c/alberta-homeowners

Debated between a steel roof and asphalt shingles, went with steel and 6 months later...

When we redid our roof in Leduc last spring, I kept going back and forth between steel and asphalt. My neighbor has steel and loves it, but my roofer warned it's loud in hail. I picked steel anyway since our insurance gave a $200 discount on premiums. First hailstorm came in August, sounded like a drumline but zero damage. Not looking back.

That $400 radon mitigation system I had installed in my Edmonton basement was a total scam.

The contractor said it would drop levels below 100 Bq/m3 but three months later my monitor still reads 180 and he won't return my calls, has anyone else dealt with a company that just slaps in a fan and calls it done?

Vent: Contractor ghosted me after taking a $2000 deposit for a Calgary deck reno last April

I paid the guy half upfront to tear down my old deck and build a new one, he showed up for two days then disappeared. Now my backyard has a half ripped off deck and a pile of rotten wood sitting there since May. Anyone know a decent way to track down a contractor who already cashed the cheque?

TIL I used to ignore my sump pump until it flooded my basement in Edmonton last spring

Gas furnace vs heat pump for Calgary winters - what did you pick?

I had to make a choice last fall between replacing my old gas furnace with a new high efficiency one or putting in a heat pump system. The gas furnace people said heat pumps are useless when it hits -30, but the heat pump installers showed me specs that claimed they work down to -25 with backup heat strips. I went with the gas furnace because my house is older and drafty around the windows, and the install cost was $4,200 versus $7,500 for the heat pump. So far this winter my gas bill is running about $180 a month, which feels alright but I keep wondering if I made the wrong call with rising carbon taxes. Anyone else in Alberta face this choice and regret which way they went?

Found out my 1950s bungalow has asbestos siding and I'm actually kinda relieved

I was digging through old city records for my house in Lethbridge (built in 1954) and found a note from the original builder about the siding material. Turns out it's asbestos cement board, which sounds scary but actually holds up crazy well compared to modern stuff. My neighbor just replaced his vinyl siding after 12 years cause it cracked, while mine is still solid after 70 years. Anyone else find something weird in their house records that actually turned out to be a good thing?

PSA: Check your eavestroughs before the spring melt - learned the hard way

Last March I ignored a bit of ice buildup on my roof in Edmonton, and 3 days later I had water dripping through my living room ceiling. The gutter guy told me a $200 fix in November would have saved me $3,200 in drywall repairs. Has anyone else dealt with ice dam damage before the thaw?

My neighbor had a fit about my weeping tile setup, turns out he was right

I bought my house in Lethbridge about 5 years ago and thought I knew everything about drainage after watching a few YouTube videos. Dug out the whole perimeter myself and ran the weeping tile straight to the back corner of the lot. My neighbor Jim, been here since the 80s, came over and basically told me I was gonna flood my own foundation because the slope was wrong. Said I needed to tie into the city drain at the front curb or I'd be pumping water right back under my basement. I brushed him off for a month until we got that big rain in June 2022 and I had an inch of water in my crawl space. Spent $2,300 to have a proper drainage company come fix everything, including a sump pump and a proper outlet pipe. Now I water test every spring before the thaw and I actually listen when Jim talks about grading. Has anyone else had to redo their drainage after thinking they had it figured out?

Vent: My old gas furnace vs this new heat pump setup

I grew up in a 1970s bungalow in Calgary with a clunky gas furnace that groaned awake every winter morning but it kept the place warm for $150 a month max. Last year I switched to a ductless heat pump after the rebate hit and now I'm paying $220 a month just to keep the living room above 16 degrees. Has anyone else found these new systems are way less efficient in actual Alberta winters?

That chat with my roofer about ice dam heat cables changed my mind

Was up on the roof last October with Dave from Apex Roofing fixing a loose shingle, and he pointed out where ice dams had formed the winter before. He said he's seen $2,000 in gutter damage from people running heat cables wrong and told me to just insulate the attic better instead. Now I'm wondering if anyone in Edmonton has tried that foam board trick along the eaves with good results?

My neighbor said my new fence looked crooked so I grabbed a level and he was right by 2 inches

He pointed it out when he was walking his dog last Saturday and now I'm redoing the whole thing with a string line and a 4-foot level, has anyone else had to tear down a fence they just put up?

Neighbor pointed out my downspouts were dumping water right against the foundation

Last spring my neighbor Bob walked over while I was cleaning gutters and said 'you know that water is gonna crack your basement wall eventually.' I blew him off at first but then I looked and yeah, the downspouts ended like 2 inches from the house. I got some 4 foot extensions from Home Depot for like $8 each and routed the water 6 feet away. Huge difference now during heavy rains. Anyone else catch something dumb like that after buying their first place?

Spent $150 on a heated driveway mat last winter

I got tired of shoveling my front walk in Edmonton every morning before work, so I bought a 3x5 heated mat from a local hardware store. It saved me maybe 20 minutes each day but the electric bill went up by $60 over three months. Has anyone else tried these things or found a better way to deal with ice without breaking the bank?

Question about foundation cracks: patch them or let them be?

I'm seeing these hairline cracks in my basement wall in Edmonton and my contractor says they're normal settling, but my neighbor insists I need to seal them before they get worse. Who's actually right here, anyone have experience with this call?

I finally gave up on city living and bought a fixer-upper in Red Deer

Was stuck between a new condo in Calgary and an old 1970s bungalow up north. Picked the bungalow. 3 years in and I've replaced the roof, furnace, and most of the plumbing. No regrets. The quiet and space are worth the weekend work. Anyone else trade convenience for a project house?

Thought replacing my own water heater would be a weekend job

Figured I'd save a few hundred bucks doing it myself, but between the old galvanized pipes being seized and a trip to code that needed an expansion tank, it took five full days. Anyone else run into hidden problems that turned a simple swap into a nightmare?

Just realized my sump pump has been running for 3 years straight

I bought a house in Edmonton back in 2021 and never thought twice about the sump pump until last week when my hydro bill hit $220. I went down to the basement to check on something and noticed the thing was humming away nonstop. Turns out the float switch got stuck in the "on" position right after I moved in and I just got used to the noise. My neighbor Pete who does handyman work came by and fixed it in 10 minutes with a $6 part from Home Hardware. Now the basement is quiet for the first time since I bought the place and I'm honestly a bit mad at myself for not noticing earlier. Has anyone else had a hidden appliance just guzzle power without you realizing?

I finally changed my mind about buying a home warranty after reading the fine print on what they cover

Rant: Tried that spray foam insulation in my garage attic. Big mistake.

Bought a kit from Home Depot in Red Deer back in June. Figured I'd save a few hundred bucks. Got up there with a dust mask and goggles. Sprayed it between the joists. Looked great. Then it started expanding. And expanding. Pushed my drywall down on the sides. Cracked the ceiling below. Now I gotta tear it all out and pay a pro. Learned to just pay the pros for insulation. Anyone else had spray foam go sideways on them?

Found out my hot water tank is basically a time bomb after 10 years

Was reading through a plumbing forum last night and saw a stat that said 1 in 4 water heater failures in Alberta happen after the 10 year mark. Mine is a 2013 model from Rona, never thought about it until I saw that. Anyone here actually track the age of their tank or just wait for it to leak?

The weeds in my backyard turned into a forest in 3 weeks while I was on vacation

I came back from a trip to Jasper and the dandelions were up to my knees, my neighbor actually asked if I was starting a prairie garden. Anyone else have a yard get completely out of control that fast?

Question about the right way to handle a pushy real estate agent at an open house

I was at an open house in Edmonton last Saturday for a bungalow listed at $415,000. The agent followed me room to room and kept saying 'this one won't last, you should put an offer in today before someone else snatches it up.' I get they want to make a sale, but I felt rushed and couldn't even look at the basement properly. On the other hand, my cousin says that's just how you get a good deal in this market, and if you wait you lose out. I ended up leaving without asking any real questions because it felt like a sales pitch. Does anyone else find this pushy approach makes you trust the agent less, or do you think it's smart business?

That new neighbor who keeps watering my lawn at 6 AM is driving me crazy

I've lived on my street in Edmonton for 8 years and never had this problem, but this guy moved in last spring and every morning he drags his hose over to water my front yard too without asking. He says he's just trying to help keep the neighborhood looking nice, but I have my own sprinkler system on a timer and now my water bill jumped $40 last month. Has anyone else dealt with a neighbor who won't stop doing yard work on your property?

I finally got why old-timers hate those foam gasket sealers

Was at a hardware store in Red Deer last weekend and overheard this older guy telling the clerk that spray foam window seals are "just trouble waiting to happen." I laughed it off at first, you know, like another boomer hating on new stuff. But then I pulled out a window I'd foamed up 4 years ago during a reno and sure enough, the foam had pushed the frame out of square. He was right - that stuff expands way too much if you don't know what you're doing and it traps moisture against the wood. Has anyone else had their windows start sticking or getting drafty a few years after using expanding foam around them?

Showerthought: Running your furnace fan 24/7 actually cut my gas bill by 15% in Edmonton

Honestly I thought it would waste more electricity but my buddy who works on HVAC systems told me to try it last December. The idea is it evens out the temp across the house so the furnace doesnt kick on as hard or as often. My January bill dropped from $280 to $238 which surprised me. Anyone else tried this or got another trick that sounds backwards but actually works?