Home Inspection

[stormdog]

I'm back from the condo today where I met with the home inspector.

The condo has a wood-burning fireplace. I was feeling pretty neutral about that. Now, I'm feeling pretty negative after learning that we could pay an additional $500/year for home insurance, and we could need to pay for a WETT (wood energy technology transfer) test before getting a policy. I'm going to see if any insurance companies will write a policy with an exclusion for the fireplace and then never use it. Roasting marshmallows a few times a year isn't worth it.

The drain in the laundry room is kind of odd: it's raised slightly from the rest of the floor. Miriam and I commented on that when we were there for the viewing. Turns out the hole in the floor for the drain is not centered on the drain pipe, so it doesn't rest nicely on the pipe flange. Instead, the flange is keeping the drain elevated while the rest of the floor sags slightly around it. That's just awful workmanship. We could cut a rectangle out of the floor between the joists and replace that section with one that has the hole in the correct place.

The vent hood over the stove has no vent: it just recirculates. I thought that might be the case, but we can live with that. The electrical box has two open slots, so we could add a breaker for a dishwasher. I took measurements in the kitchen so we can think about where we would put one and how to rearrange things.

So no big news other than the fireplace home insurance issue. The furnace is older but works. Appliances work. Windows are newish and are all fine. Nothing to really keep us from proceeding.

Comments

[armiphlage]

Does it have a washing machine and dryer, or is that not permitted in that building?

[stormdog]

It does have a washer and dryer! I'm so excited by that!

To avoid using the shared washer and dryer in the apartment we're in, we bought a little washer that connects to the sink for supply and we have it drain into the bathtub. For drying stuff, we use a rack that, in good weather, we put on our little balcony. It's been manageable, but it will be really nice to have both machines, and full size ones!

Actually, in-unit laundry was a requirement for us as we were looking.

[anais_pf]

My washing machine has been broken for three weeks. We called a repair service RIGHT AWAY, they said they'd come in three days, but then it turned out to be five days because someone else had a flooding emergency . . . and then when the guy came, HE DIDN'T FIX IT! He ordered a part that still has not arrived, and tentatively he will come back IN ANOTHER WEEK! It is such a disruption not to be able to do laundry in the house. We've done two separate laundromat loads, but it looks like we'll have to do a few more before he comes back.

I remember quite well having to do laundry in a shared washer and dryer in various apartments and it's a pain in the butt. You are going to love having a washer and dryer in the condo.

[stormdog]

That's awful, that it's taking so long to fix yours. I hope it's finally done in a week!

We had our own washer/dryer in the place we rented in Amsterdam, and the one in Amstelveen before that too. We were both very glad of that as the pandemic really got rolling over the course of our time in Europe.

The condo Danae owned before leaving Evanston had a shared laundry room in the basement. At that time, it was annoying, but only minorly so. Now, I'd be doing the same thing I'm doing here, with a portable unit that could plug in in the bathroom or kitchen. Too many people down there too often in too small a space.