Home Improvement: As a neighbour who loans out tools, what would you want as a thank you? |
- As a neighbour who loans out tools, what would you want as a thank you?
- Yard keeps flooding... what do I do about it?
- Backyard ~6 Month Rehab Project
- Maintenance checklist
- Trying to install curtain rod across sloped ceiling
- How to deal with drywall corner cracking/separating?
- Looking like I am going to lose my whole basement in this storm, not sure what to do
- What are the names of these quartzite slabs?
- Will HomeAdvisor get shut down?
- Solutions to "eggy" water
- Is there a light switch that controls color temp?
- What are some ways to help my friend out, who lives in a crackhouse?
- Backyard
- My heating system is in need of significant repairs or replacement. Thoughts?
- Purchased home in PA and during inspection realized there was no return air duct-work in the house. The blower/furnace pulls air directly from the basement. Would it be worthwhile to install a small return vent to the first floor?
- Are there any alternatives to replacing a carpet?
- Can you help me figure out what this is?
- How to paint steel exterior lamp posts
- Tape pulled off some paint on wall
- pointers for neighbor wanting to put a new fence between our residential properties?
- Help encapsulating a horrible crawlspace
- Wood-look tile
- renovating old church (1903) where somebody ripped out large portions of the stained glass. There are 10 windows. 33"x66" Trying to decide between acyllic and glass
- Holes in bottom of wall leading to crawlspace
| As a neighbour who loans out tools, what would you want as a thank you? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 09:24 AM PDT Hey all, Looking for some ideas here. My neighbour is in his 50s, was a contractor for 25 years, now works for the city doing inspections because his body can't keep up with the work. I'm 23, recent homeowner and he's been great at helping me with tools I need to borrow. First time I returned his pressure washer with a case of beer and he told me not to get him anything, I'm young and just starting out and he's happy to see his stuff get use again. I just borrowed some jack posts to level and fix my sagging deck which saved me a lot of time and hassle and I can't return them with a 6 pack. Any other ideas on what I can give him? Thanks! [link] [comments] | ||
| Yard keeps flooding... what do I do about it? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 08:39 AM PDT Every time we have heavy rainfall, our yard floods like crazy. We have two sump pumps, a drainage system, and use sandbags. It still gets into the house. Today I learned that according to the neighbors, the bird sanctuary behind our house has set up their drainage so that it runs right off to our yard. I've posted a couple videos to YouTube to show what's going on, linked in the first comment below. So I have a couple of questions:
Thank you all in advance!!!! UPDATE: A tree that belongs to said sanctuary just fell into my yard and broke my fence. So that's cool. UPDATE #2: Just had an emergency meeting with my two next door neighbors, one of whom had been fighting this issue with the county and the township for the past 10 years. They are still currently in contact and even hired an engineer to look into it this spring (which was delayed with covid) I'll be throwing my voice in there too, but without help from a lawyer, let's be real - nothing will get done. Today was the worst rainfall they've seen in YEARS so hopefully some mild mitigation like digging a trench should help. Time to brush up on my shovel skills. Eventually I might call a lawyer but I don't know if I'm willing to spend that kind of money. [link] [comments] | ||
| Backyard ~6 Month Rehab Project Posted: 04 Aug 2020 04:38 PM PDT
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| Posted: 04 Aug 2020 01:13 PM PDT First time home buyer, closing this week. Also pretty useless when it comes to DIY stuff but more than willing to learn. Question is, is there a checklist/ timeline of things I should check, replace, do? TYIA [link] [comments] | ||
| Trying to install curtain rod across sloped ceiling Posted: 04 Aug 2020 07:34 PM PDT Hi, I'm in Oakland, CA. Part of the upper floor of my house has a sloped ceiling. I want install curtain rods across and along a segment of the wall. There is a ceiling sprinkler near the area I want to place the curtain rod across. I have a stud finder, but I want to be sure that I don't puncture a water pipe. Is there a way to safely do this? There is another sprinkler way higher up on the ceiling, and it's in line with the one that's close to my project area, so I'm assuming that the water pipe runs in a straight, vertical line. Thanks for reading. [link] [comments] | ||
| How to deal with drywall corner cracking/separating? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 06:40 PM PDT 10 year old house. A lot of drywall inside corner seams in the ceilings are separating or cracking, not sure how to call it. I hope to eventually do some crown molding but this https://i.imgur.com/fap9iXR.jpg particular room won't ever get crown and I need to address this. What's the best way to permanently address this, make it look nice, and not simply separate again in the future? I was thinking about caulking and painting it, but not sure that will last long. [link] [comments] | ||
| Looking like I am going to lose my whole basement in this storm, not sure what to do Posted: 04 Aug 2020 08:46 AM PDT Last storm the sump pump ran fine, no water in the basement at all. I hear the sump pump making some sound to suggest it has power, but I do not hear the pump running. I am filling up my two shop vacs quicker than I can empty them, carpets are now bubbling with water under. I don't know what to do. Update: Just wanted to give another update. I appreciate all the comments and suggestions, I was really at the end of my rope :(. I had no chance for a generator or dehumidifier, they were probably all gone before the rain even fell. Luckily redirecting the sump pump flow much further from the house stopped additional flooding from occurring and let the pump mostly "catch up" before the power went out. At that point the only standing water was limited to my laundry room, and it was maybe a quarter inch. The carpets of course were still totally soaked and would seep water when stepped on. I left messages for around a dozen water restoration companies, opened the windows for some air, and sopped up what little i could with towels. Around 10PM EST power came back on, and I finished collecting up any standing water with my shop vac, then used it to "vacuum" as much water from the carpet, but it was not much. I have 3 or 4 fans running overnight with the windows open, and will hopefully have better luck with a dehumidifier tomorrow. I imagine I'll also start slicing up and removing the carpet once I have better light. [link] [comments] | ||
| What are the names of these quartzite slabs? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 08:53 PM PDT I'm looking to replace my countertops so I went to a local fabricator and found these two beautiful quartzite slabs. The employee didn't appear knowledgeable as expected. Can anyone identify these slabs? Does anyone own quartzite kitchen countertops? Is it recommended? Quartzite [link] [comments] | ||
| Will HomeAdvisor get shut down? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 04:15 PM PDT I have a hard time finding information on HomeAdvisor. I read that there are a ton of successful contractors, but also read contradicting information that the majority of the contractors that have used them hate them and sag their leads are bogus. Which one is true??? What are your thoughts? Is this company unethical? Is it a sinking ship or does it actually work for a lot of contractors? [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 04 Aug 2020 01:26 PM PDT Hi all, I'm a new homeowner of an (almost) 100 year old home. I'm noticing a slightly eggy smell from my faucets, and a very eggy smell when I run my washing machine. I'm on Lake Michigan water in the Chicago area (not on Well water) which is not generally known to have this smell issue. So far I'm looking into: - chemicals to cycle stagnant water out of my washer, - submitting a water sample for free to a company that will most likely try to sell me one of their products later, - Anode replacement in my water heater I do have a home warrantee and will likely file a claim, I just want some other ideas where to look or begin. Thank you! [link] [comments] | ||
| Is there a light switch that controls color temp? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 10:41 AM PDT I recently bought this light fixture to install in one of my rooms. I really liked that you can change the color temperature. But upon opening the box and reading the instructions, you have to set the temp when you install it and thats it. Is there a way I can still control the color temp or no? [link] [comments] | ||
| What are some ways to help my friend out, who lives in a crackhouse? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 05:55 PM PDT Hello everyone, I have a friend who pretty much lives in a crackhouse. It's in terrible shape--foundation is fucked and caving in, roof has holes in it, lots of dry rot on the wooden siding, deck, interior walls, and subfloor (older house with a crawlspace). There's a bunch of other issues, but those are the most expensive that I can think of from the inspection report. I'm looking for some ways to help him. By trade, I am a mechanic, so I cannot offer him much help in terms of home improvement DIY. If a mechanic quoted him $5,000 to fix his transmission, I could easily fix it for a fraction of the cost (>10%). However, I've only ever done new drywall and plumbing in my house, and that's about amateur/intermediate at best. After some analysis, it's likely going to end up costing anywhere between $40-100k to get the job done through contractors. What are some other ways that you can think of to help him get out of this situation? He has some mental issues and have no income, but I offered to spot the remediation of his home because he is a good friend of mine. So far, the options that I have come up with:
solved - will likely get manufactured / trailer home instead for him [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 04 Aug 2020 11:31 AM PDT Hi r/HomeImprovement. Long time lurker here. Thank you for the ideas you've given in the past for working on my home. For the most part, I've been able to work on things around me house by looking through posts here and random guides online. That being said, I feel like I'm at a roadblock here with my backyard. Long story short, I've stripped all the lawn in my backyard and it's down to the barren soil. I'd like to make the ground level and then possibly add something on the ground like gravel or square sheets of stone. The end goal would be to be able to have a level ground that would allow me to continue to add to this space - e.g. table w/chairs, possibly an area for a grill, etc. Honestly, I have no idea where to start. Is this project going to be too much for a beginner like me? And if not, can someone direct me to a landscaping 101 or whatever is needed to get this done? Appreciate this community. Thank you! [link] [comments] | ||
| My heating system is in need of significant repairs or replacement. Thoughts? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 07:24 PM PDT (Second attempt at making this thread) I'm currently in the need of very significant repairs or replacements to a lot of my heating system, and I'm looking for the best route to take which include but are not limited to:
My first issue is the oil boiler which was made by a company called Repco, you will find almost no information about this company as it has likely not existed in at least 30 years. It's very possible this is the original boiler that came with the house, and it's also very possible it has not been serviced in anyway in over 10 years. But I cannot confirm. During my home inspection the boiler was only able to produce "lukewarm" heat from the baseboards in literally only one room. Pics of the boiler: -https://i.imgur.com/wuc9CKT.jpg -https://i.imgur.com/w7ule6I.jpg -https://i.imgur.com/vdZ3YMp.jpg -https://i.imgur.com/D5aNKJn.jpg -https://i.imgur.com/21dZGfw.jpg My second issue is that I have severed plumbing for the baseboards, for almost every room in the house that has them. The upstairs completely has no access to any form of heat at all. Pics: https://i.imgur.com/I1kMlP9.jpg https://i.imgur.com/L26auCD.jpg Third problem, is that there are no baseboards at all in two major rooms, the master bedroom and a second bedroom. What's in there are radiators from when the house is built that I'm 120% sure do not function. The previous owners were using space heaters in these rooms. The radiators were covered by dry-wall boxes at some point, probably for aesthetics. Pics: The fourth problem, I have had baseboards entirely removed as well as the plumbing for them in one room upstairs and in the kitchen. The kitchen has zero heating, I assume they just tried letting the heat overflow from the livingroom, function for both rooms. I confirmed these were removed by looking at listings of the home from 7 years ago. And the icing on the cake, the chimney needs a liner, as it does not have one at all, plus at some point the metal chimney cap seems to have corroded off and that will need to be replaced too. Luckily, somehow the chimney is still in decent condition. So basically. I'm not sure what the hell to do. Is all of this worth even fixing? Or should I just scrap all of it and start fresh? Regardless I think it's going to be incredibly expensive and maybe it's an opportunity to upgrade to a much more modern system? Thoughts? [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 04 Aug 2020 08:57 AM PDT The return vent faces the oil tank and the hot water heater is on the opposite side of the basement. This is a 100+ year old home and we believe central air was installed in 2004. When they did so, they did not install any duct-work to allow for return air. Instead the basement door has a vent to allow air to circulate down there. Our inspector said it works as is but won't be as efficient as it would be if there was actual duct-work throughout the house to allow for proper air circulation. He suggested, at a minimum, to install a vent just above the unit to the first floor to allow for the unit to pull air from the main floor rather than the basement to increase efficiency. There would probably be no more than 8-10 feet of duct-work needed. Would it be worth it to do that work/get a quote at a minimum? Would it actually make our AC/heat system more efficient? Thank you in advance! TLDR: Blower/Furnace for AC/heat pulls air from basement. Would adding a small return vent on first floor be worth it in the long run to increase efficiency, lower bills, and increase air quality? [link] [comments] | ||
| Are there any alternatives to replacing a carpet? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 09:08 PM PDT This might sound like a stupid question but I have to ask. We have a room with an ugly gray carpet that we cannot remove because we are renting and we are also kinda broke. I am wondering if there are alternatives to changing the floor of a room without removing the original. Am I out of my mind to think that we can just place another floor on top of carpet?? The color makes the whole room seem dead, it's dirty and it's awful to sit on. We can't even add a rug to the room because we could be in danger of tripping on it since rugs can't grip to carpet. Please help! [link] [comments] | ||
| Can you help me figure out what this is? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 08:47 PM PDT I moved into my house in San Francisco and this was in the cabinet under the gas stove (it's a separate stove and oven). Does anyone know what this is? I can't figure it out, but don't want to get rid of it since I don't know what I might need it for. [link] [comments] | ||
| How to paint steel exterior lamp posts Posted: 04 Aug 2020 03:42 PM PDT I'm trying to fix up the outdoor lamp posts at my house. They appear to be painted steel (magnet attaches with a lot of strength to them - so not aluminum or stainless). I don't see any indications of galvanization but that's probably pretty hard to spot once it's been painted. Regardless - they're pretty rough looking. I'm thinking I might essentially follow the instructions I found on youtube for repainting gas pipes. His strategy was to remove rust with a wire wheel/brush, then use navel jelly to get rid of more rust, then prim and paint with rustoleum spray paint. I would link to video but that's not allowed for some reason. If you search paint gas pipes on Google you'll find it though. What do you all think? Also I was thinking I might use a grinder and a cup wheel (I have some drill mounted wheels like that guys shows too - just think it might take me forever if I used them). Thank you! [link] [comments] | ||
| Tape pulled off some paint on wall Posted: 04 Aug 2020 08:37 PM PDT Hello, I put some painters tape on the wall for a couple of minutes but took it off. WHen it came off, the top layer of the paint peeled off as well (see image: https://imgur.com/a/LgK1CDF). I plan to use this product (https://www.homedepot.ca/product/3m-patch-plus-primer-4-in-1-spackling-compound-ppp-3-4in1-ca-3-fl-oz-88-72-ml-/1001090126), putty it smooth, sand it down (100 or 120 grit), and repaint with the paint (i have the original paint). Any suggestions or advise? Thanks in advance [link] [comments] | ||
| pointers for neighbor wanting to put a new fence between our residential properties? Posted: 04 Aug 2020 06:06 PM PDT There is an old, looked to be shared, cyclone fence there, which some trees of his are pushing over. He plans to remove the trees and fence and replace fence with wood. This is a small, ~0.3 acre lot, simple properties. Should I be getting the line surveyed? The city says he is supposed to get a permit. Does that give me any protection on the boundary position? Do I have any right to see a permit or is that just between him and the city? The original line of the current fence looks ok to my eye. Is that a reasonable target to let him set up a new fence? the onus should really be on him to put it in the right place, or if encroaching on my side, I could just tear it down, no? thanks! EDIT: current fence doesn't seem to straight. Is 84" form the side of the house in the front, to 67" in the rear. Would've thought it would at least be square with the side of the house. [link] [comments] | ||
| Help encapsulating a horrible crawlspace Posted: 04 Aug 2020 09:57 AM PDT Hey all, so, I'm the proud owner of a poorly-done crawlspace. House was built in the 60s, has vents every so often, and foil foam board haphazardly installed under the joists. Height is only 24". My floors get cold in the winter, and the house gets humid and musty in the summer, so it's safe to say the crawlspace is the culprit here - I have already manually regraded around the house, dug a trench, and buried my downspouts, but the moisture issues are still present. And, clearly that foil insulation isn't doing its job, because my house gets cold in the winter. I think my answer here is to encapsulate with a vapor barrier, which will be easier said than done. It is a tiny 24" crawlspace, full of construction debris, ragged insulation, miscellaneous plumbing, and probably 800 cultures of mold and bacteria. I have been down there a couple times, and it's always unpleasant. Here's a pic from the internet that approximates what I'm working with: https://imgur.com/a/BOLD3I6 I think I could DIY this, but I have no idea how to best tackle it - on top of that, I barely have room to crawl around, so everything I want to do will take 3x longer than I'd expect, with some of it just not being feasible. That said, I do want to install a sump pump, a dehumidifier, and clean up what I can, in addition to covering the whole thing in plastic. I'm really looking for tips from someone who's familiar with the gauntlet.. and maybe talk me into or out of doing this myself. Important questions:
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| Posted: 04 Aug 2020 05:23 PM PDT I'm planning to install wood-look tile in much of my house. Does anyone have recommendations for specific brands? Is there a significant difference in quality between the ones that are $2/sf at Home Depot and those that are $4.50/sf at a boutique tile shop? I'll appreciate any input and recommendations. [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 04 Aug 2020 07:19 PM PDT I can buy 1/8" thick glass (33"x66") for $80 per piece, but I would need to cut it myself. I think I am up to that challenge. But worried that I would make a mistake and ruin a $80 piece of glass. Another option is acyllic sheets, but that would be $120/sheet from home depot. And lots of waste since the sheets come in 4'x8', but the cutting would be a lot easier. After I install the glass (or acyllic) , I was going to use glass paint to make them presentable. I would appreciate hearing opinions and thoughts on this decision. To have the original windows repaired, I was quoted $3K/each. That option is off the table due to cost. Thank you. -Phillip Sorry, I tried to include a link wth photos but reddit flagged the post and took it down. Why is everything so hard?;) [link] [comments] | ||
| Holes in bottom of wall leading to crawlspace Posted: 04 Aug 2020 10:10 AM PDT After tearing out the baseboards in our recently purchased home we noticed some odd holes that lead straight to the crawlspace from the living areas. These holes are present on each side of the wall. We thought maybe it was some sort of return vent but there is no duct work and they had previously been covered over by the baseboards. Before installing our new floor and baseboards should we seal these off? [link] [comments] |
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