Home Improvement: Anyone else notice appliances availability way down? |
- Anyone else notice appliances availability way down?
- what is the name of a plastic piece to cover a hole in a table ?
- How to talk to a general contractor about my budget for updates
- People who have done a complete kitchen reno - what did you do right, what do you wish you had done differently?
- Good damn you previous owners! How hard would it have been to caulk the base boards, in the bathrooms at the very least!
- How harmful are chemical drain cleaners really?
- Building an outdoor shower, looking for opinions or tips!
- The concrete base of my chimney looks like it is crumbling.
- How do I get these types of hinges off my door? I'm trying to take the door down and I can't.
- Pouring concrete during heat wave
- Basement Staircase Finishing
- I'm going to install structured wiring soon. Why do I need both an ethernet switch and a patch panel?
- Does anyone know where to purchase flexstone deck coating?
- Ethernet Help
- Cant get hose through drain pipe
- Please help me fix my bathroom storage problem
- Drywall Repair Tip
- My bathroom vanity doesn’t go all the way to the end of the wall. As a result, when water goes on the counter, it then starts to spill on the floor. Is there a way to resolve this?
- Knob and Tube in 1940s house?
- Repainting Granite
- Advice Needed: LED Wiring in Shelves (Pic in comments)
- Show me your teak!
- Broken double hung vinyl window-looking for replacement parts & how-to
- Adding air handler to Fujitsu heat pump
| Anyone else notice appliances availability way down? Posted: 13 Aug 2020 11:07 AM PDT I know this is COVID related, but... I'm prepping for a complete kitchen overhaul and keep seeing appliances "temporarily out of stock". Anyone have any info from companies/stores regarding when appliances are gonna start being in-stock again? I'm specifically looking at bottom freezer fridges from Maytag and Kenmore and need to get it purchased soon to keep things moving along. [link] [comments] |
| what is the name of a plastic piece to cover a hole in a table ? Posted: 13 Aug 2020 06:07 AM PDT (solved) like if there is a 1" hole for cables, i have seen where there will be a plastic cap to cover it? Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| How to talk to a general contractor about my budget for updates Posted: 13 Aug 2020 10:19 AM PDT Hey everyone, My wife and I are ready to finally do a visual overhaul to our painfully 80s-90s style house, but I've never dealt with a general contractor before. Do I tell them my budget upfront and see what they can do? Or do I get a price for everything on our list and then just tell them what I can't afford? I'm pretty nervous about the whole situation because I'm horrible at haggling and take everyone at their word that something costs what they say it costs, so any advice about house renovation would be greatly appreciated. I've already gathered from just browsing this sub that I'm going to be able to do a LOT less than I thought I would be able to after watching HGTV. Edit: As suggested by chrisbrl88, I'm now listing our preferred updates below. Location is just outside Columbia South Carolina if that matters. Feel free to give me your brutally honest opinions on what you think this may cost or how you think I should approach this. List:
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| Posted: 13 Aug 2020 03:33 AM PDT I'm embarking on a complete gut and rebuild of my 30 year old kitchen. Looking to learn from others who have done the same. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Aug 2020 08:40 PM PDT Sorry ahead of time for typos, on mobile in my bed, annoyed. I moved into a new house just 4 weeks ago. The house as a whole is very sound, but the previous owners did every "update" as cheap as possible. Painting an accent wall? why use masking tape when you could have crooked lines? Flooring? How about we find some peel and stick laminate wood to put over the existing peel and stick vinyl tile? Things like that. Well, one of the first things I noticed was they just tacked cheap, plain base board around the entire house. They didn't bother to cover the nails and, more importantly didn't apply any caulking. I'm a huge proponent of caulking. The seal keeps water from traveling into the walls ahem, it keeps pests from coming in, and helps maintain thermal efficiency. I thought it was a standard practice to do with base boards, but not for these people. It was a minor annoyance that I knew I would have to fix when I redid the floors, but I didn't think it would bite me so fast. I installed a toilet seat bidet 3 weeks ago. It seemed fine, I kept paper towel under it for a couple days to verify it wasn't leaking. All was good, but this morning I noticed a small puddle behind the toilet. It was a moderate drip coming from where bidet hooks into the toilet tank. I turned off the water supply at the wall and sopped up the water. It wasn't much. I didn't think any more of it and went to work. Tonight I went to the utility room directly under the bathroom (2nd floor) and saw the wet stain going down the wall. Luckily this is the laundry room with a floor drain and the room is unfinished so I can see all the studs. The other half of the water went toward the garage which I'm in the process of finishing. This water wrecked the only drywall that was up that I was planning on keeping, so again not a huge set back. I just get to dry wall and insulate all four walls now instead of just three :/. I figure the leak was present for less than 24 hrs before I found it and was probably only a few gallons total. It is crazy how fast the obvious damage can spread. And began soaking into the drywall downstairs. Long story short. If the assholes had just caulked the base boards, it would have prevented the water from sneaking downstairs covertly out of view behind the toilet. Instead it would have just pooled to the middle of the bathroom where I would have noticed it asap and could easily mop it up if the linoleum. Anyways, thanks for listening to my late night vent, it'll help me sleep a little easier. Tl;dr Don't be lazy, caulk your base boards. It'll save you (and future owners) from trouble down the road. [link] [comments] |
| How harmful are chemical drain cleaners really? Posted: 13 Aug 2020 06:51 AM PDT My bathroom sink gets slow regularly. The reason isn't really mysterious; it's because I'm using it to shave and the soap scum builds up over time. I used to just resolve this with liquid drain cleaners but then I read you shouldn't do this because it damages your pipes. The problem I'm having is that the alternatives are just way less effective. Snaking is kind of pointless (not like there's a bunch of long hair to pull up in there) and using a plunger is somewhat effective but takes forever. Baking soda and hot water are also kind of effective but not as much as the drain cleaners. I came across something from Bob Vila today where he was saying that if you have newer PVC pipes it's fine to use drain cleaners. Since that differed from what I'd read before I went to find more about what the harm was supposed to be. For metal pipes you risk corrosion -- I find that a convincing reason not to use it in that case, but what about PVC? Many people explained that liquid drain cleaners are bad for PVC pipes because the chemical reaction generates heat which can weaken the seals. Perhaps I'm a dummy but I find it hard to see how pouring boiling water down the drain is better if heat is the problem. And perhaps it's a little cynical to note but most of these articles seem to be hosted by plumbing companies whose solution is that you call them instead. Do I actually need to avoid this or is this just "received wisdom" that is OK to ignore? [link] [comments] |
| Building an outdoor shower, looking for opinions or tips! Posted: 13 Aug 2020 04:13 PM PDT Hey all. I have a section of my backyard I think would be a great area for an outdoor shower... I've mocked up a couple options for layouts in Visio (see link below). Looking for feedback/opinions/concerns! Here's an album that shows a photo of area and the possible plans. I should note, since its not clear from the images, I'm planning on placing the shower head on the post that's next to the largest square paver in the drawings... Option 1 - seems like it may be less privacy in the sense that the person showering may be more visible from beyond the fence (because more of the large paver is visible), but that's only if you're right next to the house and if the plant nearest the house ends up being shorter than eye level. The green line is sort of a line of sight check. Option 2 - makes less of the shower paver visible, but the line of sight seems like a more natural glance. Not like I plan to be doing outdoor nekkid showers with company over... but I like the idea of the shower being fairly private. A couple reasons I want to confine the shower to the rock area shown in both options: 1) the grass seems to under-perform in this area anyway because of the shade the house casts and 2) I think having a nice straight line from the fence gate to the patio parallel to the house would look the most appealing. I guess I probably won't know if either is private 'enough' until I actually build anything... But I figured I'd bounce these ideas of reddit and see what you all think, or maybe if you have some better ideas for setting up a shower in this space! [link] [comments] |
| The concrete base of my chimney looks like it is crumbling. Posted: 13 Aug 2020 02:33 PM PDT The base of my chimney where it meets the ground looks like it is crumbling. There are two holes that are letting mice in. I live in Bellingham in Washington state. Is this something I can fix myself? What do I need to do? Do I need a professional? [link] [comments] |
| How do I get these types of hinges off my door? I'm trying to take the door down and I can't. Posted: 13 Aug 2020 01:10 PM PDT I've tried a flat head screw driver and hammer and it didn't budge. I also tried to grab it with pliers (&wrench) and couldn't make it move that way either. [link] [comments] |
| Pouring concrete during heat wave Posted: 13 Aug 2020 02:20 PM PDT There's a massive heat wave hitting the bay area right now (100-109F) Our concrete guy finished leveling, packing down the gravel, and laying the rebar everywhere and said they'd be back Saturday morning to pour. well the coldest it's gonna get will be 70F at night and it'll quickly rise to 105F by 1am that same day. Should I tell him to hold off? should I let him pour and keep the concrete wet myself with a hose? suggestions? any advice would be appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Aug 2020 07:34 PM PDT We're working on finishing our basement, and strangely enough the snag we hit didn't come from water intrusion or some other hidden problem, but how the hell to finish the staircase that leads down. The problem is we have two spiral staircases laid one on top of another, and every drywall contractor out there basically says they can't do anything to create a ceiling here due to the curve and the slope combined. Here is what it looks like at the moment (ignore the temporary horizontal structures that definitely aren't work platforms): https://imgur.com/SWdudaj Our GC suggested attaching oak-veneered plywood to the bottom face of the staircase leading to the second floor to match the oak treads on the basement staircase and staining those, and staining them to match (something like this: https://imgur.com/aJCxF2Y). Thoughts on this design? While I'm here, a question on finishing. The flooring in the basement is an engineered floor with a really dark brown coloring, and the walls are going to be light in color. Thoughts on a stain color for the staircases? Match the floors or do something different? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Aug 2020 09:45 PM PDT I'll be honest, I did my research first. And I've found lots of articles explaining how much easier it is to do work later to my network and add more runs of ethernet cable if I already have a patch panel in place. I'm not sure I get this? If I put in a new run in three years, it seems just as easy to plug into my switch as plugging into a patch panel. Do searches for other people's structured wiring cabinets, it looks like a lot of other people don't bother with a patch panel either. What am I missing? Every post I read explaining how it's neater and less work sounds like I'm adding unnecessary clutter and more work. [link] [comments] |
| Does anyone know where to purchase flexstone deck coating? Posted: 13 Aug 2020 07:19 PM PDT there website doesn't have a list of dealers, I'm not sure how anyone buys their stuff. I know this is a silly question but I'm at my wits end trying to find it. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Aug 2020 09:27 PM PDT I just got a pc and was wondering if when I plug the router into my pc will it still give the rest of the house internet [link] [comments] |
| Cant get hose through drain pipe Posted: 13 Aug 2020 09:22 PM PDT Im working on my downspout drainage system in my yard. Im putting a hose up to pipe to clean and find a blockage so i can replace pipe. Hose goes in 5 feet but gets stuck on something. The pipe is solid abs and its not hitting a blockage. I put a snake up there and it goes through fine. I believe it's getting stuck on a coupling. Its a straight shot from the last downspout and the curb hole. How could i make the hose go through the pipe smother? Tl Dr: hose im putting through my drainage pipe is getting caught on a coupling, how can i make it go through the pipe easier? [link] [comments] |
| Please help me fix my bathroom storage problem Posted: 13 Aug 2020 07:00 PM PDT Posting from Pacific Northwest, USA. This is the bathroom between our kids' bedrooms. There is zero storage space. We are thinking about taking out the pedestal sink and putting in a double vanity. It's 69.5", so in-between the common pre-fab options of 60" and 72". We could get a 60" one and put a towel bar on each wall, but I feel like the correct answer is to have a professional come build it to size. But is this all moot with not having a good place to put a second mirror? I guess we could do a single vanity with a counter and cabinets that span the whole length with the mirror and sink offset. Am I over thinking this? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Aug 2020 09:20 AM PDT The other night I was putting the 3rd coat of drywall mud (90 minute powder mixed) on a room I am working on. I was hoping this would be the last coat of mud since I usually have to wait until the next evening if I want to do another coat. Enter gaping hole (5/8 x 6 x 8in) from the old intercom system from the 60s which is not even close to 1 coat of mud from being filled. (I put 1x2s as a backing for the entire hole so I had something to mud against in case you are curious). Here is what I discovered: I had the thought to use a heat gun to speed up the drying process so I could maybe get another coat on before the mud in my pan dried up. To my surprise the mud dried quicker than the sweat my body was producing from the heat (about a minute), and I was able to put about 5 very thin (1/16th inch) coats of mud on to finish up the hole with the mud I had in my pan (and a solid puddle on the floor). The interwebs seem to think this is an okay thing to do as I googled it the next day, they just say watch for shrinking. Haven't seen any shrinking 2 days later, but I did put a little extra mud on just in case. Needless to say, this made my wife very happy that we would be able to paint much sooner than otherwise. Maybe this will help someone with a similar repair to get a decent foundation of mud built up sooner than otherwise. I am not a contractor so let me know if you have some real experience doing this and if it has turned out good or bad! Edit: In retrospect, it would have been a good idea to fill the hole with sheetrock first before mudding, lets add that to the tip (thanks u/Rocknbob69)! For my house with approx. 3/4 of plaster board, I still would have needed to add thickness from shims or mud but that would have majorly reduced the amount of mud I needed. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Aug 2020 06:44 PM PDT There is a tub next to the vanity. It looks similar to this https://imgur.com/a/gm6EQXO and water spills in that corner next to the vanity. Thank you. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Aug 2020 06:36 PM PDT Bought a house in Oakland, CA last year from 1940s. There are 80s panels that needs updating but while replacing the attic insulation, I discovered knob and tube in the attic completely covered by blown in insulation. From what I understand, knob and tube can be usable but it should not be covered in insulation. I feel like the attic k&t needs to be replaced so new insulation can be put in. And maybe the k&t in the lathe and plaster walls can be left as is. Curious what people's experiences with this is. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Aug 2020 02:38 PM PDT |
| Advice Needed: LED Wiring in Shelves (Pic in comments) Posted: 13 Aug 2020 08:34 PM PDT Looking to get some help with this...I'm installing LED light strips on the underside of the shelves in my cigar cooler. The installation itself is simple, but planning the wiring is a bit more complicated. The issue is that each shelf has to be able to slide in and out. The shelves are free standing, so there isn't any stationary spots to mount the light strips. So the issue here is giving each shelf enough extra slack wire to allow them to be pulled forward without tugging on any LED strips. Refer to the pic below...the red lines are the LED strips that will be adhered to the underside of each shelf, illuminating the area below it. The green areas are the wire sections that'll need just the right amount of slack without crowding things at the back wall. Any suggestions on how to pull this off? Is there a better design? Thanks everyone, all comments suggestions are welcomed. Here's my blueprint... [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Aug 2020 03:19 PM PDT Just picked up an older outdoor teak furniture set and looking to clean it up and oil it. Looking for recommendations and potentially photos of what you've done with yours. [link] [comments] |
| Broken double hung vinyl window-looking for replacement parts & how-to Posted: 13 Aug 2020 05:51 PM PDT So, I can't find the same balances to replace the broken ones here. Watched a YT video which showed how to replace the pivot shoes. Does anyone know if I can replace the balances with completely different types? Here's the photos... would appreciate any guidance on this—thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Adding air handler to Fujitsu heat pump Posted: 13 Aug 2020 01:57 PM PDT I stupidly followed the salesman's advice, and installed the single air handler on the main floor. My bedrooms are on the second floor, and it's unbearable in summer. Can I add a second air handler unit only to the existing outdoor unit? I believe the outdoor unit model number is AOU15RLS3. [link] [comments] |
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