I read in the paper, 'no job too small

but I have some really small jobs,
like my gutter, or spouting, whatever it is called,
seems to have one minor leak, but it leaks on my porch,
therefore after awhile, I feel the wood will rot.

I am good an many things, getting on a ladder is not one of them.

I need some minor wood floor repairs....
at least it would seem minor to me...
any suggestions on folks in the area,
remember I am new, and plan on using that excuse, until the day
I can go to the store and 'NOT GET LOST"
when that day happens, I will no longer say I am new to the area.


so who should I call?....
all ideas welcome and appreciated
thanks again

Paris, Here is a good friend of mines business.

Shadro Construction,Inc.
Home improvements
301-714-1207

Ask for Ray. I`m sure he can help you out with the repairs.

Another friend, who sealed a couple of leaky windows and sucked out our AC drain when it was clogged....

Willie Miller
301-797-4919
wrmiller46@myactv.net

He does HVAC, gutters, windows, sceens, driveway sealing, pretty much anything.

Thanks so much, to both of you!!

Is Rent a Husband still in business?
I remeber there being one in Hag.I don't have the Md. phone #'s here so I couldn't look and see.
Seemed like a cute way to get business.Plenty of females need someone to do honey-do lists.

Well it turns out my minor repairs are major ones!

The wood on the porch has been rottting for quite some
time, so I don't want to assume anything of course, but
(possibly) the previous owners
(or someone who loved paint must have just painted over
paint over paint)

....the gentleman who came here to look at my work
I needed done, said that these are
Major repairs, not minor....
so now what do I do...?

I just bought the house, I can't afford two new porches
and gutters...
sheesh...

thanks for listening...

I'm sorry to hear that Paris.

But in hindsight, may I say, that this may be a learning experience for others considering buying a house. That all important home inspection by a professional would have found the flaws, perhaps allowing you more leverage in the price you paid for the house.

Again, sorry for your news. No one wants to face major repairs after just spending all that money on a house.

I agree with you 100%.
I am still extremely happy with my home.
The porches aren't falling apart, there is enough
paint to hold them together!!

I think that the spouting or gutters are the first thing
repair. So that the porches do not fall apart quicker.

So to share with others, it is important for that
home inspection, my brother-in-law wants to
start that type of business and wanted to use
my home as a learning experience, but now I
am too embarrassed or overwhelmed to even
think about it..

would you agree that the spouting\gutters should be
first priority?

I can live with the porches, I think the gutters would be
important so that the porches don't get worse, and when they
get repaired, they stay in good shape.

Advise?
am I on the right track?

who would you suggest for gutters\spouting..
and what is the difference?
sheesh do I feel uneducated.

Gutters ( the things that run horizontally along your roof edge) and downspouts (the things that run vertically and collect the water from the gutters) are certainly important to replace. Generally you replace both together. These will help direct rain water away from your home. If you have rotting porches you may also have rotting facia (the face board at the edge of your roof) and soffett (the face board that attaches under the eave of your roof). The facia is what your gutters attach to.

You really need to get someone in there to look at things and explain things to you. Swallow your pride and get that brother-in-law in there!

Sorry, can't recommend anyone. But good luck!

Now why would you feel uneducated?Because you're not a master carpenter?silly girl.
*quick lesson* gutters are the ones around the edge of the roof and the spouting are the ones coming down the sides so the water can run off.

I would think that going with the gutter repair would be the first job.
Then when possible do the porches.wood is extremely expensive.it's ridiculous according to my hubby(the carpenter).

Glad we built our own home and didn't have to worry about other people's problems left in our hands.





as a side note here...anybody having a problem with this site?besides snoop and me? i have to keep reloading and it's slow! very slow.I did a complete diognostic on my pc and it's just fine.Think we should let the mighty mistress know?I keep getting error and warning messages.I had to reload just to try to post this!

Yup, slowness and SQL errors. I've emailed the webbie. I'll let you know when I hear back from her.

EDIT: Just heard back from Webbie. She's gonna look into it.

I'ts flyin now! woo-hoo!
We must make a great sacrifice to the mighty and wonderful Mistress who oversee's us lowly,pathetic humans!

I was having trouble with this site for a little while too.

but once again, thanks for all your assistance and
explanations.

my bother in law, doesn't want to do the work...
he wants to use my home as his project to learn
how to assist others,
so if he is the 'home inspection' person, he would know
what to look for in a quality home...
I just felt a little embarrassed that I didn't think of that
first, (to have him look at my home)

I just simply fell in love with it, still love it...but wish
I knew of his interest 'before' I bought it, then , yes
I could have had some 'back and forth' discussion on
what I wanted out of a home , price wise, negotiations...

If you knew where I was living before,
this would explain alot,
but that's for anther time.
thanks once again,
I really feel like I have a family here...
sorry if I get too mushy....
but you are all wonderful!!
and simply loaded with quality information
thanks

Paris,

Couple thoughts:

Is the porch safe? If not, could be dangerous and/or a liability issue and would necessitate some repair immediately -- even if just temporary -- to ensure safety.

Be positively sure that rain is flowing out of your downspouts (that they are not clogged) and down and away from your foundation (this is critical to keep water out of the basement and protect the foundation).

Depending on the reason for the leak and the condition of your gutter (the horizontal part) you might get by with some $5 gutter sealer for awhile to stop the leak.

Have a few home improvement guys (only use licensed people unless you know them very very well) look over the situation and give you estimates with the most important items listed first (prioritized list). Tell them you will have to have things done over time as you get the $$. If they are not interested, move to another one. You will learn during this process and hopefully get a consensus of what to do and when. Some of it you may be able to do yourself after learning from the contractor and with some advice from building center guys.

And USUALLY the estimates are free! he,he.Help for nothing!Love it!

You might have an issue with your home inspector (did you have a home inspection?). Does his report say the porch is on good condition?

Nope, silly me, didn't have a home inspection.
This is why my brother in law feels my home is a good
example for him to learn from...
he can show me , what I should have gotten from
a qualified home inspection company.

my previous experience was not enough to warrent a
home inspection, and now I guess that's my fault for not
trying to find a qualified inspector.

the home was a reasonable costs, it was is, beautiful, it
had everything I wanted in a home.

The porches are not falling apart, in fact I wouldn't
have noticed until the one board fell off in my hand, but
otherwise, the main part of the porch I think is sturdy enough
to stay put. Just the outside boards that the rain hits, are in
the area to hit with the water and over time I guess just
continued to rot.

I am also concerned that someone one mentioned I might be
in an 'historical' section of town.

so confused and overwhelmed...thanks again,
I'll keep everyone posted.

I don't know about historical but, I do know that the East End used to get pretty HYSTERICAL sometimes!



OT and on a side note here. My neighbors are moving!YAY! 21 acres for $450K.I can't believe the so and so's are gonna get that much profit. They only paid $169K 5yrs. ago. They've done absolutely nothing to the property to upgrade it.Heck! WE had to take care of the gravel lane because they wouldn't! It just steams me! Now I guess we'll get some *amn city people who buy some property and think they own the whole valley. ok,vent is over.thanx.

Paris,

Ask the contractors if they are aware of city code -- they should be. Don't panic -- get the information and then decide what to do. Don't let it overwhelm you. Simple things like board replacements you can probably do yourself and you can get details like what nails or screws to use, etc. from the project desk at Lowes or Home Depot or from a helpful neighbor. Going thru all this you might even meet Mr. Right -- assuming you're looking.

I do like that idea, thanks...

I received an e-mail in my 'hotmail'
I think I was able to respond,
But not really sure if it went to the person who wrote me.

I am not sure who sent it....

so now I get to show my 'ignorance' again about such things.

I hope you got my reponse...

thanks for your input