The following costs are intended as general cost estimates for
repairs and/or improvements to a typical three bedroom home. The scope and size of a
project will dramatically affect actual costs. Costs also vary based on the part of the
country the property is located. Also the quality and price of materials used varies
widely. The information listed below should be used for basic planning and exploratory
purposes.
For an, Up To Date cost of repair guide we recommend one of the following books or view the older estimates below.
Rep. Ray Franz: Hero of Home Repair Tradesmen Mackinac Center for Public Policy Based on a new bill to strike a blow against overly intrusive big government on behalf of the home repair tradesmen and entrepreneurs, Rep. Ray Franz, R-Onekama, is one of them. Here's how MichiganVotes.org described the legislation Rep.
Home repairs: Which jobs come first? CNN By Josh Garskof @Money February 3, 2012: 5:25 AM ET You can't afford to tackle every big home repair project at once. So use this list to help you prioritize. (MONEY Magazine) -- Lean times call for budgetary triage. But while you should clearly opt ...
Home repair program to help residents of Pontiac and Royal Oak Township Examiner.com âA minor home repair is one or more items that can usually be done in less than two hours by one or two of our volunteers. In a few cases,â says McKay, âwe may hire a professional to do the repair.â âCharter One is pleased to partner with Rebuilding ...
City offering home repair grants for lower-income homeowners Signal By Signal Staff Lower-income homeowners who need help paying for minor home repairs may be eligible for assistance through a grant program administered by the city of Santa Clarita. The Residential Rehabilitation Grant Program offers grants of up to ...
Creek offers home repair assistance Sun-Sentinel The Home Repair Assistance Program is for those who have low- to moderate-income levels and is funded through the State Housing Initiative Partnership. According to city staff, the applications have already been begun coming into the city.
Homeserve customer numbers fall, to cut 200 jobs Reuters ... Feb 8 (Reuters) - British home repair and insurance firm HomeServe said a prolonged marketing delay would hit customer numbers harder than previously expected and added it would cut 200 jobs as part of an increasingly costly restructuring drive.
Home repair tips for low income residents will be offered in 'Brush with Kindness' Bowling Green Daily News Low-income families seeking assistance in making exterior home repairs can learn more about âA Brush with Kindnessâ at one of three application sessions. The first session for the program, which is being offered by Habitat for Humanity of Bowling ...
Learn basic home repair Saturday in Back to Basics series CottageCountryNow.ca 11, with basic home repair with Home Depot. Same time, same place â 10 am at the Foley Agricultural Hall, 60 Rankin Lake Road. These are free seminars and everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served! And mark February 25 on your calendar for the ...
Applications Now Being Accepted For Home Repair Program The Chattanoogan The Department of Neighborhood Services and Community Development is now accepting applications for the upcoming 2012 Home Repair Program through Monday, March 5, at 4 pm All repairs will take place July 9- 21. World Changers, a ministry of LifeWay and ...
CH-UH Library to Offer Home Repair Resource Center Materials Patch.com By Michelle Simakis The Home Repair Resource Center in Cleveland Heights has been a fixture in the community for 40 years. Adam Horwitz When the Home Repair Resource Center celebrated its 40th anniversary in June, staff and board members didn't just ...
Home maintenance goes corporate Livemint Chennai : Banking on the growing purchasing power and busy lifestyles of urban, dual-income families, a slew of firms are now offering to help them run their homes, attempting to bring a measure of professionalism to a largely unorganized sector.
The key to a quality home is finding a good builder Canada.com Saving tons of money on energy costs and home maintenance is longer-term thinking. And too many people believe they won't be living in their houses long enough to recoup that initial investment. So they ask themselves: Why put money into something I ...
These Are the Five Repeating Home Maintenance Tasks You Probably Forget To Do Lifehacker Whether you're renting or you own a home, it's easy to let repeated tasks of home maintenance slip your mind. Over on Apartment Therapy they've outlined the five repeating home maintenance tasks most people forget and a simple way to remind yourself to ...
A home maintenance to-do list for the year ahead San Jose Mercury News By Joan Morris With both the housing market and the economy still down, looks like most of us will be staying put in our homes. But whether you're settling in for the long haul or dreaming of a seller's market, it's important to keep current on all ...
Caring for your seaside home Greenville Daily Reflector As a result, Higson wrote âCoastal Homeowners: The Complete Photo Guide to Coastal Maintenance,â a 164-page book detailing every aspect of coastal home maintenance and repair. âWhen I built the house, I put this nice shingle roof on,â he said.
Home repairs: Which jobs come first? CNN But while you should clearly opt for orthodontics before Disneyland, the choice is tougher when it comes to home maintenance. Should you get a paint job or a new furnace? "There's no homeowner's manual that tells you when to do what," says Naperville, ...
O'Fallon has loans available to improve homes STLtoday.com The city has forgivable five-year loans of up to $5000 available for help in addressing code violations (such as an unsafe stairway) and home maintenance and repair. "If you are a homeowner with a low-to-moderate income, O'Fallon's Home Improvement ...
Stuck At Home? Five Winter Home Maintenance Tips (That You Probably Should've ... Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog) Since most of Seattle and the Puget Sound region are still stuck under the snow and ice storm of the past week, many of you may be getting a bit stir crazy. Cabin Fever can set it quickly after the initial excitement of a couple of snow days wears off.
Beware hidden charges, even with deals and coupons Sun-Sentinel Shopping around for deals online for home maintenance services can save you time and money. But beware hidden fees that may not make the fine print. Barbara Christopher, of Coral Springs, learned that frustrating lesson when she went hunting for a ...
Philip's âPhixersâ Home Maintenance Workshop Series Explorer News Who: St. Philip's In The Hills Episcopal Church St. Philip's In The Hills Episcopal Church's fourth Sunday home maintenance workshop series continues in 2012. The St. Philip's âPhixers,â a group of parish volunteers who meet weekly to do maintenance ...
Electrical OR Plumbing OR Roof OR HVAC OR Fireplace OR Chimney location:usa - Google News
Electrical OR Plumbing OR Roof OR HVAC OR Fireplace OR Chimney location:usa - Google News
Fire damages roof, chimney Sioux Falls Argus Leader The chimney and roof were damaged. There were no injuries. / Dalton Walker / Argus Leader A fire Tuesday morning damaged the chimney and roof of a century-old house. Crews from Sioux Falls Fire Rescue arrived to flames coming from the chimney of a ...
Historic stone chimney move could be costly Niagara Gazette By Mark Scheer Niagara Gazette NIAGARA FALLS â City officials are dealing with some sticker shock after receiving an initial estimate for what it might cost to move an historic stone chimney to a new location. City Planner Tom DeSantis told city ...
High & Low: Portable fireplace Chicago Tribune If you don't have a built-in fireplace, consider a portable unit. Here are high- and low-priced options. High: The Conmoto Travelmate portable black fireplace is safe to use on hardwood floors, tile and carpet. It's made of steel and features a glass ...
Electrical outlet blamed for fire in Bath Corning Leader By John Zick An electrical outlet caused a fire Monday that damaged a home on Shadduck Road in the Town of Bath, Fire Chief Mark Conrad said. Multiple residents were at home when the fire started around 3:45 pm Monday, but all escaped unharmed, ...
The chimney had fallen off onto the top of her car LubbockOnline.com The night of the tornado my grandmother said they were sitting in the living room when a 2 x 4 starting coming through the roof and my uncle said, "Etta I think it's time we moved to another room." I get tickled when I think about those 3 elderly ...
Task force recommends ways to improve electrical reliability in Elmhurst TribLocal By Annemarie Mannion TribLocal reporter Today at 1:48 pm Imposing a fee on customers to defray costs of programs geared toward increasing electrical reliability and canceling the ComEd franchise if reliability does not improve are two ideas being ...
Worker who collapsed is rescued from rooftop Eagle Tribune ... find a man on the roof who had received an electrical shock. They were relieved to find the man had not been shocked, but instead had suffered minor injuries after he collapsed onto the roof and hit his head. He was repairing a rooftop HVAC unit.
Caller spots smoke coming from condo roof OCRegister By CIARÃN MCEVOY / FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ALISO VIEJO â A caller said smoke was coming from the roof of a condominium. Firefighters responded to the call. The incident was reported at 7:06 am on Feb. 3 on the 0 block of Conch Reef.
Global NuTech, Inc. Announces Formation of Texas Gulf Electrical... MarketWatch (press release) 7, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Global NuTech, Inc. /quotes/zigman/6562804 BOCL -7.14% , soon to be renamed Texas Gulf Energy, Inc., www.tgnrg.com announced today that the company has formed a new wholly owned subsidiary named Texas Gulf Electrical...
InspectionNews.net is the first, the largest and still the BEST independent home inspection resource and message board. InspectionNews has all the home inspection resources you could want.
Hi, just purchased a two unit in Chicago. I want to replace all plumbing pipes. I am told I can't use pvc in Chicago and if I go the section 8 route, their inspectors won't approve pvc in the apartments? thanks
Saw this on the news today at lunch ... will likely generate some useful discussion between the FPE-need-replacing and the FPE-nothing-wrong-with-them inspectors. :D :cool:
Action 9 Finds Hidden Danger In Many Central Florida Homes | www.wftv.com (http://www.wftv.com/news/news/inspectors-find-hidden-danger-many-central-florida/nHWCQ/)
It was a good Super Bowl and very entertaining and exciting right down to the end. The Giants made the plays they needed to and the Pats didn't. But as an Eagles fan, watching the Giants win the SB was like watching the Eagles lose. I can't say it's as bad but it's just as revolting to watch.
I'm wondering if the chalky deposit near the water heater vent pictured below is the result of a venting problem. And are the thingys on the vent (last photo) for heat diffusion?
Also wondering if the white powdery substance on the corner of the grate on the furnace is indicative of a problem. And shouldn't the holes around the A/C pipes be sealed? The lower one is bent at such an angle, it makes me wonder if it's kinked. There's also a little rust around the lower hole. Would you guys say anything about this stuff?
A new homeowner and I have a question. I have never owned a gas fireplace before so I'm pretty much clueless on what to expect with them. I've noticed this white dust like substance collecting on the logs in the fireplace. It looks like snow almost, not the typical dust looking particle. I was curious if anyone has come across this before. I have attached some pictures.
Just a note too we have been experiencing some problems with pulling this fine white powder out of our carpet which also has me batty because I have no idea what it is and it keeps clogging up my vaccum. Before we moved in the carpets were cleanned by a company that promotes zero residue (zerorez was the company) and once we found out when we vacuumed we were getting this white residue we had them come back and re-clean, though the problem still persists.
My thoughts happen to be that the two are connected, the white powder (which I'm sure is getting into the air and is not good to breathe in) is causing the formations in the fireplace. Just wish I could figure out what to do. I've debated getting the powder from the carpet tested just so I know we aren't breathing in something harmful. Just not sure where to even start or who to call to help. If you have any idea I would appreciate some help...
Guys I'm in the market for a moisture meter. I'm looking at this 2 models just wanna see if what you guys think. thanks
Tramex Survey Encounter & GE Protimeter Surveymaster
A tragic incident that happened Friday in Marine Corps base housing up in Coleville CA.
Marine's wife killed in explosion near California Marine base | abc13.com (http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/national_world&id=8531307)
Waiting to see what they determined caused this, if they ever say....
I have been throwing around the idea of houses that are on the market going up knocking on the door let them know you are a home inspector. Let them know that if they do a inspection now that it could save them money in the in the end. What do you think?
I sometimes see AC condenser units covered in the winter months but most of the time I see then left exposed. It seems the main benefit of the covers is they keep debris and tree litter from getting inside the unit. Are there any negatives to these covers (ie - trapping and holding moisture inside the unit)?
I have a unique situation and would like opinions from the inspector.
By trade I am a structural engineer and am familiar with construction practices and code.
I am looking at a property for purchase, it is a REO property offered by Fannie Mae, the property has been renovated by the previous owner.
Because of my background, I typically look a bit closer to many things during my visit. I would look under the sinks at drain connections, electrical panel etc...and I saw a bunch of things that alarmed me - kitchen drain connection using 1" PVC pipe, yes 1". A couple of places where drains were held together with hose clamps, and I don't mean Fernco transition coupling, I mean some soft hose sleeves with clamps. New outlets in baths and kitchen not GFCI, and no GFCI breakers to those either. But these didn't bother me too much as they are all easy fixes and would be all identified in the inspection reports later on should we strike a deal. But what it did was to set off an alarm that perhaps there may have been things of this nature not visibly evident behind walls they did that was substandard and worse yet, unsafe.
The house is two story. On one side is a living room where it has the high ceiling. On the other side no high ceiling, upstairs bedrooms, bathrooms, and below that the kitchen, bedroom, half bath and stairwell. Here is the strange part.
I was standing in the living room with the high ceiling where I can see all the way up, and of course I can also see the side wall of the second floor right above the kitchen. That side wall runs 24' long and has no support underneath. The kitchen is right below it. I thought at the moment, this is odd, this doesn't look right, do they have a steel beam going across or what?
However despite all that, I end up submitting an offer to Fannie Mae, and right now I am waiting for them to decide.
Meanwhile, the substandard plumbing, electrical work continued to bother me, but not as much as the "hanging" second floor. I decided to visit the building department of the city and said I am an investor looking to buy the property and would like to know everything is in order, permits, plans etc...and for $25 they gave me copies of permits and all plans.
They did not pull any permit for any of that renovation work.
Worse yet, there used to be a load bearing wall on the side of the kitchen supporting the edge of the second floor. That wall has been completely removed, resulting in an open kitchen. Along the footprint of the wall is now a 15' long kitchen island. They even moved the sink from one wall to the island, which leads me to wonder, given the bad plumbing connections I could see, if they even knew how to vent an island drain with a loop vent. Highly doubtful.
Now to my question. If the deal do go forward, and I need to inspect the property, will the inspector note the removal of a load bearing wall in the inspection report?
Nothing has collapsed. There is no visible deflection that I can see. I have original plans showing a load bearing wall there. I have a list of permit summaries showing NO permit has been pulled since the original construction since 1980 except for a fence. They removed a wall, moved a sink from one wall to an island, moved a water heater from the old kitchen to a hallway closet, redid wiring in kitchen and bath without any GFCI protection...If I show the inspector these plans will he/she take them into account? Or will an inspector simply test faucets, flush toilet, test AC etc etc etc?
Is an illegal and unsafe renovation a defect considered by an inspector? Or is it a separate that must be raised by a buyer?
I am well aware there are other ramifications - if I buy it I inherit the problem, and if I don't rectify it and submit new plans etc...I may be in a bad situation if I decide to sell, then a potential buyer would be asking the questions I am asking now.
My best scenerio is still to buy the property, but given this major issue, I would like the seller to discount the property by an amount required to remedy these defects.
We have a relocation inspection on Tuesday. I'm not sure how that is different from a regular home inspection, but I assume it is more stringent since our relocation appraisal will also be more stringent. I am trying to fix the problems I am aware of before then so they never come up.
In our basement, the heater vents are in the ceiling, and they are all falling out becasue the holes were cut too large. I've been researching how to fix them and apparently there is the easy way and the right way. I can put construction adhesive on them and prop them up so they are literally glued to the ceiling around the edge, and would never be able to be removed. Or I can put a small piece of wood up above the drywall and screw the vent into that so it can be removed in the future if needed. I can easily do the first fix on my own. For the second fix, I need my husband's help (I've never used a drill or saw). He is already working in the town we are being relocated to so will have to drive 7 hours home to help me drill a screw into a piece of wood. Which is silly and embarrassing for me...haha.:o
The question I have for the inspectors is, what will the inspection check for with the vents? If I glue them in place will that cause problems with the inspection? Do they have to be "removable"? Thanks for your help.
I have half garage conversion, from a 2 car garage..stalled single car garage door,
conversion area has glass door egress and solid door egress into garage for exits in and out.total of 2 doors. has plenty of ventilation . flooring is original concert ,w adhesive tile
covering in utility area.
there is a sheet rock dividing wall w/ 8ft ceiling and insulation in all walls.&ceiling.
the conversion area is used as utility room, w/ desk space, free standing book case,computer space,and t.v. it has heating duct from furnance located in main part of home..
its has electrical power supply in walls and ceiling from power supply in garage.
I acted as my own owner/contractor.. approx sq ft 220..electrical was done by
contractor.. do not recall permits. any info or comments if ok?.
Hi,
Someone could help? Need some professional opions.
The inspector commented:
Lack of latral support for chimney structure; rafters are used for vertical support of chimney structure - please refer to construction plan.
He said the estimated cost to fix the problem is about $3000.
Thank you.
Hello.Ken here.I was given a small construction heater,208/240 volt,that i am planning to use in my garage during the colder months of our winter.My plan is to hard wire this to the panel thru a suitable breaker.While checking for information on this I came across this site,read some of the safety alerts on this and decided to sign up.It seems using this heater in the way I planned is not a good idea.Any thoughts on this?
Thanks Ken V.