Ask me anything
Posted by thetruckboy@reddit | plano | View on Reddit | 115 comments
I've lived in Richardson and Plano my entire life. I've also had a successful career in construction and the trades. Don't worry, I'm retired now so I'm not here to sell anyone anything.
If anyone has any questions about home construction, remodeling, maintenance or repairs that DOES NOT RELATE TO PRICING, ask away. I'll do my best to answer!
Financial-Pick2112@reddit
@thetruckboy, Thanks again for all the great advice, truly appreciate you. My question is, currently in older 37 year old home that needs major upgrades/updates in EAST Plano. I would need to spend $125k+ in upgrades and repairs. But, since adding additional space, and renovating, what is first project I should start with? For example, should I start with foundation and plumbing? You mentioned hiring building inspector, can you recommend a good one? I know windows, paint siding, should probably be last since making additions, but senior parent wants to install all new front windows? Please, help. Thanks again.
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
This is a tough one to answer since I don't know the condition of your home. I could recommend doing your foundation first while your kitchen sink barely drains. In that circumstance I'd be wrong.
Here's my general philosophy: do the hard stuff first. The stuff that other people are afraid to do. We bought our house in Plano two years ago and the foundation needed to be fixed as well as all of the cast iron sewers needed to be replaced. We did all of that before we even moved in.
Not to mention about the foundation job, you're going to get new cracks and movement once they put your house back where it's supposed to be. Nothing would be worse than spending $40k - $60k on a kitchen remodel only to have the foundation done next and then all of those new tiles on the floor are cracked as well as all of your new drywall and cabinets all have cracks in them.
I'm not making any recommendations for particular service providers here. You can find a good one the same way you find any other tradesmen. Recommendations from people that you know, like and trust.
Windows can be a good upgrade for comfort but don't ever believe the salesman talking about saving money on your electricity bill due to the efficiency. You might save a couple of bucks but Windows as investment are not a very good ROI. What they do well is improve your comfort next to them. New triple pane, argon filled, low E windows can reduce the feeling of heat when the sun shines through them but they don't necessarily save you a ton of money on your electricity bill. They also help with noise if you live near a busy street or have noisy neighbors.
Financial-Pick2112@reddit
Thank you , thank you, I am truly grateful for your wise advice. Foundation is important and it makes sense not to do a remodel or put in new windows when everything will shift. I truly appreciate you, and will start with the hard stuff that nobody wants to do themselves. Thank you again, I’m so happy I found you here.
Financial-Pick2112@reddit
Thanks again for all the great advice, truly appreciate you. My question is, currently in older 37 year old home that needs major upgrades/updates in EAST Plano. I would need to spend $125k+ in upgrades and repairs. But, since adding additional space, and renovating, what is first project I should start with? For example, should I start with foundation and plumbing? You mentioned hiring building inspector, can you recommend a good one? I know windows, paint siding, should probably be last since making additions, but senior parent wants to install all new front windows? Please, help. Thanks again.
matteo81@reddit
Great stuff, thanks for sharing. Any general tips/ideas for replacing landscaping that is worn out, especially if you have a nicely/heavily shaded lot?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
This is such a broad topic, but it's one of my favorites. I've been working in my yard non stop for the past two years we've owned this house. This is near and dear to my heart as I grew up doing landscaping with my Mom and the house I own now was severely neglected when we bought it. Strap it.
Well, there's a couple ways you could start, I'd recommend starting with your trees. I'm not a certified arborist by any means but I have read a lot and watched a lot of YouTube videos over the years. Paying attention as I always do to the WHY. I highly highly highly believe in keeping older trees thinned as they get older. The canopy can circulate air and lets in a little bit of light which keeps them from growing mold, should they get damaged. (There has been a mold that grows on oaks going around that will get into a fresh cut/wound and absolutely decimate the tree). It also minimizes losses the next time we have a storm like we did in May. I lost 3 small branches out of 5 trees. I have 5 massive trees on my lot, all of them are thinned and perfectly healthy and St. Augustine grass grows healthy underneath them. Thinning the undergrowth out from under the canopy will give other things a chance to grow, and still provide shade for your house/lot.
Moving on to landscaping. Depending on how bad the existing landscaping is, it might be worth just scalping it and starting over immediately. If you're like me and do everything yourself, you'll want to rip everything out, till the dirt down 4-6 inches. Then add 2 inches of manure (cow or chicken), 2 inches of compost and some wood ashes if you got em sitting around. Run that tiller over everything until it's very well mixed in. Let it set all winter and marinate. During the winter, join some local Facebook gardening groups or look on municipal websites for low maintenance native plants. Go perennial whenever possible. Another weird resource I found is the NTTA website. They have all of their super low maintenance plants they plant on the sides of the tollways.
After you've planted your new plants, pay attention to how much sun they're getting and at what times. You might have to emergency transplant them if they're not getting the right amount of sun, especially while they're young.
Oh, and order mulch from Chip Drop for mulch. DON'T BUY THAT BAGGED CRAP FROM HOME DEPOT. It's free and you get a TON. I absolutely love it.
Any more questions, let me know.
3ph3m3ral_@reddit
What is with people storing bottles of piss in the walls of a newly built house?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Trades guys that do not want to take a break long enough to walk down the street or short drive across the neighborhood to go to the porto potty. Trust me, I find it just as aggravating as you do.
Best I could do as a GC was scold whoever I think did it, but if they were one of my top trades guys, they knew I needed them a lot more than they needed me.
Matchboxx@reddit
Why are trades guys so uncivil with the people’s homes they’re working on? Never understood that.
Had a GC do my kitchen last year and his subs helped themselves to all of the boxes of soda I had in the garage and my kids’ fucking Easter candy. One time we caught them and without us saying anything they immediately apologized, so they know it’s wrong.
Realistic-Fortune828@reddit
Why can't you just piss on the grass?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
They get "caught" outside and get in trouble.
Heaven for I'd there's a child walking nearby, all of the sudden you're a sex offender.
FelixMumuHex@reddit
is this actually a thing…?
3ph3m3ral_@reddit
Unfortunately yes.
FelixMumuHex@reddit
Humans are such vile creatures
hobbitfancier55@reddit
Custom homes. Is this even a possibility now? Or are most lots bought by production builders? 34. Lived in Plano my whole life essentially.
Do you worry character is lost a bit by cookie cutter homes, or are you hopeful?
If you had to buy a home in Plano today, would you do a new build (which builder?) or remodel an existing home?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
The economics of home building has changed drastically over the last 16-18ish years. Truly bespoke custom homes are possible but (rightfully so) they are E X P E N S I V E. I say rightfully so because the trades guys deserve to make money. The concrete manufacturer deserves to make money. The landscaper deserves to make money. And after everyone else gets paid, the builder still has to make money.
Most lots are bought by.... Whoever has the money to buy them. They're NEVER sold one-off. Ever. In new neighborhoods, yes they're all sold to mega home builders on golf course deals. Been to a couple of those meetings.
In existing neighborhoods, it's a freeforall. I know a guy who buys the home, demos it, clears the lot completely and sells the empty land. It's a side business for him so he doesn't care if the lot sits for 2 years. He can afford to wait for top dollar.
Character is in the eye of the beholder. While I agree that most new homes are boring and generic, I think that aesthetic will change once it has a 40 year old oak or pecan grown up in the front yard. I absolutely HATE front garage entrances so I'll never buy a newer home.
Buying new vs old... It depends on your tolerance level of BS. New homes are simple. You give them money, they give you a home. American Legend and Highland are the only home builders, IMHO that are worth their weight in salt. They are locally FAMILY owned and operated by decent people. Almost all the rest of the builders are a part of a corporate conglomerate and are just looking for every single way to improve their share price.
You have to have a passion for remodeling/construction if you're going to go that route.There will be delays. You will ALWAYS need an extra 20% contingency fund for unforeseen circumstances. But if you enjoy the journey, it can be rewarding. This will depend entirely on the General Contractor you hire. If you don't trust them completely, you don't give them a dollar. I bought an older home because I want to make it mine. It's what I do. I wanted an alley. I wanted a HUGE yard. You just can't get those things anymore in new build neighborhoods.
Don't even get me started on f*cking HOA's..... (Almost zero older neighborhoods have an HOA).
OldAndSlow@reddit
I'm gonna second your rec for Highland homes. Had one before. Zero issues. Loved the design of the place. Just a comfortable home all around that didn't have any issues while I owned it. Just a sample of 1, but there you go.
Crymeabeer@reddit
Why truckboy hate front facing garages so much?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
There's no character to garage doors. The one caveat I will say is when someone has a fully custom built stained cedar door with an arched top and divided windows, does it look good. But when 30 to 40% of the front of your home is just a sheet of metal that's all painted one color, it's not very attractive. No character.
Crymeabeer@reddit
Makes sense. And the alley does give you some extra separation from your neighbors and helps drainage. All wins for rear facing garage.
a_polite_redditor@reddit
Alley Garages > Street Facing Garages. 100%. I can work in my garage and no bother my neighbors.
platetone@reddit
i've been really curious if once the trees are big, my neighborhood in Allen is actually ever going to have the charm of older neighborhoods in Plano/Richardson/etc... i'm sure those neighborhoods looked pretty bare circa 1960, but the architecture wasn't completely dull and lifeless.
No_Yoghurt888@reddit
In your experience, For a relatively new home built in 2019 - what would be some reasons or causes for a humming ac unit? Which reasons should be addressed directly be a professional? (The filter has been changed)
Also, thank you for offering your advice here! It is much appreciated.
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
The tiny little noises are the most annoying and hardest to diagnose. Most of the time it's thin sheet metal vibrating either on the AC unit itself or the duct boot in the attic that's mounted to the ceiling, that holds the grill that you see on the ceiling. Other times it's the grill itself that you see on the ceiling. If you have a ladder tall enough, you can check this on your own by getting on a ladder and simply putting your hand on the grille. Sometimee it will stop making the noise when you put your hand on it. When you find it, a dab of caulk, duct tape, glue, bending something in a different direction or putting a screw in it will fix it.
Luckily the fix for sheet metal vibrating is really simple. You just have to find it. Sometimes you or an AC technician can get lucky and find it relatively fast, sometimes you have to poke around for an hour trying to make the humming stop.
The absolute HARDEST noise to fix is when it's a harmonic sound from the fan blowing (blower fan in your AC unit) or your ducts being in the perfect position for the air to him as it blows through the ducts. That's when someone with some HVAC experience definitely needs to be involved.
I'll never forget hearing a humming sound while the AC was running at a customer's home. I got up in the attic, picked up the flex duct and the sound went away. I set the flux duct back down and it was in the perfect position to make the air hum as it blew through it. I put a fabric strap on it, picked it up about 4 in and tied it to a brace and that was it.
No_County4231@reddit
Windows! We need to replace every single window in our home. (We don’t qualify for any free programs.)There are a lot of highly rated yelp/google companies but I haven’t been impressed with the installed product or heat performance. Any recommendations on this?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Could you explain further? What exactly about the installed product and heat performance are you not impressed with?
No_County4231@reddit
The plastic looking trims have gaps, the drilled holes are messy, and the caulking is sloppy as well. The 4 we’ve had replaced so far as a trial are low-e but it still gets very hot in that bathroom. The sales person said we wouldn’t need our solar screens anymore but I’ve command stripped them back on bc it’s so hot.
suspicious_edamame@reddit
What are some bathroom remodels tips I need to know about? Example of things NOT to do and things I NEED to consider?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Oh gosh.... Bathrooms are my favorite! Encyclopedia time..
Old cast iron tubs retain heat better and longer than modern steel and fiberglass tubs. If you have one, or can buy one at a swap meet, I guarantee it's worth the little bit of extra money to have it refinished, vs a newer tub where the water loses its heat in 20 minutes every time. Cast iron tubs will keep water at least warm for an hour or more. It's niiiiiiiiice.
Every home needs at minimum, one bath tub. Most people keep the kid's bath as a shower/tub combo. If you don't want one in your master shower anymore, most people think that's perfectly okay, so long as the shower has a bench to sit on, ladies (and some men, no judgement) shave their legs on and the shower has the capability of getting steamy. Either by an accessory water heater or a steaming function.
Natural stone in a bathroom is a nightmare to maintain. Buy high end porcelain tile. Instead.
Particle board/MDF trim, doors, and cabinets are a nightmare in bathrooms. Get everything you can made out of real wood. Sand it all smooth and seal it with a clear polyurethane before priming and painting it.
Insulate the hell out of it. In most of these older homes in North Texas, completely gut it and start over. If the bathroom has an exterior wall, rip 2x4's in half and build up the thickness of the exterior walls to the thickness of a 2x6. That little bit extra will help the tile walls not feel cold in the winter.
Most heated floor systems, installed on a concrete slab, are junk after 5-8 years. They simply pull too much amperage over too many years and the wires get burned up. They seem to do better on second floor bathrooms, where the subfloor is wood framed. Less temperature difference means the do t have to work as hard.
Buy chair height toilets. The only difference between a round bowl and a elongated bowl is how much room you have/need clearance in front of the toilet.
If your bathroom is big enough, buy an entire slab of stone for the whole bathroom. Have window sills, countertops, shower sill steps and even tub surround decks all cut from the same piece of stone so they all match.
Down lighting over vanities is a terrible idea. Sconces are a smarter way to light the vanity area. Does anyone still have a seventies bathroom with the track lighting mounted to the wall? THAT'S how you're supposed to light up your face while you're shaving or putting makeup on.
Humidity management is essential. You have to install a proper sized exhaust fan to get the humidity out and vented to the outside. Either through a roof vent or a soffit mounted vent.
Separate the toilet into a water closet whenever possible. Please.
Don't be afraid to mix your metal finishes. Black shower frame, with brass handles, etc. go for it!
Anything I missed?
suspicious_edamame@reddit
I’m having a debate with my husband… Which stone for countertops are best? Marble or quartz? We want low maintenance but durable. We like colors offered in quartz but marble doesnt get messed up by heat from curling irons/hair dryer.
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Marble is very delicate. It stains easily. You'll see it all over social media because it's pretty. DO NOT EVER SPILL SPAGHETTI SAUCE OR WINE ON IT.
Quartz is okay. Granite is okay. Everything has its downsides.
PBR71120@reddit
What about porcelain countertops for a kitchen? Is porcelain durable/does it hold up well over time?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
I don't have any experience with porcelain. I've seen them, but don't really know anything about them..
suspicious_edamame@reddit
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This is extremely helpful— especially the piece on insulation. I’m pretty sure our master bath is extended over dirt to fit the tub but we haven’t opened it up yet.
You are amazing!!
antarcticgecko@reddit
I live at park and Preston, my house was built in 1980 and never had gutters until we put them in five years ago. I’m noticing more cracks in the walls than usual. Could the gutters have thrown off the natural rain irrigation of the foundation? Or is the coat of paint the previous owners threw on to hide the cracks starting to show its age?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
I'm SO GLAD you asked this. Encyclopedia time. Strap in :). As most of us know, living in North Texas on our expansive clay soil means 1 of 3 things.
1) You're going to have foundation issues at some point. 2) You've already had foundation issues. 3) You currently have foundation issues. That's just the way it is.
Installing gutters on your home after 44 years, depending on 1 or 2 story could change the soil density but only a structural engineer would be able to know for sure. (I personally doubt it). Do you have flowerbeds or grass with regular irrigation up against the foundation of your home? Regular irrigation has a far more significant effect of hydration around your home's foundation than gutters or no gutters. Oh, before I forget, does everyone remember the INCREDIBLE amount of rain we got in June? Then it completely stopped in July and the oven door opened. Yeah, that causes cracks.
Everyone ALWAYS gets freaked out about cracks but the truth is, the vast majority of them are superficial and are related to interior humidity levels more than any significant amount of structural shifting.
Have you replaced your AC recently? It could be creating the cracks.
We've had an interesting summer this year in that it was hot AND humid. Last year it was just plain HOT with almost no humidity. When the humidity is high (65+%), building materials absorb humidity like a sponge. They swell and increase in size. Our cold interiors are a lower pressure than warmer outside air so the inside actually sucks in outside air like lungs. Older homes like ours are very leaky and allow the outside humidity inside. Your AC performs two functions, it chills the air and a second secret benefit is, it also dehumidifies the air. Unless you have a full time, dedicated dehumidifier running like I do (set to the optimal 45% humidity), your home has been absorbing humidity when the AC is off, then getting dried out when the AC turns on again. Back and forth. THAT creates cracks.
If you have SIGNIFICANT cracks in the interior and exterior brick, and windows and doors that don't close well, DO NOT CALL A FOUNDATION REPAIR COMPANY. Call an independent structural engineer for a site survey. Yes, it's going to cost you $400-600. But it's a hell of a lot better than spending $30k that you didn't have to because a salesman talked you into a foundation job.
Search_Impossible@reddit
I asked a similar question before I saw this! Ty!
antarcticgecko@reddit
Thanks for the detailed response!
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Np
Search_Impossible@reddit
Cracks in walls? Is it mostly cosmetic or something to worry about? We had a structural engineer come out a few years ago, and he pronounced everything fine, even with a few cracks. We have more now. House “old” for Plano — 1967. Yes, I am relatively new to Texas (since 2012).
SPDY1284@reddit
What do you think of the build quality of today's new homes vs prior generations? Any specific years to avoid (assuming homes have been kept up with)? I read that you said that homes are much energy efficient now than before, so that likely points to buying new if possible.
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
The build quality of new homes is okay. It's a series of trade-offs for something like the foundation and the framing to be done well but then just to be undercut by lightweight sheetrock and MDF trim and doors, no yard and a garage door in the front. They're only as good as the people and the companies who build them. American Legend and Highland homes are the only new home builders that I would buy something from because they are locally family owned and operated by decent people. Every other builder I can think of is part of a huge corporate conglomerate who is just watching their stock price.
I've spoken to a couple of people that share my sentiment that new homes just don't feel like a home. They feel sterilized or just.. not cozy like older homes. We sold a newer house near Frisco to buy a much bigger and older home in Plano. It's not nearly as efficient as a newer home but over the years, I'll make it so. I wanted a HUGE lot and I would've had to pay double to get this size lot.for anything built in the last 10 years.
To each their own.
ghostlee13@reddit
Excellent advice, although I'm not in the market. Last house I bought was from a builder like that.
Puzzleheaded_View225@reddit
First, thank you for taking the time to do this!
In your opinion, what things should a homeowner consider when renovating a kitchen in an older home? What might we overlook? What would be a great features / qualities are most important when trying to optimize the ROI?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Renovating a kitchen: hire a certified, independent kitchen designer. Once you edit and approve the plans as you see fit, then make 4 copies of the plans at Staples. Hand out the plans to 4 contractors so you get 4 apples to apples bids. Choose your contractor based on the most complete bid. It should read like a story. Who is making their cabinets? You need their contact info..Electrician? plumber? You need all of their contact info.
Cabinets should be all drawers on the bottom except maybe for doors under the sink.. kitchen cabinet doors and drawers should all be hard maple or white oak and the cabinet boxes made out of birch plywood. Those woods are very hard and don't dent easily.
Try and have your cabinet pull hardware picked out when your cabinets are designed so you can be sure that they work with the door and drawer fronts.
Don't put plugs in backsplashes anymore. Move them up to the underside of the top cabinets. Along with under cabinet lighting to soft glow the countertops.
Speaking of under cabinet lighting, put some led strips under the fronts of the base cabinets and wire them into a night light.timer that looks like a dimmer switch. Perfect ambient lighting at night.
Cooktop vent hoods need to vent outside..
Pot fillers are weird..
I think granite is on it way out. Manmade stone products are more durable and heat resistant. Check em out.
Put your garbage disposal on a surface mounted air switch or a regular light switch under the cabinet.
GET ALL OF YOUR NEW APPLIANCES DELIVERED AND STORE THEM IN YOUR GARAGE OR STORAGE SHED when demo begins.
Consider getting a commercial dishwasher. They're more expensive but they do a load of dishes in about 90 seconds.
ALWAYS get a dedicated circuit for your microwave.
Every home until the early to mid 90's has these stupid fur down soffit things in kitchens and bathrooms. Get rid of all of those things.
Large format tile or luxury vinyl plank is the way to go. I personally love love love these thick luxury vinyl plank floors.
If you do go with tile on the floors, make sure your contractor installs a decoupling membrane between the slab and the tile.
Do not use old drywall next to new drywall. They expand and contract at different rates.
Some modern gas cooktops are so powerful, they require a bigger gas line in your home.
If your laundry room is near your kitchen like mine, consider doing both rooms at the same time so the look and design are continuous. Thank me later.
When remodeling any room in older homes, I advocate for completely gutting it. Hire a contractor to air seal and insulate the walls and ceilings. Too many people spend money on the pretty things without spending money on things behind the walls. Don't be afraid to move walls and doors. These elderly houses are.simply built and moving structural walls isn't that difficult.
Puzzleheaded_View225@reddit
This is all amazing. Thank you!
Powerful-Duck6889@reddit
Favorite restaurant in Plano?
wbd3434@reddit
How can we stop people from plastering their houses bright white and doing dark black roofs? Horrific. 🤣
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Hahaha it's a trend just like any other. It'll turn around in about a decade just like every other trend.
People doing that to their homes is better than any HOA mandate in my humble opinion.
To each their own.
wbd3434@reddit
Fair enough! Luckily I can't see any from my window, but at least there's no tyrannical HOA.
Diabetesh@reddit
What are your top 3 issues that most homes get that most home owners don't recognize until it is a bigger issue?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Interior humidity control. Keep it around 40-45%.
Regularly watering the foundation. 1 inch of water 1-2x per wk via a soaker hose right up against the foundation. That should run independently of your irrigation system.
Mechanical maintenance. YES your HVAC system needs to be serviced in April and October. YES you have to change air filters regularly. And YES, tank and tankless (with very few exceptions) water heaters need to be flushed and serviced preferably once a year, you can make do with every other year.
nxs_sss@reddit
What happens if you don't flush your water heater? I don't think we've done that even once since we replaced it about 8 years ago.
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Two things happen. Number one it gets tremendously less efficient. The sediment in our water will settle at the bottom of the tank and essentially become a rock. Your water heater now has to work a lot more to maintain the heat of a rock than just liquid water. Not to mention, think about the space inside of a 50 gallon tank being taken up by a solid object, you now have less volume of water to heat and then you run out of hot water faster. Which means your water heater has to heat up more water which of course uses more energy.
Number two is all of that sediment sitting at the bottom of the tank accelerates the decay of the tank. The metallurgy nerds can explain this much better than I can but basically when you have a solid object sitting against the surface of metal all the time, it rots out a hell of a lot faster. Every busted water heater I've seen corrodes at the bottom of the tank in a perfect circle around where sediment sits at the bottom of the tank.
Most water heaters except for the super high-end water heaters are only going to last about 12 to 15 years. There does come a point of diminishing return where you getting a neglected water heater serviced will actually accelerate the deterioration. I can't ever prove this but it's just something that lives in the "lore" that we all believe. Call it superstition. The same thing is true about your car's automatic transmission. If you don't do regular transmission fluid changes every 60 to 75,000 miles, mechanics will tell you just don't touch it and wait until it eventually goes out in about 200,000 mi.
8 years without any maintenance is a long time to trust that it's going to hold. I would start budgeting for a replacement sooner than later.
nxs_sss@reddit
Thank you so much. Last thing I need is another flood. I'll be pricing a replacement and make sure I get it drained on a more normal frequency. Do you think it needs to be done annually?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Ideally, annually. Every other year would be okay.
nxs_sss@reddit
Awesome. Appreciate the detailed response.
Diabetesh@reddit
I tried flushing my hot water heater before summer and it didn't seem to really want to.
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
That's because the drain and the bottom of the tank are completely filled with sediment. Hire a plumber. It's worth it.
Infamous_Swan_1288@reddit
What are some good companies to work for? Something that will pay for schooling if u work for them
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
What kind of school are you interested in?
Infamous_Swan_1288@reddit
Maintenance or electrical.
spikelike@reddit
my home was built in 1995ish
should i look into getting insulation redone in the attic? one bedroom (2 exterior walls, under attic and over garage) is an oven or an icebox depending on the weather
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Yes, insulation is definitely a big factor. Another big factor is going to be proper airflow and the balancing of the HVAC system. If there's not enough air being supplied and returned from any given room, no amount of insulation is going to stop the temperature from going up or down. Albeit, a well-insulated room will just change temperature slower than a well insulated room.
I really like some of these companies that are starting to pop up that are home efficiency companies. They're doing lots of new building techniques on older homes like air sealing homes so they don't leak as much conditioned air to the outside. This is the scope of my current focus on my '70s house, sealing all of the little cracks where air is either coming in or being leaked out.
come-and-cache-me@reddit
You have a contractor you like for this? My build is 1983 and I have been trying to make it more efficient.
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
I'm not going to make any recommendations or anything like that. Everyone needs to find their own contractors from their own referral sources.
I would not refer my electrician to anyone. He's an extremely cranky old man who curses like a sailor and smells like cigarettes. But him and I have an understanding for a long time that when he does work for me, he does the best job that he can possibly do.
Calm-Essay-3444@reddit
First time home buyer here (hopefully) what are the things I should look for when buying an 10-20 years old home?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Don't think about home age. At all. The only time home age matters is pre-mid 70's and even then, doesn't REALLY matter. Find a home that you like. Find a home with a layout that makes sense for how you want to live your day-to-day routine. Finding the right house is about so much more than just the home itself.
A professional, thorough home inspector will sniff things out for you. Use an inspector you find on your own, not even a recommendation from your realtor. When buying a home, I use the inspection period as a chance to get an electrician, roofer, HVAC, and plumber out there to do their own inspections, in addition to the general inspector. Pay all of them their respective fees. YES it is a sunk cost, but it's basically an insurance policy. Without the plumber coming out to my house during the inspection period, no one would have known that part of the sewer line was dipped down and the entire system needed to be replaced. Paying him $300ish bucks got me $25k in credit back at the sale so I could pay the plumber $30k to replace all of the sewer pipes.
GambesonKing@reddit
My house is taking on a strange vinegary smell in the last couple months. What would be the cause of such a thing? It's not something obvious like spoiling food. Something heat related? Some filter that needs replacement?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Would you change your description of the smell if I asked if it smelled more like ammonia than vinegar?
GambesonKing@reddit
i'm not sure what ammonia smells like unfortunately.
i wondered if the summer heat was causing something to "melt" around the house? Like, a funky wood smell.
Or maybe something A/C related...or mold...
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
My first thought when you mentioned vinegar was urine. Ammonia smells terrible up close and urine has trace amounts of ammonia in it. I'd check for pest intruders first in the attic. Secondly I'd check for deceased animals somewhere. Mice and rats are everywhere and in some of these older homes like mine, there are actually cavities in the walls, accessible via the attic, where small animals/rodents can fall downs and not be able to get out.
Mold and humidity are definitely also concerns. When was the last time the AC was serviced? Does the air filter get cleaned often? The coils could be overly dirty and growing a specific kind of mold. (Not ALL mold is life threatening)
Are there any toilets that are barely damp around base of the toilet where it touches the floor? You could have a bad wax ring that's allowing sewer gas and a tiny amount of water to come back into the home. Another culpret of this is sinks that have not been used in a while. The p-trap underneath the sink dries out and then sewer gas flows through them. I used to tell people in 10k square foot mansions with nine bathrooms that they need to run the sink, tub, the shower and flush the toilet every month. P traps hold water to stop sewer gas from coming back inside your home. Sewer gas has a very distinct smell. Oh, and sometimes it's flammable because it can contain methane.
Get these things checked out first. You can hire some specialty services to come in to test in the air and they can tell you what relative certainty what is causing the odor if you can't find anything on your own.
GambesonKing@reddit
Awesome, thanks! I will look into all of those things.
Sjetware@reddit
If you have an older house, that sounds like mold
hamlet_d@reddit
I think you need to ask /u/3ph3m3ral_
They might know
bf2na@reddit
I'm a GC transplant from California. Weather here is much rougher. Which trade would you recommend the most that can work throughout the year without being affected by the the weather too much, also that generates good profit?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Any of the MEP trades. They're all tremendously valuable and profitable businesses. HVAC is a little more saturated because of the lower licensing threshold, but if you can create a good brand, you can do well. I would highly advocate for plumbing. It's too late for me now but if I could go back, I would have started being a plumber when I got my driver's license.
Pretty much everything else in Texas is unlicensed so the barrier to entry is very low. I take that back, you do have to have an irrigators license to install a backflow preventer and you do need a pest control license but other than that, I always laugh when I see painters in California getting their license so they can open their business.
I'll say this about any of the unlicensed trades. The free market lives and breathes in Texas. You will only be as successful as your brand. If you want to do roofing, there's literally 200 "roofing companies" in North Texas. Most of them are crooks. If you can create a brand for a trusted roofing company, you'll make a million bucks in a year. Every Tom Dick and Harry walking around on one or two legs is a painter. But if you can create a brand that serves a specific niche for customers, then all the sudden all of those other painters are no longer your competition. Same goes for lawn maintenance, mowing, concrete work, fencing, etc. The free market determines success (the way it's supposed to be).
Two little niches I see being potential money makers are home efficiency and remodeling contractors that focus on elderly adults who are "aging in place". I've done a few of these "aging in place" retrofit projects over the years and it really tugs at your conscience to have to make a profit to stay in business but you want to do as much as you can for these elderly customers who are so appreciative of what you're doing and how much better you are making their life.
Good luck!
bf2na@reddit
This is awesome, thank you for this valuable info!
Aggravating-Lunch-22@reddit
Does installing solar panels a good option to save energy bills for a 20 yr old home ? Thank you .
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
I'm conflicted on Solar. You're generating power, some of the time. As soon as you shell out $12-20k and get it installed, your home is generally worth less. The installations I've seen are ugly and unprofessional as hell. The technology is improving so quickly, it has the same feeling as depreciation on new cars to me.
You trade lower electricity bills for either a debt payment or if you paid cash for them, you're paying yourself back via lower electric bills, which by a strict ROI calculation is a very, very, very long repayment period.
Then, there's the factor of having solar panels as a backup generator during outages, after storms. Which, makes sense. But, they can be damaged by hail, which would knock out power.
I'm not pursuing solar because of one thing: I cannot sell the electricity back to the grid and get money back in my account. Oncor only allows bill credits on your account with your electricity provider. As soon as they figure that part out, my roof is a prime candidate for solar. 1/2 of my roof will be covered in solar panels or a solar roof and I want to be a net exporter of power, making a small profit every day that I generate excess energy.
sahil232@reddit
If you have to choose between East Plano and Murphy which one will you choose and why?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
This doesn't really apply to my original post but I'll say, I prefer Plano as a city to Murphy. But there's a couple thousand people who disagree with me.
aek82@reddit
Does upgrading attic insulation help alot with cooling and heating?
If so, what R value do you recommend?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Yes, however it needs to be paired with air sealing the ceilings/walls to very really effective. If you can turn a screwdriver and squeeze a caulk gun you can air seal most of your ceilings and walls
R value: how much do you want to spend? My ultimate goal for my house is R-60 in most of the attic.
There does come a point of diminishing return, but you'll have to get a few estimates on different levels of insulation to determine that for yourself.
ninth_glyph@reddit
Do you have any guidance on choosing a new electrical panel (breaker box)?
I’m pretty sure mine is the original one installed when the house was built (early 80’s) and I’m concerned that its age might mean fire hazard.
And while I’m asking, are there specific things I should look for when choosing an electrician to do the installation? Other than having a license, of course, how can I understand which ones are proper professionals who can do the work correctly and communicate if there are any changes to the plans or problems discovered part way through?
Thank you!
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Not really any guidance on electrical panel brands. At this point, the only difference is preference. Everyone has their own. There's plenty of Googleable info about the bad electrical panels of the past. Federal Pacific is the most common in our area and was completely gone by the 80's if I'm not mistaken. There are some others in this area. There's some misconceptions about passing inspections that I should clear up right here. Older installations that used to pass building codes but would not pass current building codes are called "grandfathered in". There's a ton more nuance to this particular situation but just know that every home built 10 years prior to any sale date is not going to pass the most current electrical building codes since they change and get updated every 4 years, but that doesn't mean that it is illegal to sell or be occupied.
What concerns me the most is the shoddy work that's been done over the years, that's not necessarily the electrical panel manufacturer's design. If you have any concerns, take an hour and test all of the breakers. Turn them off and back on. If they don't reset, you have a bad breaker. Typically, you can still get the old ones replaced.
Specific things to look for in an electrician? STAY AWAY from the big, shiny contractors. For a myriad of reasons I won't go into right here, do not do business with these companies.
Find a recommendation the same way you find recommendations for anything else... Contractors who have done work for friends, neighbors and co workers that you actually like. As far as qualifications, changing out a breaker panel is not a hard job. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS pull a permit. The smallest little detail makes or breaks electrical inspections.. most of the time when an electrician fails inspection, it's an honest mistake. Some small detail that got missed. Hopefully you'll find an electrician who will do a thorough inspection before giving you an estimate and recommend things like dedicated circuits be installed while making the changeover. If it's mounted inside, consider having it moved to the outside. That's the latest safety trend that's a good idea.
The best qualities of any contractor, regardless of trade, is their level of detail. Their estimates should read like a book. Their pricing should be down to the penny, or at least down to the dollar. I trust an estimate that's $4, 678 dollars a lot more than I trust a $4,500 estimate.
Paulsur@reddit
Why are all homes built on a slab, when expanding clay is such a problem in North Texas? Why arent piers drilled into the bedrock placed prior to pouring the slab if all slabs are going to move and crack?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Sure thing! I've built two homes with piers drilled into friction fit holes into bedrock.
For $120k.
How much do you want to pay for your home?
xaya13@reddit
Bump to come back read OPs replies later
SaltyMatzoh@reddit
What takes more permits? Building up or building out?
(MIL suite opposite wing of house)
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Potayto Pototo
Property and utility easements stop you from building too far out. Original building height stops you from building too far up.
It's all about the functionality of your home and designing around living in it. THE BEST WAY to plan an addition/remodel is to hire an architect yourself. If you have the money, hire a professional design firm to partner with the architect. Get the plans drawn up and edited to your heart's content. Then take those plans down to Staples and get 4 copies made. Hand those 4 copies out to different builders/remodeling companies and tell them to skip the sales BS and give me an estimate based on the plans. The intelligent builders will want to come out and get up in the attic. Without looking at the final price, make your decision based on the most detailed bid. Exactly what does every phase mean. Exactly where are the workers going to use the bathroom. Exactly what kinds of toilets and sink faucets are you going to install.
DO NOT let any builder tell you differently. Permits don't matter one iota to a professional builder. Permits and building codes establish MINIMUM standards. For me, inspections were always a formality that, while important just in case we missed anything, were nothing more than a check point in order for me to collect my next progress payment. Richardson, Plano and Frisco inspectors got to know me and when they showed up, they already knew it was going to be a quick one. Garland got to where they'd walk around for five minutes asking questions about layout and design and hand me a green card like they were handing me a business card and leave.
SaltyMatzoh@reddit
This is helpful, thanks.
It gives me a lot to think about.
Endaunofa@reddit
In your opinion, What’s the worst budget cut methods you’ve seen in new builders/ new builds in general? What are the consequences in the long run? Is there anything buyers can do post build to mitigate damage of these decisions if any?
Thanks for doing this, very insightful!
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
It's really hard to generalize this but here are a couple things that I have seen over the years that drive me the most crazy. Let me start by saying that most builders are going to cheap out on the things that homeowners, especially second homeowners are going to change out anyways. Paint, faucets, appliances, flooring (especially carpet) and door hardware. The single worst violators are the ones that use MDF and particle board for all of their cabinetry, trim and doors. MDF and particle board doors I can excuse before cabinetry because real wood doors are tremendously expensive, so I'll let that one slide, but particle board cabinets are the absolute worst. If you ever have the slightest water leak of any kind, particle board completely disintegrates.
The second worst offender is not using plywood on the outside of the home before the brick or siding goes up. ALL of the cheaper builders use what is essentially very dense cardboard paper on the outside of the frame. They will argue that the rigidity of their frame design is built into the frame, they don't rely on plywood. I'd argue with them that the best builders in the country do rely on plywood for structural rigidity because that's what it's for. That's a technical argument that I won't put here in this context.
The third worst offender is roofing. They are not going to spend a lot of money on the roof because on average, roofs get destroyed by hail about every 10 years. So they think, why are we going to spend a whole lot of money when the insurance company is just going to pay to rip it off and install a new one? The only problem with that is, when that hail storm does come, the water leaks from the rain are worse and the plywood sheathing underneath the roofing material gets damaged and that's more money that the insurance has to pay to replace a roof.
Every new home plan is designed by a licensed architect, engineered by a certified structural and mechanical engineers. Those engineers have the potential of their license being revoked if any of their designs are found to be inadequate down the road. That is a major motivator for them to get it right.
All of the minimum structural, energy efficiency, insulation and mechanical (HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing) building requirements are tremendously higher than they used to be. Those are just minimums but they're still incredibly better than my 70's house.
The original HVAC system in my '70s house was "designed" by the HVAC guy smoking Marlboro reds on the job site. The plumber decided how the plumbing was going to get built. The electrician chose which circuits were all going to get wired together in order to be legal but save money on breakers and bigger gauge wire. An old friend of mine used to pay Dallas building inspectors $100 for a pass on his inspections. This. Does. Not. Happen. Anymore.
very_nice_how_much@reddit
Do you see that the drywall cracks and houses shifting come from builders pouring inadequate slabs to save on concrete or is that just how life is around here?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Nnnnnoooooooo.
Even the minimum requirements on slabs are very robust. In fact, most builders gladly, slightly overbuild concrete foundations because it helps them save money elsewhere.
Most cracks are aesthetic/not serious. I said in other comments on this thread that I believe humidity fluctuations cause most of the cracks. If more people would air seal their homes, they'd crack less.
ginobass@reddit
What type of wood floor should I get?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
What category of wood floor are you considering? Real wood, engineered plank, glue down, laminate?
These are all vastly different categories with lots of pros and cons to each.
-herekitty_kitty-@reddit
Good morning! I want to do a lime wash on my house and am having difficulty finding the "right" lime. Do you know of any places that I can call or visit that'll carry lime (other than home Depot)? Thanks!
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Sherwin-Williams has a pretty good product but unfortunately lime washing is not very popular here so you're going to have to look through all the nooks and crannies of businesses to get a good product. Everyone just paints their brick which is a terrible idea so limewashing is about to get more popular once the word gets out.
-herekitty_kitty-@reddit
Yeah, I hate the look of painted brick. I'm only lime washing my brick because it's that pink/beige color, and it just looks dirty. Is there a specific business type that I should focus my research?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
That's a tricky thing to answer. Do you focus on the product and then find someone who sells it or applies it?
Or do you find a contractor who does it and then go with whatever product they like using?
Me having my lived experience, I'm going to go to the contractor route. I'm going to find "the limewashing guy" and go with what he says. He's not also a painter he's not also a concrete guy he's not also a gutter guy he's not also a landscaper...
He. Does. Limewashing. That's it. That's the guy you want. If he's willing to stand behind a product that he has used for years, I tend to trust people like that.
-herekitty_kitty-@reddit
We're actually going to be doing the work ourselves, we've been doing a lot of the renovations.
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Oooohhhhhhh good luck with that!
a_polite_redditor@reddit
What would you say is the most cost effective solution to battle the summer heat in my home/attic? Air Seal the attic? New Insulation? Spray foam Insulation? Radiant Barrier?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
Once I figure that out I'll let you know. Lol
First things first, by "air sealing the attic" what do you mean exactly?
I'm trying to figure all of that up myself actually. My home is built in the 70's and has never been updated except for interior paint, carpet and a few other small things.
What I've come up with so far is... all of them. I retired from building before I discovered these new high performance home builds but I am completely obsessed. The energy efficiency that new homes are achieving is incredible. They are doing it with a combination of everything that you mentioned. Imagine heating and cooling a 4,000 ft house with a 1 ton air conditioner. That's what some of these new homes are doing.
It all depends on how you want to spend your money. Generally speaking, just looking at the objective math problem, insulation is almost never worth the cost. What you are transacting for your money is comfort. Being comfortable in your home is an emotion that's worth the money. Sidebar, new windows are a far worse roi. But you get the aesthetic, and the comfort of sitting somewhere in your home and looking out of a window and not being hot from the Sun coming in. But given the cost of windows, straight dollar for dollar exchange for energy savings, it just doesn't add up.
Since I just plopped down a wheelbarrow load of money to buy the house and then replace all of the cast iron sewers underneath the house and then lift the foundation, and then replace the electrical panel, I'm starting off with a small simple stuff of insulating my house. I'm starting with air sealing. I'm caulking all of the baseboards to the floor, pulling the switch and plug covers off and caulking the box to the sheetrock, same thing with the light fixtures and ceiling fans in the ceiling.
Then once we save up some more cash then I'm going to pull all of the old insulation out of the attic, squirt a bunch of canned foam to seal the ceiling as best as I can and then have 18 to 24 inches of cellulose blown in. During all of that, I'm trying to do all the research I can to pick the right product for my house to insulate the underside of the roof. I think attic foil makes the most sense however there's lots of people on Facebook marketplace who sell foil sided foam panels.
It's a lot to think about.
johnnc2@reddit
Coolest thing you ever found during a remodel?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
I completely demo'd the interior of a home down in Lake Highlands. I found an unopened box tucked up in a closet with an envelope taped to it. Turns out the guy that owned the home for 50+ years, at one point, worked as a salesman for a bed pan manufacturing company. The letter described all of the "features" of their new patented design".. it was hilarious marketing speak for "we changed the shape a little".
I opened the box and there it was.... A perfectly pristine, newly patented steel and porcelain bed pan. I couldn't find a date on anything anywhere but googled it, it could've been from the mid-late 50's.
I still have it almost 20 years later.
johnnc2@reddit
That’s awesome! I always see posts about people finding crazy things in the framing of houses during remodels so I knew that would probably be the case for you too. Sounds like a really cool find
heinzenfeinzen@reddit
You mentioned interior humidity control in another comment and I have a question about that. My mom's house has a "damp" feel that I notice when entering -- what can cause issues with interior humidity?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
If the home isn't actively leaking any water then it's humidity. The easiest way to check for water leaks is turn off all of the faucets and even if the refrigerator has water or an ice maker, unplug it for just a few minutes. Go out front and pop the top off of the water meter. Open up the cover if it's still there and there's either going to be a red needle or a red triangle that spins around in circles. It is very very sensitive. If there's any active water leak, that needle or triangle will move slowly. No movement, no leak.
Older homes are very leaky. Air leaks in through small cracks in corners of walls, around plugs and light switch boxes, ceiling fixtures and even under the baseplate of the home if it isn't sealed properly (which they NEVER were until about 10 years ago when minimum energy efficiency standards started rising).
There's a lot of air transfer from inside to outside. Like I mentioned earlier, when you chill the inside of your home, you lower the pressure of the home which if the outside is hotter and a higher pressure, it's going to find its way in. Bringing with it all the humidity that it can.
I have a standalone dehumidifier I got from Home Depot a few years ago when I bought this house and it runs almost constantly. It's set to 45% humidity. Every once in a while it will not run because the humidity is low enough. My wife and I empty a 1.5 or 2 gallon tank, 2-3 times a day. Once I get a couple of other things done around the house, I'm going to have my HVAC guy install a built-in dehumidifier and have it attached to my HVAC system so it will run automatically and I don't have to drain the water tank in the sink anymore.
uglyl97@reddit
Man you’d be a life saver if you could give me some advice on some things I’d want to get done around the house, if you can pm me
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
You can pm me anytime.
Howard_Cosine@reddit
I’ve always wanted to ask anything of someone who lived in Plano and Richardson and was in one of the most generic industries around.
Are 2x4s more popular in Plano or Richardson?
thetruckboy@reddit (OP)
More popular than....... What?