Home Improvement: Mouse mystery SOLVED!!!! |
- Mouse mystery SOLVED!!!!
- First home, first remodel. Started with the bathroom.
- Creative solution for a too-large cutout for cooktop
- Removed bushes from around foundation to prep for grading lawn away from house. Should I plant grass in the meantime before I decide what new bushes and flowers to plant? So there’s not dirt splashing on my foundation and siding?
- Best way to muffle sounds
- New Homeowner - what are common home maintenance issues?
- Decorative Breezeblock
- Do you always grade away from house?
- Tips for adding dimension to flat ranch exterior
- Is my faucet missing mounting hardware?
- Driveway width for 3 cars
- What can I do to improve this window surround?
- Trying to install LVP in new home. Need flooring advice!
- How to cut a circle through polycarbonate?
- water isn't moving past a level in my drain pump for my portable AC. Not sure what I am doing wrong
- Turned our unfinished basement into a combo "man cave", home gym, retro video game room for ~$900.
- How to deal with all this fungus on house siding
- Electrical Questions
- Screws and Pre-Drilled Studs - Question
- Ikea sink on a Butcher Block bathroom countertop
- How to mount shallow 8 cu. in. switch box?
- Concrete slab with no rebar?
- Need help removing my dishwasher from my cabinet!
- Have a question about installing drywall onto HAT channels with whisper clips
- Balcony railing. Need help
| Posted: 13 Jul 2020 06:11 AM PDT So we've lived in this house for a little over a year and the entire time we've had intermittent mouse infestations. We've had the exterminator here numerous times and have sealed every area they have suggested but still had problems. It was to the point where they gave up and said "well they can squeeze in through anywhere" so we basically spray foamed around our entire foundation. This most recent infestation we've had enough. These little critters liked to live in our crawl space above the laundry room and basement bathroom but they never came up for food in our kitchen so I had no idea what they were living off of. We took off all the drop ceiling that we could downstairs, ripped out all the insulation (gross) and found tons of nesting and acorns. FINALLY we found the entry point. A huge hole where there used to be a dryer vent. Apparently when the previous owners added on the deck, they moved the location of the dryer vent and never bothered to seal the old one. The deck is low to the ground so we can't go underneath and look under there so it wouldn't have been seen otherwise. Unbelievable. We sealed that puppy up, Cloroxed the ceiling tiles, replaced the insulation and set new traps to kill whatever is left in here. I can't tell y'all how relieved I am to finally find the damn entry point and perhaps take care of this problem once and for all. Wish we did it long ago but we trusted the professionals had thoroughly assessed everything! [link] [comments] |
| First home, first remodel. Started with the bathroom. Posted: 13 Jul 2020 09:16 AM PDT We moved into our first fixer upper with no remodeling experience. Decided to start with the smallest bathroom because it was essential and figured the smaller, the "easier". Throughout the process, we encountered lots of mistakes, surprises and headaches but we definitely learned a lot and finally got it (mostly) done! We still have a couple plans left for it but really need to move on to other parts of the house for now and will come back later. Feedback welcome! [link] [comments] |
| Creative solution for a too-large cutout for cooktop Posted: 13 Jul 2020 07:19 PM PDT I am seeking a creative solution for a replacement cooktop. The one currently installed in the (granite) counter is the right width (30") but is approximately 1" too large in the other direction.. I've looked at replacement cooktops and they tend to be around 20" in that direction but for some reason the one that's installed is around 22" (some of it overlaps on the counter). I've yet to find an affordable one that's closer to 22".. Any suggestions for what to do to cosmetically fix this gap? I think I've seen a link somewhere for custom-fabbed trim for situations like this, but it sounds expensive to get something made for it.. I would prefer something that I can do myself, even if it takes a little work. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jul 2020 05:40 PM PDT Removed bushes from around foundation to prep for grading lawn away from house. Should I plant grass in the meantime before I decide what new bushes and flowers to plant? So there's not dirt splashing on my foundation and siding? Also, what terms/words can I google to describe the bushes and flowers around the foundation? Either with mulch or rocks. So I get some ideas. Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jul 2020 10:07 PM PDT My wife works at home as a massage therapist and has started seeing patients again post COVID shutdown (we are in Canada and have been given the green light to resume services). Because of COVID, I have been working from home for the past several months and will likely be doing so into the near future and likely permanently. My job requires me to be on the phone all day. Currently, I have a home office set up in a separate room but my wife is finding that she can hear me talking and worries it might be disturbing her clients. What are some ways to muffle my talking sounds? Acoustic tiles? Maybe a solid wood door? I can also try stuffing a towel under the gap In the doorway. Thanks for any suggestions. [link] [comments] |
| New Homeowner - what are common home maintenance issues? Posted: 13 Jul 2020 04:54 PM PDT Hi Everyone! I am a soon to be new homeowner and wondering what are the most common simple home maintenance issues I should watch out for. Anyone have any thoughts or can share good articles or research on this? Appreciate your input! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jul 2020 06:09 PM PDT Anyone in this sub have experience building a wall using decorative breezeblock? Looking to add some flair to my mid-century modern but I'm having trouble finding resources on reddit/YouTube. We've got the blocks, just want to make sure it's safe and stable for years to come. If you've done this before or, are a mason, I'd love to hear the do's and don'ts of breezeblock. Thanks ! [link] [comments] |
| Do you always grade away from house? Posted: 13 Jul 2020 03:39 AM PDT It seems that many homes do not grade away from the house. It seem often times it is flat or sometimes sloped towards the house and usually there are plants right up by the house. But I've always read that the land should slope away from the house. Should I build up the land right at the base of the house? Not a lot, but maybe like 6 inches and then gradually slope down from there? [link] [comments] |
| Tips for adding dimension to flat ranch exterior Posted: 13 Jul 2020 08:33 PM PDT Our ranch house has a boring, flat exterior. We would like to add some dimension to it, but not break the bank. We are currently working on the landscaping (will be planting more in the fall and spring), so I'm looking for more ideas to the house itself. Next year, we plan on pouring a new driveway and steps to the front door. This gives us an opportunity to possibly add a portico. I thought something small like this would look nice, but I have no clue how much adding something like this would cost (if anyone has a ballpark idea, please share 😊). Any other ideas to add some dimension to the front of our house? ETA: We are also putting on new siding (current siding is rotting), so if you have any ideas to incorporate different styles (horizontal, board and batten, shaker), I'd love to hear them! [link] [comments] |
| Is my faucet missing mounting hardware? Posted: 13 Jul 2020 06:55 PM PDT |
| Posted: 13 Jul 2020 09:59 PM PDT Hi! Sorry if this is not the right place to post, please direct me to a better sub if need be. I'm currently in the design phase of replacing my asphalt driveway with pavers. I have a 2.5 car garage but am I'm trying to get away with being able to fit 3 cars (width wise) in the driveway. Would 23.5 feet be too tight? My current asphalt is 16 ft wide and I can fit two cars albeit it's a bit tight. My dilemma is that I have a water shutoff/on cap in the way, preventing me expanding another 4-5 ft. Would 23.5 ft be wide enough or should I bite the bullet and plan to go over the water cap ? Thanks [link] [comments] |
| What can I do to improve this window surround? Posted: 13 Jul 2020 07:35 PM PDT This is a basement window set into a concrete block basement wall. I'm about to scrape and re-caulk it, but the previous owner obviously did really crappy trim work throughout... it just looks a mess. Also not sure what I should use for the concrete patching all around. I'm marginally decent with wood, but this concrete part is throwing me for a loop. Is this a hydraulic cement thing? Is there a normal PVC trim I can apply to the outside? How do I seal it to keep from leaking from above? I'm in Baltimore County, Maryland if it matters. Thanks for any insights you can provide! [link] [comments] |
| Trying to install LVP in new home. Need flooring advice! Posted: 13 Jul 2020 09:46 PM PDT I'm in the process of remodeling a newly purchased home. We're tearing out the old flooring, which is a mixture of carpet and tile. All of the carpet has been removed but the tile was actually cemented and glued to plywood which was then stapled into the subfloor. Took nearly 2 hours to remove about 6sqft. We decided it would be easier to bring the subfloor to the same level as the tile then install the LVP on top of the old flooring. Would I be able to use water resistant drywall on top of the subfloor to bring it up to the same level as the tile? This would be much cheaper while also being much easier to install. It also gives me the benefit of soundproofing the basement. Any tips would be appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| How to cut a circle through polycarbonate? Posted: 13 Jul 2020 09:37 PM PDT So pretty much I'm searching around for a new apt and I have plenty of options, problem being that they have carpet in areas I need a large space, as I want to put a fitness pole up. I found a workaround of being able to use a floor mat, like the ones you put under rolling chairs at work. The one I found however is made out of polycarbonate which makes it difficult to cut out the circle in the center for the pole. Is there any way that I could or anywhere I could go to cut a circle out in the middle ? [link] [comments] |
| water isn't moving past a level in my drain pump for my portable AC. Not sure what I am doing wrong Posted: 13 Jul 2020 09:37 PM PDT here's the setup : https://i.imgur.com/0kt5yaG.png I have the drain pump going outside my window. I'm not sure how to get the water flowing out and it seems to get stuck on the same level .... [link] [comments] |
| Turned our unfinished basement into a combo "man cave", home gym, retro video game room for ~$900. Posted: 13 Jul 2020 12:16 PM PDT Here's another "quarantine boredom project" post. We (my wife and I) have a ~750 sq ft unfinished basement. Aside from laundry, it's been solely used for storage and all the junk we've accumulated in the 5 years since we bought this house. When we first moved in, we had the lofty goal of having this fully finished and adding livable space. Quotes ranging from $18k-$26k squashed that hope pretty quickly and it stayed as a dirty, dusty tomb for all the shit we were too lazy to organize or throw away. The album shows our budget-friendly transformation. We kept the basement unfinished, but made it a comfortable space with seating for 7. Originally designed to be a home gym (mostly for Insanity or other cardio-based programs), it sort of morphed into a hybrid home gym, NY sports-themed man cave, and retro video game space. The floors are rubber horse stall mats from Tractor Supply Co, the room divider is a few drop clothes. Behind the divider is all of our tools/seasonal decorations/storage for non-perishables. Total spent was about $900:
Very pleased with how it turned out. Hopefully this can give some people ideas on how to make an unfinished basement into something more cozy. If anyone has any questions, let me know. Thanks for looking! [link] [comments] |
| How to deal with all this fungus on house siding Posted: 13 Jul 2020 09:22 PM PDT https://imgur.com/gallery/PhbLRqt I've been replacing exterior trim and ran into this issue. I'm not sure if I should just replace all the affected pieces or if I should just cut out the affected areas and apply some sort of treatment. Please help! Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jul 2020 09:10 PM PDT I don't know if this is as bad as I am perceiving it to be, but I think I'm on the verge of an electrical rodeo. I'll probably have a few companies give me a quote but; here's where I'm at: Northwestern PA home built in 1949. No basement, slab on grade. Most of the house is cloth covered 2 wire run via metal clad cable. Everything tests good on a plug in tester (even being grounded! Thank you electricians past who grounded the metal clad cable!!). The pictures with the "being removed" we're on there when we bought the house. I found out today when I was testing some circuitry that the leads to the box are still live!! It used to (theoretically still would) power the A/C system. I'm pretty familiar with wiring things up and electrical safety as I work in the performing arts world as a technical director and am around/ handle 600V 3 Phase systems on a regular basis. With that being said: Photos: imgur.com/a/dL726Vo Questions (feel free to give your thoughts on these as well): 1.) Is the 100amp federal pacific 250V disconnect switch as much of a nightmare as they're breaker panels were? 2.)Are the breakouts all around the 100amp breaker panel legit? I know everything should have covers (some currently don't) but should all of those be there? I would suspect they should have been one continuous run into the panel. 3.) Is it worth re-pulling those runs if the answer to 2.) is "No"? 4.) I'm assuming all the bare runs of Romex are a no-no. Anybody have any ideas on how to bring this to some sort of code? 5.) Should there be a huge disconnect of the power into the house (below the raceway, it runs out to what I presume is my feed from the street to the house underground.)? It's clearly pretty old and has those big paper fuses in it. It let me open it while hot - so definitely thinking it's from the late 40s/ early 50s. I think this might be a big pain in the ass, but an electrician at where I work told me that I might be in the ball park of $5000 for this work. [link] [comments] |
| Screws and Pre-Drilled Studs - Question Posted: 13 Jul 2020 09:09 PM PDT I'm currently mounting a roller shade on the wall, and I've accidentally pre-drilled the holes using a 3/16th drill bit, which was too big for the screws included. The question is...would I get away with using a #16 screw? Or does it have go be bigger than the pre-drilled hole? Ideally what diameter screw should I use for these pre-drilled holes? Sorry for the silly question...still a bit new to mounting things in general. [link] [comments] |
| Ikea sink on a Butcher Block bathroom countertop Posted: 13 Jul 2020 09:02 PM PDT Hi All, I am going the Ikea route for bathroom sink and was wondering whether Ikea sinks can be installed on a butcher block bathroom countertop. https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/p/odensvik-sink-70180804/ This is the sink I am looking at. Do I need to make a hole in the butcher block or does this sit on top of it? Any help/guidance will really help plan my bathroom improvement. Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| How to mount shallow 8 cu. in. switch box? Posted: 13 Jul 2020 09:02 PM PDT I am trying to install an outlet behind an unmovable mirror that pops off the wall about 3 inches. The only switch box that'll fit behind the mirror is an 8 cu. in. switch box that is only 1.24" deep. I believe I have the room to cut a hole and to insert the switch box, but once it's inserted in the wall, how to I secure it? It has four mounting ears (but no wings), but it would seem that using a screw in these mounting ears would make the drywall between the hole made by the mounting screw and the hole for the switch box crumble. So, how do I go about mounting this switch box? 1-Gang 8 cu. in. Blue PVC Flanged Shallow Old Work Electrical Outlet Box [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jul 2020 06:48 PM PDT Having a new slab put in tomorrow and the guy informed me today that he won't be using rebar. Its 21.5 feet x 14 feet. Is that normal? I'm worried about it not lasting and just cracking and falling apart. Help! [link] [comments] |
| Need help removing my dishwasher from my cabinet! Posted: 13 Jul 2020 08:50 PM PDT So the retention cable on my Samsung DMR77LHS dishwasher snapped, and to replace it I have to remove it from my cabinet. The only issue is that part of the dishwasher is in the ground... I have about an inch of wiggle room above the washer to lift it, but there still seems to be about an inch of washer below the kitchen floor. Am I screwed? Am I going to have to break the tile to get the washer out at all? Thanks in advance! [link] [comments] |
| Have a question about installing drywall onto HAT channels with whisper clips Posted: 13 Jul 2020 08:37 PM PDT So I am in the final stages of soundproofing my room for my home theater. I already installed r-21 insulation, 2 lb/sq.ft. MLV, and now it is time for HAT channels that I got from trademark soundproofing. My question is, after I install the HAT channels, do I just simply screw the drywall into the channels, and what type of screw should I use? Also, would it be effective to apply some green glue to the drywall or not? Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jul 2020 06:18 PM PDT Hello. I really need your guys help. So my step dad is selling me his house and the inspector failed the appraisal because there is no railing on the balcony upstairs. Its a farmhouse and there is a door leading to a flat roof. We never go out that door its just a roof for us. I was looking at railings and they are very expensive. Does anyone know any cheap ideas to pass the inspection. Like it doesn't even have to be a permanent fix. Just something to pass the inspection. [link] [comments] |
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