New-to-Redmond Homeowner - Maint/Renovation Advice? + Observations (Bend, Terrebonne: rentals, new home)

[ontherocs]

Hello!

Well... we did it! After reading through all the relocation threads and weighing options... ya'll central Oregonians gained another permanent resident.

Although our whole experience to get to where we are today was a series of week-to-week, day-to-day, hour-to-hour never-expected surprises... love our new home, the area, and slowly settling in/reorganizing/unpacking.

With several goals at the start, the one that materialized was to move into an as-close-to-turnkey-as-possible home. That being said and now moved-in, the list of needs/wants are growing. Hoping to get some advice/tradesmen suggestions for the below projects (listed in order of importance). Plus, looking forward to providing any prospective arrivals our newly acquired observations.

Repair/paint exterior trim
Although home is in great condition, it is 10 years old and does not appear that any maintenance has occurred on the lower extremities of the trim. Believe it needs to be sanded, bonded and repainted. Anything else to consider? Painter suggestions if the height of some of the repairs exceeds our comfort?

Install gutters
There are no gutters which is one factor attributing to the above. Because of the winter conditions, know that gutters here are probably handled slightly differently. Have seen regular downspouts as well as chains but not sure of exactly why one over the other is used.

Replace roof tiles
Previous owners incorrectly removed snow from the roof and damaged roof tiles. The ones on the lower roof line should be easy to replace. Back to comfort level, roofer suggestions for the roof lines higher up for inspection and possible repair? The home inspector did not feel comfortable getting up there.

Move light switch
Simple enough however needs to move a bit further down the wall to allow for us to maximize wall space. The windows are all jumbo sized which is wonderful but has reduced available wall space. Electrician suggestions to ensure it is done correctly and one of us doesn't get electrocuted?

Add/replace cement/pave areas
Would like to increase our patio space in the yard as well as add a cement foundation under the shed to prevent unknown home adoptions under it. Plus, the cement for the existing patio, sidewalk and driveway are deteriorating. Cement pouring outfit suggestions? How bout all-inclusive remove/replace hardscapers?

Add perimeter dry-stack wall
Happen to be on a corner residential lot with a two lane street behind us that HAD farms behind it. It is just a 25 mph road. Did research the use of it prior to purchase; but, the farm has been sold and builders are currently clearing. The street is closed for now which helps reduce traffic noise but definitely know what the future holds. Would like to ADD a short dry-stack lava-rock wall NEXT to our existing wood fence to help reduce road noise. There's an example of the exact setup on Highland and SW 23rd and LOVE how it pulls in the historical dry-stack lava-rock wall look but still provides the needed fence privacy. Just not sure how to approach it since it's not necessarily on our property but is our responsibility to keep up. Also, believe building permits are not required for fences under 6 feet. Thoughts? Dry stack hardscaper suggestions? Wondering if adopting the street provides exposure to help decide how the city ends up developing it?

Switch dryer/stove from electric to gas
The house has a gas fireplace and a gas water heater but electric connections for the dryer and stove. We own and moved with a washer/dryer set and the dryer is gas heated. Plus, with the unmentionable amount of gas cooking experience/cookware under these belts, the electric stove has become a bit of a challenge. The gas meter is on the same side of the house as both the laundry and kitchen wall. Plumber suggestions? Things that should be considered or could prevent the switch?

Install water softener
Most interior water exposed surfaces had a layer of hard water deposits that have not been able to be removed with the amount of focused attention they have been given. Would like to halt the damage by adding a water softening system. With the skyrocketing hardness levels in our previous location, having one in our homes assisted in extending the life of our fixtures, showers, toilets, sinks, dishwashers. Good to go with the standard plumber or better to go with a dedicated filtration company?


Any advice/suggestions/service reviews will be greatly appreciated. Also, happy to share the additional items we've learned so far. Just hit me up...

NO SHORT TERM RENTALS!!! The forum is extremely accurate on this point!!!
Home types/neighborhoods
UHaul pod storage/moves
Rodent abatement
Out-of-control sprinklers
Remove/add trees
New-home development
OR DMV & new license/registration
Original contractor & historical property info
Gas & groceries
Restaurants
Prices
Diversity
Wind/Dust/Fire/Weather
'Earthquakes'

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Many of us do not use gutters because they can cause ice dams. Drive around and you will see a lot of houses without rain gutters.

My electrician retired but he recommended Terrebonne Electric for someone to call after he was no longer available. I have not needed an electrician since my guy retired, so I haven't used Terrebonne Electric so I can't give them a personal recommendation.

[Coniferian]

We had some of the issues you are looking at remedying when we moved in. I did some of the work myself (painting, electrical) and don't have recommendations for local people. With all the new construction in Redmond, electricians may be hard to find. I discovered that all the wiring went up to the attic rather than into the crawlspace. We have about 2' of blown insulation up there so it was rather dangerous to try to walk on the trusses. I ended up drilling down through the wall to the crawlspace with a flexible bit and tying into an existing outlet to add some to the bathrooms. I put gutters over the back deck only so I could grill outside without water dripping on me. No problem with ice dams in 3 winters so far. We had a gas fireplace installed in the family room and had a professional install that. He had difficulty connecting down in the crawlspace. He pulled the necessary permit with the City of Redmond, and they will inspect the job when finished. We've had no problem with hard water from Redmond's wells. I believe they only add a little chlorine to it. We had an expensive water softener for our well outside of Denver, but you may find you don't need one here. A simple test is to add a drop of dish washing detergent to a small vial of water and see if you get suds when you shake it. I had Einstein Plumbing replace a hot water heater and was pleased with their work. I would check out the city easement distances before going to the time and trouble of a wall or fence. Hope this helps.

[Thom52]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Many of us do not use gutters because they can cause ice dams. Drive around and you will see a lot of houses without rain gutters.

.

After the intense winter we just had, I did a bunch of research on ice dams.
General consensus was that gutters do NOT contribute to ice dams. Ice dams are caused by improper ventilation and/or insulation in the attic. Hot air in the attic rises to the peak thaws out the snow, then the water freezes as it gets out over the uninsulated eaves where the gutters happen to hang out also.

My related question would be if anyone knows of a handyman/carpenter type in Bend that can install extra vents on the gables of the house, and is actually available? The problem with having only top of roof vents is that they get covered with snow and then you have the heat/ventilation issue when its the biggest problem. (Pointed out by our house inspector when we bought the place, and he was correct)

Chains versus downspouts..... Our subdivision put in chains. They are worthless. You might as well put in nothing. But they are easy to install, and that is why builders like them. Water sprays out all around the chains and if there is a breeze or wind, they really do worse than nothing. You also end up with a rust spot below the chain, if the builder's poor design ends up draining your roof onto your driveway. I also ended up with a huge ice spot on the driveway all around the chain area during freeze/thaw cycles. I replaced the chain with a downspout and I am much happier so far.

[ontherocs]

Thanks!!! Glad to hear from you three! Will re-read your suggestions several times, figure out how to move forward, and report back on how it goes. Still concentrating on re-organizing and un-packing but know some of these need to get taken care of before winter hits.

[darnselfly]

There is a website called Nextdoor.com, free to join, where you indicate which neighborhood you belong to (there are several for Redmond), and can interact with local folks for questions, announcements, classifieds, etc. I signed up at the invitation of a neighbor so I'm not sure what the process is if you sign up without an invite. Many posted topics are requests for referrals for professional services. You can search through past posts as well. It's a pretty neat site and falls into the category of "Gee, why didn't I think of that?"

We purchased ceiling fans and a light fixture and need them installed. I can verify that the wait for an electrician is upwards of 4-6 weeks.

[Thom52]

I recently joined nextdoor for my neighborhood and it does seem to be an interesting resource.

Electrician and plumbers can be very long waits for sure, and finding one that will take on a small job......well, good luck.

We had to wait about 6 months for the specific landscapers we wanted for our tiny backyard job, but I will say it was worth the wait for the guys that did our work.

i just recently plunged into the "find a doctor" scene, as I will soon be on Medicare and needed to have a Primary Care Physician, which I have not needed since moving here. Choice of clinics was amazingly limited, with scary Yelp reviews for all the alternatives, and my first doctor appointment for the required "new patient" appointment is 2 months away.

Sure looks like there are some job markets in Bend that could still use a bunch more people!

[darnselfly]

Plumber wasn't so bad. We used Blue Water Plumbing from Redmond to install a water filtration system, but the are fully qualified plumbers so they did some other stuff for us as well. Did a great job. Less than a week wait time.

[redguard57]

Not sure what you're asking here. A general contractor could do all of that work. They are pretty well backed up in Central Oregon right now, but then again, nothing on your list sounds like an immediate need. The roof issues would be my first priority by far.