patrick.net

When they find out how much that room is going to cost, they might change their mind. Right now is not a good time to need a home improvement, unless you know someone or can DIY. At least in my part of the Northeast. Yes this is based on recent personal experience.

Also, I personally would never buy a house that has had an addition. It's never done right.

zzyzzx says

When they find out how much that room is going to cost, they might change their mind.

I agree. It costs over $1,200 just to get a driveway power washed and sealed.

zzyzzx says

Also, I personally would never buy a house that has had an addition. It's never done right.

Correct, not even a "converted garage" is worth it.

HeadSet says

I agree. It costs over $1,200 just to get a driveway power washed and sealed.

Just got an estimate on getting a deck with a screened porch.... 115K with at least a 3 month wait. They also want 1/3 up front, despite the lack of custom stuff in the job (WTF is up with that?). The deck is maybe 2-3' off the ground. It's not just me, was listening to a YouTube realtor (Sachs) which has a Tuesday night broadcast and they were mentioning someone else in my area who got an > 100K quote on a maybe 12' x 12' screened in porch.

zzyzzx says

Just got an estimate on getting a deck with a screened porch.... 115K with at least a 3 month wait.

Yes, and no matter who you contract with, the workers that actually come out do not speak English. And their expertise will not be in quality, but the ability to slap it up fast.

So they're going to fuck up their house because they don't think two kids can share a bedroom?

How about they make a dining room their "office"

Doing work yourself in the Northeast is a pain in the ass unless you know someone. Permits , inspections, etc. and often you need a licensed contractor for plumbing, electrical etc.

Plus it gives the tax office an excuse to reassess your home based on the improvement leading to higher taxes on the go forward.

Twenty years ago my good buddy commented "we no longer live in the land of the free, we live in the land of the regulated." It hasn't gotten any better.

GreaterNYCDude says

Doing work yourself in the Northeast is a pain in the ass unless you know someone. Permits , inspections, etc. and often you need a licensed contractor for plumbing, electrical etc.

Already checked the county website for permits, and for the entire zip code only 42 showed up, and that was going back decades. Either their system doesn't work or nobody gets permits. Ever. Actually doing any plumbing and electrical is easy enough. I'd never pay someone to do that.

zzyzzx says

GreaterNYCDude says

Doing work yourself in the Northeast is a pain in the ass unless you know someone. Permits , inspections, etc. and often you need a licensed contractor for plumbing, electrical etc.

Already checked the county website for permits, and for the entire zip code only 42 showed up, and that was going back decades. Either their system doesn't work or nobody gets permits. Ever. Actually doing any plumbing and electrical is easy enough. I'd never pay someone to do that.

Nobody gets permits. If the work done is not glaringly obvious - why bother?

Everyone in Cali slaps on a spare room because of the ADU (Additional Dwelling Unit) law. For a while, my daughter rented a rat-filled room for $1600 a month in Berkley. What a ripoff, and pure profit for the owner.

I'm having a hell of a time finding a cabinet maker that will me a left and right trapezoid angled cabinet. So I can have a stove in the corner. I don't want to use the modular snap together out of box cabinets, because they only make boxes no angles no trapezoid. They make a corner unit, but no 45 sweeping corner with access to that blind corner from the cabinet door.

To make this work I need to be able to use all available space.



These guys said they understood, then proceeded to just make the design with modular rectangle cabinets, and just have the void space there without even any support for the counter top that would be up against the stove.

zzyzzx says

Just got an estimate on getting a deck with a screened porch.... 115K with at least a 3 month wait. They also want 1/3 up front, despite the lack of custom stuff in the job (WTF is up with that?). The deck is maybe 2-3' off the ground. It's not just me, was listening to a YouTube realtor (Sachs) which has a Tuesday night broadcast and they were mentioning someone else in my area who got an > 100K quote on a maybe 12' x 12' screened in porch.

The Building industry and just about all trades have been hijacked by a bunch of money hungry greedy middle men, that at the end of the day after their outrageous high prices. They send out any jack wagon to do the job. So it's not like you can shop for a good skilled person you know can do it. They just aren't around anymore. All of the people selling those skills are just over paid labor salesmen, who send out Home Depot parking lot flunkies, and Craigslist handymen.