c/wa-homeowners

Noticed my neighbor's lawn went from patchy to perfect over one summer... what changed?

Hired a neighbor kid to mow my lawn for $20 and regretted it instantly

Last Saturday I figured I'd give a teenager down the street a chance to make some cash mowing my yard. He showed up with a rusted mower that barely started and started chopping through my flower bed like it was part of the grass. I ran out to stop him but he just shrugged and said 'it's all green anyway'. After he finished, I noticed he scalped half the lawn so bad you can see dirt patches now. My wife is not happy and I feel like an idiot for trusting a 14 year old with my yard work. Has anyone else had a bad experience hiring someone from the neighborhood?

Took me 4 years to figure out I was overwatering my lawn every single time

Last summer I noticed my grass in Spokane was turning yellow even though I was watering it three times a week. My neighbor walked over and said 'you're drowning it, cut back to one deep soak a week.' I had been doing short sprinkles every other day like I saw on some YouTube video. Turns out shallow watering makes roots stay near the surface and they cook when it gets hot. Anyone else realize they were doing basic yard care completely backwards for years?

Hit 100 water meters read this morning without a single dog chase

I've been doing property inspections for a few years now and always dreaded the back yard water meters. Last week I finally hit my 100th meter check where I didn't get barked at or chased by some random dog. What got me there? Started carrying a small bag of treats and making noise before opening gates. Took me about 6 months to find the right routine. Anyone else have a weird milestone like this that made your job easier?

That cheap caulking gun from the hardware store cost me a weekend of redo work (the $15 one actually works way better)

Six months after I swapped my front door weatherstripping, the difference is insane

I live in Bellingham and the draft from my front door was terrible last winter. My heating bill was averaging $180 a month just to keep the living room warm. I finally got around to replacing the old rubber weatherstripping with a new foam strip from the hardware store. It took maybe 20 minutes and cost like $12. This winter my heating bill dropped to around $130 a month. I can actually sit near the door without feeling a cold breeze. Has anyone else noticed a big jump in comfort after sealing up drafts around their place?

Spent $800 on a heat pump water heater... wish I did it 3 years ago

My old electric tank finally died and I was dead set on just replacing it cheap. My neighbor who's a contractor convinced me to look at heat pump models. Figured I'd give it a shot since there's a federal rebate right now. Installed it last month and my electric bill dropped by $40 already. The unit itself was $1400 plus install but the rebate knocked it down to $800 out of pocket. At this rate it pays itself off in like 20 months. Has anyone else made the switch and seen actual savings or am I just lucky?

My water heater died in the middle of a cold snap last week

Came home Monday night to no hot water and a flooded utility closet in Everett. Had to scramble for an emergency plumber and spent $1,200 on a replacement. Has anyone else dealt with a sudden water heater failure and found a way to avoid the rush-job pricing?

The HOA board told me my lawn looked 'too natural' so I had to redo it

Overheard a roofer on the bus say he charges per square, not per hour, and it blew my mind

I was on the 44 bus in Seattle last Tuesday and this guy was on his phone talking to someone about a quote. He said 'nah I don't do hourly, I do $400 a square for architectural shingles.' I always assumed roofers just charged by the hour plus materials. Now I'm wondering if I've been getting ripped off by my handyman who bills hourly for everything. Has anyone else switched to flat rates for bigger projects and seen savings?

Had a pipe burst in my crawl space last Sunday...

I was just getting ready to watch the Seahawks game when I heard water running under the house. Went down there with a flashlight and saw a copper pipe had split right at a joint, spraying water everywhere. The crawl space is only about 2 feet tall, so I had to crawl on my belly through mud and insulation to reach the shutoff valve. Took me 20 minutes to get it turned off while water kept soaking through my jeans. Ended up calling a plumber out on a Sunday, cost me $350 just for the emergency visit plus another $200 to fix the pipe. He said the joint had corroded from some old flux they used back when the house was built in 1998. Has anyone else dealt with surprise pipe failures in their crawl space?

I hit 10 years of homeownership this month and my emergency fund finally paid for itself

My water heater blew out last Thursday. Not the usual slow leak, it just gave up. Plumber wanted $2,800 for a new one. I was actually happy to write that check because my emergency fund covered it without touching savings. Everyone told me I was paranoid keeping $15k in a separate account for house stuff. Today I told my buddy who joked about it 5 years ago and he admitted he just charged his own repair on a credit card. Anybody else have that moment where your rainy day fund saved you from a hole?

I finally figured out why my gutters kept overflowing after heavy rain

Turns out I was ignoring the downspout extensions, not just the gutters themselves. After last week's storm dumped 2 inches in an hour and water pooled right next to my foundation, I spent $30 on longer extensions at Lowes and it solved the problem instantly. Has anyone else missed this obvious fix?

Took me 4 tries to find where my basement was leaking from, ended up being a tiny crack behind the drywall

I spent every weekend for three weeks chasing a puddle in my Olympia basement before I finally tore out a 2-foot section of drywall and found a hairline crack in the foundation that was barely visible but let in enough water to soak a bath mat every time it rained has anyone else dealt with a slow leak that drove them crazy to locate?

Tried the cheap route on a new water heater install, cost me double in the end

I figured I'd save a few hundred bucks by buying a water heater from a big box store and having a handyman buddy install it in my place near Tacoma. The unit failed after 8 months, and the warranty was a nightmare because I wasn't a licensed plumber. Ended up paying $2,200 total for a proper Rheem unit with install from a bonded company. Has anyone else had bad luck skimping on HVAC or plumbing work?

Finally stopped ignoring the squeaky floorboard in my living room

I had this one floorboard near the kitchen that squeaked every time you stepped on it. For like 3 years I just walked around it or turned up the TV. My brother came over last Tuesday and showed me how to fix it with a $7 kit from Ace Hardware. Took maybe 20 minutes total and now the whole room feels quieter. Kinda embarrassed I put up with it that long honestly. Anybody else have a tiny house fix they kept putting off?

webuyhouseasis or We Buy Ugly Houses for a Renton property?

Does anyone have experience comparing these two? I need to sell my place in Renton by next week and both claim they can do it.