Surviving A Heat Wave With No AC 🥵 (again) | Aja Dang | Home Renovations
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- čas přidán 3. 08. 2023
- I'm Aja Dang and are you struggling to survive a heat wave? No AC and no way to cool down? oh wait, that's just me! In this video, we get a quote for piping for the ENTIRE house, we finally fill in some holes in the rood and our AC breaks AGAIN.
I've never enjoyed a summer less than the Summer of 2023 lol
•FURNTIURE •
RUGS USA: Juted Rug: bit.ly/3rfSaZs (remember I used Rakuten for cashback on this)
Rakuten: www.rakuten.com/r/AJADAN5
REVIVAL Rugs: green Checkered Rug in the dining room: bit.ly/3JIZNOf
SUNDAY FURNITURE: White Movie Couch: bit.ly/3pDagnO
WEST ELM: living room coffee table: bit.ly/43eIifQ
CASPER: bed frame: bit.ly/3WyWFtz
AMAZON: black curtain rods: amzn.to/3XJNnvG
AMAZON: curtain clips: amzn.to/44Se0AX
AMAZON: curtains: amzn.to/3rigR7w
TARGET: faux plant: bit.ly/3O1O6oG
AMAZON: mattress protector: amzn.to/3q6kld1
East of Nowhere: Philippines map: bit.ly/3OiA9S3
•CONTRACTORS•
jack of all trades: Amen (contact me directly for his number)
plumbers: Htown Plumbing
ac: Revolution Air
roof: Fortified Roofing
As someone else said in the comments. You’re issues with this house is really educating lots of us. I own several houses that I rent. Not Airbs, cause trust me Airbs renters don’t really care about the house they’re staying. Long term renters will put love and attention to your home, specially if you’re putting so much work and time on them at first. Another MUST, Girl!!!!! You got to bring a 🧙♀️ to that casa because has weird vibes.
are your long term rentals furnished or non furnished?
@@AjaDang Only one is furnished, the other 4 aren’t. However I live in a different state and rent.
@@zingara76 Oh wow. So you are out of state landlord?
I'm sorry! I know it feels endless and it does seem like the previous owner really cheapened out. The first year is always the hardest with these boring costs. One day you will have an equilibrium with the house and it will be your oasis, I know it!
Hi, I'm a longtime watcher but a first time commenter. Wanted to express how much I appreciate your content, especially about budgeting & adulting. It means a lot to me that another young woman is discussing things like this. I'm so sick & tired of everyone pretending to know everything when in reality none of them could handle what you're going through right now. Because none of them have gotten as far as you have, mentally nor financially.
People who refuse to get their shit together will always call content like this boring, funny isn't it?
These series have been insanely insightful, I can't believe how absolutely no one talks about what it means to be a first time homeowner. You're doing God's work here & we all appreciate you for it. 💞
I hate that you are going through all of these problems. I truly appreciate your honesty. Just know that it is helping people.
Aja we appreciate the authentic and realistic videos you put out. Others may find it “boring”, not me tho. This is super helpful, educational and real life. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Everything sounds so stressful. You’re doing a great job handling all this and staying optimistic. Heat is no joke!
Aja, get a portable AC unit! It's much cooler than the fan! And will keep your living room cold!
1st year on owning home is the toughest. It's like a relationship where you discover all the flaws. Once the issues have been fixed, its just maintenance. You either stick it out (fixed the issues) or leave (sell the house). LOL! Good luck Aja! As long you have good contractors who KNOWS what they are doing, you're working with the right people.
We got a portable AC for the frog room (which isn’t connected to the central AC system) when nephews come visit, but when the house AC wasn’t working one time, we moved it into our master bedroom so we can sleep comfortably and it really did cool the whole room. We had it for a couple weeks til we called the AC service company. I think it’s a good investment to have one.
what unit do you have?
@@AjaDang it’s a Honeywell brand model HL12CESWK. Its 12,000 btu, you can select the cooling power needed for the size of space (12k btu covers up to 600 sq ft). Hope that helps
@@AjaDangthe insignia brand at Best Buy has been great.
Love the updates and very helpful for my future home, much love from NJ! 🙌🏼
Im so sorry youre going through this and i hope you grow to love this home. Owning a home is so tough but it looks like youre making the necessary changes to get it to be a solid home, i think youre doing great
I had a French drain installed at my old house. They're effective!
A house I lived in had the galvanized pipe issue, but because it was on a concrete slab the cost to swap the pipes was insanely high, so the owner ended up just doing only a portion of it and, because the soil is different in Texas, the concrete slab was already cracking. It may sound bad, but I’m actually glad you’re running into these problems before you spent money on other things and you’re actually getting to know how your house works and getting true quotes for the things that need to be done.
Buy a house they said. Bought my first home and can’t wait to get a condo or new construction build. It’s ALWAYS something
be wary of new builds too!
Hi Aja! Also a long-time subscriber and first-time commenter. I just want to say I really appreciate you sharing these updates! I'm learning so much from your experience. I agree with the other comments, this is not boring at all!
aw aja!! this too shall pass. financial problems are honestly one of the most stressful obstacles one can encounter in their life. also yeah, the heat in texas is no joke. my uncle worded it like, the sun is just too powerful in texas. even at night it was ridiculously hot where they live in waco. anyway hope you surround yourself with ppl who can comfort you and support you during these difficult times.
Thanks for doing theses video's. It lets me know to save more move just incases there a home problem's right off the back. House hunting pushed back another year or two. Question where did you get the your couch from?
Rain gardens are a great way to reuse water redirected away from the foundation. Planting native rain garden plants helps the environment ❤
Hey Aja! I’ve been watching your videos for awhile now. Thanks for always being raw with us and letting us know we’re all having a human experience. Just wanted to say get rosemary & lavender and make a bundle to burn instead of sage. Plus, you get to make it your own and putting your intentions behind it! :)
good idea!
i was going to comment this same thing! you need to do a good smudge in your house! ❤
Unfortunately the joys of a homeowner. Hang in there, it is tough out there but you will make it.
I guess I’m not ready to buy a house. Need to save more 😂
I just cannot believe more and more issues continue to happen! As someone that has bought and sold 5 homes over the last decade... I have never come across really any of these issues and definitely never this many on one single home. I'm so sorry you're going through this - it is definitely providing tons of education towards not only you, but us as your audience about just all the things that can go wrong when a home isn't maintained or the work is half-assed.
It will get better!!
Aja, I am a new subscriber and I live in the Houston area. Sorry to see that you went through so much trouble with your first house, but I think all the trouble will pass too and you will come to enjoy your life after that. Think of it as a blessing in disguise because you will have so much more content and stories you can share going forward. Life is not just all roses, but the lovely time coming after all the hard work will make life extra sweet!
Also, Houston usually doesn't get so hot like this past summer. The weather is definitely unusual this year! The fall, winter and spring in Houston are ok.
A tip is that you could try to get a home warranty plan (or you could have already got one when you purchased a house recently). The home warranty will cover some repairs of the main structure of the house such as AC, kitchen appliances, etc. (you do have to pay like $60-$75 each time you call them depending on the plan).
I highly recommend investing in a dyson fan. It cools a room so well in case you need to be there.
Off topic but you could do a home lookbook :) I love your simple style that you wesr casually :)
Put some bleach down those AC drains once a month. Our AC drains into a sink in the house and the overflow valve goes outside. Lots of maintenance to do owning a home. It never ends.
Hey Aja, just wanna say thanks for this content! I’ve been keenly watching every video in this series. Even though I bought my first home 2 years ago, the content is so relatable - we went through electrical rewiring, sewage pipe blockages, and roof leaks in the first year. It seems so hard now but you’re making steady progress.
You inspired me to look at my original building inspection report and pick up on home maintenance I otherwise would have missed like annual termite inspections!!
We had a totally different experience when we bought our very first home this year. We went with the route of buying a new build home because we had this exact fear of buying a lower priced fixer upper as our first home. We’re not very handy ppl to renovate our first home. So far 4 months in and no major issues, small things like foundation is settling and we’re starting to see cracks, and builder cosmetic issues like chipped dry wall, etc. but I’m glad we went the new build route because we don’t have the time to do major renovations or deal with issues like new A/C, roofing, electrical etc. We did small upgrades to make it feel more home-y and ours like changing out light fixtures, changing bathroom mirrors, adding ceiling fans. All of which was easy and not too costly.
I feel for you Aja. 🙁🥺 wish your first home buying/homeownership experience was different.
The foundation is not a small thing lol
So glad you're not having issues with your new build but that isn't everyone's experience. I have several friends who have had to tear out their closets due to water leaks, replace floors and their kitchen island due to water leaks, discover that the quality of their new build is subpar.
@@itsmyhannah foundation settling and foundation problems are not the same. Look it up, it’s normal for most, if not all New Build homes to settle. You can’t expect a newly built home that’s only been up for 1 month to fully settle into the soil through various climates and seasons. We haven’t even experienced our first winter in this home.
@@wo0kie10 most new builds are under a 1 year warranty so most repairs are covered. And if it’s major like leaks from poor workmanship you can sue the builder.
I’ve only ever bought one house. And within the first three months, the shower pan started leaking in the master bathroom. Had to have the whole shower rebuilt. It sucked since I was so housepoor!!
The former owner patched shit together too!! Like I kid you not, a hole in the wall had been patched with cardboard. lol
I need new pipes, new windows, new roof before I can do the pretty stuff like floors and floorboards and window treatments.
I replaced my HVAC in April 2022 I live in a Houston suburb. 1700 sq ft - $8500. You describing the AC drain pipes reminds me of one of the many issues I had. Except the first time I didn’t have a censor on the drain pan and the water leaked through the ceiling and the entire
ceiling in a closet fell in!!! Had to have that rebuilt lol
Don’t worry, you’re beautiful inside and out.
hey aja! have you consider running a dehumidifier? houston humidity is no joke, especially if the AC is broken!
we definitely need to get one and something the AC tech mentioned. do you recommend any?
@@AjaDang no specific brand recommendations, but i'd make sure to get enough dehumidifiers to cover the square footage of your home. same applies to air purifiers. Costco has a super flexible return policy even on used appliances, so that's may be a great place to start first!
@@AjaDang lumisys dehumidifier is what i use for my basement that gets wet. i have left it running 24/7 for about 6 months now, and it is great. it tells you the humidity level and has a hose that drains straight into my basement drain, but you don't have to use the hose if you want to use the bucket
Also, even if the weather gets cooler, it is still good to keep the AC running in general because the house is built with wood and AC or a dehumidifier is needed to get rid of the moisture in the wood. Very important in Houston to prevent mold.
Subscribed for the house issues so I know what to look for in my own. Now I’m thinking I need a priest
thanks for your update on your vlogs, i love to see your vlogs and your process on a weekly basis.
I'm curious, as of now, how much total estimated you already spent on maintenance from start to now?
for all the planned and unplanned updates and fixes: $36,389.25
@@AjaDang wow that's expensive! given these are to fix the mistakes from the previous owner and not towards real renovations yet.
The bright side is that once this is all done, no more future headaches ever again!
@@mrobanyaki7294 fingers crossed! I mean, after the pipes (which we knew about from the inspector) i feel like there’s nothing else to be fixed… right? Lol
....Your videos are coming right on time. I feel like we are struggling togetter. I bought a house in May. Been renovating it before my apt lease was up this month....then two weeks ago, a tree fell and destroyed an entire room. I mean walls beams, roof, the entire electric pannel, etc. I really hate to see you struggle, but it is making feel not as alone.
oh noooo! Did the house insurance kick in? Hopefully you'll be able to get it fixed quickly!
@@AjaDang Yes. The claims guy came by Monday. I am just glad I got a max amount of coverage since I am a first time buyer. They are still coming up with the numbers. The general contractor I will be using is working on his estimate. But he said that I will be having a hard time with insurance.
For the sofa, ScotchGuard!
Girl literally we have the same problems!!! This is mine and my boyfriend’s first house and we’ve been living here for only two years now. Within the first year, we soon realized the previous owners cheaped out on EVERYTHING. Nothing was up to code and over $35,000 later, we had to get two new ac units, a new water heater, new piping, new garage door, and new appliances. Seems like they hired someone under the table. We don’t even have money to fix our backyard or renovate our bathrooms. It all went to fixing shit that should’ve been fine, but seems like our home inspector missed out on all these things too.
I'm sorry girl. We're $30,000 and counting at this point.
Girl get a couch cover unless there’s guests over
i have a question, what about when it rains? all that water is going to go under the house, where the AC is? isn't that an issue?
The primary AC drain should be y routed into the nearest sink so that it doesn’t continue to cause wetlands around your house.
some contractors tell me to route it into the sink, some contractors tell me to do a french drains.
I was wondering about this. The water would still be fairly close to the house, and now directly in the ground rather than at surface level which still seemed concerning to me. I’d probably go the sink way too
If it smells moldy, wear masks. You don't want to be inhaling mold. I know the removal means more $, but mold is so bad for your health. Just commenting out of concern.
This. Mold is no joke.
the pains of a fixer upper. its putting a bandage on the problems, eventually its going to require a full replacement. from size of house and all the problems, a quote of 20-40k repair amount might be close.
My AC is also broken 🥲its too old so we have to replace the entire unit. My only choice right now is to run fans and I borrowed a portable AC from my parents. My electricity bill will prob be super high this month but I have dogs so we have to do what we can to keep the house at a temp they can be ... comfortable to some extent.
I bought a house by myself 15 years ago and got into $23,000 debt from stuff like this. I'm debt free now and really grateful I stuck it out. I'm sorry you're going through this, but I thinkbin 20 years you will feel it was all worth it in the end. I jmknow it sucks now, sending good vibes.
Technical stuff in the US is so weird. It's a miracle it actually works.
This sounds like a nightmare. I owned a house for 4 years and sold it because it was too much money and aggravation. I’m much happier renting again and I’m able to save a lot more money.
Do you miss LA or regret moving from LA? I have thought about moving to TX as well tbh to buy a house because the houses are so palatial there. I just don't think I can handle the heat and humidity
Actually, the Houston area has a lot of newer houses, especially in the suburbs (Katy, Cypress, Sugar Land, Pearland, etc. you name it) and they won't have as many problems like these. I think their major issue is that they purchased a 1940s house. Houses from that era will have lots of issues all the time. If they had purchased a newer house (and there are a lot around the Houston area) and some of them are built in the 2020s even, then they could have a really happy time in Houston! Another issue they may face down the road is the school district if they ever want to have children. They would want to live in a good school district for their kids' education. I live in the suburb of Houston, so I can vouch for that.
Thank a deep breath. Everything will work out. Houston heat is no joke.
Question… Aja, was/is there a *thorough* enough home inspection that would have caught all these issues you’ve ran into thus far? If not, they seriously need to create one to avoid a potential money pit for the potential buyer unless the person is really ready for a project.
to my knowledge, there aren't levels to home inspections, but I could be wrong. I would assume that home inspectors (and other contractors) would want to do a good job for the sake of their client but mine didn't.
Its all part of being a home owner. Either you learn to maintain and save some money or paid plumbers to maintain it for you.
Perks of not moving to Texas. There are so many youtubers who proudly (and loudly) left places like California and moved to Texas and Florida. Only to realize so many basic necessities are not guaranteed there, as opposed to in California (and many other states in the country as well),
It is not true at all. In Texas, generally houses are pretty decent. They happened to buy a really old house, so lots of remodeling and repair is to be expected. I recommend them watch "This Old House" show more often to understand what repairs old houses will require. If they had bought a newer house (after 2000s, 2010s, or 2020s), their experiences would have been drastically different here.
What a nightmare …wonder when the madness is ever going to end
Dang at this point I would sale the house lol
Hey Aja if your dog is randomly peeing and it’s out of the ordinary you may want to check for a UTI. Hope things clear up for you soon with all the housing issues
Why don’t you clean it (the couch) the same you cleaned your mattress??
As far as the plumbing, I follow this guy from Houston who says that once a month you have to pour Clorox (not sure if with water) in the pipe so that sensor area won’t get clogged. He said ever since he’s been doing this, he hasn’t had a problem and a plumber told him this, so may want to try it… I’ll see if I can find his video so you can watch it, he gives very good advice on how to maintain your home in Houston.
Don’t be discourage about your house, you’re doing such a great job fixing it… you’re giving it the love the previous owner didn’t and I’m sure the house will appreciate it, it’s just going to take a little time and yes money too, because it was probably neglected for a very long time…☹️
Keep up the great job you’re doing and you’re learning a lot!!! Maybe you’ll be doing videos in the future about how to fix your house 😄👏👏👏
Was there no inspection done on this home prior to purchase ? Sorry you have to go thru this !! 😕
there was
Inspections can only find so much! They can't inspect and check every little thing!
😂 looks like a survivor video.
haha!
Girl,.. You might need a cleanse or a prayer on the house. Evil eye vibes here...Saje wont help though. And maybe a professional inspection?
Not ideal. Have you considered taking out a Home Equity Line of Credit or Term Loan and make all necessary repairs at once including any cosmetic updates and furniture? So sorry you’re going through this. I wish I could
Help!
Great idea! Try that Aja. Also find out if Houston has a home improvement incentive program for first time homebuyers
That previous owner found the cheapest way possible to "maintain" this house cause wtf....
100% what everyone has said. Wish the inspector caught these
Could…the..house…be haunted? Cause girl!
cursed maybe but not haunted (I consider those different things)
Hahaha I wanted to say curse but I didn’t wanna be negative/hurtful
just get a new system.
I wonder if your home was just a "flip" because those fixes don't make any sense. The labor to execute was there but the material and method was silly. Almost as if they previous literally just wanted to save nickels and dimes as opposed to dollars.
I don’t think it was apparently the owner lived there for +4 years? I just think they didn’t give a shit. Everything just for looks
@@AjaDang oh well, maybe it was prev owner's first go 'round DIY via YT, everything will be fine you're doing a great job. Take care
Sue your inspector
See about suing the former owner?
what would i sue them for?
Americans will say sue to everything 🙄
@ykook7000 Ah, yes, suing because an unsafe property is insane. Who knew people could die in cheap builds, um, maybe lots of people around the world who've died and those who survived.
@@AjaDang The former owner could have to compensate you for the cost of the damage he caused. You'll have to look at laws in your state. Especially if he wasn't up front and lied to you or worked with anyone you used to help you with the home buying process.
@@wanderlustandsparkle4395 Normally, the previous homeowner could have paid for one year of home warranty plan in case anything breaks within one year. Also, based on the year of the system, one can also get a rough sense of if they need to be replaced soon. An AC unit lasts for 15-20 years at most, hot water heater 10 years or so, and so on. So, there are really lots of things one needs to learn when owning a home.
I think that house is haunted!!!
Did you guys not get house inspection before buying it? Lol
They did get one, but clearly the inspector turned out to be not very good at his job. She’s said she regrets in hindsight not paying for a second inspector.
I did. And it’s not funny.
@@AjaDang oh that sucks really bad that they weren’t good. I’m sorry 😞
Imagine having 12 extra minutes in your day for this
Not sure what this comment means. That the video isn’t worth watching? I’ve seen quite a number of comments enjoying this house series, and finding it informative for other first-time home buyers.
Don’t watch then
Why did you buy a house that has so many issues? It could have saved a lot of headache to wait until a better house comes onto the market
They wanted to pay cheap and do a fixer upper....bad decision you never know what you're going to get
@@ykook7000 But the house isn’t big, so there’s no reason to choose it as a fixer upper. The reason why they would choose to fix up a small house is if that’s what they can afford. With the ac issue, why are there so many revisits? Wouldn’t someone that specializes in ac units come and tell you everything that needs repairing?
your house has too many problem just sale your house go buy new build house in Neveda state.
Really milking the fact that you didn’t do your due diligence before purchasing for views 🤗
I'm gonna throw up everything in my pipe if you keep talking like that 🤭
boring content
...you comment this on all my videos yet you keep on showing up lol
@@AjaDang I think I keep hoping your life will get more interesting than a broken AC and no real career
@@sfrancies87 aww baby u are so jealouss wanna cry on my shoulder? dont worry it will pass when you grow up
@@sfrancies87 seems like you have less of a life than I do since you keep commenting. Thanks for boosting my videos!
@@AjaDang Oh honey, I'm not bothering to actually watch them. Why don't you do something meaningful with your life? It's not too late to escape your vapid existence.
Aja, I’m so bummed that you guys are going through all of this. There’s an older Tom Hanks movie called “Money Pit”. It is hilarious! I think you’d get a lot of levity from watching it while you’re going through all of this stuff with your house. 🤍
I'll download it