<p>Ema, I’ve had pretty good luck using a thick paste of baking soda and water on granite counter stains. After you cover the stain with the paste, lay some plastic wrap on top so the paste doesn’t dry too quickly. You can leave it overnight, then wipe off the next morning with plain hot water and either paper towels or a microfiber cloth. You might find other suggestions at the John Bridge tile site or Garden Web’s house forums.</p>
<p>As for your inspector, in my experience they typically have disclaimers on their contracts stating they’re not liable for just about anything and all you can hope to get from them is the cost of the inspection. Sorry. BTDT, on multiple houses. </p>
<p>Just be sure to photograph all problems before you fix anything so you can at least try to recoup your inspection fee. Good luck!</p>
<p>IMHO, it’s a good idea not to use the inspector that your realtor recommends. The realtor wants the deal to go through with no difficulty, and “her” inspector knows that.</p>
<p>We learned that after buying the first house.</p>
<p>Spend $100, buy a clamp ammeter, and measure your current draw at the meter with all the appliances and other services that might be on at the same time. You’ll be far more informed than any generator salesperson who comes to your house, or any electrician who goes by rules or thumb.</p>
<p>It doesn’t require electrical contact with wires…you just hang it around the cord of the appliance (or in this case, the “cord” leading into your house at the meter) and turn on what you expect to be using. It will tell you what the total current draw is from using those appliances.</p>
<p>Fluke makes good ones, but Sears has some that are a little cheaper. It has to be a “clamp” ammeter. Looks like it has pincers on the top of it.</p>
<p>I think it’s just water… one stain is from a bit of hand soap that dripped. The counter is still messy from moving, we haven’t found a place for everything yet, so I didn’t notice it right away to wipe it up. I have EVERYTHING cleared off the counter now and am hoping the stains will fade.</p>
<p>I THINK our kitchen is sealed but I guess I don’t really know for sure how to tell. Keeping BF from putting obnoxious things all over the counters has already been a chore. He just completely drenched the area around the sink and walked away. I am going to rip my hair out.</p>
<p>I’ve used and abused my granite counter since 1994 and never sealed it. I’m talking repeated assaults by blueberries, turmeric, oil, water, chocolate–I used to temper chocolate by tabling it on my granite counter–pie crusts, bread kneading, you name it. I sometimes have scrubbed it with a brillo pad. It has no stains.</p>
<p>Apparently some granites are more impervious than others. Something to consider when selecting…</p>
<p>Our kitchen counter so far has been holding up, but it’s black-- I’m not sure if I’d see any problems with it. The one in the bathroom is a very light tan, so I wonder if it is just going to be more susceptible to this kind of thing. I panicked when I saw all the stains this morning. Hopefully they’ll dry out and we’ll keep it sealed and never have this problem again. I assumed (and still do) that, if properly sealed, granite should be able to stand up to most typical things, I’ll be disappointed if that’s not the case.</p>
<p>My kitchen granite is a light color. If I leave a water pitcher on it in the summer, there is a water mark. But it dries. I would suggest DuPont Revitalizer. It has some sealant in it but really is a cleaner/protector. I use that once a month. I use Method Daily Granite Cleaner daily…just spray on and wipe off. It is fabulous.</p>
<p>Different granite slabs have different levels of porosity. Many do not ever need to be sealed and some need to be sealed every 6-12 months. It sounds as if your bathroom countertop falls into the latter category. We also have a light colored porous counter in one of our bathrooms. Whenever water starts to leave dark marks (they do dry out-don"t worry!), I know it’s time to reapply a sealant. It is a very easy process and just requires a little elbow grease.</p>
<p>One piece of friendly advice, don’t complain about the condition of the house and previous owners to any of your new neighbors. You never know who they were close with and you don’t want to start any new relationships by offending. It also sounds as if your issue is more with YOUR inspector than with the previous owners. Please try to relax and enjoy your new home. These issues are all part of home ownership and never go away. Fixing up a home is an ongoing process. There’s always something! Put up some holiday decorations and remember all the things you love about your new home.</p>
<p>I haven’t and would never complain to the neighbors. The previous owners seemed like nice people and it’s not like I want to run a campaign to shame them-- in fact I know some of the neighbors helped with the “updates,” so complaining about them offline would be doubley stupid.</p>
<p>I was just venting here, since it’s anonymous, because it is very frustrating that nearly every room in the house was “updated” by the homeowner even though he didn’t know what he was doing. Normal wear and tear is expected in any home, I am disappointed by how many botched attempts at DIY I am finding-- especially on things that are very important, like we may now have to replace a relatively new appliance that was supposed to be included in our sales price because improper installation caused it to be damaged, and we have to re-wire part of the house because they tried to do it themselves and it wasn’t done correctly. We will be redoing nearly every “update” in the house, having paid the price for an already updated house. It’s not like it’s the biggest deal in the world or like I seriously begrudge the previous owners, but it is still annoying.</p>
<p>Emaheevul, I know exactly what you’re going through right now. We just closed on a house recently and have started doing some repairs. Had a contractor out the other day to take a look at some original hardwood floors that were hiding underneath the carpet (they look like they’re finish up nicely!). The contractor looks at the wooden hallway & bedrooms and goes, “That’s not the same wood, they’re something else.” We rip up one of the floor dividers and see they had put pre-finished wood flooring on top of original wood flooring. It looks like they even glued it down, too!</p>
<p>I’d have a little concern over the electrical work if its DIY (even though I’ve done plenty of my own). The biggest issues are making sure that the wiring size and the circuit breaker size are not mis-matched.<a href=“Although%20this%20only%20becomes%20an%20issue%20if%20the%20circuit%20is%20heavily%20loaded,%20it%20could%20result%20in%20a%20fire%20if%20that%20occurs”>/u</a>. Also, there is a “polarity” issue in wiring. Outlets today have a “hot” side and a “neutral” side. The “hot” side is the one with the “small” slot on the plug. You can buy a cheap outlet tester that will give you an indication if the polarity is reversed. This is probably the most common “screw-up” because everything will still work correctly most of the time. But certain appliances are expecting to “see” the correct polarity, and might be a little less safe to use if its not done right.</p>
<p>Holy cow. I stopped at the upscale appliance store a few miles from my house. Had a salesman follow me around for the half hour or so I was in there telling me why Wolf and Viking are the only way to go . . . . I saw a Subzero refrigerator/freezer combination side-by-side that is bigger than my first apartment . . . I mean, one could set up a bed and table and chairs in that thing. Holy cow. </p>
<p>And, according to the man, no one is making a counter-depth 42-inch wide stainless steel side-by-side refrigerator without the water dispenser. No. One. Good grief – they make thousands and thousands of styles of refrigerator, but not that??</p>
<p>You know…I’ve never wanted to have a commercial appearance stove in my house. It’s my HOME kitchen, not a restaurant. And there have never been more than 4 people living here. I know they are all the upscale rage, but not for me. I do, however, like ice through the door. We used a lot of ice and it saves opening the freezer over and over.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, though, things are moving at a comfortable pace. Our handyman/contractor was here today with a few guys, fixing annoying things like closet doors that don’t close, funky things on the roof that the inspection found, fixing the fun laundry chute we have from the second floor to the basement. All good. </p>
<p>And someone from Blinds to Go is coming tomorrow to measure the upstairs windows. We figured out what we want, but we want The Pro to measure the windows. Then, if they don’t fit, it’s not my fault. ;)</p>
<p>And we have an appointment with my “Design Consultant” at Home Depot, to start talking about the cabinets for the kitchen. </p>
<p>^^totally agree on having the pros measure for shades. I do NOT want to be responsible for getting it wrong, and the measuring fee is a lot less than replacing shades that are not cut correctly!</p>
<p>We had a laundry chute in the townhouse we rented when we first moved down here. Boy, I have missed it.</p>
Hopefully they’ll dry out and we’ll keep it sealed and never have this problem again. I assumed (and still do) that, if properly sealed, granite should be able to stand up to most typical things, I’ll be disappointed if that’s not the case.</p>
It also sounds as if your issue is more with YOUR inspector than with the previous owners. Please try to relax and enjoy your new home. These issues are all part of home ownership and never go away. Fixing up a home is an ongoing process. There’s always something! Put up some holiday decorations and remember all the things you love about your new home.</p>