Home Improvement: It might be small, but it felt really good. |
- It might be small, but it felt really good.
- What’s the correct way to fix outlet twist due to too many wires in the box? Google keeps showing me “tilt” so I must not be calling it the right thing? pic inside)
- My "weekend" laundry room make-over!
- Being ready if I break a shut off valve - advice?
- Bathtub Pulling Away From Tile and Wall
- We are planning to finish the back part of our extended garage that is an area of about 20’x20’. One hiccup is the difference in height of our patio versus the garage floor. It is lower than the outside patio. We would like the finished garage floor to be more level with the outside area.
- Blackout roller shade for sliding glass door
- Is it normal for an AC company to not disclose itemized pricing for a job because it's a "competitive industry?" Is $1,850 for a coil replacement normal (including AHS coverage)?
- I designed and built my own interpretation of a home bar.
- Ok so the worst thing that’s ever happened to my house just happened...need some advice
- Bamboo removal part 1, complete!
- Is this bathroom sink faucet issue something I can fix?
- Home Rebuild After Tornado
- Reducing sound transmission through bedroom wall
- Any reason to not spray foam roof sheathings in unfinished unconditioned attic?
- Smokey brown roach infestation
- Tankless water heater exhaust fittings
- Concrete patio question.
- Stripped screws from hell - help!
- Recommendations on thermal floors
- ripped out carpet and installed laminate flooring in my livingroom last year, now floor feels thin and hollow. What did I do wrong?
- A few friends and I are interested in purchasing a cheap house and renovating it to live in. I would like advice.
- Bathroom Remodel Ideas - Small space, odd layout
- Wood paneling makeover: should I fill in grooves or leave them be? Opinions?
| It might be small, but it felt really good. Posted: 22 Apr 2020 06:03 AM PDT That's what she said. Now that I got that out of my system, I'm not an incredibly handy guy. I'm decent with outdoor work, and some electrical stuff. But plumbing? Yeah...not my strong suit. So when my hot water heater was leaking yesterday I initially panicked. Is it cracked? DO these things crack? What could it be? But then I chilled out, inspected the heater, and saw it was just a trickle from around the drain valve. Upon closer inspection the piece was shitty plastic too. So that's when I said to myself "You know what? I can do this." Well, after spending 10 dollars on a new drain valve + plumber's tape, and probably 20 minutes cursing the fact my hot water heater isn't raised, I replaced it. Super easy! It felt really rewarding as well being able to see a problem, and fix it on the spot. I think I even surprised my wife too. Anyway, that was all. Here's to all your house problems only costing 10 dollars, and a little bit of cursing. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 22 Apr 2020 08:12 PM PDT Here's what I'm trying to fix. I'm replacing the outlets in my home and the ones with a lot of wires in the box cause the outlet to twist one way or another. Is there a correct way to fix this? Would shimming the metal tabs bearing against the drywall with plastic be good enough? Thanks for any advice. [link] [comments] |
| My "weekend" laundry room make-over! Posted: 22 Apr 2020 09:55 AM PDT Obligatory before/after to kick us off. So, this is the laundry room "weekend project" that, for one reason or another took us over a year to get around to really finishing. And yes, like any good parent, I am already blaming my kid for my shortcomings. But I think that's a post for another subreddit. Anyway. This was our laundry room. Serviceable, but not really exciting if you know what I mean. Luckily the washing machine was on its last leg. When it one day vibrated badly enough to shake our art off the wall, I put my foot down and told my husband (u/hold_onto_yer_butts) that I was ordering new machines. I also informed him that we (read: mostly he) would take this opportunity to install tile and cabinets. Thus, the weekend laundry room make over began. Step 1 was to take down the wire rack and patch the wall. Hey, this is going to be easy! Next up was cleaning an unbelievable amount of filth that had accumulated under the old machines. After prying up the old baseboards and lifting back the carpet, it was time to rip out the laminate! Uh, is this right? Nope, definitely not right. Luckily I discovered there was subfloor under the ply board. Whew, that's better! This handy instruction to Richards proved necessary for Mr. Butts as well, but more on that later. Our next step was to prime the walls. Since it's amateur hour in the Butts household, I relied heavily on painters tape to keep the job neat-ish. Mr. Butts told me that every home improvement job requires a new tool. If that's not true, please don't tell me. Everyone is happier if I believe that golden rule. Next we started to lay the tile to figure out where we (read: he) would need to make cuts. Our GC (General Cat) popped in for a surprise inspection at this point to make sure we weren't screwing up too badly. While Mr. Butts began the cutting, I worked on the new paint job. I think we laid our tiles out about 15 times before moving on, and we numbered them for good measure. Our GC signed off on the placement. As it turned out, tile #2 was the most difficult to cut. It turned into tile 2A and 2B. Oops. After making sure the backerboard was cut correctly it was time to mix the thinset! As an aside, mixing thinset sounds easier than I found it to be. Here's a tip: don't try to use a cordless drill, it just won't work. Luckily we had a kind neighbor with a corded drill who saw me struggling and offered me a loan. Finally mixed, it was time to get the backerboard laid down. Once the "glue and screw" was finished, we taped the joints. The next step before setting down the tile was to soak the backerboard. As it happened we didn't get very many photos of actually laying the tile, but here is one of me applying thinset to the back of a tile. That was just for good measure, we of course did thinset on the backerboard as well. OK – all tiles laid! Out of every aspect of this project, I had the most angst about the tile-to-carpet transition. After consulting with a few of you great folks who were so generous with your advice at 6am on a Saturday, I ended up going with a Schleuter transition piece. Here's a close up of the transition with a new tack strip down as well. While the thinset dried we began the process of using a carpet kicker to stretch the carpet over the tack strip and tuck it under the new transition. Looking good! Our GC let us know that the thinset had dried and it was time to grout. We went with a light grey which complimented the tile nicely. Once the grout was dry, we cleaned up the tiles and installed the new baseboards. Caulking was a bit of a pain but it turned out OK. Another source of angst was installing the new drain pan. The pipe was a little bit short relative to the added height of the tile, but we finally got it on. Just in time for the new washer and dryer to be delivered! Next up, it was time to get the cabinets hung. Mr. Butts used his laser level to make sure they were straight. He then used this thingie to attach the cabinets to the walls. Can you tell I'm out of my depth here? Woo, first cabinet up. Hmm… I guess we should have checked to make sure they would fit. Oh well, time to replace the light! That's better. With both cabinets up, all that was left to do was add hardware and install a clothes rod. Hi friend! Final after shot. [link] [comments] |
| Being ready if I break a shut off valve - advice? Posted: 22 Apr 2020 08:36 PM PDT Hey guys, bought a 1970s home and all of the shut off valves on the toilets and sinks are seized up. I've only tried opening by hand, and have also sprayed WD 40 on them with no luck. Anyway, I'm thinking next step is trying some channel locks. However, if I snap one, I want to be ready to repair. Here is what they look like: Valve https://imgur.com/a/zDEjVdC My question is, if I snap the valve, how are these replaced? Is the pipe coming out of the wall threaded and a new one shutoff would compress with the nut? Or does this involve soldering? Thanks so much [link] [comments] |
| Bathtub Pulling Away From Tile and Wall Posted: 22 Apr 2020 05:24 PM PDT My bathtub seems to be pulling away from my tile floor and wall. It seems like the flipper of the house stretched the tubs edge too far and now it's receding back to original shape. Any tips on fixing this? http://imgur.com/gallery/rPq7VGy Bathtub [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 22 Apr 2020 05:22 PM PDT I would appreciate any suggestions. We have been told to consider pouring concrete to the level desired or to build a wood subfloor. We haven't decided whether we will use tile, hardwood floor, laminate, etc. Each idea came from contractors who seemed to have a personal preference rather than feeing one is better than the other. I would appreciate any comments from the community. Thank you in advance! Here is a pic showing the transition to patio: https://imgur.com/gallery/nKphpMT Here is a closer up pic looks like we would need to raise about 4-5 inches: https://imgur.com/gallery/4osFI5l [link] [comments] |
| Blackout roller shade for sliding glass door Posted: 22 Apr 2020 06:22 PM PDT Looking for brand suggestions or any advice. Does anyone have experience with a blackout roller shade for a glass patio style door? My main goal is to get the room as dark as possible. Most of the roller shades I've seen are meant to be installed in the window sill, this will have to sit above the door frame. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:49 AM PDT Hello! I'm in Texas, and our AC went out. A company came to evaluate the problem and told us that the coil is leaking coolant (or refrigerant, don't remember the term), and it will need to be replaced, along with the coolant. The coil is in the attic with the AC unit, and the compressor is downstairs outside. They quoted us $1,800 for the entire replacement of the coil + coolant. This includes the costs that our AHS warranty covers. I asked the tech when he was at our house for an itemized breakdown, and he said that shouldn't be a problem and that the office will get back to us with that info. I called the office after not hearing from them for a couple of days, and they said they're not allowed to give itemized breakdown costs of the repairs because "the industry is very competitive." Is this normal? How am I, as a customer, supposed to be able to see what they're quoting for labor and for parts? How can I see or choose which part they're installing, if I don't know the cost? [link] [comments] |
| I designed and built my own interpretation of a home bar. Posted: 22 Apr 2020 05:44 AM PDT I'm sure most men, at some point in their life, want to own a bar or build a man-cave, or have some kind of room based around socialising and drinking. Well, I've done it. I moved into my first house around a year ago, and the girlfriend wanted a dedicated dining room. Now if we're going to have a dining table, why not have a pool table that converts into a dining table? That's basically how I got my bar/games room, which the girlfriend loves. On first viewing the house, this was always the dining room. It's the smallest of 3 reception rooms and directly opposite the kitchen. The room has 2 columns, which are believed to be the original outside wall of the house, that at some point was nocked into the next reception room, but since boarded back up by the previous owners of the house. I thought this would be the perfect place for a "bar" shelf. I wanted something a little special and out of the ordinary, so started my search for a long piece of waney edge/live edge wood. It was difficult to find a piece long enough to span the length of the room (about 14 foot). But after a couple of months scouring the web, I found a farmer auctioning a job lot of live edge fire wood, which had a few pieces that would be long enough. After travelling 3 hours to pick them up, I realised why they were being sold as firewood, and wasn't sure my plan was going to work, having never done anything like this before. To my surprise, the wood came out perfect, and after a few more bargains online, the room was kitted out with pool table, bar stools, darts board, black board for keeping scored, and the shelf. There's plenty of descriptions in the album if you want some details on how it all came together. It's not perfect, but it is my first attempt at wood working, and I'm really happy with the results! [link] [comments] |
| Ok so the worst thing that’s ever happened to my house just happened...need some advice Posted: 22 Apr 2020 07:06 PM PDT Was trying to put in a new toilet, I shut the water valve off (not the main) and started taking the hose off and it was still leaking but I thought it was just built up pressure. I took it off completely and water started spraying, I tried to shut the valve off even more and nothing happens. Cue me getting a bucket to stop the water (was too panicked to try and put the hose back on). I run downstairs to shut off the water main and I can't find it, I'm fairly new to the house so I wasn't 100% sure where it was, very costly mistake. I go outside to try and turn off the water connection to the house and come back in and my fucking ceiling is pouring. I panic and run upstairs and the bucket fell over (was propped up against the wall since it couldn't fit underneath the valve). I finally come to my senses and put the hose back on, stopping the water. I throw towels down in the bathroom and towels down in the kitchen (where the ceiling leak was) and dry everything up. What the fuck do I do now? The leak was only one small area of the ceiling and came out through a light socket mostly. My thoughts are I: 1) fix the valve (found out the rubber gasket was ripped in half) 2) cut out the ceiling that leaked and try and put a new dry ceiling/ new light after I make sure it's dry up there 3) go under the house and check how bad the water damage is to the floor Need some advice, not sure how bad this could be. [link] [comments] |
| Bamboo removal part 1, complete! Posted: 22 Apr 2020 03:22 PM PDT Hello all, I am super happy to be done with this project. I just finished my months long journey of removing a veritable forest of bamboo from our back yard (central NJ for those who care). We bought this house in November of last year and I wanted to tackle our invasive friend before spring. I ended up removing a literal 2 tons! Our property was a flip after an estate sale. The flippers could have cared less about the yard and it appears the original tenant has let things go for a while as well. You couldn't even see our rickety old shed at first! It seemed to nearly double our yard. For anyone who's curious about tools to do this, I found a good pair of loppers, pruners, and a sawzall to be the best tools for the job. The sawzall can cut the culms at the base or even below grade. From there the pruners and loppers can take care of the rest. A tarp with a cinch strap is invaluable for moving large amounts of leaves. Removal was almost as big a job as cutting it down originally. I had visions of using the local ecological center and taking the culms in my SUV, but it would've been a month or more of straight work before I could do it. We ended up filling two 20 cu yd dumpsters to haul it all away. Well worth the cost. Now were talking with contractors to remove the rhizomes. This big of an area will be a LONG time until the rhizomes are depleted by just cutting. It needs cleared, but at least it's controllable for a short while. [link] [comments] |
| Is this bathroom sink faucet issue something I can fix? Posted: 22 Apr 2020 10:02 PM PDT The problem is that the faucet has some issues with controlling the temperature. Either its way too hot, or becomes too cold, its way too sensitive between switching temps and difficult to turn on warm water... also the water stream is too weak. I'm not familiar with these kind of stuffs, but wondering where the problem might be and whether it can be fixed easily without calling a handyman? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 22 Apr 2020 09:58 PM PDT My home was hit by a tornado a week and a half ago. The roof was completely torn off (trusses and all). Our insurance adjuster has been out a few times and taken and tweaked his measurements and notes and will have a report available in about a week. In the meantime, he said he thinks the house will likely be torn down to studs and rebuilt. It's a 2-story home with a basement. We pretty much expected that assessment. We also expect to find some other structural damages after the drywall comes down, but, again, nobody would be surprised. My family is safe and unharmed. Most of our furniture and possessions except the bedrooms on the top floor are fine. What we're not sure of is where to go from here. Are we looking for a contractor or a home builder? Are they the same? Do we need an architect, or is that part of the package with a builder/contractor? I'm familiar with just about every aspect of home repair (as it relates to the homes I've lived in), so I know what to look for in quality work. I don't want to be the guy micro-managing everything, but I also don't want to be completely in the dark. There are (seemingly) minor changes we'd want to make, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Our adjuster says we should start contacting people about the rebuild now to at least get them lined up and vetted before they start haggling costs. Any advice on where to go from here would be appreciated! Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Reducing sound transmission through bedroom wall Posted: 22 Apr 2020 06:10 PM PDT I'm aware of the many different solutions available for soundproofing (resilient channels, clips, acoustic sealant, and much more..) but I need to do it economically, so I have in mind thicker drywall and adding insulation to muffle any remaining noise that makes it through that drywall. Currently there is just a single layer of 1/2" drywall on each side of the wall with nothing in between. For addressing noise coming from the problem room, I'd like to replace the drywall on that side with 5/8" while adding some safe and sound insulation. However, there are some unrelated issues preventing me from working on that side of the wall at this time, so the question I'm wondering is if all this work is done on the other room's wall instead, how much does that impact the effectiveness of sound reduction? [link] [comments] |
| Any reason to not spray foam roof sheathings in unfinished unconditioned attic? Posted: 22 Apr 2020 06:08 PM PDT In Massachusetts Any reason to not spray foam roof sheathings in unfinished unconditioned attic? The attic is too low to make it living space, I will only use it for storage. As of now, there is no air sealing or insulation at all, currently renovating other parts of the house. There is a ridge vent and a gable vent. My original plan was to air seal and fiberglass batts the attic floor and install soffit vents and remove the gable vent Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Smokey brown roach infestation Posted: 22 Apr 2020 08:41 PM PDT Just bought a house from some neglectful owners who have let the gutters build up with tree debris and leaves all around the perimeter of the basement. Pest control came out and did their thing today and just today I've seen 4 roaches dying in my house so I'm pretty sure I have an infestation.
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| Tankless water heater exhaust fittings Posted: 22 Apr 2020 08:28 PM PDT I am installing a rinnai tankless water heater and going through the manual it says that close turned 90 degree fittings are not allowed when penetrating horizontally through an exterior wall. But in the drawing it clearly shows the kind of 90 that it says to no install. Do I need to get a sweep or short sweep instead of a tight 90? What did you guys do? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 22 Apr 2020 03:16 PM PDT Should I be sealing where the patio meets the house so less water gets down right next to the foundation? If so what should I use? [link] [comments] |
| Stripped screws from hell - help! Posted: 22 Apr 2020 07:55 PM PDT I have three T27 bolts that are severely stripped, and I cannot for the life of me get them to budge. I've included some pics in the link, but here are a few things I've tried: - Vice grips. No luck, the bolts are flat to the surface and I can't make a solid connection - Rubber band over the hole - PB blaster. The bolts aren't rusted but must have Loctite or some adhesive based on the color in the linked picture. It is also very challenging to spray the bottom side of the bolt - very little room - Multiple T27 drivers, including a ratchet with a T27 attachment - Drill with T27 attachment, and a hammer drill with a T27 attachment - Grab It screw extractor, both in the regular drill, and then with the hammer drill. The first piece works fine and drills down, but the extractor still can't budge the bolt At this point, I'm running out of tools and ideas. Any additional suggestions are welcome! Thank you [link] [comments] |
| Recommendations on thermal floors Posted: 22 Apr 2020 07:51 PM PDT I am planning to do a fairly large remodel of an old Victorian house in upstate NY. I have to put in all new subfloors and may have to do some joist work. With all of that on my agenda anyhow I think I want to put radiant flooring in underneath the hardwoods for the cold winters. Does anyone have any experience with such purchases/companies they recommend over others, regret the decision for anything like that? With the world the way it currently is I have a fair bit of time to research and make the best decisions as I likely can't get to work for awhile. Looking for any insight anyone has on these. I am by no means a professional but laid hardwood floors in HS and my grandfather was a contractor so we have the knowledge in the family and enough close family friends to do just about anything or outsource what we can't. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 22 Apr 2020 06:55 PM PDT When it had carpet I dont recall the floor feeling this way. If someone taps their foot on the other side of the room i can feel it on this side. Steps reverberate around the room, etc. The flooring i got was rather thin laminate floating flooring from home depot, is that where i made my mistake? I just assumed the solidness of the floor had more to do with the subfloor than it did with what's on top of it, the flooring right next to it in our entry way is real wood and feels totally solid and normal. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 22 Apr 2020 10:36 PM PDT 3 friends and I are looking at a 30K house and are considering looking at it, paying down on it, and living there while we work on it. We all have a little bit of handy experience and are willing to learn but we think we could renovate it okay on our own, we could get ahold of some power tools and good material if we need. I just want to know what to expect, what kind of tools and supplies I need to be thinking about, what kind of good DIY resources there are to give me clear and reliable instructions and guidance on doing a good enough job. I'm going to be talking to a person regarding the state of the house and we're going to tour later, but I also need to know if it could be worth the investment, cheaper in the long run, how much supplies and renovations would cost, etc. Yeah, we would probably be living it a little rough for a while, but it's alright, it's not like we haven't before, and I think we can manage. Anything helps, and I appreciate the advice. Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Bathroom Remodel Ideas - Small space, odd layout Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:56 AM PDT We are now planning a remodel of the master bathroom and I'd like to get your input. The bedroom connects to the bathroom via an odd "hallway" of sorts. We'd like to keep the closet in the hallway (if possible), and get rid of the extra vanity (across from the closet). But I have mixed feelings about what to do with the bathroom itself. Definitely want a shower instead of a tub. Also need to keep the toilet in the same place, and make room for a smaller vanity. Oh, and the swinging door will be replaced by one that slides into the wall. Any ideas? Floorplan (not drawn to scale) - https://imgur.com/vpwjQrx Video - https://imgur.com/MSFEKoL Existing Shower - https://imgur.com/MpOJTBv My first thought was to rip out the vanity inside the bathroom, and extend the shower across the entire wall. But I'm afraid that will make the space feel too cramped. [link] [comments] |
| Wood paneling makeover: should I fill in grooves or leave them be? Opinions? Posted: 22 Apr 2020 04:07 PM PDT In my new house there is one wall in the living room that is the old 70s wood paneling. The room is kind of dark already, so I'm gonna paint it. This wall also has a red brick fireplace on it. Now, I've read where you should spackle over the paneling grooves to make it look smooth and more like drywall. However, I'm kind of wondering whether the grooves might give the wall some extra personality (and save me some work). I'm also worried that no matter how much I try, the grooves won't disappear 100% which could look worse than just leaving them alone. So, grooves or spackle? Have you experienced any downsides to spackling the grooves, and does the finished product look truly smooth? Edited to say: I'll probably use this as an accent wall and paint it green or blue, so it will already look different than the other walls. [link] [comments] |
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