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Thanks! Yes they sure have. They're just about a year and a half old now. It's nuts!
Originally Posted by Gfaze
Nice, just need to rip out all of that linoleum and replace it with some tile. Looks way bigger than your old place.
Thanks! Replacing the linoleum is on our list for sure. It is just about double the size! We've gone from 1,400 sq. ft. to 2,700 sq. ft. We LOVE it.
Originally Posted by NSXNEXT
Congrats. Beautiful house. Kids looks like they are liking it too.
Thanks! The kids LOVE it. They never had the room to run around until now. They constantly do laps from the kitchen to the "dining room" (which is their play space for now), to the living room, down the halls, and back. It's fun to watch.
Originally Posted by maharajamd
Congrats!
Thanks!
Originally Posted by ThermonMermon
SWEET. Are houses like that breaking the 7 figure mark, given proximity to SF?
Actually, the farther out you get from SF home prices drop exponentially. We used to live in the Bay Area and it's exactly why we no longer live there. This house would've been an easy million in most parts of the bay. However, being 1.5 hours easy, we bought this home for $360k.
Originally Posted by dallison
i love those older CAli houses. They have so much character.
Thanks! We do too.
Originally Posted by Flipster23
Congrats. I'm liking that. I used to not like brick out front but it really has grown on me, gives it a ton of character.
Thanks!
Originally Posted by chill_dog
Looks much bigger than your old place...very nice! Everything appears to be in pretty good shape, too. Congrats! So, any plans?
Thanks! Everything is in great shape. There are some minor maintenance items we need to take care of that are expected out of a ~25 year old home (was built in 1989), otherwise it's in great shape.
We have LOTS of plans, but are not in any rush. Our first attack will be the kitchen. It has the original appliances, which we want to replace...and because the cooktop is not a standard size we'll likely need to replace the countertops as well. Eventually we'll re-do the floor, but we have plenty of time.
A previous owner had some serious fires in the fireplace and didn't use a screen, so the carpet around the fireplace has burn marks in it. We want to replace the carpet there with some type of laminate.
I plan to go nuts running CAT6 or CAT6a wiring throughout the house. I'm going to make the center cabinet to the left of the fireplace the "MDF" for lack of a better term. I have a data rack that will fit inside perfectly, and I've got a rack-mountable 24 port gigabit switch. I'm going to buy some shelfs that are on slides so I can slide components forward whenever I need to connect/disconnect anything.
I hate running cable...CAT5 (old house), CAT6, coax, speaker cable, etc. Always needs to be done, though. You'd think eventually older houses would get upgraded (and new ones done from the start) so that it's almost "standard". I guess other people don't see the need for these things. Still, that sounds like the easiest thing on your list LOL. Looking forward to seeing what you do.
I don't mean to scare you but I think I see some ghosts in the new place, look like ghost kids.
Congrats!
Thanks!
Originally Posted by NBP04TL4ME
Congrats -
Thanks!
Originally Posted by chill_dog
I hate running cable...CAT5 (old house), CAT6, coax, speaker cable, etc. Always needs to be done, though. You'd think eventually older houses would get upgraded (and new ones done from the start) so that it's almost "standard". I guess other people don't see the need for these things. Still, that sounds like the easiest thing on your list LOL. Looking forward to seeing what you do.
You would think....
Running the CAT6 cable for the U-verse install wasn't too bad (though the installer told me he would've done it without issue ). Some of the wiring has already been done which will save me some time. The only wiring that I will need to do at this point is Ethernet and wiring for rear speakers...neither of which are a rush.
Yesterday morning I decided to make pancakes. I pulled out a baking sheet to put in the oven to keep the pancakes warm and discovered it does not fit in the oven. I had to put it in at an angle, which is no beno.
Looks like the kitchen will be bumped up on the list...
If you wanted to save a few bucks, you could buy a new baking sheet
You might be on to something...
Originally Posted by KaMLuNg
that's not how we do things here at a-zine... when we need new tires, we just buy a new car instead!!!
I guess I need a new house!
Originally Posted by Jakes_tl
Love the house!
Thanks!
Originally Posted by AcurazinesFinestTL
Congratulations on the new house purchase! Beautiful home, I'm sure your family will enjoy it!
Thanks! So far we are enjoying it very much.
Originally Posted by litesout
I need to put gas in the car. I hear if you buy a Lexus they come with a full tank....
That's a gorgeous looking house! Love the dark brick and siding. Its got real character.
I not only need a new house, but a bigger one too!
Thanks!
Originally Posted by Aman
Congrats! The house looks like a great upgrade. Cute kids too.
Is that garage as big as it looks in the pics?
Thanks!
The garage is a bit discombobulated right now, but I've cleaned it up enough to park the Jetta inside . I'll take a couple of pictures for reference. It's a decent size space.
The oven is original (1989) and it's an oven microwave combo and the microwave doesn't work (no power). Could be a simple fix, who knows. The baking sheet not fitting is just yet another argument for replacing it sooner rather than later. My wife loves to cook/bake and really wants a double oven anyway.
The previous owner had the water heater turned up way too high. The house has a re-circulation pump, so within a few seconds you'd get scalding hot water, which is NOT good with the kids. I discovered they had the water heater turned all the way up. I turned it down to a more sensible setting. When we had the inspection, the inspector told me it was an older water heater...and by old meaning the original with a manufacturers date of the 26th week of 1989! We have a home warranty, so I may ride it out until the warranty is over (in hopes it fails during the warranty period), but its age gives me pause...
If its that old its not going to be energy efficient. There could potentially be significant cost savings in the long run by replacing it. I've been looking into changing mine out as its quite old as well. Not sure how old, but there was a home inspection sticker on it from 2001, so older than that. I'm sure the bulk of my winter power bills are from it and the fridge. Been looking into a hybrid hot water heater. The up front cost is a bit high, but the potential cost savings mean it would pay itself off in a relatively short amount of time. Comparing the Energy Guide numbers from a hybrid and conventional hot water heater shows cost savings as high as $50 a month.
If its that old its not going to be energy efficient. There could potentially be significant cost savings in the long run by replacing it. I've been looking into changing mine out as its quite old as well. Not sure how old, but there was a home inspection sticker on it from 2001, so older than that. I'm sure the bulk of my winter power bills are from it and the fridge. Been looking into a hybrid hot water heater. The up front cost is a bit high, but the potential cost savings mean it would pay itself off in a relatively short amount of time. Comparing the Energy Guide numbers from a hybrid and conventional hot water heater shows cost savings as high as $50 a month.
Do you have a gas or electric water heater? Mine is gas. I'm not sure a new water heater will save me that much per month, but it would definitely be more efficient. At worst, the new water heater's recovery time would be much shorter than the current water heater. Last night I was in the mood for a hot shower, and by the end of the shower I just about had the cold supply turned off. The water was still pretty hot, but that explains why the previous owner(s) had it turned up. It's something to add to the list for sure.
When we bought the house, we knew that the roof was at the end of its useful life. No obvious leaks, yet, but every time I go up in the attic I find another pinhole where I can see daylight. We've reserved about $20k of our proceeds from our sale to do the roof, so it's not a big deal. I should probably research roofing contractors before the pinholes turn into something worse. An unintended benefit, though, is that since the contractor will have to expose the attic (they will need to remove the skip-sheeting and put down plywood), they're on the hook for bringing the attic insulation up to code. Of course this is reflected in the roofing quote.
Ahh, gotcha. All electric appliances. Didn't even think of that Gas isn't available in my neighborhood. Wish it was, I'd do indecent things for a gas stove.
Made some progress yetserday getting the home theater system set up.
Got the mains and center wired:
The A/V cabinet. I'm also going to have all my Ethernet runs terminate here, hence the 24 port switch.
Here's what the cabinet looked like before:
Oh, and here are a couple of garage pictures to give some idea of its size. It's a decent space. Enough room for two vehicles, some storage, and still have access to a workbench.
That's a serious setup for a home theater. Way over my scope of work. I like it.
Originally Posted by thunder04
The oven is original (1989) and it's an oven microwave combo and the microwave doesn't work (no power). Could be a simple fix, who knows. The baking sheet not fitting is just yet another argument for replacing it sooner rather than later. My wife loves to cook/bake and really wants a double oven anyway.
The previous owner had the water heater turned up way too high. The house has a re-circulation pump, so within a few seconds you'd get scalding hot water, which is NOT good with the kids. I discovered they had the water heater turned all the way up. I turned it down to a more sensible setting. When we had the inspection, the inspector told me it was an older water heater...and by old meaning the original with a manufacturers date of the 26th week of 1989! We have a home warranty, so I may ride it out until the warranty is over (in hopes it fails during the warranty period), but its age gives me pause...
Older appliances last so much longer than todays appliances. I remember when my mom had a stainless steel side-by-side fridge (can't stand them; no storage) for a few years and the motherboard went out in it. Needless to say she went back to a simple top-freezer fridge and has had zero issues with it in the 3 years she's owned it. I'm not sure if you'll get to use that home warranty though.
Originally Posted by thunder04
Do you have a gas or electric water heater? Mine is gas. I'm not sure a new water heater will save me that much per month, but it would definitely be more efficient. At worst, the new water heater's recovery time would be much shorter than the current water heater. Last night I was in the mood for a hot shower, and by the end of the shower I just about had the cold supply turned off. The water was still pretty hot, but that explains why the previous owner(s) had it turned up. It's something to add to the list for sure.
When we bought the house, we knew that the roof was at the end of its useful life. No obvious leaks, yet, but every time I go up in the attic I find another pinhole where I can see daylight. We've reserved about $20k of our proceeds from our sale to do the roof, so it's not a big deal. I should probably research roofing contractors before the pinholes turn into something worse. An unintended benefit, though, is that since the contractor will have to expose the attic (they will need to remove the skip-sheeting and put down plywood), they're on the hook for bringing the attic insulation up to code. Of course this is reflected in the roofing quote.
Your roof is expensive. And I've never been lived in a home that has gas. All electric. Whenever we have a hurricane and lose power (up to a week), if you knew someone who had a gas water heater, you would be in business. Hot showers.
Originally Posted by litesout
Ahh, gotcha. All electric appliances. Didn't even think of that Gas isn't available in my neighborhood. Wish it was, I'd do indecent things for a gas stove.
portable generator works great for that kind of stuff ... parents had a Generac 17KW gas powered portable that saved them a lot of trouble when the power was out for Christmas 2013.
The downside 1GPH = nearly $80 a day in fuel costs at the time. Cost them $350-400 to keep the house warm and lights on for a week
Now they have a whole house generac natural gas generator and it seems to work very well for them
Other than battling some serious diaper rash every now and then, they're doing good. They're super active and their personalities are definitely coming out. They love to run laps around the new house and get into just about everything they possibly can. I've just about finished installing child locks on all of the lower cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. Once I'm done with that, I need to do the same in the dining room (their play space right now) and the hallway. I love the cabinets, but there are SO MANY DOORS. I could install the locks in my sleep...
Our girl is definitely more advanced intellectually, and our boy is more advanced with his motor skills. They both talk up a storm, but our girl can say words more clearly and picks up on new words quicker than our boy. Our boy on the other hand loves to mess with things (hence the cabinet locks). Any devices with buttons or a touch-screen within his reach are doomed. Dishwasher, trash compactor, the lower quarter of the A/V cabinet. He has no fear and will try to climb just about anything (though he hasn't tried to climb out of his crib just yet *knocks on wood*). If I'm up on a ladder in the house and mommy isn't near by to snatch him, he's up the ladder with me in a heartbeat. Of course, this leads to him having more scrapes and bruises than his sister.
My mother-in-law bought them foam letters and numbers for the bath tub and as soon as they saw them they said "ABC's!". Melted my heart.
Earlier tonight:
Oh, they LOVE books. They will follow you around the house saying "I need BOOK", which 3/4 of the time means Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. They'll point to the letters on the pages and say either "ABC!", "oh no!" or either "Chicka Chicka Boom" or "Chicka Boom Boom Boom". It's super cute.
12-22-2014, 08:26 AM
). Some of the wiring has already been done which will save me some time. The only wiring that I will need to do at this point is Ethernet and wiring for rear speakers...neither of which are a rush.
I need to put gas in the car. I hear if you buy a Lexus they come with a full tank.... 
And I've never been lived in a home that has gas. All electric. Whenever we have a hurricane and lose power (up to a week), if you knew someone who had a gas water heater, you would be in business. Hot showers.
