Double Home Repair Whammy

[docrowan]

Our heat pump compressor shot craps over the weekend. Since the house is almost 40 years old and the heat pump appears to be original, I guess we can't complain, except we've only owned the house about two and a half years. AC service is working up an estimate now.

Also, we had a roofer come by over the weekend and take a look at our roof. Some tabs blew off in the last storm so I knew I had problems. Looks like we'll need a whole new roof. Plus one of the former homeowners put new vent pipe boots on and put one of them on backwards. There's a small section of rot near the chimney, too. We're hoping to have participation from our insurance due to hail damage, but we have a $1,000 deductible.

Fortunately, we've got good contractors. I've seen the work they've done on my mother-in-law's house so I know they do a good job. Oh well, the joys of homeownership.

[cgallery]

Fortunately, we've got good contractors. I've seen the work they've done on my mother-in-law's house so I know they do a good job.

That is all that matters.

[scmhogg]

This is a busy time for both trades. Include a completion date in your contracts, with a penalty for being late. Say $100.00 a day.

Steve

[Daryl]

Since you haven't had the house for three years, do you have any recourse from the home inspection company you used? I think some of those items would be apparent to a decent inspector.

[footprintsinconc]

....Fortunately, we've got good contractors. I've seen the work they've done on my mother-in-law's house so I know they do a good job...

that is the biggest key.

[RAFlorida]

Chris, that is the most important

thing with home repair - the integrity of the contractor and his men. I'm glad you got one that you can trust, that goes a long way. Am sorry that you have to use them though.

[jackellis]

Think of the new heat pump as an investment. It'll be much more efficient than the one it replaces, which will save you money over the long haul.

If you're springing for a new roof, you might consider a lighter colored one to keep the house cooler in summer.

Good contractors are a necessity. Don't forget to have them provide you with lien releases from their material suppliers.

[docrowan]

Since you haven't had the house for three years, do you have any recourse from the home inspection company you used? I think some of those items would be apparent to a decent inspector.

There's been at least two hail storms since we bought the house. No leaks in the roof and the inspector did point out some problems during his inspection. The heat pump has worked great until this weekend, so nothing we can really fault there.

We knew there were problems with the house when we bought it. I didn't mean to whine, it just was a bit of a shock for us to have to plan both these items into the home maintenance budget in the same weekend.

[docrowan]

Think of the new heat pump as an investment. It'll be much more efficient than the one it replaces, which will save you money over the long haul.

If you're springing for a new roof, you might consider a lighter colored one to keep the house cooler in summer.

Good contractors are a necessity. Don't forget to have them provide you with lien releases from their material suppliers.

Due to the good shade we receive, we actually spend less on our cooling bills than we do our heating bills. We'll be going for architectural shingles just like my mother-in-law used. Her house looks great with the new roof she had put on last week. The roofer did a great job cleaning up, too. I was very pleased with the work he did for her which is why we asked him to give us a quote.

I do want to get an updated heat pump that we can get a programmable thermostat for. For some reason that I can't remember, we could not get a programmable thermostat for our current heat pump. I have to believe a new heat pump will be more efficient, although I seriously doubt it will last as long.

[frumper64]

If you do end up needing to replace the roof, take a look at "Class 5" shingles and talk to your insurance company to see how much of a discount you could get for using them. They cost more initially, but here in Texas, when we had them put on a few years ago, it knocked between 30% and 40% off my homeowner's insurance. They are supposed to be hail resistant (up to 3 " as I recall) and wind resistant up to >100 mph. With the number of thunder and hail storms we have, the insurance companies were actually pushing the idea. For us, it was about a 5 year payback looking at the increased cost of installation over cheap shingles, divided by the annual insurance premium decrease.

[L. D. Jeffries]

You know the old saying: "If you don't know what to do with your money; buy a house!"

[pelligrini]

I thought it was "If it ain't one thing broke it's two"

oh wait, that's the one for my old car.

[Stytooner]

I do feel your pain. Recent storm drain water took it's toll on our driveway and culvert. What took me the most time was getting the people, deliveries and equipment all on the same page. Then there were a couple delays of course. Things like this rarely go to plan.
This cost about $2000 and they did a good job on it. I wish it would not have had to be spent of course, but you gotta do what it takes to keep things working right. We went back with a pipe twice as big as what was there and used crushed concrete around the pipe rather than sandy red clay. Nothing washes out like that stuff.
Now all that is left is to pour the head walls and repair the concrete we had over the drive. Good job for handy men.

About the roof, you may want to consider good grade steel.
They seem to fair much better after storms than shingles do. I think they look nicer on some buildings too.
My supplier makes from the most economical @ 99 cents a running foot to some lifetime warranty stuff. It was more of an initial outlay, but well worth it in my book.
We actually applied it to a single layer of shingles and it's great. I rarely see shingles going on anything but new homes around here anymore. I wasn't the only one to see the difference in durability after some of the canes around here.

[docrowan]

I've seen a lot of homes with the steel roofing, but I just prefer the look of shingles. We're far enough from the coast now that hurricanes are not a concern. The remnants of Katrina passed right over us and it didn't hurt the roof of the home we lived in then. I would think it will probably be a long time before another hurricane of that strength hits us again.

I've got two HVAC companies working on quotes for a new heat pump. Both were recommended by a builder friend (and cousin) who has used them both. The builder is the one recommended the roofer that did such a good job on my MIL's roof, so I trust his opinion. I'm also going to check into any discounts, financing, and tax credits available for high efficiency units available from our local power company and the IRS.