Official Home Owners Tips

[luv_mist]

What about a fake bird?


Sent from here to there

[~LiverpoolRed~]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

I think the birds have finally gone. I put up a wooden owl on the deck over the weekend and I guess it scared them off. I've replaced the vent and also bought a pest vent cover for it. Looks like a little cage to cover it.

[joshuar9476]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

biggest thing i have learned over the past three weeks ... a major remodel cannot be done in the time you expect it to be done ... triple that estimated time and you might be close.

plaster walls are the devil spawn ... specially when removing plaster walls

crawl spaces are scary places, but full basements where you can easily reach all plumbing and wiring for the main floor are heaven sent. big attics help too.

if you haven't taken courses on interior design, just let your wife do it .... you'll be happier in the long run

also, if home depot or a community college is offering free or really cheap classes on home repair (plumbing, electrical, etc), take them. yes, you could call someone and pay them, but the reward of doing it yourself is much better ... sometimes.

[luv_mist]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

I just mowed the lawn the other day. Man, it was hard work. I'm definitely glad I got it. Took about a couple of hours though. The yard is much bigger than I thought. Had to hit this hill also. Ridiculous!! I hate that we don't have a garage or a shed now. I would have put the mower on the back porch but my neighbor told me that the last owner had his stolen off his back sunroom. Guess I'll be struggling for a few years with somewhere to put it in the mean time. Going to start getting books for my knowledge. Good advice Joshua.

[Koolie G]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

When I bought my house I didn't think the yard was that big either and I just bought a gas powered push mower and figured the hill in the front would just be good exercise for me. After the first year of spending 2 plus hours mowing my yard...I bought a riding lawn mower. Best money I've spent. Now I can mow the entire yard, including push mowing a small hill and weed eating, in less than an hour if I'm really motivated. This has greatly enhanced my ability to play golf and still have time to mow the yard without the wife complaining.

[mgoblue]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

Last year I would have had close to an $800.00 plumbing bill. I paid $55.00 under the warranty.

There may be years you don't use it, but knowing if something like your electrical goes out that you only pay the deductible, is great peice of mind.

I agree. My parents have it on the condo I rent and on their new house. Just be aware that with air conditioning and heating you should get things checked out every 6 months. The home warranty people will refuse claims if you don't keep things maintained well. It's not a big issue, just something to watch out for.

Whenever our heating/cooling guy comes out we chat and he tells me how the warranty companies play hardball sometimes, so keep on your maintenance.

[DaveDQ]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

I just mowed the lawn the other day. Man, it was hard work. I'm definitely glad I got it. Took about a couple of hours though. The yard is much bigger than I thought. Had to hit this hill also. Ridiculous!! I hate that we don't have a garage or a shed now. I would have put the mower on the back porch but my neighbor told me that the last owner had his stolen off his back sunroom. Guess I'll be struggling for a few years with somewhere to put it in the mean time. Going to start getting books for my knowledge. Good advice Joshua.

I got a cable lock for my mower. So far so good.

[snepp]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

also, if home depot or a community college is offering free or really cheap classes on home repair (plumbing, electrical, etc), take them. yes, you could call someone and pay them, but the reward of doing it yourself is much better ... sometimes.

Like when I did a couple thousand dollars worth of electrical myself this winter. I wouldn't have been able to justify paying someone to do the improvements/changes that I wanted.

[Jonesy]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

My house has very steep sides so I thought I'd be clever and buy a nice light electric mower to make doing the sides easier when my old petrol mower crapped out. I bought this thing:



I am now regretting my purchase as the battery life is just pathetic. It says something like up to 1.5 hours mowing time on the box but I am lucky to get 20 minutes out of mine before the battery is dead and needs recharging. I've taken it back twice and they have replaced the battery but it still only works for about 20 minutes then dies. So for me mowing includes:

1. Mow front yard
2. Charge battery for two hours
3. Mow one side and half the other side
4. Charge battery for two hours
5. Mow rest of side and back yard.

So annoying!!!

[snepp]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

Cordless electric mowers have the tendency to suck unless you have a tiny yard. And if your yard is that small, you may as well just get one of these.

[DaveDQ]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

I really do believe that home ownership separates the men from the boys. Not because you have enough money to purchase a home, but because it takes responsibility and discipline to maintain it. Especially if you are one to do things yourself, tackling a home project takes patience and hard work.

My home is an older home so we have our share of challenges. I hate going up under the crawl space. The main reason is I'm concerned that I'll find something wrong and I tend to worry about things to much and I am tempted to do a knee jerk reaction and spend money on things I don't have to.

But it's all a solid learning experience. From dealing with bugs, to fixing the plumbing, you learn as you go and are well suited for future challenges.

[Stu]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

Anyone have experience dealing with Yellow Jackets? We just can't seem to get rid of these things. Two years ago we had a huge nest between the joists under our deck. Last year we had a nest in our wall and had to have an exterminator come because they were getting in the house.

[C the Lyte]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

Anyone have experience dealing with Yellow Jackets? We just can't seem to get rid of these things. Two years ago we had a huge nest between the joists under our deck. Last year we had a nest in our wall and had to have an exterminator come because they were getting in the house.

I used to have a big problem hornets building nests underneath my deck. The solution was any sort of high power hornet and wasp killer. Killed what was around and I haven't had any return since.

However, with an exterminator coming by and problem still persists, I would be a little concerned.

[p_rushing]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

I thought I was having a problem a few weeks ago. I found 2 in my house within a few days. First one shocked me because it was on the kitchen faucet. Luckily the Raid is under the sink, so I was able to get it killed quickly. Then a few days later I saw one flying around, I got the Raid again and saw it land. I went crazy looking for nests, but couldn't find any inside or outside, so I guess they came inside when I had my garage door open.

[Stu]

Re: Official Home Owners Tips

I thought I was having a problem a few weeks ago. I found 2 in my house within a few days. First one shocked me because it was on the kitchen faucet. Luckily the Raid is under the sink, so I was able to get it killed quickly. Then a few days later I saw one flying around, I got the Raid again and saw it land. I went crazy looking for nests, but couldn't find any inside or outside, so I guess they came inside when I had my garage door open.

I haven't seen any in the house since the fall before the exterminator came but I've seen a lot of activity outside the house. No swarming though so not sure where the nest is.