Home Improvement: What tools would an average homeowner benefit from that they may not know of? |
- What tools would an average homeowner benefit from that they may not know of?
- Dangers of Basic Electrical Work
- Groundhog currently caught in trap, called company I hired, they say they don't work weekends. Need advice...
- What is your favourite tool for under $50?
- Is it possible to even out wall flaws without spackling the entire wall?
- Composite Deck options - what's the best?
- bathroom exhaust fan and septic tank smell
- Quick question about hanging a hook rack over light switches
- Knob and tube
- Window Replacement Costs
- Can I use any brand drill bit and screw bit in this drill I just bought?
- What should I do with kitchen counter tops?
- Where to start on a small addition
- Window AC Units for top floor Brooklyn pre-war building
- Finally bought a welder for home and need to add a 30-50 amp breaker
- Erosion repair in front of property
- Inspection Results for new home reveal possible mold.
- Carpenter ants
- Benjamin Moore Regal Select or Sherwin Williams Cashmere
- Installing a hot tub and need something answered.
- Fence recommendations
- Animal damage
- Window started leaking during a storm.
- Low voltage (coax + speaker) conduit/raceway/covering into stucco under balcony soffit?
- New recessed LED lights flicker once when turning on, should I worry?
| What tools would an average homeowner benefit from that they may not know of? Posted: 06 Jun 2020 04:23 AM PDT What tools would an average homeowner benefit from that they may not know of? Here's my list so far that I use. Open to hearing more.
I didn't include any woodworking stuff because I don't find the average homeowner does that kind of stuff. Any other tool ideas that I could use regularly that would make my life easier? [link] [comments] |
| Dangers of Basic Electrical Work Posted: 06 Jun 2020 06:39 PM PDT Hello everyone, I'm a budding DIY home improvement person, and have been doing some basic electrical work in my home (replaced some thermostats, replaced a light fixture). I am not a licensed electrician. I have done a lot of online research about how to perform these tasks, and have felt comfortable enough to give it a try and have been successful so far. When I mention to people the electrical work I've been doing, their response is usually along the lines of: "I would never do electrical work myself. It's too risky, and it's not worth it. I always hire an electrician." I understand the healthy respect for the potential danger of a botched electrical job, but these basic electrical tasks I've been doing seem pretty straightforward:
Am I a crazy fool for doing these basic electrical tasks myself? What are the dangers that I should be aware of when doing this? Is there anything that I'm overlooking? More info: My home was built in the 90's, so I'm not dealing with some old knob-and-tube wiring setup, or anything weird. It's pretty modern. Thank you. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Jun 2020 02:01 PM PDT Hired a company over a week ago to catch a groundhog living under my shed. Two pissed off caught raccoons later and I finally have the groundhog. The guy the company assigned to me, I'll call him Tim, is maybe one of the nicest, most helpful people I've ever met. He's been here several times in the past week to re-bait traps and free the aforementioned raccoons. I actually talked to him earlier this morning because the traps need re-baiting and he said he'd be here first thing Monday. Cool. I called Tim's cell and left a message and texted him the groundhog is now caught. As a contingency plan I called the parent company I hired (I don't want this little guy sitting in a trap all weekend). Guy who answered the phone said "We don't really work weekends." and suggested I call and text Tim, which I told him I already did. Anyway, I could tell this guy would be of no help so I politely ended the conversation and hung up. What should I do if I don't hear from Tim? Will this thing be alright if he has to stick it out until Monday? EDIT: You know, if I knew about their no weekend bullshit I never would have called anyone and just let him go to be trapped again on a weekday. UPDATE: Tim texted. He's coming over to take him. Done. Thanks for all your help everyone. FINAL UPDATE: Good guy Tim. Came here, took the groundhog, left a trap in case there's more, and would not take the $20 tip I tried to put in his hand. [link] [comments] |
| What is your favourite tool for under $50? Posted: 06 Jun 2020 12:23 PM PDT For me it's Purdy paint brushes. I have used the same 2 brushes to paint 4 complete houses over 13 years and they are still in great shape. Just wondering what other people have and can't live without. Post brands and links if available. [link] [comments] |
| Is it possible to even out wall flaws without spackling the entire wall? Posted: 06 Jun 2020 05:57 PM PDT Trying to fix two things on two separate walls. One wall have the seam tape showing through and another is slightly uneven due to terrible spackle work. I am going to sparkle over them and attempt to hide them. These are relatively large areas to cover and I am afraid the patch work would be obvious. If j sparkle the whole wall, it would surely work but that makes it a whole different order than a simple cover job. Are there any techniques or alternatives I can take to spackle these imperfections without doing the whole wall? [link] [comments] |
| Composite Deck options - what's the best? Posted: 06 Jun 2020 12:48 PM PDT Have very little DIY or home improvement skills, but I'm attempting to teach myself through youtube etc., and redo our existing pool deck which is falling apart, with some composite decking. My main question is - what's the best kind of composite decking, reasonably priced? I'm looking to max at $30-40 a board. I've looked at Lowe's which has Trex brand ($35/board) in stock - but the pile I saw there had a TON of chips on the side edges of the board which doesn't give me a good impression. I am also considering ordering Timbertech online through Lowes, but they don't have any in stock, so I'm not really sure what that looks like or the quality. I've gone to a local lumberyard as well, but they were very expensive and a bit over my budget. Any thoughts or suggestions or personal experience with certain brands? Also is one easier to install than another – or are they all generally the same? [link] [comments] |
| bathroom exhaust fan and septic tank smell Posted: 06 Jun 2020 06:31 PM PDT So when I have the exhaust fan on in my bathroom, I notice that it pulls up septic tank smell from the drains. Is there anything I can do to fix this? [link] [comments] |
| Quick question about hanging a hook rack over light switches Posted: 06 Jun 2020 05:12 PM PDT Hi, European living in the US. I want to hang a hook rack over a light switch. The house is very old in CA, I removed the cover in the hope that I could see the cables, if they are going up towards the ceiling or down towards the floor (some used to be like that I think no?), however I can't because there's a cover inside the hole. The hook rack won't be drilled right above the switch, I think there will be sufficient distance from the cables (if they are going towards the ceiling), what do you think? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Jun 2020 08:41 PM PDT So I bought a house that was built in 1900. This february I had my ceiling come down on me because the plumbers who remodeled the bathroom where shakers and didnt do anything right. So after I wound up taking down my whole kitchen ceiling I found my worst nightmare as a plumber, knob and tube electric. As a plumber I have a natural hesitation around electric and water to begin with. But after some research I found its through my whole house except the dishwasher,fridge ac, and waterheater. My entire house is plaster. Should i remove all the plaster and rewire? Will I be able to pull wire if I dont? The plaster has kind of a popcorn texture so if I can pull wire would I be able to replicate that look easily? Sorry this post is long and kinda all over I'm just trying not to panic over my electric. Tyia [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Jun 2020 05:37 PM PDT We have waited and want to replace our windows. We have 12 windows that are standard size. Meaning, they aren't needing anything customized or fancy. We wanted the basic, energy efficient type without the white grids. Our first quote was today from Lowes. A woman came and measured and emailed us a quote. It was $11,000. The windows we wanted are about $150 each, so that's almost $10,000 in labor. We are blown away at the price. It's a one story home, nothing difficult to access. That was her quote on the ones she recommended, we asked before she left for two options, the one she talked about and then the cheaper option. When we said the first quote was WAY more than we were expecting, she sent the option with the cheaper windows and it was $12,000. So it was MORE for the cheaper window, and she had no explaination. We have never made a purchase like this before. Is this common labor costs for window installation? We plan to get a few more quotes from other places, but if this is average we need to look at installing them ourselves. I thought it would be under $5,000. She told us $11,000 and that was with a military discount, and said there could be some extra costs if he damages anything installing them. It just doesnt seem right, but like I said, I've never done this. Thank you for any advice! [link] [comments] |
| Can I use any brand drill bit and screw bit in this drill I just bought? Posted: 06 Jun 2020 05:18 PM PDT Pulled the plug today and got a Dewalt Drill from Lowes: It did not come with any screw or drill bits though. Can I use any brand of drill bits and screw bits? I did see these online though from Dewalt, so if you guys say these are ok (I am just doing home DIY stuff, haning dry wall sheets, and also on the list of projects is attempt to make a bookcase), then I will just get these: https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-Tough-Grip-27-Piece-Steel-Hex-Shank-Screwdriver-Bit-Set/1000338623 https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-14-Piece-Black-Oxide-Coated-HSS-Twist-Drill-Bit-Set/1000045819 [link] [comments] |
| What should I do with kitchen counter tops? Posted: 06 Jun 2020 09:45 PM PDT Bought a house month ago. We have " cardboard like " countertops(don't know terms) and next to the sink water gets in crack and countertop swells and expands.Previous owner I guess tried to fix with superglue or something but obviously I am not super careful and countertop gets uglier.(it's black with brown little lines-rather have light color) Now I think would be epoxy a good idea? My hubby says better get quarts countertop. What would you suggest? [link] [comments] |
| Where to start on a small addition Posted: 06 Jun 2020 03:42 PM PDT Hi, I'm from Cambridge, Ontario (Canada) and I'm looking to add a second story to an existing addition. The existing addition was done around when the house was built I assume as they're identical (double brick 1900s with a stone foundation) Can someone point me in the right direction on where to start? I'd like to sub out the framing and structural work but do the finishes myself. The current footprint is 25x15. Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Window AC Units for top floor Brooklyn pre-war building Posted: 06 Jun 2020 09:25 PM PDT Hi! I'm looking to get 2 window ac units for my top (4th floor) Brooklyn apartment and could use some help. My bedroom is large (about 215 sf) and has 2 big windows that face west no real shade so it gets a lot of heat in the afternoons. I put a 6,000 BTU ac unit in there based on the sf and it just doesn't seem to be cutting it. It runs constantly and never gets down to the reasonable temp I have it set at (76). The living room/kitchen/dining rooms are open to each other and are about 250 sf combined. They get a lot less sun, but do get good sunlight in the morning as they face east. The kitchen is quite small but sits about 10-12 feet away from the window where the AC unit would be. I don't do a ton of cooking, but the place does get pretty hot whenever I do. I've done all the online calculations, but feel I'm missing something as I feel like being on the top floor makes my place way more work to cool down and it's hard to account for my tiny kitchen that's close to the AC. Any recs for BTUs for the bedroom and common areas? Your help is much appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Finally bought a welder for home and need to add a 30-50 amp breaker Posted: 06 Jun 2020 06:41 PM PDT So as title says I bought a welder to use at home and the highest breaker I have is 20 amp. Everything I've read is 30 and up is recommended. So I have a 100 amp main breaker and a 20 slot with only 12 are taken. Just wanted to see if I can add a 30-50 amp breaker with my current setup. Thanks in advance. [link] [comments] |
| Erosion repair in front of property Posted: 06 Jun 2020 08:42 PM PDT Hey all, The rain runs down the road and I guess this is the result. Erosion. It kind of looks like a big long mishapen pothole, nearly 2 car lengths. I see my neighbor has his lawn extend over this area, so I'm thinking the cheapest way to make this look OK do the same. Replace erosion with more lawn by extending my lawn to the road. I got one quote so far and it was a bit higher than I was expecting (2100 incl sod). "grade, reslope, burm for better water flow, 4-5 tons topsoil, installed tamped packed regrade burm properly to curb area. install sod." Whatever that means. It just seems like a lot to extend my lawn a few feet. My stepdad is a landscaper (just not trying to get him involved), so I can get materials and such delivered if needed. I got a second opinion (no quote) and someone recommended a french drain. Is this job bigger than I am realizing? This would only be half of the battle with making this property look nice from outside, so $2100 is a lot. [link] [comments] |
| Inspection Results for new home reveal possible mold. Posted: 06 Jun 2020 06:29 PM PDT I will be making an amendment to the inspection deadline and will be getting it properly tested. Does this look like mold and not air draft (causing the insulation to act as an air filer)? If it is mold, what is remediation like for something like this? This picture was taken in the upstairs attic crawlspace. The other pictures of the insulation in the full attic looked fine and dandy. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Jun 2020 08:52 AM PDT I live in upstate NY. I'm seeing a lot more carpenter ants than usual all around the house. I found a spot in the basement that I've had issues in the past and sprayed it with any killer but want to know if there's a different way to handle this? Anything good to spray outside around the perimeter of the house? I have a dehumidifier in my basement set to 45. I don't seem to have any dampness problems in the house. [link] [comments] |
| Benjamin Moore Regal Select or Sherwin Williams Cashmere Posted: 06 Jun 2020 08:11 PM PDT |
| Installing a hot tub and need something answered. Posted: 06 Jun 2020 05:52 PM PDT Helping my dad install a hot tub. Have all permits and everything. But the hot tub has me confused as far as wiring goes. We are having an electrician come to do final hook up and inspection but was just getting the stuff ready ahead of time. So my question is, on the control module it reads either 120v @ 16a or 240v @ 32a. However in the manual (older hottub originally purchased in 2000), it states it will need a 240v @ 20a. I can tell the guy who had it before us was running per the 240v @ 20a spec as he only used 10awg wire but shouldn't I go with what the main control panel is telling me in that it requires 240v @ 32a so sizing my breaker would put me at 40a with 6awg wire. Am I correct in thinking this or am I over looking something? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Jun 2020 05:43 PM PDT Guys, what type of fence would you recommend for our entryway? We have a dog and would like to leave him out, so it has to have a lock. And we're renting so would appreciate the most affordable options out there. We don't need anything fancy or everlasting solutions. Thanks https://imgur.com/a/2COd8R7 The total length of fence has to be 11ft 9 [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Jun 2020 05:30 PM PDT An animal, I think a squirrel, chewed through my patio lights over the fire pit. Why would they do this, and how do I prevent it from happening again? [link] [comments] |
| Window started leaking during a storm. Posted: 06 Jun 2020 05:09 PM PDT I'm not entirely sure what to do right now but I noticed my blinds looked wet and upon further inspection, my window is leaking pretty bad. Any ideas on how to solve the situation until I get someone here to look at it? [link] [comments] |
| Low voltage (coax + speaker) conduit/raceway/covering into stucco under balcony soffit? Posted: 06 Jun 2020 04:59 PM PDT TLDR: I mounted some outdoor speakers. I need to run the speaker cable, mounting it into stucco. I've already got coax mounted to the stucco from the cable guy. Figured that rather than drilling holes in the stucco for the speaker cable, I might as well drill holes for a raceway/conduit/etc. and fish both cables in there. What's a good way of doing this? Thanks! Picture: Longer version: I'm setting up an outdoor From the picture above, I need to run the speaker cable from the speaker on the right, to the left, and then down to a weatherproof box that's gonna sit inside a wooden bench/cabinet in front of that plant wall on the left. That'll store all the audio equipment. I originally bought these: Gardner Bender PCS-100B Masonry Coaxial Staple, ¼ Inch., Clip-on, RG-6 / RG-6Q / RG-59, Black and, just, no. I read the reviews and should have listened. They didn't come close to biting into the stucco. So then I bought these: Aluminum Cable Clips for Stucco Surfaces, Qty 100. I'm guessing they'll work splendidly, but it occurs to me that if I'm gonna poke a bunch of holes into the stucco, I might as well use them to mount a raceway, to clean up the existing coax run by the cable guy. Note from the picture above that somehow he managed to get staples into the stucco. They're much longer, and they're rusted to heck, but it "works". I've search for an appropriate staple gun for that use case, but haven't found anything obvious that'll work. At any rate, I've basically searched for every conceivable permutation of "outdoor/exterior/weatherproof raceway/conduit/wire covering low voltage/speaker/coax" and haven't come up with anything obvious. It's been really frustrating. I was debating forever between Wiremold 700 and Legrand Non-metalic raceway, but neither are "outdoor rated". The metal will rust (more on this in a sec) and the plastic may get UV damage. I bought the Wiremold 700, but I may return it as it's MUCH smaller than I thought, and while there's enough room physically for the coax and the speaker cable, it doesn't look like fun fishing it through there. A few logistical/geographic notes: 1). This is in Southern California. Good news is, temperate climate. Bad news, is it's about .8 miles to the ocean, so corrosion is an issue. 2). It's west facing, so not a ton of direct early sunlight (presumably will help for UV?) 3). As shown in the picture, it's "under" a balcony, so unless it rains sideways, it's not gonna get much direct moisture. The coax is presumably outdoor rated (since the cable company put it in) and the speaker wire certainly is (since I bought it). 4). The run is like 15 feel total. Long story short, I've been searching for this for WEEKS and I can't find the right combination for a solution that works for stucco, low-voltage, etc. This isn't my dream home, so while I don't want it to fall apart immediately, if something eventually needs to be replaced after 5+ years or so, that's not the end of the world. Seems like my options are: 1). Drill holes in the stucco and use the cable aluminum cable clips. This'll work, but seems sub-optimal. 2). Buy a staple gun and use more clips like the cable guy did with the coax. Meh. 3). Run an interior rated Legrand non-metalic raceway outside. It'll probably fade from UV eventually (and might sag?) but maybe this is fine? 4). Run the interior rated metallic Wiremold 700 outside. It might rust eventually, and might be a bit of a snug fit, but otherwise should be okay (?) 5). Get something like this (https://www.cableorganizer.com/wiremold/wiremold-aluminum-surface-raceways.htm) which may be very expensive and/or out of stock 6). Run grey (round?) PVC conduit outside, which won't corrode or rust, but will look kind of funny, I think. I haven't been able to find "square" conduit, just the normal stuff like this. Seems like that'd look weird. 7). Some other magical solution you folks recommend? Any help or advice is very much appreciated! Thank you so much! [link] [comments] |
| New recessed LED lights flicker once when turning on, should I worry? Posted: 06 Jun 2020 06:57 PM PDT Installed three recessed lights in the kitchen. They are dimmable and got approved dimmable switch and the dimming works great. Only issue is when I turn on the lights, one or two of them flicker just once and turn on (no other flickering). It's mildly annoying but not sure if anything worth worrying about. [link] [comments] |
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