State of California

Please share links please.

Also why is it so hard to find detailed information on this on Google?

State Farm recently denied a claim for water damage resulting from a leaking angle stop under our kitchen sink. Our policy does not cover water damage:

that occurs or develops over a period of time and is caused by or resulting from seepage or leakage of water, steam, or sewage that is:

(a) continuous;

(b) repeating;
(c) gradual;
(d) intermittent;
(e) slow; or
(f) trickling.

They denied the claim based on their investigation concluding that the "water damage was confirmed as the result of a slow continuous leak" that occurred over "a period of time." I know that State Farm is known for especially vague language like this. Thing is, I know for a fact that the leak could not have occurred over a period of more than three days because three days before discovering the leak, I was placing cleaning supplies in the cabinet under the sink. There was no leak then. So the leak could not have occurred for any more than three days, regardless of the damage they observed.

The home inspection conducted before purchasing the property noted no issues with the angle stop or any signs of a leak, and the report shows a photo of the angle stop, along with the cabinet having no water damage. This inspection happened about 2 months before the leak, but the report and photos are still evidence that there was no leak and the angle stop was in good repair. However their vague language means that even if I could prove that it wasn't leaking for any more than three days, that is still technically "a period of time." So I'm not sure what to do.

I uploaded a letter to State Farm explaining my situation and why I believe the claim should be approved. The letter is 4 pages long and it might sound a little karen-ish, and I'm not sure how well I made my case. But either way I can't make them do anything.

So I have no idea what my next steps should be or how I could pressure them into approving the claim.

What should I use to record them for violating the noise ordinance besides my phone? And how do I make sure that I'm not violating any privacy laws when I'm recording their dog? Like just record the driveway of their house that the dog occupies when it's outside should be fine, right?

We bought a house that was built 18 years ago but are the second owner.

These are original to the house:

• Roof (concrete tile)
• Central A/C split system (climate zone 1)
• Gas furnace (rarely used)
• Stove/oven
• Dishwasher
• Built-in microwave
• Garage door opener
• Plumbing fixtures (faucets, toilets, shutoff values except one shutoff value)

These have been replaced:

• Water heater (gas tank) at 15 years
• Disposal at 10 years
• Garage door spring at 12 years

What will we likely need to replace next? How long do these typically last in your experience?

Let me start off saying everyone made it out safe. No humans were home and the fire department rescued our pets. But we lost everything. The fire apparently started from a malfunctioning stove. They don't know why, but it just went up in flames while my husband and I were at work. Anyway, we have good insurance, but it'll be about a year before we get to go home after the rebuild.

I don't have a childhood home or any family, so everything I had in that house is what I had since birth. All of my childhood photos, keepsakes, etc. are just gone. The thing that hurts the most is the last letter my brother wrote me before he passed, it was on the fridge. It's ashes now.

I was wondering if anyone had pointers, advice, stories, tips that will help us get through this and make sure things go smoothly with insurance. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything important while we heal. Thanks.

My AC won't turn on. The thermostat is working. I've checked the breakers. When the thermostat is set to cool nothing happens. No fans kick on inside or outside.

I found what I thought was a useful guide but I need some help understanding this. https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/how-to-fix-the-most-common-air-conditioning-repairs-yourself/

"Set your thermostat to AC mode and lower the temperature setting. If the furnace fan kicks in, the problem isn’t in the furnace. If the fan doesn’t run, try resetting the furnace circuit breaker. If the fan still won’t start, call a pro — the fixes shown here won’t work"

I don't hear the furnace fan start. Does this mean I should give up trounleshooting on my own and go straight for the pro? I was going to test the capacitor tomorrow, but now I'm having doubts.

Purchased our home from someone who chose to take the insurance money instead of repair/replacing after a nasty hail storm. Can’t figure out what this is called to replace and stop throwing money at the electric company for the leaking heat and A/C.

Image in comments (hopefully).

We are thinking of expanding the single door to a deck into a large double door. The exterior is stucco. We would have to cut into it. Has anyone taken up a similar project? Any idea how much it might cost us including materials and labor?

This yellow stuff (don’t know what it’s called) has been hanging open like this since I moved into this condo. I can imagine it might be not good for air quality and/or cause poor insulation, but I done know if this is something I should urgently take care or is it a ‘whenever’ project?

I am planning to replace my garage door and this time I will get a different color. My garage has a semi-circular wooden block above the actual door, please refer to this for reference. Instead of sanding and painting it, I am thinking of screwing a pre-painted aluminum of the same shape and size onto it. One issue I am concerned about is since my garage is facing west which gets a lot of sunshine in the afternoon, there is a risk that the aluminum sheet could get distorted due to prolonged exposure to heat. Is the risk high or am I over-worrying it? I don't plan to replacing the sheet until garage door replacement is required, so the aluminum will stay there for 15 - 20 years. Any help/advice/tips are greatly appreciated!

Hi Reddit! I’m new to the group and REALLY need advice. We’re first time homeowners and we had a massive live oak tree (minimum of 40 ft tall, maybe more cause I’m bad at estimating) fall (literally the root ball is in the yard) in some storms 2 weeks ago. It fell away from our home, no one was injured (thank God). But it’s made a massive mess in my neighbor’s yard and my yard, as well as damaged his and my fence, that needs cleaned up ASAP. I’ve gotten three quotes, all in the range of $2400 to $2700 and they would have to clean up my neighbors yard in order to clean mine. The neighbor is responsible for his fence and I for mine. We’ve had a lot of financial things unexpectedly lately and really can’t afford this. So here’s my question:

Is it more money savvy to pay for the tree outright, even if it’s difficult to find, or to put in an insurance claim and deal with paying the increased money per month per year?

ETA:

1. It’s a huge tree, my husband cleaned up a good bit of it by himself but it’s too big of a project.
2. There was damage to the fence that people are saying is considered structural.
3. I need it out of my yard ASAP because it’s literally taking up most of my backyard by just laying there, and we use that area a lot.

I signed a purchase agreement to buy a home in PA. After signing I noticed that the seller's disclosure contained false information. For example they had checked that there was no structural damage when serious structural damage originating from the adjoining homes roof state of disrepair. Yet in the Seller's disclosure they checked no for structural damage. Now they're saying $6500 in structural damage after pointing this out. The seller seems to have zero interest in returning the deposit ($2000) despite the inaccuracies in the S.D which are blatant. I do not want their contract anymore. But it seems to be primarily up to the seller. I don't know what to do and I am looking for suggestions on how I can get my $2000 deposit back from the title company. We do not want to buy the house anymore given the dishonesty. buying in cash

I have some form of gnats in my apartment. I have no plants and use a dehumidifier. They’re in my kitchen, bathroom and living room. I’ve flushed my drains with boiling water more than once, used a salt/baking soda/vinegar mix, used drain cleaner, there are acv traps set up and they work, light traps also work, but they just keep coming. My sinks and toilet were checked for leaks and my AC was dry. They dive bomb me when I’m working and when I’m on the couch. Exterminators are coming out to fog the apartment this week, but is that going to do anything if they haven’t identified where they’re coming from?? I’m so frustrated.

im hearing an audible buzzing in one part of my living room which emits a small peak/pulse every six seconds. ive timed it. its a little like the vibration sound of the most intense washer spin cycle, or maybe the fridge, but its not that - and it seems to be coming from a wall with very little happening. theres a peloton that hasnt been turned on in days, a nightlight, and a litter robot (on the other side). ive unplugged things and still hear it. its been going on for hours.

i havent flipped the breakers yet to test that, but i am curious if anyone has experienced something like this?

Ours was the AC unit. It's 17 years old but was cooling and heating well...up until yesterday. When the HVAC people came out for maintenance the first time, they gave the unit 6 months. That was a year ago. Now we are shopping for a new unit. What problem did you put off in the hopes that it wouldn't be a problem, at least not for a while?

I have a few or those weeds that are turning into small trees. The trunks are only like a finger width. Can anyone recommend a good electric saw to use on them? A chainsaw is too big for the job.

Also...

The neighbor next door to me, her twenty-something grandson moved in with her. The problem is, he is one obnoxious mutha. He drives this old muddy Ford sedan with a bad engine in it. I believe it is a Ford Crown Victoria. That car is a bitch and a whore: The engine rumbles like an old pickup, and I can hear him gunning the engine when he starts it up and you can hear him rumbling around the corner late at night when he comes and goes. I was exchanging goodbyes with my partner before they go to work, and he rolls up in that bitch and he gunned so loud, we were like "What the fuck?" Often he is playing loud mumble rap, max rumbling volume, with the windows rolled down and the damn car idling. My home office faces the driveway and it interrupts me on calls every time. If that room were a child's bedroom, it would be impossible for the baby to sleep, he is making that much noise on that side of the house.

Do I confront his grandma about this?

What has been your experience with them? Are they available in the US?

So we are in the process of finalizing price for this home we are looking to buy. We gave a price and the seller accepted but since it was a short sale the bank also had to accept. We were told by our realtor that we need to justify our price. Once we did that, we have been waiting for an appraisal to happen but today our realtor told us that the lender(bank) is pushing for a deed in lieu and there is even a attorney involved. I am not really sure what it all means, should I be worried?

Not sure what this white device is that’s attached to my side of the fence between me and my neighbor. I think it’s been there since I’ve bought the house which was 2 years ago. Any idea what it is?

https://imgur.com/a/KPAXwzB

Neighbor problems

Currently we are trying to sell our home, our neighbors are terrible. Loud noises until 3 am almost every night, their kids trespass on our property all the time and talking to the parents have done no good (they simply said and I quote “sorry I can’t control him”). We put up a fence but that didn’t change anything either. Now usually I would brush it off but since we are trying to get rid of the home it’s become increasingly more difficult. For example the other day we had a showing for the house so we packed up all three kids and all three animals and left, we spun back to see if the realtor was there yet and their 8yr old kid is sitting on our driveway in a lawn chair with nothing but a diaper on. And today the kid was digging dirt up in our front yard. I don’t want to be that neighbor that calls the cops on kids but this is just becoming infuriating. Any advice?

Hello I live in Central Kansas and today a rep from Vivent stopped and talked to the wife about solar. Supposedly free to us through some grant. I've been a carpentry contractor for 15 years and have heard plenty of horror stories on out of state subsidy chasers. I have a mental picture of guys yeeting holes in my roof, installing questionable panels, and closing their LLC once the check clears and they're on their way to the next town.

All jokes aside, what would be some of the potential downfalls assuming it really was free (to us)? Our roof is 17 years old, how does it work when looking for a roofer? More difficult and expensive? Does it raise insurance rates as a result? Has anyone seen a return on their home value? Thanks in advance for the thoughtful replies and roasts alike.

So I just bought a condo and the water heater is 15 years old. A guy from a local HVAC place just came out and said that it’s time for a new one, and then a new one would cost $2400. Is this the going price for gas water heater tanks for condos?

I’m building a new house with a local builder and it’s been great so far. But now that we’re seeing it come together, I’m realizing the kitchen was designed to have the fridge against a corner wall but with a 4” gap from the side of the fridge to the wall. What would I do with that space? Will it look weird? I wish I would’ve noticed on the blueprints - I would’ve thought you’d want to butt it up against the wall, add a spacer from the cabinet to the other side of the fridge and have 4 extra inches of countertop.

EDIT: blueprint link. The wall next to the fridge ended up coming out 35 inches, so the left fridge door will presumably hit it. The opening for the fridge is 39.5”

Hello. This is my first time posting on here. First time homeowner, I got my house in November of last year. I just wanted to know what you guys thought, honestly I’m a little upset but thought maybe you guys could help, may be it’s not a big deal may be it is. I already called the city to get some information before I talk to my neighbors (they’re NOT nice so I want to be informed before I talk to them), but they probably won’t call me back til Monday (it’s Friday today) so in the meantime I’m posting this just to either calm myself or be more upset lol.

They don’t allow images so here’s a link to the photo:

https://imgur.com/gallery/CWVw0j3

My house is on the right and neighbors on the left. Their downspouts used to be like mine (facing front/back) and about two days ago I noticed they were working on something but I didn’t pay much attention. Til today when I saw they redirected their downspouts into my property.

I am having a fence installed next week and I had already told my neighbors about it a month ago. The property line is where that light post is on the back idk if you can see it, but anyway the fence will be one foot into the property line (the city told me it should be at least one foot). So the neighbors back downspout will basically be right infront of the gate. The spouts are up now but I know when they bring them down they’ll be a little over the property line.

The lady from the city council thing or whatever said that the guy I should talk to isn’t there today, but they’ll try to get back to me on Monday. but that she was pretty sure the spouts can’t be facing into my property. Anyway so I have to wait til Monday, what do you guys think? I talked to my friend and she told me not tell them anything and just put up the fence (they probably won’t be able to put the downspouts down after that) cause it’s their problem for installing them facing my way.

Looking for a smallish patio umbrella for a couple. For the umbrella and base $200 USD all in, what are your recommendations?

Thank you in advance :]

Hello, and thank you in advance for your assistance!

In Dec 2023, we had a visit from someone paid by our homeowners to assess the exterior of our home. The report came back with a few minor things to fix with the biggest being a new roof. This all has to be done by July 2024 or they will drop us. Our insurance agent said there are no other companies that will cover us right now.

I have had 2 roofers come out so far and both have said we don't need a new roof because it's in overall good condition, no leaks or issues. I have asked my insurance agent to call our homeowners and he has 2-3 times to push back on the discrepancy between what they are requiring and the roofing assessments we have received. Homeowners has agreed to let us repair a section of the roof with curling shingles. The issue is that per FL roofing codes, the repair has to be less than 25% of the total roof size (this is because we have to assume our roof was done before 2007 when this code applies since we found out there is no permit; we bought the house in 2015). The insurance has arbitrarily circled a section of the roof to repair that is close to 25%. If we guess without further clarification, we might repair up to 25% but there is a chance that the insurance could say it isn't acceptable. Or we could repair more than they are requiring which would be a waste of money. In that case, we will have lost approx $1,500-2,000 for the repair that will NOT go towards a new roof eventually (approx $10k). We turned our house into an Airbnb in Jan 2024 and if we repair the roof there will be a difference in color tone. Another consideration. This isn't the best for an Airbnb since appearance and guest ratings are essential.

We would like to call our homeowners ourselves directly and ask for a reassessment since clearly the roof assessment in Dec 2023 was poor and potentially inaccurate. Our concerns are:

1. losing the option to repair, although that isn't the worst case since we were prepared to pay for a new roof when the report initially came back.
2. Since this is now an Airbnb, we don't want them to show up unannounced when a guest is staying there. I would of course ask to schedule for a time when I can be there.
3. Our biggest concern is being dropped by our homeowners in this climate.

How would you handle this? Would you call homeowners directly yourself as the homeowner? We appreciate all advice!!!

Hi! I live in a 20 year old home located in the middle of nowhere. We've always had problems with heating the house (we live in Canada so the winters are very cold), but attributed it to the old electric wall heaters that we have.

Problem: Somehow, today is the first time I've noticed wind blowing inside our house. I'm upstairs, with the room door closed, and there's wind blowing under the room door. Enough to make things move with the wind. Like a strong draft. And it's timed perfectly with the strong wind gusts outside atm. If I open the door, I can feel the wind blowing through my leg hairs lol.

None of the doors or windows are open. This is either a new issue, or I've never noticed it throughout the 20 years that we've been at this house. I tried feeling for air coming from a specific spot on the wall, but could not locate the source.

We also have always had bug problems here. We're surrounded by forest and water, so we often get spiders, wood roaches, wasps, mice, flies etc in the house. I'm now wondering if this is connected to the wind issue.

What's causing this? Is it fixable?

https://imgur.com/a/qoo5o2t

Have noticed the door starting to look a little faded. It’s a newer door but I wasn’t the one who got it so not sure what the care instructions are. It’s about 5-6 years old. Any tips on what products to use? Thank you.

My Wife's Grandma wants to sell us her home that is worth 1.1 million dollars. We can only afford a house that is around 500k so we are trying to find a way to work that out. Does anyone know how we could do this? How would it affect property taxes?