Thx
My insurance will cover it.
Some cities will sometimes require an electrical contractor for some things around here, but not here for this. I think the inspector is wrong. It sounded like it was a bit of a negotiation that the homeowner got the worst of, but it world be hard to reopen negotiations.
Well, as a demonstration of how bad a business person I am here is my text exchange with #2.
Me: Does the inspector want a contractor to be there for an inspection? Or sign something?
Them: Hi Microbet! Thanks for coming yesterday! I asked the inspector yesterday about the requirements and he said as owner/builder I didn’t have to use someone licensed in Manhattan Beach [ irrelevant and may be part of the HO misunderstanding which license was involved business vs. contractor ] … but my friend who builds new houses said at the end of a new house you write down who you used. If you like I can ask them… [I really don’t know what this means]
Me: I’m not sure I understand who would be writing me down for what reason but I’ll help you however I can. Just let me know.
I’m glad I’m not the only terrible business owner. I have had almost the exact same back and forth with homeowners before. Are you doing any actual work or inspector and her just want you to stand there while the inspection happens and they use your name?
It would just be something like standing there. I can’t imagine what if anything the inspector wants me to do other than that. The only thing relevant to the city would be if they wanted the permit to be put in my name and they don’t seem to want that.
I’ve done some work for a big-ish solar company that has a solar license, but not a electrical license and for commercial work the City of Los Angeles requires an electrical contractor to make the interconnection to the utility (while the state would allow a solar license to do the whole job). But they required the electrical contractor to do the work, not just stand for inspection and nod along.
As far as #1 goes, there has been some more communication and I’m pretty sure it’s a Nigerian Prince scam.
I don’t even know how to search the internet for an answer to this question so I’ll start here. We have a toilet for guests that hasn’t gotten much use over the last few months; currently our daughter’s training potty is sitting on it. Just now I noticed something sticking out of the hole at the bottom. Figuring it was something my daughter dropped in here, I reached in and pulled out a bunch of mysterious material that had the consistency of a thin, flaky seashell. I assume it’s some sort of mineral deposit but not sure where it could’ve come from as we have a water softener.
A few months back, we were having problems with that toilet which turned out to be oleander roots. I assume this is somehow connected but hoping someone has some better insight.
Yup, looks like mineral deposit, aka lime scale. CLR from a home improvement store will take care of it. Or a mixture of vinegar and baking soda.
Is it just old stuff that was lining our pipes which finally became dislodged? I’m not too worried about anymore build up because we have a whole house water softening/filtration system.
I would try calling some other places, (I think most heating places do hot water heaters as well), and ask what it will cost for them to come check it out and give you a quote. Sounds like the plumber wanted a blank check up front.
Unless there are extenuating circumstances that aren’t in your post, I’d tell that plumber to fuck all the way off, then come back around so he can fuck off again even harder.
Pretty sure you can buy a new water heater and have it installed for like half of that price so yeah maybe contact someone else
Wow. My water heater died maybe three years ago and we paid $1700 (Northridge CA if it matters) to have it replaced. It included $75 for the permit and an overflow tank, which the inspector was surprised about since it wasn’t yet mandatory.
ETA: and disposing of the old one
How many gallons is your water heater?
I got brand new 75 gal recently installed for a bit more than that. I could have gotten right around $2500 if I had purchased different brand.
I’m also sure I overpaid a bit. But not as much as this guy is quoting you.
I guess if we interpret his statement charitably, maybe what he is saying is that if he comes to look at it, he may determine it is broken beyond repair, and then to fix the problem you’ll need a new heater it will be $2500.
Of course, I’m sure you would have sussed that out in your conversation with him, so +1 on telling him to GTFO.
My water heater died. At least 14 years, so a pretty good run. I replaced it today for about $620. 40 gallon. DIY. It took a few hours because I had to find a place to take the old one, then got the WH, then one of the old connecting attachments broke, then I needed an adapter for the gas. Still sounds like a pretty solid hourly for the savings on the time spent.
Nice work. Considering how much I paid reading this makes me a little nauseated. But I guess I deserve it for being both too lazy and too incompetent to attempt these things myself.
This would take me two weeks and like 89.5 hours to figure out. Congrats, I’m honestly jealous of people who can figure this shit out.
I’ve done this before and it’s not really hard, but if you had an actually good mom-n-pop type hardware store in existence near you there would be someone there who could ask you the right questions, maybe you have to go back and check things out, and then get you the right parts and info. Too bad that kind of thing doesn’t exist much anymore. YouTube is pretty good though.
YouTube is pretty amazing for all kinds of DIY stuff. I guess back before YT you had to actually know stuff.
I’ve always had a blind-spot for electrical work, but got over it with some YTers. Still don’t like to mess with gas lines because a bad seal could be bad news.
Last week my dryer stopped spinning (still had heat). Watched some YT videos and diagnosed the problem. I bought a $3 part and saved the $400 service call. Ended up replacing half a dozen other parts (belt, pulley, spring, broken-belt switch, etc) while I had it opened up. Cost $100 and now mostly everything but the circuit board up top is new. The YT videos were created by applianceparts.com or something like that. Bought the parts through them.
I actually have a good hardware store near me. At least judging by the things that I have some knowledge on, they also seem to be knowledgeable on. But honestly people like you who get that kind of shit have no idea how fucked people like me truly are when trying to figure that shit out. I’ve discovered it’s cheaper and less stressful to just pay somebody who knows what they’re doing.
And that’s ok because I can cook, make mustard and pickles, brew beer, and select and pair wines with food, and play a little guitar. And landscaping isn’t too hard. Doesn’t mean I won’t be forever jealous of people who can do remodeling, plumbing, and electival shit.
Nice. Will trade home repairs for dinner and entertainment.
As always, you are welcome at my house any time and no need to do any work.
