I'm a homeowner now

[UglyCasanova]

Woohoo, just got back from closing! It hurt cutting that check but now i have my own place.

Now I have to spend the next couple of days moving in 100 degree weather.


Also - i have two bedrooms that at the moment will only be used sparingly. If i shut the ac vents off in those rooms and keep the doors closed that should cut down on my overall ac usage huh?

 

[purbeast0]

congrats.

after owning a house for nearly 3 years, it's not nearly as expensive/bad as everyone says it is. and it's awesome to be able to have my own home theater after living in an apartment for 7 years prior where i didn't even have a sub hooked up.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Woohoo, just got back from closing! It hurt cutting that check but now i have my own place.

Now I have to spend the next couple of days moving in 100 degree weather.


Also - i have two bedrooms that at the moment will only be used sparingly. If i shut the ac vents off in those rooms and keep the doors closed that should cut down on my overall ac usage huh?

Congrats!

Yes, it could cut down on your overall usage - when you close the vents in those rooms, it will increase the flow from the vents in your other rooms due to the increased pressure and it could cool the house faster. Also, if you have a two story house, close the downstairs vents in the summer and the upstairs vents in the winter.

EDIT: Just saw you were in Louisiana -- the winter part probably doesn't apply too much to you.

 

[cabri]

Close off vents to any rooms you are not using. Keep the doors to those rooms closed.

Drapes on any windows to reduce sunlight into the room (heat)

Also, check your wall/ceiling insulation levels.

Ensure your ducts are clean.

 

[IronWing]

Congrats!

 

[edro]

Head over to the Home and Garden forum and we will help you with any homeowner issues.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Grats!

When is the house warming party?

 

[manimal]

grats man dont worry about the spiders!

 

[KeithTalent]

Grats! Feels good doesn't it?

KT

 

[Eug]

Hey congrats!

You'll probably discover that you'll be wasting way too much time Home Depot or Lowes soon.

congrats.

after owning a house for nearly 3 years, it's not nearly as expensive/bad as everyone says it is. and it's awesome to be able to have my own home theater after living in an apartment for 7 years prior where i didn't even have a sub hooked up.

I think the issue is a lot of people move from a small or moderate sized apartment to a much bigger house. In that context, of course it's no surprise that a house is much more expensive.

In my case I moved from an apartment to a townhouse and then to a large house. In each case, my monthly expenses went up substantially, but then again I have a lot more room and a ginormous yard now. The only thing is I hate the yard work, so we've been paying someone to do a lot of it (which also adds to the expense).

BTW, I have a dedicated home theatre with projector and 13" SVS sub... and never use it. With little kids in the house, there is just no time when the kids are awake, and when they're not, I can't use it because it'd wake them up. So I just use an iPad with headphones.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

congrats.

after owning a house for nearly 3 years, it's not nearly as expensive/bad as everyone says it is. and it's awesome to be able to have my own home theater after living in an apartment for 7 years prior where i didn't even have a sub hooked up.

If you have the inspection done well the major expenses come in the first year. You have to buy a lawnmower and a weed whacker and a grill, a bunch of furniture and housewares, etc. Then you get several years off for the honeymoon phase where most of the stuff is new and works. After that the upkeep starts with things that passed inspection initially gradually getting older.

Still, it beats living in an apartment. I love to have a yard and nobody sharing a wall or my ceiling. Congrats OP, it's scary, but it's a good scary. Being able to buy and maintain a home is manly.

 

[purbeast0]

BTW, I have a dedicated home theatre with projector and 13" SVS sub... and never use it. With little kids in the house, there is just no time when the kids are awake, and when they're not, I can't use it because it'd wake them up. So I just use an iPad with headphones.

lol, my wife and i had our first child 4 months ago. we've used the HT exactly 3 times since he was born. we have yet to watch a movie straight down there. took us 3 sittings to watch interstellar.

and i have dual 18's so it can get rumbling down there. although, i think part of the reason we don't watch stuff is because we just don't like being interrupted during flicks. hopefully that will change soon. been watching movies upstairs where we can at least keep an eye on him a little better while watching movies.

 

[Eug]

^^^Yep. I now watch movies in segments a lot of the time. And I often don't watch with my wife, as she often has different hours than me for the time being, with the infant in the house.

So, UglyCasanova, is the house wired up for Gigabit Ethernet yet? Definitely a nice thing to have.

 

[edro]

lol, my wife and i had our first child 4 months ago. we've used the HT exactly 3 times since he was born. we have yet to watch a movie straight down there. took us 3 sittings to watch interstellar.

and i have dual 18's so it can get rumbling down there. although, i think part of the reason we don't watch stuff is because we just don't like being interrupted during flicks. hopefully that will change soon. been watching movies upstairs where we can at least keep an eye on him a little better while watching movies.

Once you have them on a good schedule and they start sleeping through the night, you will have 7-10pm to yourselves.

 

[Nograts]

Grats!

When is the house warming party?

I'm gonna get drunk and puke on his couch! Huzzah part-e!

 

[SP33Demon]

^^^Yep. I now watch movies in segments a lot of the time. And I often don't watch with my wife, as she often has different hours than me for the time being, with the infant in the house.

So, UglyCasanova, is the house wired up for Gigabit Ethernet yet? Definitely a nice thing to have.

Do you have to get a house hardwired when wireless-n or wireless-AC is available?

 

[HumblePie]

Congrats from me as well. I've been a homeowner for 2 years now and it's a very cool feeling over all.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Holy hell its hot.

 

[Stopsignhank]

Congrats.

Safety guy here so let me tell you to stay hydrated.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Do you have to get a house hardwired when wireless-n or wireless-AC is available?

Really depends on your situation. I'd test the wireless to see if it could handle my needs and if so, stick with that rather than hardwire the house. I've had no issues streaming video between floors with wireless networking.

 

[BD231]

Woohoo, just got back from closing! It hurt cutting that check but now i have my own place.

Now I have to spend the next couple of days moving in 100 degree weather.


Also - i have two bedrooms that at the moment will only be used sparingly. If i shut the ac vents off in those rooms and keep the doors closed that should cut down on my overall ac usage huh?

 

[TheGardener]

Congrats on your new home. My sympathies on moving. Now that you have more room, you'll be acquiring more shit. That will make your next move even worse.

 

[TXHokie]

Home Depot and Lowe's will be happy to see you more often.

 

[SP33Demon]

Really depends on your situation. I'd test the wireless to see if it could handle my needs and if so, stick with that rather than hardwire the house. I've had no issues streaming video between floors with wireless networking.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I'm closing on a house at the end of next month. w00t

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Congratulations Captain! Homes are great!

My yard looked like this before we purchased it:

I told the selling realtor that I expected the lawn be cut to a reasonable level before we pass papers on the home it was a short sale so I don't think he could get the bank to get the lawn cut. My neighbors told me him and a friend came out a week before we closed and attempted to cut the lawn but they failed. The grass was waist high by that time, he called in some other guy who failed to cut the lawn (neighbors heard him on the phone telling someone they need a goat to cut grass that high). Ultimately it got done.