8' ceilings are great for heating and cooling though.
Yet another boring house building thread
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Actually you may have recourse if you want to pursue it further. Here in CA builders give a 10 year structural warranty. Here is an important tip which many don't think about................. There should ALWAYS be an unlimited warranty on workmanship if something was installed incorrectly or substandard. You should have recourse with the contractor. If he argues, take him to court, it usually goes to mitigation and you end up getting your house fixed.
The guy who built my parents house in Tennessee ended up being their neighbor. He left out the extra ten feet my parents wanted in the kitchen so the kitchen table would fit in there correctly. And being the neighbor, my parents house was the one house he was never at when there were problems.
He shouldn't have been allowed to build a house with a deck of cards.
Stosh...thanks for the glass half full argument. Ironicly here in Asheville, they've shown where 9 footers and 8 footers are almost identical. In winter the solar warming is greater with the leaves off the trees and in summer, the temps are so mild the AC doesn't run as aggressively with all the trees and mountains keeping it pretty damn cool.
In terms of warranty recourse, we got nothing. Our house is structurally sound. It's a long laundry list of cost cutting with labor, materials shortcuts and lack of finish work all around.
Little things like a front porch with the far right post set in 8 inches from flush as opposed to the opposite side post which is flush with the roof. It's not structural...but it's not right. The mating of the segments of the house is shoddy...not structural though.
The ceiling got blown insulation rather than actual rolled, not structural..just cheap.
The ridge vent was never insulated...expensive foam gun to seal the air leak...not structural.
Toilets that are not flush.
Drywall that is buckled in the ceiling areas.
All windows on 1 side of house won't lock without 2 people.
Carpeting that's already stretched and wadding.
Carpeting fragments at every seam fuzzing up and becoming visibly.
Visibly sunken carpet at mating of two segments of the house due to shoddy mating.
Doorbell doesn work...goes "bonk" "thud".
Fan in bathroom grinds.
Closet doors don't close.
Bedroom doors don't close flush...regardless of strike.
Front door doesn't click closed. Have to install a deadbolt to keep it closed.
Cracks in the cosmetic trim in most every room.
Sliding door that won't close without excessive force.
Electrician rigged half the house on the dedicated fuse for the washing machine. (Got that fixed).
6 slabs of left over concrete in my back yard the size of coffins.
Front yard that dips several times b/c there was no finish grading.
All insulatiion in basement slowly falling out b/c no wires were installed...just stuffed it in joints. (Found that last month when the floors got cold).
But...again...nothing structural.
Wow, you have a house in Asheville. You're pretty lucky I would love to move there.
I love the 8' ceilings in our house it heats right up on these cold winter nights. I've never read any research but I find it hard to believe that having 2 rooms with the same footprint one with 8' and one with 9' that they would heat up in the exact same time. It's only 1' I guess... and maybe we're just splitting hairs.
Living here ain't cheap. Most people build in Greenville and Spartanburg, SC for dirt cheap and do BIG houses with lnice add-ons on big lots for less than our basic size one on an average size lot.Wow, you have a house in Asheville. You're pretty lucky I would love to move there.
I love the 8' ceilings in our house it heats right up on these cold winter nights. I've never read any research but I find it hard to believe that having 2 rooms with the same footprint one with 8' and one with 9' that they would heat up in the exact same time. It's only 1' I guess... and maybe we're just splitting hairs.
well, my fair-weather framers went home this morning cuz it 'looked' like rain....
if nate's crew lived in scotland or ireland, they'd never be able to build a house.
Is meth really cheap there?
glasgow may be in the midst of a building boom.
The lack of fire extinguishers is bothersome.
dammit!!! i knew i shouldn't have hired Sunny Day Construction Co for this build!!!!!!
our guys here complain if it's too cold to wear shorts....
my crew has a micowave in their tool trailer.
What about hippy lesbians, are they in the trailer too?
Wed:
Calling for joist package to be delivered tomorrow... need another 22' glue lam for the garage header and 1000' o' utility grade 2x4's
Calling for joist package to be delivered tomorrow... need another 22' glue lam for the garage header and 1000' o' utility grade 2x4's
tempting....
but it sounds like you should sell and start over but this time knowing what to look for...
Today at lunchtime:
Housing Sales Drop in 40 States
Feb 15 3:44 PM US/Eastern
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The slump in housing deepened in the final three months of last year with sales falling in 40 states and median home prices dropping in nearly half the metropolitan areas surveyed.
Formerly red-hot areas were among the hardest hit as the five-year housing boom cooled considerably in 2006.
While some economists said they believed the worst may be over for housing, others predicted more price declines to come until near- record levels of unsold homes are reduced.
The National Association of Realtors said the states with the biggest declines in sales from October through December compared with the same period in 2005 were: Nevada, down 36.1 percent; Florida, down 30.8 percent; Arizona, down 26.9 percent; and California, down 21.3 percent.
In all, the Realtors said sales declined in 40 states, six states showed gains and one state, Utah, had no change in activity in the final three months of last year. There was not enough information from Idaho, New Hampshire and Vermont to make a comparison.
Nationally, sales declined by 10.1 percent in the fourth quarter compared with the same period a year ago. The national median price _ the point where half sell for more and half sell for less _ fell to $219,300, down 2.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2005.
In all, median home prices fell in 49 percent of the 149 metropolitan areas surveyed, the largest percentage of areas showing price declines in the 27-year history of the Realtors' price survey.
A total of 73 metro areas had price declines from a year ago while 71 areas had increases. Five metro areas reported no change.
The price declines were led by an 18 percent decline in the Sarasota- Bradenton-Venice area of Florida. The city with the biggest price gain was Atlantic City, N.J., where the median home price was up 25.9 percent in the fourth quarter.
David Lereah, chief economist for the Realtors, said he believed the report would represent the low-point in the current housing slowdown.
"When we get the figures for the spring, I expect to see a discernible improvement in both sales and prices," he said.
But Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Economy.com, predicted that home prices in many parts of the country would continue to be under pressure for the rest of this year as the market works through still large inventories of unsold homes.
He said this process will be made more difficult with banks raising lending standards because of concerns about rising mortgage default rates.
"The price declines we are seeing are extraordinarily broad-based and just symbolize how significant a price correction we are in," Zandi said.
"We are seeing the declines concentrated in the industrial Midwest, where the job market is a mess due to the layoffs in the auto industry, and in markets such as Florida and California" where a heavy influx of speculators had bid up prices, Zandi said.
Before 2006, housing enjoyed a lengthy boom with sales of both new and existing homes setting records for five straight years. Buyers were attracted by the lowest mortgage rates in more than four decades.
But big declines in sales and construction last year turned housing from one of the economy's stars to a major drag, which subtracted more than a percentage point from overall growth in both the third and fourth quarters.
The Realtors' survey showed that sales were down in every region in the fourth quarter while prices fell everywhere except the West.
The fourth quarter decline in prices was led by a 4.2 percent drop in the Midwest, followed by a 3.7 percent decline in the South and a 2.5 percent fall in the Northeast. Prices were up by 0.4 percent in the West.
Feb 15 3:44 PM US/Eastern
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The slump in housing deepened in the final three months of last year with sales falling in 40 states and median home prices dropping in nearly half the metropolitan areas surveyed.
Formerly red-hot areas were among the hardest hit as the five-year housing boom cooled considerably in 2006.
While some economists said they believed the worst may be over for housing, others predicted more price declines to come until near- record levels of unsold homes are reduced.
The National Association of Realtors said the states with the biggest declines in sales from October through December compared with the same period in 2005 were: Nevada, down 36.1 percent; Florida, down 30.8 percent; Arizona, down 26.9 percent; and California, down 21.3 percent.
In all, the Realtors said sales declined in 40 states, six states showed gains and one state, Utah, had no change in activity in the final three months of last year. There was not enough information from Idaho, New Hampshire and Vermont to make a comparison.
Nationally, sales declined by 10.1 percent in the fourth quarter compared with the same period a year ago. The national median price _ the point where half sell for more and half sell for less _ fell to $219,300, down 2.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2005.
In all, median home prices fell in 49 percent of the 149 metropolitan areas surveyed, the largest percentage of areas showing price declines in the 27-year history of the Realtors' price survey.
A total of 73 metro areas had price declines from a year ago while 71 areas had increases. Five metro areas reported no change.
The price declines were led by an 18 percent decline in the Sarasota- Bradenton-Venice area of Florida. The city with the biggest price gain was Atlantic City, N.J., where the median home price was up 25.9 percent in the fourth quarter.
David Lereah, chief economist for the Realtors, said he believed the report would represent the low-point in the current housing slowdown.
"When we get the figures for the spring, I expect to see a discernible improvement in both sales and prices," he said.
But Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Economy.com, predicted that home prices in many parts of the country would continue to be under pressure for the rest of this year as the market works through still large inventories of unsold homes.
He said this process will be made more difficult with banks raising lending standards because of concerns about rising mortgage default rates.
"The price declines we are seeing are extraordinarily broad-based and just symbolize how significant a price correction we are in," Zandi said.
"We are seeing the declines concentrated in the industrial Midwest, where the job market is a mess due to the layoffs in the auto industry, and in markets such as Florida and California" where a heavy influx of speculators had bid up prices, Zandi said.
Before 2006, housing enjoyed a lengthy boom with sales of both new and existing homes setting records for five straight years. Buyers were attracted by the lowest mortgage rates in more than four decades.
But big declines in sales and construction last year turned housing from one of the economy's stars to a major drag, which subtracted more than a percentage point from overall growth in both the third and fourth quarters.
The Realtors' survey showed that sales were down in every region in the fourth quarter while prices fell everywhere except the West.
The fourth quarter decline in prices was led by a 4.2 percent drop in the Midwest, followed by a 3.7 percent decline in the South and a 2.5 percent fall in the Northeast. Prices were up by 0.4 percent in the West.
I'm in mortgages, and the all the big lenders are actually smiling pretty big right now. Foreclosure rates are UP...but it's on B and C lenders. The refi boomer companies who could sell a loan 3 years ago to anybody and get them a better rate, because rates were at an all time low...are stuck.
The ARMS they sold are adjusting now to the new rates and all those people they maxed out payments on with low rates...now have even more maxed out payments.
The mortgage big dogs are licking their chops though because there is over 4 Trillion dollars in ARMS coming due this year. That's a lot of refi loans to do.
Meanwhile, all the subprime lenders are left holding the bag on loans they really shouldn't have taken the risk on back then and can't refi those same borrowers out again b/c the rates now are higher. Those lenders are dying out and merging and being bought up. It's a good thing, believe it or not. It's a reason why the DOW is UP.
Getting rid of risky lenders make Wall Street more secure.
The ARMS they sold are adjusting now to the new rates and all those people they maxed out payments on with low rates...now have even more maxed out payments.
The mortgage big dogs are licking their chops though because there is over 4 Trillion dollars in ARMS coming due this year. That's a lot of refi loans to do.
Meanwhile, all the subprime lenders are left holding the bag on loans they really shouldn't have taken the risk on back then and can't refi those same borrowers out again b/c the rates now are higher. Those lenders are dying out and merging and being bought up. It's a good thing, believe it or not. It's a reason why the DOW is UP.
Getting rid of risky lenders make Wall Street more secure.
Yeah, i never understood why someone would take an ARM or (even worse) an 'interest only' loan on their house esp when the 30 year fixed was in the 5's.... crazy.
Well, the legitimate reason is because you can pay your balance off faster on an ARM.
If you could get a 4.25% ARM for 5 years or a 30Yr Fixed at 5%, but could afford the 5% payment...take the ARM. Why?
Because you'll be charged less interest monthly and you don't make the lower payment of the 4.25%. While in the ARM, you choose to pay the payment associated with the 5% 30Yr Fixed. At the end of 5 years, your principal balance on your home is much less than being locked in the 30Yr Fixed.
Why NOT take the ARM rate? You'll get a safety valve with the lower payment option if you come up short one month, but you pay the money you would have paid in interest on a 30Yr Fixed..only it goes to the principal.
At the end of year 5, your loan recasts and your new payment is based off the remaining balance of your loan...which is now less. Your payment as a result, goes down. If your rate adjusts UP at the end of 5 years, you still have 2 very good options.
1. Refinance into a new loan and your payment will be lower b/c you are refinancing a much smaller balance now.
2. Don't worry about b/c your new payment if the rate goes UP...will be virtually the same as before b/c again, it's recalculated off a lower balance...not the original balance.
ARM's are the way real investors MAKE money. Frightened people who's loan officer doesn't educate them...lose money and get a 30 Yr fixed that costs them more and pays off less.
...humm... never had it 'splained that way... have to look into that more.
I've heard its a good idea to take a 30 year and pay it like its a 15... thoughts?
That's pretty badass. For some reason I loe watching houses go up. Before actually owning a house, I could have cared less. But since I have had to do some home improvements and upgrades, I like to see stuff like this go up.
NOPE. Still going to be charged a higher rate...making it even harder to pay off in 15 years.
If you have the funds to pay enough extra on the loan to close it in 15 years, do a 5YR ARM.
Lower rate, pay it off in 12 instead of 15.
Even better, do a 5YR Interest Only/30 Yr Term loan. Pay it off EVEN faster. A 5 YR IO calculates your interest monthly off the remaining balance. So each month when you pay that big 15Yr fixed payment toward your Interest Only loan, your principal balance is lower and the next month's interest calculated off the new balance is less. Thus your next big bulk payment gets charged less interest than the month before...and so on for 5 years.
Big, BIG dents. At the end of 5 years, your loan then has 25 yrs remaining on a silly low balance. So if you can't refi because your credit got smacked by mechanics liens or something. Your new payment will again...be lower.
Knowing what a shaddy character you are and not to be trusted
, there are bound to be downsides. What are they?
The downsides are the morons who act like they're going to choose to pay the payment they would have had going into a 30 Yr Fixed and never do.Knowing what a shaddy character you are and not to be trusted
We get it all the time. It's just the same as with a credit card. You act all sincere and tell yourself, "I'm gonna pay my card off every month before any interest is charged". BS.
People will do 2-3 Yr ARMs, not pay a dime extra and at the end of 2,3 or 5 years, they'll blame you for putting them in a loan with a rate that will adjust. You TELL them it will adjust, you TELL them to pay extra, you TELL them to call you 6 months in advance of the adjustment...but they pretend like it's gonna go away by itself.
Or the person gets you to max them out on their loan size and the ARM payment is the MAX they can afford, so of course they're not gonna pay any extra prinicipal. I always offer people 3 options if they're available to them. The ones who go into the 30 Yr Fixed are always the most unhappy though....because everyone refi's in 3-5 years or sells..and at that point, they owe more than they thought on the house.
My business is the NUMBER ONE regulated business in America...yet people still want to blame us for their choices?
Progress as of Tues morning 20 Feb 07
(Ordered decking and cornice packages for tomorrow afternoon)
(Ordered decking and cornice packages for tomorrow afternoon)
Looking good N8
now if i could just get the house beside it sold, i'd be really happy!
Market should be picking up starting this week, at least here in CA.
I'm doing 30Yr Fixed at 6.00% again. That's a big change. 
Why do you say that?