Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Factory 59

[madison069]

Regarding your experience with owning two homes and trying to take care of everything while selling one, I know your pain.

Currently in the same situation along with taking care of everyone's vehicles and in-law's house. Only so many hours in a day and being the only person who can do the work (or willing to do the work) I just can't get it all done as fast as I would like to get it done. Eventually we will get it done and both of us will be in one house instead of juggling multiple!

 

[bdbecker]

@gearhead1960 - Glad to have you along for the ride Mark!

@madison069 - Not enough hours in the day is no joke. I didn't finish mowing the yard at the new house until 9pm the other night, and I only got the front yard done! I certainly would have been done sooner had it not been for the almost comical series of setbacks including dead batteries, issues with the mower, having to make two trips back to the old house, and getting distracted talking with both old and new neighbors. The only thing I could do is laugh about it when I was done.

-----

A little more digging on the new drill press... I tracked down a manual and parts diagram on the Vintage Machinery website and learned that the handle is correct for the machine. I find it interesting that they would just install what is essentially just a metal rod to use as a handle. Then again, that was back when men were men, and *insert your favorite version of the joke here*.

I also learned that I am missing a couple of collars on the column - one to support the head and one to support the table. These appear to be just heavy duty versions of u-shaped pipe clamps, so I should be able to find/fabricate a solution if I can't track down the correct part number.

The weather for this weekend is supposed to be pretty mild, which will be nice as I start digging into the shop clean-out/move. While I'm not necessarily looking forward to the work, I am looking forward to getting started on it.

 

[bdbecker]

As of late last week, the house is on the market. It was posted late Thursday. Within 24 hours, we had a showing scheduled for Sunday. No word yet on how it went, but I’m not expecting to hear much either. In preparation for the showing, I touched up the yard on Saturday morning – mow, trim, weed the front flowers, etc. I was hoping to get started on cleaning out the shop after that, but Wife had to run some errands so I had to stay at the new house with the kids. During that time, I decided to tackle a project that has been annoying me for a while now.

Some of you may recall that there was a wall in our living and dining room that was covered with white carpet and mirrors. While not our personal taste, it was probably fashionable at the time of installation.

Removal of the carpet was a bit of a bear, but the mirrors came off easily. I even managed to sell them on Marketplace for $100 instead of tossing them in the dumpster. Here’s what we were left with, minus the black stripes (which will make sense in a moment).

Whenever anyone commented on the state of the wall, I joked that it was an abstract modern art piece. Again, not really our style. Instead, we decided to bring back a little bit of the retro vibe and install wood paneling. Admittedly, this look may also go out of fashion just like the mirrors and carpet, but if we ever want to redo it, at least it was a relatively inexpensive project.

While there was some variation (which is to be expected), I was impressed at how straight and square the wall itself was. It certainly made the job a lot easier. If anyone ever mentions some of the minor mistakes I made, I will blame it on the wall, even though they were totally my fault. The part of the project I was most worried about was the panel that partially wraps around the fireplace. I was originally going to do it in two pieces and have a short horizontal, grain matched seam to make things easier, but Wife encouraged me to try and do it in a single piece. I begrudgingly agreed. I bet I took a couple dozen measurements, checking and rechecking everything before making the cuts. To my surprise, it slid right in without needing any adjustment at all. As usual, Wife was right.

One thing about that picture is that it makes the panels look darker than they really are. It’s probably the lighting and the angle I took the photo at. While the wall is darker than the floor, the panels aren’t as dark in person and have more of a gold tone to them which really ties in and compliments the flooring well. The pics on the Menards website does a better job than my picture does.

https://www.menards.com/main/paint/paneling-planking/paneling/american-pacific-4-x-8-teak-fluted-wall-panel/5011900/p-1642874318229812-c-8168.htm

I did go a little rogue on the install. Instead of using the manufacturer approved screws, I just used pin nails through the panels into the studs. I pulled on some of the panels while installing and they didn’t budge, so I’m hoping that it won’t become an issue over time. I also didn’t want to screw over my future self and did not use adhesive. If the panels start to work their way loose, I bought buy a couple of packs of screws and can add them later if needed.

I wanted to get the trim reinstalled to button up the project, but as soon as I held a piece up to the wall and floor, the colors did clash (the trim is way too light). First, I am going to try sanding and staining the trim to a more complimentary color. If that doesn’t work, I’m not sure what Plan B is going to be. I was mentally done with decision making and detail work at that point in the weekend (Sunday afternoon) and didn’t want to push my patience past its limit. Instead, I grabbed the chainsaw and shifted my focus to helping Wife clean up the backyard landscaping. While there is still plenty of work to do, we made a big dent in reclaiming that space and generated two large piles of dead limbs and overgrowth. After so much time spent on small projects that needed to be done but no one will really notice, we finally made headway on some bigger projects that do make a difference.

 

[gearhead1960]

@bdbecker Looks good! I think it actually gives it a more MCM vibe than the mirrors....

 

[mschoo92]

First off, congratulations on the new home! I really like MCM style houses, so I'll be happy to follow along as this progresses.

As for your basement shop, is your basement waterproofed and if not how do you plan to address that? I've got a small Cape Cod style house and have also been using my basement for a makeshift workshop, I plan to finish mine out so that I have walls separating the workspace from the boiler and the laundry room but have been unsure how to proceed. I'd love to see how you set yours up, and for that matter if I run into any good solutions myself I'd be happy to share. From experience you're definitely going to want to get dust collection sorted out sooner than later, I only have a shop vac and cyclone for right now and while it's passable I know it's not ideal for air quality. Do you have easy access to the basement from outside? Material handling is another hurdle, I'm hoping to get a Bilco door installed soon so i'm not limited to what fits down the hall and into the basement stairs from inside!

Best of luck, and looks like a promising workshop space!

 

[Jayman17]

I'm generally not a fan of paneling but I think that looks good. Nice job!

 

[georgiadave]

@gearhead1960 - Glad to have you along for the ride Mark!

@madison069 - Not enough hours in the day is no joke. I didn't finish mowing the yard at the new house until 9pm the other night, and I only got the front yard done! I certainly would have been done sooner had it not been for the almost comical series of setbacks including dead batteries, issues with the mower, having to make two trips back to the old house, and getting distracted talking with both old and new neighbors. The only thing I could do is laugh about it when I was done.

-----

A little more digging on the new drill press... I tracked down a manual and parts diagram on the Vintage Machinery website and learned that the handle is correct for the machine. I find it interesting that they would just install what is essentially just a metal rod to use as a handle. Then again, that was back when men were men, and *insert your favorite version of the joke here*.

I also learned that I am missing a couple of collars on the column - one to support the head and one to support the table. These appear to be just heavy duty versions of u-shaped pipe clamps, so I should be able to find/fabricate a solution if I can't track down the correct part number.

The weather for this weekend is supposed to be pretty mild, which will be nice as I start digging into the shop clean-out/move. While I'm not necessarily looking forward to the work, I am looking forward to getting started on it.

ebay frequently has obsolete parts for old machinery. There are dealers for the old stuff. I have had good luck with it.

 

[bdbecker]

@bdbecker Looks good! I think it actually gives it a more MCM vibe than the mirrors....

Thanks!

Speaking of MCM... as strange as it might sound, we are trying to maintain a certain level of restraint when it comes to incorporating MCM elements into the space. While I can certainly appreciate the dedication it takes to setup a place with all period correct furniture and finishes, I think it is far too easy to cross over the line between having good taste and being kitschy. If you have ever looked through an issue of Atomic Ranch magazine (at least 5-10 years ago when I had a subscription), you can spot this with some of the featured houses. Our goal is to blend elements from different styles and create a home that is inviting and can be enjoyed. The fact that the house is a mid-century ranch versus a full blown mid-century modern house also gives us that flexibility.

-----

First off, congratulations on the new home! I really like MCM style houses, so I'll be happy to follow along as this progresses...

Glad you are here!

...As for your basement shop, is your basement waterproofed and if not how do you plan to address that?...

I have not seen any evidence that there are or have ever been water issues in the shop side of the basement. That being said, it is certainly something I'm wary of. We have foundation drains that run around the perimeter of the house and one of the discharge lines was going into a drain in the basement. That was fixed during the sump pump installation (piped into the pit).

The sump pump was something we were on the fence about, but since our radon test came back a little high, it made sense to have it installed. It was kind of a two-birds-one-stone type project. The pit serves as a suction point for the radon gas, eliminates the foundation drain pipe discharging into the house (grandfathered in, but now up to current code) which helps protect against basement water and radon gas, and serves as an additional line of protection against flood events. We've had an unusually wet summer and I was surprised at how often it ran when we first had it installed.

The shop area is part of the addition that was built (I'm guessing) sometime in the 80's or 90's. Given the quality of work and finishes that I've observed throughout the house, I would not be surprised if some sort of exterior waterproofing was done during the install. Just for good measure, I am planning on painting the walls with Kilz waterproofing paint as well.

https://www.kilz.com/concrete-coatings/kilz-basement-masonry-waterproofer

Finally, the grading around the house is not great. There is an area on the other side of the basement that is seeing some water during heavy rains. My Mom's cousin does residential grading and drainage in our area. Once our other house sells, I'll be giving him a call to see what we can do to about getting that resolved.

...I plan to finish mine out so that I have walls separating the workspace from the boiler and the laundry room but have been unsure how to proceed...

I'm lucky with my space - most of the shop is isolated from the rest of the basement already by the original foundation. Plans are still being developed, but I know for sure I want to wall off the spiral staircase area. I'm planning on building an insulated, staggered stud wall to help with noise mitigation. I may do the same around the water heater that is in the shop area if I end up trying to install the dust collector in that room as well. I still haven't figured out if having the dust collector share the same room as a gas fired water heater is a terrible idea or not. My intuition says no, but I'm looking at HEPA filtered systems, so maybe its okay?

Being in the basement, I don't have a lot of headroom through the other entrance into the shop. The cut-out in the original foundation wall that creates this doorway into the shop area is also oversize. I'll have to get creative, but I'm thinking a sliding door will ultimately be the best option as I'd like to preserve that large opening for moving material/projects in and out.

...I'd love to see how you set yours up, and for that matter if I run into any good solutions myself I'd be happy to share...

Please do! Do you have a build thread started? If not, I'd encourage you to start one.

...Do you have easy access to the basement from outside? Material handling is another hurdle, I'm hoping to get a Bilco door installed soon so i'm not limited to what fits down the hall and into the basement stairs from inside!...

I hadn't considered a Bilco door, but that's not a bad idea. Wife wants me to have an egress window in the shop anyway. Making it work with the yard layout might be tough, but I'll have to keep it on my radar.

I do have good access, but not necessarily "easy" access. There is an exterior door on the back of the house that leads directly down the basement stairs. I'll still have to move materials through the non-shop part of the basement, but it's better than nothing. I imagine I'll have to knock down sheet goods in the back yard or the garage as needed before transferring them to the basement shop. Any large or oversize items will have to be assembled in place, which means I'll have to design around that constraint as well.

-----

I'm generally not a fan of paneling but I think that looks good. Nice job!

Neither am I. When I was looking for ideas to incorporate into the office remodel project I was planning at the old house, I was stumbled across this panel while wandering around Menards (of all places) and really liked them. I think Wife liked them more than I did when I showed her.

-----

ebay frequently has obsolete parts for old machinery. There are dealers for the old stuff. I have had good luck with it.

eBay is often the only place to find certain things. I haven't had the time to search for a source for the column collars, but I certainly will look at eBay when I do.

 

[gearhead1960]

peaking of MCM... as strange as it might sound, we are trying to maintain a certain level of restraint when it comes to incorporating MCM elements into the space. While I can certainly appreciate the dedication it takes to setup a place with all period correct furniture and finishes, I think it is far too easy to cross over the line between having good taste and being kitschy. If you have ever looked through an issue of Atomic Ranch magazine (at least 5-10 years ago when I had a subscription), you can spot this with some of the featured houses. Our goal is to blend elements from different styles and create a home that is inviting and can be enjoyed. The fact that the house is a mid-century ranch versus a full blown mid-century modern house also gives us that flexibility.

You sound like us....we actually have more of a colonial, but have decorated and modified the inside to be more MCM. Ultimately, the forever home will likely be a modified ranch, hopefully with as many MCM features as possible. Atomic Ranch got redundant after awhile. Most of the houses they feature were well out of our price range. It was cool when we saw decor we have that is considered collectable....

 

[Trapps]

We're living the MCR life blended with a few MCM elements here. Throw in some early Atomic Ranch, and current Dwell, inspiration for a mutt of a house. While not for everyone, it makes sense to us.

Wood panel wall looks great; I have considered that here to easily deal with wallpaper.

 

[mschoo92]

I have not seen any evidence that there are or have ever been water issues in the shop side of the basement. That being said, it is certainly something I'm wary of. We have foundation drains that run around the perimeter of the house and one of the discharge lines was going into a drain in the basement. That was fixed during the sump pump installation (piped into the pit).

The sump pump was something we were on the fence about, but since our radon test came back a little high, it made sense to have it installed. It was kind of a two-birds-one-stone type project. The pit serves as a suction point for the radon gas, eliminates the foundation drain pipe discharging into the house (grandfathered in, but now up to current code) which helps protect against basement water and radon gas, and serves as an additional line of protection against flood events. We've had an unusually wet summer and I was surprised at how often it ran when we first had it installed.

The shop area is part of the addition that was built (I'm guessing) sometime in the 80's or 90's. Given the quality of work and finishes that I've observed throughout the house, I would not be surprised if some sort of exterior waterproofing was done during the install. Just for good measure, I am planning on painting the walls with Kilz waterproofing paint as well.

Sounds like you've got a few key features to help keep the basement dry. Especially if the basement has exterior waterproofing, that's great. I don't have any of this in place currently (with exception of a radon system and decently sloped grading) but I still have a dry basement so the temptation is there to just start framing some walls and maybe use some Drylok or Kilz, although given my house was built in the 60's I can pretty much count on there not having been exterior waterproofing; between that and no sump pump it probably wouldn't be wise, although I'm not very knowledgeable about waterproofing/mitigation. Between that and the ideal layout with the workshop being separate from everything else sounds like a great work space, I'm really looking forward to see how it comes together. Do you plan to mount your tools directly to the foundation walls, or is the space getting some wood walls?

Please do! Do you have a build thread started? If not, I'd encourage you to start one.



I hadn't considered a Bilco door, but that's not a bad idea. Wife wants me to have an egress window in the shop anyway. Making it work with the yard layout might be tough, but I'll have to keep it on my radar.

I do have good access, but not necessarily "easy" access. There is an exterior door on the back of the house that leads directly down the basement stairs. I'll still have to move materials through the non-shop part of the basement, but it's better than nothing. I imagine I'll have to knock down sheet goods in the back yard or the garage as needed before transferring them to the basement shop. Any large or oversize items will have to be assembled in place, which means I'll have to design around that constraint as well.

I haven't started a build thread yet; I posted in the general garage discussion a few months back to get some ideas regarding building a new detached garage on my property, but after discussing with the town and getting some initial quotes it seems like that will need to wait a little while to build up the funds. Some of my favorite threads I've read on this forum talk about projects on the house, workshops etc. and not just garage specific so I should get one started - thanks for the encouragement.

And yes, I feel the outside access would be a huge advantage, although not a requirement. I'm able to fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood into the basement, it just involves a level of planning and contortion beyond what I'd prefer haha. The other sentiment I've seen floating around in respect to basement workshops is the trope of building something that can't fit back up the stairs and out of the garage, so if you're able to swing it an exterior entrance might be worthwhile (though like everything else seems like it comes with it's own list of cons as well, one being an additional point for potential leaks).

The door being in line with your basement stairs should work nicely, if you aren't navigating tight hallways I'm sure it'll be doable. And with the sheet goods that's exactly how I try to handle 3/4" ply, 1/2" isn't so bad but with 3/4 it's a good reason to break it down ahead of time, especially if you've got a tracksaw (I don't...yet!).

 

[nicholam77]

That looks awesome!! Contrasts great with the fireplace. I like the asymmetrical fireplace and I am a sucker for stacked bond brick.

Btw I don’t think wood paneling will go out of style. Some wood paneling might, but that looks nice and clean. Wood is warm and timeless.

Speaking of MCM... as strange as it might sound, we are trying to maintain a certain level of restraint when it comes to incorporating MCM elements into the space. While I can certainly appreciate the dedication it takes to setup a place with all period correct furniture and finishes, I think it is far too easy to cross over the line between having good taste and being kitschy. If you have ever looked through an issue of Atomic Ranch magazine (at least 5-10 years ago when I had a subscription), you can spot this with some of the featured houses. Our goal is to blend elements from different styles and create a home that is inviting and can be enjoyed. The fact that the house is a mid-century ranch versus a full blown mid-century modern house also gives us that flexibility.

I think that’s a good call. I also think in general if you try to make every piece of furniture, every piece of art, every object a statement piece, no matter the genre, it becomes overwhelming and runs the risk of becoming a caricature of itself. And some MCM decor is kitschy. At the same time I’m a firm believer that people should design and decorate in a way that makes them happy in their space, no matter the “rules”.

Keep up the good work!

 

[bdbecker]

We got an offer on the old house Monday night. After a few rounds of negotiation yesterday, the sale of our other house is now pending. Closing is scheduled for the end of September. Obviously nothing is certain until the ink is dry on the paperwork a month from now, but it's a huge step in the right direction.

We didn't get full asking price, but we also listed a little high so we had room for negotiation and ended up at 99.3% of what we hoped to sell the house for. I can't complain about that at all, especially considering that the price is ~8% higher than what we thought it would be when this whole process started.

Now I guess I really do need to clean up the shop...

 

[Prospecter]

Nice to be moving forward. Hopefully they won't hassle you over the house inspection.

 

[bdbecker]

Nice to be moving forward. Hopefully they won't hassle you over the house inspection.

That is the next hurdle. I know whatever I've done in the house won't be an issue, but that doesn't mean the inspector won't uncover something I was unaware of.

 

[madison069]

That is the next hurdle. I know whatever I've done in the house won't be an issue, but that doesn't mean the inspector won't uncover something I was unaware of.

You have to leave something for them to find, something simple to correct so it looks like they are doing their job without digging too much into the house. Just the rules of the game.

 

[bdbecker]

You have to leave something for them to find, something simple to correct so it looks like they are doing their job without digging too much into the house. Just the rules of the game.

Would a non-operational AC system count?

I stopped by the house last night and realized it wasn't running. I did a little poking around and found that the 3 amp fuse on the control panel had burned out. I replaced it, turned the system back on, and it popped again. While I can get the fan running, as soon as the AC tries to kick in, the fuse pops.

The kicker is that the inspection is scheduled for Saturday morning. Thankfully my HVAC company is able to come on Friday to take a look. Fingers crossed it's something simple.

 

[madison069]

Would a non-operational AC system count?

I stopped by the house last night and realized it wasn't running. I did a little poking around and found that the 3 amp fuse on the control panel had burned out. I replaced it, turned the system back on, and it popped again. While I can get the fan running, as soon as the AC tries to kick in, the fuse pops.

The kicker is that the inspection is scheduled for Saturday morning. Thankfully my HVAC company is able to come on Friday to take a look. Fingers crossed it's something simple.

I would probably fix that soon as I can.

But something like a missing rail on a short stair run, something that's simple to fix but not make the buyer worry about any more problem. Or a missing GFCI in the kitchen or laundry room, easy outlet swap out but nothing to add more concerns to the buyer.

 

[bdbecker]

I would probably fix that soon as I can...

The AC has been fixed. Wife had the day off and let the HVAC guy into the house, so I'm not exactly sure what the issue was. It must have been something simple though because the bill was only $150.

 

[zanyad]

You got off cheap!

 

[loganb]

Nice way to start the long weekend!

 

[madison069]

The AC has been fixed. Wife had the day off and let the HVAC guy into the house, so I'm not exactly sure what the issue was. It must have been something simple though because the bill was only $150.

Probably the contactor on the outside unit. If I’m not mistaken, that 3amp fuse in on the 24v controller wire and it triggers the contactor to close. Either way, it’s common for the contactor to fail just from age or stupid ants getting inside them. Replaced a lot of those contactors due to ants finding their way inside the contactor when I did services in West Texas.

 

[bdbecker]

Probably the contactor on the outside unit. If I’m not mistaken, that 3amp fuse in on the 24v controller wire and it triggers the contactor to close. Either way, it’s common for the contactor to fail just from age or stupid ants getting inside them. Replaced a lot of those contactors due to ants finding their way inside the contactor when I did services in West Texas.

That was my suspicion as well given the age of the unit.

As it turns out, it had something to do with a wire connection in the local utility's energy saver program box. We opted out of the program when we moved in, but the box is still in place on the side of the house, just bypassed. (Call me selfish, but when it's hot I don't want someone being able to turn of my AC remotely.) Thinking back, the only thing I can attribute the failure to was that I pulled some vines that had grown around the AC lines when I was doing some yard work a few weeks ago. Maybe I was a bit too aggressive and pulled a wire loose? I don't know... all I know is that it was an quick and relatively cheap fix.

-----

Despite the long weekend, I didn't get much done. The inspection was Saturday morning, so I couldn't really be working in the shop packing things up. My folks came into town Saturday afternoon to celebrate my birthday. Sunday afternoon I helped Mom and Dad pick up a desk that my Mom had found on Marketplace (ended up being a total clusterflock). After that, we headed to my Uncle's house for a family BBQ, which was a lot of fun. Monday, I was not feeling motivated at all, so I just knocked out a few smaller projects around the new house and got the laundry caught up.

The whole desk fiasco gave me my first glimpse of parentification over the weekend. I need to have a serious discussion with Mom about some of her decisions. The desk was not an isolated incident, but part of a trend that is emerging that I need to get in front of. I'm not the only person who has noticed it - my Wife, Brother, and to a certain extent, Dad have all seen it firsthand. I'm in uncharted territory here, so any advice is appreciated. I'd rather discuss using PMs - I don't really want it posted it on a public forum.

The inspection report/requests for the old house came through. Mostly just minor things like the kitchen faucet having a slow drip if not closed correctly and a bathroom exhaust fan I forgot wasn't working. The only major "issue" is going to be the age of the electrical system in the house. It was not a surprise to me that it was flagged, I'm just hoping it doesn't end up being a sticking point. There is nothing inherently wrong with it, it just doesn't meet current code (grandfathered in). Wife is worried the deal will fall through if we don't fix it, so I'm trying to calm her down.

 

[Finallygotit]

I don't think they can make you upgrade the electrical system, As long as all the circuits are wired properly and functional, there should be no discussion about it.

YMMV

 

[bdbecker]

I don't think they can make you upgrade the electrical system, As long as all the circuits are wired properly and functional, there should be no discussion about it.

YMMV

"Functional" being the key word there... I forgot about the fact that the previous owner replaced the two prong outlets with three prong without adding a ground. It's on us to make it right. While I'd be more than happy to replace them with two prong, I don't think that would go over well. I know an electrician who is always looking for side work and have already called him. He said it's not a big deal - he'll install either GFCI outlets or breakers and label the outlets, depending on what makes the most sense from a cost perspective. It'll bring the house up to code and keep everyone happy.

 

[XJSuperman]

It can't be on you to make it right. When I bought mine, the previous owner (via the realtor) left a couple packs of GFCI outlets on the counter and said "Good luck". This was for the same reason you described: no grounds. And FWIW, I have more problems from those than I do the regular outlets.

 

[bdbecker]

Something I should have mentioned earlier, the buyer is using a VA loan, so the level of scrutiny is a little higher than usual.

We responded with what we agreed to fix, and the buyer's agent responded by essentially saying that all the items noted on the repair request are minimum requirements to satisfy the loan, and that they are going to have to push back the closing date if we don't agree to fixing all the issues immediately. It's just a scare tactic. I've spent too much time over the last few days researching the VA's MPR documents. While some of the requests are certainly things that should be addressed, most are not.

Objectively, I know the buyer's agent is just doing their job by trying to get the best deal for their client, but I have a very low tolerance for BS and dishonesty. Its good that we are working through agents because I would have told them to go pound sand after seeing that last email.

 

[runit]

Yea, ultimately it is on the seller as the buyer can just walk away for any reason, no matter how 'silly'
And there are a lot of silly people out there

 

[gearhead1960]

Federal loans bring a much higher level of scrutiny than normal commercial loans. It is still a negotiation. If you got an offer this quick, walking away due to the BS is an option I would consider. Likely, it would not take much to get another offer.

 

[Finallygotit]

My lovely wife and I have sold many homes in our time together. I have always tried to work with the buyers on what is reasonable to get fixed and what is just plain silly. In every case, we told them to NO to the silly stuff and would take care of the other stuff. Never once had a sale fall through.

YMMV

 

[Finallygotit]

Federal loans bring a much higher level of scrutiny than normal commercial loans. It is still a negotiation. If you got an offer this quick, walking away due to the BS is an option I would consider. Likely, it would not take much to get another offer.

^^^^^^

 

[bdbecker]

My electrician friend had a chance to size up the project - his recommendation is to install two prong outlets. Installing 20+ GFCI outlets will be expensive, installing GFCI breakers will be quicker, but also said it might create a bigger problem because once you start messing in the panel, he's pretty sure we'd have to upgrade all the breakers, which would be considerably more expensive.

He reminded me that the hazard is the fact that the three prong outlets were installed incorrectly. The two correct ways to remove the hazard are to keep the current outlets and run ground wires to each of them, or to put them back to two prong. Echoing what @Finallygotit said a few posts ago, we are under no obligation to upgrade the electrical system, only to remove the hazard, which a two prong outlet does.

 

[bdbecker]

Not much to discuss for this week’s update. I spent the weekend packing up and moving the shop. Other than the tool chests, the heavy/difficult stuff has been moved. I’m just going to pull the drawers from the tool chests to make the job easier. Since I’m only going a few blocks, the extra trips aren’t a big deal. While I hoped to be further along, I just remind myself that the most difficult part of the job is now done and the rest of the move will go much faster.

The only ‘casualty’ from the weekend is that I bent one of the legs on my bandsaw stand when unloading it at the new house. It should straighten back out without too much work. I need to take it apart anyway to get it in the basement. Not bad for working solo.

It’s a strange feeling walking into the space with so much stuff missing. While I’m going to miss this place, I’m excited to start the next chapter.

 

[bdbecker]

I pushed to get the rest of my shop stuff moved over Sunday and pulled a late night clearing out Wife's garage Monday. Other than a load to take to the dump, we're done with moving, which is a weight off my shoulders.

Because the buyer of our house is using a VA loan, we had to have an appraisal done. The appraisal was scheduled for yesterday. I hadn't heard anything about it today, so I texted my Uncle to see if there were any updates. Apparently the appraiser is MIA - the bank can't get in contact with her and we know she wasn't in the house yesterday because the realtor key box didn't log any activity. Our closing date was supposed to be Thursday, but now it's getting pushed another couple of weeks. It sounds like everyone is a bit unhappy about the situation.

Hurry up and wait I guess. I'm not getting too worked up about it because there's nothing I can do at this point other than to start focusing on setting up the new shop.

 

[madison069]

I hate the waiting game. I fear I will be playing the game in 7 months myself.

 

[Finallygotit]

Was the selling price of your house in line with comps in the neighborhood? If so, you should have nothing to worry about other than someone not doing their job as expected.

 

[bdbecker]

Was the selling price of your house in line with comps in the neighborhood? If so, you should have nothing to worry about other than someone not doing their job as expected.

Yes, our listing price was right in the middle of the comps and we accepted a slightly lower offer - the price should not be an issue. We came in with an aggressive price from the start so we could move the house quickly.

The market around here is kind of interesting right now. Some houses are getting scooped up fast for higher prices than make sense, while others have been stuck on the market for months at very reasonable prices (there are comps still on the market that we started watching months ago to get an idea of the market conditions). I think people are starting to get really picky about location these days. There are currently ~400 houses for sale in our city right now, but none in our neighborhood/part of town. 16 houses have been sold in our neighborhood over the last six months, and 3 (including ours) are currently under contract. Compare that to 620/150 city wide.

With one exception, all the houses that sold this past summer in our neighborhood were under contract within two weeks (most within a few days like us). It seems like people are staying put in our area, but if they move, the houses generally sell quickly. I knew we lived in a desirable neighborhood, but wow! I'm glad we were able to stay.

 

[loganb]

Yes, our listing price was right in the middle of the comps and we accepted a slightly lower offer - the price should not be an issue. We came in with an aggressive price from the start so we could move the house quickly.

The market around here is kind of interesting right now. Some houses are getting scooped up fast for higher prices than make sense, while others have been stuck on the market for months at very reasonable prices (there are comps still on the market that we started watching months ago to get an idea of the market conditions). I think people are starting to get really picky about location these days. There are currently ~400 houses for sale in our city right now, but none in our neighborhood/part of town. 16 houses have been sold in our neighborhood over the last six months, and 3 (including ours) are currently under contract. Compare that to 620/150 city wide.

With one exception, all the houses that sold this past summer in our neighborhood were under contract within two weeks (most within a few days like us). It seems like people are staying put in our area, but if they move, the houses generally sell quickly. I knew we lived in a desirable neighborhood, but wow! I'm glad we were able to stay.

We've got a bit of an odd market to your west as well. It's generally still supply limited(meaning sellers market) but it's cooled off a lot and especially over $500k on existing homes if you're not priced correctly it's sitting. Lots of comments from brokers and developers I interact with for work of a lot of folks sitting on the sidelines waiting rate cuts...generally that's just an excuse and when the cuts are delivered they find another one. 2 houses within 2 blocks of us have both been on the market for 60+ days at price points that they would've sold in a week back in April or May....but it's softer now even with lower interest rates then existed then and the sellers haven't accepted that reality yet and adjusted price accordingly.

New builds are still strong though....starter home community(315k to $400k) just to the west of us is selling most things before foundations are poured...only ones that are finished and not sold there are the most basic models along the busy street with smaller lots. The move up market in that $500 to $700k price is pretty strong as well....and the $1M+ and up is busy

We'll be listing the inlaw's place arround $330k and there are currently 0 houses for sale in that zipcode in that price range and when expanded to the broader city(suburb) of 30k people there are only like 15 or something in the 325k to 350 range. We were clear with the agent we want traffic and interest and she brought some good comp's that support the price so we'll see how it goes in a week.

 

[Bob Heine]

You have to leave something for them to find, something simple to correct so it looks like they are doing their job without digging too much into the house. Just the rules of the game.

Brad, Cody is right. I never went to the Green line at airport customs. I would go to the Red line and declare something. Sometimes it was a half full bottle of booze over the limit. Never paid extra duty and never had a search of my luggage beyond the bag with the booze in it. For my big smuggling jobs, like $5,000+ worth of brand new computer system pieces (in their clearly marked boxes) I declared a power operated knife (switchblade). Six customs agents in the Sydney Airport inspected that knife like it was a grenade and never said a word about the six-foot stack of computer stuff on the cart behind me. I was supposed to pay duty equal to the value of that stack of stuff so I saved $5,000 and avoided the hassle of filing a request for reimbursement when I left the country. I also failed to mention I had a second switchblade in another piece of luggage so that was available for my two-year stay and came home to the US with me. No problem declaring a switch blade when I returned to the US because an odd customs regulation allows upper limb amputees to bring switchblades into the US:

"Under 19 CFR § 12.98, U.S. Customs and Border Protection may permit the importation of a switchblade knife under the following conditions:

• The knife, excluding ballistic knives, has a blade no longer than 3 inches.
• The individual has only one arm.
• The knife is for the individual's 'necessary personal convenience, accommodation, and use'."

I bought the switchblades I carried to Australia in Toledo, Spain when we vacationed in Spain a couple of years before. The Toledo blades were longer than 3 inches so I found a source for legal size switchblades online here in the US.

I enjoy searching for obscure rules that apply to upper limb amputees. Before the introduction of SunPass, Florida toll booths had baskets you threw coins into or handed a person at the toll booth cash along with your paper ticket indicating where you got on the Turnpike. I was exempt and could drive through without paying the toll. I was supposed to instead mail a check to the Florida State Turnpike Authority for the tolls I didn't pay on the spot. I never took advantage of that deal because it would cost me a stamp, envelope and check (it's 'frugal,' not 'cheap').

 

[Bob Heine]

My lovely wife and I have sold many homes in our time together. I have always tried to work with the buyers on what is reasonable to get fixed and what is just plain silly. In every case, we told them to NO to the silly stuff and would take care of the other stuff. Never once had a sale fall through.

YMMV

Dan, we have only sold two homes so my input is worth less than 2¢. We turned our first house over to IBM and continued to pay the $110 a month mortgage for two years before it sold. Our more recent home sale involved a new homeowner so I took care of the dozen things identified by the inspector, including replacing the 5/4" roof planks in the corner of the patio (flat) roof. Three weeks after the closing I got a call from the new owner, letting me know there were ants floating in the pool and: "What was I going to do about it?". I hurt myself holding back laughter and explained two things:

1. There are lots of ants in Florida and many end up floating in pools.
2. I no longer own or control anything that happens in that home.

His side of the conversation continued for quite some time and I have no idea what he said. I put the [LAND LINE] portable extension phone down on the counter and went about my life.