| LIFE The stupid stuff you've found contractors have done on your home.

[TerryP]

I thought I'd seen a lot, not everything, but at least a good majority of 'short cuts' contractors make when building homes. Until this past week.

Yesterday morning my next door neighbor ask me to install a Ring™ doorbell. She even offered to pay me a little money for it which I refused. "It's only a couple of screws."

What I didn't expect to see is instead of using the correct wiring for the original doorbell, the contractor took phone cord and used two of the five wires. A phone cord...and to say the least it can't handle the currents.

Wednesday, I'm helping a friend install flooring at his house. As we're pulling the base off to install new...found a piece of base behind the sheetrock. They'd put it there because the framing was out of line and that base kept the sheetrock semi-straight. Certainly not square.

My doorbell is literally hooked into the hot on an electrical switch that's on the opposite side of the house. In my mud room! Literally, four rooms away, across half of the house. Why?

I don't have an answer for any of these. I'd love to find the guys who built these homes to ask a simple question, "WTF?"

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

Cutting corners is always the answer. They had telephone wire in their hand when it came time to put the doorbell in so they went with it.

The number of times I have went to help someone with internet speed issues at home only to find out that the folks put in Cat5 cables (not 5e, 5) on Cat5e terminals because "Cat5 is good enough" is ridiculous. Sucks to pay for Gigabit internet and wires throughout the house only to find the installers were installing cable that could only go at 1/10th the speed.

 

[TerryP]

Cutting corners is always the answer. They had telephone wire in their hand when it came time to put the doorbell in so they went with it.

The number of times I have went to help someone with internet speed issues at home only to find out that the folks put in Cat5 cables (not 5e, 5) on Cat5e terminals because "Cat5 is good enough" is ridiculous. Sucks to pay for Gigabit internet and wires throughout the house only to find the installers were installing cable that could only go at 1/10th the speed.

Coincidentally, I used to be in business with a guy who held the patent on CAT5.

On another note...I was watching the team that he's the captain of last night in the money cup of APA. The guy doesn't play to win... And wants me on his team. I can't tell you how bad it pisses me off.

 

[sk33tr]

My house is full of inconsistencies; like the breaker for one room that also controls a single plug in an adjacent room. Or half the kitchen being on one breaker and the other half being on another breaker.

And hardly anything in this house is square or plumb. Having put down flooring in every single room and putting up bead-board and wainscoting in a couple rooms, the amount of difference just in one wall was a little mind-blowing.

 

[planomateo]

Had a 3 way light switch in previous house. Both light switches were less than 7' apart. Made no sense...

 

[It Takes Eleven]

My house is full of inconsistencies; like the breaker for one room that also controls a single plug in an adjacent room. Or half the kitchen being on one breaker and the other half being on another breaker.

And hardly anything in this house is square or plumb. Having put down flooring in every single room and putting up bead-board and wainscoting in a couple rooms, the amount of difference just in one wall was a little mind-blowing.

Yeah, it's easy to turn the outlets out in opposite directions hanging boxes from one stud when wiring. Most kitchens are on two circuits, many times making sure (optimally) the refrigerator is on a separate circuit from the logical location of the microwave/coffee pot.

Square and plumb are on the framers and the contractor for not keeping them straight (literally). When my Dad was building, he'd check all the walls for plumb and make them fix it so the sheetrock and cabinet guys wouldn't scream bloody murder. On one job, the framers got away before he checked the front wall and we had to make a number of cuts and crutches to straighten the front wall of the house.

On my house I just built, I had a plumb/square issue in the kitchen, which was tough on the cabinet install, and one bath. Overall, the framers were great.

RTR,

Tim

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

My house is full of inconsistencies; like the breaker for one room that also controls a single plug in an adjacent room.

Ours was rewired about 10 years ago (way before we bought it). We have a lot of this kind of thing. And whomever labelled it was horrible at it. Since one breaker might control outlets or overheads in 2-3 rooms, they often just list it as bedroom or lights. No way to tell which bedroom or lights.

 

[sk33tr]

Yeah, it's easy to turn the outlets out in opposite directions hanging boxes from one stud when wiring. Most kitchens are on two circuits, many times making sure (optimally) the refrigerator is on a separate circuit from the logical location of the microwave/coffee pot.

Square and plumb are on the framers and the contractor for not keeping them straight (literally). When my Dad was building, he'd check all the walls for plumb and make them fix it so the sheetrock and cabinet guys wouldn't scream bloody murder. On one job, the framers got away before he checked the front wall and we had to make a number of cuts and crutches to straighten the front wall of the house.

On my house I just built, I had a plumb/square issue in the kitchen, which was tough on the cabinet install, and one bath. Overall, the framers were great.

RTR,

Tim

In my kitchen, the refrigerator, the microwave, the coffee maker, and the toaster are all on the came circuit. The toaster is on one plug, the coffee maker on another plug, and the microwave and fridge on the other. But, the only one that runs more than the others is the fridge (obviously). I try not to have the microwave and toaster going at the same time. The coffee pot is on only in the mornings; and the microwave or toaster may get used, then. But I'm usually on my second cup by the time I fix breakfast and the coffee maker is turned off by then.

The house was built in 1969 so I doubt they had a microwave in mind when they built it. But, the fridge, coffee maker, and toaster would've definitely been a thing. So I'm not sure what their train of thought was on that whole thing.

 

[TerryP]

Most kitchens are on two circuits, many times making sure (optimally) the refrigerator is on a separate circuit from the logical location of the microwave/coffee pot.

I'd have to go look but I want to say mine is on four; stove, dishwasher and a few outlets, fridge, and then the microwave/coffee pot area.

So I'm not sure what their train of thought was on that whole thing.

Said by 100's of thousands of homeowners in the midst of DYI projects.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

I'd have to go look but I want to say mine is on four; stove, dishwasher and a few outlets, fridge, and then the microwave/coffee pot area.

Said by 100's of thousands of homeowners in the midst of DYI projects.

I didn't count the stove, it's usually 220 if you are all electric or have an electric oven.