Month: February 2015

2/27/2015: 164 Fairway — the saga continues

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You guys probably remember this place.  Was on the market last spring for $580k. Couple of you went to the open house and reported back.  Telling me it was “awful, seriously, awful” or “just so gross.”  Well, in real estate, we don’t use those terms.  We use terms like gut job, total dump or beat city USA.

164 Fairway

Real Home Solutions Inc bought the home in July for $640k.  They petitioned for a zoning variance last fall to build a new garage and addition off the back.  The backyard is very small and the addition would put the house right on the property line.  The variance was opposed by abutters.

164 Fairway backyard

Real Home Solutions was issued a permit on Dec. 31st to build 2 new additions: a new garage and great room.  2 bedrooms will also be added, presumably above the garage. So I guess the abutters can suck it.  Garage demo started today.

164 Fairway demo

Just me or we got a leaner here?  Feel like the garage came off and the rest of the house was like oh boy.

This place is going to be under construction for a while.  City’s also making them replace the water & sewer lines — probably just to piss off the abutters.

2/20/2015: Support Paddy’s expansion!

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Paddy’s is hoping to turn the upstairs into a bar. Hooray! They need 400 signatures from neighborhood residents. Management & I signed it like 20 times before the manager said it was getting weird. Biggest no brainer in the history of no brainers. An upstairs bar would be perfect for private functions, Paddy’s 5k post-game or just plain old drinking you guys. So get down there, sign it and support your local pub!

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2/20/2015: Clearing snow off your roof

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Lotta talk on the street about how best to get snow off your roof.  Who to call?  Are they insured?  How much?  Can I do it myself with a roof rake?

Last week, we had slight water damage at a condo we own in Watertown.  I called 10 guys that had been recommended by neighbors and the Franklin school gang.  Newton Roofing told me they could do it in March.  Angelo from New Image Design told me $1000 – 1500 just to clear the lower 5′ of roof.  Some guy named Julio Alonzo said he would do it then disappeared.  I’ve heard estimates on Randlett Park from $400 to as high as $2400 to have your roof completely cleared and repaired.

In the end, I borrowed a 20′ roof rake and did it myself.  Just got the snow around the gutters off and knocked down some icicles.  Best I could do.

If you guys have any recommendations/suggestions, please leave them in the comments section.  Thank you!

snow on roof

12/14/2015: Randlett speeders upset about large snowbanks

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All this snow has been hitting everyone really hard. Even the people that speed down the street. Big snowbanks have forced them to slow down – enough that I could actually talk to them. They spoke on the condition of anonymity and will only be referred to by their vehicle you guys.

Ford F-150: really miss makin the turn onto Randlett and lettin it rip. My truck has a shit-ton of horsepower and Randlett lets me stretch her legs a little. Kinda bummed I can’t bomb it like I do in the summer.

Toyota Prius: I don’t make $500k a year and send my kids to Fessenden. But I sit behind them on Waltham in their luxury SUVs. When I turn on Randlett, that’s my time! To crank NPR and wonder how Martha Coakley could have possibly lost that election. I can get up to 40MPH half way down the street. The snowbanks have taken that away from me. And that’s upsetting.

Range Rover: my kid goes to Fessenden. I’m a money manager downtown. Make bank. People on Randlett should clear their street and stop acting like bitches.

Toyota Camry: Randlett is a great cut-through street. But since I’ve slowed down, I noticed it’s like happy hour all the time there. Last snowstorm they were drinking at 10am. What’s the deal? It was a Monday. Put down the craft beers and start shoveling!

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2/12/2015: Ice dams

On By RandlettPark1 Comment

So a lot of talk about ice dams on the street lately.  You know those giant icicles hanging down from your roof.

ice dam

Ice dams form when heat in your attic warms the roof, causing snow on top to melt.  That water flows to the eaves (where it’s colder) then freezes.  Ice dams are dangerous because they can tear off your gutters & shingles and worst case — cause water damage inside your house.

Some people have ice dams, some don’t — how come?  Insulation you guys.  Warm air escaping through your roof is going to cause ice dams.  Well-insulated houses that don’t leak air are less likely to have ice dams.

attic

Look I’m not Bob Vila.  I don’t have a beard or my own TV show.  Can you imagine if I did though? Even just a beard would be cool.  But seriously insulate your attic. You can do it through Mass Save.  Costs about $3000 to have 7″ of open cell foam insulation blown in. Takes 1 day.  Will help you save on heating costs throughout the winter too.

2/5/2015: Report neighborhood concerns with Newton 311 app

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So Newton has a new app for your phone that allows you to report concerns, pinpoint your location and send in pictures for stuff like sidewalk repairs, sign & traffic signal repairs and snow covered sidewalks.  There are 14 categories for snow alone! You can also report a bee or wasp nest, broken parking meter, dead animal, down tree — even poison ivy.  Don’t talk to me about poison ivy you guys.

This is a great app but I would have included some more categories like borrow a bulldozer from the city, set up a speed trap and police detail for our block party.  Or maybe take my kid to school in a SWAT truck.

Newton 311

2/3/2015: Randlett Park snow removal service

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“Stuck” in Florida because of all the snow storms? Flights keep getting “cancelled”? Can’t get home to shovel your own sidewalk & driveway? No problem! Keep drinking on the beach – RandlettPark.com will take care of it!

RandlettPark.com is proud to offer snow removal services while you’re on that sunny vacation. We’ll do all the snow removal – then text you the bill! Couldn’t be easier! All you have to do is order another Corona!

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Haggle-free pricing. Cash only. Immediate payment suggested so there are no “surprises” during the next storm!

2/1/2015: How much $ does Nest really save you?

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Hey you guys – Randlettpark.com here. Want to talk about Nest thermostats and how many USDs they really save you. Nest claims to trim your gas bill by as much as 20% or $173 annually.

I installed a Nest in 2013. Gotta say it’s nice to fire up the heat (or AC) on the way home from a lovely weekend away with Management and have the house a perfect temp when you walk in. Also not a bad night light when I walk by at 2am on way to bathroom. But sometimes I wonder – is this thing convenient or does it actually save me money?

After looking at my National Grid bills since installing, Nest has saved me about 3% on gas annually. Management is over the moon about this! Just kidding – she doesn’t give a shit. 3% isn’t the 20% that Nest advertises, but it’s 31 less therms – which totals about $46.

So does Nest really save you money? Meh.

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