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c/cleveland-homeowners

6

tylerpark•12h ago

Finally picked between a heat pump and a gas furnace for my old house in Cleveland

Honestly, I spent like three weeks going back and forth on this. My old furnace from 1998 finally died last month, and I had to decide between a new gas furnace or a heat pump. I went with the gas furnace because the winters here are brutal and my electric rates are crazy high. It cost me about $4,500 installed, and so far my heating bills are way lower than what friends with heat pumps tell me they pay. Anyone else have to make this call for an older home around here?

23

adam_patel•1d ago

Found a lump sum payment clause in my mortgage after 3 years

Was going through my paperwork last month and realized I had a 10% prepayment penalty if I sold within 5 years. Did anyone else miss something like that in their closing docs when they bought in Cleveland?

13

the_nathan•3d ago

Pro tip: insulating your attic access panel is worth every penny

I spent about $40 on some foam board and weatherstripping last fall to seal up the pull-down attic stairs in my Cleveland bungalow. My heating bills dropped roughly $25 a month through the winter, so it paid for itself in two months. The real surprise was how much more comfortable the hallway felt with all that cold air staying up in the attic. Has anyone else had luck with other simple insulation upgrades around the house?

2

taylor.sean•3d ago

Debate: should we form a neighborhood snow removal co-op or keep hiring separate crews?

Last winter I paid $400 for a guy with a plow truck who showed up 6 hours late after the big storm, but my neighbor on East 123rd pays $250 a season for a co-op that clears 8 driveways in 2 hours, so which approach actually works better for Cleveland homeowners dealing with these unpredictable lake-effect snows?

21

lucasschmidt•3d ago

Hit 100 days of scraping old paint off my porch and it actually made me stop hating the project

I've been stripping the lead paint off my 1920s Cleveland bungalow porch since June. A few days ago I randomly counted the days I'd worked on it and hit exactly 100. That number made me realize I've been out there every morning before work chipping away at this thing and it's almost done now. I used to curse this house every time I found another layer, but seeing the wood underneath after all that effort actually changed my mind about the whole renovation. Anyone else have a house project that took way longer than you thought but ended up being worth it?

17

mila_campbell25•3d ago

Switched from appraisals to a local estimator for my Cleveland fixer-upper

I was about to list my house on West 25th but a contractor buddy showed me how using market comps from 3 blocks away instead of the county average bumped my asking price by $12,000, has anyone else had better luck with a private estimator?

0

reesel50•7d ago

Switched from gutter guards to monthly cleaning after a $1,200 roof repair

I used to think those $50 snap-in gutter guards from Home Depot were the answer, but after a clog ripped my gutters off the fascia during a storm last June, I learned the hard way. Now I just pay a kid from the neighborhood $40 to clean them out by hand every 4 weeks. Has anyone else ditched the guards and gone back to old-school maintenance?

5

the_max•7d ago

Chat with my plumber about old cast iron pipes made me think twice about selling

He said most buyers won't touch a house with original 1950s plumbing even if it's still working, and now I'm wondering if I should replace the lateral line before listing my place in Parma next spring.

23

julia549•10d ago

Spent $800 on a basement waterproofing system 2 years ago and now I'm finding mold behind the drywall anyway

The company said their interior drain tile and sump pump would handle everything in my Tremont house, but after this spring's heavy rain I'm getting musty smells and peeling paint near the floor, has anyone else had issues with these systems not actually stopping moisture from the walls?

10

elliot_patel•12d ago

PSA: Check your sump pump battery backup before spring storms hit

Last April I had my basement flood because the power went out during a heavy rain and my backup battery was completely dead. I live near the Rocky River area and it took three shop vacs and a nasty smell in my carpet to fix the mess. Turns out those Optima batteries only last about 4 years before they stop holding a charge. Anybody else test there's regularly or just wait until something happens?

17

adam_patel•15d ago

My neighbor told me to stop caulking my windows in the winter and I ignored him for 2 seasons

He said the cold would make the caulk crack and peel off within months, and after redoing three windows twice I finally listened last summer and it stayed perfect. Anyone else have a bad habit of doing home repairs at the wrong time of year?

16

grace_campbell•16d ago

My neighbor's comment about foundation cracks got me thinking

So I was chatting with my neighbor Dave last week while we were both out raking leaves. He pointed out a hairline crack in his foundation and said he used to panic about those until a contractor told him most are just cosmetic. That hit different because I've been stressing over a similar crack in my 1940s house in Ohio City for months. Has anyone else had a foundation inspection that made them realize they were overthinking things?

19

parker183•1mo ago

I finally fixed my leaky basement after 2 years of trying

Turns out the French drain I installed was clogged with tree roots from a maple I didn't think was close enough. Has anyone else dealt with roots sneaking into drainage pipes?

14

hugo_robinson25•1mo ago

That 'vintage' water heater cost me $800 in lost time

Bought a 15 year old tank off Craigslist for $50. Thought I was smart. Guy said it worked fine. Installed it myself in the basement. Worked for 3 days then flooded the laundry room. Took me 6 hours to clean up and replace. Ended up buying a new Rheem for $750. Don't mess with old water heaters. Anyone else get burned by a 'deal' like this?

29

jana_hart18•1mo ago

The week my basement flooded 3 times in 5 days

Last Tuesday I woke up to 2 inches of water in my basement in Parma. Called a plumber and he said it was a busted pipe under the slab, $1,800 to fix it. Thursday morning it flooded again, same spot, and I found out the guy didn't even seal the new pipe right. By Saturday I had a second plumber out who charged me $600 more and finally fixed it right. Has anyone else dealt with a plumber who just half-asses the job like that?

20

the_kim•1mo ago

The $5,000 water line replacement that turned me into a believer in pipe cameras

I thought pipe cameras were just a gimmick to upsell homeowners until my basement drain clogged for the third time last spring. Called Roto-Rooter in Parma and the guy ran a camera down there for $150 extra. Found a crack where tree roots had punched through a cast iron joint that was 40 years old. Without that camera I would have just snaked it again and wasted another $200 every 6 months. Ended up costing me $4,800 to dig and replace that section but it's been dry for 8 months now. Anyone else had a plumbing camera save them from throwing money down the drain?

11

the_william•1mo ago

Hit 50 house flips in Cleveland this month without realizing it

I was going through my old notebooks last weekend trying to find a contractor number and I counted up all the projects I've done since 2018. Turns out I've flipped exactly 50 houses in the Cleveland area. That number hit me harder than I expected because I never sat down and added it up before. Most of them are in the Collinwood and Slavic Village areas, the smaller bungalows and cape cods that need new plumbing and drywall. It made me think about how much equity I've moved around in this city without ever patting myself on the back. Anyone else keep a running tally of their projects or just me?

6

emery_black•1mo ago

Hit my 100th gutter cleaning job for the year this week... wasn't even trying to count

I've been cleaning gutters for homeowners in the Parma area as a side gig for about three years now. Usually just do it for extra cash and to help out my neighbors. But this week I hit 100 houses cleaned since January, which blew my mind since I just do it on weekends. Not bad for a guy with a ladder and a trowel. Any other weekend warriors out there tracking their numbers without really meaning to?

5

claire_hart53•1mo ago

Tried hiring a big crew for my backyard patio vs a two-person team... night and day difference

Last month I paid a six-person crew $4,500 for pavers and they left gaps everywhere. Then a father-son team did the same size job for $3,200 and it's perfectly level. Has anyone else had better luck with smaller outfits?

3

jasonf17•1mo ago

Just noticed half the houses on my street still use those old cast iron drains from the 50s

I was helping my neighbor Chuck snake a backup on Franklin Avenue last Saturday and saw his main stack is still the original cast iron. He said the plumber told him to replace it with PVC but he just patched it again. I got curious and walked the block, at least 8 of the 15 houses still have the old stuff visible in their basements. Those pipes get internal rust and scale that makes them go from 4 inches down to like 2 inches over time. Has anyone else in Cleveland dealt with getting those ancient drains swapped out without the whole house flooding?

15

the_linda•1mo ago

Switched from a gas furnace to a heat pump this winter and here's what shocked me about our electric bill

So we finally bit the bullet back in October and swapped out our old 1990s gas furnace for a ducted heat pump. I was real nervous about it because everyone in my neighborhood group kept saying heat pumps can't handle Cleveland winters. But we got a Mitsubishi Hyper Heat unit and honestly? Our December electric bill was $145. Last year with gas it was $210 plus the $80 gas delivery fee. The house stays at 68 just fine even when it was 10 degrees out. I know not everyone has the same experience but has anyone else made this switch and seen a big drop in their total heating costs?

2

shanelee•1mo ago

Found a dead simple way to stop my basement sump pump from cycling every 2 minutes

My sump pump was turning on and off like crazy after every rain. I figured the pump was shot or the float switch was bad. Turned out the discharge pipe outside had a tiny crack letting water drain back into the pit. I patched it with a rubber coupling and some hose clamps from Ace Hardware for about 8 bucks. Hasn't short cycled in 3 weeks now. Anyone else dealt with a phantom sump pump issue and found a fix that wasn't replacing the whole thing?

18

ericj45•1mo ago

I finally looked up the actual tax abatement numbers for Detroit-Shoreway

Found out last week from the Cuyahoga County fiscal office that only 12% of approved abatements actually get claimed because most homeowners sell before the 12-year term is up, has anyone else seen that kind of drop-off in their neighborhood?

26

alicehernandez•1mo ago

That week in Shaker Heights when my basement sump pump died during a storm

Last June we had a huge downpour on a Tuesday night, and I woke up to two inches of water in my basement. My neighbor Joe helped me bail it out, but it cost me $450 to get a new pump installed from Cleveland Plumbing Supply on Lee Road. Has anyone else had a sudden pump failure like that during a bad storm?

26

lunaf67•1mo ago

Talked to my 80 year old neighbor about his old furnace last week

I was out raking leaves and Mr. Peterson came over to complain about my leaf blower noise. We got talking about his old gas furnace he's had since 1975. He said he's never had a single repair on it, just replaces the filter twice a year. Made me think about how my fancy high efficiency unit has needed two service calls in three years. Anyone else feel like old stuff was built better?