Home Improvement: Unpopular opinion: yards and grass are dumb and I hate them. They are expensive to upkeep, and honestly ugly anyway. I'd rather have rocks/sand or just pave my whole yard |
- Unpopular opinion: yards and grass are dumb and I hate them. They are expensive to upkeep, and honestly ugly anyway. I'd rather have rocks/sand or just pave my whole yard
- Kitchen Drawer Organization
- Mother-in-Law thinks I crazy overpaid for HVAC system replacement. Is she right?
- Getting rid of mice in a "finished" warehouse that backs up to a field
- 100 year old house and started ripping up carpet. Found OG hardwood, but what is this white stuff on top of it...
- Do black aluminum deck railings/pickets get too hot in summer to touch?
- Is it ok to caulk underneath my newly installed vinyl window since there are weep holes to allow moisture to escape from the window itself?
- To insulate interior walls or not?
- Whirlpool tub switch broken. Can I just connect two wires with a switch?
- Garden hoses that last?
- Major (to me anyway) Deck Renovation
- Rosin Paper - Any difference between red and brown?
- Looking for suggestions on an all-weather, high traction, and easily washable surface for a ramp
- Looking for ideas on what to do with open area of backyard
- Small silver half domes at entryways-new homeowners
- Best website to visualize possible new exterior siding color?
- Will a rainstorm flood this patio because of the small sloped hill behind the fence?
- What's the best way to seal this giant hole under the sink?
- Any regrets with cordless top down bottom up shades, do they get dirty from having to touch them?
- Asbestos air test now or later?
- Need help on what to do with romex?? wire I found behind a bathtub surround.
- Do I need to vent my bathroom drains to the outside?
- Paver Pathway!
- Mold armor - exterior shingles
| Posted: 06 Jul 2020 03:52 PM PDT |
| Posted: 06 Jul 2020 07:09 AM PDT Hey everyone, hope you're all staying safe! GF and I just moved into a house that has lots of big drawers instead of cupboards. We are at a disagreement about how to use them most effectively. I want to move some of our traditional "cupboard" things like plates/mugs/etc. into them. Where she wants to leave those in our remaining uppers and turn all the drawers into defacto junk drawers (ok, maybe I am a little bit biased lol). In any case, what do you all put in your drawers and how do you organize them? Bonus points for pics! Pic of our kitchen island https://imgur.com/a/Yr1hZqH [link] [comments] |
| Mother-in-Law thinks I crazy overpaid for HVAC system replacement. Is she right? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 02:26 PM PDT I am getting my HVAC system replaced. I am getting an Amana 16 SEER heat pump, electric air handler, and thermostat for a 2200 sq foot home. I am paying $8000 including install in KY. My mother in law says she paid $3500, also in KY. I went with a large reputable HVAC installer in the area, so I know I am paying a premium, but did I really overpay by double? EDIT: thanks for all the great responses! Seems like I probably paid a premium, but not outrageous for install by a larger company. [link] [comments] |
| Getting rid of mice in a "finished" warehouse that backs up to a field Posted: 06 Jul 2020 03:09 PM PDT Hi, I'm trying to brainstorm some ideas on how to get rid of/greatly reduce mice in a "finished" warehouse that backs up to a field (I know, an impossible mission). To give some context, it's a steel building with a "shop" area on one side and offices with a loft area above on the other. It isn't overrun by mice after sitting mostly unused for the last 8 months, which gives me a glimpse of hope. When it was built (within the last 10 years) it was spray foamed top to bottom on the office side. Lately, I've spent a large amount of time in all areas of the barn moving things/getting rid of potential nesting areas (a lot of boxes and hiding spots). I still haven't actually seen one but all the evidence is here and I'm sure they're in here (the ones I have caught in the past are small field mice, which makes this even harder). The wall that faces the field (which is about 50 yards away) is about 100-150 ft. long. I know of one area specifically they are taking to get into the office/finished area of the barn. I've been reading about stuffing steel wool in every hole but I'm sure there are a bunch of holes I'm not seeing. I thought of throwing a whole bunch all along the bottom/under the wall but the barn has radiant floor heating and I don't want to create any potential fire hazards (am I overthinking this?). After that, I could spray foam all along the bottom of the barn on the grass side and two gravel sides (the other side is on concrete and I can't see any possible signs of a ground-level entry). Another option would be to buy mesh screens and pin them down along the inside areas and dig a little on all soft ground sides of the barn on the outside. I could use that as a metal barrier to stop ground-floor entry and then spray foam all along the bottom of that as well. The third option would be to get a couple of barn cats. I honestly would prefer to avoid it but am willing to do it if it's the best option. We've had feral cats come and stay around the barn but they end up leaving and going back to their outdoor home somewhere. I have just started reading on how to keep/care for a feral cat. I could build a large enclosed cage on the back wall of the barn with nice cat amenities (shelter, food when necessary, heat pads in the winter if necessary, heated water dish, etc.) for them to get used to and make their home. It sounds like after a couple of weeks they are comfortable there and I could open the door and let them roam wherever. One thing about this option is that we have a busy road about 100-150 yards away on the other side of the barn and I don't want to put them in a dangerous position. I don't expect the interior of the barn to ever be 100% completely mouse-free. But, I think there are some things I can do to greatly reduce how many are able to get in. I would especially like the office side to be as sealed as possible. I would greatly appreciate any advice/thoughts you may have. Sorry if this was a little all over the place. *Edit* - Sorry, left out a key piece of info. There are dogs at the house next door and I don't want to use any poisons in fear that they would accidentally eat a mouse that found its way into their pen after eating the poison. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Jul 2020 02:45 PM PDT https://i.imgur.com/UpuS6uN.jpg What is this white stuff on this hardwood, could it be asbestos? Just started ripping up carpet please don't tell me they just threw a carpet pad over it. Planning on putting in LVP (SPC) [link] [comments] |
| Do black aluminum deck railings/pickets get too hot in summer to touch? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 08:34 AM PDT Say in 80f degree weather, will black aluminum railings get too hot for an adult or child to even touch or rest their arm on? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Jul 2020 02:36 PM PDT Caulking below window ok? https://imgur.com/gallery/oK4sN3J I know not to caulk underneath the bottom trim for moisture escape routes but want to caulk underneath the window for better sound reduction and insulation if possible. Also...it looks like the plastic cover pivots up and down for the weep holes on the windows. That's "open" and functional as shown in the picture right? [link] [comments] |
| To insulate interior walls or not? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 03:08 PM PDT Hi all. We're converting part (about 2/3rds or 350 sq ft) of our garage into living space. The space is one big room except a shower room (approximately 60 sq ft) and half bath (about 15 sq ft). Both rooms have exhaust fans. The main space will be cooled by a 9000 BTU Mitsubishi mini-split. We're insulating the exterior walls and ceiling with R-15 rock wool. One wall of the space will be opening to our pool (we live in Northeast Florida). We thought it would make sense to insulate the interior walls of the shower and half bath to cut down on noise transmission but our contractor says those rooms will be too hot. Drywall isn't up yet so it's not too late to pull out that insulation. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. [link] [comments] |
| Whirlpool tub switch broken. Can I just connect two wires with a switch? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 03:04 PM PDT The on/off switch to the whirlpool tub pump in my house had the wires ripped out, and now they're just laying on the floor underneath the tub. It was like this when I moved in, but I'd like to try the tub to clean it and see if everything works. Could I just pick up a simple switch from Lowe's or HD and wire it up? Is there anything more to these switches then that? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Jul 2020 11:24 AM PDT Hi - has anybody found a way to get a garden hose that lasts more than a summer or two? My house is surrounded with leaky old falling apart garden hoses. Maybe solid rubber ones? Any favorite manufacturers? [link] [comments] |
| Major (to me anyway) Deck Renovation Posted: 06 Jul 2020 08:19 PM PDT TL;DR My new home has a huge deck and we re did it. I think it looks better now. Also cheap (paint) strippers are the best. I have been antsy to post this here because this has been my first significant project as a homeowner. We my (wife and I)purchased a home in southern Illinois in 2019. It was the perfect starter home for us and had this great deck. Fast forward to 2020. We got our flower beds in out front, bumped up the curb appeal a little and started in on this deck basically in the beginning of June. When we dug into it our goal was to spice it up, make it more our style I guess. The stain on it was an opaque cedar stain. I'm calling it the orange stain because it was orange no doubt. On top of not overly liking the look, the wet winter we had chewed it up so it needed a refresher at a minimum. Process: strip the old stain. We found citristrip at the local hardware store for $20 a gallon. It worked fantastic compared to more expensive ones. We rolled it on, waited several hours and pressure washed it off. This was the way to do it. Minimal scraping required. However there were some places no amount of chemical would touch so we rented a big belt sander and did the whole deck with 80 grit sandpaper and it also worked great. The warping in the boards left some spots still with stain so I touched up with a palm orbital sander and did all the edges. Next we cleaned it with deck cleaner from Walmart. I don't have much to say about that. It got sudsy and looked clean to me. We let it dry for a couple days and then applied our first coat of Thompson water seal in nutmeg. Looked great but it wasn't dark enough for our taste so we slapped another coat on. We also are anticipating it to fade so hopefully that will at least prolong the color. While we were waiting for the deck to dry we painted some of the upright posts white and then we are almost done with that. Just some minor trimming to do yet. Overall This has been an amazing project and while it's taken a crazy amount of time and effort (some of that definitely from inexperience) I have had a blast and I'm proud of how far it's come. Enjoy the photos! [link] [comments] |
| Rosin Paper - Any difference between red and brown? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 02:50 PM PDT I'm planning to use rosin paper between ply subflooring and ply planked floorboards to prevent squeaking. Is there any function difference between the red and the brown? [link] [comments] |
| Looking for suggestions on an all-weather, high traction, and easily washable surface for a ramp Posted: 06 Jul 2020 07:08 AM PDT I need to build a porch ramp for my dog. I'm getting him a wheelchair, but even before that a ramp would really help. I'm planning to use plywood for the top, but that will be too slippery when it's wet - he has difficulty staying on his feet on the porch after it rains, even where it's flat. So I need to cover the ramp with something. He does fine on carpet, but standard carpet is not going to work outdoors. There is stuff called "outdoor carpet," and that might work... There's an additional problem in that he is definitely going to poop on this, so I need something that I can clean easily. Ideally with a hose. With the plague going on, I don't particularly want to go around shopping and trying different options. So if anyone has any suggestions for something they have experience with, I'd appreciate that. Edit: Okay, wow. There are so many good ideas here that I never thought of. Thanks all, I'm sure I can get one or more of these to work. [link] [comments] |
| Looking for ideas on what to do with open area of backyard Posted: 06 Jul 2020 09:52 PM PDT Hi all, I have a rectangular shaped backyard that I'm needing some ideas with furnishing. The backyard door is centered on the house, so it opens directly to a gazebo once you walk out. On the right is our small lawn. However, the left side, which is maybe a 35x25ft area, is completely empty. Because it's off to the side and empty, it doesn't feel inviting. I'm trying to find ways I can incorporate it with the gazebo to make it feel like one unified space. Any ideas? Pictures: [link] [comments] |
| Small silver half domes at entryways-new homeowners Posted: 06 Jul 2020 02:43 PM PDT Hello, We are new homeowners (in the PNW) and found that there are silver halfdomes about 1.5 in in diameter by each entryway. They look like doorstops but are not in any location that a door would actually hit them. They are silver in color and pretty sure material but they're hollow. Does anyone know what these might be? New to reddit so still trying to figure out how to add a photo [link] [comments] |
| Best website to visualize possible new exterior siding color? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 09:13 AM PDT Title says it. Looking for a site that can help visualize what painting our siding would look like in different colors. [link] [comments] |
| Will a rainstorm flood this patio because of the small sloped hill behind the fence? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 05:25 PM PDT I'm looking to purchase my first condo. My dad told me that because there is a small hill that slopes down behind that fence, storms will cause flooding into the patio. He said there is a small gutter but doesn't look like it can catch enough water in a rainstorm. My dad is also in the business of knocking every property I see cause he doesn't want anything less than perfect for my money which I've worked and saved hard for many years. I get it. But it also makes me not trust it entirely. In the event it does flood, is there anything I can do to divert or catch the water from my side of the fence? Would sandbags work? [link] [comments] |
| What's the best way to seal this giant hole under the sink? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 06:53 PM PDT It's an apartment building that we found out today has a roach infestation above us, so at this point I care very little about whether or not it's a permanent solution. They can have the security deposit if it is. I've read steel wool and expanding foam, but this is such a big hole I don't know if that would work or not. hole [link] [comments] |
| Any regrets with cordless top down bottom up shades, do they get dirty from having to touch them? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 06:47 PM PDT I'm buying shades for a large prominent window in my house. I'm overthinking this investment, however, thanks to anyone who can provide their experience. My SO and I are grungy dirt bags and I'm wondering if the cordless blinds will get dirty and gross on and near the lifting mechanism...? Maybe I'm answering my own question... [link] [comments] |
| Asbestos air test now or later? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 03:00 PM PDT Quite a few years ago my family removed an Artex ceiling in our house and there was a lot of dust everywhere, I also sanded part of another ceiling without a mask on which continued to crumble until it was recently fixed. A lot of our ceilings have cracks in because our house is so old and they are all Artex. I only recently found out that Artex could contain asbestos and sent off a sample and it came back positive for Chrysotile. I dread to think how much exposure we've had over the years, especially my siblings at such a young age. My parents don't think the current cracks will cause us any harm, but have agreed to overboard my room, although all the other bedrooms also have cracks in them. Would it be worth getting an air test now, even though the majority of the ceilings were disturbed a few years ago or wait until mine is overboarded in case the builder disturbs it more, although we can't get a builder to do the work for a few weeks? In my room there was a leak a while ago that caused the Artex to flake so I've stuck tape over it for now to prevent it dropping onto the carpet. Also, from the previous damage I'm guessing a lot of it would have settled in the carpets, so would an air test show much from the current cracks? [link] [comments] |
| Need help on what to do with romex?? wire I found behind a bathtub surround. Posted: 06 Jul 2020 03:00 PM PDT I'm starting a complete rebuild of my 2nd story guest bathroom, and today I pulled out all of the tub surround's tile and drywall. My original plan was to frame it for a shower niche that would span the length of two stud-to-stud gaps, which would be most of the length of the tub. However, when I pulled out the drywall a little while ago, I found what I assume is electrical cable running up one of the studs. It's stapled to the studs all the way up and seems secured at the top where it runs into the attic. I'm not sure what to do besides just building a smaller niche between a couple of studs on the back half of the shower, but that kind of seems weird. I am very inexperienced, but I'm approaching this as buying the tools and doing it myself is going to be cheaper than paying someone to do it all for me, so I'm willing to try almost anything. So I'd appreciate any suggestions those of you who are more experienced in this world might have. Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| Do I need to vent my bathroom drains to the outside? Posted: 06 Jul 2020 01:22 PM PDT I am finishing my basement, and am not sure what to do about drain vents. I read that they need to be vented, but I suspect they are already connected to a vent somewhere under the concrete. How would I confirm this? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Jul 2020 11:51 AM PDT Just sharing some DIY success. Put in the paver pathway around the front of my house this past weekend! Had a pallet of bricks sitting on my front lawn for about a month while I waited for all my other supplies to be delivered lol. Timeline of photos and process in the imgur album: https://imgur.com/a/K4QAUhX [link] [comments] |
| Mold armor - exterior shingles Posted: 06 Jul 2020 07:47 PM PDT Hey folks, So I just bought a house in the woods with not much sunlight until I take down some trees. The house has cedar shingles, and is covered in black mold. Power washing it makes it look great, but someone had mentioned maybe spraying it with this stuff called Mold Armor. They think it isn't helping the mold problem in my attic and it may be feeding my interior. Thoughts? Anyone familiar with this product? [link] [comments] |
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