Hello All,
I just joined the forums and have been searching thru the archives.
I think I am supposed to introduce myself right?
My name is Daniel Neuman and I own a 1896 Victorian Cottage in Oakland CA. I purchased the house (my first ever) from what we call around here ‘flip artists’. This is a redevelopment company that will buy very distressed houses in bad neighborhoods ‘fix’ them up as absolutely cheaply/crappy as possible and then sell them to us unsuspecting lower income-firstime buyers for a maximum profit. We have been making our way thru the house fixing up their screw-ups as we go. I swear its just amazing every single thing that they could get away with doing bass-akwards-halfas*ed they did.
Anywho enough with the bitter stuff. I am not a contractor just a homeowner who wants to fix up his old house and do it well. I would love to be able to pay a pro to do the work but we just can not afford it.
I have attached two pics of an Ipe deck-balcony we built ourselves with a two level fishpond with water fall. We did all the work ourselves and are super proud of it.
Some of the things that I will be asking questions about will be insulating this old house, converting the attic to usable space, upgrading the wiring and how to make cement floored-walled rooms more comfortable.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Replies
Welcome !
Is that house next door sitting directly on the property line ?
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
It is easy to be friends with someone you always agree with.
Hello,
Oh yes, they didn't have set-backs in 1896. Actually both of our houses go out to the property line in different spots. And the giant industirial building (big brick wall) sits on the property line.
Here are some more pics of the situation.
A shot of the left and right back sides and the front (just for the heck of it)
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Danial
Welcome.
Is that a Jag sitting in the drive way? Sorta looks like it. I dont see many so I may be wrong.
Just wondering if we got us a rich guy.
Doug
Good eye,
Yea it is a jag a 72 XJ6 with an chevy 350 and Turbo350 transmission. It was a great 10' car. We finnally got rid of it we practically had to beg someone to buy it from us for $1000. Now we have a good shape but lightly used 91 Honda Civic Si-great little around town car-commuting in traffic car.
Boy do I wish I was rich. Even if I won a million dollars it would not be enough money to buy this exact same house/land in a nice neighborhod in San Francisco. As I mentioned before I live in Oakland CA...you might of heard of it??? Murder capital of the area?? We don't live in the roughest part of Oakland but its definately not the nicest either.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Is it my imagination, or is your house right up against that brick wall ?Do I ever stop asking questions ?
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow It is easy to be friends with someone you always agree with.
The bump out on the second floor is right up against the brick wall. That side on the ground floor has a relatively spacious 3.5' between the walls.
Trust me a window in a wall that is 3' from your neighbors house is not a great thing but for light and ventalation its better than nothing.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Cabot Timber Oil is a good stain to use on Ipe and other superdense woods.
I sand and reapply every year and it keeps the grey away.
Daniel,
welcome aboard dude..most of the guys here are pretty cool' but theres a couple..this guy gunner..well dont take any checks from him..Ive been waitin for a buck and half for 10 years......
then theres this Buck guy..well dont take any trim advice from him..you'll end up about 5 " short....
heheheheBuck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
What with inflation and interest, i'd think that buck fifty is up to a three dollar bill by now! Maybe if you sent him a picture of a skull wrapped in barbed wire he would get the idea, LOL
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
DC is right there with Oakland on the MurderRate per Capita stat.
One short note thou, when my Dad went to Oakland Tech shortly after WWII, there was the dismembered body found stuffed in a locker. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Where'd you get the sculls? Streets of Richmond?
Good luck
When I was very young, we ived in a place where there was a giant brick wall right on the property line like that. Imposing, to say the least.Is that a barbed wire hanger on top of the fence to the left ? Got an issue with the neighbor ?; )Why did they even bother putting windows on those side walls ???
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow It is easy to be friends with someone you always agree with.
Very nice work on the deck and pond. Thanks for the pics.
Good luck on your old house.
"Affairs on the border cannot be judged by standards that hold elsewhere."
Nice work. I think we're gonna get along fine.
Well, welcome to Breaktime. Sit down and stay awhile... it's a pretty good show.
Who you kiddin'? That deck as absolutely gorgeous. Good on ya. You folks really should be proud.... maybe you can teach us a thing or two while you're here.
Thanks for the kind words. We built the deck with eb-tys and PL-premium and so far its working out well. One thing I felt a bit screwed on. We used the product to 'protect' the ipe called Sunfrog. The lumber yard we bought the 5/4" ipe from recommended it. We coated all four sides of the ipe before we installed it-we really followed the directions. The wood was showing signs of sun bleaching in a couple of months!! I recently went back to the yard (white bros millworks in Oakland) and the kid behind the desk said. 'Oh yea that stuff sucks we have had nothing but complaints with it! The owner bought a bunch of it and we are trying to get rid of it.' I know some people say to just let the stuff turn grey but damn does it look nice when its freshly finished and SWMBO (who did all the rockwork herself) really likes the finished look.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
MS,
Great looking deck...and LANDSCAPING!!!
your comment though "
"We used the product to 'protect' the ipe called Sunfrog. The lumber yard we bought the 5/4" ipe from recommended it. We coated all four sides of the ipe before we installed it-we really followed the directions. The wood was showing signs of sun bleaching in a couple of months!! "
Hate to break it to ya', but there are few , if any products that can keep wood looking like new when exposed to the elements...not to discount your theory that you might have gotten ripped.
Some products are WAY better than others.
"Thompson's" brand I believe is the absolute worst, (nothing more than wax in a solvent) and CR (off the top of my head) found a product (@$75./gallon) that had decent, though significantly less protection compared to the opaque stain product. You might want to research that one.
WSJ
WorkshopJon, Piffin,
Thanks for the ideas on what to try to seal the Ipe. I did not expect the wood to look like new forever but I surely expected it to last for more than a month!! C'mon a month...wasnt even worth the extra effort.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
I used Penofin (at the suggestion of someone here) on my Ipe deck back in Maryland and it worked well to keep the color. Have to clean and recoat every year or two, depending on the sun exposure, but relatively easy.
Brian, take a close look at those LV lights he's got in the flowers.
Mad, keep an eye on those lights, Brian just might borrow them.
How about a night shot.
Welcome and thanks for showing up.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Mad,
We can do the 'crouching tiger' on the rooftops in your hood. The things you go through for science... I cant hit a house if I threw a rock as hard as I can.
Oh they put the dental molding on wrong... the 'teeth' should be pointing down and look like teeth, even though they follow the rake.
Beautiful house.
You came to the right spot.
-zen
Are you sure they are LV lites?
Or maybe they are handmade from his description of the city!
You mean the skull lights on the walkway? We didn't have any official yard lights so we pulled out some halloween decorations for a party we were having. It lights the way down the path to the smoking section.
I don't hav any night shots of the skull yard lights but I do have some of the pond.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Nice.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Welcome to BreakTime, from one who hasn't been here for very long himself.
With pictures like that Lily Night You could make some extra money. Great photography. Make sure you copy right it.
Your property line is about the same as the house that I am doing in Richmond,VA ( see Civil War House thread) except the lot is bigger. One side of the house is sitting on the lot line with the city with a couple of parts of it over the line. Been like that since it was moved to that location between 1925 and 1928.
Good luck with your house. Just think after you get that house fixed up you will be able to sell it for more then that "flipper" did.
Dane
I will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Too late for copywrite. he already gave it away to Taunton Press.And I have it as my current background on the desktop. needed the relaxing sense it brings to the office.Thanks Mad, made that one worth the download!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
DaneB Piffin,
I didn't take that shot. SWMBO has a degree in photography and she is the one in charge of taking the nice shots. I'll let her know y'all liked it.
Speaking of copyrights, my website madmadscientist.com, gets stolen from so often that its just funny.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Hey mad, what part of town you live in, what cross-streets? I lived in Oakland 17 years, and worked for many years in a couple of places in West Oakland. Our last house was near Kaiser Hospital and the Mountain View Cemetery (way cool place if you haven't been). Oakland is tough but it ain't that tought. Gave it up for the rural life, although I just found out someone is subdividing 160 acres in the valley behind us and we'll be looking at a few new houses out there soon.
Really good places you want to know about, if you don't already. Truitt and White Lumber in Berkeley, the best yard in the East bay. Plywood and Lumber Sales (PALS) is another really good one. I went to White Bros. mostly for custom milled trim, and it helped that a guy I worked for a lot was pals with the owner. Ace Hardware on 55th and MLK has everything you could ever need and the owners are very helpful. Over in SF you can get acquainted with McMurray Pacific for specialty hardware items, and EB Bradley in the East bay has similar stuff. I know a lot of good subs if you need those too... lemme know.
Hi David,
I live on 29th st between West and MLK. Its not the roughest part of Oakland but it surely is not Rockridge.
I like T&W also but they are not open on weekends (if I remember correctly) I use White Bros for the trim pieces and they had the best selection on the Ipe in the area.
That Ace hardware is a riot! You walk up to the counter and you HAVE to know what you want and then they go running and get it for you. I like to browse and poke around when I am trying to figure out what I need to use.
What do you think about Ashby lumber? I use them mostly because they are open on the weekends and they are not Home Depot.
Thanks for the offer on the subs don't need any help right now but if I ever get around to finishing the attic I am going to need help building some dormers and reframing part of the roof.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Welcome aboard!
Friendly bunch around here. Darn helpful cusses too.
Just be aware that many have been here for a long time and will joke around with each other... even in a thread that seems serious in nature. It's nothing personal against your question or you... it's just the "way it is". That camaraderie is what keeps the place alive, IMHO.
Kick back, grab a beer or pop... and enjoy the ride!
Too funny. I had my shop on 28th near San Pablo, just behind Rubenstein Supply, in a condemned brick building. After I left the owner sold it to Rubenstein. A buddy of mine owns the Wooden Window, on 29th near San Pablo. I gotta say, I love West Oakland. That part of West Street up to the 580 can be a little bit tough, but it has been changing since I was down there starting in 91.
I sure do miss Everett and Jones.
Daniel,
lots of good info and help here.I live in Alameda in a small victorian(1880ish) that we recently did a major redo on. Currently waiting for dry weather to paint/restore the exterior. I have had good luck with Larsen Bros Lumber in San Leandro as far as competetive pricing. I also used Ashby to buy some siding, they are kind of pricey and kind of came off as cocky to me.
Your deck is beautiful,you must be proud.
You might want to look into radiant heat for that concrete floor,we did the whole house with it and love the comfort.
Best of luck,Mike
Ruffmike: Thanks for the kinds words. Did you use hot water radiant heat or electric? I am still working on whether or not my current forced air heater can handle the extra load. A spring project for me is going to be installing a subpanel in the garage for my metal shop so then I would have the extra circuits for the room/bathroom and maybe electric radiant heating. Huh, I havent had a problem with Ashby lumber but I go on the weekends and they seem to be less serious on the weekends than during the week when the 'real' contractors are there.
IMERC: geez I hadn't heard that joke since like 6th grade!!!
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
We went with hydronic, it was pretty easy to install the system. The cost of electicity scared me away from that angle,and ours was the whole house also.
If you end up furring you basement floor a small hydronic system might work nice.
I didn't mean to knock Ashby's, they're probablly good folk.
You ever been to Omega Salvage? Their light store is excellent.
Warning: stay out of the tavern, unless you are open to new addictions...
Is Alfred E. a relative???
If so I'd BWTB that rez will become yur best bud...
Welcome and can I come and play in yur lab????
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just Roar!
QWith a name of mad acientist and an old spooky skull lined Victorian, I'm sitting here picturing a frankenstien monster huiding in his attic and along comes you to volunteer for the part...LOL
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
OUCH!!!
BTW... it's the cellar....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Just figured you must have more stitches and scars than Frankenstein's monster... Everyone here knows what a good looking hunk of a man you really are though...;)Cellar hunh? that would be the Phantom of the Opera, wouldn't it?Those skulls really set a tone for this thread, didn't it? LOL
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
ya got a point there.. suppose I do qualify...
him too I guess... (phamton)
it was the hunch back of ND IIRC in the attic...
those scars were earned and presented to me against my addament refusal of the honors...
I and most everybody else mentions at times yur antiquity... what would any body say if the found out I was 7 or 8 years older than you... ROAR!!!
be beat up and wore out...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Oh Yea you guys want spooky!!! I got your spooky for you right here.
This is not a link for dial-up users.
http://www.madmadscientist.com/galleries/hw2k4/index.htm
Thats why the neighborhood kids call me the madscientist.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Hi Daniel.
Welcome to the Board. Great bunch of people here.
I'm a simple country homeowner too, although I'm from Connecticut, and I come here from time to time to ask a question when I'm really stumped about what to do - see my current topic on repairs to a leaking old tub drain. It's something I never came up against before and I didn't know how to approach it and, more importantly, whether I was about to get in over my head. [More often, I'm simply lurking in the background reading the various posts and learning all the time.]
Happily, the true talent of the people on this board came through for me on this point and I have a pretty good idea of how to proceed. They're generous with their advice, and they know a whole lot of important things. As long as people post in a respectful manner, helpful answers always seem to be freely given - that's not just me, that's been my observations of other people asking questions too. Just don't forget to say thanks when it's warranted.
Good luck on your house. From the pics it looks like you're off to a great start. The deck looks great! And the lighting, even with the skulls, is a classy addition.
Griff.
Dear madscientist, welcome, how much did that house cost you?
great looking stuff there
Three comments so far:
keep your sense of humour. Both for the house project and for this forum.
Use Penofin for the Ipe. They have an exotic woods formula. I was sitting yesterday for lunch on a deck we built and treated a year ago that still looks great.
please learn to resize your photos to about 100 for posting here. We who are on dial-up have to choose to pass on most of the larger ones or be relegated to watching TV for awhile as the photos download or get bored and move on. I'm sure a mad scientist can figure that one out.
;)
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Welcome, mad!
The brick wall should give some good shade, save you money on fencing that side!
We'll expect to see lots of you here since you won't have to spend much of your summer working on the yard.
As others have said, the work you've done looks great!
BTW, two of my best buddies here in small town Colorado both came here from Oakland.... maybe you won't live there forever!
It used to be standard that a newbie had to buy a round for everyone, but our new more correct forum hides the tavern so you just might get off the hook. ; )
I'm thankful for the loyal opposition! It's hard to learn much from those who simply agree with you.