[leza wang]

water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

[Nate Nagel]

On 01/15/2011 07:34 PM, leza wang wrote:
water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

if you're serious...

roof and dampness in basement are 1st priorities. everything else is
secondary. make the thing weathertight first.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

On Jan 15, 7:13*pm, leza wang wrote:
On Jan 15, 8:04*pm, Michael B wrote:





On Jan 15, 7:34*pm, leza wang wrote:

water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks *a lot

What is bring and brong?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

sorry for my spelling mistake. i meant brick- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Please repost with clearer spelling, there were so many words that
didn't make sense that it was impossible to figure out what were your
problems.

[Tony Hwang]

hr(bob) wrote:
On Jan 15, 7:13 pm, leza wrote:
On Jan 15, 8:04 pm, Michael wrote:





On Jan 15, 7:34 pm, leza wrote:

water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

What is bring and brong?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

sorry for my spelling mistake. i meant brick- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Please repost with clearer spelling, there were so many words that
didn't make sense that it was impossible to figure out what were your
problems.
Hmmm,
Hired a house inspector? Ican cost a lot of money or not so much of it
depending on the over all condition of the house. If water in the
basement, you have to ind to cause and apply proper remedy just water
proofing can mean nothing much. Your house keeping lesson number one is
beginning

[Ed Pawlowski[_2_]]

?
"Nate Nagel" wrote

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

if you're serious...

roof and dampness in basement are 1st priorities. everything else is
secondary. make the thing weathertight first.

nate

Agree. Next is plumbing and electrical. You want to be safe; if unsafe
correct, if safe but you want better services, skip and go to the next step,
then come back at your convenience. . Next is check out the heat and
insulation. Biggest savings and fastest payback is insulating.

[[email protected]]

Do all the outside stuff first, new roof, point & check chimney, the
fake brick may be insulbrick. best to reside home and replace windows
or repair. and check condition of vents thru roof. Then worry about
wet basement.

Secure the outdoors first before doing anything inside. Cause outdoor
troubles like roof leaks can ruin new indoor stuff fast

[leza wang]

On Jan 15, 9:18*pm, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
On Jan 15, 7:13*pm, leza wang wrote:
Please repost with clearer spelling, there were so many words that
didn't make sense that it was impossible to figure out what were your
problems.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
sorry for that. i am reposting it here again. thanks
==
Hi I just bought as is home and I noticed that there is water leakage
in the basement. There is like 5 inch crack in the drywall (wet). The
basement needs for sure
waterproofing treatment. The house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the pluming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in Toronto, Ontario).
I also have found the following:

1) The attic need insulation as well.
2) The carpet upstairs needs to be changed
3) The roofing shingle needs to be replaced so.
4) The front of the house is not bring but they made it look like it
is brick wall (they put something to make it look like brick but it is
very thin tiny stuff connected by cement, i do not know the name).
5) Some other of minor stuff need to be done inside the house like
painting, windows cleaning or replacing etc.
Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finish the second task.

[leza wang]

On Jan 15, 9:29*pm, Tony Hwang wrote:
hr(bob) wrote:
On Jan 15, 7:13 pm, leza *wrote:
On Jan 15, 8:04 pm, Michael *wrote:

On Jan 15, 7:34 pm, leza *wrote:

water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks *a lot

What is bring and brong?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

sorry for my spelling mistake. i meant brick- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Please repost with clearer spelling, there were so many words that
didn't make sense that it was impossible to figure out what were your
problems.

Hmmm,
Hired a house inspector? Ican cost a lot of money or not so much of it
depending on the over all condition of the house. If water in the
basement, you have to ind to cause and apply proper remedy just water
proofing can mean nothing much. Your house keeping lesson number one is
beginning- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

thanks but i already bought the house, it was low price that is why i
did not hire inspector. what the inspector would have told me? there
is a crak in the basment?! i knew that so why i pay for something i
can see it and know how much will cost me. we heard many stories home
owners hired inspectors but they miss this or that

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

On Jan 15, 9:24*pm, leza wang wrote:
On Jan 15, 9:29*pm, Tony Hwang wrote:





hr(bob) wrote:
On Jan 15, 7:13 pm, leza *wrote:
On Jan 15, 8:04 pm, Michael *wrote:

On Jan 15, 7:34 pm, leza *wrote:

water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task..

Thanks *a lot

What is bring and brong?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

sorry for my spelling mistake. i meant brick- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Please repost with clearer spelling, there were so many words that
didn't make sense that it was impossible to figure out what were your
problems.

Hmmm,
Hired a house inspector? Ican cost a lot of money or not so much of it
depending on the over all condition of the house. If water in the
basement, you have to ind to cause and apply proper remedy just water
proofing can mean nothing much. Your house keeping lesson number one is
beginning- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

thanks but i already bought the house, it was low price that is why i
did not hire inspector. what the inspector would have told me? there
is a crak in the basment?! i knew that so why i pay for something i
can see it and know how much will cost me. we heard many stories home
owners hired inspectors but they miss this or that- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Fix the roof first. Is the crack in the basement an outside or inside
wall? What is a roofing shanquel? You said a crack in the basement
drywall, but drywall is not normally on an outside basement wall.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 1/15/2011 7:33 PM hr(bob) spake thus:

Fix the roof first. Is the crack in the basement an outside or inside
wall? What is a roofing shanquel?

C'mon, man, can't you fill in the blanks? I think "shingle" would fit
nicely here.


--
Comment on quaint Usenet customs, from Usenet:

To me, the *plonk...* reminds me of the old man at the public hearing
who stands to make his point, then removes his hearing aid as a sign
that he is not going to hear any rebuttals.

[aemeijers]

On 1/15/2011 7:34 PM, leza wang wrote:
water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

First priority- condition of foundation, aside from the moisture
problem. No point fixing anything else if the foundation CAN'T be
realistically fixed. If previous owner walked away, there may be a good
reason.
Second priority- roof. Is it currently leaking, or is it just going to
need a tearoff and replacement 'soon' ? (On a 90 year old house, unless
it has had a full replacement in last 20 years, you want it ALL off, so
they can check the roof structure and repair as needed.) Note that
basement moisture problems are often related to roof and gutter
problems- fixing what is on top can often help what is down below.
Third priority- fix basement moisture problem. No point bringing new
material inside a damp house. It may be expensive, it may be as simple
as fixing gutters and repairing basement window wells, and regrading the
yard a little. Yards get taller over time, and can sometimes develop low
spots near foundation where water collects and leaks in. Anybody 'in the
business' can quickly eyeball the situation and tell you likely places
to look. If the first words out of their mouth are 'interior french
drains', throw them out. While sometimes a (last resort) solution, there
are usually much cheaper cures.

These first 3 items are close in priority- everything else can be done
as budget allows, other than maybe any electric and plumbing issues
needed to make the place safe/legal to live in. You can remove the
skanky carpets and such whenever it is convenient. If house is damp,
they probably reek. I'd live with bare floors till all the other work is
done.

If you are not in the immediate area to supervise repair work until you
can move, recommend hiring a good general contractor to assist you. Even
if you are in the area, if you have never done any of this and don't
have the skills, bring a pro in early to inspect, and develop a list of
what needs to be done in what order. You want somebody like that Mike
Holmes guy from TV, that won't BS you. Any good contractor with rehab
experience understands things need to be done in phases sometimes.

--
aem sends...

[Michael B]

I have an acquaintance that is getting ready to do a
massive amount of waterproofing. Already has contracts
signed. I visited him a few days and he mentioned it.
My response was that his deck is the problem.

He has had the place for 20 years, when he got the place
the original deck was there, he just kept it in good repair.

When grass gets cut, decays, becomes compost, becomes
dirt, the ground height rises. But not where the deck keeps
grass from growing. So without even measuring, I told him
that the ground was low next to his foundation, and any
rain that went through the deck had nowhere to go except
towards the foundation to show up at the basement sump
pump.

Well, he wanted me to be wrong, and used a string level
to measure. No surprise, I was right. The ground below
the door from the deck was nearly 3 inches lower than at
the stairs to the deck. The deck is 15x30, that's almost 500
square feet of collecting area with a predictable drainage
path.

All structures need a positive slope away from the structure.
Just reminding.

And what I suggested is a different story.

On Jan 15, 11:06*pm, aemeijers wrote:

as fixing gutters and repairing basement window wells, and regrading the
yard a little. Yards get taller over time, and can sometimes develop low
spots near foundation where water collects and leaks in. Anybody 'in the
business' can quickly eyeball the situation and tell you likely places
to look. If the first words out of their mouth are 'interior french
drains', throw them out. While sometimes a (last resort) solution, there
are usually much cheaper cures.

[mm]

On Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:20:42 -0800 (PST), leza wang
wrote:

Hi I just bought as is home and I noticed that there is water leakage
in the basement. There is like 5 inch crack in the drywall (wet). The

I can't remember what they used for foundation walls 90 years ago, but
drywall is sheet-rock or fibre board or gypsum sandwiched between
paper. It's definitly not the cinderblock or brick wall that
separates your basement from the dirt outside. Unless the drywall
dries out soon, you probalby have to rip it out to find the real wall
underneath. Or at least make a hole in it to look in and start
planning what to do next.

basement needs for sure
waterproofing treatment.

In your situation, where I assume you expect to spend quite a bit to
waterprrof the basement for many years to come, this might not be
helpful, but waterproof paint, such as by UGL, can do an incredible
amount, considering it's only paint, takes little time and little
money, to waterproof a basement. You should also check downspouts to
see that the rain water is directed away from the house, and earth
"gradiing". I had a little dip right next to my wall, where the
downspout water washed away some dirt, the water pooled there and went
down and seeped into my cinderblock foundation.

A friend had a sump and a sumppump, but the output hose only went 6
inches from her house, so as soon as her pump pumped the water out, it
came right back.

[FatterDumber& Happier Moe]

leza wang wrote:
water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

A lot of this so much depends on your standards for a house if you
want to modernize it or keep it original, if you intend to live in it
(and a woman is involved) or you bought it to fix and sell and what part
of the country it's located. I bought the old house I'm living in about
25 years ago. It's probably about 100 years old now. A little dirt
work might do wonders for the water in the basement. Make sure surface
water drains away from the house. Next how level are the floors?
Depending on the soil and the foundation you might need to give that
some attention, maybe a lot of attention. The roof must be in good
shape, no leaks allowed! The wiring, if it is knob and tube then you
need to address that, and you won't be able to do much insulating in the
attic until you do, do not cover knob and tube wiring with insulation.
The electrical service for our town is now a minimum of 200 amps and
that might be required when you get into the wiring upgrade. The
plumbing is probably the easiest in some ways, just replace the old
water lines. Everything I've done to this house I did with repairs in
mind. Any major work, best get square with code enforcement, they might
have something to say about the way you do things.
Windows? You might be surprised how tight an old set of wood windows
properly repaired and sealed can be.
Depending on where you live lead paint might be an issue and a very
expensive issue.
I have a feeling you are going to learn a whole lot about old houses
before you are through with this. If you bought it to fix an sell keep
in mind what the lending agencies require before they will loan money to
a buyer.
Good luck

[aemeijers]

On 1/15/2011 11:45 PM, Michael B wrote:
I have an acquaintance that is getting ready to do a
massive amount of waterproofing. Already has contracts
signed. I visited him a few days and he mentioned it.
My response was that his deck is the problem.

He has had the place for 20 years, when he got the place
the original deck was there, he just kept it in good repair.

When grass gets cut, decays, becomes compost, becomes
dirt, the ground height rises. But not where the deck keeps
grass from growing. So without even measuring, I told him
that the ground was low next to his foundation, and any
rain that went through the deck had nowhere to go except
towards the foundation to show up at the basement sump
pump.

Well, he wanted me to be wrong, and used a string level
to measure. No surprise, I was right. The ground below
the door from the deck was nearly 3 inches lower than at
the stairs to the deck. The deck is 15x30, that's almost 500
square feet of collecting area with a predictable drainage
path.

All structures need a positive slope away from the structure.
Just reminding.

And what I suggested is a different story.

On Jan 15, 11:06 pm, wrote:

as fixing gutters and repairing basement window wells, and regrading the
yard a little. Yards get taller over time, and can sometimes develop low
spots near foundation where water collects and leaks in. Anybody 'in the
business' can quickly eyeball the situation and tell you likely places
to look. If the first words out of their mouth are 'interior french
drains', throw them out. While sometimes a (last resort) solution, there
are usually much cheaper cures.



Was the deck built when the house was? Many decks, especially the ones
within a couple feet of ground level, have the original concrete patio
buried underneath them. And as we have discussed many times on here,
concrete patios love to frost heave, so that they actually tilt toward
the house. Put a deck over that heaved concrete (plus do like my idiot
previous owner did and put a raised flower bed around the deck), and you
have created a situation where there is almost always a giant mosquito
breeding pond trapped against the top of foundation.

--
aem sends...

[Larry W]

In article ,
leza wang wrote:
water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

1st thing, hire a translator.

--
Often wrong, never in doubt.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar. org

[leza wang]

On Jan 15, 11:06*pm, aemeijers wrote:
On 1/15/2011 7:34 PM, leza wang wrote:
First priority- condition of foundation, aside from the moisture
problem. No point fixing anything else if the foundation CAN'T be
realistically fixed. If previous owner walked away, there may be a good
reason.
Second priority- roof. Is it currently leaking, or is it just going to
need a tearoff and replacement 'soon' ? (On a 90 year old house, unless
it has had a full replacement in last 20 years, you want it ALL off, so
they can check the roof structure and repair as needed.) Note that
basement moisture problems are often related to roof and gutter
problems- fixing what is on top can often help what is down below.
Third priority- fix basement moisture problem. *No point bringing new
material inside a damp house. It may be expensive, it may be as simple
as fixing gutters and repairing basement window wells, and regrading the
yard a little. Yards get taller over time, and can sometimes develop low
spots near foundation where water collects and leaks in. Anybody 'in the
business' can quickly eyeball the situation and tell you likely places
to look. If the first words out of their mouth are 'interior french
drains', throw them out. While sometimes a (last resort) solution, there
are usually much cheaper cures.

These first 3 items are close in priority- everything else can be done
as budget allows, other than maybe any electric and plumbing issues
needed to make the place safe/legal to live in. You can remove the
skanky carpets and such whenever it is convenient. If house is damp,
they probably reek. I'd live with bare floors till all the other work is
done.

If you are not in the immediate area to supervise repair work until you
can move, recommend hiring a good general contractor to assist you. Even
if you are in the area, if you have never done any of this and don't
have the skills, bring a pro in early to inspect, and develop a list of
what needs to be done in what order. You want somebody like that Mike
Holmes guy from TV, that won't BS you. Any good contractor with rehab
experience understands things need to be done in phases sometimes.

--
aem sends...- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
thanks a lot for your reply. i am very scared now. so you think the
previous owner walked away because there is no way to fix the brack in
the basement!! wow that is so scary thought and i really hope not. i
saw a hole beside the outside basement window and i right away though
that the water must be coming from there.

i do not have an experience with repairing old houses and i wish i can
find some honest contracter like what you mention Mike Holmes but how
to find that person? Do you recomend anyone? do you know anyone? I
live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
thanks a lot once again

[leza wang]

On Jan 16, 7:48*am, aemeijers wrote:
On 1/15/2011 11:45 PM, Michael B wrote:





I have an acquaintance that is getting ready to do a
massive amount of waterproofing. Already has contracts
signed. I visited him a few days and he mentioned it.
My response was that his deck is the problem.

He has had the place for 20 years, when he got the place
the original deck was there, he just kept it in good repair.

When grass gets cut, decays, becomes compost, becomes
dirt, the ground height rises. But not where the deck keeps
grass from growing. So without even measuring, I told him
that the ground was low next to his foundation, and any
rain that went through the deck had nowhere to go except
towards the foundation to show up at the basement sump
pump.

Well, he wanted me to be wrong, and used a string level
to measure. * No surprise, I was right. The ground below
the door from the deck was nearly 3 inches lower than at
the stairs to the deck. The deck is 15x30, that's almost 500
square feet of collecting area with a predictable drainage
path.

All structures need a positive slope away from the structure.
Just reminding.

And what I suggested is a different story.

On Jan 15, 11:06 pm, *wrote:

as fixing gutters and repairing basement window wells, and regrading the
yard a little. Yards get taller over time, and can sometimes develop low
spots near foundation where water collects and leaks in. Anybody 'in the
business' can quickly eyeball the situation and tell you likely places
to look. If the first words out of their mouth are 'interior french
drains', throw them out. While sometimes a (last resort) solution, there
are usually much cheaper cures.

Was the deck built when the house was? Many decks, especially the ones
within a couple feet of ground level, have the original concrete patio
buried underneath them. And as we have discussed many times on here,
concrete patios love to frost heave, so that they actually tilt toward
the house. Put a deck over that heaved concrete (plus do like my idiot
previous owner did and put a raised flower bed around the deck), and you
have created a situation where there is almost always a giant mosquito
breeding pond trapped against the top of foundation.

--
aem sends...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

i do not have deck

[leza wang]

On Jan 16, 7:49*am, (Larry W) wrote:
In article ,
leza wang wrote:





water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks *a lot

1st thing, hire a translator.

--
* * *Often wrong, never in doubt.

* * *Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar. org- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

well english is my second language and i admit i need to improve but
at least i can communicate. your comment is harsh and not needed
really. if you did not like my post, just ignore it and move on.

[Jeff Thies]

On 1/15/2011 7:34 PM, leza wang wrote:
water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Old houses are often quite strong, but they also can have problems that
have festered for years. Certainly foundations are built differently now.

Take care of anything to do with water. Find out why the basement is
getting wet. Check to see if you have any water damage inside from the
roof. Then make sure you have no plumbing leaks.

I would not worry now about the carpet or the fake brick front.
Blowing in insulation in the attic is cheap and easy. Putting in
insulation in walls should be a priority as no amount of attic
insulation will compensate for uninsulated walls, which is common in a
90 year old house. Fix any drafts.

Make sure the wiring is safe.

Stabilize any problems. You may need a new roof or plumbing, but you
can temporarily patch a roof or fix a leak until the real fix can be done.

As far as why the previous owner walked away, the most common reason
is money. A lot of people bought homes as an investment, then found out
they could not afford their investment.

Most recently occupied houses can be fixed. Unoccupied derelict
buildings can deteriorate so fast they can be uneconomical to repair.

Jeff


Thanks a lot

[harry]

On Jan 16, 12:34*am, leza wang wrote:
water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks *a lot

The very first thng to do is to detemine if the house is structurally
sound ie, it's not going to fall down. You need to get an idea of the
total cost of the repairs. It might be that it's cheaper to demolish
and rebuild. It depends too on whether you are able to do any work
yourself or not.

Assuming the house is financially viable, the priorties are the
structure and to keep the weather out.
Inside, you need to do all demolition/removal work everywhere first so
that you can assess what needs to be done.
But the finance is the main thing at the moment.

[Ed Pawlowski[_2_]]

?
"leza wang" wrote
thanks a lot for your reply. i am very scared now. so you think the
previous owner walked away because there is no way to fix the brack in
the basement!! wow that is so scary thought and i really hope not. i
saw a hole beside the outside basement window and i right away though
that the water must be coming from there.


Relax. Sure, a 90 year old house may need repairs, but it has stood for 90
years already and another 90 or 180 is not our of the question. My son's
house was built in 1752 so by comparison, yours is quite young.

Some water problems are serious, others are not such a big deal, like an
open window. Once you move into the house and get a heavy rain, you can see
if it is just a matter of grading or sealing windows, or routing drains from
the gutters away from the house.

Finding a good home repair contractor is not easy. Talk to friends,
coworkers, neighbors to see if they have used anyone local.

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

On Jan 16, 9:52*am, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
?
"leza wang" wrote

thanks a lot for your reply. i am very scared now. so you think the
previous owner walked away because there is no way to fix the brack in
the basement!! wow that is so scary thought and i really hope not. i
saw a hole beside the outside basement window and i right away though
that the water must be coming from there.

Relax. *Sure, a 90 year old house may need repairs, but it has stood for 90
years already and another 90 or 180 is not our of the question. *My son's
house was built in 1752 so by comparison, yours is quite young.

Some water problems are serious, others are not such a big deal, like an
open window. *Once you move into the house and get a heavy rain, you can see
if it is just a matter of grading or sealing windows, or routing drains from
the gutters away from the house.

Finding a good home repair contractor is not easy. *Talk to friends,
coworkers, neighbors to see if they have used anyone local.

Second that thought - Find a friend who knows about repairs, an avid
do-it-yourself person, ask around. Most of us who do these things
ourselves are happy to pass on information to newbies like yourself.
We have a lady, named Kate, who jumped into this group fairly
recently, asking a lot of reasonable questions and who got a lot of
very good responses and has now done a lot of repairs from what her
posting indicate. But, please re-read your postings before sending
them out, and use spell-check. I really did have trouble
understanding some of your posting because the language/spelling was
so far off.

[aemeijers]

On 1/16/2011 10:52 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
?
"leza wang" wrote
thanks a lot for your reply. i am very scared now. so you think the
previous owner walked away because there is no way to fix the brack in
the basement!! wow that is so scary thought and i really hope not. i
saw a hole beside the outside basement window and i right away though
that the water must be coming from there.


Relax. Sure, a 90 year old house may need repairs, but it has stood for
90 years already and another 90 or 180 is not our of the question. My
son's house was built in 1752 so by comparison, yours is quite young.

Some water problems are serious, others are not such a big deal, like an
open window. Once you move into the house and get a heavy rain, you can
see if it is just a matter of grading or sealing windows, or routing
drains from the gutters away from the house.

Finding a good home repair contractor is not easy. Talk to friends,
coworkers, neighbors to see if they have used anyone local.

Agreed- didn't mean to panic Leza like that. But the main point is to
have somebody who knows what they are doing look at the place before
spending any serious money. A good home inspector (if there is such a
thing), or a good general contractor, can walk through the place, and in
a couple of hours come up with a better diagnosis and possible cures,
than we can do remotely sight unseen. Basement water problems could be
major, or they could be trivial to fix. I have seen people drop $100,000
remodeling the upstairs of a place that had little or no foundation left
under it. THAT is what you want to avoid. Good foundation to hold it up,
then a good roof to keep it dry, and then move on to everything else.

--
aem sends...

[Red Green]

David Nebenzahl wrote in news:4d326d07$0$2361
:

On 1/15/2011 7:33 PM hr(bob) spake thus:

Fix the roof first. Is the crack in the basement an outside or inside
wall? What is a roofing shanquel?

C'mon, man, can't you fill in the blanks? I think "shingle" would fit
nicely here.



Obviously the OP's 2nd (or more) language. Cut 'em some slack. I give them
credit for what they can get across. Closest thing to a 2nd language for me
is Yo Yo Yo, hole up!

[[email protected]]

On Sun, 16 Jan 2011 13:31:11 -0500, aemeijers
wrote:

On 1/16/2011 10:52 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
?
"leza wang" wrote
thanks a lot for your reply. i am very scared now. so you think the
previous owner walked away because there is no way to fix the brack in
the basement!! wow that is so scary thought and i really hope not. i
saw a hole beside the outside basement window and i right away though
that the water must be coming from there.


Relax. Sure, a 90 year old house may need repairs, but it has stood for
90 years already and another 90 or 180 is not our of the question. My
son's house was built in 1752 so by comparison, yours is quite young.

Some water problems are serious, others are not such a big deal, like an
open window. Once you move into the house and get a heavy rain, you can
see if it is just a matter of grading or sealing windows, or routing
drains from the gutters away from the house.

Finding a good home repair contractor is not easy. Talk to friends,
coworkers, neighbors to see if they have used anyone local.

Agreed- didn't mean to panic Leza like that. But the main point is to
have somebody who knows what they are doing look at the place before
spending any serious money. A good home inspector (if there is such a
thing), or a good general contractor, can walk through the place, and in
a couple of hours come up with a better diagnosis and possible cures,
than we can do remotely sight unseen. Basement water problems could be
major, or they could be trivial to fix. I have seen people drop $100,000
remodeling the upstairs of a place that had little or no foundation left
under it. THAT is what you want to avoid. Good foundation to hold it up,
then a good roof to keep it dry, and then move on to everything else.


I'd second that. Unless the roof is leaking, look at the foundation
first. Toronto does not have a lot of snow on the ground yet, so check
drainage levels If sloped towards the house you can still get a load
of soil delivered and bank up to the foundation.By next week that may
not be an option.
Second priority is the roof - UNLESS the siding is insul-brick - which
will neeed to be removed before you can get insurance.

Then check the wiring and plumbing. If Knob and Tube, you do need to
replace it - no insurance company doing business in Toronto will take
it on as a new account with Knob and Tube.
Check the plumbing too. If it is still galvanized iron pipe and a cast
iron sewer stack, you will need to replace all of that as well. Go
with plastic drain/sewer. For the water piping you can use PEX or
other non-copper piping, but in my opinion, copper plumbing is still
better value long-term and I'd spend the extra and have copper
installed.

All of this will involve opening some walls and working in the attic -
so you want it ALL done before insulating anything. If the siding is
being replaced it is often most cost effective to insulate from the
outside - cavity fill insulation (blown or poured) or foam board on
the exterior under the new siding both work well.
However, if you need to do a lot of interiour tear-out, stripping the
outside walls and installing new Batt insulation, then new dry-wall is
often the best way to go. This allows you to install proper vapour
barrier etc while you are at it.

Now this all hinges a bit on the neighbourhood. If it is a rough part
of town, making your house the best on the street might not be,
financially, a sound investment. If, on the other hand, most of the
neighbourhood has been renovated and yours is one of the poorer
buildings on the street, bringing it up to standard will greatly
increase the value, and it is well worth spending a bit extra to make
things top quality. Don't waste money on frills that you can add later
- just get it solid, straight, tight and clean.
If and when you have walls open, think ahead and make sure you get
everything into the walls that you may want in the next 5 - 10 years -
things like TV cable, phone lines, etc cost VERY little to install
now, and are a real job after everything is insulated and finished.

[Colbyt]

"leza wang" wrote in message
...
thanks but i already bought the house, it was low price that is why i
did not hire inspector. what the inspector would have told me? there
is a crak in the basment?! i knew that so why i pay for something i
can see it and know how much will cost me. we heard many stories home
owners hired inspectors but they miss this or that


Leza

After shopping for a qualified inspector that may not be a bad choice for
you. It would allow you to get some advice from someone who is not trying
to sell you anything. They can identify most of the problems with the home
and give you some indication of the best order to do the work. Check around
and find out who is the most honest best educated one in your area. You may
be able to get a nice discount since they will have little risk in this
friendly inspection.

The things that you, a new homeowner think most important may be the least
important. I have seen people spend money on new paint, carpet, cabinets
and a lot of interior stuff while the roof over their heads was slowly
rotting away.


--
Colbyt
Please come visit http://www.househomerepair.com

[Michael B]

On Jan 16, 7:48*am, aemeijers wrote:
On 1/15/2011 11:45 PM, Michael B wrote:



I have an acquaintance that is getting ready to do a
massive amount of waterproofing. Already has contracts
signed. I visited him a few days and he mentioned it.
My response was that his deck is the problem.

He has had the place for 20 years, when he got the place
the original deck was there, he just kept it in good repair.

When grass gets cut, decays, becomes compost, becomes
dirt, the ground height rises. But not where the deck keeps
grass from growing. So without even measuring, I told him
that the ground was low next to his foundation, and any
rain that went through the deck had nowhere to go except
towards the foundation to show up at the basement sump
pump.

Well, he wanted me to be wrong, and used a string level
to measure. * No surprise, I was right. The ground below
the door from the deck was nearly 3 inches lower than at
the stairs to the deck. The deck is 15x30, that's almost 500
square feet of collecting area with a predictable drainage
path.

All structures need a positive slope away from the structure.
Just reminding.

And what I suggested is a different story.

On Jan 15, 11:06 pm, *wrote:

as fixing gutters and repairing basement window wells, and regrading the
yard a little. Yards get taller over time, and can sometimes develop low
spots near foundation where water collects and leaks in. Anybody 'in the
business' can quickly eyeball the situation and tell you likely places
to look. If the first words out of their mouth are 'interior french
drains', throw them out. While sometimes a (last resort) solution, there
are usually much cheaper cures.

Was the deck built when the house was? Many decks, especially the ones
within a couple feet of ground level, have the original concrete patio
buried underneath them. And as we have discussed many times on here,
concrete patios love to frost heave, so that they actually tilt toward
the house. Put a deck over that heaved concrete (plus do like my idiot
previous owner did and put a raised flower bed around the deck), and you
have created a situation where there is almost always a giant mosquito
breeding pond trapped against the top of foundation.

--
aem sends...

Good points, and very close to the situation.
As I recall, there had been a small porch with
very bad surface spalling, and instead of replacing
it, the previous owner had gone for a huge deck.
So most of the ground under it is dirt, and low.
As for the mosquito breeding pond, it's been my
experience that the water manages to migrate
down along the foundation.

[[email protected]]

On Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:46:33 -0500, Nate Nagel
wrote:

On 01/15/2011 07:34 PM, leza wang wrote:
water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

if you're serious...

roof and dampness in basement are 1st priorities. everything else is
secondary. make the thing weathertight first.

nate
I hope you got it real cheap. Is it in Toronto? or Hamilton? - how far
out?

If the house is insul-brick (looks like brick but made out of
wood-fibre type crap with stone finish like shingles) no Canadian
insurance company will insure it. MANY houses of that age were sided
with insul-brick.

[[email protected]]

On Jan 16, 4:33*pm, wrote:
On Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:46:33 -0500, Nate Nagel
wrote:





On 01/15/2011 07:34 PM, leza wang wrote:
water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks *a lot

if you're serious...

roof and dampness in basement are 1st priorities. *everything else is
secondary. *make the thing weathertight first.

nate

I hope you got it real cheap. Is it in Toronto? or Hamilton? - how far
out?

If the house is insul-brick (looks like brick but made out of
wood-fibre type crap with stone finish like shingles) no Canadian
insurance company will insure it. MANY houses of that age were sided
with insul-brick.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

is that because of asbestos in siding?

does the home have any knob and tube wiring.

i looked at a home nearby, owener was looking for volunteers to help
rebuild. it was near a closed mine, and along the railroad tracks.

It must of been built as people picked up stuff that fell off trains.

A hodgepoge of misc material using some railroad track as framing. the
track was worn.

felt bad for the guy his wife tired of the mess and moved out taking
the kids.

will have to drive by and see what he did.

[aemeijers]

On 1/16/2011 5:18 PM, wrote:
On Jan 16, 4:33 pm, wrote:
On Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:46:33 -0500, Nate
wrote:





On 01/15/2011 07:34 PM, leza wang wrote:
water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

if you're serious...

roof and dampness in basement are 1st priorities. everything else is
secondary. make the thing weathertight first.

nate

I hope you got it real cheap. Is it in Toronto? or Hamilton? - how far
out?

If the house is insul-brick (looks like brick but made out of
wood-fibre type crap with stone finish like shingles) no Canadian
insurance company will insure it. MANY houses of that age were sided
with insul-brick.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

is that because of asbestos in siding?

does the home have any knob and tube wiring.

i looked at a home nearby, owener was looking for volunteers to help
rebuild. it was near a closed mine, and along the railroad tracks.

It must of been built as people picked up stuff that fell off trains.

A hodgepoge of misc material using some railroad track as framing. the
track was worn.

Chuckle. At estate sales in older blue-collar parts of town here, more
than once I have looked up at the center beam in the basement, and
realized it was an upside-down stick of railroad track. Grand Trunk
used to have a pretty big repair shop here, back before CN absorbed them
into the parent company.

--
aem sends...

[Tony Hwang]

aemeijers wrote:
On 1/16/2011 5:18 PM, wrote:
On Jan 16, 4:33 pm, wrote:
On Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:46:33 -0500, Nate
wrote:





On 01/15/2011 07:34 PM, leza wang wrote:
water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

if you're serious...

roof and dampness in basement are 1st priorities. everything else is
secondary. make the thing weathertight first.

nate

I hope you got it real cheap. Is it in Toronto? or Hamilton? - how far
out?

If the house is insul-brick (looks like brick but made out of
wood-fibre type crap with stone finish like shingles) no Canadian
insurance company will insure it. MANY houses of that age were sided
with insul-brick.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

is that because of asbestos in siding?

does the home have any knob and tube wiring.

i looked at a home nearby, owener was looking for volunteers to help
rebuild. it was near a closed mine, and along the railroad tracks.

It must of been built as people picked up stuff that fell off trains.

A hodgepoge of misc material using some railroad track as framing. the
track was worn.

Chuckle. At estate sales in older blue-collar parts of town here, more
than once I have looked up at the center beam in the basement, and
realized it was an upside-down stick of railroad track. Grand Trunk used
to have a pretty big repair shop here, back before CN absorbed them into
the parent company.

Hmmm,
2011 minus 90 goes back to 1921. Isn't that the time resources were
scarce? It was B4 I was born.

[jeff_wisnia[_4_]]

hr(bob) wrote:
On Jan 15, 9:24 pm, leza wang wrote:

On Jan 15, 9:29 pm, Tony Hwang wrote:






hr(bob) wrote:

On Jan 15, 7:13 pm, leza wrote:

On Jan 15, 8:04 pm, Michael wrote:

On Jan 15, 7:34 pm, leza wrote:

water coming form the basement and the basement need for sure
waterproofing treatment. the house sold as is (power sale) and i am
not sure if the plumming working fine because i have not moved yet (i
live in toronto). i have found that the attic need insulation as well,
crapet upstair need to be changed, the the roofing shanquel need to be
replace soo. The front of the house is not bring but they made it look
like it is bring (they put something look like brong but it is very
thin, i do not know the name). and some other minor stuff need to be
done inside the house like painting, windows cleaning or replacing
etc.

Could you please advise me what I should do first (priority wise). I
do not want to do something first and then do the next thing and then
find that I have to undo what I did first to finsh the second task.

Thanks a lot

What is bring and brong?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

sorry for my spelling mistake. i meant brick- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Please repost with clearer spelling, there were so many words that
didn't make sense that it was impossible to figure out what were your
problems.

Hmmm,
Hired a house inspector? Ican cost a lot of money or not so much of it
depending on the over all condition of the house. If water in the
basement, you have to ind to cause and apply proper remedy just water
proofing can mean nothing much. Your house keeping lesson number one is
beginning- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

thanks but i already bought the house, it was low price that is why i
did not hire inspector. what the inspector would have told me? there
is a crak in the basment?! i knew that so why i pay for something i
can see it and know how much will cost me. we heard many stories home
owners hired inspectors but they miss this or that- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Fix the roof first. Is the crack in the basement an outside or inside
wall? What is a roofing shanquel? You said a crack in the basement
drywall, but drywall is not normally on an outside basement wall.

Shingle of course.

I betcha she does better writing english than you would her native language.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.