Home Improvement: A massive plumbing disaster- please learn from our mistakes |
- A massive plumbing disaster- please learn from our mistakes
- My Fiancee will be moving into our first house in July. The originals hardwoods run through the kitchen, dining and living rooms and look beat up. If we wanted them refinished should we do this before we move in? Does it matter?
- For Those Doing Home Renovation Projects With All The Extra Time at Home, Know That Lowe's Will Price-Match Tools That Are Listed on Amazon if They are Prime Eligible
- Today was full of firsts
- Just discovered our new garage slab was poured over a cesspool
- Building my own patio—help!
- Can anyone figure out what this is?
- I need to pull up the floor in our master bath but cannot put down a new one atm. Is there anything I can do in the meantime?
- Trying to get as much sq footage of concrete work done for $10,000 near Los Angeles, California.
- Attic Insulation Options
- Just put down millings in a carport and thinking about sealing it with driveway sealer. Thoughts?
- I would like to replace my switches and outlets. Are there any special options that I should consider, or go for the cheapest at Home Depot?
- Will this dishwasher fit?
- Are Windows Flush with Frame or Sheathing?
- Thermostat installation with 4 wires??
- Light Switch is too far away- how to extend it?
- How to find good home improvement professionals
- How significant of a difference will attic insulation make?
- What’s the best way to test for radon/does a digital radon tester work?
- Ants. Maybe Carpenter? What are we dealing with, and how worried should we be?
- How to understand where an underground ABS pipe comes from
- Privacy trees that don't get very large and possibly AREN'T aborvitae?
- Paying a contractor to replace a large quantity of city sidewalk and curb. What should I watch out for besides the boilerplate "follow city required spec"?
- Vented dryer in kitchen island?
- Changing light fixtures
| A massive plumbing disaster- please learn from our mistakes Posted: 26 May 2020 10:32 AM PDT I am a 22 year old woman doing my first ever renovation (bathroom). I'm just stripping 2 layers of wallpaper, painting and doing the trim and cabinets. I will also have to recaulk everything including the tub. A small renovation but big for me. I am doing this project at my parents house. The toilet tank needed to be removed so that the wallpaper behind it could be accessed and removed. I have no idea how to remove a toilet tank, so rather than looking it up, I asked my renovation experienced father. He came up, we unscrewed everything, and then he went back downstairs. I asked him if it was okay to remove now and he said yes. You can imagine where this is going When I pulled up on the tank, I heard a popping sound and massive gush of water came out from under the wall. My dad had forgotten to disconnect the toilet from the pipes and I hadn't researched so I had no idea. The pipe snapped off in the wall. The water came through two of the downstairs ceilings, and lights, and soaked much of the drywall in the bathroom. Thousands of dollars in repair. If you are doing anything even remotely plumbing related, PLEASE research and make sure you know exactly what is going on. And always disconnect the toilet from the plumbing. And thank you to any and all emergency plumbers. We love you. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 26 May 2020 04:35 AM PDT |
| Posted: 26 May 2020 04:59 PM PDT Download an app called "Flow." Scan the Tool's barcode in the store, and the app will run an Amazon search for that exact product. If the price is lower, ask the sales clerk to match the price. They may send you to customer service, but it could be worth it. Just bought a battery-powered Dewalt orbital sander that was on the shelf at Lowes for $129.99 for $93. That's $36.99 saved (not taking into account tax) just because I pointed my phones camera at the barcode and asked the sales clerk for a price match. I'm sure many of you know this, but "if you don't know, now you know." [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 26 May 2020 07:35 PM PDT Getting decked https://imgur.com/a/gw2THXT This is the first time I have power washed a deck, the first time I've run a belt sander, the first time I've used and airless paint sprayer and the first time I've stained a deck. Does it look right? Edit: Waited a few days between wash and sand/stain [link] [comments] |
| Just discovered our new garage slab was poured over a cesspool Posted: 26 May 2020 12:06 PM PDT Hello all, hoping I can get some insight here from everyone! I am a new home owner and purchased my home (built in 1940's) 2 years ago. One of the reasons I purchased the property was because of the 2 outbuildings on it - a polebarn in back and a garage next to the house. We have been working on the garage and have ran new power to it, drywalled, and had a 3-6" concrete slab poured in 2018 as well (the garage was built on a weird slope and shifted over time, so the concrete could either be 4" uniform thickness and be sloped or have varying thickness and be level - we chose the latter.) Garage is roughly 25'x30'. I just recently met a long time previous owner of our property and learned a few things, like that our backyard has a cistern under it and, the big one for me, that our garage/shop has an old cesspool under it. He did clarify that it was a cesspool, not a cesspit or septic tank. It originally drained out into the creek behind the property (gross and surely not "code" I'm guessing?), but once the house was plumbed into city sewer it stopped being used. This was most likely several/many decades ago. I am wondering if there is anything I should be worried about as far as cave-ins at this point or other structural damage from having a large slab of concrete being poured over the top of the cesspool? I don't think the previous owners ever filled it in with sand or earth, but at this point is it safe to think it may be filled in on its own? I really am clueless about this situation and even though I can't afford to fix anything at the moment I would rather know if there are any potential hazards looming on the horizon. Thanks for any and all advice! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 26 May 2020 05:39 PM PDT Has anyone ever used Brock Paverbase panels instead of crushed rock for the base of a patio? If so, what are your thoughts? Is it effective and worth the cost in labor that it saves? [link] [comments] |
| Can anyone figure out what this is? Posted: 26 May 2020 05:27 PM PDT Hey everyone! I was pulling up tile in my second story bathroom (previous owners placed it directly on subflooring). When I got to the bathtub, no surprise I found mold. Right where the tub connects to the wall. I started doing regular mold procedures when I realized it was very granulated, so I took a 10x zoom picture and saw all the granules were the same size. Now I have no idea what it is. Any ideas? Edit: added more pics for scale [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 26 May 2020 05:35 PM PDT Hello, r/HomeImprovement! I'm in a bit of a predicament: a previous owner put down carpet in the master bath and it really needs to come up asap. I pulled back some of the carpet near the toilet (trying very hard not to imagine what may be embedded in it) and found rusted nails, black padding, and a crumbling subfloor. I also checked near the shower and it seems okay there. We replaced the commode about a year ago and it may have been leaking before that. The walls seem fine behind it so I'm not completely sure why the damage is concentrated there. Anyway, I really want that carpet ripped out and damaged subfloor replaced yesterday. However, I hesitate to get started on the process because we will probably (definitely) need the foundation lifted and repaired soon. I am worried a new tile floor will be damaged after this. TLDR: So, is there something I can so in the meantime while we wait for a foundation repair? Something waterproof I can put over the subfloor without actually putting down a new floor? I have no idea when we'll be able to get the foundation repaired. [link] [comments] |
| Trying to get as much sq footage of concrete work done for $10,000 near Los Angeles, California. Posted: 26 May 2020 06:32 PM PDT I'm wondering an estimate of how many square feet I would be able to get poured? It's for my back yard and I'm getting an estimate tomorrow. I can spend $15,000, but I'm going to try to cap the contractor at $10,000 to be safe. Thanks all [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 26 May 2020 06:31 PM PDT I have a 50s era brick rowhome. Attic is stick framed and has enough headroom to be walkable. Insulation consists of about 2" of rockwool below about 4-6" of "brown stuff", which I'm assuming is some sort of blown-in cellulose. As near as i can tell, the total R value is probably somewhere around 7. The house is noticeably drafty in the winter. I'm about to have a new ducted AC system installed in this attic, and I've been doing a lot of work up there in preparation. I just cut in new attic stairs, installed lights, and put down plywood over about half the attic area to create a walkable surface. My plan is to use this new attic space for badly needed storage as well as the new AC system. But now I'm thinking about my crappy insulation. Before I put down the plywood, I added cheap thin sheets of polystyrene board into the joist cavities, which are good for an R of 3. So that gets me up into the R 10 range. But now that the plywood is down, that's it for the attic floor. The storage space is too important to just have a ton of new insulation blown in up there. That leaves the rafters and roof deck, and that's the reason for this post. What are my options here? I've read about radiant barriers and the idea makes sense to me. Do I tack a bunch of foil to the rafters? Or would it make sense to put 16" wide boards of foil-faced polyiso into the rafter bays (while leaving room behind them for an air gap.) OR... why can't I just take the whole 8' sheets and tack them to the rafters themselves, leaving the rafter bay behind them to be an air space? [link] [comments] |
| Just put down millings in a carport and thinking about sealing it with driveway sealer. Thoughts? Posted: 26 May 2020 06:30 PM PDT Wo I posted a couple of weeks ago about this project and you guys gave me some good advice. So today I had 5 tons of millings delivered and spent almost the entire day shoveling them into my carport so I wilms finally have something other than a dirt floor. So before the millings were delivered I rented a compactor from Depot (came out to about $100 for the day). I compacted the soil (very clay filled soil) a few times and then the guy delivered the millings. Because of the height of the carport roof he could only drop it at the foot of the opening which meant i had to shovel 5 tons of millings to fill the entire space. I think I got the perfect amount because I got the roughly 4" depth I was looking to fill. So I ran the compactor a bunch of times and it's amazing how it firms up the loose millings. But I still think the millings should be more "glued" together. Someone said you can use diesel to kind of glue everything together. Other people said to hit it with a torch to get it nice and hot which would, theoretically make the asphalt that is stuck to the rocks to melt slightly together. I guess those are good Ideas, but I was thinking of pouring driveway sealer over the top of the millings. That's what you use to seal up a "normal" driveway so curious what the general consensus was on this idea. The weather isn't really cooperating because its ginna be barely 70° for the foreseeable future with at least a few days of possible rain. Everything I've read says fhag the hotter the better to get everything to stick to itself. I have not parked the car in this area yet. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 26 May 2020 12:30 PM PDT They are so old and an ugly yellow and id like to update them. I am just wondering if there are any special options that I should consider. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 26 May 2020 05:57 PM PDT I have a dishwasher opening that measures 24" deep, 24" wide and 35" tall. I am going to take out the existing dishwasher, and add tile - 1/2" board under 3/8" thick tile. At the end of adding tile, can I fit a dishwasher that is 33.5" tall? (A whirlpool) Help or advice appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| Are Windows Flush with Frame or Sheathing? Posted: 26 May 2020 06:47 PM PDT Designing a small cabin in Sketchup, curious if Windows are flush with wood framing, or the exterior sheathing. Any advice is appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Thermostat installation with 4 wires?? Posted: 26 May 2020 06:44 PM PDT I'm attempting to upgrade my thermostat to a basic Honeywell thermostat, nothing fancy. I moved into this home with no thermostat installed, just 4 wires coming out of the wall colored red, white, green and blue. On the panel on my furnace, I have 4 wires coming from the thermostat, colored red, white, green and blue and also 2 additional wires coming from my AC unit colored red and white. Can anyone tell me how the wires connect to both the thermostat and the furnace? [link] [comments] |
| Light Switch is too far away- how to extend it? Posted: 26 May 2020 04:25 PM PDT One of the light switches in the house is in the back corner, over the counter. Imagine this, but with a light switch instead of an outlet. It's a good 2ft away from the edge of the counter. This is a big problem, because I'm in a wheelchair and my reach is only 1.5ft, max. I found light switch extenders that extend vertically, but I can't find any that extend horizontally. Is there any way to make my own? [link] [comments] |
| How to find good home improvement professionals Posted: 26 May 2020 05:10 PM PDT I looked at angies list, home advisor and houzz. Each had a series of questions including my address, etc. Was expecting to select "Deck repairs" category and enter my city and see a list. isnt that the way angies list used to work? [link] [comments] |
| How significant of a difference will attic insulation make? Posted: 26 May 2020 08:23 AM PDT I have a 98 year old frame home with gable style roof. I purchased the home about a year ago and after having lived in it for about a year, the temperature on the second floor is often uncomfortable in both summer and winter. The first floor is very comfortable. Currently, the attic has no insulation whatsoever. I'm considering getting a "cap job"' done to the attic given that it has finished space, - blowing insulation into the kneewalls, roof slopes, and gable walls. I want to have realistic expectations for what this will provide from a comfortability standpoint on the second floor. Will insulating the attic make the second floor as comfortable as the first floor currently is? [link] [comments] |
| What’s the best way to test for radon/does a digital radon tester work? Posted: 26 May 2020 07:52 PM PDT I'm thinking of doing a send in lab and buying a digital radon tester. Any thoughts or tips for the best possible ways of taking an accurate measurement? [link] [comments] |
| Ants. Maybe Carpenter? What are we dealing with, and how worried should we be? Posted: 26 May 2020 04:59 PM PDT Pictures below. We just bought this house in October and in the past few weeks have been noticing these guys outside our house. This past week, however, we've started noticing them INSIDE the house. About a half dozen a day. Shit. I'm looking for and sealing any entry points I can find, but the house was built in 1960 so it's full of cracks and gaps. I'm going to a dark place of "we have a massive nest of carpenter ants somewhere and the house will need to spend $50,000 to fix the house or it will collapse underneath us. Any advice or experience would be appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| How to understand where an underground ABS pipe comes from Posted: 26 May 2020 06:09 PM PDT I was doing a sprinkler swap near an old curb cut for a drain outlet and lo and behold discover an old ABS pipe terminating here. It is very compacted with dirt. And it is coming from a direction not pointing to my house so not gutter run off. French drain is possible as it is coming from uphill though I've seen no other evidence of the French. Reinvigorating a French drain would be great as I have drainage issues with clay soil. I was able to take a drill and 18" auger and tailed out lots of dirt but did not break through. I sort of think a long enough auger and I'll break through to fragrant standing water. What would you do, trying to minimize effort and cost? My son is not small enough to send him in there. [link] [comments] |
| Privacy trees that don't get very large and possibly AREN'T aborvitae? Posted: 26 May 2020 04:56 PM PDT I own a pretty small house with a fairly small yard in the suburbs with neighbors on three sides of the backyard. Luckily all houses are single story. There is a 6' fence that already offers decent privacy, but we are hoping to strategically plant trees in the backyard that will 1) look nice, 2) offer addition privacy/shade/noise protection, and 3) not grow too large. Every thread I can find on the subject all suggest green aborvitae. While I understand that it's really the ideal privacy hedge due to it's price, growth rate, and height...I just don't like the look of it - and every variety I find seems to grow like 20-30ft tall and 5-8 feet wide. In our small yard, I just think it will look ridiculous and take up too much space. Are there any trees/hedges that are fairly low maintenance and only grow to about 10-15 feet tall? I am in 6b/7a growing area with fairly clay-rich soil. Any advice? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 26 May 2020 09:55 PM PDT So the city is reimbursing me and my background is construction but I'm not very familiar with sidewalk replacement, just new construction. Are there any specific things I should make sure he does correctly like reinforcement, control/cut joints, etc? I need to confirm but I'm assuming he's doing no reinforcement on just the compacted earth that's under the existing sidewalk now. [link] [comments] |
| Vented dryer in kitchen island? Posted: 26 May 2020 09:49 PM PDT Hi folks, I'm designing a new kitchen. I have a counter-height washer and dryer unit that I'm trying to determine if I can safely install under an island. The island will be in the dead center of the kitchen floor, off the walls. The washer dryer would be in cabinets. My house has a crawlspace and I'd be able to route the dryer duct to the outside seemingly in accordance with IRC (e.g. less than 35', including equivalent lengths for fittings). We could terminate the dryer vent 9" above ground (right between floor joists) and I was thinking I could excavate 3" of soil nearby the vent to achieve the required 12". Any thoughts? The only problem I could see would be long-term effects of heat being generated under the countertops (maybe bad for the wood on nearby cabinetry?). [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 26 May 2020 07:36 PM PDT Hi! I live in an apartment and don't have access to the circuit breaker. If I turn off the lights using the light switch, will I be ok to change the light fixtures in my apartment without being electrocuted/shocked? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Hivemind Improving Homes. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
No comments:
Post a Comment