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My buddy has Legacy brand overhead garage door opener. He is not too handy, so I figured I would help him out, since he is my business partner too. Looks like his safety sensors (kid-catchers, as I call them) went bad due to some moisture issues (and they were old). I think he should skip...

Sounds too high, unless they are gutting all your gas infrastructure. Also, Canada is notorious for awesome incentives (e.g. geothermal, PV, and other systems get much larger rebates than in US), check what you will get back. Rinnai and Bosch are probably two most known companies for tankless...

Never had to replace HAVC before, how much a brand new unit with install costs for a 2000 sq.ft. house? The existing system is extremely old and only does heating.

So I am looking into replacing existing forced air heating system in an old 2500 sq. ft. house. I want to put in cooling (either by replacing entire HVAC or by adding on cooling to existing system with additional returns). Since gas is not going to get any cheaper and electricity is not going...

OP, didn't you tell us in a previous post(and poll) that you had tons of debt? I think this forum is bad for your wallet :eek:

So my realtor mentioned to me these guys http://hightechdormer.com when I talked to her about possibly redoing the dormer in the house we are buying, so we can fit the whole bath. Apparently she had couple of clients who used these guys. They somehow cut off the dormer, raise it and frame it in...

I will definitely check out those organizations. I definitely don't want to end up with a GC who leaves pissed off inspectors and sub-cons with liens on the properties.

InspectorD, I am definitely hearin' you. There are lots of things that would need to be done to that house. It has good bones and I can take it to the next level. BTW, we don't own the house yet, it is in offer stage. But there are couple other ones we have as backup that are almost the same...

inspectorD, thank you for such great info. I did want to see the breakout of the costs, so I get better sense. Here is a question I have. What is the best way to talk GC into not insisting on things like painting, tiling, and other minor stuff a DIY can do? 4-5 grand here there saved is what...

Are you sure about 40K? I would expect not only addition but also full bathroom installed for that. I mean, are there any advantage to trying to do this in the summer, rather than say fall or spring? BTW, here is how the driveway. Also the back yard is all freakin' concrete, so scaffolding...

Where did you buy that harness? I was thinking about visiting mountain-climbing equipment store, but I heard those places are way too expensive. I know my wife would not mind to get my life insurance, but I think she prefers me alive :D Someone needs to take out the trash and fix stuff around...

Nah... I just don't like to be wasteful and I have a great wife who is a great partner. She knows my BS and I know her. So decisions we make usually are good for the good of the family. Fortunately she never uses words like "I must have" when it comes to investments like that, but rather "if we...

There is actually a 6-car driveway right below the dormer and dumpster plus possibly a box truck would fit there. At 15K it is worth it, at 20K to $40K (on a 450K house) is questionable, since I doubt I will ever see my money back at that kind of price. I might stretch the back of the...

I think I may just hire someone to do it together with the dormer roofline re-do we are thinking about.

I am looking into adding a bathroom in the attic master bedroom. It does look like they had a toilet at one time in the area where existing dormer is. It is like a 7X7 room there. To put in a bath we definitely need to change roof structure of existing dormer to flat. Neighboring house has...

I have pissed off my share of inspectors in the early stage of my career when I had to deal with office buildouts for companies I worked for. This time I am the one paying out of my pocket, so I don't want to piss off anyone in that small city hall. So yes, I think I will have windows and...

Yeah... I called them pretty much everything requires a permit. So much for DYI. We can only do our work on a weekend, because both me and wifey are working full time. So much for the pipe dream of getting those projects done ourselves. Some might have to go away due to the cost of contractors.

House was built in 1910 (like most in the area). Siding is cedar shingles. yes, the windows would be at the gable end of the house. Windows something like 28"X50" (guesstimate). Roofing is asphalt shingles. Walls where the windows go are definitely lath, the attic is drywall. Rafters looked like...

So looks like my city requires permits to install windows and skylights. My job has zero flexibility during the week (when permit department and inspectors work). So basically I will need to get someone to do this for me. I am new in town, so I bet someone will gouge me. So in the house we...

I am in Somerville, MA and I am looking to put an offer on a nice house with very good bones. It was built in 1910 and has been owned by same lady for 40 years. 1. Is there a list somewhere of house improvements that do not require permits? We are thinking about adding couple of windows...