I am convinced the preious owners were retarted

Sea Moose

Diamond Member
May 12, 2009
6,933
7
76
Hey All

Just venting some frustration

I just bought a house and some of the dumb shit the previous owners carried out is unbelievable..

The gutters are not cable ducts for tv Arial cable
do not render over the top of coax cable
do nut use cup head screws on screen doors that clearly require countersunk screws.

I could post pics ... but ima gonna drink a beer instead
 
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dud

Diamond Member
Feb 18, 2001
7,635
73
91
... but ima gonna drink a beer instead



Are you sure that you hadn't had a few beers before you posted this? My head hurts just trying to understand your rant. BTW ... what is "retarted" mean?
 

child of wonder

Diamond Member
Aug 31, 2006
8,307
176
106
My previous homeowners mounted the metal bathroom light fixture directly to the drywall with no electrical box protecting the 14-2 wire behind the wall from the metal wall anchors they used to mount the light. One of the anchors was touching the 14-2 wire and had it pierced it, the entire light fixture would have been electrified.

Our entire 1100 square foot basement has 3 heat vents and to make them they simply cut holes in the main HVAC line, sheet rocked over it, then put a vent in the sheet rock leaving a 2" gap between the vent and the HVAC hole they cut. This resulted in little air actually reaching the vent and most of it heating the space between the HVAC and sheet rock.

I could go on and on and on......
 

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
16,616
4,705
136
My previous homeowners mounted the metal bathroom light fixture directly to the drywall with no electrical box protecting the 14-2 wire behind the wall from the metal wall anchors they used to mount the light. One of the anchors was touching the 14-2 wire and had it pierced it, the entire light fixture would have been electrified

That's almost universal practice by contractors. The fixture enclosure serves as the junction box.
 

KB

Diamond Member
Nov 8, 1999
5,402
386
126
Not sure if this is retardation or laziness or cheapness. I have seen my fair share of this crap.
 

NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,847
154
106
Coworker of mine tells a story of how his clothes dryer exhaust was vented into a wall and not outside. He replaced the dryer after he purchased the house and followed the exhaust vent to find years upon years of lint accumulation stuffed between 2 wall studs. He had to rip the drywall out to be able to clean out all of the lint. Enough to fill up several trash bags.
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
Coworker of mine tells a story of how his clothes dryer exhaust was vented into a wall and not outside. He replaced the dryer after he purchased the house and followed the exhaust vent to find years upon years of lint accumulation stuffed between 2 wall studs. He had to rip the drywall out to be able to clean out all of the lint. Enough to fill up several trash bags.

sadly that is common just like shower and oven hood vents just venting into the ceiling
 

NoTine42

Golden Member
Sep 30, 2013
1,387
78
91
I love my central AC air handler and duct work installed above the insulation in the attic, so I get to feel icy cold drafts pouring out of my cold air returns in the winter....and the new addition in the great room with no floor insulation...and the unusually cold coat closet...
(Ducts are unused in the winter because I have baseboard hot water heat from an old boiler)
 

Jimzz

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2012
4,399
190
106
Coworker of mine tells a story of how his clothes dryer exhaust was vented into a wall and not outside. He replaced the dryer after he purchased the house and followed the exhaust vent to find years upon years of lint accumulation stuffed between 2 wall studs. He had to rip the drywall out to be able to clean out all of the lint. Enough to fill up several trash bags.



That is how my house was. There was light mold on the walls in the basement. Kept looking for leaks or wet spots but could not find anything. Pulled the dryer out and it was just a hose shoved into the wall causing the mold issue.

Had one wire active in the attic that was just loose and sitting there. 1 room that was double tied 360 to 2 breakers. etc.. The electrical wiring was so bad I went from doing repairs to just gutting the whole thing and re-wiring the house after seeing the mess in full.
 

Brovane

Diamond Member
Dec 18, 2001
5,667
1,924
136
For me the previous owners.

Literally buried where the dryer vented outside. I didn't even realize where it exited until I looked at a neighbors house that was the same model as mine.

In or kitchen they put a clear coat on the cabinet doors without cleaning the cabinet so now you see dirt under the clear coat.
 

ThatsABigOne

Diamond Member
Nov 8, 2010
4,422
23
81
I have seen my share of stupid as well.

Vents leading to nowhere, no vent in the kitchen above the oven/stove, overgrowth of shit in the backyard that ruins the look of the house, crappy driveway jobs, etc.

Either previous homeowners lack intelligence or just plain lazy.
 

child of wonder

Diamond Member
Aug 31, 2006
8,307
176
106
The tragic thing is you can do almost anything you want to your house, violate any and all building codes, then sell it to someone else and they end up incurring monetary damages or injury/death due to your fuck ups and you're 100% in the clear.
 

NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,847
154
106
The tragic thing is you can do almost anything you want to your house, violate any and all building codes, then sell it to someone else and they end up incurring monetary damages or injury/death due to your fuck ups and you're 100% in the clear.

That's why good home inspectors are worth it. And also why insurance is essential. Also any building I'm serious about buying, I also have a buddy versed and experienced in construction come along and give me his $.02.
 

Midwayman

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2000
5,723
325
126
The PO's of our house were incredible cheap asses. Anything they did while they owned it was done very poorly. White tape and what looks like a straw wrapper covering up holes in a wall rather than using spackle. They missed a stud with a bolt and instead of moving the bolt, they put it all the way through the wall with a nut on the other end. Drawers that got glues shut rather than replace the rail system. And its a pretty nice place.
 

Sho'Nuff

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2007
6,211
121
106
Hey All

Just venting some frustration

I just bought a house and some of the dumb shit the previous owners carried out is unbelievable..

The gutters are not cable ducts for tv Arial cable
do not render over the top of coax cable
do nut use cup head screws on screen doors that clearly require countersunk screws.

I could post pics ... but ima gonna drink a beer instead

Meh. That is pretty basic homeowner idiocy.

After buying the house I live in now, I discovered that the previous homeowners decided to use the RADON amelioration system as conduit for telephone lines that run from the basement to an upstairs bedroom. They literally cut a 2 inch square hole out of the main pipe and fished the cable down through it from the attic. Way to compromise the habitability of the house for old school telephone service.

Another funny thing is the previous owners of my house live a mere .5 miles away. I see them all the time and they are always remarking on how the builder of my house was an "artist" and a "craftsman." Everytime they say that I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from asking, "Oh really, was he a craftsman when he decided to install the windows such that every room in the house is asymmetrical? Was he a craftsman when he couldn;t be bothered to center the dining and living room lights? Was he a bloody artist when he f'ed up installing the master bathroom ventilation - causing mold issues? Was he an artist when he decided to give the attic a 20 foot high ceiling but couldn't be bothered to raise the basement ceiling height to above 6' 4"?

I could go on and on and on.