Projects/Home Improvement Thread

[ACamp1900]

As to number one... my father was an electrician and worked with alot of HVAC, even taught HVAC courses. I would assume as long as you are just working on the ducts and not anything in the actual unit it should be straight forward and you should be good. I have messed with my ducts to gain some efficiency an it was pretty much as you expected... beyond that??...

 

[RDU Irish]

Projects for mi casa:

Finish the garage - flooring, cabinetry, walls, lighting. Shooting for something like this (wife and kids not included):

Finish the basement - This will be contracted as it will require time and energy that I do not possess. Going from cement floors and walls to a totally liveable space complete with theater room, bar/game area, bathroom, and exercise area.

Revamp the landscaping - Previous owners went overboard with their plans and completely failed to maintain what they installed. It's a disaster.

This is on my docket too. I understand the key to the whole thing is to powerwash the snot out of the floor before putting this stuff down and have a dry couple days or the humidity will keep it from curing well. I might stay off of it for a week just to be safe. Sure is nice when it is done though, so much cleaner and easier to sweep/blow out.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

This is on my docket too. I understand the key to the whole thing is to powerwash the snot out of the floor before putting this stuff down and have a dry couple days or the humidity will keep it from curing well. I might stay off of it for a week just to be safe. Sure is nice when it is done though, so much cleaner and easier to sweep/blow out.

Agreed. I've always loved the finish look. I'm a car person too, and there's just something about a nice clean car sitting in a nice clean garage that just does it for me.

As to your HVAC project: Maybe look into duct fan boosters. They help pull/push air along a duct to rooms that may be further from the unit, etc.

 

[Irish Insanity]

They make fans that go in the run of your duct work to pull extra air to the room. Not sure of that will solve your issue, but it's an option.

EDIT: BBG beat me to it.

 

[RDU Irish]

Yes, duct fans are in the mix. I am noticing a lot of hot air comes out when the A/C initially starts up. The fan really wouldn't help with that so the idea of either framing in those ducts or running them more in the attic floor/2nd floor ceiling starts to be attractive. The fan would probably still be needed as the volume won't be solved, still the longest runs by a large margin. Screwing with the dampers seems to only make a bunch of noise without redirecting much air where I want it.

 

[NCDomer]

This is what I plan to do this fall/winter.

 

[connor_in]

This is what I plan to do this fall/winter.

Ooooooooo...candleholders, eh?

 

[no.1IrishFan]

This is what I plan to do this fall/winter.

Very nice. Any idea what kind of wood you'll use?

 

[Cackalacky]

Not to step into the middle of a pissing contest but:

My airflow to the master bedroom sucks rocks. I am looking for ways to re-do the attic ductwork to improve on this. Two trunks off the A/C upstairs and the two master vents are the end of the line for both and by far the longest. Some of them are somewhat compressed so I am sure that adds to the issue. We intend to finish out the attic in the future so re-working the maze of ducts is in the cards down the road anyway.

1) Anyone work with HVAC ducts in the past and attest to difficulty to DIY this? Seems straight forward enough to me but have never done it.

2) Any thoughts on alternative methods to insulated round ducts laying all over. Thinking of running in floor joists or framing and insulating square vents.

I am thinking I can over engineer it and DIY for much more efficient solution. Tinkering with different vents to see what works and taking longer will allow me to see what works best.

As for pissing contest - no one cares as much about my house as me so I tend to not trust contractors to do any more than they have to or can get a way with. I like to know how stuff is supposed to work so an ounce of prevention can save a pound of cure. Then there is the cost benefit of buying substantially higher quality materials and still costing less than someone else doing it for me.

Downside - fifty incomplete projects around the house and any given time.

I replaced my ducts in the attic with new and similar. The worst and most difficult part was applying the mastic at the joints. Everything else was just physical labor. I stayed with the insulated tubes as they are relatively cheap, easy to work with and easy to handle by yourself.

I also air sealed around the boot and ceiling interface (@ each drop) from the attic side to prevent any cool air from entering back into the attic. Spray foam or a good bit of mastic will work.

Other alternatives are steel square ducts but you still have to wrap them and if you miss any part or leave any exposed steel, you wil get condensation during the summer and fall, especially where we live. Bye bye drywall hello mold. They are hard to assemble and maneuver in tight spaces too. Meteing out the volume can be tricky with these as well. These require at least another pair of adequately skilled hands.

You may know this already but obviously you want smaller ducts the further away from the fan you are. If you aren't getting enough flow at the end runs, your unit may be undersized. Check your return and make sure it's clean and not clogged because that will starve your unit and it will start pulling outside air in from where ever the is a hole. A quick service call to check your coolant cures most ills though.

A word of caution of running duct through the floor joists. I would advise against cutting holes or removing sections of the joists!!!! If the duct does not fit I would leave the joists alone. It's much better to frame under/over them if needed.

I have managed to zero condensation occur since I used the insulated tubes.

 

[Irish#1]

Koon,
Don't be afraid to take on the project. It's not rocket science. My wife and I bought a Victorian home built in 1883. It needed everything. We had no remodeling experience. Her and I alone have done everything (except the roof, she wouldn't let me). This includes replacing electrical (socket, panel, wire), drywall, floors, framing, cabinets.

I tend to think you care more about the stuff you do as opposed to the work you hire out. The key is doing a little homework up front and having the right tools.

 

[Irish YJ]

Koon,
Don't be afraid to take on the project. It's not rocket science. My wife and I bought a Victorian home built in 1883. It needed everything. We had no remodeling experience. Her and I alone have done everything (except the roof, she wouldn't let me). This includes replacing electrical (socket, panel, wire), drywall, floors, framing, cabinets.

I tend to think you care more about the stuff you do as opposed to the work you hire out. The key is doing a little homework up front and having the right tools.

This. Can be done in a weekend. Grab a book and start cutting. Hum-a-da hum-a-da.
http://www.amazon.com/Decks-amp-Patios-For-Dummies/dp/0764550756

 

[Wild Bill]

Has anyone installed in-wall speakers? It seems fairly easy. I'm just not sure I'd use it enough to justify the cost. Thoughts?

 

[wizards8507]

Has anyone installed in-wall speakers? It seems fairly easy. I'm just not sure I'd use it enough to justify the cost. Thoughts?

You'd be very lucky to have walls that just happened to be exactly in the acoustically optimal location for your seating arrangement. You'd also lose quite a bit of flexibility if you wanted to rearrange your furniture in the future. I prefer speakers on stands so that I can put them where they belong for ideal performance.

 

[koonja]

Anyone on here very familiar with FHA loans and/or an underwriter?

I have a QU about my home loan for closing on August 31st. Basically, I'm to prove 30 days 'proof of pay' at my new job, which I started on July 27th. On August 28th, I'll receive my 2nd bi-monthly pay check, but we're paid a week behind, and so it'll technically only have 26 pay days, although I'll have been employed for over 30 days.

My loan officer is checking with the underwriter now and I'm anxiously waiting the response. Anyone ever have a similar situation or have any idea if they're that strict about 30 days paystubs vs 30 days employment? Are they interchangeable? Thanks for anything.

 

[RDU Irish]

Has anyone installed in-wall speakers? It seems fairly easy. I'm just not sure I'd use it enough to justify the cost. Thoughts?

We did it with a new construction a while back, liked the look but the sound quality was disappointing. Like Wiz says, correct positioning of the speakers is nearly impossible. Ceiling speakers were good for general background music without blasting the entire house but for a surround sound set up, again hard to point them in the optimal location. Install itself is easy, using can light access points to run wire wasn't hard at all. If the ceiling is insulated might be a bit trickier.

I am looking at Sonos or some other system for remote music right now, don't think I would hard wire again, better to have flexibility in setting up the system.

 

[Wild Bill]

You'd be very lucky to have walls that just happened to be exactly in the acoustically optimal location for your seating arrangement. You'd also lose quite a bit of flexibility if you wanted to rearrange your furniture in the future. I prefer speakers on stands so that I can put them where they belong for ideal performance.

My man, I have zero flexibility when it comes to furniture placement in my home. That's dictated by my better half.

You hit one of the issues, though. I wouldn't get the best quality of surround sound but I think it would be better than just using the television (no chance speakers on stands will be parked in my living room...see above). I would also run them to individual rooms and exterior for music.

We did it with a new construction a while back, liked the look but the sound quality was disappointing. Like Wiz says, correct positioning of the speakers is nearly impossible. Ceiling speakers were good for general background music without blasting the entire house but for a surround sound set up, again hard to point them in the optimal location. Install itself is easy, using can light access points to run wire wasn't hard at all. If the ceiling is insulated might be a bit trickier.

I am looking at Sonos or some other system for remote music right now, don't think I would hard wire again, better to have flexibility in setting up the system.

How's the quality of sound with wireless systems?

 

[Wild Bill]

Anyone on here very familiar with FHA loans and/or an underwriter?

I have a QU about my home loan for closing on August 31st. Basically, I'm to prove 30 days 'proof of pay' at my new job, which I started on July 27th. On August 28th, I'll receive my 2nd bi-monthly pay check, but we're paid a week behind, and so it'll technically only have 26 pay days, although I'll have been employed for over 30 days.

My loan officer is checking with the underwriter now and I'm anxiously waiting the response. Anyone ever have a similar situation or have any idea if they're that strict about 30 days paystubs vs 30 days employment? Are they interchangeable? Thanks for anything.

I can't speak specifically to this issue but they are strict about everything. I had to drag them across the finish line at my closing. Good luck.

 

[Irish#1]

Anyone on here very familiar with FHA loans and/or an underwriter?

I have a QU about my home loan for closing on August 31st. Basically, I'm to prove 30 days 'proof of pay' at my new job, which I started on July 27th. On August 28th, I'll receive my 2nd bi-monthly pay check, but we're paid a week behind, and so it'll technically only have 26 pay days, although I'll have been employed for over 30 days.

My loan officer is checking with the underwriter now and I'm anxiously waiting the response. Anyone ever have a similar situation or have any idea if they're that strict about 30 days paystubs vs 30 days employment? Are they interchangeable? Thanks for anything.

The FHA can be picky at times, but the loan officer should be able to pull it off since it's so close to 30 days. If they insist on 30 days, ask the seller to push it back a week. That will get you your 30 days. They should agree. If they don't they have to go to their second offer (if they had one), which may not be as high as yours, but even if it is, they would have to go through the loan process which will take more than the week you might need to ask for. Make sense?

Verizon finally catch on? lol

 

[koonja]

I can't speak specifically to this issue but they are strict about everything. I had to drag them across the finish line at my closing. Good luck.

Yes, they've been really strict. I've had to show everything from last 10 year's residence down to every dollar of student loan debt. Only thing they didn't ask for is blood type.

I'm HOPING this discretion lies within the underwriter, because he knows I'm in my new job and the 2 pay stubs say as much. But if it's a FHA requirement, AKA, no discretion allowed, and they don't allow you to substitute 'proof of employement' for 'proof of pay', I might be in trouble.

 

[RDU Irish]

I replaced my ducts in the attic with new and similar. The worst and most difficult part was applying the mastic at the joints. Everything else was just physical labor. I stayed with the insulated tubes as they are relatively cheap, easy to work with and easy to handle by yourself.

I also air sealed around the boot and ceiling interface (@ each drop) from the attic side to prevent any cool air from entering back into the attic. Spray foam or a good bit of mastic will work.

Other alternatives are steel square ducts but you still have to wrap them and if you miss any part or leave any exposed steel, you wil get condensation during the summer and fall, especially where we live. Bye bye drywall hello mold. They are hard to assemble and maneuver in tight spaces too. Meteing out the volume can be tricky with these as well. These require at least another pair of adequately skilled hands.

You may know this already but obviously you want smaller ducts the further away from the fan you are. If you aren't getting enough flow at the end runs, your unit may be undersized. Check your return and make sure it's clean and not clogged because that will starve your unit and it will start pulling outside air in from where ever the is a hole. A quick service call to check your coolant cures most ills though.

A word of caution of running duct through the floor joists. I would advise against cutting holes or removing sections of the joists!!!! If the duct does not fit I would leave the joists alone. It's much better to frame under/over them if needed.

I have managed to zero condensation occur since I used the insulated tubes.

Thanks, excellent advice. Our climates are similar so the condensation thing is a big issue. I think the air flow problem is largely due to the tubes being a bit flattened and being the longest run. Heat exchange is worst since the run is so long so what about dropping the tubes into the floor joists and filling that in with insulation? Or framing something around the tube to further remove it from the attic "envelope"? Long term we will be finishing out the space which should help as well.

Unit is probably half a ton over-sized technically but I wanted it that way. I seem to recall load calcs were using 95 degree day and a 78 degree constant temp upstairs. I wanted some fudge factor for a hotter day, lower temp, declining system performance and wasn't comfortable they accounted for our open staircase.

I have seen a big need for sealing up each of the vents, also can lights. Some of the calculus on R value impact overall for seemingly small areas of impact like those are VERY compelling.

Swapped out the attic fan motor that was making a racket and already have noticed a meaningful improvement in upstairs A/C quality. Definitely a lot of heat exchange issues on the longer runs.

Anyone spray foam insulate rafters before? Seems like it would help now with the A/C and one less thing to address down the road when we finish the attic.

 

[RDU Irish]

My man, I have zero flexibility when it comes to furniture placement in my home. That's dictated by my better half.

You hit one of the issues, though. I wouldn't get the best quality of surround sound but I think it would be better than just using the television (no chance speakers on stands will be parked in my living room...see above). I would also run them to individual rooms and exterior for music.



How's the quality of sound with wireless systems?

I'm no audiophile so part of why I am balking at the systems is they aren't cheap. Have a friend that put them in his man cave and seems to like them. They can pump out some volume and a wide range of options to hit various ranges if that is your thing. Big plus is just plug them in and wireless connectivity takes care of the rest, app on your phone or iPad to control everything is pretty sweet. Easy to use so that you actually use it, I think a lot of those systems end up collecting dust because only a tech pro can figure out how to run it.

 

[koonja]

Anyone on here very familiar with FHA loans and/or an underwriter?

I have a QU about my home loan for closing on August 31st. Basically, I'm to prove 30 days 'proof of pay' at my new job, which I started on July 27th. On August 28th, I'll receive my 2nd bi-monthly pay check, but we're paid a week behind, and so it'll technically only have 26 pay days, although I'll have been employed for over 30 days.

My loan officer is checking with the underwriter now and I'm anxiously waiting the response. Anyone ever have a similar situation or have any idea if they're that strict about 30 days paystubs vs 30 days employment? Are they interchangeable? Thanks for anything.

Since so many of you cared

"The 22nd will work as FHA stance is actually 28 days which is also outlined in the new HUD 4000.1"

 

[woolybug25]

Since so many of you cared

"The 22nd will work as FHA stance is actually 28 days which is also outlined in the new HUD 4000.1"

Is this for your primary residence or the rental property?

 

[koonja]

Is this for your primary residence or the rental property?

Primary. I'm living in the house for 2-3 years with 3 roommies, then sliding out when I become a man .

 

[woolybug25]

Primary. I'm living in the house for 2-3 years with 3 roommies, then sliding out when I become a man .

I don't believe that you will be able to get another FHA loan when you move out. Those loans are for primary residences, which you can't have two of. You would either have to refi the rental conventionally, or buy your next conventially. The latter of which, would technically make your first mortgage ineligible. If you take out an FHA loan but you don’t meet the residency requirements, you could end up being prosecuted for fraud. Even if you don’t get in legal trouble, the FHA could decide to accelerate your loan which means you’ll have to pay off the principal remaining balance in full.

 

[koonja]

I don't believe that you will be able to get another FHA loan when you move out. Those loans are for primary residences, which you can't have two of. You would either have to refi the rental conventionally, or buy your next conventially. The latter of which, would technically make your first mortgage ineligible. If you take out an FHA loan but you don’t meet the residency requirements, you could end up being prosecuted for fraud. Even if you don’t get in legal trouble, the FHA could decide to accelerate your loan which means you’ll have to pay off the principal remaining balance in full.

I'll be fine buying the next one conventionally. Only reason I'm doing FHA is because I'm the sole owner and don't have the savings to make the conventional down payment. By time I buy again, I'll have enough in savings and a strong enough credit/low debt, etc, to buy conventionally.

I could have done conventional this time, but not for the price of this house. The house itself is relatively expensive.

 

[woolybug25]

I'll be fine buying the next one conventionally. Only reason I'm doing FHA is because I'm the sole owner and don't have the savings to make the conventional down payment. By time I buy again, I'll have enough in savings and a strong enough credit/low debt, etc, to buy conventionally.

I could have done conventional this time, but not for the price of this house. The house itself is relatively expensive.

If you buy another primary residence, your rental can't be financed on an FHA loan.

 

[koonja]

If you buy another primary residence, your rental can't be financed on an FHA loan.

In that case, the FHA loan will be transfered to conventional. At that point, I'll be past 20% down, which I believe allows me to change.

 

[wizards8507]

I don't believe that you will be able to get another FHA loan when you move out. Those loans are for primary residences, which you can't have two of. You would either have to refi the rental conventionally, or buy your next conventially. The latter of which, would technically make your first mortgage ineligible. If you take out an FHA loan but you don’t meet the residency requirements, you could end up being prosecuted for fraud. Even if you don’t get in legal trouble, the FHA could decide to accelerate your loan which means you’ll have to pay off the principal remaining balance in full.

He should refi the FHA as soon as he gets to 20% equity anyways. Fairly new FHA regulations say that you have to carry PMI for the life of the loan, which really makes it a shit product if you can otherwise qualify for a conventional.

 

[woolybug25]

I'll be fine buying the next one conventionally. Only reason I'm doing FHA is because I'm the sole owner and don't have the savings to make the conventional down payment. By time I buy again, I'll have enough in savings and a strong enough credit/low debt, etc, to buy conventionally.

I could have done conventional this time, but not for the price of this house. The house itself is relatively expensive.

In that case, the FHA loan will be transfered to conventional. At that point, I'll be past 20% down, which I believe allows me to change.

You think that in 2-3 years that your mortgage payments will pay down enough principle to make up equity difference? Have you actually looked at an amortization schedule for this loan?