6 tips for upgrading home's electrical system

By Bill and Kevin Burnett
Inman News®

Q: Recently you advised a correspondent on upgrading the electrical system in an older house. You recommended that he upgrade to a 200-amp main electrical panel. What is this based on? Is 200 amps the new baseline standard for residential electrical service? How would you describe the typical electrical service standard for new or remodeled houses?

A: The National Electrical Code (NEC) governs the size of the electrical panel for new homes or remodeled homes. There are various versions of the NEC. Check with your local building department to see which version is followed in your area.

If you're considering doing some electrical work on your home, please heed this word of caution. Electrical work is not for the novice do-it-yourselfer. While it's certainly possible for an amateur to add an outlet or replace a light switch with a dimmer switch, doing much more probably means hiring a licensed electrician.

We've noted that Bill was the electrician and Kevin was the plumber when we built Kevin's house and remodeled Bill's. Both of us had pretty extensive experience before tackling these projects, and we studied up before moving forward. And, on all these jobs, permits were pulled and our work was signed off by building inspectors.

If you decide to tackle an electrical job, consult your local building department and get an electrical permit before starting work. Have the job inspected at the appropriate intervals dictated by the inspector.

Because modern homes us a number of energy-hungry appliances, a 200-amp panel is the minimum we'd suggest. This size panel will adequately serve an average home and give room for some upgrades.

The total amperage of the branch circuit breakers serving the house should not exceed the amperage of the panel.

The load needed to serve the electrical demands of the devices in the house dictates panel size. Modern appliances such as electric cooktops, ovens, clothes dryers and air conditioners, as well as mixers, hair dryers and so forth, can eat up panel space in a hurry.

Multiple lights and most outlets can be run on a single circuit. But devices such as microwave ovens, cooktops, ovens and clothes dryers require a dedicated circuit.

Here are a few rules of thumb when thinking about the electrical requirements in your house:

1. Wire size is counterintuitive. The larger the gauge number, the smaller the wire. Eighteen-gauge wire is smaller than 12-gauge wire. The larger the wire, the greater the load it can handle safely without getting hot or causing a fire.

2. Generally a 14-2 Romex cable will serve most outlets. This means two insulated 14-gauge wires and one bare wire encased in a rubber sheath. The black wire is the "hot" wire; the white wire is the neutral wire; and the bare wire is the ground wire. It's suitable for loads up to 15 amps.

Vacuum cleaners and lamps operate just fine on this amperage. Most home plug circuits are wired with 14-2 Romex that supply up to eight outlets per circuit. Depending on the usage, a couple of fewer outlets per circuit might be in order.

3. Generally, outlets serving the kitchen and dining room should be 20-amp circuits wired with 12-2 Romex. This is because these circuits will likely take appliances that draw greater amperage.

4. Outlets and switches within a certain proximity to a sink or other water source must be protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). A GFCI breaks the circuit even when a minute amount of water is present. This safety device prevents electric shock and in extreme cases prevents death. Plugs installed in basements, garages, outdoors and bathrooms also require GFCI protection.

5. Electric dryers require a 30-amp outlet protected by a 30-amp circuit breaker, while an electric oven mandates a 50-amp and 8-gauge wire protected by a 50-amp breaker.

6. It's important to size circuit breakers for the wire size they serve. If a 14-2 cable is run from the panel to the outlet, then a 15-amp circuit breaker is the largest that can be used to protect that circuit. If a 12-2 cable is run from the panel to the outlet, then a-20 amp circuit breaker is the largest that can be installed to protect the circuit.

Back in the day when many houses used fuses it was not uncommon for unknowing homeowners to replace a 15-amp fuse that was constantly failing with a 20-amp fuse. This mistake created the risk of a wire overheating and causing a fire.

Rotten deck boards could be sign of larger problem

By Paul Bianchina
Inman News®

Q: I recently purchased a home. I have a deck that is more than 600 square feet and needs some repair, such as replacing rotting wood. The person who built the deck used nails, not screws. The nails are popping up in some places. Also, I am concerned how the deck will look with partially replaced wood. The color won't be the same.

I can't replace the whole deck because of the expense. I would like to sell the house in five years or so and move to a different part of the country. Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated. --Connie D.

 

A: You need to be thinking about safety first, so begin by carefully and thoroughly evaluating the deck to see what its condition is and what needs to be replaced.

I hate to make a bad situation worse for you, but if you have rotting deck boards, there's a possibility that you may have some rotten or damaged support framing as well. The fact that the nails aren't holding is another indicator of that. You definitely don't want to put a Band-Aid on the deck by replacing a few deck boards over support framing that's unsafe and unstable, so you need to determine that first. If the joists or other framing that support the deck need to be replaced, you may not have any choice about removing all of the deck boards, so the color matching becomes a moot point.

If it turns out you're only replacing some of the boards, then you want to be sure that you select boards of the same size and wood species. After the new boards are in place, work your way around over the entire deck and remove any loose nails. Pull them straight up and out, using a thin scrap of wood or metal under the pry bar to prevent damaging the deck boards. Replace the nails with new, longer, all-weather screws that are made for deck use.

To get a color match, consider having the entire deck sanded and stained with a UV-resistant deck stain. This will offer good protection for the wood, will blend the colors, and will keep the deck looking rich. Done correctly, the deck will become a resale asset to the home when you go to sell it.

 

Q: I'm going be having some hip surgery soon, and I'd like to install grab bars in my older tile shower. How do I do that so they'll be secure, and also not break any tiles? --Ellen R.

A: The grab bar has to be attached to something solid, such as a stud. It can't be screwed directly to the tile, or attached with anchors. Some stud finders will work though tile, or if you have a drywall area above the tile, you can locate the studs there. When you know where the stud is, mark the mounting hole locations for the grab bar. You can install the grab bar vertically so both ends are on the same stud, or at an angle so each end is on an adjacent stud.

Use a masonry bit that's larger in diameter than the diameter of the screws you'll be using to fasten the grab bar, and drill a hole through the tile at each of the mounting locations. The reason for doing this is so that the mounting screws will pass through the tile without binding up. Just drill through the tile and whatever mortar is behind it, not into the stud itself. You'll know you've drilled far enough when you stop seeing mortar dust coming out of the hole while you're drilling.

Switch to a smaller, standard bit and drill pilot holes in the stud, whatever size is correct for the mounting screws you're using. Squirt a small dab of clear silicone into each of the holes in the tile. Hold the grab bar in place, and attach it to the wall with the mounting screws. The silicone will keep moisture from getting into the wall and damaging the wall framing. Install the trim rings on the grab bars, and you're done.

Incidentally, the grab bars are probably going to be tax deductible as a medical expense. Hang onto all your receipts and give them to your accountant at the end of the year.

 

Q: I live in a townhome. My master bedroom has a common wall with my neighbor's master bedroom. I hear all kinds of things and am desperate to find a soundproofing solution. I've heard of QuietRock soundproof drywall; however, it's expensive and I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that may not be sufficiently effective. Do you know if QuietRock drywall is effective in blocking noise? Or do you have any other suggestions for soundproofing? --Lynn G.

 

A: While I don't have any personal experience with installing QuietRock, everything I've heard about the product is very good. My understanding is that, while it is expensive, it compares favorably to other soundproofing methods when you take the additional labor of other methods into consideration.

I would suggest that you talk with a licensed drywall contractor who's experienced with sound issues; your local drywall supplier will have some recommendations of good contractors. Have one or two visit your house and evaluate the situation, and offer specific suggestions for your particular home. Also, if the home is less than 1 year old, I would also talk with the original building contractor, since you may have some warranty help available as well.

Ceiling to blame for cottage's musty odor

Q: I desperately need your advice. We have a cottage in our backyard that was run-down, dirty and smelled badly inside. We gutted the cottage and redid everything except for the all-wood ceiling.

The problem is that, after all our work, the cottage still smells. For a while we used the cottage as a kitchen and at that time I didn't notice the smell so much. My husband's great cooking with all the garlic must have covered it up. But now that the cottage has gone unused for a while, it smells again. I put my nose to the wooden beam and it stinks with that same smell.

Is it possible that the smell is coming from the wood? If so, what can we do to get the odor out? We have company arriving soon and I am embarrassed for them to stay there.

 

A: It's not only possible but likely the smell is from the wood. Years of neglect and lack of ventilation probably is the cause of the unpleasant odor. It also could be that you're especially sensitive to that musty smell. We mention this because cooking odors masked the smell. Heavy use of the "stinking rose" covers a lot.

With company arriving soon you probably don't have enough time to permanently fix the odor issue. To get ready for your guests give the ceiling a good cleaning and ventilate the room before they show up. Your permanent solution is to refinish the ceiling.

Cleaning is a two-step process. First, give the wood a good scrubbing with trisodium phosphate (TSP), which is sold as a powder available in the paint section of your local hardware store. Mix a good handful of TSP in a gallon of warm water and stir until it dissolves. Use the abrasive side of a "scrubby" sponge to scrub the ceiling. This will remove most of the dirt and gunk that is causing the odor. We suspect the water will get dirty quickly so change the solution often. Make sure to rinse the ceiling with clean water.

Use drop cloths if the room is carpeted. Move any furniture out of the way. It's inevitable that the water will drip and TSP followed by a bleach wash can stain. Also it's a good idea to wear a long-sleeve shirt and to "glove up." TSP and bleach, even when diluted, are mildly caustic and can irritate sensitive skin.

Next clean the ceiling with a bleach solution. Bleach should kill any organisms contributing to the smell. Make the solution four parts water to one part household bleach. Again make sure any fabrics or carpet are covered or out of the room.

While all this is going on leave the windows open. Fresh air goes a long way in getting rid of foul smells.

You may find that the heavy cleaning is enough to banish the smell. But you're not done yet. To solve the odor problem once and for all, seal the wood. If the ceiling is only stained and not varnished, the cleaning you've done is the preparation needed before applying a seal coat.

After your guests leave, apply two coats of water-based polyurethane to seal the wood. If the wood has a smooth surface, use a sponge brush to put on the sealer. They are cheap, disposable and give a good finish. If the wood is rough-sawn, you'll need a traditional paintbrush to do the job.

So, to sum up, open the window to let the fresh air in. Give the wood a two-step cleaning with tri-sodium phosphate and bleach. And, after your guests leave, seal the ceiling.

Top 5 homebuyer regrets

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson
Inman News®

In life, and in real estate, there are decisions that, if we had them to do over again, we might do x, y or z differently. But all in all, we are not too upset about how things turned out. "C'est la vie," as they say.

Then there are the decisions and actions we actively regret, worrying over their long-term consequences, wishing we could have a cosmic do-over, stewing and ruminating over what we did wrong. (In truth, it's a sign of emotional maturity to see every experience as an education, and to be free from ruminating over even the worst of our regrets. But I digress).

Contrary to popular belief, my experience shows that the vast majority of homebuyers commit what they see as the first type of mistakes, but not those deep, dark regrets. However, those that do have serious regrets can lose many hours of sleep and many thousands of dollars trying to remedy them. Their only gain? Experience and gray hairs.  

Here are the top 5 true, deep regrets of homebuyers and some insights for how to prevent them from taking over your own life:

 

1. Premature buying. This is not at all about timing the market or making sure you get in at the "just-right" moment. There's not much you can or should do about that. But buying before your life or your finances are ready for homeownership is a transgression that ends up causing serious, long-term regrets for those who end up doing it. Premature buying takes several forms, the most common of which includes jumping the gun and buying before you've saved as much as you really need, or before you've paid your debt down to the level you really needed to.

Another pervasive form of premature buying is to buy before you've truly, deeply, seriously run all your own personal financial numbers, which puts you in the position of forced reliance on what the bank, lender or someone else thinks is affordable, which is often wrong.

Similarly, buying because you feel pressure to get in while the market is keeping prices and interest rates low, rather than because you want and can afford a home, is a surefire path to real estate regret.

 

2. Buying too small of a house. People who buy too large of a home often realize, several years in, that they simply aren't using all of their rooms and many either sell and downsize or find ways to put the extra space they have to better use. People who buy too small of a home, on the other hand, are acutely aware of it from the moment their children start fighting, they find themselves and their energy levels deactivated by clutter or they end up realizing that there is no room at the inn for the family members or friends they'd like to house, short or long term.

Buying too large of a home is potentially wasteful of the money spent maintaining, heating and cooling the place; buying too small a home is uncomfortable and frustrating, sometimes intensely so, on a constant basis -- hence, the regret it can create.

Avoid this regret by starting your house hunt with a visioning exercise: What do you want your home life to look like in 10 years? Who will live with you? Do you entertain or have overnight guests? What activities do you want or need to be able to do there? Do you want to practice yoga, crafts, have kid-sized homework spaces, work at home, collect classic cars or move your parents in? If so, seek to buy a home that can comfortably fit all these people and their activities, even though they might not all exist -- yet.

 

3. Buying a home you can't truly afford. You might think that one of the top 5 regrets of homebuyers would be buying at the top of the market. But that's not the case -- I know plenty of buyers who bought at the top, paid top dollar and are still upside down on their homes, yet are still happy with their homes because they can well afford the payment and bought homes that will serve their families very well for the very long term (which will allow their home's value to recover).

It is much more problematic to simply overextend yourself on a home -- no matter what the market dynamics are at the time you buy. People who both bought at the top of the market AND overextended themselves made up the large majority of folks who lost homes, as the mortgage gyrations they went through (i.e., taking short-term, interest-only, adjustable-rate mortgages) in order to qualify for the home in the first place also caused them to be utterly unable to sustain the mortgage once the market declined and their mortgages weren't able to be refinanced.

If you can't foresee being able to make the mortgage payment on your home 10 years in the future without refinancing it, that's a sign you might be approaching the unaffordability danger zone.

 

4. Incompletely resolving co-buyer conflicts. Many co-buyers are couples, but I've also seen parents buy homes with their children, siblings buy homes together and even good friends team up to co-buy a home. Any time there is more than one buyer, there is a chance that the co-buyers will have one or more disconnects in their wants, needs and priorities. Often these are resolved almost effortlessly by the realities of the homes that are on the market (e.g., neither party's dream home turns out to actually exist, or pricing realities require everyone to compromise); other times, people simply work things out like mature individuals, seeking first to understand their co-buyer's position, then working out a compromise that works for everyone involved.

But in still other cases, the conflict is never truly, deeply resolved; even on closing day, one side feels completely misunderstood, or caves in for the sake of avoiding conflict, or someone simply throws a tantrum, insisting that they get their way. In these cases, it's common for the party who feels undermined and trampled on to ruminate on it as they live in the property every single day, ending up with great resentment and anger over the years.

 

5. Taking on fixing beyond their skill, patience and resource level. It can be heartbreaking to tour one of the many homes on the market that was clearly the subject of a previous owner's fixer-upper dream but was abandoned in the middle of a remodel. Often, these abandonments happen because the owner simply underestimated what the project would take and ran out of time, energy or, most commonly, money to get the remodeling completed. But it's even sadder to tour the home of a frustrated fixer whose owner and family still lives in a half-done, very dysfunctional property, and who are getting more and more disgruntled with their situation every time they make a mortgage payment.

Mortgage Update

		30 Year Fixed up to $417,000 3.25% to 3.50% 30 Year Fixed “Agency” up to $625,500 3.25% to 3.50% 30 Year Fixed FHA up to $417,000 3.25% to 3.50% 30 Year Fixed FHA “Jumbo” up to $729,500 3.25% to 3.50%

5 ways homeowners can protect against wildfires

By Paul Bianchina
Inman News®

Wildfires have become a tragic part of the daily news lately. They can strike anywhere, at any time, with no warning. State and federal firefighting budgets are stretched to the max as well, so it's more important than ever that you do everything you can to ensure that your home is as safe as possible. Should a wildfire ever come through your area, don't let your home become a statistic!

It doesn't take that much to protect your property against wildfire, and it helps with curb appeal and resale value at the same time. You might even consider organizing a neighborhood group to make the work go that much faster. Here are some of the steps you need to take:

Create a fire break

The single most important thing to do is create a defensible, noncombustible fire break around your home. If you have a noncombustible roofing material, such as metal, tile or composition shingles, then your fire break should extend out for 30 feet in all directions. To determine the layout of that area, simply measure out 30 feet from each edge of your home's combustible materials.

For example, you might need to measure from the edge of the roof overhang, or from the edge of a patio cover. If your home has a wooden deck, measure from the edge of that, but if you have a concrete or brick patio, you can measure from the house instead.

One of the biggest dangers during a wildfire is wind-driven embers. So if your home has a combustible roof, such as cedar shakes or shingles, you need to extend the fire break area from 30 feet out to 50 feet.

Within the fire-break area, you want to create a zone where things can't burn. That doesn't mean you have to clear cut and pave everything! You just want to create a well-maintained area that's as free as possible of combustible vegetation. For example, consider using fire-resistant landscaping such as grass, low groundcovers and low shrubbery. The other alternatives are hardscaping materials such as gravel, pavers or any other materials that won't burn.

Trim trees and remove dead material

Also within that defensible zone you need to thin out excess trees. During a fire, the flames will easily spread from tree to tree, so you want to thin them so they're no less than 10 feet apart. You also want to be sure to remove any dead trees.

All remaining healthy trees within the zone need to be limbed up to a height of at least 6 feet. This is done to prevent a fast-moving ground fire from being able to work its way up into the trees. For the same reason, all dead plant material should be removed or at least broken up so there isn't a fuel bed. Finally, be sure you cut dry grass to less than 4 inches high.

Clear your driveway

It's not something a lot of people think about, but in the event of fire, emergency vehicles need to be able to have clear access to your home if they're going to protect it. If you're on a piece of property with a long driveway that's more than 150 feet, fire officials typically request that overhanging trees be limbed up and back so there's at least 13 1/2 feet of vertical clearance and 12 feet of horizontal clearance. Protect your driveway from the fire by keeping vegetation cleared back for 10 feet from the driveway's centerline on each side.

Clean up your roof

Remove any dead branches that overhang your roof. Also, remove dead leaves and pine needles from the roof and gutters, including patio covers; those leaf and needle buildups are extremely flammable, and a single spark or ember can spread with amazing speed. Don't forget outbuildings on your property as well!

While you're up there, remember that sparks from your fireplace or woodstove are a real fire hazard. In addition to the cleaning, trim overhanging tree branches back a minimum of 10 feet from the chimney in all directions.

Be careful with outdoor storage

You don't want to store firewood right alongside your house, since it can become a real fire hazard and a source of a lot of retained heat during a wildfire. Move your firewood, as well as any lumber piles, at least 20 feet away from the house until fire season is over. Or, better yet, build a separate, enclosed wood storage shed a safe distance away.

The same is true for open areas under decks, which can be an inviting area for storing wood, gasoline and other flammable liquids, and all kinds of things that can catch fire easily and sustain a fire for a long time. Keep the underside of decks and stairs clear of anything and everything that can burn.

10 expenses you can deduct when renting out a room

By Stephen Fishman
Inman News®

Lots of people are trying to earn a few extra bucks by renting out a room in their home. This can not only be a good source of income, but result in tax deductions.

If you rent out a room in your home, the tax rules apply to you in the same way as they do for landlords who rent out entire properties. This means you get to deduct the expenses arising from your rental activity.

There is one big difference, however: You must divide certain expenses between the part of the property you rent out and the part you live in, just as though you actually had two separate pieces of property.

You can fully deduct (or, where applicable, depreciate) any expenses just for the room you rent; for example, repairing a window in the room, installing carpet or drapes, painting the room, or providing your tenant with furniture (such as a bed).

In addition, if you pay extra homeowners insurance premiums because you're renting out a room, the full cost is a deductible operating expense.

If you install a second phone line just for your tenant's use, the full cost is deductible as a rental expense. However, you cannot deduct any part of the cost of the first phone line even if your tenant has unlimited use of it.

Expenses for your entire home must be divided between the part you rent and the part you live in. This includes your payments for:

• mortgage interest.
• repairs for your entire home; for example, repairing the roof or furnace, or painting the entire home.
• improvements for your entire home; for example, replacing the roof.
• homeowners insurance.
• utilities such as electricity, gas and heating oil.
• housecleaning or gardening services for your whole home.
• trash removal.
• snow removal costs.
• security system costs.
• condominium association fees.

You can also deduct depreciation on the part of your home you rent.

You can use any reasonable method for dividing these expenses. It may be reasonable to divide the cost of some items (for example, water) based on the number of people using them. However, the two most common methods for dividing an expense are either based on the number of rooms in your home or based on the square footage of your home.

Example 1: Jane rents a room in her house to a college student. The room is 10 by 20 feet, or 200 square feet. Her entire house has 1,200 square feet of floor space. Thus, one-sixth, or 16.67 percent, of her home is rented out. She can deduct as a rental expense one-sixth of any expense that must be divided between rental use and personal use.

Example 2: Instead of using the square footage of her house, Jane figures that her home has five rooms of about equal size, and she is renting out one of them. She determines that one-fifth, or 20 percent, of her home is being rented. She deducts 20 percent of her expenses that must be divided between rental and personal use.

As the examples show, you can often get a larger deduction by using the room method instead of the square footage of your home.