Prioritizing repairs

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shan2themax

shan2themax

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Joined
May 31, 2007
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Location
Proctorville, Ohio
I need help prioritizing repairs, here's a partial list. Please help me.
1. Mildew in kitchen under sink, from sink leak, partial floor replacement I’m
sure is needed under those cabinets. Need to remove 1 possibly 2 cabinets.
Can I clean This off with bleach solution and then paint over with mildew resistant paint?
2. Vinyl flooring down under the cabinets, not glued. Do I need to trash it or just clean the backing.
3. No electric in one bedroom, 2 outlets in 2nd bedroom, ceiling fan in 2nd bedroom, hallway light, outlet in screened in room. Need to add a few outlets in screened in room. (Story…. There was electric in the room with currently None, through a battle of wills, someone turned breaker off to be an ***, When breaker was turned back on, no electric. Breaker has been replaced.
The room with 2 non working out lights is on the same line as hall light. It Didn’t work, and then it did work for a few months, hasn’t worked for several Months. Ceiling fan in this room doesn’t work either, but it had been)
4. Floor is bouncy in middle of house.
5. ½ bathroom floor just was cut in half years ago. What's the best one to support/replace this joist (it is on outer edge of bounciness)
6. Ventless over range hood in kitchen, no ventilation in bathroom
Humidity in house is Always between 55% and 72% suggestions?
7. Need new Gutters, fascia, soffits
8. Windows/sills mildew, replace? They’re Aluminum from 1979
9. Siding… I’m ok with T1-11, what should come first windows/siding
10. Front door needs removed/ replaced correctly and storm door needs to be hung.

I should have 5k in January to try to get some things done. I wont be able to Do anything myself until the end if May 2019 because of surgery recovery.

I can take pics if needed. I just need help prioritizing so that I dont make emotional decisions.
Thanks guys!
 
An electrical problem can result in a fire.
You've stated the solution for the sink leak, which if not addressed can become a health hazard.
The humidity is corrected by maintaining a constant temperature and good air circulation.
 
No location in your profile so some of the items we have no idea if they can even be worked on this time of year.
Partiallist, yikes!
I love long list like this, all I see is dollar signs.
Those electical issues can be as simple as a loose wire, but where is it?
Someone would have to pull everything apart to figure out where it is.
If your willing and able I'm sure someone would be willing here to guide you some of the common issues to look for.
Backstabbed outlets being #1, back stabbed mean the wires where just jammed into the back of the outlet instead of wrapped around the screws, it's faster to wire a house like that but commonly causes poor connections.
No trusted friend in the trades that could be on site to look this over?
 
joecaption said:
No location in your profile so some of the items we have no idea if they can even be worked on this time of year.
Partiallist, yikes!
I love long list like this, all I see is dollar signs.
Those electical issues can be as simple as a loose wire, but where is it?
Someone would have to pull everything apart to figure out where it is.
If your willing and able I'm sure someone would be willing here to guide you some of the common issues to look for.
Backstabbed outlets being #1, back stabbed mean the wires where just jammed into the back of the outlet instead of wrapped around the screws, it's faster to wire a house like that but commonly causes poor connections.
No trusted friend in the trades that could be on site to look this over?
Click to expand...
I am in Southeastern Ohio across the river from Huntington, Wva. I currently am not able to do repairs because of rotator cuff tear at work. I'm going to have surgery Nov 8.
I have the breaker off to the one bedroom for safety sake.
I dont know anyone that is a handyman. I have one neighbor up the block that is willing to talk me through things, but I am not able to get up in the attic as I would need to to look at the connections up there. I live in an area with a huge heroin problem. So it's hard to find someone that is a smaller company. And, it's hard to find someone who is willing to deal with my moms mini hoard also.

Snoonyb said:
An electrical problem can result in a fire.
You've stated the solution for the sink leak, which if not addressed can become a health hazard.
The humidity is corrected by maintaining a constant temperature and good air circulation.
Click to expand...
So.... I do have central heat and air now. There is no ventilation in the bathroom and I have a ventless hood range. Would fixing those 2 things help or would a dehumidifier be a better? I have a couple of other things that are probably not helping... sliding glass door is open 3/8" about. I have a pool noodle on it to decrease the air flow. But there is a section that's open that much. And then I have 2 areas approx 10 x 25 that need patched as they used to be returned air vents. Currently covered with roofing paper and wood, but not "fixed". My front door needs reinstalled but i do have spray foam in the cracks for now.


I so wish i had some help.... not being able to do any repairs because of this arm and finances is disheartening. Working on the house gives me a little hope in my life.

That's why i am asking for prioritizing so i can have some hope for what i will have money to do things .
 
I have no Idea what a "pool noodle" is.
The hoarding was previously discussed and if it hasn't been cured, will affect air circulation.
Neither the bath fan or the hood will substantially affect the general humidity of the dwelling, however, the open door will.
You can have a dehumidifier installed in your comfort heating system.
 
Her hoarding has not been cured. She is very slowly working on it and is supposedly getting a storage unit (she told me this Sunday)
These are pool noodles. I'd take a picture of the sliding glass door but shes near it and that's too much drama.
I was looking at while house dehumidifiers they are pretty expensive for now, one of my coworkers said she thought she had a portable dehumidifier that I could try out before I bought one.
Part of my roof was put up today, that is such a relief. I will probably be in tears when done!
 

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In my area there's church groups that help out with home like this.
My local Habitat for Humanity has also helped out replacing windows and door.
We also have another orginization that does nothing but help winterize older person homes.
All these are done for no cost, or just the cost of materials.
Tried having a heart to heart chat with social services to see what's avalible?
That hording situation your having to deal with is so sad but needs to be addressed before any real progess can happen.
https://iocdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Hoarding-Fact-Sheet.pdf
But I for sure understand no one wanting to work on the house with it like that.
I've been asked to work on a few and refused once I saw it.
 
Close the slider.

My son lives in MINN. and has a dehumidifier in his system and some of his friends, who do not have them, complement on how much better his cooling system works, than theirs.
 
Air Conditioning will control the humidity in a home, but you can't dehumidify all of Ohio. You need to close up the house for them to be effective. Dehumidifiers put out warm air since the unit exhausts its air indoors. They are great for controlling the moisture in the basement or crawlspaces but not so great in living spaces during the summer. If the central air unit is too big for the house it may cool the house too quickly and not run long enough to cycle enough of the air across the coil to lower the humidity effectively.

Sealing up leaks can help. Doing a smoke pencil test can show you places where the air is leaking in or out of the conditioned space, windows, doors and electrical outlets are the most like culprits. In the attic dark stains on the insulation can show places where conditioned air is getting sucked up into the attic. Gaps around plumbing vents and electrical wires are common sources of leaks into the attic along with an unsealed attic hatch.
 
I need help prioritizing repairs
The four places to start is like building a house.
Foundation, any repairs needed, water intrusion vapour barrier on dirt floor and ventilation.
Structure, rot repair, level floors , move things as wanted or needed, venting in attic.
envelope, roof, window, siding, weather proof the house.
HVAC, including hood and bath fans,
Then you could claim to have a somewhat healthy house and jobs can be narrowed down to room by room or section by sections,
Plumbing and electrical can be done room by room but might help decide what order thing should be done just because of location of the lines.
Flooring can be left until the whole house in done.
 
Thoughts about all the above wonderful suggestuons.
I make way too much money for community help, and am only 46. The ac unit is 10 years old, 2.5 tons for 1200 square feet. It wasnt used for 4 of those 10 years. I just had all the ductwork replaced last summer and there is plastic in the crawlspace now. The attic access is in the garage but it is missing the cover?! Idk what happened to it, it was missing when I came back to the house. The garage is not conditioned. The sliding glass door seperates the dining room (hoarded) from the 10x20 screen in sorta insulated back porch (also hoarded) this is my mothers chosen residence. There has been an empty bedroom which she refuses to be in.... it's on the opposite end of the house than her "stuff". She has taken down my efforts to close in this area.... but she will not be able to do that this year. I am putting plywood up and she wont physically be able to undo it this year. That's why I need to add electric to that area. If there were outlets out there, then I could close the sliding glass door all the way.
***of note*** i know how wretched and horrible this part is, I've struggled with this for years, I've called APS... there is no help aside from me buying her her own place to live and I have yet to find a mobile home I could afford in an area she could live in.
I have roofing paper down over the floors where there used to be carpet. I have no plans to change that until her cats are not here anymore.
The windows are 40 years old but also I'd like to wait until the cats aren't here because they make things gross and then I'm just going to be very angry. I will put thick plastic back over the windows over the next few weeks.
I'm only going to have 5 to 6k to fix things with, which is why I wanted to prioritize things.
The sag has been here since I bought the house 10 years ago, I dont think it's any worse but I am trying to find someone to come and look at it.
My roof is done..... they were quick. 2 days, the only thing left is a boot around my service inlet pole. In speaking with the main roofer today and asking if he knew of any handyman he told me One of the workers is a handyman, so I thought I would give him a few things that i need done and see how he works out and go from there.
Its alot to accomplish with such a small amount of money i know, but it's all I have. I have put 15k into the house in the past 2 years and the roof is really the only tangible thing you can see. So I really need to make what money I will have stretch, also... I will be getting workers comp wages only in the next 2 months too. Which is going to make things much harder in general.
 
When I bought my house 2 years ago, I made a list of what was needed to do. 2 years later and my list is till there, and growing, and shrinking.

Lets assume you have a decent budget, but cannot do everything.
First, fix those simple, cheap fixes.
The, go after those that worry you the most.
Then go after the rest.

You have water and mold issues. Both of those are scary. Add in the electrical and you have a worrisome mess.
 
It's all scary to me because I am overwhelmed. The roof is fixed so that's a relief. The leak under the sink was fixed a while back.... but when I move the cabinets I know it's going to be a problem. I periodically spray mold and mildew cleaner on the areas that I can visibly see and get too. I think I'm going to look at getting some electrical quotes since I have $800 extra from the roof being cheaper. I just hope I can find someone who is not an addict and won't take me for what little bit I do have. I just wish I hadn't gotten hurt because there are a lot of things I could've done myself.... but I've just got to get over that. You know what's most frustrating? My oldest sons dad was a roofer and a handyman..... he wont help because he says he feels bad because he never paid child support.... Mind you, I'm offering him cash to do things I need done.... I just don't understand fellas sometimes :-/
 
So..... I bought a dehumidifier, it's been running for about 40 minutes..... just emptied 4 cups of water out of it. I know it will slow down, but..... I didnt expect that much that fast.... it's also helping to heat the living room. The humidity has dropped nearly 10% also and I dont feel damp/cold ... if that makes sense.....
Bow my dishwasher has broken and it may seem silly, but that has to be fixed because I'm about to have shoulder surgery soon and will only have 1 arm for up to 6 weeks....
I think gutters/soffits/fascia may be next, that way its keeping water away from the foundation. After I'm back to work I'll have electric checked out then, but I'll be at half my income for the time I'm off, so I dont want to spend money until I'm working again.
 
I'm going to buy some, and plastic ware.... that will help a ton..... thought about freezer dinner so that my kids dont have to do alot for me... they are going to take turns taking me to Physical Therapy and appts and I can order groceries at either Kroger or walmart and have them picked up.... very blessed with great children!
 
So.... surgery is postponed until the 19th. I got an abscessed tooth and had to switch antibiotics. Also...... this happened today.... I am so excited..... my boys got these hung in no time. My mom is so angry because I did it.... But, she has to be safe if she is going to be here.... I tried to talk to her about her things today, she just wouldn't.... there are still 2 small sections to do but I need someone to cut the panels to size for me....since I took that table saw back .
Its been a great birthday week for sure!
 
shan2themax said:
So.... surgery is postponed until the 19th. I got an abscessed tooth and had to switch antibiotics. Also...... this happened today.... I am so excited..... my boys got these hung in no time. My mom is so angry because I did it.... But, she has to be safe if she is going to be here.... I tried to talk to her about her things today, she just wouldn't.... there are still 2 small sections to do but I need someone to cut the panels to size for me....since I took that table saw back .
Its been a great birthday week for sure!
Click to expand...

What did your boys hang?
 
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