Revalos
11-22-2008, 08:40 PM
So yeah, soon after my divorce was completely finalized, I started getting bids to do some work on my house so that when I get back from Iraq I can put it up on the market in a sellable state. I have got to get out of the burbs and get back in a city somewhere where there is some fucking activity for a single guy.
There are several things wrong with the house...but the most visible was the siding. 35 year old aluminum siding that was kind of just thrown on there with very little Tyvek on top of even older asbestos shingles.
So, $14,000 later, and nearly a lawsuit before they finally agreed to go with that price regardless of the asbestos disposal fee (they wanted to tack on another $7500 for that when they discovered it, and I wasn't having any of it. They signed a document stating that old siding and shingle removal was covered. It isn't my fault that they didn't check to see if I had asbestos shingles before they put in the bid.) they are finally done with the foam backed vinyl goodness.
First impressions: Mexicans fucking love caulk. They used more of the stuff in ways I had never thought of and in quantities well beyond the maximum I ever thought could be used. I'll probably redo that before I sell the house, but at least it is patched thoroughly. I think they did a pretty good job in the end, once they realized that their bosses were going to eat the asbestos disposal fees instead of it coming out of their minimum wage paycheck. They also replaced two outdoor lights and removed a 35 year old corrugated metal awning, which I appreciated. I like the color a bit better than the bright white before...that was just too easily made dirty...it isn't my favorite, but I am trying to get rid of the house anyway.
Anyway...a word to the wise on siding. Make absolutely sure you get everything in writing about what they will remove and replace and keep copies. They actually tried to claim that I had signed a form saying that if they found asbestos they could renegotiate the contract. I said that there was no such form recognized by the State of Maryland, and that even if there was, the document I signed said that the removal of any and all old shingles, siding, or other materials that impeded the installation of the new siding was covered by the contract amount. They shouldn't have sold me the foam-backed premium stuff that required a flat surface. If I had got the crappy Tyvek+bendy vinyl, they could have smoked me out for my deposit and left me with a house that looked like the second picture.
Here's the picture progression:
When I bought the house-
http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/tn_Front_8d00ac17f62b1742b5543768e05c974e.JPG (http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/Front_8d00ac17f62b1742b5543768e05c974e.JPG)
When they found the asbestos shingles-
http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/tn_Asbestos_eab603ecc548f1eff600316b4cbc8893.jpg (http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/Asbestos_eab603ecc548f1eff600316b4cbc8893.jpg)
Now-
http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/tn_NewSiding_72aec04d235743160b72b3bae94e909a.jpg (http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/NewSiding_72aec04d235743160b72b3bae94e909a.jpg)
There are several things wrong with the house...but the most visible was the siding. 35 year old aluminum siding that was kind of just thrown on there with very little Tyvek on top of even older asbestos shingles.
So, $14,000 later, and nearly a lawsuit before they finally agreed to go with that price regardless of the asbestos disposal fee (they wanted to tack on another $7500 for that when they discovered it, and I wasn't having any of it. They signed a document stating that old siding and shingle removal was covered. It isn't my fault that they didn't check to see if I had asbestos shingles before they put in the bid.) they are finally done with the foam backed vinyl goodness.
First impressions: Mexicans fucking love caulk. They used more of the stuff in ways I had never thought of and in quantities well beyond the maximum I ever thought could be used. I'll probably redo that before I sell the house, but at least it is patched thoroughly. I think they did a pretty good job in the end, once they realized that their bosses were going to eat the asbestos disposal fees instead of it coming out of their minimum wage paycheck. They also replaced two outdoor lights and removed a 35 year old corrugated metal awning, which I appreciated. I like the color a bit better than the bright white before...that was just too easily made dirty...it isn't my favorite, but I am trying to get rid of the house anyway.
Anyway...a word to the wise on siding. Make absolutely sure you get everything in writing about what they will remove and replace and keep copies. They actually tried to claim that I had signed a form saying that if they found asbestos they could renegotiate the contract. I said that there was no such form recognized by the State of Maryland, and that even if there was, the document I signed said that the removal of any and all old shingles, siding, or other materials that impeded the installation of the new siding was covered by the contract amount. They shouldn't have sold me the foam-backed premium stuff that required a flat surface. If I had got the crappy Tyvek+bendy vinyl, they could have smoked me out for my deposit and left me with a house that looked like the second picture.
Here's the picture progression:
When I bought the house-
http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/tn_Front_8d00ac17f62b1742b5543768e05c974e.JPG (http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/Front_8d00ac17f62b1742b5543768e05c974e.JPG)
When they found the asbestos shingles-
http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/tn_Asbestos_eab603ecc548f1eff600316b4cbc8893.jpg (http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/Asbestos_eab603ecc548f1eff600316b4cbc8893.jpg)
Now-
http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/tn_NewSiding_72aec04d235743160b72b3bae94e909a.jpg (http://fileserver7.jpghosting.com/images/NewSiding_72aec04d235743160b72b3bae94e909a.jpg)