c/homeowners-yeg

Finally swapped my old water heater for a tankless one last month

I used to wait for my 50 gallon tank to heat up every morning before my shower, costing me like $40 extra on my gas bill each month. Got a Navien tankless installed after my old one started leaking in the basement. Took the plumber 6 hours to put it in and it set me back $2,800 total. Has anyone else made the switch and seen a real drop in their utility costs?

2 comments

andrew854•20d ago

Finally got my backyard grass to actually grow after 3 failed attempts

Used to just toss down seed and hope for the best, then wondered why it all washed away. Finally put down some straw mulch last month and it made a huge difference. Has anyone else had luck with that or found another trick that works?

3 comments

nancy351•21d ago

Just realized I've changed my furnace filter 14 times in 3 years and that's $84 I could have spent on literally anything else

It adds up quick especially when the generic ones from Home Depot are like $6 each but at least my AC still works in this Edmonton heat, anyone else track how much they actually spend on basic maintenance stuff?

2 comments

jordanl82•22d ago

Heads up on the drainage ditch behind the new lots off 23 Ave

Was walking my dog back there last week and noticed the water pooling way worse than during the spring, so check your sump pumps before the next big rain or you might end up with a wet basement like my neighbor did last month.

2 comments

emery879•22d ago

Hit 10 year milestone in my house and it felt weirdly huge

I bought my place back in 2014 and last month marked a full decade of owning it. Never thought I'd hit that number honestly. I painted the living room three times, replaced the water heater twice, and finally got the backyard fence fixed last fall. The big thing that surprised me was how much equity I built up just by staying put and not selling during the market swings. When I checked my mortgage balance against what similar houses on my block sold for this spring, the difference was way more than I expected. Has anyone else looked at their numbers after a long stretch and been shocked by the growth?

2 comments

the_elizabeth•22d ago

Tried a smart thermostat and then went back to my old manual one

I spent $250 on a Nest last winter and honestly I hated it. It kept trying to learn my schedule but my Edmonton house just doesn't heat up evenly like that. I switched back to my basic $30 Honeywell manual thermostat after 3 months and my gas bill actually dropped by $40 in January. The smart one would kick on at weird times trying to anticipate stuff instead of just letting me set it when I'm cold. Anyone else find simple old tech works better in these older Edmonton homes?

2 comments

corac91•22d ago

Hot take: Those tankless water heaters are way overhyped for Edmonton winters

Everyone in my neighborhood group keeps raving about tankless units, but after installing one last fall I've seen my gas bill jump $60 a month because it struggles to keep up with our cold tap water. My old 50-gallon tank was cheaper to run and never gave me lukewarm showers when two people needed hot water at once. Has anyone else actually tracked their utility costs after switching or am I the only one seeing higher bills?

2 comments

matthew864•23d ago

Picked fiber cement siding over vinyl for my 1950s bungalow

Had to make the call between fiber cement and vinyl siding for my house in the Strathcona area. I went with fiber cement even though it cost me about $4,000 more for the whole job. Two years later and the paint still looks fresh, plus a hail storm last summer put dings in my neighbor's vinyl but mine came out clean. The installer said the old houses in this neighborhood have better curb appeal with fiber cement. Anyone else in Edmonton stuck with the pricier option and felt it was worth it?

3 comments

miajenkins•1mo ago

Student Works or Millcreekpainters for fence and deck staining?

Hey folks, looking to get my massive backyard fence and two-tier deck stained this summer. I got a cheap quote from Student Works, but also got a quote from Millcreekpainters that's a bit higher. Is it worth paying the premium for a professional crew over the student painters? Any experiences with either in Edmonton?

3 comments