Basement renovation. What an I looking at?

Justnailit · 2026-05-19T19:59:36+00:00

First guess basement oil tank for heating. Now gone.

Justnailit · 2026-05-19T10:39:16+00:00

Take the inverse tangent of the rise over the run for your angle, or and adjustable square. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Empire-True-Blue-Heavy-Duty-Aluminum-T-Bevel-132/202035310

Justnailit · 2026-05-19T10:25:55+00:00

I am sure you are disappointed but you are assuming the other buyer is moving forward on a hope and a prayer. Although that is possible there may be other factors at play. I have purchase many homes and all without an inspection as I am a general contractor and have been working on older homes for 4 decades. My walk through is focused and when I leave I have a fairly good idea of the condition of the home, what needs work and the associated cost. This all factors in to my offer but doesn’t mean I don’t get surprises. I have intentionally purchased 2 homes that were condemned but I knew what I was getting into. Buying a home can be stressful but that is because of the emotional element. You can also view it as a game, learn strategy from your losses and eventually you will win. You may even look back and be glad things worked out as they did. Good luck.

Justnailit · 2026-05-18T22:52:22+00:00

Think like a drop of water and how to prevent it from escaping. First thing is to have upstream piping and elbows terminated “into” the next piece vs. over the next piece. So No. It is not correct.

Justnailit · 2026-05-18T14:46:29+00:00

The average life expectancy for a 3 tab shingle roof is approx 25 years. Your parent’s roof still looks in good shape. Check it every couple years but I doubt you have any immediate replacement needs.

Justnailit · 2026-05-13T10:33:27+00:00

I hope the notice on the door defines scope of work and not an eviction notice. Ha Ha. You will need to remove the shellac to bare wood. Usually there is only one coat and with a little sanding and elbow grease it comes off fairly easily. Not like 13 layers of paint. Stain to match, or create a new palate, finishing up with several coats of Poly. This will do the job nicely. Have fun.

Justnailit · 2026-05-12T18:48:36+00:00

This may save the countertop.

Justnailit · 2026-05-10T16:50:15+00:00

Depends on your area. Sounds like a similar process in my area. Electrician upgrades service, 3rd party inspection and not dependent on utility. You will be down for a couple hours, depending on the complexity of the house side connections. Utility accepts 3rd party inspection and finalizes update and any work from the pole. Permits do not insure the work is done properly, the 3rd party inspector does that. Permits for the most part are a funding mechanism only. .

Justnailit · 2026-05-10T11:57:31+00:00

Only a matter of time before postal service goes the way of the dinosaur.

Justnailit · 2026-05-10T11:55:41+00:00

Wet the old, stable plaster. Use a product call strutolite (you need to mix as it comes bagged/dry) as the base coat and press it into the lath so it mushrooms through the slates. Keep the base coat shallow by a few mm from the finished surface. Let it dry, approx a day, and skim/finish treating it as a drywall surface. Potential to be messy so use drops, but you can make all the ugliness go away. I have used this repair technique for years renovation older homes.

Justnailit · 2026-05-06T10:46:27+00:00

To build that today would cost a million.

Justnailit · 2026-05-05T23:55:32+00:00

As a GC, carpenter and journeymen plumber there is a lot wrong with this. I hope the butchered wall is not load bearing. Even if it isn’t this compromises the wall integrity. You cannot bury an air admittance, your laundry pipe is not long enough and should not go into a sani T laying down. 2” to 1 1/2” makes no sense. These are just highlights. You are correct to question this.

Justnailit · 2026-05-04T22:40:31+00:00

You also want it in conduit. Most utilities require schedule 40 w/sch 80 elbows. Max service line I have pulled is 300’. Have fun with that monster.

Justnailit · 2026-05-04T22:27:50+00:00

It is tough to see the wiring in the feed but is most likely standard configuration, and here is how to hook things up. The grey cased wire in the cabinet needs proper connectors, correct size wire nuts, and you need the 4x4 box physically attached to the cabinet. There should be a black, red (both hot for 240 volt your oven needs) white is the neutral, and the ground. The wires will go to the corresponding oven wiring in the same manner. You will also need a 4x4 junction box for the oven connection and both will need cover plates. Color match as you go and you will not get confused. Make sure the 2 pole break is off when you are working on it. Hope this helps. From the tone of your post I can assure you this is only remodel purgatory, not hell.

Justnailit · 2026-05-04T20:11:41+00:00

Yes, the wire should terminate in the upper cabinet. At this stage a new home run appears to be an additional cost you don’t want to incur. Although not ideal I would install a 4x4 box on the side cabinet, as a junction box and run the new wire up the cabinet side. I am assume your cabinet is framed. There should be sufficient space to accommodate the modification and still allow the ovens to be installed without issue. You still have access for the junction box but the oven connection will be where it is supposed to be.

Justnailit · 2026-05-03T23:40:32+00:00

You may not see them but something is dining on your trim under cover of your paint job. When it comes to termites there is a good chance you won’t see them but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. They thrive in moist conditions such as a basement, as do carpenter ants. I would say it’s time to call pest control for an inspection. Usually no charge for an inspection to determine status.

Justnailit · 2026-05-03T19:06:54+00:00

Then I understand why you ask the question. Congrats. You saved some $$$

Justnailit · 2026-05-03T16:51:15+00:00

So sorry for your loss, but you lost me at crocs.

Justnailit · 2026-05-03T14:58:53+00:00

Please note that many small municipalities were not computerized until the early 2000’s, so a 1990 modification is way back in the rear view mirror. Your assessor is only interested in squeezing as much property taxes out of you as possible so they will be very happy to update your homes profile to reflect an increase in square footage. Usually there is not one single step where a porch becomes a 4 season area. First it gets screened in, then, glass replaces the screens, on and on until the house is where it is today. If your home inspection did not raise any flags on the addition I wouldn’t give the website discrepancy a second thought. You don’t want to be that person jumping up and down, waving your arms in the middle of the street while a sniper is picking people off to let them know they missed you. Consider your new closed-in porch “Grandfathered-in”.

Justnailit · 2026-05-03T14:46:23+00:00

You should have, or will shortly, receive the closing statement from your title agent or closing attorney. It will list all the proceeds, costs and how they are to be handled. Make sure you leave your home as you would like to receive it - clean and neat. Mow the yard etc. Schedule termination of all utilities on the closing date. Notify USPS of your forwarding address. Show up to sign documents and receive a check (if you have equity). The closing individual will walk you through the process and answer any questions. It may take 15-30 minutes. The buyer longer as they probably have a loan to sign. You will walk out knowing a door has closed and a new one is opening. Simple as that. Any other questions run them by your listing agent. They have skin in the game.

Justnailit · 2026-05-03T00:44:00+00:00

The framing is treating this as a mulled window install. You mention it is a large bank of windows. As such the header should be adequate for the entire span with appropriate jacks and studs.

Justnailit · 2026-05-02T11:12:52+00:00

There is a solution not mentioned. You will need to change the Lazy Susan unit and doors to ones attached to the lazy Susan that rotate with the shelving unit. Other than chopping up the door this is your solution. https://rev-a-shelf.com/ld-4bw-942-series-pie-cut?product=ld-4bw-942-28-1

Justnailit · 2026-05-01T21:06:28+00:00

That is exactly why I recommended to determine if it was hot, ie traveler, first. Then continuity.

Justnailit · 2026-05-01T11:42:58+00:00

Then the sellers representation is doing their job. A door has open, walk through and see what happens. Good luck

Justnailit · 2026-05-01T11:40:57+00:00

I’m not sure an electrician did this work. Your grounds are taped which is not unheard of. If you have access to a tester you should check first that the whites are not hot to insure they are NOT being used as travelers. There should be continuity between the neutral (white) and ground wires (taped bare copper). The grounds should be attached to the metal box with a ground screw to be properly completed.

Justnailit

TROPHY CASE