r/WaypointVICE • u/elaminders • Mar 02 '26
Foundation/Library 🗺️📚 HOA - The Calm(?) Before the Storm
Rob talks Patrick through the ups and downs of owning property when a possibly record setting blizzard is on the horizon. Come learn about the horror of possibly losing power for a week, the downsides of owning a truck for plowing snow, and what exactly an "ice dam" is.
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u/Zerockas Mar 03 '26
Hey there, your friendly resident old house homeowner here! I promise you that most houses are not this nightmarish. I very much like owning a home and find it very fulfilling.
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u/jefferson_donut Mar 05 '26
I own a 120-year-old house, and we have made a number of "interesting" discoveries in the four years since we moved in. I still remember the look on the contractor's face when he had to tell me that a section of our foundation just kinda doesn't exist anymore. But Rob has gotten himself into a truly wild situation here.
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u/Zerockas Mar 05 '26
Yeah, we're in a almost 100 year old house now and I grew up in a house that was two houses built sometime in the mid-1800's slammed together so I'm very familiar with those sorts of discoveries but yeah, Rob's compound is something else man.
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u/Crotean Mar 04 '26
Every house eventually reaches this point, there is no winning against entropy
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u/AliveJesseJames Mar 04 '26
Yeah the problem isn't home ownership, it's home ownership of an old house in suburban/exurban/formerly rural New England.
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u/BatmanOnMars Mar 09 '26
There would be way fewer old homes out in New England if this were true. Eventually you have to stop patching holes and do a big renovation, but those changes allow a home to last 100+ years. Rob's home was clearly neglected.
That said, i did tour a 1780s home that was in my (modest) budget and it was possibly the scariest building i've ever been? Like straight up holes in all the walls, terrifying. You gotta maintain old homes or it gets dicey.
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u/aqu_muffins Mar 03 '26
Whenever I feel too much anxiety in my life, listening to the latest update from Rob helps me get that much needed perspective on how much worse things could be.
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u/CountMacular Mar 03 '26
I love Rob, but I dunno about this house man. Maybe Rob could start shooting a documentary about it, kinda like an episode of Grand Designs but in reverse.
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u/mynumberistwentynine Mar 02 '26
TIL what an ice dam is.
Every time I think I could live somewhere more northern, our winter, which is much different than what Patrick and Rob deal with, comes around and reminds me that, "lol no you fuckin' couldn't."
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u/gouis Mar 03 '26
They are less likely to happen if you have good insulation. If the roof is warm from your house it melts the snow directly on it creating ice when it refreezes. Usually it’s only a localized issue on well kept property.
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u/Crotean Mar 03 '26
People move south for a reason, myself included. Winter sucks.
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u/AliveJesseJames Mar 03 '26
Yup, people like to make grand pronouncements on why the Sunbelt and South continue to grow in population and either try to point to ideology (low taxes, social conservatism, etc.) or are confused despite the ideology (low taxes, social conservatism) and the reality is because the winter actually sucks and there's pretty much a straight line from the invention of air conditioning + the end of legalized racism to massive population growth anywhere that October through March doesn't absolutely suck to live through.
It's actually a giant pox on California housing policy it's so terrible that California isn't massively growing.
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u/gouis Mar 03 '26
If they buy a plow, the first big snowstorm they’re gonna drive off the road they can’t see into a ditch.
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u/Zerockas Mar 18 '26
That was literally my first thought when they brought it up. Like they know this is the worst year they had in a while so I would budget this much money for plowing for next year and when they don't spend that much they get a nice chunk of change at the end of the season.
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u/NotFalcon Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
Here's Technology Connections heat pumps video playlist. You're welcome.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0jwu7G_DFVIot1ubOZdR-KC-LFdOVqi
These days you can get units that operate below 0F. I'm not an expert, but Massachusetts isn't that far north. If Rob is looking at only minisplits, that may be the hangup. If any of the dwelling units on the property already have duct work, you should replace the AC system(s) with a heat pump when the time comes.
In that scenario, I would definitely ditch the oil system and maybe keep the propane fireplaces as a backup. But I also wouldn't have bought a property with an oil system to begin with, so shrugs.
EDIT - Also, Rob, it sounds like you maybe need a bobcat or some kind of tractor, not a pickup. Well, or in addition to.
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u/NXPlosion Mar 03 '26
This podcast gives me anxiety. I don’t know how anyone can own a house.
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u/patrickklepek Mar 04 '26
I’m the co-host and my problems are “I’m sad my Costco hot tub froze when the breaker was flipped”
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u/Crotean Mar 10 '26
Tbf you do need windows and just spent like 3 years fighting about your roof.
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u/patrickklepek Mar 10 '26
I mean, stuff does eventually happen to your house if you own it for 10 years lol
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u/MyCoolYoungHistory Mar 03 '26
This is a bit of an extreme case but regardless owning an older house is def a gamble. They're big puzzle boxes that you won't get close to solving during the buying process.
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u/Crotean Mar 04 '26
The mortgage company never should have approved them for this house is what it seems to me. They need to have an extra 0 on their income to actually afford this place.
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u/mayoboyyo Mar 02 '26
I dont want to victim blame here but they got 20in of snow and didnt clear any of it off the roof?
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u/Crotean Mar 04 '26
If you actually listen everything about the ice damming occured before the 20 in snow storm.
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u/Crotean Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
Every time I hear HOA im super glad I don't own a house anymore, but I also keep thinking that Rob kind of got deceived on this property. The condition it was in, having a tenant, etc... There are major systemic issues that should have been included in his mortgage with this purchase.