3 ms·

Those are things I've noticed when I've shopped for homes. Mostly, I notice that they look like efforts that were motivated by trying to get a high price, but

by ssl-3 3mo ago

Those are things I've noticed when I've shopped for homes. Mostly, I notice that they look like efforts that were motivated by trying to get a high price, but are limited to being fast and cheap. So while I do note them, my perception of them is not generally positive at all. I'd rather the outlet covers be original and clean than the new, usually oversized covers (with a slight color mismatch) I often find. If I'm seeing caulk anywhere, that's problematic for me. When used properly-sparingly to seal things, it doesn't draw the eye at all. When it's used to hide sins, it's awful. When I see sloppy caulk I first think of the time I'll need to spend to dig it all out. And then, I think about the time it will take to actually-fix whatever things it was hiding that nobody has ever bothered with actually getting right. When I see new doorknobs on old doors, I'm mostly attracted to the outline that was left by the original hardware. And then I wonder: The old knobs were probably made from materials like steel, cast iron, and brass; stuff that can last for centuries with some maintenance. Why were they replaced? Were the old knobs non-functional somehow, or were the owners too cheap and lazy to bother with taking things apart for a bit of TLC and preservative paint? What other parts of the house were done fast, cheap, and/or lazy like a landlord who doesn't give a fuck? What haven't I found yet that they "fixed"?

Scoundreller 3mo ago
It’s the faucets and sink fixtures that can jump out at me. I… question some of the Amazon-grade ODDALLCAPS fixtures’ ability to not spring a leak in the long term. Showerheads are more whatever.
- ssl-3 3mo ago
  And the rest of the plumbing. I'm not saying that homeowners can't plumb properly (many do excellent work), but: Too many times, it's just ugly. Sometimes it's easy to find: The "soft" parts under the sink are a mess. Flexible pressure lines that are a mile too long, bendy pipes on the drain (this should never happen), traps in series with one another, bizarro-world TPCLALL-branded Amazon-sourced parts that simply do not match regulated norms at all and which haven't seen a UPC® logo ever... but that's simple to rip out and replace. Sometimes it's harder to find. Drains that go uphill. A sea of CPVC pipes running in every direction, with dead ends, all buried in the basement ceiling. No trap for the bath tub upstairs. Mixed metals. Mixed plastics: PVC is fine, and ABS is fine, but mixing them together is bad (and shows that a trip to the parts store to get The Right Fucking Thing was just too much work, since it wasn't done). Bad or nonexistent venting. The problems of today are caused by the lazy, quick fixes of yesterday.
  - Scoundreller 3mo ago
    You should see what I’ve seen in France! I now realize a lot of the bad bathroom smells are because of traps siphoning dry. Tho the general lack of exhaust fans doesn’t help. Anywho, AAVs to the rescue! And mineral oil in their version of a t&p valve if it doesn’t need to drain much to prevent evaporation of the trap water: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupe_de_s%C3%A9curit%C3%A9 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupe_de_s%C3%A9curit%C3%A9
  - madaxe_again 3mo ago
    And the wiring. Don’t forget the wiring. Bought a place that had a fault to earth. Took demolishing a wall to find it - previous owner had buried an extension flex inside a wall, just concreted over it - and hadn’t even done that properly - mice had gotten to it, and it was a corroded piss-soaked mess. I have a photo of the original breaker box that looks like bad AI, it’s so unspeakably awful - just this wild spaghetti of muddy corroded wires and parcel tape with bits of string and random breakers floating in midair at jaunty angles, connected sometimes to live, sometimes to neutral, sometimes across circuits, usually doing nothing. The earthing was purely accidental. I just ripped it all out, but not before the microwave bit me one rainy morning.
dlubarov 3mo ago
I think it's safe to say you're in the minority. Empirically, "fast and cheap" cosmetic upgrades like repainting usually more than pay for themselves. > I'd rather the outlet covers be original and clean than the new, usually oversized covers (with a slight color mismatch) I often find. Any task can be screwed up if someone is careless enough, but this is extremely easy to get right. If a standard cover plate fit before, it's trivial to buy a replacement of the standard size and appropriate color. Cleaning works too, I personally just wouldn't bother cleaning a part that costs ~$0.50. > When I see sloppy caulk I first think of the time I'll need to spend to dig it all out. Would you really rather see cracked caulk, which means (a) the original contractor probably used whatever cheap rigid caulk he found in his van, (b) it's been letting water through instead of sealing, and (c) noone cared enough to fix it?
- ssl-3 3mo ago
  That's the problem: Any task can indeed be screwed up. It can be worse than it was before. A new, not-oversize cover plate that actually-matches in color is fine. As you suggest, it is trivial to get that right. But people screw it up anyway, and when they do so it represents a distinct lack of attention to detail. If I find that along the presence of other new electrical stuff, like outlets with USB jacks, smart home dimmer switches, and can lights with fixed LED elements, then... man. They obviously couldn't even get the outlet covers right. What else did they screw up, that I can't see? Old caulk that was skillfully applied and remains in good shape isn't a problem; it is not broken and does not need fixing. New caulk that is well-done isn't necessarily an issue at all. Both communicate that a base level of positive care for the quality of the home was present. But when it's sloppy, it's a clear indicator that they just didn't care much at all during the process. There's direct evidence that they were unwilling to put the effort into making a smooth bead of caulk instead of a messy one. They didn't care about that part of this small job, and by extension they probably didn't care about what they were covering up (whether it was good, bad, or indifferent). Anyway, maybe the lazy fixes work for enough buyers that it does increase the sale price, and that's good for a seller. It doesn't work for me, though. The presence of these kinds of things brings me more questions than it does answers. --- The answer that maximizes the price by satisfying all potential buyers is to do careful and correct fixes. If the quick fix makes some money, then a good fix makes even more money. Take the time to get it right.

by ssl-3 3mo ago

Scoundreller 3mo ago

It’s the faucets and sink fixtures that can jump out at me. I… question some of the Amazon-grade ODDALLCAPS fixtures’ ability to not spring a leak in the long term. Showerheads are more whatever.

ssl-3 3mo ago
And the rest of the plumbing. I'm not saying that homeowners can't plumb properly (many do excellent work), but: Too many times, it's just ugly. Sometimes it's easy to find: The "soft" parts under the sink are a mess. Flexible pressure lines that are a mile too long, bendy pipes on the drain (this should never happen), traps in series with one another, bizarro-world TPCLALL-branded Amazon-sourced parts that simply do not match regulated norms at all and which haven't seen a UPC® logo ever... but that's simple to rip out and replace. Sometimes it's harder to find. Drains that go uphill. A sea of CPVC pipes running in every direction, with dead ends, all buried in the basement ceiling. No trap for the bath tub upstairs. Mixed metals. Mixed plastics: PVC is fine, and ABS is fine, but mixing them together is bad (and shows that a trip to the parts store to get The Right Fucking Thing was just too much work, since it wasn't done). Bad or nonexistent venting. The problems of today are caused by the lazy, quick fixes of yesterday.
- Scoundreller 3mo ago
  You should see what I’ve seen in France! I now realize a lot of the bad bathroom smells are because of traps siphoning dry. Tho the general lack of exhaust fans doesn’t help. Anywho, AAVs to the rescue! And mineral oil in their version of a t&p valve if it doesn’t need to drain much to prevent evaporation of the trap water: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupe_de_s%C3%A9curit%C3%A9 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupe_de_s%C3%A9curit%C3%A9
- madaxe_again 3mo ago
  And the wiring. Don’t forget the wiring. Bought a place that had a fault to earth. Took demolishing a wall to find it - previous owner had buried an extension flex inside a wall, just concreted over it - and hadn’t even done that properly - mice had gotten to it, and it was a corroded piss-soaked mess. I have a photo of the original breaker box that looks like bad AI, it’s so unspeakably awful - just this wild spaghetti of muddy corroded wires and parcel tape with bits of string and random breakers floating in midair at jaunty angles, connected sometimes to live, sometimes to neutral, sometimes across circuits, usually doing nothing. The earthing was purely accidental. I just ripped it all out, but not before the microwave bit me one rainy morning.

dlubarov 3mo ago

I think it's safe to say you're in the minority. Empirically, "fast and cheap" cosmetic upgrades like repainting usually more than pay for themselves. > I'd rather the outlet covers be original and clean than the new, usually oversized covers (with a slight color mismatch) I often find. Any task can be screwed up if someone is careless enough, but this is extremely easy to get right. If a standard cover plate fit before, it's trivial to buy a replacement of the standard size and appropriate color. Cleaning works too, I personally just wouldn't bother cleaning a part that costs ~$0.50. > When I see sloppy caulk I first think of the time I'll need to spend to dig it all out. Would you really rather see cracked caulk, which means (a) the original contractor probably used whatever cheap rigid caulk he found in his van, (b) it's been letting water through instead of sealing, and (c) noone cared enough to fix it?

ssl-3 3mo ago
That's the problem: Any task can indeed be screwed up. It can be worse than it was before. A new, not-oversize cover plate that actually-matches in color is fine. As you suggest, it is trivial to get that right. But people screw it up anyway, and when they do so it represents a distinct lack of attention to detail. If I find that along the presence of other new electrical stuff, like outlets with USB jacks, smart home dimmer switches, and can lights with fixed LED elements, then... man. They obviously couldn't even get the outlet covers right. What else did they screw up, that I can't see? Old caulk that was skillfully applied and remains in good shape isn't a problem; it is not broken and does not need fixing. New caulk that is well-done isn't necessarily an issue at all. Both communicate that a base level of positive care for the quality of the home was present. But when it's sloppy, it's a clear indicator that they just didn't care much at all during the process. There's direct evidence that they were unwilling to put the effort into making a smooth bead of caulk instead of a messy one. They didn't care about that part of this small job, and by extension they probably didn't care about what they were covering up (whether it was good, bad, or indifferent). Anyway, maybe the lazy fixes work for enough buyers that it does increase the sale price, and that's good for a seller. It doesn't work for me, though. The presence of these kinds of things brings me more questions than it does answers. --- The answer that maximizes the price by satisfying all potential buyers is to do careful and correct fixes. If the quick fix makes some money, then a good fix makes even more money. Take the time to get it right.