Home Improvement: Your best low-budget DIY upgrades, <$100, <$500, <$1000? |
- Your best low-budget DIY upgrades, <$100, <$500, <$1000?
- First time homeowner, first time remodel- bathroom
- Turned a bedroom into 2 bathrooms and a small walk-in closet.
- Can’t drill through studs?
- Woo it feels good to have hot water again. Finally finished my hot water heater
- How to fix window frame leaking?
- Original wood flooring
- Where can I donate new blinds that came with the new house?
- Is it possible to hammer this picture hanger in with so little space between the ceiling and the hanger?
- Can’t hang curtain rods
- I built a deck in my backyard!
- Anyone know how to remove this part of a tap ?
- Is my deck rotting? What do I do?
- Shower pan is cracked - how to fix
- New water heater pilot won't light!
- R22 condensing unit replacement
- Small kitchen flip, looking for ideas to fit a dishwasher in!
- Exterior Door Locks
- Offset umbrella post gone wrong
- Need help deciding how to level plywood subfloor/ underlayment
- What is this rubber strip in my shower called?
- I have a retaining wall that’s leaning. What is my best option?
- What is the most common, neutral, inoffensive, paint color for a main living area
- What to use to fill in window with a/c unit?
| Your best low-budget DIY upgrades, <$100, <$500, <$1000? Posted: 10 May 2020 06:56 AM PDT There was a thread like this a few years ago that I got some really great suggestions from. Now that my to-do list is rapidly shrinking, I'm desperate for more ideas on little (or at least inexpensive) ways to improve my place. What are your best/favorite ways to improve your place for less than $100, $500, or $1000? Apologies if a thread like this has been done recently but I looked and didn't see one. Edit: I think this was the thread I saw before. I'm sure there have been others as well. [link] [comments] |
| First time homeowner, first time remodel- bathroom Posted: 10 May 2020 05:35 PM PDT Bought my first house in September. The only shower/ bath tub was a walk in tub. Ripped that out and installed a caulk free tub/shower. Ripped out the 1970's linoleum floor, and replaced it with 12x13 vinyl tile. Ripped out the originally vanity top from 1974,and replaced it with a granite top. Painted the walls, and painted the wood vanity and towel closet. Learned a lot in the process, and now ready to rip out all the shag carpet in the house [link] [comments] |
| Turned a bedroom into 2 bathrooms and a small walk-in closet. Posted: 10 May 2020 12:40 PM PDT We posted a gallery about our Master Bath remodel and a few people asked about the 1/2 bath that was quickly mentioned, so this is an overview of the whole she-bang. https://imgur.com/gallery/pJnoNdj My wife and I bought a house in 9/2018 that had been on the market for 18 months due to a funky layout and open-concept master bath (imagine a toilet, shower, and tub all visible from the bed). We then spent 8 months remodeling every square inch on evenings/weekend before moving in and continuing to remodel for another 8 months (with a few small items still outstanding). At some point we will post a gallery of everything we've done, but it's tough to pick out a small batch of photos that encompasses all the work. Some day. For this portion, we did the demo, built the walls, installed all new plumbing, ran all new electrical, reinforced the floor (for the tile), hung the durock/Kerdi/tile/drywall, built/painted/hung the vanities/drawers/door, installed all the bath and lighting fixtures, removed and reinstalled all the trim. We paid someone else to finish/paint the drywall, install the vanity tops, hang the half bath wallpaper, and install the glass shower enclosure. We also tried to keep as much of the existing ceiling and wall plaster as possible- more b/c we didn't want to just throw everything in a dumpster. It would have been MUCH easier to just rip it all off the walls and start over. The Master Bath cost was ~$14k, the closet was ~$1,500, and the half bath was ~$2,500- this included a rough guess of the shared drywall finishing/painting costs as well as the closet storage and half bath wallpaper (and hanging). The drain/venting/water plumbing materials totaled ~$5k for the entire house (we replumbed the entire house down to the water meter and up through the vent stacks- kitchen & three bathrooms). The best decision we made, purchase-wise, was to put together a massive list of materials and take it to the Pro Desk at Home Depot. We gave them a list with a non-discounted value of $12k and they gave us.....$150 off. We then took the exact same list to Lowes and they gave us close to $2k off. We were going to go back to THD, but were kinda pissed and just stuck with Lowes. This list had kitchen/bath sinks, toilets, rough-in valves, drywall, durock, Keridi, 2x4's, our steam shower (there are A LOT of items that you do not see in stores that you can special order), electrical stuff (outlets, romex), some tools, etc, etc. The toilets, sinks, steam shower, and bidet seat are all Kohler. The sink faucets are Delta and the shower fixtures are Brizo. We went through Plumbersstock for the fixtures/rough-ins and it was SOO much cheaper than everyplace else...so much cheaper I assumed they were either fake or repackaged with parts missing. So far everything seems fine! This was a ton of work. I have basic construction knowledge from working in a scene shop (professionally) for a few years, but i'd never hung a tile (and still haven't- that was 100% my wife) and only casually understand plumbing work. We read A LOT, watched A LOT of videos, drank A LOT of icy-cold Coors Light, and probably overbuilt virtually everything. We did this mostly on the weekend as we both work full-time and my wife travels EVERY week from Mon-Thur., so by the end we were both in a way. Ill post more of the tools used when we do a kitchen post (I built all the cabinets/drawers/doors and the total cost was only ~$4k), but for the most part all this was done with basic power tools (sawzall, circ saw, drill/impact drivers), a 10 year old Rigid job-site table saw, a newer Makita dual-tilt 10" miter saw, a $30 Kreg jig, and various implements of destruction (numerous sledges, crowbars, and pry-bars of all shapes and sizes). I splurged on decent blades for everything, as that makes an ENORMOUS difference (think sharp vs. dull knives). [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 May 2020 07:47 PM PDT So I'm trying to mount a TV on my wall. Apartment complex that is mostly brick and concrete. My wall I'm mounting the TV on is shared with a neighbor, the walls in this complex are pretty thick, I never hear my neighbors. If you look at this picture, I can explain what I tried doing. The first two set of holes from the left are my original measurements. My studs according to my stud finder is 24 inches. The column in the middle drills through no problem (using 4 inch screws). The column on the left however, does not drill past an inch. So I had room on the right side and tried drilling there, same problem. But if I drill near the floor on the same column on the right, I can drill through just fine. First time really drilling into a wall, what could be going on? EDIT: When I took out my drill bit, i saw bits of metal on it. [link] [comments] |
| Woo it feels good to have hot water again. Finally finished my hot water heater Posted: 10 May 2020 07:32 PM PDT What started as a simple job turned into replacing all of the fittings, the thermostat unit, trying to clean out some gunk, and I was hoping the anode rod but I can't make that thing budge. Anyhow 2 weeks after my thermostat got a failure error and a crap tons of runs to the store cause I didn't have what I need to do something, my water heater is up and running. Just took my first hot shower in 2 weeks. Best part, I no longer have a slight gas smell around the unit. Been there since the day I moved in but apparently never bad enough to set off any of my carbon monoxide detectors. Anyhow any tips on getting that anode rod out? I can't get it to budge. Used a hammer, cheater pipe, elbow grease, two people, etc. Couldn't get it to budge. Though I need to find a way to tie the tank down, hard to hold it still, even with a 2nd person when I am putting that much force on the ratchet. Thinking about picking up an impact driver with a 1/2 drive attachment. Any recommendations? [link] [comments] |
| How to fix window frame leaking? Posted: 10 May 2020 06:51 PM PDT When it is raining, the water come out under the frame. Is it water coming in from drywall ? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 May 2020 05:48 PM PDT Recently removed some old carpet, and to our surprise, revealed an old hardwood floor. Any suggestions on what type of flooring to transition to where these old parquet floors meet up with the hardwood? It's hard to find something complimenting. https://i.imgur.com/lE1lyRj.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Fcjhr9r.jpg [link] [comments] |
| Where can I donate new blinds that came with the new house? Posted: 10 May 2020 05:47 PM PDT Hello, first time home owner and first time posting in this sub, I hope this question fits here. We have been taking down all the blinds in our place to install curtain rods. Since they're new, I feel bad throwing them out. Where can I donate them? Do places like goodwill take them? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 May 2020 05:42 PM PDT https://www.vidble.com/b66cKGCRJJ.jpg So clearly I didn't think this through. There is not enough space for me to swing the hammer. I held the hammer sideways and tapped it on the head of the nail but I can't get it to go any farther. Is there any hope or should I just use a different style of hook? Edit: thank you all for the suggestions! I'm going to try them but please keep sharing if you can think of any. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 May 2020 05:41 PM PDT Hi all, I just bought curtain rods but I am unable to install them because of the shape of the wall corner. The edge of my window aligns directly next to two perpendicular walls and the space above only gives me 3 inches to work with. I was unable to hammer the curtain rod nails due to lack of space. I'm wondering if anyone knows of any other ways I can get a rod onto my wall, maybe using the two perpendicular walls instead of the wall above the window. Or the name of a type of rod I should buy. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| I built a deck in my backyard! Posted: 10 May 2020 09:14 PM PDT A friend and I worked together, and we were overseen by a contractor. 3 imgur albums with photos and descriptions of the whole process! Part 1 http://imgur.com/gallery/KkeY0mD [link] [comments] |
| Anyone know how to remove this part of a tap ? Posted: 10 May 2020 03:24 AM PDT Trying to get at the washers inside Tap https://imgur.com/gallery/aGdPmbF [link] [comments] |
| Is my deck rotting? What do I do? Posted: 10 May 2020 06:02 AM PDT White/yellow dots are pollen Where it is black is what I am concerned about. What do I do? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Shower pan is cracked - how to fix Posted: 10 May 2020 05:55 AM PDT I noticed a crack in our shower pan today in our upstairs bathroom. We need a medium term fix/patch as we don't have the funds to replace our ancient shower. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| New water heater pilot won't light! Posted: 10 May 2020 07:56 PM PDT I just bought a new 40 gallon gas water heater from Lowe's and barely got it down the narrow and awful stairs in my 1907 home and into my basement. I hooked everything up, filled up the tank and finally tried to light it by turning the gas back on and holding the pilot button down while repeatedly clicking the light button only to see nothing happen. I'm not even seeing a spark occur in the viewing window. The water heater has Honeywell controls and the wires all look connected and secure, everything is dry and I've tried it a million times now with no luck. At this point I think I will need to call somebody for help. My question is - who do I call? If there is something wrong with the water heater of course Lowe's should replace it, but I can't describe how difficult it is to move objects like that into and out of my basement, it's horrible. Does Lowe's have technicians they could send out? Or should I just call a plumber and bite the cost bullet? Or maybe anyone has any ideas on how I could just get this thing working? [link] [comments] |
| R22 condensing unit replacement Posted: 10 May 2020 05:53 PM PDT My house was built in 2004 and I opened up the condensing unit today to clean it and a portion of the fins started to disintegrate. It sounds like this is pretty rare, some say it can happen from leaving cleaner on and not rinsing, dog pee, or something along those lines. I do live a block from the bay so salt could be an issue. Also the thing is 16 years old. I've had issues with keeping the upstairs cool, pretty much since I bought they place. It's a split unit with the furnace in the attic. I know that can mess with efficiency but the insulation appears immaculate. I do think that the upstairs unit is undersized and should be the larger unit than the downstairs but I know that that will get people arguing. Downstairs is 2 ton, upstairs is 1.5 ton. Around 1800sq ft. Vaulted ceilings upstairs. I had already started to browse condensing units prior to opening this one up, but today pretty much solitude that I need to at least replace upstairs condensing unit, if nothing else. Now my question is, would it be better to just replace the unit with another R22 unit since hopefully it would be minimal refrigerant that I should need if it's captured and put back in, or just bite the bullet and make the conversion to R407C/421A, I think they were. Either way, I was thinking about possibly going for 2-2.5ton. [link] [comments] |
| Small kitchen flip, looking for ideas to fit a dishwasher in! Posted: 10 May 2020 07:14 PM PDT I'm trying to get some ideas of where I can fit a dishwasher in this property flip without removing any more cabinets due to the limited space. Any ideas!? (There's a stair way up to the up stairs behind the fridge / microwave, and to the right of the fridge is a stair way down to the basement) Photo 1: https://i.imgur.com/7PMGup4.jpg (facing East) Photo 2: https://i.imgur.com/Dp0WOas.png (facing West) Photo 3: https://i.imgur.com/YVspVQx.png (facing South West) [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 May 2020 05:10 AM PDT I'm finally planning on changing the locks on my house (never re-keyed after purchasing, and swapping from the gold colored knobs/locks to silver or nickle). What I was really surprised by at the hardware store is that the locks for sale today are significantly lighter than what is in my house already (house was built in the 80s, though it has changed hands a few times and may be new locks). Does the lighter weight mean they are lower quality locks? Or are they just as good but better materials today? For reference, we have three exterior doors that have a schlage knob and separate deadbolt. [link] [comments] |
| Offset umbrella post gone wrong Posted: 10 May 2020 03:15 PM PDT http://imgur.com/gallery/3qG3xaC Sooooo... I've done at least two things wrong here. Probably a couple others I just don't know about yet. 😁 I miscalculated the concrete for the form. Thought I needed most of three bags. Second bag left me a couple inches short. I debated letting it go, but it was lower than I wanted so I broke into the third bag. At this point, it occurred to me that I'd mixed the first two bags too dry and I'd have trouble getting the anchors in. Got a better consistency out off the last bag and, sure enough, I could get the anchors in those couple of inches but no more. I didn't have lots of options at that point, so I shrugged and went for it. But the third bag didn't bond well with the second and when I mounted the umbrella, the concrete popped apart right at the seam. (The other issue is that I used galvanized carriage bolts instead of real anchors. Smallest anchors I could find were 1/2 inch, which was too big for the stand.) What's my best bet at this point? Pop off the couple of inches of concrete from the top and use tapcons or the like into the layer below? Epoxy the pieces together? Have my teenager dig it all out and start over? Hahahahaha! That last one killed me. 😂 [link] [comments] |
| Need help deciding how to level plywood subfloor/ underlayment Posted: 10 May 2020 08:36 PM PDT I'm in the process of laying down a vinyl floor. pulled up 2 layers of laminate/ 3/8 inch plywood underlayment. then I put down a 3/4'' plywood underlayment on the existing subfloor. basically the entire middle of the bathroom floor is slightly raised. outer edges slightly slope down to about 1/8 of an inch. it's subtle, but it's there. I also noted this grade on the subfloor as well. what do you guys recommend for leveling the plywood? [link] [comments] |
| What is this rubber strip in my shower called? Posted: 10 May 2020 06:20 PM PDT Just moved here and each time we take a shower, there's a huge pool of water outside the shower door. After a couple uses, saw that it's cus a section of this strip was installed too short so water just sweeps out. I'd like to replace it but for the life of me, nothing that looks like it shows up in my searches. Thanks in advance! [link] [comments] |
| I have a retaining wall that’s leaning. What is my best option? Posted: 10 May 2020 10:32 AM PDT We've lived in our house in PA for 15+ years. This sleeper wall was straight when we moved in but now it's leaning severely. I think it's just shifted over the years due to the freeze/thaw cycle. Today I dug up the tie posts and expected the wall to fall over with little effort, but it's still stuck firmly in place. https://imgur.com/gallery/BGVsH91 This is in a corner of my house where no one sees it, and it's not holding anything up other than a small bank of dirt, so I think I have three options.
I'm reluctant to do #3. I have more important projects to spend my money on and the sleepers are still on good condition. I was planning to do #2 but the fact that it's stuck in place makes me think that #1 may be the better pragmatic choice. Thoughts? I'm open to other ideas too. [link] [comments] |
| What is the most common, neutral, inoffensive, paint color for a main living area Posted: 10 May 2020 07:00 AM PDT Picking a paint color is like picking a cucumber from a bin - i get anxiety over picking one and constantly second guessing myself so i end up not getting a cucumber. But I have bare drywall and I need to get something on the walls asap. [link] [comments] |
| What to use to fill in window with a/c unit? Posted: 10 May 2020 05:09 PM PDT Sorry if this is the wrong sub or was already asked. Im very new to home improvement, and this is the first time I'll be installing an ac unit. I have windows that are slide left to right, and was wondering what the best way to install it properly so it's insulated, and what to do with the rest of the opening above it. I know a lot of people just use plywood, but I was wondering if there were some inexpensive other things to use that would wouldn't be as much of an eye sore as plywood. Any recommendations on AC units would also be super appreciated. From reading other posts on this sub I have learned that portable ac units are usually more expensive, and aren't as efficient, and the more BTU the better. [link] [comments] |
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