Home Improvement: In progress project: cheap privacy fence |
- In progress project: cheap privacy fence
- So... this is a weird one - In search of a home security camera for night *suspected sleep walking*.
- Don't test your boiler's pressure relief valve unless you're ready to replace
- Would a barn door make sense?
- Hardwood floor question
- Help with an out-of-square casement window frame
- Home wiring fail...
- Asbestos floor tile in baby's room
- Change mortar colour
- How to terrace a steep hill
- Is now a bad time to renovate?
- Questions about cleaning up dust and potential mites
- Feasibility of painting/refinishing Kitchen Cabinets to white.
- Are sump pumps supposed to end their cycle with a bang?
- Installing low voltage cable before drywall - what can I drill through? What to avoid?
- How would you eliminate or redirect this water away from the house?
- Any advice on bathroom ceiling repair?
- How can I make this hideous floor divider less hideous?
- Help with Trim around Door. Unusual case
- Flooring before drywall?
- Tons of bees around my house but I can't find the nest
- Repair broken towel holder in bathroom
- My house is 30yo and has 24" spaced "I-frame" joists. New bamboo flooring calls for 1 1/8" subfloor for 24" joists. Is this right?
- Need help/advice to replace bulbs in my garage.
- Would I have to buy an electric drill to install a curtain
| In progress project: cheap privacy fence Posted: 30 Mar 2020 10:46 AM PDT We have chain link in our backyard, and the dilapidated wooden fence belongs to the apt complex behind us, so I can't tear it down (though I'm doubtful anyone would notice as most of it falling on its own). Anyhow, my shelter-in-place project today is installing these green privacy slats I'm not the handiest person on the block, but I'm so happy with how it's coming out. Hoping it'll keep the dogs a little less bark-y, too. Edited to add: TIL that you can call a human about someone's terrible fence that they've let rot. In our city, there's a number just for fence violations! Thanks all! Second edit: per the mods kindly leaving up this post that broke a rule, I truly am happy to answer any questions folks might have about this process. I already linked the product I'm using below, but if you have other q's, don't hesitate to ask. This has been super easy. You don't weave the slats—they slide through the holes chain link already has. The material is also easily cut for spots where you hit an odd length or tree stump (both have happened). [link] [comments] |
| So... this is a weird one - In search of a home security camera for night *suspected sleep walking*. Posted: 30 Mar 2020 09:36 AM PDT Hey everyone, So as the title states there is some suspected sleep walking going on and I'm hoping to get a reasonably cheap but effective motion capture camera that could work at night? I won't go into details unless requested but ya, any suggestions would be appreciated. Sorry if this is the wrong sub for this question, if it is and you know of a better one please do let me know. Thanks again,TDR Edit: As requested here are the sleepy details: It's really not that interesting. I generally tend to have vivid reoccurring dreams including some nightmares. Last night before bed I opened the window at the head of my bed a crack (aprox 3 inches wide) to let in some fresh air. Went to sleep as usual. Recently I've been having consistent and pretty bad nightmares (stress related I believe, pandemics will do that to you). Last night was especially bad, I was having a vivid violent dream where I was being attacked and woke up yelling "help!"...Woke up embarrassed because the window was open and I'd hoped my neighbors hadn't heard. Brushed it and the nightmare off and went back to sleep no issue, it was roughly 4:30 am so too early to stay awake. This was with the window still open. Fast forward to this morning and I wake up with a huge bruise on my chin and the window CLOSED! Except I don't remember punching myself in the face, nor do I remember closing the window. So my sleep walking is thankfully not food related, if I am indeed sleepwalking at all. I couldn't have accidentally closed the window either as it's one of those slide open and close (like a sliding glass door but window style). Also, I live alone so no one else could have done it. I don't know, I'm at a loss really. [link] [comments] |
| Don't test your boiler's pressure relief valve unless you're ready to replace Posted: 30 Mar 2020 08:14 PM PDT Hey guys. Just wanted to share in case anyone else falls into the same boat. I was watching This Old House and they recommended testing your boiler's pressure relief valve every year! We just bought out first home 6 months ago and I figured I should check it too. Looked easy, why not! I open it up quickly, hot water gushes out - good, it works! However, when I flip the valve closed, it keeps gushing... oh god no. I flick the valve a few times. Now it's dripping and filling a bucket, and there is only 6 inches between the wall and the valve. Can't fit much of a bucket there. I have flicked the valve about 30 times now and have gotten varying results, best case is a drip every 2 seconds. So now, I need to replace this tiny bucket every 8 hours based on my calcs, which really freaking sucks especially since this corona thing has money tight and not a lot of people working... Just wanted to warn you all. Don't test this valve thinking it's simple on a Monday night at 11PM. Wait until the day of your next appointment, or just have your tech do it! Now I'm in a for a long week (or more!?) of constant anxiety and waking up to check this thing. PS: can't replace myself as there is no shut off between the valve and my boiler and it's full water pressure. I'd have to drain the entire system, replace valve, and then purge both zones, which I am not confident in doing. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Mar 2020 06:40 PM PDT I have an opening from my dining/living room to my kitchen. On the other side of my kitchen, I have my office area where I work from home. I would like to put in a barn door but do not know if it makes sense. Here are some more details. My thought would be to have the door overhang past the wall on the left side a little bit. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Mar 2020 06:55 PM PDT Posting on behalf of my mother, who just bought a house and is not on Reddit, but would love the advice of anyone more knowledgeable than me. She just closed on a house that was built in the 50s, located in Georgia. She is definitely willing to DIY this project and has time to do this herself before moving furniture in, she just doesn't want to do anything without knowing it's the right way to go. The floor is all hardwood and most of it appears to be in decent shape. However, there's an area of it that I believe is unfinished wood that was put in when they removed one of those big floor vents - it's a different color and doesn't appear to be finished or protected. The first 2 pictures show most clearly the problem area, but I'm including a couple more of the rest of the floor. https://imgur.com/gallery/sVaZ583 So where do we start? Does the whole thing need sanded, stained and sealed? What do we seal it with? Would it be possible to just sand, stain and seal the part that obviously doesn't match? I appreciate any advice, thank you guys! [link] [comments] |
| Help with an out-of-square casement window frame Posted: 30 Mar 2020 06:39 PM PDT Our house has casement windows everywhere, and a good amount of them drag when opening/closing. After doing some research, we decided to try our hand at adjusting one but didn't have any luck. We found that the sash itself is still square, but the frame is way out of whack. The gallery link has various pictures of the window, the operator, the frame, etc. We removed the top and bottom arms, and made sure they were straight. The top one had bent a bit, but even after getting it back into shape it didn't make any difference. We pulled the trim off the window inside to see if we could possibly shim the frame, but the drywall goes flush up against the frame, and the inside frame seems to be a bit higher than the outside sill. Short of cutting away drywall on the inside or removing the cedar trim around the window on the outside, I'm not sure we can get to the frame itself. Just to be sure it wasn't the sash, we swapped from the window on the floor directly below this one which opens/closes OK, and it wouldn't close at all in this frame, likely because the sash in this frame has worn a bit of a divot/groove into it to close over the screw that holds the metal arm on the frame. Wondering if anyone has any ideas on ways to attach the sash so it won't drag, or if we need to figure out a way to reset the frame so that it is square again. Any ideas greatly appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Mar 2020 09:46 AM PDT So I'm wiring up a new ceiling fan in the living room… Found a circuit in the attic, get it tied in, new junction box, bla bla bla.. come down, turn it on, blow the circuit breaker. I'm mad. I head back up to the attic, trace everything back, everything looks good. There's no reason for this thing not to work, black to black, white to whi- I had just wire-nutted all the white and black wires together in the switch box. 🤦🏻♂️ Facepalm, coffee break, get it sorted. Working great now. [link] [comments] |
| Asbestos floor tile in baby's room Posted: 30 Mar 2020 09:31 AM PDT Hello all, My wife and I moved into a new house and are expecting our first child. I've been working to get the baby's room ready, and wanted to replace the old carpet with laminate flooring. When I ripped up the carpet, we found that it was covering old asbestos tiles. I'm concerned now that this might not be a safe room for the baby, and was curious if anyone could share some info on this topic. I am doing my own research into it as well, but since I don't have much experience in this area I was hoping to get some info from people who know this a lot better than I do. Edit: Thank you all for the responses! Definitely sounds like this is not as big of a deal as I initially thought. After talking with my wife, I think we have decided to just update the carpet, rather than doing laminate flooring, since we don't want to disturb the tack board. Really appreciate all the help guys! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Mar 2020 07:27 PM PDT I purchased a home last year and have wanted to change this since the day I saw the house. Now with coronavirus given me some time off and keeping me in my home, this project has been looming I've attached a picture. It appears the old owners of this house added/changed the mortar or added a dark black sealant of sorts?! Well, it looks awful. I would like to have it beige or at least a closer match to the stone. (The photo makes it look better than it is) How can I go about this? Do I need to go as far as removing and reapplying. Is painting it just a ridiculous option? Thanks in advance! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Mar 2020 08:00 AM PDT Are there any resources to learn how to terrace a steep hill I have in my back yard? It seems like it would be a daunting project but maybe I can do some prep work myself before calling a landscaping professional. Edit: images. https://imgur.com/a/SyOlBce There's an old failing retaining wall I'm guessing was built in the 1970s [link] [comments] |
| Is now a bad time to renovate? Posted: 30 Mar 2020 10:27 AM PDT This might be a dumb question, so bare with me. My husband and I I have been saving up for a while now to do some house repairs. We saved up for cabinets, countertops, a backsplash, painting, and even bedroom carpets. This was planned well before the current pandemic. It needed to be done as soon as we bought the house, but we've just been saving until we were able to do it, which ends up being now. I was talking with someone today, who said I might want to hold off on all of these changes, because who knows what the housing market is going to be like once there is no pandemic and things try to go back to normal. We'll be here for 4 years minimum in this house. Was this just bad advice from a friend, or is it okay to do some of these repairs? Edit: No one coming into, or us leaving the house for hardware store trips. We already bought the base cabinets and are installing them ourselves. I more was asking about should we still plan for this after the pandemic. [link] [comments] |
| Questions about cleaning up dust and potential mites Posted: 30 Mar 2020 07:14 PM PDT Hello, everyone! I'm looking for help. My current living situation is all over the place and some of my things in old cardboard boxes are in a friend's basement. It's a very low ceiling, very dusty, and I will have to move it out very soon to change my living situation yet again. I have a little over 40 boxes with my belongings, but a few things like an air conditioner and tv have been left out in the open. How do I properly clean my items when they get out of there? What type of vacuum should I use? What type of protective equipment would I need to get it out of there safely and get the gunk off of it? Any suggestions are welcome, I need to prepare for later this year. Masks and protective clothing are obviously in short supply due to covid-19. Thanks in advance! I look forward to hearing some great tips. :-D [link] [comments] |
| Feasibility of painting/refinishing Kitchen Cabinets to white. Posted: 30 Mar 2020 07:03 PM PDT Hey everybody, relatively new home owner wondering about the feasibility of painting/refinishing my kitchen cabinets and island off-white. They are currently a dark wood stain with no hardware. They're about 6 years old in excellent condition. I got a quote from a painter, but it was quite steep. Who has experience with this (i'm sure a lot do)? What tools are needed, do you have to sand and prime, etc? Thanks a lot! [link] [comments] |
| Are sump pumps supposed to end their cycle with a bang? Posted: 30 Mar 2020 07:52 PM PDT This time of year the sump pump goes off every 20-40 minutes or so. I noticed that after it removes the water it ends with two bangs/loud thuds, one right after the other. Is that normal or should I prepare to buy another? [link] [comments] |
| Installing low voltage cable before drywall - what can I drill through? What to avoid? Posted: 30 Mar 2020 09:28 AM PDT I'm going to have the chance to install low voltage cable (ethernet, speaker wire, etc) before drywall is put up. I can do the termination part, but I've never run cable when drywall is down. Do I just drill through the studs if I need to go sideways, just like they do for electrical and pipes? Can I do the same when coming down from the attic and drill holes vertically? Are there any structural pieces I should NOT put a hole in when running cable? What's the limit to the diameter of the hole in a piece of wood? Like it can't be more than 1/3 the width of the piece wood of something? I've run cable in walls before, but never like this, so any knowledge or advice is appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| How would you eliminate or redirect this water away from the house? Posted: 30 Mar 2020 10:21 AM PDT Background: We have had water issues in the basement and recently installed an interior French drain. However, I need to prevent the water from coming in in the first place. With heavy downpours, what you see in the videos happen. Additional info: This was with flash flooding, but the soil was already pretty saturated I'd say. When dug deep, the soil around here is very clay-like throughout the year. So I don't know if my main concern should be the water table rising and the underground water. Also, I think it is very difficult to stop the water coming into the backyard in the first place. Even if we did a major regrading in the backyard, there is enough lawn that I still would be concerned about the water running down the strip of lawn. Possible Solutions (open to your other ideas): I had the following options in mind for the strip of lawn seen in the first video, but I am curious to hear what you would do: (1) Regrade the strip of lawn running from the backyard to the front. And also regrade the front of the house (mulch bed). Move or add more soil towards the walls and slope it down and away. Move the lowest point of the strip further away from the house. This solution would only involve regrading. I'd hire a contractor, as there is too much dirt to move around (I think). Pros: Cheapest. I think it can work if the grading is done properly. At least it will carry the runoff water away from the house. Cons: Only addresses surface water. (2) Install a French drain running from the backyard to the front, right underneath the surface. Regrade around the house similar to option#1. Pros: An additional protection. Cons: With the 4" pipe that everybody I am talking to is suggesting, I don't think it will do much. The amount of water I have seen flowing on the surface is so huge that I don't think all of that will simply end up in the French drain. Also, don't French drains end up clogging after a few years? It is also a few thousand bucks. (3) Dig close to the house all the way to the footer, install a drainage system, possibly seal the foundation walls with rubber sheeting, backfill, regrade. Pros: Could capture all the exterior rising water table issues and underground water. With proper regrading on the surface, the surface water can be taken care of. Cons: Very costly. Not sure if the information I am giving here is sufficient, but what would you do if you were in my shoes? Thank you. Edit: Thank you very much everybody for the great ideas! I really appreciate your input. [link] [comments] |
| Any advice on bathroom ceiling repair? Posted: 30 Mar 2020 05:55 PM PDT We are putting a new shower/tub in our bathroom and need to also repair the ceiling. Is there anything special I need to do other than scrape and re-plaster this? Can I use the same plaster I'm using on the walls or is there a better type to use? Is that the best way to repair this or should I do something else? [link] [comments] |
| How can I make this hideous floor divider less hideous? Posted: 30 Mar 2020 11:27 AM PDT Hi All, The previous owner put this band-aid between the kitchen and dining room: That little divider is three separate pieces of wood, and whatever wood filler they put in between them falls out as the floor expands/contracts with the seasons. Any suggestions for a more attractive fix? Is it enough to just put in one piece of wood? Not trying to redo the floors! [link] [comments] |
| Help with Trim around Door. Unusual case Posted: 30 Mar 2020 06:29 PM PDT Hi All, I have been rebuilding my house with mostly used items, one of which is the door in the link. This door was a 2x6 framed door, but my construction was 2x4 walls. As you can see the solution by framer was to stick about 1.5 inches into the house. This was by choice as I figured I could do a nice trim in the house to cover it up. Now that we're closer to being finished with the project and living in the house I'm at a loss for how to make the casing for the door look nice. Yes, I know I should've not had framer use the 2x6 door, but was free and it's already in now so I'm looking for suggestions on how to make the door casing look nice? Thanks in advance and stay safe out there. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Mar 2020 08:55 AM PDT We were in the middle of developing our basement when shit hit the fan with covid. We have paused the electrical work (3P), and have not yet done plumbing. Our flooring (vinyl click) is going to be delivered this week, however. We had planned to do that ourselves. The subfloor is already laid down. Is there any harm in laying the flooring down before the drywall in all areas of the basement except the bathroom (plumbing needs to be done)? Or is this just going to give us more grief later? We have a baby coming and want to get as much done as possible before then. For reference, we are using 3Ps for the electrical, plumbing, drywall/mudding/taping. We are painting ourselves. Flooring: https://www.windsorplywood.com/product/vinloc-cloudburst-vinyl-flooring/ Thanks! *Edit - Thanks all. Looks like the recommendation is unanimous. We'll wait. [link] [comments] |
| Tons of bees around my house but I can't find the nest Posted: 30 Mar 2020 09:24 AM PDT I just recently moved to East Tennessee and it is my first spring here. For the past few days, since it has been warmer, there are so many bumblebees around my house. I can't walk outside without them bumping into me. The problem is I can't find any active nests. I hate to harm the bees, but it's to the point where I can't enjoy the outside or do any outside chores because of the number of bees. Does anyone have any ideas or solutions to finding the nests or a way to make them relocate? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Repair broken towel holder in bathroom Posted: 30 Mar 2020 09:49 AM PDT I put a little too much weight on this towel holder and snapped it in two. Is there any way of replacing this without removing and retiling the end pieces [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Mar 2020 08:23 AM PDT My house currently has 3/4 plywood as subfloors over 24" spaced "I-joists". I plan on replacing certain sections of the subfloor due to past damage, but the manual for the bamboo flooring calls for 1 1/8" subfloor. Which means I would have to replace all of my subfloor. I've never heard of using such thick subfloor. Is this necessary? Here is a link to the installation manual. The instructions for joists spacing is on page 5. [link] [comments] |
| Need help/advice to replace bulbs in my garage. Posted: 30 Mar 2020 07:38 PM PDT Looking for advise on replacement bulbs for my garage/shop light. These two bulbs went from 100% working to doing the flickering thing and eventually coming on, to flickering only, to not working or flickering at all (over the course of a few years). So maybe if a fix won't cost too much, maybe our tax refund can finally get me some light in my garage. I have been seeing the new LED bulbs and have been wondering if they would work? But I have no idea if I have to worry about 'Ballasts' needing to be replaced and not quite sure what they even do or if this light fixture even has ballasts. I think this is an 8ft fixture and as you can see it's wired to a wall switch as opposed to being a pull-switch fixture. Thanks. [Here are some pics.] (https://imgur.com/a/Osy9e5x) [link] [comments] |
| Would I have to buy an electric drill to install a curtain Posted: 30 Mar 2020 06:16 PM PDT Would Something like this work? Or could I just hammer a nail in? How much would it cost to buy some paint to cover the hole when I move out of the apartment? Hopefully not too expensive as I won't be using the paint for anything else besides this. Do you think the apartment maintenance would be able to lend a can of paint when I move out? [link] [comments] |
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