Violet Crown Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Dh and I finally took a look around and noticed that our house is having some problems. It has at least these problems: rotted siding, paint worn through or otherwise gone, broken window seals (and windows hard to see through as a result), cracked/broken concrete skirting, cracked/ fallen drywall. Also badly needs new carpeting. And possibly, as we live on a giant chunk of limestone, re-leveling (pier and beam). Also since we moved in the City has passed laws with requirements for energy saving, and since our house is very very draughty I suspect we don't currently meet those requirements. Obviously we're not good at this stuff, and haven't been doing necessary upkeep, and we regret and repent. So now what? Mostly we need someone to assess the house and figure out what in fact needs to be done, and in what order. Before it collapses around us. Any and all advice desperately welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 3 minutes ago, Violet Crown said: Dh and I finally took a look around and noticed that our house is having some problems. It has at least these problems: rotted siding, paint worn through or otherwise gone, broken window seals (and windows hard to see through as a result), cracked/broken concrete skirting, cracked/ fallen drywall. Also badly needs new carpeting. And possibly, as we live on a giant chunk of limestone, re-leveling (pier and beam). Also since we moved in the City has passed laws with requirements for energy saving, and since our house is very very draughty I suspect we don't currently meet those requirements. Obviously we're not good at this stuff, and haven't been doing necessary upkeep, and we regret and repent. So now what? Mostly we need someone to assess the house and figure out what in fact needs to be done, and in what order. Before it collapses around us. Any and all advice desperately welcome. Yes. And focus on the serious issues of concrete, window seals, rot, that affect structural integrity. Not new carpet to start with. Exterior paint could affect integrity, and interior could be important if there are lead layers, but if it’s just aesthetic, deprioritize it. My house has no drywall, but my Ds knows how to repair drywall, and that’s quite doable prior to painting. Get some good professionals to take a look. More than one. They’ll probably have different ideas. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted February 21, 2019 Author Share Posted February 21, 2019 1 minute ago, Pen said: Get some good professionals to take a look. More than one. They’ll probably have different ideas. Good. Professionals of what sort? Where does one find them? I hope I don't sound as much like an ignoramus as I feel.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 I’d start with getting a home inspection done, similiar to what people do when selling/buying a house. That will tell you both the extent and they will usually tell you priority of concern too. Well worth $200-300 (at least here). 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Some things, in some places, if you do them, every thing has to be brought up to current code. I learned that about something I wanted to do at my house, so decided not to. However, where I am, and my guess is this would common so as not to have places go to rack and ruin, “repairs” are allowed without bringing everything else up to code. Looks like we may have overlapping posts :). 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 One possibility could be general contractors who specialize in repairs to take an overall look. Another is to look for specialists for the problems you have noticed, perhaps starting with foundation issues. Some painters can repair siding etc at same time as painting , others may know who can do that before they can paint. I think different places may be different. You may have city planning departments who could have some info perhaps even online. Some places also have common issues due to soil type, so for example you limestone, that would probably be common to your area and have people experienced with it. You can also google, use Yelp, etc. these days. I am having a current foundation issue and trying trying to determine if a national chain place called TerraFirma is any good or not, by asking people, using internet, etc. It is difficult because most of us, if not in the business of house repairs or fixing rentals or buying and selling properties, don’t face these problems very many times in a lifetime . But also ask people in your area. They have similar weather and soil and may have similar problems. And if you find any one good contractor for any aspect of the problem see if they know others. Another source can be places that sell the stuff that is used—paint stores may know painters, for example. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Violet Crown said: And possibly, as we live on a giant chunk of limestone, re-leveling (pier and beam). Foundation issues and cracks go together. I would start here. It might even be influencing what's going on with the windows. I would call residential architects and ask them who they recommend--they might recommend a company or contractor, or they might look at it themselves, give you a list of what needs to be done, and then work with you to find a contractor. There are definitely companies that do engineered pillars and such without going to an architect, but I would try to get recommendations first. You want someone that is going to take time to explain how things work and to mention stuff you probably don't want to hear (not $$$ alone, but specific reasons x and y are a good idea and a and b are not good ideas). Sometimes in these companies the salesperson is not the installer--you likely won't have that issue with an architect--they'll just tell you what's up and help you find a person to fix it. After that, I would work on getting the exterior and windows to a point where things aren't going to rot or leak. You might be sure your roof is okay too--just in case you haven't noticed something that is happening up there. It's okay to not be great at this stuff, and it's also okay to have an older home where these things sometimes just crop up altogether at once. It happens. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 I think you need to start foundation issues. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 When we (thought) we had foundation issues, I googled "structural engineer" and found a firm to call. He did the assessment for a flat fee (maybe $200? Like a home inspection, but he's a PE). He told us our issues weren't really a problem, but he described what would happen if things changed... he and his team would write up the plans and another contracting company (that he recommended) would do the actual work. He said for what we MIGHT need, it'd be around $10K. But we sold that house a year and a half ago. 😛 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 15 hours ago, Violet Crown said: Dh and I finally took a look around and noticed that our house is having some problems. It has at least these problems: rotted siding, paint worn through or otherwise gone, broken window seals (and windows hard to see through as a result), cracked/broken concrete skirting, cracked/ fallen drywall. Also badly needs new carpeting. And possibly, as we live on a giant chunk of limestone, re-leveling (pier and beam). Also since we moved in the City has passed laws with requirements for energy saving, and since our house is very very draughty I suspect we don't currently meet those requirements. Obviously we're not good at this stuff, and haven't been doing necessary upkeep, and we regret and repent. So now what? Mostly we need someone to assess the house and figure out what in fact needs to be done, and in what order. Before it collapses around us. Any and all advice desperately welcome. structure before esthetics. I would start with the foundation. plan on having a professional inspect it to see what actually needs to be done. the cracks might or might not be cosmetic/ but releveling is structural. (and could be the source of your cracks - both in foundation and drywall) you will probably not be able to diy the foundation. then the siding as that is protecting the rest of your house. some windows can just have new joint putty and caulk around the frames to seal them. but if they are double glazed and hazy on the inside, you may need new windows. consider carpeting the last thing you'll do. that's just looks, not structure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 (edited) You can have people in piecemeal — e.g., foundation people, siding people, ect — or, depending on how much needs to be done (structural issues) & how much you also want done (aesthetics) v. what your budget is you might consider hiring a contractor to coordinate everything. I believe City has various rebate programs for upgrading your residence. In fact, I know they do. It’s just a matter of what you’ll qualify for. Regardless, everyone else is correct. Don’t even think about fixing windows, cracks, etc without first dealing with the foundation. We’ve dealt with similar and it’s frustrating, to be sure. ETA: One benefit of a contractor is that they’ll know about pulling the correct permits. And you know City likes its permits. Edited February 22, 2019 by brehon 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 Thanks to all. I definitely think foundation is the primary issue: all the houses here are pier and beam exactly because the limestone everything sits on shifts continuously (all houses, my neighbors tell me, develop cracks in the drywall at the corners of windows and doorways) and after 20 years it certainly has to be releveled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 I have a very old house with a running list of MAJOR problems so I know the feeling. We are good friends with a couple of contractors so we have been lucky to be able to get some advice as to prioritizing and getting an idea of costs before decided what to tackle next. And we are always tackling something next. We would move except the location and layout of the house would be hard to replicate and while it costs a small fortune to maintain, the base mortgage is very low, so worth it. No real advice on your specific problems except the windows. Our windows are "modern" (as in 1970s as opposed to 1870s) but were likely cheap. They really need to be replaced but are so far down on the priority list at the moment, they are not likely to be replaced any time soon. Every year, one or two busts a seal and gets foggy. As they go, we get them fixed at our local glass shop. It is about $80 per window. I take the window out, bring it in to be measured, put it back, then return it when the glass comes in to be replaced. It is a pain but far less expensive than replacing the entire windows. For additional costs, they will come to my house to measure and then install. But every penny counts with my house so I do the leg work since my windows are generally small enough that I can manage it. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 We had to have our foundation reinforced. In Houston, we have concrete slab but to fix subsidence they dig down and put in piers. I used the yellow pages to generate a list of 4 contractors and then called a recommendation from Angie's List at dh's request. Three of the 4 local guys came out and took measurements. One charged double the other two. He got eliminated. The Angie's List dudes didn't bother to take measurements and wanted slightly more than the local expensive guy. For the final two, I checked references to pick the winner. He did the job in two days with a crew of 10 guys for $8000. We haven't had any further problems 4 years out. Good luck on the home repair adventure! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 If you are on facebook, ask on local groups for general contractor recommendations. Start with the foundation work first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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