What's your worst homeowner moment?

[Chip196]

My hands just thawed out enough to type this!

Last night I stepped in a wet spot in my kitchen, and luckily decided to clean it up before laying a beating on the dog. As I was cleaning it and realizing it was clear, I felt the drip ... yes, my kitchen ceiling is leaking.

When we bought the place, the previous owner told me to make sure you plug in the de-icer for the gutters in the back of the house. Apparantly the back side of the house doesn't get enough sun, especially is the afternoon, so what does melt, ends up freezing in the gutter, clogging them, and sending future run off in to the house itself.

I brought the ladder out, climbed it, and began chipping away with a hammer and flat head screw driver. After 3 hours, I cleaned up enough to let the runoff flow again, I called it a night. Of course the root of the problem wasn't fixed so the gutter was filled and frozen again today. Another 3 hours and a wiring experiment and we'll see how we end up tomorrow. If it filles up and freezes again, I will have to buy a new melting wire, run it over top of everything and see what happens.

6 hours on a frozen ladder chipping away at ice with a hammer and flat head screwdriver. My worst homeowner moment by far. Oh, and I slipped on ice an fell down 4 steps to add injury to insult.

[OGC]

Yup, you nailed it. Ice dams built up about 4 years ago and we had water coming down inside in 4 different places. After some chipping and chopping I managed to alleviate the problem. As soon as the weather got better, I had a roofer come and check things out. Come to find out, when the house was built, they cheaped out on the roof and didn't put a wide enough waterproof barrier (or whatever it's called). We had the roof re-done and haven't had one drop of water leaking since (knock on wood).

I still have nightmares about a leaking roof though.

[Drunky McBetidont]

http://www.oakislandproductions.com/images/products/Product_ExplodeCommode_210010.jpg

[jauble]

Although I didn't own it I had my name as the responsible party on the lease of my fraternity house for 2 years which was constantly in disrepair and had 10 drunk full grown children living in it.

[boosterp]

The supply line to the toilette busted an O ring while the ex and I were at work. The house flooded, sheet rock ruined, furniture and rugs fucked up, etc. For 3 weeks we lived in a hotel room (drove me nuts) and a month in an apartment. I absolutely hated the entire time I was displaced and my ex was driving me nuts. Luckily the insurance company paid for it all, but it was still a mess.

[nukinfuts]

Finding out the hard way that thr city had manage to collapse my sewer pipe and then finding out that even though they were the cause of the collapse it was just out of the amount of footage into my yard they consider to be their responsibility. Fuckers. Finding out the hard way is when the sewer backs up through every drain in your house. This happened 3 years ago and I am still pissed. It was $3000 to have it replaced and then you have to put down new grass. It seems like when you have insurance nothing that happens is considered covered. They tell you it has to be something sudden and unforeseen but I think shit coming up through my bathtub and kitchen sink was pretty fucking sudden and unexpected. Yet they probably pay the claim when some fucker blows his house up making meth.

Sorry dude....best of luck with your gutters..at least I know to watch for ice dams because I had never heard or thought about it. The things you learn from rf.net

[Chip196]

Finding out the hard way that thr city had manage to collapse my sewer pipe and then finding out that even though they were the cause of the collapse it was just out of the amount of footage into my yard they consider to be their responsibility. Fuckers. Finding out the hard way is when the sewer backs up through every drain in your house. This happened 3 years ago and I am still pissed. It was $3000 to have it replaced and then you have to put down new grass. It seems like when you have insurance nothing that happens is considered covered. They tell you it has to be something sudden and unforeseen but I think shit coming up through my bathtub and kitchen sink was pretty fucking sudden and unexpected. Yet they probably pay the claim when some fucker blows his house up making meth.

Sorry dude....best of luck with your gutters..at least I know to watch for ice dams because I had never heard or thought about it. The things you learn from rf.net

Wow ... sorry about the sewer stuff ... and the flood boosterp ... if .net is teaching you to look for ice dams, it's teaching me that the bruise on my lower back and and the discomfort of working in the cold that long was a peice of cake compared to a house full of crap or a flood so bad you're displaced for a month. Thanks for putting some perspective guys ... I am just lucky I caught it early I guess.

[boosterp]

Wow ... sorry about the sewer stuff ... and the flood boosterp ... if .net is teaching you to look for ice dams, it's teaching me that the bruise on my lower back and and the discomfort of working in the cold that long was a peice of cake compared to a house full of crap or a flood so bad you're displaced for a month. Thanks for putting some perspective guys ... I am just lucky I caught it early I guess.

But as home owners we share the delimas in ownership. Thank goodness that here we do not have to worry about ice here.

Be careful with the sheetrock though where the water came in, it can become quite brittle and or mold.

[Chip196]

But as home owners we share the delimas in ownership. Thank goodness that here we do not have to worry about ice here.

Be careful with the sheetrock though where the water came in, it can become quite brittle and or mold.

Thats a good point about sharing the dilemas of ownership. It's like a fraternity.

It was only a small amount of water, and it came through the ceiling which is bead-board, so hopefully that holds up better. The hosue is on the market right now, so I am hoping everything just hangs in there until it's someone else problem and I inherit a whole new set in the new place.

[jauble]

It's like a fraternity.

I did get a call at 8 AM on a new years day from the boys telling me the walls were leaking and asking me what to do. That wasn't cheap.

[Chip196]

I did get a call at 8 AM on a new years day from the boys telling me the walls were leaking and asking me what to do. That wasn't cheap.

my friend was in a similar situation as you and had so many repairs to make that he threw a 50 Keg Keg Party with 2 weeks left in the school year. They made enough money to have a contractor come in and repair the place before graduation.

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

Twice i've been flooded out by the upstairs apt. The first time, the owners were on vacation when their hot water heater started leaking. There was nothing I could do for two weeks until they came home (we have no super and the magmt company has no keys). They paid for the damage.

The second time was FAR worse. I woke up around 6 am and heard the shower running. I thought, "Oh, Dave must be in the shower." I rolled over and Dave was in bed with me! I sprung out of bed to find water gushing from the light fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom. Water was even pouring out of the hood over my stove.

I ran upstairs and the guy opens the door and says, "I know I know!" I yelled at him to turn the water off! He had at least 3 inches of water in his apt that eventually trickled into mine.


DOUCHEBAG NEVER PAID FOR THE REPAIRS. He moved out and sold the apt two weeks later. He'd always had a song and dance when I confronted him about the bill. I had to have my insurance take care of it. Not sure if they ever went after him.

[jauble]

my friend was in a similar situation as you and had so many repairs to make that he threw a 50 Keg Keg Party with 2 weeks left in the school year. They made enough money to have a contractor come in and repair the place before graduation.

Well we had a two section place and although I pretty much know that someone turned off the heat to save money in freezing temps (off and not down) the guy claimed the pilot light must have gone out in that furnace. He said he lit it again and when I asked him where it was he didnt know. It all worked out though as I was able to offset most of the cost to our shitty landlord.

[nukinfuts]

I think if I was buying a new house that was just built I would live in fear of the unexpected. At least with an old house enough people have come before you that have tried to fix or patch the major stuff and you kind of know what's coming (except things like floods or the sewer thing). It's funny that we all rent and save money for the day that we will buy our first house but then you long for the days of renting when a new furnace or a leaking ceiling was the landlord's problem. I am still wondering why home ownership is so awesome...other than the fact that I can knock out a wall if I wanted.

[Judge Smails]

I was sitting on the crapper downstairs when I heard someone flush the upstairs toilet which is directly above the bathroom I was in. The sound was weird - not like water rushing through a pipe but like it was in the walls itself.

So, I started inspecting the wall and ceiling and found a damp spot in the drywall right above the sink. While poking (I guess a little too had) my fist went right through the ceiling and a shower of brown shit water came down. Like a fucking pinata from hell.

Turns out there was a leak in the pipes for the upstairs shower. No way I could have ever known that. The water dripped down the inside of the wall, under the tub and under the bathroom tile floor. The water eventually warped the floor and it pulled away from the toilet coupling allowing some of the water to flow into the floor when flushed.

Had to get someone to completely re-do the upstairs bathroom (walls, floor, new fixtures, the whole shebang) and the ceiling of the downstairs one.

[jauble]

I was sitting on the crapper downstairs when I heard someone flush the upstairs toilet which is directly above the bathroom I was in. The sound was weird - not like water rushing through a pipe but like it was in the walls itself.

So, I started inspecting the wall and ceiling and found a damp spot in the drywall right above the sink. While poking (I guess a little too had) my fist went right through the ceiling and a shower of brown shit water came down. Like a fucking pinata from hell.

Turns out there was a leak in the pipes for the upstairs shower. No way I could have ever known that. The water dripped down the inside of the wall, under the tub and under the bathroom tile floor. The water eventually warped the floor and it pulled away from the toilet coupling allowing some of the water to flow into the floor when flushed.

Had to get someone to completely re-do the upstairs bathroom (walls, floor, new fixtures, the whole shebang) and the ceiling of the downstairs one.


Ugggh...





I tried jokes and nope



ugggh

[nukinfuts]

Ugggh...





I tried jokes and nope



ugggh

I think any time that a shit shower is involved you must have mad respect for the poor guy that received it. Unless it is somehow porn related and then you are sick. I think your chocolate rain experience makes me feel better about my home repair nightmares. And I admit I did laugh when I read it but I felt very sorry for you as well.

[boosterp]

Home ownership rocks! I miss living in a home, just moved to an apartment last September. I do not mind the upkeep, it is just part of ownership. 99% of the time nothing goes wrong and you love coming home to a place that you call your own.

[Jujubees2]

Two things.

Walking through the dining room while my wife was in the shower I noticed a little puddle on the floor coming from a drip in the ceiling caused by a broken shower pan. Four weeks and $18,000 later, we got a new bathroom.

Couple of years later I notice a drop in water pressure. As I walk the kids to school, I notice a stream of water flowing down the street, starting from in front of my house. Call the city and (three days later) find out the water main is broken. But since it broke after it cut off from the main line in the street, I'm responsible for it. And I have to get it fixed in three days or I get fined. $4,000 later I have a new water main (at least the water pressure improved).

[Misteriosa]

when i still lived in a house, the worst thing that happened had nothing to do with our home. it was the home next door. our home shared a wall (?) with the home next door. the neighbors abandoned the house and squatters moved in next door. they were taking better care of the house that the prev people, so we didnt complain. when they got caught they were thrown out. then the scrap metal hunters moved in and stripped all the valuable metals from the house, destroying the plumbing. in the winter, the pipes next door couldnt take it and burst. our house had water flowing thru that shared wall on the basement, 1st, and 2nd floor.

we had the plumber do a quick fix seal and sold the house as fast as we could.

[denko]

when my pipes froze three weeks ago and burst, so i crawl under the house, fix the broken pipe, put heat tape and insulation on ALL the exposed pipes and then last week when it was -15 degrees and the power went out for SIX FUCKING HOURS rendering all my hard work USELESS! and my pipes froze again. no bursting this time however.

[drjoek]

Not me but my old assistant had a tree fall down and split her house in half!! the tree nailed it just so that it got completely destroyed to the point where they had to tear it down too the foundation and rebuild it. She lost so much stuff too. It was amazing I have pictures some where I 'll try to find.

[~Katja~]

after having several nightmares of my house breaking apart in the middle (cause it is a middle unit of 5 row homes) I discovered how my house more and more settled and a huge crack developed in the center of my basement. The hallway is not straight so everything is leaning towards the kitchen and you can actually feel the level it is dropping at.

The builders came back to test and try and fix (it was only 3 years old at the time - now it is 5 years old) and decided to pump grout under the house to stabilize it from the outside at first and later they drilled holes on the inside of my basement pumping more grout in hopes of stabilizing and raising the side that had settled too much (and too fast)

So far it is still a work in progress... no final solution as of yet.

[Freakshow]

I had my hot water heater go and flood half of my basement with a couple of inches of water. I had some stuff left from doing a little upstairs remodeling which became a giant debris soup. I did a bit of bucket brigade, and then used a blower to take care of the rest of the water, and had to pay to have someone haul the soggy material away (which was not cheap).

[romanwarhelmet]

im in the process of selling my mom's house. truly an awful experience. fukoz coming at going all the time, brutally low offers, on top of being the worst time to sell since she bought it. and she left me her legal powers so its a strange time for me.

[Aggie]

Yikes. You're scaring me. We're about to start shopping for our first home. Wish us luck.

[Freakshow]

just make sure you get a good home inspector. My guy told me everything that could possibly go wrong, and only a couple things did.

[Jujubees2]

just make sure you get a good home inspector. My guy told me everything that could possibly go wrong, and only a couple things did.

Ditto. My guy gave me a list of what it would cost to fix the problems he found and I was able to renegotiate with the owner.

[Aggie]

Thank you guys, I'll make sure we do that.

[Misteriosa]

no final solution as of yet.

you said "final solution"....


:lol: :lol: :lol:

[FezsAssistant]

why would you hit a dog anyway? are you puerto rican by any chance?
even if the dog did piss, it's your own stupid fault for having an animal in your house.

[boosterp]

why would you hit a dog anyway? are you puerto rican by any chance?
even if the dog did piss, it's your own stupid fault for having an animal in your house.

Who are you accusing of beating a dog?

[Aggie]

Who are you accusing of beating a dog?

In the original post he said he was going to whip the dog because he felt a puddle on the floor but realized it was from the ceiling.

WOOHOO, just passed my 7000th post!

[Chip196]

why would you hit a dog anyway? are you puerto rican by any chance?
even if the dog did piss, it's your own stupid fault for having an animal in your house.

I was being overly dramatic, I don't beat my dogs. Had she pee'd in the house, her nose would have been pushed in it and then brought outside and praised when she went out there. I am not Puerto Rican (not that I've ever heard they were more likely to hit a dog than any other race). Dogs don't belong inside?

Who are you accusing of beating a dog?

I defintiely wrote it.

In the original post he said he was going to whip the dog because he felt a puddle on the floor but realized it was from the ceiling.

WOOHOO, just passed my 7000th post!


Wow ... congrats on 7,000 and good luck with the house, aside from the complaints, it's very rewarding to work on it.

[boosterp]

I was being overly dramatic, I don't beat my dogs. Had she pee'd in the house, her nose would have been pushed in it and then brought outside and praised when she went out there. I am not Puerto Rican (not that I've ever heard they were more likely to hit a dog than any other race). Dogs don't belong inside?





I went back and reread it and he has no reason to attack you. I think he is the one being the over dramatic ass because I saw the sarcasm.

[nukinfuts]

when my pipes froze three weeks ago and burst, so i crawl under the house, fix the broken pipe, put heat tape and insulation on ALL the exposed pipes and then last week when it was -15 degrees and the power went out for SIX FUCKING HOURS rendering all my hard work USELESS! and my pipes froze again. no bursting this time however.

Next time it's going to be cold or there's a chance of a wind chill that's like in the teens and below leave a faucet running in a slow stream of cold water. I know it sounds like a waste of water but it's a life saver if your pipes are under the house and the wind will whip through there. It's not going to run up your water bill and it's less expensive then the alternative of busted pipes and water damage. Also be careful thawing pipes because there are tons of people that accidentally burn down their houses doing it. I am not being a smart ass I am just a plumber's daughter :wink: Not that I could fix any of the plumbing problems I have had and since my parents live about 400 miles away my dad charges me travel time plus about $75 for labor. Seriously...he would charge me...:flush:

[boosterp]

Next time it's going to be cold or there's a chance of a wind chill that's like in the teens and below leave a faucet running in a slow stream of cold water. I know it sounds like a waste of water but it's a life saver if your pipes are under the house and the wind will whip through there. It's not going to run up your water bill and it's less expensive then the alternative of busted pipes and water damage. Also be careful thawing pipes because there are tons of people that accidentally burn down their houses doing it. I am not being a smart ass I am just a plumber's daughter :wink: Not that I could fix any of the plumbing problems I have had and since my parents live about 400 miles away my dad charges me travel time plus about $75 for labor. Seriously...he would charge me...:flush:

That is exactly what the news down here advises us to do and other than when I was a kid, I have never had a busted pipe.

[OGC]

Do you believe in fate ? Or a jinx ? Or the hoodoo ? Or whatever you want to call it ?

This thread started just over 2 days ago and I was the first to reply telling about the troubles I had a few years ago with ice dams and water leaking through the roof. I mentioned that since I had the roof redone I hadn't had any troubles (I even gaurded against the jinx by saying :knock on wood and then doing it).

Well, I came home tonight to find what else but ..... water leaking in near our bay window , one of the trouble spots before. I got the ladder out, climbed up and chopped a nice little opening and woosh, a nice little stream of water ran out . The water leaking in has stopped and now of course I'm paranoid that the leaks will start in other spots.

It's supposed to be warmer tomorrow so I guess I'll stay home from work and clear some more ice.

[NortonsHeiny]

A two dollar washing machine hose sprung a leak while I was at work. I came home to five inches of water which resulted in 40 grand of damage. Me & my three dogs lived in one bedroom with no fridge or floors for 4 months. Allstate Homeowners Insurance sucks balls....

[Chip196]

Do you believe in fate ? Or a jinx ? Or the hoodoo ? Or whatever you want to call it ?

This thread started just over 2 days ago and I was the first to reply telling about the troubles I had a few years ago with ice dams and water leaking through the roof. I mentioned that since I had the roof redone I hadn't had any troubles (I even gaurded against the jinx by saying :knock on wood and then doing it).

Well, I came home tonight to find what else but ..... water leaking in near our bay window , one of the trouble spots before. I got the ladder out, climbed up and chopped a nice little opening and woosh, a nice little stream of water ran out . The water leaking in has stopped and now of course I'm paranoid that the leaks will start in other spots.

It's supposed to be warmer tomorrow so I guess I'll stay home from work and clear some more ice.



Wow that sucks ... I am sorry if the thread jinxed you. If it makes you feel any better, I am still chipping ice out of gutters after work (it's been so busy this week that I can't take off), and haven't run a new De-Icing wire. I am hoping I can get out early tomorrow and get back up the ladder. Good Luck with the leak, hopefully it's minor.

[denko]

Next time it's going to be cold or there's a chance of a wind chill that's like in the teens and below leave a faucet running in a slow stream of cold water. I know it sounds like a waste of water but it's a life saver if your pipes are under the house and the wind will whip through there. :


that does work, but not if you have a well and no power. i don't have town water or anything. so with no power my well doesn't pump water or i would have done exactly that.

[bigredd]

Ginormous water bills leading to the discovery of a pipe breaking under the driveway. The builder put our water meter under the god damned driveway for some reason. It worked out though cause the piece that went bad was on the city's end and they wound up cutting me a check for over two grand for the extra money I'd paid for water over the past few months.

[RoseBlood]

The house I grew up in was old and use to house college kids so it was in dire need of repairs. One night the hallway ceiling literally fell off. The drywall/sheetrock/whatever came crumbling down in one big loud bang. Thankfully, no one was in harms way.

Also, my fathers old boat fell in an old sink hole or something in the driveway. It actually fell into the ground face up. Again, luckily no one was in harms way. A friend who worked for the town and dept. of sanitation was able to get his crew over, remove the boat with a crane and fill the hole, which obviously saved us alot of time and money.

[rick9669]

new years eve 1999 i get home from work about 1130pm my wife tells me theres no water..2days later we get a plumber ...tells us we need a new well (rural area south nj) 2days more well is drilled....2 weeks later city does not approve the well ...because the permit should never have been issued in the 1st place we were supposed be conected to city water.....this was told to us buy the person who issued the permit ....we get permission to keep the well but we have to hook into the city water with in 5 years..sell the house last june '08 cost $ 10,000 for the water meter and line......sometimes owning a house is overrated:sad:

[ecobag2]

Wow that sucks ... I am sorry if the thread jinxed you. If it makes you feel any better, I am still chipping ice out of gutters after work (it's been so busy this week that I can't take off), and haven't run a new De-Icing wire. I am hoping I can get out early tomorrow and get back up the ladder. Good Luck with the leak, hopefully it's minor.

I'd consider some rock salt and letting that do the ice work for you and maybe hosing that out and just keep going back over w/ some salt and then hitting w/ the hose again.

Is that something you think would work? Sounds like you're up there sweating too much.

I keep thinking of the whole home filter I installed at the main valve to the house now. What a number of things can go wrong there. And I used shark bite fittings to install it. - which are trusted but I think if nothing else - I'm going to redo the job w/ soldered joints.

Knock on wood - this house was built in 1950 and pretty solid. I just had a sewer elbow leaking recently - it's cast iron so I mixed up some of that plumber's stick epoxy and presto... but I checked the length of it and there are looong fissures running along the length. That'll have to come out eventually - I might move though - so maybe it doesn't.

Right now I'm working on leak coming into my basement. It's either runoff from the gutter or groundwater - hopefully it's a simple fix but I keep finding water down there... I have to throw a rug out and I'd really like to finish it w/ drywall and all and make it a nice healthy living space but I have to be sure I'm not ripping drywall out a few months later.

[Chip196]

I'd consider some rock salt and letting that do the ice work for you and maybe hosing that out and just keep going back over w/ some salt and then hitting w/ the hose again.

Is that something you think would work? Sounds like you're up there sweating too much.

I keep thinking of the whole home filter I installed at the main valve to the house now. What a number of things can go wrong there. And I used shark bite fittings to install it. - which are trusted but I think if nothing else - I'm going to redo the job w/ soldered joints.

Knock on wood - this house was built in 1950 and pretty solid. I just had a sewer elbow leaking recently - it's cast iron so I mixed up some of that plumber's stick epoxy and presto... but I checked the length of it and there are looong fissures running along the length. That'll have to come out eventually - I might move though - so maybe it doesn't.

Right now I'm working on leak coming into my basement. It's either runoff from the gutter or groundwater - hopefully it's a simple fix but I keep finding water down there... I have to throw a rug out and I'd really like to finish it w/ drywall and all and make it a nice healthy living space but I have to be sure I'm not ripping drywall out a few months later.


I thought abought that, but I was worries about salt getting on the deck and damaging the wood. It's finally done, the new cable is run and defintiely working.

I am defintiely moving ... so I defintiely dont' want to do any more than I have to around here, so if you can hold off on a major thing until you know if you're staying, I reccomend waiting. But then again, Murphy's Law is a bitch!

[boosterp]

I thought abought that, but I was worries about salt getting on the deck and damaging the wood. It's finally done, the new cable is run and defintiely working.

I am defintiely moving ... so I defintiely dont' want to do any more than I have to around here, so if you can hold off on a major thing until you know if you're staying, I reccomend waiting. But then again, Murphy's Law is a bitch!

It's a son of a bitch. When I left my ex she asked me about maintenance on our house. I told her that nothing was wrong and that everything had been taken care of to include new water heater lines. I had wired the hot tub nearly a year before I left yet she wanted me to rerout the wire to the breaker box. She failed to understand the concept of proper wiring and that I had it on a ground fault 50 amp breaker. She also failed to understand that after I redid the plumbing in the secon bath we were good. Prior to separation she never questioned me, I think this time around was her attempt at trying to keep me to which I said fuck it. I gave her the house and much of the furniture amd have not talked to her since.

[A.J.]

no final solution as of yet.

you said "final solution"....


:lol: :lol: :lol:

I guess she'll do anything to preserve her Lebensraum.

For me the worst moment was seeing that units in the dump I bought into are now selling for $50-80K less than what I paid 3 years ago. Awesome.