, padding can degrade and create a lot of dust under the carpet. Wax seals on your toilets should be changed as well. If this isn't done it can cause a slow leak and a lot of problems. As for upgrades, it depends on you. You aren't going to get all your money back if you update a room. So weigh the benefits with the cost. Plumber coming today and carpet cleaning next week. My husband is a great guy but he likes to be in charge of the house but I’m over things never getting done so I’m taking matters into my own hands!!!
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Post by sheilathetank on May 30, 2018 9:36:59 GMT -6
Gutter cleaning HVAC maintenance - at the very least filter replacement If you are not hooked up to the town sewer you should look into septic maintenance.
I don't know if you have this in your state, but we have a home energy program. We paid a small fee (like $100) for someone to come out and do a total energy assessment. They checked the house for drafts and possible places where we could improve our heat and electrical consumption. They replaced all the lightbulbs with LEDs and we got an enormous book of rebates and discounts to use on almost any appliance, HVAC, windows, and insulation. If you have this it would be worth looking into. We learned so much about the house and what repairs we needed to prioritize.
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2018 9:48:17 GMT -6
If you're having them pressure wash your house, find someone who can do windows as well (inside and out - one company we talked to would only do outside). I thought I'd been doing a pretty good job doing our windows, but they did it 100% better and the price was really reasonable.
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gussie
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Post by gussie on May 30, 2018 10:01:48 GMT -6
I'm impressed that your roof has lasted this long, my old house was built in 1998 and we were the last ones in the neighborhood to replace ours in 2014. So I'd definitely want to see whats going on up there. I'd check all the windows too, the new owners are replacing the ones on our old house this year.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on May 30, 2018 10:09:48 GMT -6
Replacing the furnace and AC would be high priority for me. Obviously, you don't want them to break, but newer models are so much more energy efficient and will save you money in the long run. Check your state tax laws too, many states give tax rebates for energy efficient home improvements, and some utility companies give rebates for Energy Star certified HVAC upgrades.
I say the same thing about windows. It's amazing how much energy gets lost through old windows.
ETA Sorry, I see now that you said you replaced HVAC. Ignore me.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on May 30, 2018 10:10:54 GMT -6
Gutter cleaning HVAC maintenance - at the very least filter replacement If you are not hooked up to the town sewer you should look into septic maintenance. I don't know if you have this in your state, but we have a home energy program. We paid a small fee (like $100) for someone to come out and do a total energy assessment. They checked the house for drafts and possible places where we could improve our heat and electrical consumption. They replaced all the lightbulbs with LEDs and we got an enormous book of rebates and discounts to use on almost any appliance, HVAC, windows, and insulation. If you have this it would be worth looking into. We learned so much about the house and what repairs we needed to prioritize. I know the electric company in DC and a couple of the Beltway counties do free energy inspections. Worth looking into.
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Post by SayitaintSnow on May 30, 2018 10:11:50 GMT -6
I'd say if you have a father, in-law, uncle, brother, friend, anyone who knows anything about general home repairs and maintenance that they can point out the same things as a home inspection and save you $500. The roof and furnace would be my top priority. Not sure if furnace was included in your HVAC you've already done. Do they have to have a penis though
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on May 30, 2018 10:12:07 GMT -6
Also, after that length of time, I'd want to be rid of any original carpeting, if you still have it. No amount of vacuuming can get every single bit of dust or mold out.
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Post by spicysalmonroll on May 30, 2018 10:16:03 GMT -6
I'd say if you have a father, in-law, uncle, brother, friend, anyone who knows anything about general home repairs and maintenance that they can point out the same things as a home inspection and save you $500. The roof and furnace would be my top priority. Not sure if furnace was included in your HVAC you've already done. Do they have to have a penis though Hey I said friend and nondescript in-law
But you are right, I misspoke and meant anyone close to you with knowledge including sisters, mothers, etc.
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mb3
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Post by mb3 on May 30, 2018 10:23:08 GMT -6
Are you looking to sell? Or just maintain for yourselves?
This might be state specific, but I believe here at least if you’ve gotten an inspection report showing problems then it has to be disclosed to a buyer.
Not necessarily maintenance, but a tip we got when selling was to repaint the baseboards on any long, unbroken walls. So we did it in our hallway, but not in the rooms where furniture was. I was skeptical about this but it really looked sharp and made a big difference.
If you’re power washing the house make sure you get the garage door too.
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Minerva
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Post by Minerva on May 30, 2018 10:23:35 GMT -6
If you have decking and fencing, make sure to check it and potentially refinish and repair it. Chimney cleaning and maintenance. Duct cleaning. Check windows for drafts, potentially replace. If you feel like your home style looks dated, refreshing rooms one at a time w/ new paint, hardware, lighting, counters/vanities. I read mixed reviews on duct cleaning and it seemed expensive - is it necessary? I think it depends. If you have central air along with pets and kids, it’s probably worth it every few years. More if you have allergies. Like PP said, dryer ducts are even more important. We clean ours every 6 months with a shop vac b/ we’ve had trouble in the past.
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Post by ellewoods on May 30, 2018 10:24:05 GMT -6
I'm impressed that your roof has lasted this long, my old house was built in 1998 and we were the last ones in the neighborhood to replace ours in 2014. So I'd definitely want to see whats going on up there. I'd check all the windows too, the new owners are replacing the ones on our old house this year. Yes I’m very nervous.
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Post by shellbell on May 30, 2018 10:26:36 GMT -6
Our house was built (I almost said born 🤦🏼♀️) in 1998. We replaced the roof 3 years ago when we moved in. We also had to replace our patio door because the center post had rotted through and it was very drafty/didn't shut all the time. We have had the patio and driveway sealed. The hot water tank was replaced sometime before we bought the house. We had to replace one bathtub because it cracked.
Otherwise we have done lots of cosmetic updates -- replaced linoleum with hard surface, replaced carpet, painted, etc. We have plans to do the kitchen in the next 5-10 years.
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Post by ellewoods on May 30, 2018 10:27:28 GMT -6
Also, after that length of time, I'd want to be rid of any original carpeting, if you still have it. No amount of vacuuming can get every single bit of dust or mold out. We’ve been here 9 years and painted and re carpeted everything
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Post by GhoatMonket on May 30, 2018 10:28:13 GMT -6
I'm impressed that your roof has lasted this long, my old house was built in 1998 and we were the last ones in the neighborhood to replace ours in 2014. So I'd definitely want to see whats going on up there. I'd check all the windows too, the new owners are replacing the ones on our old house this year. Yes I’m very nervous. Better to fix it now than wait for problems. If there are problems then you have to to worry about replacing the wood underneath as well. At 22 years, it's probably time.
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Post by ellewoods on May 30, 2018 10:28:45 GMT -6
We just had our driveway re paved.
Just trying to make my list and cross things off!!!
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on May 30, 2018 10:28:53 GMT -6
I read mixed reviews on duct cleaning and it seemed expensive - is it necessary? I think it depends. If you have central air along with pets and kids, it’s probably worth it every few years. More if you have allergies. Like PP said, dryer ducts are even more important. We clean ours every 6 months with a shop vac b/ we’ve had trouble in the past. When we moved from our old house (built in 1990, ducts had never been cleaned) to our new house (older than the previous house but ducts had been cleaned within the past year) it was a dramatic difference. I dont' spend the first 45 minutes of every morning with my eyes watering and blowing my nose 500 times anymore.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on May 30, 2018 10:29:46 GMT -6
It doesn't sound like you've done the bare minimum at all, it sounds like you've pretty much kept on top of things.
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Cher
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Post by Cher on May 30, 2018 10:38:44 GMT -6
I'm impressed that your roof has lasted this long, my old house was built in 1998 and we were the last ones in the neighborhood to replace ours in 2014. So I'd definitely want to see whats going on up there. I'd check all the windows too, the new owners are replacing the ones on our old house this year. Yes I’m very nervous. When did you move in? What did your inspector say at the time? Fwiw, my house was built in 97 and our roof is still in great condition. There are different materials, climate, installation, etc. that cab can affect lifespan. There’s not a hard and fast rule about when it’s time to replace it. I would get someone to take a look at it, but I wouldn’t worry until you have to.
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2018 10:43:12 GMT -6
When did you move in? What did your inspector say at the time? Fwiw, my house was built in 97 and our roof is still in great condition. There are different materials, climate, installation, etc. that cab can affect lifespan. There’s not a hard and fast rule about when it’s time to replace it. I would get someone to take a look at it, but I wouldn’t worry until you have to. +1 to this. Our most recent roof was put on in 2003. Our roof inspector said we likely have another 15-20 years before it will need to be replaced. Not all roofs, roofing materials, climates, etc. are created equally.
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Post by ellewoods on May 30, 2018 11:03:59 GMT -6
It doesn't sound like you've done the bare minimum at all, it sounds like you've pretty much kept on top of things. I feel like the opposite.
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