Home Improvement: Crosspost from r/homeowners. The difference a $1,000 investment made on the exterior/yard of my property. |
- Crosspost from r/homeowners. The difference a $1,000 investment made on the exterior/yard of my property.
- DIY Paver patio walk around deck...3 weekends worth of work. Not perfect but proud of my work.
- To Whomever Thought Textured Walls Were Good
- Before/After - backyard glow up
- Is this weird?
- Before/After door hinges
- Ceiling joists (Joist a few q's)
- Do I need insulation on my loft ceiling/ floor?
- Looking for a creative way to mount these for privacy...
- Can we rant about ceiling fans for a moment?
- The old owners let their cat play in the dirt crawlspace; our bedroom now reeks of cat pee. I believe the smell is coming from the vents.
- I bought a 12k btu heater for toolshed but now the breaker keeps tripping
- Ceiling Fans
- Well, we're finally building our own home..
- How do you track all your house-specific data and information?
- Can I stabilize fence post by propping up a large rock/boulder on either side?
- Are you good with pulley systems? I need help figuring out the best way to get this hanging tent out of the way when not in use.
- Water damage near exterior door
- Looking for some basics for my garage demolition
- Hiding television in living room
- Recommendations for Garbage Disposal
- Help deciding how to go about adding a deck in backyard.
- [Question] - Ceiling Light Ballast Thingies
- I'm building a shiplap wall but I dont know where to stop it. The top 1' of the wall is a drywall soffit that covers my HVAC vent and extends across the entire basement. Should I just do the 6.5' wall section to the ceiling or keep installing it laterally on the soffit?
| Posted: 13 May 2020 02:29 PM PDT Hello All, Just wanted to share. During this quarantine I've had some extra time to do a bunch of work on the exterior of my house. $550 in paint, $60-paint sprayer rental, $50 in brushes/rollers/tape. And two weekends to paint the exterior. $250 in seed/weed killer (Killed lawn last fall and re-started it this year). This was relatively inexpensive, and completely changed the curb appeal of my house, changing it from the ugly outdated eyesore of the neighborhood, to an attractive house that brings the neighborhood up. I'll organize and post the photos of the interior which took months of work, and around $20k in restoration and upgrades to bring it from ugly/dated to nicely restored, keeping the original fixtures, windows, hardwoods, while upgrading everything to be functional and nice. [link] [comments] |
| DIY Paver patio walk around deck...3 weekends worth of work. Not perfect but proud of my work. Posted: 13 May 2020 06:09 AM PDT |
| To Whomever Thought Textured Walls Were Good Posted: 13 May 2020 03:31 PM PDT Dear home builder, Do you like torturing people? This is the only idea that I have as to why on earth you textured the walls this much. Painting has been a nightmare for almost 1800 square feet. These walls are a void, sucking up gallons and gallons of paint. I keep giving them more paint but the thirst never ceases. You could write a B rated horror film about these walls sucking the life and paint out of me. I can hear the walls laughing at my weak attempts to cover the texture smoothly. Clearly you meant the walls to be painted with a roller made of kitten skins like the evil person you are. No other nap is long enough. Maybe you thought this would save money and look nice. Maybe you were blissfully ignorant of the torture. Maybe you actually volunteer at an animal shelter and therefore have some redeeming qualities. I don't know you. But you're the worst. Sincerely, Seriously why though it's impossible to paint well P.S. - whoever picked the prior color and then proceeded to paint every surface of this place "I've smoked indoors 30 years white" is forgiven. Clearly you are blind and that is why you picked the color you did and painted it that badly, creating the whole mess to begin with. I can only imagine what a feat painting was for you. P.P.S - I am finally painting the last room of my torture chamb- I mean house. But if you have any super textured wall painting tips maybe the next person won't struggle so much. [link] [comments] |
| Before/After - backyard glow up Posted: 13 May 2020 08:41 PM PDT A project to give my dogs the backyard they deserve and a nice patio space for me to enjoy a cocktail during this lockdown summer [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 May 2020 07:52 PM PDT I don't know if this belongs here, so sorry in advance. We bought our home in February 2016. Starting probably a year or so after we started to notice issues with the plumbing in the middle of the house. There is a wall and on one side of the wall is the kitchen sink and dishwasher, and on the other side of the wall is the hallway bathroom. The kitchen sink and dishwasher, and the tub and toilet in the bathroom would clog up like once a year or so and we'd have a plumber come and blow them out from the roof. Fast forward to the present and we are finally remodeling the bathroom because we now have the money, and over the past year or so that bathroom has developed a roach problem as well. We hired a guy that can do everything from the tiling to the plumbing, so we let him know we'd also like him to check out the plumbing in that wall between those two rooms to see what was going on. He comes in and pulls all the tile off of that suspicious wall and we discover that there is a WINDOW back there. We were never told but always speculated that the back half of the house where the kitchen is, is an add on. So, that wall used to be the exterior of the house. There's no glass, just a window frame with a wood board in the middle of it so that you can't see through. We all ogle at it because it looks very strange and then the handy man leaves for the day. Later that evening, my husband and I are in the bathroom looking around. We touch the board on the window and realize that it's not attached at all; it's literally just sitting there. We pull of the board and discover a space. There is a space about 8 ft high, 15 ft long, and 2.5 ft wide. The kitchen and bathroom in fact do NOT share a wall. There is a space in between them and it's creepy and gross. We shine a flashlight towards the floor on the left side of the space and about 5 cockroaches scatter off of a rusty, really old looking pipe. We get our heads the f outta there. The handy man will be back tomorrow but I'm wondering right now. Is this weird that this space is here, or is this a normal thing for houses to have? Does this sound like it could be a huge expensive issue, like possibly having to repipe? So many questions. I have pictures too but I wouldn't know how to share them. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 May 2020 08:23 AM PDT http://imgur.com/gallery/kjFzhPM Boiled off my door hinge and they came out beautiful! Don't know why the hell they'd keep painting over these [link] [comments] |
| Ceiling joists (Joist a few q's) Posted: 13 May 2020 07:25 PM PDT Had a question about my ceiling joists in our basement. I'm hoping to hang a 50lb projector from one of joists that will be parallel to the screen. Based on the mounting plate, there are 2 (possibly 3) places to mount the plate to the one joist. Here's the mounting plate: I have a lot of anxiety about the project bc in addition to be a pricey piece of electronics, it could be extremely dangerous if it fell on someone. I think my joists are glulam joists. They are shaped like a capital "I". The first block (looks like a 2x3) that I would run into is 2.5" wide and 1.5" deep, then there is the vertical component of the joist which I can't accurately measure. I would venture the bottom part is soft wood. Heres a photo: https://i.imgur.com/LesVk3Z.jpg With the ceiling being 5/8" drywall + 1.5" for bottom part of joist, I'm 2.125" deep with a Fastener before hitting the much narrower portion of the glulam joist. I bought these 2.5" lag screws from home depot: I also saw these and didn't know if they would be better for the job: Re: predrilling, The first link says to use a 5/32" pilot hole. Does that sound right? I want to make sure the screw gets a good bite of the wood bc of the vertical sheer stress. For the powerlag, it says not to predrill which makes me nervous about splitting the wood. Lastly, is a 2.5" screw appropriate? Not sure if going through and through the bottom part of the joist but missing the vertical part of the "I" is better/worse than using a 2" screw where I know the whole thing is embedded in the joist. TL:DR What screws would you use to hang a 50lb projector from the ceiling? Based on this, what length would you get for my setup, and what pilot hole would you drill? Thanks guys. [link] [comments] |
| Do I need insulation on my loft ceiling/ floor? Posted: 13 May 2020 07:08 PM PDT Hi folks, I've been meaning to post here for a long time. My wife and I recently won a lawsuit which is the equivalent of winning the lottery in New York City: we are now protected occupants in 1000 square-foot loft that is rent stabilized and we can pass on to family members, forever. It's one step below owning, but, if they want us to leave, they need to buy us out. And, as part of the deal we struck, the building (which is changing the heat/ air to a split unit electric ) will be removing one exterior wall, pulling it back 5 feet and replacing it with a wall of passive air windows. The extra space will be turned into a patio. (It sounds strange, I know. But, in order to make this commercial space legal to live in, it Hass to have enough light and air. We chose the wall of windows and patio because it guaranteed success in getting the correct light and air requirements. The wall of windows will be very pricey but, we also will only need to pay it off over 10 years.) All of this is leading up to the following question: we've understood that in order to make electric heat and cooling worthwhile, the apartment needs to be completely sealed so as not to Lose whatever temperature we have indoors. The question is, do we need to insulate our sprawling cement floors and ceiling? We've heard on the one hand that, absolutely, it Hass to be sealed and insulated. On the other hand, we've also heard that the thick cement floor and ceiling don't transfer temperature because they're so dense. We plan to put down wood floors with some basic underlayment but, would prefer not to have to move all the pipes in order to insulate the ceiling. Also, some people have said we need to put a membrane over all of the walls and floor to prevent air movement. Would love to hear your thoughts. If you need any clarification, absolutely let me know! Would love any thoughts you have. [link] [comments] |
| Looking for a creative way to mount these for privacy... Posted: 13 May 2020 09:31 PM PDT I have a pair of these things: Got them to place above my 6 foot vinyl fence for added privacy from my neighbor and vice versa. My plan now is to use those 1x1 plastic zip tie mounts, but I am afraid a stiff breeze might pop them off. I do not want to drill into the fence. [link] [comments] |
| Can we rant about ceiling fans for a moment? Posted: 13 May 2020 07:49 PM PDT I did not think picking out a ceiling fan would be so damn complicated. How many blades? What color? Down rod or no down rod? Do you need it to be reversible? I FINALLY found one that I liked. It hit all the boxes. But it only comes in 1 size! Why don't they make THE SAME EXACT FAN IN DIFFERENT SIZES?! and serious question, is it stupid to fit a 52" fan in a small bedroom? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 May 2020 05:21 PM PDT Hello! My husband and I bought our first home last December, and it has a Michigan basement with a long, dirt crawlspace. The previous owners let their cat play in there, and after we had more return air vents installed (we only had 2 for the entire house) our bedroom started to smell like cat pee. The furnace is in the basement next to the crawlspace. The smell seems to mainly be coming from the bedroom vent, which is right above the deepest part of the crawlspace. Any help would be appreciated on how to possibly fix this! Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| I bought a 12k btu heater for toolshed but now the breaker keeps tripping Posted: 13 May 2020 07:52 PM PDT It'll run for about 5 minutes then trip the breaker. What should I do about fixing? It an old house (1960s) and is the original wiring I think. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 May 2020 06:15 PM PDT I need to replace 7 fans in the house. Any recommendation on how to get a discount needing so many? Any brands to avoid? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Well, we're finally building our own home.. Posted: 13 May 2020 04:36 PM PDT Hi! This is my first ever post! As the title states, we're finally going to build our own home! I work for a builder, so I know just enough to get myself into trouble. We found a very cute property, just outside of a national forest for next to nothing. We are closing tomorrow. Woo-hooooo. My career has given me the knowledge on the legal side of things. The property is clean as a whistle. This county has no permitting other than septic. We can build whatever we want. However, we want to be sure we're building as structurally sound as possible. In the easiest and most affordable way as we can. My husband is a builder, it ran in his father's family, he knows more than I expected. He hasn't built from ground up before. His buddy is building a home, so at least he's seen that process. We're going tiny home, rectangular, 8' ceilings, nothing special at all. On my side, I sell custom homes, I can draft plans. That's about as far as my knowledge goes. We're looking for tips on building, for anything from sourcing materials to tips on how to actually construct the house. The more we can learn fr others, means we will hopefully make less mistakes. Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| How do you track all your house-specific data and information? Posted: 13 May 2020 01:45 PM PDT Do you keep everything in a word document or excel document? Phone app? I'm hoping to find a snazzy way to keep track of all the little things (air filter size/when replaced; paint color codes; last HVAC service date; Tradesmen info [plumber et al]). [link] [comments] |
| Can I stabilize fence post by propping up a large rock/boulder on either side? Posted: 13 May 2020 06:49 PM PDT I have a common chore that many homeowners face: rotting fence posts that are now very wobbly and in danger of leaning over/falling from strong wind. They're a nightmare to fix as there is a buried concrete base, and the posts themselves are TRUE 4x4 (as opposed to 3.5 x 3.5) so it's not even easy to obtain the correct replacement posts. I had a silly idea: what if I get a couple basketball sized boulders and prop them against the fence from either side? If they were of the right heft and shape, wouldn't that be enough to keep the fence stable indefinitely? Any thoughts on this? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 May 2020 06:47 PM PDT Hello, and thanks in advanced for the help. My kid has a hanging tent thing. It's great, except that it takes up a lot of space. I'd like an option to pull it up out of the way when it's not in use, or when it is time for cleaning. Here are the specs: 8 ft height, about 3 ft wide at the bottom. The closer to the ceiling the better when up there. The actual tent weighs maybe 5lbs, and is only going to pull an empty tent. For the weight, it looks like one pulley on the ceiling will be enough. I plan on sewing some sort of loop or carabiners to the bottom outside of the tent. Do I need 3 or 4 points of contact? Do I need one piece of rope from each loop to one central pulley? Or do I need multiple pulleys? [link] [comments] |
| Water damage near exterior door Posted: 13 May 2020 06:18 PM PDT I've noticed the trim by my door is turning brown and some of the flooring (laminate) is soft to the touch on the other side of the door. It's not bad yet but I know eventually water ruins everything. I don't even know what type of company to call or if this is something I can fix myself. This has started in the last few months from what i can tell. [link] [comments] |
| Looking for some basics for my garage demolition Posted: 13 May 2020 06:57 PM PDT I'm not sure if this is the right place, but here goes. I'm planning on demolishing my garage soon but I'm a bit of a beginner. I have power running to my garage that I will need to take out, but I'm not sure how to do that other than flip the breaker switch and take an axe to the power line. Secondly, I am planning on pulling it down with some ropes and doing the majority of the work from the ground, any tips for how to knock it over as safely as possible? [link] [comments] |
| Hiding television in living room Posted: 13 May 2020 06:38 PM PDT We are renovating our living room. We'd like to have a tv in the space, and the most logical place is above the fireplace. We just dont want it to be the center/focus of the room Any recommendations on how to hide the tv but have it readily available if we want to watch something? Ideally, I'd like something for purchase or have someone build it at a reasonable price. Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Recommendations for Garbage Disposal Posted: 13 May 2020 10:15 PM PDT My garbage disposal just started making a groaning sound. We moved in 2 years ago so not sure how old it is. I'm thinking of replacing it. We don't use it all the time but it's nice to have that's for sure. What are some good brands or models? Any that I should stay clear of? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Help deciding how to go about adding a deck in backyard. Posted: 13 May 2020 10:04 PM PDT Hello! About 8 years ago my husband and I purchased a foreclosed house. It just happened to be the house he and his family grew up in. We're not sure how long it was vacant but the owners who had the house between his family owning it and us owning it did a lot of stuff! I think one of the members of the family was wheelchair bound. So there was a wooden ramp built on top of the concrete stairs in our side yard. We took that down because it was pretty dilapidated and broken anyway. They also created a patio door where a solid wall with a window once was. This is the biggest issue. Since it was originally just a solid wall, the back door is in the kitchen and leads to a small concrete staircase. When the patio door was put in, a deck with ramp was added. It was also pretty old and ugly, but structurally sound. In the backyard was also a huuuuuge concrete pool that we demoed. When that happened the deck went with it. We need to replace the deck. I don't want anything huge. But I'm a little confused how best to go about it. Do we add the deck on top of the concrete stairs? Which was how the previous deck was built. Won't it be an "eyesore" to have this deck sitting on top of a concrete stair? We plan on selling after a few more years of improvements so I want to make the best decision now. TL;DR: need to build deck over concrete stairs and need help visualizing how this would work/look [link] [comments] |
| [Question] - Ceiling Light Ballast Thingies Posted: 13 May 2020 06:15 PM PDT I am no electrician, so please excuse me if I misuse any terms (ballasts?). We have a 25 year old home that has recessed (like BIG recessed) ceiling lighting, and due to a poor build, we are eventually going to remodel everything. I was wondering if just using LED bulbs in the ballasts (receptacle?) is enough to save energy, or should I just replace them altogether with modern, flush-mounted, energy-star, warm-dimming LEDs? I don't remember where I read it or maybe where I heard it from, but for some reason I had the impression that the ballast (or whatever it's called) will still use the energy load it was made for, even though I am only using LED bulbs. This whole remodel is stressing me out, and any insight would be much appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 May 2020 06:12 PM PDT |
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