HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jab3@cec2.wustl.edu (John Alonzo Breen)
Subject: Carpeting (again :-)
Summary: Here we go again
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis Mo.
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 14:24:27 GMT

I know this has been discussed many times here, but - you guessed it -
I didn't bother to save the articles.

I'm getting ready to buy new carpeting for my house, and I'm
interested in opinions on brands, styles, techniques for getting a
good deal, "gotchas" to watch out for, etc.

If anyone saved the previous discussions on carpeting, I would
appreciate it if you could mail them to me.

This would be a good subject for the archive :-).
--
John A. Breen                   |
jab3@cec1.wustl.edu             | This space unintentionally left blank
johnb@hobbes.mdc.com            |
Tel: (314)234-4341              |
From: pickel@mcnc.org (Lisa C. Pickel)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Things to look for when buying a house
Date: 7 Apr 92 16:20:23 GMT
Reply-To: pickel@mcnc.org (Lisa C. Pickel)
Organization: Center for Microelectronics, MCNC; RTP, NC

In article <3701@phred.UUCP> brianr@phred.UUCP (Brian Reese) writes:
>I agree with Steve on this one.  One advantage to making an offer prior to 
>inspection is (once accepted by the seller) that it holds the house in your
>name for the 3-5 days so you can get it inspected.  If the inspection reveals
>any problems, you are perfectly within your right to make a new offer based on
>the findings.  If the seller won't budge on the price - walk away.  Your 
>original offer should have been contingent on a satisfactory (to the buyer)
>inspection, so you are not out anything (except the cost of the inspection,
>which would have been incured either way).

Ah, would it were so.  Unfortunately there IS a risk to this method.  My best
friend had made an offer on a house, found severe structural problems with
it during the inspection, and had to sue to get back her earnest money.
Not only that, because the seller lived out of town, she had to travel
halfway across the state to small claims court where the seller now lived.  
Not only that, but the judge decided to split the earnest money between 
the seller and herself.  All that trouble and she still lost 500.00.

I would relate my own current horror story regarding inspections-vile
realtors-threatened loss of earnest money, but I'm just too close to it
to remain objective right now.

Lisa.
From: augi@cbmvax.commodore.com (Joe Augenbraun)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Question about PRO and CONS of FHA versus CONVENTIONAL loan
Date: 15 Apr 92 00:10:34 GMT
Reply-To: augi@cbmvax.commodore.com (Joe Augenbraun)
Distribution: misc
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

> I'm pretty sure it's 3% on the first $25K and 5% on the excess above $25K...
> Also rates and/or points are generally better for FHA versus conventional
> loans...
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong.  (We're planning on closing on an FHA loan in 6 weeks)

A year and a half ago, when I bought my $120,000 house, my down payment was
2.13% (I just calculated it).  With the 3.8% mortgage insurance added, my loan
was for 1.67% *more* than the purchase price of the house.

This is no way to run a bank, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if the
recent rule changes include higher down payments.

Incidentally, around here FHA rates are about 1/4% higher than conventional,
and that's before you figure in the additional 1/2% mortgage insurance that
you now have to pay for the first 7 or 8 years.

							Joe


-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the sort of thing that people who like this sort of thing really like
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe "Augi" Augenbraun                   ucp: {uunet|ihnp4|rutgers}!cbmvax!augi
System Engineering                     	arpa: cbmvax!augi@uunet.uu.net
Commodore Business Machines		Phone: 215-431-9332
From: skk@wsl.dec.com (Stuart Kreitman)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Improvement Value Adds?
Keywords: do-it-yourself
Date: 9 Apr 92 21:56:16 GMT
Reply-To: skk@wsl.dec.com (Stuart Kreitman)
Organization: DEC Western Software Lab

In article <1992Apr8.211927.10228@cco.caltech.edu>, sns@deimos.caltech.edu (Sam Southard Jr.) writes:
|> 
|> Does anyone have any such experience with this?  The existance of fixer-uppers
|> seems to prove that you can get more than 100% back on a home improvement, or

It only proves that run-down houses exist and can be given a more palatable name.

Seriously, I am happy with a compromise made in the house we recently bought:
I DIY'd the back office with a friend, designing-in computer lab features like
extra lighting, extra power, extra phone lines and conduits, while we hired
a general contractor to do the kitchen expansion fixed-price.

The office came out nice, but the kitchen is coming along nicer.
I was fortunate to have a friend experienced in construction available for the DIY,
so I considered it a vacation from real work.

As far as new wall colors and other amenities that don't seem to increase the house's 
value: be aware that an appraisal worksheet will calculate the house's effective age
based on recent updates of all kinds.  Also, should a buyer fall in love with an
obviously well-kept house, they'll give more to own it.
 

-- 

	Stuart Kreitman			(415) 493-6912
	Faster Raster Software Engineering
	4216 Los Palos Ave.
	Palo Alto, CA 94306
            _______________    __o
        _________________     -\<,
                        ......O/ O
From: fredch@phx.mcd.mot.com (Fred Christiansen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: land swap
Date: 6 Apr 92 22:34:09 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Motorola Computer Grp (TSD), Tempe (Arizona, 14th in apple production)

I bought an acre of land last summer upon which to build a house.  I had
the corners staked by a surveying firm of good repute (per a friend who
is a CivEngr for the county and another friend who is a land developer of
30 years).  The land is in what was, and sort of still is, a citrus orchard.
The lots look something like this:

------------ 350+ ft -----------
|                              |
..                            .. ~350 ft deep
|                              |
--- 150+ ft ---==--- 150+ ft ---
|             |  |             |
..           ..  ..           .. ~350 ft deep
|             |  |             |
---------------  ---- my lot ---
               ^^
	       ^^ deeded (legal, not easement) access to rear lot

The person to the rear bought the land with fencing already up, including
gate (where I put '==').  The graded driveway runs nicely parallel to the
row of trees on the edge of my property.   Now, at the entrance it is properly
between corner stakes.  However, up by the gate, it is 5 or 6 ft onto my
land.  Evidently the trees were not put in parallel to the lot line thus
confusing everybody.  What's more, the other neighbor's wrought iron fence
follows the same pattern of running parallel to the row of trees, thus also
encroaching onto the lane by 5 or 6 ft.  So, the driveway gets squeezed up
by the gate and the gate is 'way off from what it should be.  The owner to
the rear is in the double bind of having someone encroaching on his land
(but sort of monumented since unchallenged for many years) and also en-
croaching on my land.  The owner to the rear has accepted my surveyor's
corner but would like to avoid regrading the driveway and moving his gate.

I'm a good neighbor so I'm inclined to propose a land swap.  You see, his
fence is actually several feet behind my rear lot line (which means the
other neighbor is also encroaching on the guy-to-the-rear's lot in that
area).  So, maybe we can trade even-steven.  350*5.2*0.5 = approx. 900 ft**2.
900/150 = 6 ft.  Well, his fence is roughly 6 ft behind my true lot line.
So, it all sounds possible.

Question:  Has anyone done such a land swap?  I would presume this should
be recorded with the county?  What sort of paperwork is involved?  And
prepared by whom?  Should the surveyor get involved?
-- 
Fred Christiansen, Motorola TSD (DW278), 2900 S. Diablo Way, Tempe, AZ  85282
fredch@phx.mcd.mot.com  ||  uunet!phx.mcd.mot.com!fredch  ||  +1 602-438-3464
  For the Lord gives wisdom:  out of His mouth comes knowledge
    and understanding (Prov 2:6).
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Heat pumps
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 92 18:29:14 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) writes:

> In article <35960094@hpindda.cup.hp.com> krause@hpindda.cup.hp.com (Mike Krau
> 
> >If you want
> >such a system, they are much more economical than burning fuels or electrici
> >and the overall cost is lower.  The one thing to remember is they can only
> >get your home up to the temperature of the ground - which is sufficient for
> >many people.
> 
> This is completely wrong.  A heat pump acts just like a refrigerator -
> the compressor and heat exchange coils produce considerably higher
> temperatures than ambient around the external radiator system.  Ie:
> the air temperature coming out of a heat pump is typically around 120F.
> Even when the ambient temperature where the external coils is less than
> 40F.

You're absolutly right, Chris. The only hazards with this type of 
heating system are repairmen digging up pipes in the yard ("What's
that hanging off the backhoe?") and your ground developing permafrost.

Of the two, I'd worry about the second a lot more. Once a system
like that freezes up, it takes a long time to thaw out. A few
seasons, perhaps.

I'd rather drill a well or two and pump the water from one thru
a heat exchanger and back down, preferrably into the second well.
Lots more heat energy available, smaller and easier to maintain,
and possibly more efficient.

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: Doug Oppedahl <oppedahl@convex.COM>
Subject: The Smoking Refrigerator
Originator: oppedahl@magnum.convex.com
Reply-To: oppedahl@convex.COM (Doug Oppedahl)
Organization: Engineering, CONVEX Computer Corp., Richardson, Tx., USA
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 23:02:34 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.


Every time I open the refrigerator in the place I recently rented, it
smells as if the refrigerator has been smoking cigarettes while I had my
back turned.  The refrigerator is new to my place, and it had evidently
been in a chain smokers house before being moved here.

So far, cleaning it with Lysol and leaving baking soda in it have not
helped a whole lot.  

Does anyone know of a way to rid the smoke smell from the frig?

Is the odor "stuck" in the plastic parts inside the frig, or somewhere
else?  (The outside of the refrigerator doesn't smell bad.)


Doug Oppedahl
oppedahl@convex.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: lou@nptn.org (Lou Anschuetz)
Subject: Re: Lowering garage to basement level and finishing upper level.
Organization: Youngstown State University/Youngstown Free-Net
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 18:11:02 GMT

reinaldo.a.valenzuela (rav@cbnewsi.cb.att.com) writes:
: 
: I would like to lower the garage floor down to the basement floor level.
: Thus, I can buiild a floor at the house ground floor level and
: turn the space above into a dramatic great room. This would involve:
: 
:  - Remove exixting garage doors.
:  - Jacking-up the garage (so that fundation wall can be rebuilt/extended)
:  - Breaking up the existing garage floor slab and about 1/2 of the driveway.
:  - Excavating the garage floor 3-4 ft. 
:  - Regrading the driveway so it is 4 ft lower at the garage end.
:  - Wreking existing fundation walls around the garage perimeter
:    (or extending down exixting walls??)
:  - Re-building new, higher garage fundation walls
:  - Pouring a new garage cement slab (now at the basement floor level)
:  - Installing columns/girder/ floor joists/decking/flooring 
:     to create the garage ceiling and great room floor.
:  - Re-install garage doors at the new level.
:  - Close-up are occupied by old garage doors
:  - Extend siding on the sides and over location of old doors.
: 
: 
: Is this totallt crazy?
Nope.  We are going to do it as soon as we know whether we
have jobs for the next year (our education governor seems 
hell bent on closing down most of the universities in Ohio).
We have had 2 neighbors do it.
: 
: Would it be cheaper to wreck the existing garage/fundation/slab
: and start from scratch?
That, I don't know.  It isn't cheaper in our case since our
foundation walls already go to basement level (even though
the slap doesn't :-)
: 
: Approx. how much many can I expect to pay?
The two that have been done in our neighborhood cost right 
$25,000 each.  That included everything but landscaping.
: 
: Does it make sense for me to act as general
: contractor??
The ones done in our neighborhood generally only needed one
(rather) small contracting firm to do all concrete work, pillars,
and interior framing.  Your situation may vary.
: 
: Any advice, suggestions, horror stories, etc.
: appreciated!!
You won't see this often, but both or our neighbors jobs proceeded
without a hitch!  Two different contractors too!  Because of the
peculiar nature of our housing location, it must be done often enough
that it is pretty routine stuff....

Lou Anschuetz, lou@nptn.org (and tens of other places)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: ronnie@cisco.com (Ronnie B. Kon)
Subject: Re: GFI question
Organization: cisco Systems, Incorporated
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 18:54:55 GMT

In article <92083.183250WALMSLEC@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>, WALMSLEC@QUCDN.QueensU.CA (Chris Walmsley) writes:
|> Simple question:  Does anybody make split GFI recepticles that can
|> be used for Kitchen counter locations where each half of a standard
|> recepticle is wired independently.  It would seem a perfect location
|> to have a GFI (near a sink) but most appliance recepticles are wired
|> so that each side has a fuse/breaker, and all the GFIs I have seen
|> can not be used for that arrangment.

Remember that a GFI recepticle protects all recepticles further on the
circuit as well as itself.  You can also buy a GFI circuit breaker (although
these are expensive--about $35 - $50 last time I checked).

				Ronnie

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ronnie B. Kon           |  "If you vote Republican, does that make you
ronnie@cisco.com        |   an accomplice to their crimes?"
(415) 688-4592          |                  -- Bongo, Life in Hell
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: perley@trub.crd.ge.com (Donald P Perley)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Asbestos removal
Date: 8 Apr 92 18:38:25 GMT
	<1992Apr1.160734.28187@meaddata.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: GE Corp. R & D, Schenectady, NY 12345

In article <1992Apr1.160734.28187@meaddata.com> dedek@meaddata.com (Mike Dedek) writes:
=
=   In article <1992Mar31.233829.2493@cbnewsl.cb.att.com>, mom@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (mark.o.modig) writes:

=   |> We hadn't planned on using the basement much, and the wrapping
=   |> seems in OK shape for the most part (there are a few places
=   |> where it appears to be unraveling). Now, however, due to
=   |> family and job changes possibly, we are looking at
=   |> finishing up part of the basement to put in an office,
=   |> which would mean spending a lot more time down there.

=   I _think_ it's a federal law:  Asbestos removal is a very expensive process.
=   The whole house is sealed off from the outside and all walls covered with
=   plastic; the workers use air tanks (like sea divers); the doors are double-
    . . .
=   I saw it on This Old House, it seemed like a real mess.  Good luck.

The job on This Old House (the Wetherbee house) was in the $2000
ballpark, if I remember correctly, so compared to other costs of
finishing a basement, it may not be that bad. That was a pretty big
house too.

Some have suggested just leaving it in place, as it shouldn't be a hazard if 
undisturbed.  That isn't so good if they hang low enough for someone to bump
their head on the insulation! (It's pretty common for basments to have low ceilings)

-don perley


--
perley@trub.crd.ge.com
From: klf@druwa.ATT.COM (FranklinKL)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: hollow-core door questions
Keywords: Door is NOT too weak
Date: 15 Apr 92 17:51:16 GMT
Distribution: misc



>mryan@stsci.edu (Mary Ryan) writes:

>> 
>> All my interior doors are hollow-core.  One has a hole about 1" long by
>> 1/8" wide.  How can I patch it?  Wood putty just falls into the hollow center

Good stuff about patching door deleted.

>> I would also like to put some coat hooks on the inside of a closet door,
>> and put a mirror on the outside of one.  What kind of fasteners should I
>> use?
>
>Don't. The door is too weak.
>
>Gary Heston, at home....
>gary@cdthq.uucp

Balderdash!  In every house I've had (3), I have mounted full length
mirrors to the bedroom closet or master bath doors.  In every case the
doors were hollow core.  I used Molly bolts (or a similar type fastener)
of the appropriate size in place of the screws that came with the
mirror mounting hardware.  Hooks can be mounted with similar fasteners
and I have had no problems with the hook on the inside of the bathroom door
in my present house.  The mirror (or stuff hanging on a hook) exerts
most of its' force downward.  The door will hold up fine.  By the logic
that says the door is too weak, you would extrapolate that a heavy mirror
or other hanging should not be hung from drywall, but such a practice
is perfectly fine AS LONG AS THE PROPER HANGING DEVICE IS USED.  The
key is to use hardware appropriate to the job.  I'd suggest going to
a GOOD hardware store (not the hardware department of your local K-Mart)
and asking their advice.

Incidentally, it might be worth pointing out that that a hollow core door
isn't really hollow. The so-called *hollow* areas are filled with an
egg-crate like corrugated cardboard matrix that is VERY tenaciously
glued to the skin of the door.  Hollow core doors are much stronger than
you might think.


--
Ken Franklin 		AT&T Bell Labs			klf@druwa.att.com
AMA #553197		11900 North Pecos		'81 Virago (RLARA)
DoD #0126		Denver, CO 80234
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: zardoz@rx-db (zardoz@rx-db.hf.intel.com)
Subject: Re: Heat pumps
Organization: Intel Development Tools Operation, Hillsboro, OR
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 18:49:17 GMT

>In article <FF17iB1w161w@cdthq.UUCP> gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:
>
>>I'd rather drill a well or two and pump the water from one thru
>>a heat exchanger and back down, preferrably into the second well.
>>Lots more heat energy available, smaller and easier to maintain,
>>and possibly more efficient.
>
I've been thinking about this for a few years.  I have the perfect setup,
drilled 150' well and 35' open well.  I have info and quotes from 2 water-
sourced heat pump outfits.  About $1500, as I remember.  Trouble is, they
needed about 5-7 gal/min which would make my 3/4 hp well pump run all the
time and wear out, not to mention the electric bill combined with the heat
pump motor running a lot.  Electricity is cheap here in the PNW, but I
still don't think it will beat my forced air gas furnace.
And then there's the county.  If they found out I was dumping water back
in the ground they would probably freak.  They don't like open wells anyway
Someone was killed in this area a couple years ago because he filled an
open well with dirt.  The county agency found out and told him to dig it
all back out and fill it with an approved material, probably cement.
So he's down there digging with a gas-powered pump running up top to clear
the water out.  It seems that CO is heavier than air, and he died from
asphyxiation.
Anybody got specifications and other info on water-sourced heat pumps?
COP?  gpm?  etc.
I'll bring in my info and post if any interest appears.

WA7LDV

-- 
Fan mail may be sent to:
zardoz@rx-db.hf.intel.com
From: bsmith@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (ROBERT SMITH)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Lawn Mower Help
Date: 15 Apr 92 14:28:29 GMT
Reply-To: robert.d.smith@DaytonOH.NCR.COM (ROBERT SMITH)
Distribution: na
Organization: Stakeholder Relations, NCR Corp in Dayton,OH

We just purchased our first home, and it has about 0.6 acres of lawn to mow. 
Therefore, we have to purchase our first lawn mower.  I was thinking of buying
a used riding mower or tractor, hopefully under $500.  Because it will be
used, reliability and durability are important attributes.  Most of the local
ads I've seen are for Bolens, Toro, Craftsman and John Deere.  Cub Cadets seem
too expensive.  The John Deere's in my price range seem to have lower
horsepower or narrower cutting paths than comparably priced other brands.

Does anyone have any advice on this topic.  Please respond by E-mail.  Thanks
in advance.
-- 
E-mail => Robert.D.Smith@daytonoh.ncr.com (Bob Smith)
          NCR Investor Relations/Stakeholder Relations
From: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Heat pumps
Date: 9 Apr 92 04:45:04 GMT
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ottawa, Canada

In article <9394@wrgate.wr.tek.com> davidbu@loowit.wr.tek.com (David E. Buxton) writes:
>> I am currently thinking about replacing a forty yr. old furnace with something
>> more effiecent.  The old unit was wood,to coal,to oil, conversion, that is 
>> running steam radiators. You can hear it sucking dollars out of my wallet
>> on a cold night. My question to the collective wisdom of the net is would
>> a heat pump using a buried loop setup work here in the northeast.  I have
>> access to a small backhoe and could do the digging etc. myself. Any info
>> on pros cons vs oil and gas systems would be appriciated, also could it be run
>> in tandem with one of these systems?

I'm not sure that this would work very well - heat pumps don't generate
that high a temperature which may not work out very well with a water
radiator system.  The water pump would certainly be on longer.  Would
work better with a forced-air system of some type.

>Having your own backhoe really tips the issue in your favor.

That is for sure!  I understand that something like 3/4 the price
of a ground loop system is the cost of trenching.  An air-2-air
system runs around 3K and ground loop is around 10K up here.

Properly installed (ie: deep enough burial), you wouldn't need backup heat.

Another approach is to use a well - which can sometimes be cheaper than
ground loop.  It's popular up here, where air-2-air exchangers don't
work out that well because it's so cold.

>I'd suggest you see if you can colaborate with someone
>who has the experience, perhaps an installer for one of the companies
>supplying the equipment.  They might just give you the coaching at no
>cost if you buy their hardware.  Or just charge you for the freon
>plumbing installation.

The easiest and safest approach would be to hire someone to do the
installation and "subcontract" yourself as the guy doing the digging
under their direction.  In that way they would be responsible if anything
went wrong.  You dig, they prepare the bed, install the pipes, and protect
them.  Then you fill in.
-- 
Chris Lewis; clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca; Phone: Canada 613 832-0541
Psroff 3.0 info: psroff-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Ferret list: ferret-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca