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[Homeowner/House] Thread. How long is it going to take? Two weeks!

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  • rndmherorndmhero Registered User regular
    Alright, another question for the home gurus. We moved into a relatively new build (~5 years old) with new-ish appliances to match. The oven/stove combo is gas, which is actually new for us since our previous apartments were all electric appliances. Whenever we turn on the oven or light the stove, though, we smell gas. It clears after a minute or two, and we never smell anything apart from right when we turn it on.

    Is this normal? Is it just the gas coming through the line before it ignites? Google seems to disagree whether this is ok or not, and I'm going to feel real dumb if I bring someone out to check a normally-operating stove.

  • ArtereisArtereis Registered User regular
    If you have a poor range hood, or are not otherwise turning it on prior to lighting the burner, you'll probably smell gas for a moment.

  • OneAngryPossumOneAngryPossum Registered User regular
    rndmhero wrote: »
    Alright, another question for the home gurus. We moved into a relatively new build (~5 years old) with new-ish appliances to match. The oven/stove combo is gas, which is actually new for us since our previous apartments were all electric appliances. Whenever we turn on the oven or light the stove, though, we smell gas. It clears after a minute or two, and we never smell anything apart from right when we turn it on.

    Is this normal? Is it just the gas coming through the line before it ignites? Google seems to disagree whether this is ok or not, and I'm going to feel real dumb if I bring someone out to check a normally-operating stove.

    If you have a vent hood, make sure to use it. Apparently there are some health risks associated with using natural gas stoves, but I believe they’re all pretty much erased if you’ve got proper venting (at least what I’ve gathered from having a gas stove the last two years).

    It definitely got rid of the random gas smells for us, at least.

  • rndmherorndmhero Registered User regular
    Thanks. We have one of those combo microwave/hood setups, which I'm pretty convinced is just a loud noisemaker with no actual ventilation properties.

  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    edited October 2021
    You can have the gas company come check for leaks, quality and timeliness of response of course will vary by company and region.

    MichaelLC on
  • SiliconStewSiliconStew Registered User regular
    rndmhero wrote: »
    Alright, another question for the home gurus. We moved into a relatively new build (~5 years old) with new-ish appliances to match. The oven/stove combo is gas, which is actually new for us since our previous apartments were all electric appliances. Whenever we turn on the oven or light the stove, though, we smell gas. It clears after a minute or two, and we never smell anything apart from right when we turn it on.

    Is this normal? Is it just the gas coming through the line before it ignites? Google seems to disagree whether this is ok or not, and I'm going to feel real dumb if I bring someone out to check a normally-operating stove.

    Normal. You'll always have some small amount of gas that flows out before it ignites. It intentionally takes just a tiny, non-dangerous amount of gas present to be able to smell it. It's only a danger if you are smelling gas while the stove is off. Or if the stove doesn't light within several seconds.

    Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
  • SimpsoniaSimpsonia Registered User regular
    rndmhero wrote: »
    Alright, another question for the home gurus. We moved into a relatively new build (~5 years old) with new-ish appliances to match. The oven/stove combo is gas, which is actually new for us since our previous apartments were all electric appliances. Whenever we turn on the oven or light the stove, though, we smell gas. It clears after a minute or two, and we never smell anything apart from right when we turn it on.

    Is this normal? Is it just the gas coming through the line before it ignites? Google seems to disagree whether this is ok or not, and I'm going to feel real dumb if I bring someone out to check a normally-operating stove.

    Normal. You'll always have some small amount of gas that flows out before it ignites. It intentionally takes just a tiny, non-dangerous amount of gas present to be able to smell it. It's only a danger if you are smelling gas while the stove is off. Or if the stove doesn't light within several seconds.

    Yep, and just to add to this if your ignitors are dirty, old, or poor quality, it can just take longer to ignite the gas, which means more unignited gas comes out before ignition which is likely what you're smelling. A new gas stove with properly working ignitors ignites the gas so fast there shouldn't even be enough that escapes to smell it.

  • zagdrobzagdrob Registered User regular
    rndmhero wrote: »
    Thanks. We have one of those combo microwave/hood setups, which I'm pretty convinced is just a loud noisemaker with no actual ventilation properties.

    Yes those microwave vents - unless you have one that ducts to outside (and even then) are basically useless for anything. If they are just sucking the air through a mesh and blowing out vents in the top / front instead of ducting they are essentially pointless.

    If they duct to the outside they aren't as good as a hood, but they aren't pointless. Just noisy.

  • AiouaAioua Ora Occidens Ora OptimaRegistered User regular
    zagdrob wrote: »
    rndmhero wrote: »
    Thanks. We have one of those combo microwave/hood setups, which I'm pretty convinced is just a loud noisemaker with no actual ventilation properties.

    Yes those microwave vents - unless you have one that ducts to outside (and even then) are basically useless for anything. If they are just sucking the air through a mesh and blowing out vents in the top / front instead of ducting they are essentially pointless.

    If they duct to the outside they aren't as good as a hood, but they aren't pointless. Just noisy.

    If you can spare the counter space the upgrade to a real vent hood is absolutely worth it, I just did it myself.

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  • GilgaronGilgaron Registered User regular
    Gilgaron wrote: »
    Just put the final coat of polycrylic on my first actual woodworking project. It’s essentially a box to cover half of a double vanity and convert it into a split level countertop/sink (covering one of the sinks).

    This took so much longer than it needed to and I made a huge number of minor (but noticeable!) mistakes, not least choosing to start with a large project with visible joints that will be mostly white.

    Really couldn’t have asked for a less forgiving starter project, but it feels good to be in the final drying period.

    Next project will be small… or a full-sized workbench

    Learning how to cover up your mistakes is half the battle!

    Workbenches are fun. If you're going traditional, read the free PDF here: https://lostartpress.com/products/the-anarchists-workbench

    The one clever move I gathered for covering up some real shoddy seams on the top surface (themselves only visible due to an earlier mistake when I rabbeted the wrong board and decided to roll with it) was adding mitered trim to the top face’s edges. They completely cover the joint seams and provide a kind of guardrail so it should be harder for things to fall off.

    It’s made me realize that more tables need guardrails.

    When I made my kids a double desk for pandemic school-from-home I put a moulding to catch rolling pencils around the back and both sides. If you look at historical pieces, they have all sorts of sloppy work hidden in places you can't see so well and lots of short cuts, and as you get more experience you'll learn to plan your designs to hide anything that would otherwise be tricky to pull off perfectly. Mortise & Tenon magazine does nice photoshoots of this sort of thing. It really helps put in perspective what sort of quality of work to hold yourself to as a single craftsman vs stuff a factory line is using machines to piece out. Making dovetails in solid wood is awesome but if you need to get something done fast, plywood with kreg screws is still stronger than a chipboard and doweled ikea piece. It's like if you're finishing a room and learn that baseboard helps hide the gap made when you flush the wall's drywall to the ceiling, all the 'normal' ways to get things done are to avoid precision but leave things looking nice.

  • AbsoluteZeroAbsoluteZero The new film by Quentin Koopantino Registered User regular
    So I had a guy come out to give me an estimate for replacing trim around a garage door (2 car width), a regular people door, scrape and paint fascia and replace a damaged fascia board. Came out to roughly $1000. Trying to figure out if that's reasonable? Google is not much help, all the pricing I can find seem to be for regular doors and not big ass garage doors.

    cs6f034fsffl.jpg
  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    That's materials and labor?

    Sounds pretty good, maybe a little high depending on the area. Could be labor intensive if a lot of scraping is needed.

  • zepherinzepherin Russian warship, go fuck yourself Registered User regular
    It's tough to say without pictures. If it's 2 people for 10 hours, that's about right. Scraping is very time consuming, especially with cleanup. If it's 1 person for 4 hours. That's a bit high.

  • zepherinzepherin Russian warship, go fuck yourself Registered User regular
    edited October 2021
    Roofers are making a hell of a racket, my dog is upset by it. Luckily they brought 15 dudes, so it's going to be only a day with maybe some work tomorrow.

    Looks like I was close to a huge problem.
    8kx1x4htj0az.jpeg

    1114g3k9ibgt.jpeg

    zepherin on
  • notyanotya Registered User regular
    Asked a contractor what it would cost to turn some windows into french doors. 10k not including the cost of the doors. I didn't think I was asking for a lot here...

  • HappylilElfHappylilElf Registered User regular
    notya wrote: »
    Asked a contractor what it would cost to turn some windows into french doors. 10k not including the cost of the doors. I didn't think I was asking for a lot here...

    If that's just for one that sounds like a "I don't want this job" quote

  • zepherinzepherin Russian warship, go fuck yourself Registered User regular
    notya wrote: »
    Asked a contractor what it would cost to turn some windows into french doors. 10k not including the cost of the doors. I didn't think I was asking for a lot here...

    If that's just for one that sounds like a "I don't want this job" quote
    It’s a pain in the ass more than anything. If it’s exterior they’ll need to get it permitted and an engineer to do drawing.

    And the doors are super expensive. You might be better off getting a quote from a windows and doors company.

  • zepherinzepherin Russian warship, go fuck yourself Registered User regular
    Also when your home inspector says, “your roof has maybe a year, 2 tops left on it.”

    Believe them.

  • notyanotya Registered User regular
    zepherin wrote: »
    notya wrote: »
    Asked a contractor what it would cost to turn some windows into french doors. 10k not including the cost of the doors. I didn't think I was asking for a lot here...

    If that's just for one that sounds like a "I don't want this job" quote
    It’s a pain in the ass more than anything. If it’s exterior they’ll need to get it permitted and an engineer to do drawing.

    And the doors are super expensive. You might be better off getting a quote from a windows and doors company.

    Yeah, this contractor is already doing some other work for me, but I'll probably do exactly that and get more quotes later after he finishes...

  • TimFijiTimFiji Beast Lord Halfway2AnywhereRegistered User regular
    zepherin wrote: »
    Also when your home inspector says, “your roof has maybe a year, 2 tops left on it.”

    Believe them.

    How old was the roof and what was causing the degradation? Water?

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    • zepherinzepherin Russian warship, go fuck yourself Registered User regular
      edited October 2021
      TimFiji wrote: »
      zepherin wrote: »
      Also when your home inspector says, “your roof has maybe a year, 2 tops left on it.”

      Believe them.

      How old was the roof and what was causing the degradation? Water?
      Roof was installed 2003, so 17 years at time of inspection.

      Water is correct. Water is the enemy of homes. But when they put the roofs on all the homes in the development, they didn’t use proper underlayment. So it was essentially singles on paper on plywood.

      zepherin on
    • HappylilElfHappylilElf Registered User regular
      zepherin wrote: »
      TimFiji wrote: »
      zepherin wrote: »
      Also when your home inspector says, “your roof has maybe a year, 2 tops left on it.”

      Believe them.

      How old was the roof and what was causing the degradation? Water?
      Roof was installed 2003, so 17 years at time of inspection.

      Water is correct. Water is the enemy of homes. But when they put the roofs on all the homes in the development, they didn’t use proper underlayment. So it was essentially singles on paper on plywood.

      Wait, not even tar paper (technically asphalt-saturated felt) but just paper?

      I'm amazed it lasted 17 years.

    • OptyOpty Registered User regular
      According to my roof inspection from when I bought my house, they stopped saturating tar paper at some point due to the runoff from it poisoning rainwater, so what you'd end up with (and what I have) is unsaturated tar paper instead (aka just basically paper). In a related question, since said inspection also said the same "you should get this replaced within a few years" phrase, anyone know what full roof replacements in the PNW are going for nowadays?

    • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
      I see a lot of metal roofs here and I'm tempted to go that route since we're going to have to replace a couple small roofs here (over the front porch and back kitchen).

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    • HappylilElfHappylilElf Registered User regular
      Opty wrote: »
      According to my roof inspection from when I bought my house, they stopped saturating tar paper at some point due to the runoff from it poisoning rainwater, so what you'd end up with (and what I have) is unsaturated tar paper instead (aka just basically paper). In a related question, since said inspection also said the same "you should get this replaced within a few years" phrase, anyone know what full roof replacements in the PNW are going for nowadays?

      That's seems like it'd almost be worse than not even putting down an underlayment

      Though looking into it I guess now they use a synthetic?

    • GilgaronGilgaron Registered User regular
      Shadowfire wrote: »
      I see a lot of metal roofs here and I'm tempted to go that route since we're going to have to replace a couple small roofs here (over the front porch and back kitchen).

      A lot of houses in my neighborhood have metal roofs for little spots like that just because it looks cool. I believe they're fairly practical otherwise anyway, but whether painted steel or copper they look nice on porches in my opinion.

    • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
      We have a full on metal roof and love it. It's done a great job and barely looks worn at 20 years.

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    • physi_marcphysi_marc Positron Tracker In a nutshellRegistered User regular
      My wife and I are closing on a house tomorrow and the anxiety is in overdrive. We used to own a house back in Canada and we’ve had a lot of issues with it, even had to sell at a large loss. But here we are again. Wish us good fortunes…

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    • zepherinzepherin Russian warship, go fuck yourself Registered User regular
      Shadowfire wrote: »
      I see a lot of metal roofs here and I'm tempted to go that route since we're going to have to replace a couple small roofs here (over the front porch and back kitchen).

      If my HOA allowed it I would have gone with a metal roof.

    • zepherinzepherin Russian warship, go fuck yourself Registered User regular
      Opty wrote: »
      According to my roof inspection from when I bought my house, they stopped saturating tar paper at some point due to the runoff from it poisoning rainwater, so what you'd end up with (and what I have) is unsaturated tar paper instead (aka just basically paper). In a related question, since said inspection also said the same "you should get this replaced within a few years" phrase, anyone know what full roof replacements in the PNW are going for nowadays?

      That's seems like it'd almost be worse than not even putting down an underlayment

      Though looking into it I guess now they use a synthetic?
      Here's what they used on my roof. Which is synthetic

      https://www.gaf.com/en-us/products/felt-buster

    • Stabbity StyleStabbity Style He/Him | Warning: Mothership Reporting Kennewick, WARegistered User regular
      Shadowfire wrote: »
      I see a lot of metal roofs here and I'm tempted to go that route since we're going to have to replace a couple small roofs here (over the front porch and back kitchen).

      Added benefit, rain on a metal roof sounds amazing.

      Stabbity_Style.png
    • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
      Shadowfire wrote: »
      I see a lot of metal roofs here and I'm tempted to go that route since we're going to have to replace a couple small roofs here (over the front porch and back kitchen).

      Added benefit, rain on a metal roof sounds amazing.

      Except when it's raining cats.

    • OneAngryPossumOneAngryPossum Registered User regular
      The giant oak tree right in front of our house seems like it’s probably rotting - there’s been a smell that came and went, but I couldn’t identify for months now. Finally cleared out the bushes and realized the shady side of the tree is just covered with mushrooms, and the base itself is fairly soft. The mushroom smell is rank.

      I’ve been putting off getting it pruned, but this finally got me to setup an appointment with a local arborist. Be nice if there’s a way to save it - it’s one of the largest trees on the property, and while the branch growth has been annoying, it’s also providing a lot of shade and cover for the house.



      That said, given the woodworking hobby, I’m wondering if there’s anything that’ll be worth salvaging for my own use if the whole thing does have to come down.

    • Red RaevynRed Raevyn because I only take Bubble Baths Registered User regular
      Opty wrote: »
      In a related question, since said inspection also said the same "you should get this replaced within a few years" phrase, anyone know what full roof replacements in the PNW are going for nowadays?
      It varies too much depending on the size of your house and complexity of the roof to give a broad number. But for shingles comparison, the 3? quotes we got for shingles (to try and satisfy the infuriating insurance company, don't get me started) were around $13-15,000, and our metal roof cost something like $22,000. We're very glad we did it - it's attractive, should last a long time, sounds amazing in the rain, and if it does eventually fail it won't be a bunch of petroleum product going into a landfill.

    • StraygatsbyStraygatsby Registered User regular
      Our neighbor is prepping their house to sell. They've been away during Covid, so we've had a couple years of no neighbors on either side, and it's been glorious.

      I'm both excited to see how well/fast they sell and who moves in and also terrified that it'll be a pack of assholes.

      I also feel kinda bad thinking like that, but man, houses infect you with NIMBY if you're not careful.

    • notyanotya Registered User regular
      Our neighbor is prepping their house to sell. They've been away during Covid, so we've had a couple years of no neighbors on either side, and it's been glorious.

      I'm both excited to see how well/fast they sell and who moves in and also terrified that it'll be a pack of assholes.

      I also feel kinda bad thinking like that, but man, houses infect you with NIMBY if you're not careful.

      Doesn't matter if you rent or own, we're all terrified of getting a psycho neighbor.

    • GilgaronGilgaron Registered User regular
      The giant oak tree right in front of our house seems like it’s probably rotting - there’s been a smell that came and went, but I couldn’t identify for months now. Finally cleared out the bushes and realized the shady side of the tree is just covered with mushrooms, and the base itself is fairly soft. The mushroom smell is rank.

      I’ve been putting off getting it pruned, but this finally got me to setup an appointment with a local arborist. Be nice if there’s a way to save it - it’s one of the largest trees on the property, and while the branch growth has been annoying, it’s also providing a lot of shade and cover for the house.



      That said, given the woodworking hobby, I’m wondering if there’s anything that’ll be worth salvaging for my own use if the whole thing does have to come down.

      If it is rotted you might not be able to do flat work with it but since the branches should be sound enough you will have a good excuse to get a lathe. Spalted wood chunks from the trunk will look cool turned if you stabilize it first.

    • OptyOpty Registered User regular
      Red Raevyn wrote: »
      Opty wrote: »
      In a related question, since said inspection also said the same "you should get this replaced within a few years" phrase, anyone know what full roof replacements in the PNW are going for nowadays?
      It varies too much depending on the size of your house and complexity of the roof to give a broad number. But for shingles comparison, the 3? quotes we got for shingles (to try and satisfy the infuriating insurance company, don't get me started) were around $13-15,000, and our metal roof cost something like $22,000. We're very glad we did it - it's attractive, should last a long time, sounds amazing in the rain, and if it does eventually fail it won't be a bunch of petroleum product going into a landfill.

      How big's your roof and how steep?

    • GrudgeGrudge blessed is the mind too small for doubtRegistered User regular
      The giant oak tree right in front of our house seems like it’s probably rotting - there’s been a smell that came and went, but I couldn’t identify for months now. Finally cleared out the bushes and realized the shady side of the tree is just covered with mushrooms, and the base itself is fairly soft. The mushroom smell is rank.

      I’ve been putting off getting it pruned, but this finally got me to setup an appointment with a local arborist. Be nice if there’s a way to save it - it’s one of the largest trees on the property, and while the branch growth has been annoying, it’s also providing a lot of shade and cover for the house.



      That said, given the woodworking hobby, I’m wondering if there’s anything that’ll be worth salvaging for my own use if the whole thing does have to come down.

      Oaks can live on for hundreds of years after they've started rotting - old oaks are often completely hollow but still otherwise healthy. Maybe keeping the bushes away will dry it out enough for the mushrooms to go away? Or maybe they can be killed without harming the tree? It would be a shame to take down a nice old tree unless it threatens to come falling down by itself.

    • OneAngryPossumOneAngryPossum Registered User regular
      Grudge wrote: »
      The giant oak tree right in front of our house seems like it’s probably rotting - there’s been a smell that came and went, but I couldn’t identify for months now. Finally cleared out the bushes and realized the shady side of the tree is just covered with mushrooms, and the base itself is fairly soft. The mushroom smell is rank.

      I’ve been putting off getting it pruned, but this finally got me to setup an appointment with a local arborist. Be nice if there’s a way to save it - it’s one of the largest trees on the property, and while the branch growth has been annoying, it’s also providing a lot of shade and cover for the house.



      That said, given the woodworking hobby, I’m wondering if there’s anything that’ll be worth salvaging for my own use if the whole thing does have to come down.

      Oaks can live on for hundreds of years after they've started rotting - old oaks are often completely hollow but still otherwise healthy. Maybe keeping the bushes away will dry it out enough for the mushrooms to go away? Or maybe they can be killed without harming the tree? It would be a shame to take down a nice old tree unless it threatens to come falling down by itself.

      I’ll be finding out on Tuesday, but my hopes are pretty firmly in check for now. I’ve been kind of uncomfortable with it’s proximity to the house since we moved in (it’s maybe 6 feet from the foundation). If there’s a risk of the tree (or any of the several larger branches) falling, it’s likely to do catastrophic damage given it’s location and size.

      Frankly, after digging around the base a bit and seeing just how soft the outer layer of the trunk has gotten (and reading that this amount of mushrooms is likely an indicator that the decay is well-established), I’m going to need a lot of reassurance to not push to get rid of it. There’s probably multiple tons resting on an increasingly weak support structure.

    This discussion has been closed.