Dog Odor And Single Pane Windows --advice Needed
I saw the thread on dog urine but didnt want to tack on to his thread.
Im thinking of buying a house, and it needs a little updating... its very 70s, and has single pane windows.
Also, the entire house has a pungent smell of wet dog. The carpets were cleaned lately... So Im thinking it brought the smell out of the pad and made it worse.
Should I put in a offer and ask them to replace the carpet or come down on the price? Or can i get the odor out.
Also, it has single pane windows throughout. I know replacing windows isnt cheap. I dont know if i should bother. I did see condensation gathering on the window sill throughout the house. What would you do
Replace the carpet - get an estimate and back it off of your purchase price. Why should you pay for their deferred maintenance problems. Don't worry about the windows - too much money out of your budget.
C-
Are you thinking of living in this place? Why would you want them to replace the carpet? For me it all comes down to dollars and the last thing I want the seller to do is replace something for me, when you do that you ineveitably end up scratching my head while staring at the bargain basement plaid carpet they used.
If you are going to live in this place, take the cost off the selling price and replace it with what you want.
Since no one knows what your intentions are to live/or resell the house it is hard to give you advice in regard to windows. If you are going to live in the house do what you want. Appreciation will eventually cover up all bad decisions.
If you are only buying to rehab and resell then let your competition be your guide. What do the houses that your buyers will be looking at when they are looking at your house have for windows? If they have beautiful triple glass, top of the line windows then your windows are going to make this house harder to sell. If they have brown paper bags covered with animal fat to make them translucent like the pioneers then your windows will be a nice selling feature for your house.[ Edited by The-Rehabinator on Date 12/28/2003 ]
well no this was one i was interested in purchasing for myself. i dont know what kind of problems single pane window can cause but i imagine they arent too efficient, and obviously they cause condensation. If they are a big problem, i was thinking that would be something i could ask them to lower the price for , along with the carpet
For new construction estimate $350/window for a vinyl window with installation. You can likely get it less than that but it is a good ball park figure for you. I put good 40oz nylon carpet in for around $2.50/SF including installation. I can get 29oz poly (very good but cheaper quality) for $1.50SF installed.
Deduct all you can from the price of the house and don't pay more than it is worth. Since you will be living in the home you can do all of your updates and realize the capital gain when you sell tax-free! Please see my article for more information:
http://www.thecreativeinvestor.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=415
Good luck!
thanks Myfrogger!!
It all depends on how bad you want the house and how cheap the price is. You should get free estimates from local contracters to replace faulty items and try to get a better price.
ED
Make your offer to reflect replacing the carpeting, pad, (treat/repalce subfloor as indicated). Regarding the windows, I'd use storm windows. They may be the cheapest way to go.
One of the first big wins for me (decades ago) was a house with an abundance of cat p**s thoughout. You needed a gas mask to keep the ammonia smell from making your eyes tear. I replaced the capet, pad, & some subflooring. Then my tear became tears of joy,.
whats the difference between storm windows, and double pane windows?
a storm window is an overlay on top of existing window...
double pane is a 2 plated sealed single unit replacing the existing windows - normally filed with argon gas, aluminum banded and buttle sealed...
if you have sizes of windows i can give you an approximate cost to do... and if you are handy on repairs... its relatively easy to do...retro-fit replacements are not hard at all to do....
DaveREI,
Re the double paned windows: we have those in our house, it seems that over time they do get condensation inside and turn white between the panes. Will that happen to all double paned windows?
Ladybug
Ladybug, i had some double pane sliding glass doors that did that after about 15 years. I have been doing some research and have found some that have a lifetime guarantee against fogging up, but ... 20 or 30 yrs down the road, is the company still going to be in business to honor their guarantee? Thats what i wonder, but then may it doesnt matter because i doubt i will have a house that long.
Apparently the seals break after a while and once that happens, you will get the fogging effect on the inside, due to condensation and the stuff that is left behind when the condensation evaporates.
Window technology is evolutionary just like every other product on the market. We are now into the later generations of double and triple pane windows. Window fogging is a defect from the earlier generations. This generation of good quality windows won't fog as the earlier ones did. Anderson and other 1st rate window manufacturers who continue to make excellent products should be around 50 years from now to honor their warranties.
The clouding in a double pane window is caused by the broken seal which lets watter collect between the two glass panes.
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The condensate leaves behind minerals which cosmetically look awful.
Most people think that this destroys the insulation qualities of the panel. This is no so. A double pane window doesn't provide much insulation to begin with but it is not diminished by the seal break.
There are repair kits to cure this problem, but I've never used them.