Home Improvement: Tip: Plumber I paid 150$ to unclog my un-snakable drain used Talon drain opener. Hope this helps someone else, and saves them from paying 150 bucks :) |
- Tip: Plumber I paid 150$ to unclog my un-snakable drain used Talon drain opener. Hope this helps someone else, and saves them from paying 150 bucks :)
- Concrete Countertops (pics attached)
- Hardie Panel 4x8 Pricing HELP!!
- Building detached garage
- Need help with windows
- Carpet vs Vinyl, not sure which is more cost-effective
- Interior painting advice
- Changed closet door hinges, door won't shut now
- Where/how can I get these gorgeous vertical slats?
- Home Depot refuses to install carpet that came with *free installation." Should I ask for reimbursement for install cost?
- Exterior door installation
- Tell me about life with a septic tank
- Electrical copper wire ran in my ceiling every few inches?
- Help with Samsung Microwave handle replacement
- Question about rocks
- Why are wall-hung toilets so uncommon in the US?
- Cable Wall Jacks
- Trying to Fix Blinds
- New construction home being built. Windows left open and after some heavy rain there is water inside the home. Any advice?
- Is a whole house water dechlorinator safe?
- Advice for finishing a basement
- Black accent wall - which would be easier to remove later on: black wallpaper or painting the wall
- Perfect repair on sanded paint?
- Drywall Help
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 09:22 AM PDT My bathtub had been clogged and we could not snake it because of the way the drain is structured. I paid a plumber to fix this, and he basically used this product: Talon Drain Opener (you can buy it in Amazon for ~20 bucks). He said that this product is non-corrosive on the pipes and works on very hard clogs as well. Posting it here in case it helps someone else in the same situation as me. Would also like feedback on this product from other plumbers in this thread. Edit - TIL that this is just another "lye" product (I love this Pun) and I learnt about MSDS. Apparently any 99% Sodium Hydroxide product is the same, and I can find it in Walmart for 7$. Edit 2: There are many comments in the thread below about me complaining about paying the plumber. I could have used Reddit to find a good solution to unclog, but I paid him to take care of that for me, without corroding my pipes. I am frustrated with him, because he assured me that this product will not corrode pipes, when the comments below suggest that it corrodes metal pipes. And this is why I love Reddit! Edit 3: Many have asked for how my bathtub looks and why he could not snake it.Here is a picture. that metal thing is not removal and was too small for his snake and mine as well. Suggestions welcome. Edit 4 - Looks like I hired a handy-man instead of a plumber. Apologies to all the plumbers out there. [link] [comments] |
| Concrete Countertops (pics attached) Posted: 29 Jul 2020 07:58 PM PDT I bought an old UGLY house in April, my first home! It needed a lot of updating but the bones were good so I decided to jump. The kitchen was just garbage. I ripped everything out to the studs, tore out some walls, I did a lot of work that I'll dive into in a different post later but for now I want to show these tops off. I tripled my counter space and saved a ton of money going with concrete over granite. Sealing and epoxy coating tomorrow to get rid of the fine waves.countertops [link] [comments] |
| Hardie Panel 4x8 Pricing HELP!! Posted: 29 Jul 2020 08:17 PM PDT I am in the process of building a new construction 4 unit in Chicago and will be using Fiber Cement Hardie Panel for the 1st time and am somewhat new to this. I was a bit confused when the Sub who will be doing the install provided me with the material quote from a local supplier in Chicago to pay, it shows 380 deep ocean 4x8 Panels HZ5 5/16 panels at $57. When I look at the same 4x8 HZ5 panel at Lowe's it shows up at 38. Am I missing something? If anyone can help me figure out what is going on it would much appreciated or has access to a lower cost supplier, it would be much appreciated!! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 06:41 PM PDT In live in the St. Louis area. I want to build an external garage for my lawn mower, an extra car and a workout area. I'm thinking 24x24 is that big enough? I've never really built anything but I have skilled labor to help. (Family) I was going to pay to have it done but the quotes I'm getting are insane. How hard is it to pour a 24x24 concrete slab? What should be left to professionals? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 08:15 PM PDT As the title says, my wife and I are looking to replace the original windows in our 1993 house. They are metal single hung windows and are awfully inefficient. We had window world out for a quote. They quoted vinyl double hung windows for about $500/window. Not wanting to go with the first or cheapest folks, my wife scheduled a consultation with a Renewal by Andersen dealer. He came in and did the kitchen table sales pitch and quoted $2500 per window ($38,000!!!) for our house. My FIL bought Andersen 200 series Gliding windows for $750 each and I've seen several posts online stating quotes for Renewal by Andersen ran about $1000 per window. I feel overwhelmed. Like I am taking crazy pills. Why was our quote $2500? This is a big decision, and windows are the last major component of our home that should need replacing for some time. I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to cheap out, but $2500/window adds up to 10% the value of our home. It's just too much. [link] [comments] |
| Carpet vs Vinyl, not sure which is more cost-effective Posted: 29 Jul 2020 07:39 PM PDT My husband and I had to rip up carpets in three rooms, because our cat was having urine crystal issues and it took a while to get that under control. He's okay now. On special food and everything. Well, since then, we've been left with bumpy, uneven, concrete floors in those rooms. What we can't figure out is what would be most cost-effective, and also what would be easier to deal with if, for whatever reason, our cat starts having issues again. This is also our first house, which is already a money pit for other reasons. With that in mind, we really don't have the budget to go for top of the line anything. I did quick math using the prices on Lowes's website to get a general idea of what either would cost, and they seem to be about the same. I took the carpet, padding, vinyl planks, and underlayment into consideration. The only thing I don't know is how much tacking strips would add to the cost. Lowes does free installment on Stainmaster carpets, so we'd go with that if we decide to get carpet through Lowes. As far as long-term goes, which would be a better option? The initial cost might be similar, but I wanna make sure I'm getting my money's worth. If it helps, we live in Florida, and have two large dogs and three cats. I expect whatever we put down to get a lot of traffic. We also intend to talk to flooring specialists, but I figure it can't hurt to ask reddit. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 05:51 PM PDT Hello reddit. So my fiance and I just closed on our first house. We are excited to get going with all the DIY home improvement projects (ripping up carpet, painting, new baseboards, window/door trim (?), and eventually renovating both bathrooms. Specifically for this post I am looking for advice in the painting department. We are planning on repainting basically the whole interior. We might buy bare and paint the new baseboards as well if it is more efficient/economical. The house was built in the 60s and doesn't look like much has been done since except more coats of paint and maybe new kitchen cabinets. I've seen the spray applicators and am wondering if it is worth buying one? would they work for interior painting? I assume that would be an easier way to paint baseboards than with a brush. My worry with that though is the longevity of the paint on the base boards, not to mention what it is like using those in an enclosed space on the walls (health concerns, over spray). With the baseboards, would the paint need to go on thicker, which might not be achievable with the spray? As for the window/door trim, should we try to replace those to match as well, or just paint white since that is the plan for the baseboards? Any advice is welcome as we are new and very excited to get started. [link] [comments] |
| Changed closet door hinges, door won't shut now Posted: 29 Jul 2020 09:34 PM PDT Hello, Quick question for everyone. I decided to paint the awful looking closet doors that came with my house that I've been in for the past 6 years. I took them off, took them outside where over the past 2 days I've used a spray gun to paint them and let them dry. I also purchased new hinges that don't look old and gross. I went to put them back in today and one of the doors is no longer shutting all the way. It's jamming on the top right, latch side (hinges are on the left side, door opens out.) I can't for the life of me figure out what's going on. I can easily sand the corner down, but I'd rather figure out why it isn't closing all of a sudden before making modifications. Just so everyone has the correct info, the hinges that WERE on were 3 1/2, rounded edge brass. I'm replacing them with 3 1/2 straight cornered satin steel. They are the same thickness and the recess in the door frame is straight cornered, not just rounded. The only thing that is also different is the bottom screw of the top hinge won't go in all the way because of a broken screw so I was leaving that one out. The other 2 screws on that hinge can be tightened snugly. Bottom hinge has no issues. Thoughts? [link] [comments] |
| Where/how can I get these gorgeous vertical slats? Posted: 29 Jul 2020 01:43 PM PDT My husband and I are trying to cover a portion of a wall in our new LA apartment with vertical wooden slats like the ones in the two inspiration photos linked below. We would like to do this in the least labor-intensive manner possible (ideally could buy 1 or 2 panels of them?) but don't know what kind of wood to look for (or even what they're called - is slats the right term?). If we can't buy ready-made panels of them, would we have to stain individual pieces differently to achieve that lovely textured/inconsistent color? Honestly we know nothing so any help/advice would be so very appreciated! Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 11:22 AM PDT Bought $800 of carpet advertised with free installation. First, installers set an appointment then never showed up. I made another appointment for 2 weeks later, they ripped up the old carpet and then refused to install the new. Said the tile underneath probably contains asbestos and refused to work until it's tested and removed (cost about 2K). Called other contractors, all of whom said that's ridiculous and it's more hazardous to rip it up than to just cover it with a good pad and carpet.. State licencing website says the same. So now we're paying for the install ourselves. Ami wasting my time asking them to pay for the install? T&C mention nothing about their right to refuse to do the job. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 08:34 PM PDT This past weekend my husband and I decided to take on the project of replacing our front door. We watched videos, read the instructions.. seemed like a fairly simple weekend project, install one day and paint the next... its Wednesday night and we are still stumped. We measured and made sure everything was level. From the inside we finally got it to close correctly and it looks great (after 2 days of adjusting shim after shim). The original problem was a gap at the top latch corner, we could see light coming in and from the outside you could easily stick your fingers in the gap between the door and the weather stripping. It felt like the more we tried to fix it the worse it got or we created a new set of issues. Well whatever we did we are at the point where the door only has a slight gap at the top only noticeable from the outside, barely a finger can go between that same space now. The door fits snugly, cannot be slammed close easily, seems to catch about 3/4 way and you have to pull/push it the rest of the way. It isn't terribly hard to open just feels 'secure' as my husband put it. We don't want to have to pay a contractor to come out when we feel we are 99% done, but we also don't want to do a shitty job... so I'm here posting in hopes that I can get some answers as how to fix this issue. We have added and taken out shims all over the damn door frame and the combination we have now has worked the best. Adding a shim to the bottom creates a whole new set of issues (pulling away from the hinge side, unable to latch closed, pulling away from the latch side, reversing our original problem where the bottom latch corner was so low it wasn't able to close..) and we have also tried hinge shims which really didn't seem to do much. We desperately want to get this done and put the trim up. If this issue sounds like it's a very minor problem then we are willing to give up and call it good. If it sounds like a simple fix and/or a bug problem then we will give it another go or at last resort call someone. Please any ideas? We have watched so many YouTube videos and its almost frustrating how easy they make it look with all the trouble we have been having but if there is one you think we NEED to see feel free to post it. [link] [comments] |
| Tell me about life with a septic tank Posted: 29 Jul 2020 04:48 PM PDT I've been connected to the local collection system my entire life, but I'm considering the purchase of a property that's got a (newish) septic tank and I've got some questions.
[link] [comments] |
| Electrical copper wire ran in my ceiling every few inches? Posted: 29 Jul 2020 03:21 PM PDT I've been searching all over but either my wording is off or this isn't normal. Why would there be electrical wire ran in my 1960's build house's ceiling plaster? Wire is ran across ever few inches but not crisscrossing, just straight from one wall to the other. Trying to install a ceiling fan and I noticed the wires. My hot wire meter says the entire ceiling is hot even with the main house breaker off. https://i.imgur.com/uzxhWsI.jpg https://i.imgur.com/nci8pLe.jpg I've called an electrician to come finish this project but it's been bugging me so I figured I'd check in on reddit. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Help with Samsung Microwave handle replacement Posted: 29 Jul 2020 11:03 PM PDT My microwaves handle broke off and after googling the issue it appears this is very common with many microwaves. Most folks seemed to salvage the screws that came with the handle and used those with their replacement handle. Well I'm able to access the screws with no issue, but the problem is where the handle snapped off left a ton of plastic material wrapped around the screws that make removing them impossible. I was able to remove some of the plastic, but now it is essentially on the base off the screw and I don't know how to get it removed from here. I can't push the screw through as the hole is too small to include the plastic. Attached is a picture of what I am up against: https://imgur.com/gallery/i8u354V Any suggestions on how to navigate this? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 07:17 PM PDT Pictures of the rocks and where I'd like to move them. The house we bought has a "fire pit". You can see in the picture that it only loosely qualifies considering the border of the pit itself is painted garden border stones. Surrounding the pit are rocks that are on top of white kitchen trash bags. To say that I think it's an eyesore is putting it mildly. In the front of the house is some mulch on top of dirt with some stepping stones. I'm planning to move the rocks from the back and replace the mulch with them for a temporary fix to two separate problems. I'm planning to use some of the black border that's corralling the rocks in the back to keep them separate from my more dirt than grass from yard. My question is, do I need to put anything down between a weed barrier and the stones? Sand or smaller gravel or both or none? Eventually we would like to widen the driveway so this is more about removing one awful thing to have something that looks better than what already exists. [link] [comments] |
| Why are wall-hung toilets so uncommon in the US? Posted: 29 Jul 2020 11:47 AM PDT Wall hung toilets seem to be really common most places besides the US. These are the toilets with a tank embedded in a (sometimes false) wall behind the toilet, with a flush panel instead of a handle. Here in the US, of course, the classic one or two piece visible tank toilet is the standard. Does anyone know why there's such a big split? Most places I've gone in Europe and Asia (both residential and commercial), wall-hung has been the standard. Is it just a space-saving thing because American buildings are larger, or is there some underlying market or building code reason that drives this? Thanks for indulging my curiosity. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 02:36 PM PDT Hey everyone! We're about to close on a home in a few weeks, and we've been going through what work we will have to do ourselves upon moving. During a walkthrough of the home (a fairly recent "flip") I realized that the home doesn't have any coaxial jacks for internet. When I asked the seller he remained insistent that "it's wireless Comcast." I've tried elaborating and asking a couple times where the physical cable is actually entering the home, if at all, and I've realized Im on my own with this. The seller is either an idiot, uncooperative about it, or I'm an idiot. Local cable company will only run line to the house. They no longer fish for wire and, right now, won't even drill a hole to run it. What kind of professional would I need to run the cable from the side of the home and install cable jacks? And does this guy's answer make any sense? I work in IT and all I can think is he is thinking of companies currently trying LTE-enabled routers (like TMobile is trying). I don't see how his explanation "you don't need any cable physically into the home" makes any sense. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 06:15 PM PDT I'm having trouble fixing some blinds in house I just bought. There is no mechanism to help it open and close, and the catch to keep them raised doesn't always "catch", and tilts the blinds to one side something. I watched some how-to videos, and I think there just is no tilt mechanism in it. Is this something I can buy? How do I know I'm buying the right one for my blinds? And how do I fix the catching issue? Thanks! edit: Here are the pictures https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/6733/b2t3nw.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/7964/9NFmIn.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/9650/DsJKbq.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/9937/N51P3t.jpg [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 09:59 PM PDT Hey everyone. As the title implies I'm having a new home built and I've been driving to the location weekly to check up on it as we're set to close at the end of September. When I arrived at our new home someone had left all the windows and doors open and it had rained heavily earlier (Florida). Our house already has drywall up and our tile floor is already installed in all the rooms. All cabinets, countertops, electrical wiring and hardware has been installed as well. Upon entering the home there were puddles of standing water in most of the rooms. You can see where the water entered in through the window and ran down the wall over the window sill. While we do have our tiles in, the edges where the tile meets the baseboards are not sealed so I am worried about water getting in between there and causing damage in the future. Some of the drywall had not been painted yet but did have the texture plastered on but that was mushy/runny to the touch in all the wet spots. Some of the windows also have electrical sockets (wiring is done) underneath them so I am concerned about water getting inside as it did run down the wall and possibly corroding or shorting something in the future. I plan on calling the construction manager tomorrow to discuss what I found but I was wondering what I should expect or ask them to do in a situation like this. Thank you for your help! [link] [comments] |
| Is a whole house water dechlorinator safe? Posted: 29 Jul 2020 09:59 PM PDT The whole purpose of chlorine in city water is to cut down on bacterial growth. Does installing a whole-house carbon filter increase the possibility of bacteria growing in your home plumbing? [link] [comments] |
| Advice for finishing a basement Posted: 29 Jul 2020 06:48 AM PDT I recently moved into a new construction house and I'm looking to finish my basement. I've tried looking up the answers to my questions, but I'm honestly overwhelmed with all of the conflicting opinions on insulating the basement walls. From what I've gathered, insulating the concrete walls of the basement is to prevent moisture and mold build up, and to help mitigate heat loss. I've been trying to find the most cost effective way to do the work, but I'm at a loss as to how to proceed. The way I see it, I've got a couple options:
I'm sure I'm overlooking a ton of things here, so any advice would be appreciated. I'm currently thinking option 2 is the way to go, so please tell me if I'm an idiot for thinking that. Thank you in advance! Edit: a little more info that I didn't think about: The basement comes above ground about two feet for the windows, I have a bilco door (not sure if that changes anything) and the insulation is fiberglass being held in place by the plastic vapor barrier. About every 6 feet or so there's a masonry screw in the concrete holding everything in place, no studs at all. Picture of part of the basement for reference: https://imgur.com/gallery/JfnFaBW [link] [comments] |
| Black accent wall - which would be easier to remove later on: black wallpaper or painting the wall Posted: 29 Jul 2020 04:31 AM PDT I've decided I would like to do a black accent wall, but am concerned about if I decide to remodel down the road. Would I end up having to apply a thousand coats of paint to cover the black? I don't know what removing traditional wallpaper entails, if that would be harder on the wall and leave more damage? [link] [comments] |
| Perfect repair on sanded paint? Posted: 29 Jul 2020 09:31 PM PDT I have some drywall nail pops on the ceiling, which is painted flat white with a sand texture. New screws will be added next to the popped nails. Is a perfect repair possible and how challenging would it be to blend in? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 05:40 PM PDT HomeImprovement Community, I finished up with a pretty major remodel last year and am having some issues with the drywall cracking where it meets up with the old Rock Lath. I would really like some assistance on how to move forward in repairing this and appreciate any advice in advance. Backstory below. The walls that were removed were structural walls. Plans for structural work were signed off by structural engineer but basically there are 5 recessed beams in the attic where the walls once were. The original walls and ceiling are Rock Lath construction and the patch on the ceiling where the old walls were is Drywall, then hot mud, then premix compound. A Lot of hot mud/compound was needed to match up plane with the existing rock lath. Basically what is happening now is that in almost all spots where the new drywall meets the old rock lath a crack has formed. To top it all off some of the old rock lath had cracked from the stress of my buddy and I working in the attic to install the structural beams. The drywall work has been completed for a little over one year so it's gone thru many different heat/cold cycles and hopefully all the settling. Due to the size of the patching required, and time constraints, I contracted this portion of the job out. I had to fire the first contractor due to schedule/quality issues and had to have another contractor come in and finish his work. I say this because I don't think I would be able to get either one to fix it because of a "That's the other contractors fault" type situation. I am pretty proficient at drywall work myself so am not too terribly afraid to tackle the fix, depending on what needs to be done. I just want to make sure I'm going about it correctly before I waste the time. So here is what I'm thinking. Option #1: The first contractor maybe did not properly tape and mud the first layer of hot mud causing the crack. He used mesh tape. Solution would be to sand down an 1/8" of compound the width of some Drywall Crack Repair tape down the length of the crack. Properly set this new tape in and float compound to finish. Option #2: Pay a contractor to put 1/4" drywall over the entire ceiling. Option #3: ?? Thanks again [link] [comments] |
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