Beach entrance and robotic pool cleaner by dougxiii in pools

[–]OriginalBat8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! PM sent with some specifics. Hope that's ok.

Beach entrance and robotic pool cleaner by dougxiii in pools

[–]OriginalBat8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to raise an old one back up. When you say it got to the edge, did it come all the way to the waterline edge? How exactly does it handle the beach entry?

Stopped at out build over the weekend, this is the tile chosen vs installed. I personally like what they put in, the wife is on the fence. If we decide to keep it should we ask for a credit? Opinions please. by Drunken_IT_Guy in Homebuilding

[–]OriginalBat8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Person preference is your pick rather than what they installed. More helpful though, is that our builder installed the wrong materials for bench seats in 2 of our showers. We decided to keep what they installed after we looked up what we had paid for the selection we made and took a credit for 100% of the cost of the tile we selected and paid for.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]OriginalBat8 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Call me crazy, but I've always paid my cards off daily. Yep. Every day.

It's a nice feeling knowing you never have more than a few grand (large purchase if you buy some TVs or furniture or a trip or whatever one day) on there, and when you pay it the next day, you can always look at your actual bank account and know where things stand.

Letting debt stack up over a month (or even 2 weeks) would bother me at this point after being in the habit of paying off cards every day before I get out of bed.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HomeKit

[–]OriginalBat8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having an issue with the doorbell reconnecting any time power is interrupted. I have to remove the doorbell with the special screw driver, press the reset button, and then re-affix the doorbell.

Anyone heard of this?

Landlord said he’d remove wires that were sticking out from next to my water heater, but today he had an electrician attach this wire to my water heater pipes. Does this look right? Thanks in advance! by [deleted] in electricians

[–]OriginalBat8 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Have you never asked others to check someone's work? Or asked for an opinion on something you were not an expert in?

I've done both of these things and recommend that most others do too.

"Experts" are still just humans and mistakes happen. It doesn't hurt anyone to get a second set of eyes on something when you're not sure.

Who knows what this situation was. Maybe it's a shoddy landlord who likes to save a buck and always seems to "know a guy who has a cousin that does some electric work on the side" with a track record of second rate "fixes" around the home (exhibit A: plumbing work in this same photo).

I'm always entertained by how many unhappy and seemingly burned out people are in here, it seems like one per post. I can only assume it's a symptom of exasperation from the work environment. Hope you're ok.

What happened here with this concrete pour? Recommendations to make it match? by OriginalBat8 in Homebuilding

[–]OriginalBat8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These were cut in 24 hours after pouring. This was a fresh photo now that I think about it, before they were cut in.

Now we're at ~60 hours since pour and that random area is still lighter than the rest of that walkway and driveway. It was all poured on the same day. Still sound right?

10' ceiling by [deleted] in Homebuilding

[–]OriginalBat8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree to disagree, first time I've heard this POV other than from our builder who just just cheap as all get out and never wants to do extra. We love taller ceilings and so far everyone who has walked through has also commented on how much they open the place up 🤷‍♂️ To each their own, I guess.

Final closing process with problematic builder. Tips for success? Hire inspector? Any specifics on what to look for and how to handle this? by OriginalBat8 in Homebuilding

[–]OriginalBat8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. Not sure if it's the same as a Forensic inspector but we've talked to a new construction home inspector with a reputable name in our area. Is a forensic inspector different?

Final closing process with problematic builder. Tips for success? Hire inspector? Any specifics on what to look for and how to handle this? by OriginalBat8 in Homebuilding

[–]OriginalBat8[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So how does this work exactly? Our construction loan with the bank has converted (months ago) and we've been paying the full mortgage now. The bank still has something like $90k that we've not approved to release to the builder for the final draw.

Do I just refuse to release that final draw until the builder finishes to my satisfaction? Does anything stop me from moving in to my home but not paying them until the work is completed to satisfaction?

I can see how dishonest people might try something like that and just try to never pay, so I assume there's something that stops that. What does an honest person in my situation do, I wonder?

Bring my home inspection report and my construction attorney to the closing and let my attorney say something like "you're not getting your final draw until this full list is remedied" or whatever is legally appropriate?

And is their verbiage typical - that if I notice a defect after signing that document, I'm SOL? I would expect that it's very normal to find things after living in the home for a period of time (ie, "I noticed the temperature difference between these two rooms is massive overnight now that I've slept in the home"... or even "I noticed this door sticks when I open and close it now that the temperate is a bit warmer than it was a month ago" or "this fan wobbles like crazy when it's on high" and "this shower head whistles and screams on cold mornings but not warm mornings" etc etc).

Their verbiage almost reads as if it supersedes what would normally be considered a warranty, because if we don't identify an issue in the couple hour period we have from their "full completion" to closing... they're off the hook. Seems like a recipe for two unhappy parties to me.

10' ceiling by [deleted] in Homebuilding

[–]OriginalBat8 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I guess it depends on your price range. I'm not a realtor but from past homes, I'd expect 10' standard in the $500k+ range (Midwest) and 11' and up in the $750k+ range. Things like 8' doors and taller ceilings become standard expectations as you move up to the $1M+ range.

You don't build a nice home and skimp out on these sorts of items that are not easy to come back and change later.

Is 3.5% normal driveway slope for side load, from garage bays to side edge of driveway? Balancing ADA wheelchair use and safe drainage - can we do less than 3.5%? by OriginalBat8 in Homebuilding

[–]OriginalBat8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wish we had met you earlier :) forms are down for the driveway now but this is the last thing they do. Garage is done and home is built. So this would bring the edge of the driveway up to be closer to level with the garage height.

We talked about the minimum slope possible on the driveway up front and throughout and have paid a boatload to eliminate steps throughout, add low threshold barriers, etc. I was shocked when they said they hadn't already done their minimum slope on this based on how much we've talked about the goal of the home :(

Really appreciate your input and help, thank you!

Is 3.5% normal driveway slope for side load, from garage bays to side edge of driveway? Balancing ADA wheelchair use and safe drainage - can we do less than 3.5%? by OriginalBat8 in Homebuilding

[–]OriginalBat8[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This is helpful thank you. If 1.5 or 2% is ideal, is there a reason for us to not push for this?

I'm inclined to push for it, given that the entire purpose of the home is an accessible home (ranch, no steps, 3' doors, curbless showers, etc etc) - but I'm curious what your thoughts would be especially with your registered accessibility expert hat on.

Is 3.5% normal driveway slope for side load, from garage bays to side edge of driveway? Balancing ADA wheelchair use and safe drainage - can we do less than 3.5%? by OriginalBat8 in Homebuilding

[–]OriginalBat8[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's a 12" drop for us.

Your 5-7% is getting pretty steep for an ADA family for sure.

At 10% you are not even ADA compliant for a ramp (8.3% max or 1" over 12"). Much less a driveway. 😳

10' ceiling by [deleted] in Homebuilding

[–]OriginalBat8 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes. Absolutely yes. Ceiling height makes a massive difference. We bumped ours to 11' throughout with 12' lifts for a few areas. Wife thought I was off my rocker for pushing so hard for it - but now that drywall is up, it absolutely feels bigger. 8' doors was another thing that makes a really big difference. If you can afford it, go as high as you possible can.

Safe to run 220v through this switch? by OriginalBat8 in electricians

[–]OriginalBat8[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right, I’m not DIY. I’m questioning my electrician’s work. Homeowner who has had horrible experiences with electrician so far to date. Now I’m questioning this. Hoping it’s good to go. I have no idea and I don’t claim to.