Buying a new house can be a headache all by itself, but if you are wanting to purchase a fixer upper, then you have a lot more on your plate than most people do. House flipping is a popular way to make some quick money, but it is not usually as easy as television shows and magazines make it out to be. It is not only difficult because of the construction costs, but also because of the physical and emotional strength you have to have to get through the process. Carrying the loan or loans that you may have to get to be able to afford the property is something else. If you are unmarried and already have an apartment or mortgage to pay for, then carrying another mortgage until the home is fixed up and finally sold can be a little scary.
One thing that you need to be careful about if you are planning on renovating on a budget is taking on tasks that you have no experience in. You may be able to paint the interior on your own, but cutting your new granite countertops may be something you want to leave to the professionals. This can be very complicated and can most of the time only be done once. Mess up the granite slab and you will have to buy another to replace it and this can punch a huge hole in your budget. When in doubt, leave something to the professionals and do not cut corners by taking on projects you are not sure that you can do to professional quality.
Always check for water and mold damage to the property before signing any papers. You want to know just what you are getting yourself into and these two problems cropping up in the middle of your renovation can sink you further into debt than you intended to go. Repairing these problems can sometimes cost thousands of dollars and most of the time, mold cannot be gotten rid of without removing all of the building materials affected by it. It can be scrubbed off of drywall sometimes, but if the growth is heavy on the surface, you should throw it away instead. Cleaners cannot get into the porous drywall far enough to completely kill it and it will return.
The most moist areas of the home are often the most likely to be structurally damaged and there have been many stories of toilets and bath tubs falling through the floor due to rotted supports. This is usually because the floor has been soaked with water on a regular basis for a long time and unfortunately, this can be a real pain. If you are remodeling the floor with new tile, you may want to go ahead and check for this kind of damage underneath it, just to be sure you do not have to go back and do all this again.
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Water Underneath Your Home
Unless your have a basement, not many people care much for venturing into that little door that leads underneath your home. The crawl space under there can vary from house to house. If you have ever had the pleasure of going in there, then you know how spooky it can be. It is usually very dark with lots of long ago vacated cobwebs and possibly some more recent occupied ones. It is also a great place for snakes to creep into, as well as mice and small animals.
You might not ever want to go under there, but an occasional look around into the dark depths with a flashlight might be a good thing. Not knowing what is going on under there can result in some bad consequences if left undetected.
If you happen to have central heating and air ductwork running underneath your home, any of the places it may have came loose can cause you to lose heating and cooling efficiency, in turn causing more strain on your unit and your wallet. Brackets holding the duct work off the ground could work loose or rust. It probably won’t happen, but you never know.
A more serious problem can occur if water leakage happens. This can be really bad if it is occurring around the foundation of your home. Over time, it can cause foundation failure. When this happens, the walls inside your home can become affected as well. If you find water under the house it needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Water damage in any form is never good.
Leaking pipes can cause water to puddle in spots under the house also. It does not sound too bad unless the leak happens to be wetting the floor joist. Eventually, it will cause rotting and molding to occur. This can lead to floor damage that can be costly and not easy to repair.
Outside water spigots are another thing you do not worry about until you start to use it and have problems. Usually the handle will start to slip and will not shut off completely. This is very easy to notice, but leaks can also develop in the piping behind the foundation walls where you can not see.
So, if you do go under your house just to have a look around, keep these few things in mind to check out while you are there. A little prevention really can go a long way towards saving time and money later on.
You might not ever want to go under there, but an occasional look around into the dark depths with a flashlight might be a good thing. Not knowing what is going on under there can result in some bad consequences if left undetected.
If you happen to have central heating and air ductwork running underneath your home, any of the places it may have came loose can cause you to lose heating and cooling efficiency, in turn causing more strain on your unit and your wallet. Brackets holding the duct work off the ground could work loose or rust. It probably won’t happen, but you never know.
A more serious problem can occur if water leakage happens. This can be really bad if it is occurring around the foundation of your home. Over time, it can cause foundation failure. When this happens, the walls inside your home can become affected as well. If you find water under the house it needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Water damage in any form is never good.
Leaking pipes can cause water to puddle in spots under the house also. It does not sound too bad unless the leak happens to be wetting the floor joist. Eventually, it will cause rotting and molding to occur. This can lead to floor damage that can be costly and not easy to repair.
Outside water spigots are another thing you do not worry about until you start to use it and have problems. Usually the handle will start to slip and will not shut off completely. This is very easy to notice, but leaks can also develop in the piping behind the foundation walls where you can not see.
So, if you do go under your house just to have a look around, keep these few things in mind to check out while you are there. A little prevention really can go a long way towards saving time and money later on.
Exhaust Fans Help Prevent Bathroom Mold
If you live in an older home or are thinking about buying one, there may not be exhaust fans in the bathrooms. Installing them will probably be in your best interest for quit a few reasons. First of all they help to pull those smelly odors out of the room. Next they stop your mirrors from fogging up so much, but more importantly they go along way towards the prevention of mold growth. All that moisture will eventually lead to the black fuzzy looking stuff setting up housekeeping on your bathroom walls and ceiling. Excessive moisture can damage to your paint or wallpaper and woodwork as well. If left unresolved it can damage sheetrock and cause extensive repairs to have to be made. Mold growing anywhere can be unsightly and not a very healthy situation either.
Installing an exhaust fan now can be a fairly inexpensive solution when compared to the costly consequences of putting it off until later. You can get them at most home improvement stores. They can be purchased with or without lights. If you have a ceiling light fixture in your bathroom already, you can replace it with a fan/light combination. Or add just the fan in another location. Before you go down to pick one out, be sure to know the measurements of your bathroom so you are able to purchase one that will be strong enough for the size of your room. A sales person should be able to help you locate one with the right CFM {cubic feet per minute} That information can be found somewhere on the box..
If your going to attempt the installation yourself, take a good look at the tools you will need and all the necessary steps involved to be sure that you are up to the task. There are several things such as electrical wiring, installing the vent into the ceiling and out of the house through the attic. You might want to consider hiring someone to do it for you. Sometimes this is the best way to go if your not very skilled at do it yourself projects.
Whichever way you decide to go, it will be an inexpensive improvement that will help to dispel a number of things excessive bathroom moisture can cause. It will defiantly be worth the time and money now compared with what it could cost you least on.
Installing an exhaust fan now can be a fairly inexpensive solution when compared to the costly consequences of putting it off until later. You can get them at most home improvement stores. They can be purchased with or without lights. If you have a ceiling light fixture in your bathroom already, you can replace it with a fan/light combination. Or add just the fan in another location. Before you go down to pick one out, be sure to know the measurements of your bathroom so you are able to purchase one that will be strong enough for the size of your room. A sales person should be able to help you locate one with the right CFM {cubic feet per minute} That information can be found somewhere on the box..
If your going to attempt the installation yourself, take a good look at the tools you will need and all the necessary steps involved to be sure that you are up to the task. There are several things such as electrical wiring, installing the vent into the ceiling and out of the house through the attic. You might want to consider hiring someone to do it for you. Sometimes this is the best way to go if your not very skilled at do it yourself projects.
Whichever way you decide to go, it will be an inexpensive improvement that will help to dispel a number of things excessive bathroom moisture can cause. It will defiantly be worth the time and money now compared with what it could cost you least on.
House Renovating Woes, Common Renovation problems.
Buying a new house can be a headache all by itself, but if you are wanting to purchase a fixer upper, then you have a lot more on your plate than most people do. House flipping is a popular way to make some quick money, but it is not usually as easy as television shows and magazines make it out to be. It is not only difficult because of the construction costs, but also because of the physical and emotional strength you have to have to get through the process. Carrying the loan or loans that you may have to get to be able to afford the property is something else. If you are unmarried and already have an apartment or mortgage to pay for, then carrying another mortgage until the home is fixed up and finally sold can be a little scary.
One thing that you need to be careful about if you are planning on renovating on a budget is taking on tasks that you have no experience in. You may be able to paint the interior on your own, but cutting your new granite countertops may be something you want to leave to the professionals. This can be very complicated and can most of the time only be done once. Mess up the granite slab and you will have to buy another to replace it and this can punch a huge hole in your budget. When in doubt, leave something to the professionals and do not cut corners by taking on projects you are not sure that you can do to professional quality.
Always check for water and mold damage to the property before signing any papers. You want to know just what you are getting yourself into and these two problems cropping up in the middle of your renovation can sink you further into debt than you intended to go. Repairing these problems can sometimes cost thousands of dollars and most of the time, mold cannot be gotten rid of without removing all of the building materials affected by it. It can be scrubbed off of drywall sometimes, but if the growth is heavy on the surface, you should throw it away instead. Cleaners cannot get into the porous drywall far enough to completely kill it and it will return.
The most moist areas of the home are often the most likely to be structurally damaged and there have been many stories of toilets and bath tubs falling through the floor due to rotted supports. This is usually because the floor has been soaked with water on a regular basis for a long time and unfortunately, this can be a real pain. If you are remodeling the floor with new tile, you may want to go ahead and check for this kind of damage underneath it, just to be sure you do not have to go back and do all this again.
One thing that you need to be careful about if you are planning on renovating on a budget is taking on tasks that you have no experience in. You may be able to paint the interior on your own, but cutting your new granite countertops may be something you want to leave to the professionals. This can be very complicated and can most of the time only be done once. Mess up the granite slab and you will have to buy another to replace it and this can punch a huge hole in your budget. When in doubt, leave something to the professionals and do not cut corners by taking on projects you are not sure that you can do to professional quality.
Always check for water and mold damage to the property before signing any papers. You want to know just what you are getting yourself into and these two problems cropping up in the middle of your renovation can sink you further into debt than you intended to go. Repairing these problems can sometimes cost thousands of dollars and most of the time, mold cannot be gotten rid of without removing all of the building materials affected by it. It can be scrubbed off of drywall sometimes, but if the growth is heavy on the surface, you should throw it away instead. Cleaners cannot get into the porous drywall far enough to completely kill it and it will return.
The most moist areas of the home are often the most likely to be structurally damaged and there have been many stories of toilets and bath tubs falling through the floor due to rotted supports. This is usually because the floor has been soaked with water on a regular basis for a long time and unfortunately, this can be a real pain. If you are remodeling the floor with new tile, you may want to go ahead and check for this kind of damage underneath it, just to be sure you do not have to go back and do all this again.
Water Underneath Your Home
Unless your have a basement, not many people care much for venturing into that little door that leads underneath your home. The crawl space under there can vary from house to house. If you have ever had the pleasure of going in there, then you know how spooky it can be. It is usually very dark with lots of long ago vacated cobwebs and possibly some more recent occupied ones. It is also a great place for snakes to creep into, as well as mice and small animals.
You might not ever want to go under there, but an occasional look around into the dark depths with a flashlight might be a good thing. Not knowing what is going on under there can result in some bad consequences if left undetected.
If you happen to have central heating and air ductwork running underneath your home, any of the places it may have came loose can cause you to lose heating and cooling efficiency, in turn causing more strain on your unit and your wallet. Brackets holding the duct work off the ground could work loose or rust. It probably won’t happen, but you never know.
A more serious problem can occur if water leakage happens. This can be really bad if it is occurring around the foundation of your home. Over time, it can cause foundation failure. When this happens, the walls inside your home can become affected as well. If you find water under the house it needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Water damage in any form is never good.
Leaking pipes can cause water to puddle in spots under the house also. It does not sound too bad unless the leak happens to be wetting the floor joist. Eventually, it will cause rotting and molding to occur. This can lead to floor damage that can be costly and not easy to repair.
Outside water spigots are another thing you do not worry about until you start to use it and have problems. Usually the handle will start to slip and will not shut off completely. This is very easy to notice, but leaks can also develop in the piping behind the foundation walls where you can not see.
So, if you do go under your house just to have a look around, keep these few things in mind to check out while you are there. A little prevention really can go a long way towards saving time and money later on.
You might not ever want to go under there, but an occasional look around into the dark depths with a flashlight might be a good thing. Not knowing what is going on under there can result in some bad consequences if left undetected.
If you happen to have central heating and air ductwork running underneath your home, any of the places it may have came loose can cause you to lose heating and cooling efficiency, in turn causing more strain on your unit and your wallet. Brackets holding the duct work off the ground could work loose or rust. It probably won’t happen, but you never know.
A more serious problem can occur if water leakage happens. This can be really bad if it is occurring around the foundation of your home. Over time, it can cause foundation failure. When this happens, the walls inside your home can become affected as well. If you find water under the house it needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Water damage in any form is never good.
Leaking pipes can cause water to puddle in spots under the house also. It does not sound too bad unless the leak happens to be wetting the floor joist. Eventually, it will cause rotting and molding to occur. This can lead to floor damage that can be costly and not easy to repair.
Outside water spigots are another thing you do not worry about until you start to use it and have problems. Usually the handle will start to slip and will not shut off completely. This is very easy to notice, but leaks can also develop in the piping behind the foundation walls where you can not see.
So, if you do go under your house just to have a look around, keep these few things in mind to check out while you are there. A little prevention really can go a long way towards saving time and money later on.
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