Home Improvement: Realized how disgusting our 60 year old kitchen cabinet hardware was and decided to clean it up rather than replace. |
- Realized how disgusting our 60 year old kitchen cabinet hardware was and decided to clean it up rather than replace.
- My contractor who’s dragged his feet and taken shortcuts on most every aspect of our ceiling demo project drunk texted me for money.
- PSA: watch your contractors and make sure they're doing the job right if insurance is paying for your claim!
- Igniter for Gas Range
- Carpenter said cost for making cabinets that will be stained is much more costly than cabinets that will be painted.
- Washer/dryer
- Please tell me I'm not going insane
- Quote for replacing windows in new home
- Ways to fix long dents in stained hardwood floors?
- Is my home too far gone to repair?
- Wanting advice on ceiling fan install
- What is this stud nightmare I’m looking at?
- Is this where I put a filter?
- Portable generators, how important is THD?
- Concrete Ramp down a hill
- Advice on using an old unused chimney to run wiring from the basement to the attic
- Standup shower tub insert ???
- Is there a temporary "quick fix" substitute for re-grouting and re-sealing shower tiles?
- Privacy fences. Any recommendations to help reduce cost?
- Reverse osmosis system but very limited space - need advice on placement
- Would it be legal to fence in a utility pole on my property but leave a large swing gate unlocked for worker access to it?
- How do I seal this gap?
- Foundation Grade Maintenance
- Is this end of the water line no good?
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 03:57 PM PDT Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/btrJP2j/ Move into this house last July and only recently realized how disgusting the 60 year old kitchen cabinet hardware was. Wife and I liked the aesthetic of these handles so we decided to clean them up rather than replace. I pulled them off and soaked them in a 50/50 vinegar and water solution for 24 hours. They looked great after just the first soak, a lot of the grime had fallen off, but I scrubbed them well and then let them soak in soapy water for another 24 hours. The soapy water turned the metal really cloudy, so I scrubbed them again and let them soak in 50/50 vinegar solution again for another 24 hours. I pulled them out, let them dry, then hit them all with some Brasso. Took very little effort overall and they look good as new. Edit: wow! A lot of love for our old drawer pulls! Here's a more zoomed out picture: https://i.imgur.com/eO6tfUa.jpg [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 04:40 AM PDT Midwest. We hired this guy to demo a ceiling in our room, add wiring and lights, and redrywall it. It's taken him a month to do the project and it's still not done. The lights are just hanging there and don't work, ceiling needs finished painted, the house has been a dusty mess all month, and the old ceiling is sitting in our alley waiting to be taken to the dump. He came over yesterday complaining that the lights don't work because his electrician is stuck out of the country due to Coronavirus. I take this virus seriously so I was understanding of this two weeks ago but I guess the only electricians in the area live 2000 miles away. Anyway, Both parties agreed on paying 1/3 at a time as the project gets finished, which we have paid 2/3's, then he texts me at 11 pm last night that we need to pay him NOW or his one assistant's family will not be able to get groceries. Like freaking grocery stores are open at midnight and he's finished the damn job. This guy needs a reality check if he thinks he's getting paid right now. Are all contractors like this? Edit: He had references and claims he's licensed and insured. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 06:00 PM PDT I am a field property insurance adjuster and insurance fraud is at an all time high due to the Coronavirus. Most insurance companies are not physically sending out adjusters to inspect homes. I am personally virtually adjusting claims using photos and real time reviews with customers. We are right about to enter hail season and contractors are making boat loads of money, specifically with roofing. I would like to preface by saying not all contractors are bad people trying to cheat customers. There are tons of honest hardworking contractors out there and I will work with them to get our customer taken care of. But there are tons of very easy ways to cut corners which only harm you are a consumer and home owner. If you're getting a new roof paid by insurance, or any other exterior work completed at the same time like siding and gutters, here are some important things to make sure get done properly or you risk a poor installation and lots of potential long term problems like leaks and rot: -drip edge/gutter apron is actually being replaced -vents are not being reused if replacement was approved. This pretty much goes for everything as nothing should be reused if replacement was approved by the insurance -any rotted or water damaged decking is replaced -if you live in a climate that has ice buildup EVER and insurance approves ice and water shield, make sure they're doing it! It costs barely anything more than the regular felt paper but can provide so much protection from water leaks -everything should be resealed by caulking and mortar. Many times flashing will be reused instead of replaced. If it is being reused, fresh sealant/mortar should be used -if siding is being replaced then the house wrap should also -if a roofer tells you they're going to put a second layer or shingles or if you catch them just installing on top of the old roof, fire them immediately. They are putting your home at risk and making potential future claims possibly instant denials for poor workmanship and defective installation to save time and money while getting paid by the insurance to remove and dispose of the old roofing materials -lastly always make sure your contractor and insurance company are on the same page for pricing before the job starts and never pay the full amount or sign a check over. I always recommended a 33/33/33 payment schedule. The first payment being the 33% as like the deposit on the job which is usually covered by the first insurance check. The second payment being when the job is done and you are satisfied by their work at 33% which should include your deductible. The third payment being when you've sent the final invoice to the insurance and they send you the depreciation check. I can't speak for other companies but my insurance company does not require the customer pay the full balance prior to requesting depreciation. I hope this helps for anyone about to start an insurance claim. As an adjuster for this particular company, I'm happy to work with any contractor being reasonable. I know insurance gets a really bad rap but speaking for both myself and company, we look for ways to extend coverage and make sure the customer is satisfied with the scope of repairs. If you have any insurance questions, feel free to hit me up! I love sharing my knowledge! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 09:12 PM PDT I am posting this to help others in the future. My wife started to noticed a smell of propane while using our gas range. I didn't think anything of it and was not concerned since we have propane detectors installed in the house and they were not measuring anything. I bought a local sniffer and that was not even getting a reading when I would put it in the oven during the preheat cycle. Fast forward two months and I started to smell it. It got to the point that I was becoming concerned and the local sniffer would pick up propane gas sometimes during the preheat cycle. Within the next week our oven would take a lot longer to preheat (25 minutes vice 5-10 minutes) and it would not maintain temperature sometimes. I did a lot of research on it and learned that gas oven igniters usually last 3-5 years and we were at the 5 year point. I removed the oven igniter and measured it's resistance at 5 mega ohms. This is much higher than it should be and is indicative of a failure. It should read anywhere from 40 to 400 ohms (not mega). I purchased a new oven igniter from Walmart for 20$ (of all places) and it fixed the issue. Other online stored, including Amazon, wanted $50-115 for the part. The new igniter had a resistance of 90 ohms. Replacement of the igniter was very simple and will save you hundreds of dollars from calling a service technician. It was about 5 screws to get to it, two screws holding it on and a simple disconnect plug. If you have an issue with the oven taking forever to preheat or not maintaining temperature, I recommend troubleshooting your gas igniter first. Our igniter would glow red but had such a high resistance that the current signal was not being sent to the safety gas valve to release the gas. Other issues could be a faulty safety gas valve or failure of the control panel or temperature indicator. Lesson learned: pregnant wife's have a much better sense of smell than their non-pregnant husband. Happy servicing! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 07:11 PM PDT He said the materials are different, and I am wondering if anyone on here can tell me the difference? He quoted me about $6500 for paint ready cabinets, and $8500 for stain ready cabinets for my kitchen. I am wanting to do shaker style with lines through the middle. Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 08:36 PM PDT Hey everyone. Not sure if this is the right place to post this but I am getting a new house and was wondering what washer/dryer everyone recommends? [link] [comments] |
| Please tell me I'm not going insane Posted: 11 Apr 2020 11:50 AM PDT I recently had my roof replaced (it was really on its last leg). While I had the roofers out here, I asked if they could install some soffit vents, as my attic has pretty subpar ventilation. The owner said sure and they do that all the time. They installed them last week and I didn't monitor the job because I was working. Anyway, today I go into my attic to look for something and think "hey that's weird I don't see any daylight coming from the soffits." So I get out on my roof to take a look and here is what I found they did. All in all, they charged me $500 to do ten of these vents, all like this. This is some of the laziest and shittiest work I've ever seen. I'm right that this is done completely wrong, right? [link] [comments] |
| Quote for replacing windows in new home Posted: 11 Apr 2020 06:57 PM PDT I moved to a new home and a set of the windows needs to be updated. They are old metal slider windows, and noticably cold in winter when closed. They are square, and appear to be screwed into the frame on the inside sides of the window. I can see the screws. I honestly think if I took out about 2 screws on each side they might just pop out of the square they are in. There is no nail fin on them. There is no trim on the outside around them, the inside trim is basic wood strips. There are 5 identical windows I want to replace, with a possible 6th to match. 3 are on an easily accessible 2nd floor (~10 ft up), 2-3 on first floor that I can walk up to and touch. Anyway, I wanted to update to good quality casement windows, which apparently the size of the rough opening matches a standard size. A local window place quoted me the window price, not surprising @ roughly 400/window, plus tax. It's what I expected. They forwarded me the contractor who is doing home estimates now, but not starting work for a few weeks due to covid-19. He said he'd need at least a couple guys out. It might take 3-4 days once all the materials arrived. Those were just ballparks he stated, not listed on quote. The quote I got from him in writing was $1500/window install price, not including the cost of the window. Not sure what to think but $9000 labor for 6 windows seemed a bit absurd to me. $12k for windows and labor combined for 6 windows. Is this a going rate? Is it because there are only 5-6 windows in the quote? I'm a decent DIYer, and was actually considering opening up one of the 1st floor windows to see the condition of things. 2nd floor is probably beyond me. At the very least, I plan on getting a couple more quotes at this point.. [link] [comments] |
| Ways to fix long dents in stained hardwood floors? Posted: 11 Apr 2020 09:34 PM PDT Accidentally put some long dents along our stained hardwood floors, by rolling a storage rack with a bunch of heavy food between rooms... I've read a few times about the "damp cloth and iron" method, but I'm not sure if that will work with the long area of damage (a few feet of dented lines, compared to a one-off localized mark) or on stained hardwood. Example of the damage: http://imgur.com/a/UBlX3tz [link] [comments] |
| Is my home too far gone to repair? Posted: 11 Apr 2020 04:48 PM PDT I really hope I format this appropriately and don't break any rules. I apologize in advance if I do. So a little backstory: I live near Pittsburgh, PA and the home I live in was owned by my mother. She didn't live in it, she just rented it to some tenants. Unfortunately, these tenants were crooks. They have a long history of moving to a place, wrecking it, never paying rent, then skipping out and fleecing someone else. This family, if you can even call it that, moved in and lived here for over a year without paying rent and only left after they saw they were about to be removed by force by the police. Shortly after... my mother died and things just got worse. My grandmother took them to court, but they dodged it at every turn. I decided to move in since I was moving back home anyway. I was going to live with my mother, but that didn't work out, obviously. That's about all that's relevant to this at the moment. They did a lot of damage and I'm wondering if it's even worth it to do repairs or just deal with it and try to ignore it. The damages are, but are not limited to: ripping down the metal awning on the side of the house to scrap for metal, ripping out the wrought iron railing on the outside stairs to scrap for metal, holes in the walls from wood screws(?), marker, crayon, and grease stains on the walls from his children running wild since all four of them didn't attend any sort of schooling, sloppy paint on half the living room wood flooring (he painted AROUND the furniture he had on the floor at the time), added curtain fixtures on the walls BELOW the original curtain fixtures (so ugly bolts and holes in the walls when there were perfectly good curtain fixtures right there), broken or missing doorknobs, bashes in the walls (looks like a punch or someone rammed the wall with furniture), a step that's cracked almost in half, damaged drawers in the kitchen, bad tiles in the bathroom and kitchen (they're lopsided, incomplete, leaky, etc.), bad paint in the bathroom, and some structural damage in the basement where they ripped out the utility tub (basically a pipe hanging free with concrete stuck to it where it was separated from the floor). It really bothers me that I have to live with all this stuff broken or messed up, but I don't know where to begin with repairs or if it's even worth it. I've been living here for almost two years now and have only done some small repairs, like a new kitchen faucet, fixing some doors that were hanging loose, and other little things. I also didn't make too many repairs because I didn't want to fix anything that might need photographed or documented for the courts when they went after those crooks for damages, but I think them getting away with it is a foregone conclusion now. There's also "improvements" I want to make, but I don't know how to start that process, either. So, what should I do? Should I make the repairs and build my dream house? Or accept defeat and ignore all the bad stuff? Pics of what the house is SUPPOSED to look like (before they moved in) and how I WANT it to look again: Exterior https://imgur.com/ViimcsG Kitchen https://imgur.com/jxe52dM https://imgur.com/GKG76YX Bathroom https://imgur.com/yRvgo8l Pics of how it looks now after the damage (pardon my personal possessions): Exterior https://imgur.com/J5YX1K7 Kitchen https://imgur.com/nUlGEon https://imgur.com/JD38mDX Bathroom https://imgur.com/klAgHn1 https://imgur.com/5rE3cMa [link] [comments] |
| Wanting advice on ceiling fan install Posted: 11 Apr 2020 03:23 PM PDT Hey all, We would love to install a fan in our living room. We have a tray ceiling, about 12×10, but the problem is we have a ton of can lights in the space. Technically, we do have a central, empty spot to install the fan, but we are afraid it would look really strange? Can y'all take a look at my link and see what you think it would look like, and reasons if you think it wouldn't work? [link] [comments] |
| What is this stud nightmare I’m looking at? Posted: 11 Apr 2020 02:15 PM PDT What's up everyone? Hope everyone is doing well given the times. Location is here in NYC. Plaster lath walls. All dots with slash are magnet hits. Electric stud finder no bueno. Thing just goes off like crazy. But could someone hope me decipher the markings I'm looking at? There doesn't seem to be an actual pattern of 12, 14, 16, 18 or 24 inches of spacing. Trying to put up a tv. Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 04:33 PM PDT I tried looking at my furnace downstairs and couldn't find anywhere to put a filter. Is this spot on my kitchen wall where I'm supposed to put it? [link] [comments] |
| Portable generators, how important is THD? Posted: 11 Apr 2020 06:26 PM PDT I picked up this firman generator from Costco. https://www.costco.com/firman-7500w-running--9400w-peak-dual-fuel-generator.product.100417697.html Powerful and a good price. Now I'm reading that it has high THD and wondering if I need to worry about using it and if it's a concern. Most of my house is LED too. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 07:51 PM PDT So my house sits down a hill from the street. I have stairs for walking down but getting anything in a wheelbarrow or dolly is a huge pain. Wanted to pour a concrete ramp down the hill. Rise is 13 ft, Run is 45 ft. Is that incline doable? Should I be adding something to the mix to help with stability? [link] [comments] |
| Advice on using an old unused chimney to run wiring from the basement to the attic Posted: 11 Apr 2020 03:36 PM PDT My house has an old, unused brick chimney that travels from the basement to an open end in the attic crawlspace. Right now, there are some ethernet cables that run up the laundry chute beside it, but I'd like to move them into the chimney, so that I can remove the staples from the chute. Here's some pics of the situation I want to know how to determine if it's safe to drill out a hole in the chimney in the basement to run a conduit through it, and get some advice on how to do that without coming to hate myself for even thinking of it. What other gotchas should I be on the lookout for? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 06:30 PM PDT My apartment only has a stand up shower. I was desperate for a place and just signed the lease without much consideration...but man I need a frickin tub of some sort. I have chronic back pain and I'm actually supposed to be taking a bath once a week to relive the pain but now I can't! :( is there any pop up tub or shower tub insert of some sort for not too much money (I'm a very small person) I'm honestly going to break my lease once the whole covid shit is over if I can't figure something out for the time being. I didn't realize how much I depend on it for pain relief [link] [comments] |
| Is there a temporary "quick fix" substitute for re-grouting and re-sealing shower tiles? Posted: 11 Apr 2020 05:50 PM PDT My shower is a mess, I have to replace the faucet which because it's ancient will require replacing the shower tiles too. But I cannot get the faucet replaced due to lockdown. The shower tiles have recently developed many cracks and I need to seal it up from mold. If I re-grout and re-seal the shower tiles it will go to waste because I need the tiles entirely replaced anyway. Is there anything easier I can do even if it's temporary? Some kind of layer that you can just paint on, maybe looks horrible but seals up the cracks? [link] [comments] |
| Privacy fences. Any recommendations to help reduce cost? Posted: 11 Apr 2020 05:47 PM PDT Hi, my wife and I are looking into putting in a privacy fence in our yard. I just have no experience at all with this. I know to get at least three quotes so that I know the costs are accurate, but I've also heard that fences in general are way more money than people initially think. I'm preparing myself for that, but I'm wondering if anyone has ever done a slightly alternate approach, like using PVC privacy fence for the areas that actually need privacy and then a chain link for the other areas. As I type that, it sounds cheesy, but then again, maybe people successfully pull this type of thing off and everything is good and not as expensive. Are there other creative ways to save some money on this big purchase? If anyone has any first hand knowledge or just good advice on putting in a fence, I would love to hear it. Thanks in advance. I appreciate it. [link] [comments] |
| Reverse osmosis system but very limited space - need advice on placement Posted: 11 Apr 2020 07:27 PM PDT I want a reverse osmosis system because Houston tap water has insane amounts of chromium. I have very limited space under the kitchen sink (see photo 1), so I might need to remove some of the drawers but would really prefer to do as little woodwork as possible. Any ideas? I think both I Spring tankless and water drop tankless are still too big. Alternatively I thought maybe I could run the system through my refrigerator, but I'm even more perplexed how I would fit the system over there (see photo 2) Any advice on either sink or fridge would be much appreciated!! https://imgur.com/a/rTfymPs (sink) https://imgur.com/dNRDcxC (fridge) [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 07:23 PM PDT I have a pole 10ft from my property line street edge, 15ft from the right edge, and I'm wanting to put up a fence around my property. If I give the pole clearance when fencing we would lose that corner of my property. I'm reading the county rules, and they note a minimum clearance to the pole and workers must be able to access it. Would leaving a vehicle size swing gate unlocked fulfill the access portion? Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks in advance. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 02:01 PM PDT https://imgur.com/gallery/zXhUaq1 We had our house siding replaced. The frame of the back door had some pretty bad rot, so the contractor agreed to install a new pre-hung door. We found that whoever installed the old door left this gap between the frame and the rough opening at the bottom. It looks like they filled it with some kind of foam; what is the best way to fill this gap and make sure it's sealed against moisture? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2020 10:33 PM PDT Purchased a home a few months ago and seeking some advice. Grading at some areas around the building is either level or negative at the foundation within the first 1-2ft. The inspector recommend repairs including building up the areas around the foundation to allow rainwater to flow away from the structure and sealing any gaps to prevent moisture intrusion and deterioration in the future. This includes any concrete, paving stone, asphalt, interlocking brick or soil. Are there any particular specific steps you guys feel is best based on the above. The moisture in the basement according to the images was measured at 7% in some areas, 8% and also 9% (November). The report says: "Thermal Imaging camera showed no visual signs of active moisture or heavy draft along the finished accessible portions of the exterior walls at the time of the inspection. Typical minimal air leaks and natural air movement at the base of the walls and corners found with less than a 10 degree F difference in temperature. Moisture readings taken did not exceed 10% when tested. No deficiencies in these areas were noted." Thanks for any input in advance. [link] [comments] |
| Is this end of the water line no good? Posted: 11 Apr 2020 06:44 PM PDT There is a leak coming from the top of the connector when water is run through the line. Everything looks squared away except the flared part of the tubing seems like its bent out of position. Could this be the source of the leak? [link] [comments] |
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