This post is part 2 out of 3 part series of buying an old home in Toronto. If you missed the first part 1 you can click here: Buying an Old House in Toronto: Dangers.
– Snake and inspection with a video camera: $200 to $500. Usually, you are in shock from the last call from your tenant’s lawyer combined with the fumes, so you don’t really care.
– Building trap inside the house under a concrete floor – replacement and additional clean-out for snaking & inspection. $1000 to $1500 – well, at least now you don’t need a belt for wearing your pants with a wallet in the pocket. Sometimes the Building Trap is installed in the street under the ground – as in Down Town up to Laurence. Then the technicians take larger bites: $1500 to $2500 depending on the area and depth. Feeling extremely light today, eh?
– Damaged pipes with tree roots inside can lead to partial or full replacement of sewer pipes, which of course are under a concrete floor inside the house and outside under the ground up to borders of the City Property. Now the price hangs somewhere between $1500 and $12,000. The price could be even more, depending on the size of your house and property.
As for after purchase repairs and after-flood damage repairs? Let’s see…$30 per sq. feet repairs multiplied by 2 and by an average basement size of 800 sq/feet. We add sanitary works $12000 (worst scenario of course – after all, the worst thing always happen) and by pressing the “=” button we glaze on $60,000 taking most of the screen and not taking any place in our bank account. That is, of course, not including the pool table or the rent money you didn’t get, guitar string, nerves and a basin of wasted time.
Yeah, yeah, yeah…and what about the insurance you ask? And, well, you’re right. But! (Yes there are always those nasty words written in very small letters that you just didn’t happen to notice while signing the contract). Insurance companies, some of the time and, I emphasize, only some of the time, partially cover damages. But hey!?, What’s that? The flood was caused by broken pipes that were already broken when you bought the house? “Excuse us”, the insurance inspector tells you while getting a portable microscope out of his briefcase, but didn’t you see those words down on the last page that say “No insurance on already broken pipes?” Waiting for help from insurance companies is very problematic. If there is any coverage, there is always the bureaucracy to spoil your instant money. And repair needs to be paid today. We know that insurance companies, as well as banks, tend to distribute umbrellas in sunny weather that melt when naked to water. So salvation lies within yourself. My advice to you: bring a reading lens and read what exactly you are paying for before signing anything.
So what should you do? First off, calm down. Don’t hurry and sign the contract for emergency services for more than $300 right away.
Secondly, your house is already flooded and the damages will hardly get worse. Ask the lawyer to have a cup of coffee with you and wait until you get things straight.
Calmly estimate the situation. Make a market survey – call our company and make sure you are not paying for the plumber’s new Lamborghini. Make sure you pay what the damn thing’s really worth. Sign the contract (with a reading lens as always) within reasonable boundaries. Always keep in mind that cheap does not always mean same quality and page-wide yellow pages ads have to be paid for – out of your pocket of course. Choose reasonable, average prices. An expert licensed plumber from our company can advise you of the right professional in your particular case.
Your neighbor Jack the contractor can hardly help you even if he wants to. Most of the time he simply lacks the equipment required.
And one last thing – try to get some feedback about a company. Not everyone is trustworthy.
And let’s focus on that last thing. As I already mentioned, the absence of necessary, and at times very expensive, equipment. Always remember that avaricious pays twice. Jack can hammer away the clogging in the pipe, not having checked with a special video camera the sewer pipes, he cannot see the core of the problem and it may come again with a larger extent.
And of course let’s not forget that Jack is not a licensed sanitary technician or even worse – has no Business Plumbing or Metro Plumbing License. Whenever you apply for the refund from City of Toronto (Roots rebate), which can get up to $2000, or even $3200 in cases with back water valves on sewer and storm pipes on your property, you will discover Jack cannot be paid from the city’s treasury as an original receipt on payment from a legal, Metro Plumbing License technician is required, in addition to the conclusion of a city sanitary inspector who was present during the works.
So, would I advise to buy an old house? I sure do. After all, not all of us have that extra few bucks hiding under the pillow. And of course, as mentioned before, you should always know what you are paying for. A quick call to our company will deliver a plumbing service through the examination of both surface and underground sewer pipes including a video tape that you will receive as a law suit proof on the sewage condition at time of purchase. You will also receive a wide coverage record concerning all aspects of your future home pipe systems. You will be advised on the future repairs needed, and estimate the spectrum of expenses for your trouble free future. Later on you can discuss this report with the seller and probably lower the price of your future shelter.
And well, if you’re blaming yourself for not reading this beforehand and your monitor somehow still works while half flooded, do not hesitate to call us. We’ve got what it takes – the top notch equipment, proper licensing, commercial and local plumbers and most importantly – the Canadian, Israeli and European experience. Our operators will be happy to receive your call in a variety of languages: English, Hebrew, Russian, Ukrainian and Polish.
rainian and Polish.
