Replies

1. 
   JohnE | Apr 17, 1999 10:39am | #19

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   Many Home Inspectors use canned report generating S/W to print out every aspect of the (supposed) inspection. that's how they get the nice checklist & inspection form. It isn't necessarily by inborn talent & knowledge. These do actually make a good boilerplate for a Home Owners manual.

   They don't make a good Home Inspector out of just anyone! I has an "Inspection" before we bought this house. Every exception on the report was a deposition of my comments during the inspection. The Home Inspection Company came recommended because all of the Inspectors are licensed Engineers. Title doesn't make a good inspector, nor a good Engineer either.

   A manual is a great idea, especially for a new house. Everything from a master paint plan to the type of grass seed in the yard should be included. General comments on gas furnace & water heater or composition roofing (including brand & color)

   As for basic maintenance & repair, I would give them someone's, book. Around here (Seattle) new houses carry a 6-7 year warranty. I haven't heard of any litigation (and awards) based on poor maintenance, but remember, juries go for the victim these days.

   Sadly, many homeowners cannot find the main water shutoff, gas shutoff, or know how to trip a breaker. Training & licensing is required to operate a car, not purchase one. Only $ and a credit rating get you a house.

   Cheers;
   JE
   

2. 
   Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 06:42pm | #20

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   My friends that I mentioned above had an inspection done. It was a bound softcover book with construction details noted by the inspector, problems, recommended maintenance, etc. I noted the supplier of the book, and I think you can buy copies if you are interested.
   The address is: http://www.igs.net/~botteng.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 10:06pm | #21

   *Just a thought along the same lines. I do a lot of roofing. Every time a client calls and says "I would like an estimate on putting a new roof onmy house", I have to measure the roof. If the house already has shingles on it then somebody has spent the time to measure it before, and knows exactly how many shingles,etc, are needed. If this was written down and the home owner told me it would X amount according to the Owner's Manual, I could give them an estimate in 5 minutes. TT

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 18, 1999 08:01am | #22

   *Troy - that seems like the opportunity for problems to me. What if the manual said 27 square, you bid it that way, and it turned out to take 29. I mean, wouldn't you have to stipulate about discrepencies? - and how would you prove to them that you weren't cheating them - I don't know man, I can see how it would save time but I don't think I would trust someone else's measurements. (but then again, I mostly work alone...)

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 18, 1999 08:32am | #23

   *Well, of course Troy would say, "Given what you've told me..." Instant disclaimer, and who is going to sue to enforce an over-the-phone bid? (OK, I suppose there are a lot of them out ther.)I was kind of like Troy when i sold my 13-y.o. car -- I showed the buyer around the engine and told him which things to watch (such as oil consumption), how to replenish other things, that you do need to change coolant occasionally... For this family getting a car at all was a big step, and I sentimentally wanted this one to last a long while.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 18, 1999 09:00am | #24

   *... probably too late for me ...

2. 
   Guest_ | Apr 18, 1999 11:36pm | #25

   *Young Bob, very good points! I hadn't stopped to think about it, until you mentioned it. Andrew makes a good point also. I guess I was just thinking of how fast it would be. TT

3. 
   Jarrod_Ball | Apr 21, 1999 08:56am | #26

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   Check out FHB two years or so ago. There is a great article about photographing all the walls before insulation and rock, and then compiling them into a binder w/ all of the manuals that come with the equipment (HVAC, sprinklers, etc.)

   We built our house a year ago, and have already used the photo's for tracking where stuff is in the walls. Our contractor is thinking about doing it on all his houses.

   What an excuse to buy a digital camera!

4. 
   Guest_ | Apr 21, 1999 10:54pm | #27

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   I was thinking the photos would be a good idea, but much too, um, anal for my style. If you used a digital camera, though, you could stash the images on an MO disk, or something else reliable; or if you even just wandered through the site with a video camera periodically, you'd have something (and wouldn't have to label every *&%^ photo to explain what it was)...

   Or you could just do everything right the first time. :)

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 25, 1999 09:37am | #28

   *I did videos whenever we tore out walls, etc.; film was accompanied by a witty running commentary, of course! ; ) Seriously, I've referred to those videos many times!I thought Breaktime was the homeowner's manual of choice?Patty

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 25, 1999 09:47am | #30

   *Pictures have saved me at least twice big time.Near the stream,J

5. 
   Guest_ | Apr 25, 1999 09:47am | #29

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   I have never bought or sold a new house. Do they come with an owners manual? You know, just the basics - how often to pump your septic tank (and where it is) how electrical breakers work (and where they are) how and where to shut off the well, when the roof might need maintanance, paint/stain need attention - stuff like that.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 15, 1999 10:15am | #1

   *Not common.I keep all paperwork from each job in a 3-ring binder and it stays with the house when I leave. Includes tech sheets on everything that went into the house. I take lots of pics during construction, have double pics printed. I keep one set, the other set goes with the house. Some are general pics, others are of the walls before they are closed up showing mechanicals, etc.There is a very basic section, like a FAQ, that minimizes some post-move in phone calls from the new owners.I also take the homeowner around and give them a tour of the panel box and explain the importance of the old shared neutral CB placement and why to NEVER move these breakers, how to reset GFCI and other breakers, and also show them where the various plumbing shutoff valves are located.If they are new to the area, I'll include some trade references in case they need help in the future, along with some local area info.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 15, 1999 06:27pm | #2

   *Mongo,You take the "thrill of the hunt" out of home buying. I suppose you also show them the hex wrench taped under the sink for the disposal. I didn't notice it in my recent home for two years -- sort of like finding a forgotten Easter egg. For the major utilities (furnace, water softener, etc.), I post the manuals, service records, and other stuff near the item rather than keep a notebook for them. The instructions for other appliances I hide in various, forgotten places around the house, so reprogramming the VCR can be an afternoon's chore, most of it spent finding the instructions. Isn't this what everyone does?

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 15, 1999 06:53pm | #3

   *Barry, you gave me a good laugh!I used to do a cursory handoff at closing, as most "men" have no questions and are loath to appear uninformed in front of their wives. "Questions? I have no questions! I have external genetalia, therefore I know all!"These were the ones where the phone tended to ring the most, usually the wife with a covert call when the hubby was in day three of searching for one of those elusive "easter eggs".Things changed when I did a couple of houses for women. No ego, all Q's, very inquisitive. One finally asked "...could you write this all down for me..." thus the 3-ring binder was born.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 15, 1999 08:33pm | #4

   *It's recognition of the male ego and also a means to remind me and following owners of things like service intervals and no-no's like playing with the shared neutral circuit that I also post little signs in appropriate areas. Open the CB panel door, and you'll see a sheet posted explaining some of the more creative things I've done in the box. Of course, I also use a number 3 pencil to write faintly and illegibly on the door sticker what each circuit is for. Some traditions never change.

2. 
   Guest_ | Apr 15, 1999 11:45pm | #5

   *You guys are taking all the mystique out of it. You're risking losing the status of priests to the black magic of home maintenance.... People won't come to you begging for help as often any more. I welcome it!

3. 
   Guest_ | Apr 16, 1999 12:05am | #6

   *Close to the top of the builder's PR list is a Homeowner's Manual. Same goes when reselling a house. Amazing what it does for the psyche of the buyer and the reputation of the seller.

4. 
   Guest_ | Apr 16, 1999 10:26pm | #7

   *When we had our home building inspection done, prior to purchase, we were given a "Home Reference Book". It describes every system in detail, focusing in on the systems in our home, and explains life cycles and potential costs for repair and replacement. The maintenance section is quite indepth, kind of a "Everything a homeowner needs to know about their home, but is afraid to ask". It's a valuable tool.Beatrix

5. 
   Guest_ | Apr 16, 1999 10:46pm | #8

   *On a bit of a tangent, we visited some friends at Christmas who had just bought their first house, which had been renovated a couple of years before. My friends inherited the diaries of the couple who had the renovations done. These folks had kept one diary in which every party (designer/project manager, homeowner, contractor) communicated daily on every relevant topic. Question on something from homeowner, answer from contractor, etc.Not only can you track the project, you can read everybody's tone at every stage, frustration, satisfaction, anger, exhilaration, etc. She also kept one that had every quote, price, discussion with sub, change in plan detailed. Together with before/after pictures, the two books read almost like a novel. Really gripping, plus a good record of everything that went into the project, who did what and why, etc., for the next people along.

6. 
   Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 03:08am | #9

   *Beatrix - was it written for your home specifically, or did you get the impression in was generic with emphasis on your equipment? Was it written by the builder? Would be easy to do with computers nowadays, could even include maintanance charts/schedules.

7. 
   Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 03:09am | #10

   *kind of like HOUSE by Tracy Kidder, only from the homeowners perspective? - yb

8. 
   Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 04:59am | #11

   *Young Bob,This was a consulting engineer building inspection done on our 10 year old home that we purchased. Every inch (centimeter) of the house was inspected and reported on. The book itself is generic but the maintenance schedules and recommendations are specific to this house. I'm not sure that all home inspections would include this. Beatrix

9. 
   Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 06:50am | #12

   *$?

10. 
    Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 07:11am | #13

    *The inspection and report was $350. Our final decision to buy or not was based on it--we bought.Beatrix

11. 
    Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 07:21am | #14

    *Sheesh -- ours was $350 and I doubt was that thorough. However, the report was good for $2000 in concessions from the seller -- most of which i wasted on a lousy contractor (my naive days). I wish the inspector had realized how horrible the long-gone previous homeowner's electrical work had been, but I didn't really get it until I started digging around in the walls (getting a shock, even).

12. 
    Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 07:35am | #15

    *Andrew,Just remember.....$350 Canadian is worth what, $525 in Us funds? That should make you feel better. It was thorough, even nit picky.....but there have been no unpleasant surprises so far.Beatrix

13. 
    Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 07:59am | #16

    *Hmmm, as I remember it, it's the Canadian dollars that are "discounted" ... gosh, it seems everyhting is on the Web somewhere ... aha, an exchange rate calculator!) (Found in under two minutes.) So you actually paid US$235.45 at today's rates. Not bad.

14. 
    Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 08:03am | #17

    *Got me!! My head spins when I convert our dollar to yours!

15. 
    John_Easley | Apr 17, 1999 08:43am | #18

    *Recently I sold my 80-year-old house to a couple who had never owned a home before. We got along famously during the transaction, so they felt very comfortable calling me with questions about the house. Two weeks later, I was still getting almost daily calls. I was up to my ears in another house project by then, so it got to be kind of a hassle. So I sat down and did a brain-dump of every little tidbit I could think of -- paint colors, finishes, why they should clear the leaves off the garage floor drain, how to jiggle the porch door so it locks, how to clean the electrostatic filters, etc. I filled three pages with single-space type in about an hour, and dropped it by the house. They have left me alone ever since. They really liked having it all down on paper, and I have to admit that it felt pretty good to be able to pass along what I knew about the house. Wish someone would have done that for me...