CAG home owner topic. Buying or selling a home? Have a maintance issue? Help is here!

[quote name='Dead of Knight']My dumbass parents bought a house that size for just the two of them when they moved here, and they have a $160k mortgage. Instead they could have bought a small house or condo and have no mortgage (their previous house was paid off). They are 54 years old. Don't get me started.... :bomb:[/QUOTE]

Jeez.

I was looking and I don't think I could go for a REAL small house. Anything under 1000-1100 sq. ft. seems small to me. 1100-1300 seems right to me.
 
Yeah, I've never gotten the need for a big place unless you have kids and need the bedrooms.

Not wanting kids, I'd at most want a 3 bedroom place. One to sleep in, one for a guest room and one for an office. Right now I live by myself in a one bedroom condo with a den that I use as an office. Around 900 sq ft.

Having a bigger place than needed is not only a financial blunder in terms of mortgage. But also more work to clean, more expensive to furnish, more expensive to heat/cool etc.

But to each their own. I have a few friends who got bigger places despite not having kids as they say they need personal space and would go crazy in a smaller place with their spouse/significant other. So they get a big place rather than realizing that they probably shouldn't be in a relationship with someone they can't stand to be around!
 
We are in a 1000sf ranch and it is fine for me, my wife, our 3.5 month old and two chihuahuas. I definitely prefer the lower bills and less to clean up factor! I did have to put up a shed in the back yard though...
 
I don't know guys. I have a 1,200sqft. house and it is pretty small. Granted, I also have 2 kids and a wife to share the space with but there's really no room regardless. My TV room is only 8ft. wide which means I can barely play Wii (only sitting down) and there isn't room for Rock Band let alone Kinect. Also, with regards to the personal space, I totally get it and it has nothing to do with the relationship I have with my wife. She's my best friend in the world but there are times you just want to be alone and in a house this small it's just impossible. I have to play video games and watch TV with headphones once the wife goes to sleep because she can hear the TV from upstairs. Our bedroom is 12'x12' and the door of my dresser can't open all the way because it hits the bed. I can wash my hands while taking a shit in the downstairs bathroom (3'x5' room). It's just too small.
 
That's fair. I didn't mean to overgeneralize. The relationships I was referring to are couples that pretty much hate each other but stay together for whatever dumbass reasons despite fighting all the time etc.

Everyone needs some personal space--but you can get it by doing things like you say with gaming at night with headphones, going to movies by yourself, nights out with friends etc. I've lived with past girlfriends--all in places ranging 600-900 sq ft, and that's how we got by.

Another problem I've noticed with many friends who live in small places like mine is most people cram way to much crap in them. If you're going to live in a small place you need minimal furniture, can't be a packrat who collects knickknacks, can't be the type to have a shit ton of clothes you never wear etc.

Not nagging you javeryh, as your place does sound a bit too small for a family with two kids. Though that is a consequence of trying to raise a family in one of the most expensive metro areas in the world.
 
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[quote name='dmaul1114']The relationships I was referring to are couples that pretty much hate each other but stay together for whatever dumbass reasons despite fighting all the time etc.[/QUOTE]

My parents. The 2600 sq ft doesn't help with how loud they can yell.
 
No family (yet, though I'm interested if I can find the right lady), just me and the dog.
It's a 4 bed with a room for an office (which is going to be my recording studio when I get off my lazy ass and get it all setup), one bedroom is the practice space for the band, another is more or less my guitar storage room, I sleep in one and the other is the guest room or the rental room when I have a roomie.

Thing is, it's a split level and the master bedroom takes up between 1/4 and 1/3rd of the top floor. It sounds like my house is huge, but really it's divided poorly and I'd love to do an addition over the garage to make a proper square room for home theater purposes, be able to put my pinball machines somewhere other than my dining room and have a dining room table in the dining room instead of on the cold as all hell at the moment 3 season porch.
There are some spots in the house that are really cramped and others that are completely empty and unused. It's sort of a weird life at the moment to be honest.
 
nasum I should come over to your house and play some pinball. :lol:

I've been looking at houses in the Crystal area and taxes are high, but I noticed many of the houses I'm looking at have lots of updates to try to move the house. It must be a real tough housing market out there.

What do you people think of linked Twin houses? SOme good deals on those, and low taxes. No assoic. fee. But my issue with those are that if some common area like the roof needs work, you have to work it out and pay with people who won't/don't want to pay to fix it with you.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Another problem I've noticed with many friends who live in small places like mine is most people cram way to much crap in them. If you're going to live in a small place you need minimal furniture, can't be a packrat who collects knickknacks, can't be the type to have a shit ton of clothes you never wear etc.

Not nagging you javeryh, as your place does sound a bit too small for a family with two kids. Though that is a consequence of trying to raise a family in one of the most expensive metro areas in the world.[/QUOTE]

We are definitely minimalists - we don't collect any knickknacks or anything of the sort. We have one small area (about 8' x 8') where all of the kids toys are although that stuff often spills into the rest of the house and we both HATE clutter. My wife has a 6 month rule - if it hasn't been used in 6 months it goes on eBay and then in the trash. This applies to everything - video games, clothes, dishware, etc. It's a pretty good rule (there are obvious exceptions).

I definitely know right outside NYC is ridiculously expensive but I grew up here so that's kind of how I ended up here I guess. I'd be open to moving (within about a 4 hour drive of BOTH Boston and NY for weekend trips to the in-laws) but I'd require high quality public schools for my kids and the best schools tend to be in the most expensive areas. *sigh*
 
Ok so I just walked down in to the basement to get something out of the dryer and the whole damn basement was flooded. I can not freaking find the source of the problem though. We are under a flood warning here and it did thunderstorm last night in addition to the melting snow. However most of the water is pooled not near any wall but instead around our hot water heater. I got a push broom out and swept all the water I could to where the washer drains at then went through a blanket and several towels sopping up the rest. After it was all cleaned I tried again checking the walls. I do not seem to see water coming in at a noticeable rate(though there is water coming from a wall somewhere since the make shift drain the previous owner made to route water to the washers drain has water in it). I then checked the hot water heater and again do not see any leak or anything that immediatly stands out as a problem, there was also no water on the actual hot water heater itself. Finally I went up stairs and turned the hot water on in the bathtub and the kitchen sink and tried to trace for a possible leak or blow out in a pipe...and do not see anything.

Anyways, I have now cleaned up all the water and I am running the washer and dryer. I have also put a fan down there to try and keep the dampness down. Finally I am running down there every 10 mins or so to see if anything has changed...but nothing is.

Any ideas? I would just assume its from the melting water and rain outside...but again most of it pooled away from the wall.

Edit - Well I found the spot where the water is coming in from, its the central pillar(which is near the hot water heater) to the house. That was where most of the water had pooled in the first place, it just is odd because it is not near a wall since as I said its the central freaking pillar of the house. So less the water is pushing up from the ground and not the wall it seems hella odd. It also makes me nervous since again since that stone pillar is at the center of the house id imagine its a support structure of some sort......
 
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I've been looking in earnest, and am now looking at the Saint Louis Park, MN area. It's close to work, many houses have the floorplans I like, taxes and price of the house are within my range. 1200 sq. ft. houses.

Am working with my cousin's employee who's a realtor and my cousin's work fixes foreclosures and stuff. I could probably get a bunch of furniture really cheap from them, because alot of the houses they work on, people just leave all the furniture there, some of it new, and just leave it and walk away.

Bonus if I buy a house that has plumbing problems or frozen pipes, she knows people that can fix it fast and cheap.

But I'm going to try to get something that's move-in ready or close to it. The most I'd do is some updating or fixing walls or floors in 2-3 rooms.

I've looked at stuff that's super cheap - like 50K cheap, but needs shitloads of work all over the house, foundation issues, etc.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']So less the water is pushing up from the ground and not the wall it seems hella odd.[/QUOTE]
That could be it - I'm guessing you don't have a sump pump?
 
[quote name='2DMention']Am working with my cousin's employee who's a realtor and my cousin's work fixes foreclosures and stuff. I could probably get a bunch of furniture really cheap from them, because alot of the houses they work on, people just leave all the furniture there, some of it new, and just leave it and walk away.

Bonus if I buy a house that has plumbing problems or frozen pipes, she knows people that can fix it fast and cheap.

But I'm going to try to get something that's move-in ready or close to it. The most I'd do is some updating or fixing walls or floors in 2-3 rooms.

I've looked at stuff that's super cheap - like 50K cheap, but needs shitloads of work all over the house, foundation issues, etc.[/QUOTE]

When purchasing our last home, I just couldn't get myself past structural damage/water leaks. Settled on a 1300 sq ft home, full unfinished basement (perfect for me, I can finish it however I want). Relatively new (built in 2000), 2 full baths, and a fireplace for 126k. Only bad thing is the taxes (house is appraised at 185k) :cool:.

Good luck!
 
[quote name='Pookymeister']That could be it - I'm guessing you don't have a sump pump?[/QUOTE]

No we dont. The more I watch this too the more it is dead obviously that same spot. For now I have tossed a towel down over it. I think it is just water coming up from the ground at that center post.
 
Yup, the water table is coming above your basement due to all the snow melting or whatever. I'd assume it's probably a big project to add a sump pump once the foundation already exists - i just know my house came with one installed and I just let it sit there =]
 
Do I need to worry about this doing damage to the foundation, that pillar or anything else key to the home? If it is just an inconvenience and we get water in the basement now and then I am not too worried about it, but if it can do long term damage.....
 
Edit: It's currently just an inconvience, shouldn't do structural damage.

Ya, you definitely want to get a sump pump installed. If you pay someone to do it, it costs anywhere from 2500-4000 when my wife and I were looking at houses.
 
[quote name='perdition(troy']Ya, you definitely want to get a sump pump installed. If you pay someone to do it, it costs anywhere from 2500-4000 when my wife and I were looking at houses.[/QUOTE]

Again though is this because it is damaging the house or it is just a pain in the butt? I mean we just bought the house like 5 months ago...and that is a lot of money. If it is not doing damage I will just go down when things get like this and spend time cleaning up...but if it is damaging the foundation or whatever...yeah I guess its time to look in to that.

Just saw your response, thanks! Good to know its not something that can break the house down! I am not above getting dirty and having to clean up now and then. It still pisses me off though because I doubt this is a new thing...and we bought the house from family.
 
Not sure about it damaging anything. Guess it depends what materials down there are getting wet. And you definitely don't want to have to worry about mildew/mold and stuff like that.

Knock on wood, but i've never heard my sump pump run once in the almost 2 years i've been here so i'm thinking our location is pretty good as far as water run-off and stuff goes. There's always a nice little stream going by in the back yard but that's a good thing if that's the path.
 
Anyone have recommendations for vapor cleaners? My wife just finished an allergy test and found out she was allergic to 32 of the 34 things she was tested for ;( Other then an expensive surgery that she will need we also need to try and keep the house clean of dust mites, mold and a few other things. I read that newer vapor cleaners work better then traditional carpet cleaners, but it seems every one we find is either not meant to be used on carpets or is like $1,000! Anyone have recs?

BTW basement leak still kept coming from the same few spots and even with cleaning and using a fan its molding. I scheduled a basement waterproofing company to come out tomorrow and take a look at things.
 
Well the thing she is most severly allegic to is ofcourse Dust Mites which are one of the most common and pain in the ass things to have a nasty allergy to. We had to go out and buy all sorts of special pillows, pillow cases and bedding for her, replace all our cloth curtains with plastic/wood ones and again now are looking at vapor cleaners. It also means I am going to need to clean far more.

Other allergies
Most types of "soft trees" a few of the hard wood varieties.
Grass
Fruit
Green Peppers
Cats(thankfully not dogs which we have 3 of)
Most types of mold including mold that grows on food so she was told not to eat left overs after a day or two. She was also told because of the mold allergy to avoid cheese, wine and other femented foods as much as possible. This REALLY kills her because she is a wine and cheese nut.

Thats just a few off the top of my head. Basically as I told her....you are just allergic to life.

Edit - BTW just realized you asked what she is NOT allergic to not what IS she allergic to. So basically dogs and a few types of trees as far as I know. Anything else aggravates her ;)
 
I had a company called Everdry that had good online reviews and word of mouth from people at my wife's work come out and take a look at the basement. Their claim is that the water levels are an issue on multiple ends. They said that first off it is coming from the wall itself as snow melts or it rains, but that second the water levels are rising and its coming in through the floor. He claims that it is a serious issue because its doing damage to the foundation of the house and also that its putting heavy amounts of mold in to our ventilation system because the heating unit is located in the basement. His estimate is for around $13,500 after financing to go in and put in a double sump pump, repair any foundational damage and the walls as well as put all this stuff their company patented on the outside of the walls. He also said that their company has a $60 a year fee afterwords, but it gives a cover all life time warranty where they will repair anything that happens to the foundation or fix any issues with water that ever happen with the basement again. O and they also put something called an E-Z Breathe that pumps air out of the house with negative air pressure. Supposedly it greatly reduces mold and household allergens.

I am really torn on what to do because this is A LOT of money...especially seeing as we just bought the house less then half a year ago! But on the other hand if its damaging the foundation and with my wife having such horrible allergy problems. It seems everyone says water in the basement and the mold is normal, but they claim this is excessive. Just not sure what to do....grah
 
There are many reports of everdry being overpriced and ripping off customers. You need to get at least 2-5 more professional opinions on the matter before committing to something so big.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']There are many reports of everdry being overpriced and ripping off customers. You need to get at least 2-5 more professional opinions on the matter before committing to something so big.[/QUOTE]

Which is what we would do anyways. Especially since the company used VERY high pressure sales tactics. My guess is they are doing far more then is needed as well too. But any way you look at it this is going to be $1,000s in work most likely. My main question really though is if the water levels are rising in this way how much damage could it be doing to the house? Before people said not to worry about it, but the everdry guy made the point that it would wear on your foundation. Do you guys not think that is true?
 
@magus. I had very similar issues to yours. we had a comapny install a couple of french drains, a sump pump and an interior gutter system along the footings of the foundation. Our basement is finished so our situation was more urgent. What state are you in? Maybe I could recommend a company to you.

either way, I know how frustrating it is.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus'] Before people said not to worry about it, but the everdry guy made the point that it would wear on your foundation. Do you guys not think that is true?[/QUOTE]

Yes, water can wear on the foundation overtime, as well as causing mold build up etc. which can lead to severe allergy problems.

You never want to let flooding in a basement go untended.

If it's just happening a time or two a year in heavy rain, that's one thing and can be dealt with by cleaning up quickly, running dehumidifiers etc.. If there's some drainage problem where it's happening in nearly every hard rain, that's a major problem and should be fixed.

From having a basement in the house I grew up in, they seem more trouble than they're worth and will be something I try to avoid if I ever decide to move from condo's to a house. I may not though as I really like high rise living for the location and convenience, and I'll always want to live inside a big city. Had enough of rural living growing up and enough of the suburbs in grad school. :D
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Which is what we would do anyways. Especially since the company used VERY high pressure sales tactics. My guess is they are doing far more then is needed as well too. But any way you look at it this is going to be $1,000s in work most likely. My main question really though is if the water levels are rising in this way how much damage could it be doing to the house? Before people said not to worry about it, but the everdry guy made the point that it would wear on your foundation. Do you guys not think that is true?[/QUOTE]

I imagine that no one on here is qualified to give you an answer on how much damage it could be doing to the house. I will say that water around or under any foundation is not a good thing and honestly I wouldn't take a chance on ignoring it. This will not be something that is cheap to fix. You either pay for it now before the problem gets worse, or pay for it later when there is an even larger problem or you go to sell and your inspector notices damage and requires repair.
 
@XXdoyle - Yep our basement is finished. They basically wanted to do the same thing as what your guys did, but then do several more steps that are part of their "pattended system". They also would have rebuilt any foundation problems they found while down there which I did like.

@dmaul - That is part of what makes this a hard call. We have only lived here for 6 months so we do not know how often this is happening or how at risk we are. The snow is melting around here and during the first few days and while it was raining we were getting water coming up through the floors and tons through the walls. Now that the weather has just held a steady 40-50 degrees with no snow we have not seen any water for a week or two coming from the floor itself, but there is still some but not as much from the walls. We have no clue if this is just the result of a severe season(which our area is experiencing as other people at my wife's work have said they never have had water before and did this year)or if this is going to be a yearly thing and during every heavy rain. Also I agree with you, basements, rural areas ans suburbs suck.

@mtxbass - Thanks, I knew no one here could give me an estimate or tell em what to do...just trying to get as many opinions as possible and also hoping someone may know a good company to work with. Everdry is just so expensive, but at the same time how many other companies check for foundational damage, fix it as part of their quote and then give you a life time warranty for $60 a year for not just water but also your foundation?

Also a question for everyone. Regardless of if we get this done or not, what is the best way to fight the basement mold and other allergens as well as keep them reduced?
 
Just got in touch with a second company who will be coming out tomorrow to give a second estimate. They too have a lifetime guarantee for their product which is always comforting, and they have been around almost 40 years which again is a good sign.
 
That sounds like something that needs dealt with as you'll have melting snow etc. every winter where you live. And if it's flooding from that it will probably also do it from spring rains etc.

I'd definitely get it dealt with. Better safe than sorry as you don't want any foundation problems to develop, nor to let mold and mildew build up etc.

In terms of best way to fight that--stop the leaking first, then use a dehumidifier to keep things dry down there, especially since it's a finished basement.
 
we have had zero problems since having the work done. second opinion is a great idea, you may find that you don't have to go quite as far with the proposed solutions.

Although I agree with dmaul, its painfully expensive to deal with the source of the water especially if its a ground water issue. Most of the solutions would deal with routing water towards your neighbors homes. This opens up a whole new can of worms. I guess it depends on how close your neighbors are.
 
[quote name='xxDOYLExx']we have had zero problems since having the work done. second opinion is a great idea, you may find that you don't have to go quite as far with the proposed solutions.

Although I agree with dmaul, its painfully expensive to deal with the source of the water especially if its a ground water issue. Most of the solutions would deal with routing water towards your neighbors homes. This opens up a whole new can of worms. I guess it depends on how close your neighbors are.[/QUOTE]

Our neighbors are about 10 feet from us ;( What did it end up costing you to fix?
 
You're more in a town/city though right?

If so there are probably street drains and they could try to route the water toward those if that level of work is needed, rather than toward neighbors houses.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']You're more in a town/city though right?

If so there are probably street drains and they could try to route the water toward those if that level of work is needed, rather than toward neighbors houses.[/QUOTE]

Pretty sure that the guy yesterday said there has been a law passed locally that prevents them from directing water in to the sewer systems. Regardless none of this matters to me, these guys are the experts so they will know what they can and cant do.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']You're more in a town/city though right?

If so there are probably street drains and they could try to route the water toward those if that level of work is needed, rather than toward neighbors houses.[/QUOTE]

I live in a development of about 5,000 homes in a city. In my situation, the problem is ground water. There is a layer of clay soil just below the foundation. Instead of the water being absorbed by the soil, it just sits there until it gets high enough to seep through the seam where the foundation wall meets the footings. The way I understand it, is that there is no practical way to direct the water directly out to a street drain.

If it were a surface water problem and it was coming in through the window wells, then yeah it would be simple enough to regrade the landscaping and direct the water to the drains. been there done that.

After having had all sorts of core soil sampling done around my home to diagnose the problem. We had determined that the problem was along the walls of about half my basement. First thing we did was have an excavating company dig around the exterior of the home below the clay and back fill with gravel and dirt. Then we had the interior gutter system installed along with two french drains and a sump pump.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Our neighbors are about 10 feet from us ;( What did it end up costing you to fix?[/QUOTE]

with the gutter system and sumps it was about 6,000. This was only for half of the of the basement. My home was still under warranty, I wrote a nasty letter to my builder and they paid for it.
 
Anyone have recommendations on carpet cleaners? Our two little dogs were no problem and we figured o well they trash the carpet over 10 years....but this new big newfoundland/retriever mix we got is killing the carpet at a fast rate. Stupid dog keeps digging in the yard and tracking in mud. As I mentioned before my wife is having some bad allergy problems. Id like to keep it under $200 if possible, I see there are some good ones on Amazon in that price range, but wanted to ask here first.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Anyone have recommendations on carpet cleaners? Our two little dogs were no problem and we figured o well they trash the carpet over 10 years....but this new big newfoundland/retriever mix we got is killing the carpet at a fast rate. Stupid dog keeps digging in the yard and tracking in mud. As I mentioned before my wife is having some bad allergy problems. Id like to keep it under $200 if possible, I see there are some good ones on Amazon in that price range, but wanted to ask here first.[/QUOTE]

I've got an amazing Hoover DualV that I picked up from Hoover.com a few months back for $99. It's picked up every single thing I can throw at it, and is super easy to use.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']I've got an amazing Hoover DualV that I picked up from Hoover.com a few months back for $99. It's picked up every single thing I can throw at it, and is super easy to use.[/QUOTE]

Kind of funny because thats the carpet cleaner I had sitting on my amazon tab. Was planning on buying it if no one here responded. It does not leave your carpet sopping wet for hours on end? That is our one concern, that these leave carpets wet which will result in mold.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Kind of funny because thats the carpet cleaner I had sitting on my amazon tab. Was planning on buying it if no one here responded. It does not leave your carpet sopping wet for hours on end? That is our one concern, that these leave carpets wet which will result in mold.[/QUOTE]

Not at all. It sucks back up a good majority of it. My carpets are dry in 1-1.5 hours max without any extra cooling.
 
does it work well for spot cleaning? damn dog has a bladder infection right now so I'm basically using a shop vac and a spot stain remover. I'm certain that isn't solving everything at the moment.
 
[quote name='nasum']does it work well for spot cleaning? damn dog has a bladder infection right now so I'm basically using a shop vac and a spot stain remover. I'm certain that isn't solving everything at the moment.[/QUOTE]

Yeah man. It's really solid, really easy to use.

This is it here.

http://www.hoover.com/product.aspx?model=F7452900&ds=true

Watch their refurb store and they commonly have machines for as low as $99.
 
I not only own my own home, but I also have two duplexes that I rent out. Lots of good stuff in here. But two things in particular (from early pages):

1) The tip about fixing small problems early is invaluable. Do this. It works. Repairs stay cheap, and small fixes are usually cheap and DIY, large fixes are not usually DIY and not usually cheap.

2) The advice to pressure wash your entire house every year is ludacris. Seriously this is retarded. Maybe if your going to paint, or as some kind of prep work, sure. But just pressure washing your whole house every year is retarded IMO. Not necessary at all.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']2) The advice to pressure wash your entire house every year is ludacris.[/QUOTE]

I disagree. It's more Lil Wayne.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']

2) The advice to pressure wash your entire house every year is ludacris. Seriously this is retarded. Maybe if your going to paint, or as some kind of prep work, sure. But just pressure washing your whole house every year is retarded IMO. Not necessary at all.[/QUOTE]

Live in the south where pollen coats everything. That combined with pollutants in the air easily coat a house. I have to pressure wash at least once, if not twice a year just to get rid of buildup. Sidewalks need cleaning and vynil siding builds up dirt quickly. After that bakes in the sun it becomes even more difficult to get off. Its hardly retarded to protect your investment for such a small amount of effort.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']I not only own my own home, but I also have two duplexes that I rent out. Lots of good stuff in here. But two things in particular (from early pages):

1) The tip about fixing small problems early is invaluable. Do this. It works. Repairs stay cheap, and small fixes are usually cheap and DIY, large fixes are not usually DIY and not usually cheap.

2) The advice to pressure wash your entire house every year is ludacris. Seriously this is retarded. Maybe if your going to paint, or as some kind of prep work, sure. But just pressure washing your whole house every year is retarded IMO. Not necessary at all.[/QUOTE]

Always remember to trust a lawyer who can't even spell "ludicrous."
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']Live in the south where pollen coats everything. That combined with pollutants in the air easily coat a house. I have to pressure wash at least once, if not twice a year just to get rid of buildup. Sidewalks need cleaning and vynil siding builds up dirt quickly. After that bakes in the sun it becomes even more difficult to get off. Its hardly retarded to protect your investment for such a small amount of effort.[/QUOTE]
I agree that pressure washing frequency definitely depends on where you live and what type of material is on the exterior of your home.

Even if someone didn't want to do it more than once a year though, it really wouldn't hurt, especially given the effort like you said.
 
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