Home Improvement: Metal studs and hanging things, help! |
- Metal studs and hanging things, help!
- If you have a septic tank make sure you know where it is
- What is the best yard investment you've done?
- Hexagon Tile Kitchen Backsplash
- What's this mystery opening in the sunroom floor?
- Neighbor ran over our sprinkler system head. What’s the name of this broken connector? Want to ordering online. Whole house has Corona and in quarantine so I can’t go to Lowe’s to look.
- Getting rid of flies and mosquitoes
- Building a "fancy" stone fire pit bench and I have a few questions
- Sooo crooked.
- Old metal medicine cabinet sanding
- What's the best way to hire people for small/odd jobs?
- Looking For an Affordable Door Solution
- Flooring and baseboards
- Budgeting for a Project
- Crawlspace dehumidifier?
- Dryer vent pipe
- Any help on how to get rid of artillery fungus permanently?
- Hard Lump on Interior Wall
- LED light strips
- Sewer Line Randomly Became Clogged
- Advice on grill that seems to have gas line built in under concrete
- How does a drip cause damage?
- Options to reduce street noise coming in through window?
| Metal studs and hanging things, help! Posted: 31 Aug 2020 09:08 AM PDT Hello all, I live in a townhouse in Maryland. My shared walls on the ground floor use metal framing. I assume because the wall is firegraded (i also assume so because there are also no outlets or "punctures" on the wall/entire side of the house.) I want to mount a 65" tv (51lbs) and a floating media center (30lbs). Is there a good process to this? I saw using metal frame toggles...some people also recommend also using toggles+plywood...other say to not do it all. Should I not even try to mount since it is a firewall? Thanks yall [link] [comments] |
| If you have a septic tank make sure you know where it is Posted: 31 Aug 2020 06:45 AM PDT We bought a house in a rural area with septic and well and set about refurbishing it to sell. We are getting ready to put it on the market so had to have the tank pumped. The local government had no record of the septic tank plan or even a permit as the health district did not even exist when it was built. No one knew where it was and we did not pump it when purchased as it was an "as is where is" purchase. We had removed the rotten deck and are in the process of building a newer, much smaller deck (it was like 20 x 24 or so and taking it down to a 14 x 12. The guy came out and could not find it. He tried all over the area where it should have been. Then they came out with a camera that would show them where it was. The way the pipes are he could not use it. So, he did it the old fashioned way (steel rod and hammer) again and finally found it, under one of the deck supports! They had built the deck over the septic tank. The supports are dug into the ground 2 feet with steel to screw a 4 x 4 to. He removed it. I almost build the deck in the same place but held off for the septic. I had to cut 2 feet off my design. The tank had NEVER been pumped and had a foot thick crust on top. Have not received the bill yet, but expect to talk to them this morning. Make sure you know where your septic tank is before you build or dig. Edit: here is the full text from the pumping company. Just to be clear, there are no records for the part of Gem County, Idaho that are available as the health district was not even in existence when the house was built. There was a technical issue getting the sensor into the tank. They tried, as the text reads. They did a great job in the circumstances! The entire house was a mess, except the roof. We replaced the floors, the entire kitchen, the fixtures in both baths, one window, several doors and a garage door, along with painting and general cleanup. It was an as-is purchase and they were penniless. Attempted to camera locate the tank through the toilet hole in the common bathroom, the camera would not make the turn. Attempted to locate through the master bathroom toilet hole, same result. Attempted to camera locate through each of the five roof vents with the same result. Used ground probe with the sledgehammer to penetrate the very hard rocky ground. After many attempts, found what was thought to be the tank. Could not use the normal method of finding tank edges to correctly identify lid location. Dug down to the tank surface and found the edge of the lid. Continued to dig through the very hard rocky ground until the lid was uncovered. Opened the lid to find the liquid level was at the proper operating height. Tried to break up the crust with tank rake. The crust was rock hard and dry. Used shovel and dig bar to cut a hole in the crust and pumped the tank down 12 inches. Turned the pump to "blow" and stuck under the crust to help break it up. Pumped a little more and repeated the process until all of the crust was removed. There were a few small pieces of rock-like crust that could not be removed. Had to use a lot of extra water to help pump up the crust. The total water pumped was 1200. The crust layer was 24 inches thick and the sludge layer was approximately 18 inches thick. Both baffles are in place and in good working order, the tank interior is in good condition. The system is functioning properly at this time. Reset lid and backfilled dirt when finished [link] [comments] |
| What is the best yard investment you've done? Posted: 31 Aug 2020 04:48 PM PDT In SoCal and our yard is nothing but rocks, mulch and some flowers (hubs and I don't have a green thumb). We basically don't have use for that part of the yard. Half the yard is a covered patio which we LOVE! Have a 4 year old and a dog. Curious what your best yard renovations have been that you think are absolutely worth your money? TIA! [link] [comments] |
| Hexagon Tile Kitchen Backsplash Posted: 31 Aug 2020 08:35 AM PDT This was my first time working with tile, and it is GRUELING! Not sure I would do it again myself, though I am super happy with the results in this project. My 1920 house was a rental for a decade before I bought it, so the kitchen it came with was not particularly attractive. I painted the cabinets as one of my first projects when we moved in, but it kept bothering me that the backsplash was just matte grey paint instead of tile. Splatter from the sink and grease from the stove kept getting on the paint, and it was impossible to clean. Photos and details here: https://imgur.com/a/WqmXgXc The tile I selected was really cute and nice quality, but it was such a pain to work with. The mosaic backing on the tile was kind of stretchy, so I had to place tile spacers in between every single tile to make sure it was laying out evenly. The tile was very hard and completely impervious to hand cutting tools, so I had to use the tile saw for every single cut. Products I used: Merola 2inch Hexagon Tile (2 cases): $120 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Merola-Tile-Metro-Hex-2-in-Matte-White-11-1-8-in-x-12-5-8-in-x-6-mm-Porcelain-Mosaic-Tile-9-96-sq-ft-case-FXLM2HMW/203684368 Henry Premixed Mastic Adhesive: $17 Mapei Flexcolor Grout in Warm Gray: $46 Mapei Keracaulk in Warm Gray: $8 Tile spacers, trowel, and other misc tile tools: ~$40 2 days tile saw rental: $100 Altogether cost was around $350. Cutting and laying the tile was a solid 2 days of work. Grouting, cleaning, and caulking just took a few more hours here or there. [link] [comments] |
| What's this mystery opening in the sunroom floor? Posted: 31 Aug 2020 03:20 PM PDT First-time homeowners here. Just bought an old house built in the late 40s. We'd like to put down some vinyl plank flooring in our sunroom, but there's an odd opening in the corner of the room that we can't make heads or tails of. Here's a link to what the opening looks like Every contractor I've spoken to has been confused about the existence of this opening. Curious if anyone here has any insight into (1) what this opening is for, and (2) how to seal it up so we can put down vinyl flooring on top of it? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Aug 2020 06:34 PM PDT |
| Getting rid of flies and mosquitoes Posted: 31 Aug 2020 06:29 PM PDT I live in upstate NY and my neighbor has two big dogs and they don't do a good job of cleaning their poop. This has caused a massive amount of flies to come around. If I do a cookout during the day, I get swarmed. If I do one at night, the mosquitoes are out and I get swarmed. What should I do to keep the flies and mosquitos away? I bought tempo dust for bees and it worked excellent. Can I spray this along our fence line or is there a better idea? I can't blame the mosquitoes on them, so they're a different issue. No standing water is anywhere. [link] [comments] |
| Building a "fancy" stone fire pit bench and I have a few questions Posted: 31 Aug 2020 07:36 PM PDT I'm in the early stages of designing a stone bench and fire pit area. The main circle has a diameter of 11' for reference. What I can't quite figure out is how to get the back of the bench to look as good as the front of the bench. Originally I had envisioned using retaining wall blocks as they are cost effective and look great. The issue is they only look great on one side. On the base that isn't an issue, but since the area your back will be resting on is only 6" thick or so the "back" of the bench would look pretty terrible in that section. I also really don't want the back to be 12"+ thick for no good reason other than looking good as it would be a ton of extra expense and extra digging on my part. I've seen loads of images online 1 2 3 of these types of benches but never one from a back angle. Therefore I'm not sure if all benches just look terrible from the back. I've considered Home Depots "rumblestone" product line which does seem to have texture all they way around, but I was hoping for something a bit more cleaner than that. Sort of along the line of the Cambridgepavers type stone unfortunately the nearest distributor is a few states over. (I'm in Houston for reference) Is there a specific term I should be googling when looking for materials like "paver with texture on all sides" or "stone-like building block"? Also can I buy these types of stone from somewhere else that is not a big box store? Or are there any main competitors to the rumblestone line that have texture all the way around? Where do the contractors get these things from? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Aug 2020 05:32 PM PDT Hey y'all. Moved into a new condo today just outside Boston. I've lived in my fair share of crooked old New England houses but this takes the cake. I can't believe how sloped it is. 1900 triple decker and I'm on first floor. Didn't notice this during initial tour (was trying to be quick due to covid). But the back of the house must be 18 inches lower than the front. When I look from the living room down, I literally am looking down a hill. There are also cracks in the basement floor concrete, not sure if that's related. Seems like it would be. The windows don't fit in the casings and all the doors have been shaved down. At what point is this actually dangerous? Does it make sense to have someone come take a look just for peace of mind? [link] [comments] |
| Old metal medicine cabinet sanding Posted: 31 Aug 2020 07:05 PM PDT Rehabbing an old medicine cabinet and working on sanding the outer metal cover and worked from 600-2000g and still have a few visible scratches. I have been alternating patterns between grits and keeping it clean between sands. Should I go further in grit? Or would a power sander/buffer be better (doing this by hand rn)? Edit - I am not painting. Keeping original bare, polished metal. I want a mirrored look. [link] [comments] |
| What's the best way to hire people for small/odd jobs? Posted: 31 Aug 2020 05:38 AM PDT As the title suggests, I'm wondering what the best way to hire someone for some random odd jobs around the house is? (Specifically, the main job is cleaning out a bunch of old wood and fiberglass insulation from under my porch). I'm thinking Kijiji, but are there other better resources that folks have used? A related question - are there potential liability issues associated with hiring some random off Kijiji or the like... say they poke themselves with a nail or something? Are there any services that might actually cover the homeowner in this situation? If it makes any difference, I'm in the Toronto, Canada area. Thanks in advance. [link] [comments] |
| Looking For an Affordable Door Solution Posted: 31 Aug 2020 05:06 PM PDT Hi All, So I have this hallway here ( https://imgur.com/a/ZWZlVJF ) that I would really like to seperate with some sort of door or divider. I recently learned about vinyl accordion doors which would be the perfect solution not to mention extremely affordable. However, this opening is not standard, measuring 49.5" wide and 85" high. Unfortunately I have been unable to find and accordion door that wide or tall. Can anyone make some recommendations on how to affordably (max budget: 300) bring some separation and privacy to these two parts of my home? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Aug 2020 08:48 PM PDT Hello all - I am about to close on a new home and the home will need new hardwood and carpets. I'm curious if companies that install hardwood and carpets will also replace the baseboards. Has anyone had experience with this? Or will I need to hire a handyman to do it separately. I am completely aware that I can install baseboards myself, but I don't necessarily have the luxury of time at the moment. Thanks for the input! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Aug 2020 06:24 PM PDT When you guys budget for a project, what kinda system do you use? I'm trying to plan out a custom desk for my house and so far I'm budgeting an extra 20% in materials for screw ups and what not. I'm also adding in an extra 10% in cost for shit I don't think about buying. (Typing this up I just thought of 2 things to add.) Any of you use anything else or got any tips? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Aug 2020 04:48 PM PDT I had company come and adjust some foundation jacks that were installed before we purchased our home. The pointed out some condensation forming on our hvac lines, causing a small drip puddle on the plastic covering the dirt and a bit of white colored mold forming on the joists. They recommended a crawlspace dehumidifier, condensate pimp, and a new crawlspace door( our old one doesn't fit well and is in the laundry room ) just curious if it's worth it? The quote was about $2,500 [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Aug 2020 12:49 PM PDT We had our dryer vent cleaned out today, and they suggested we use a flexible aluminum pipe from the dryer to the wall instead of the semi-rigid aluminum pipe we were previously using. Is this correct? [link] [comments] |
| Any help on how to get rid of artillery fungus permanently? Posted: 31 Aug 2020 05:17 PM PDT So, I get these black dots all over my house and any cars in the driveway. They don't come off without TONS of work or direct pressure washing with a 0° nozzle one at a time, and there's millions of them. After some research I found we have artillery fungus in our mulch that is apparently next to impossible to kill or get rid of. Early this past spring my wife and I spent an entire weekend raking up, bagging and disposing of hundreds and hundreds of pounds of old mulch because that's where it comes from. It was TONS of work and I never want to do it again, we couldn't move for days after that. We let the dirt sit for probably 2 months before we put all new weedmat, all new mulch and all new plants. Well, to my dismay I noticed a few weeks ago that the fungus is back. Anyone have any tips or experience getting rid of it permanently? Google search advise pretty much says it's impossible to kill. Here are pics of it at my house [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Aug 2020 07:28 PM PDT Hello! This bump just appeared on the wall in my bedroom recently and I'm trying to figure out what it could be from. It is hard. Any ideas? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Aug 2020 06:53 PM PDT I was looking at buying some LED light strips for my bedroom and I was wondering if you could cut them, because I need about 46 feet for the top of my walls and 8 feet for my desk. And if that is a thing, what is the brand I should buy? Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Sewer Line Randomly Became Clogged Posted: 31 Aug 2020 12:44 PM PDT Hey guys.. weird problem. We got back from being out of town and started some laundry.. Luckily I happened to notice, but when the machine drained it began flowing back out of shower (in the room next door), and water leaking out from beneath the toilet. All of these are in close proximity to each other on the bottom floor of the house. I have no clue what caused this. We never had any drainage problems until this just randomly happened. I'm having the city come out to snake their side of the sewer just in case it's downstream, and otherwise will have a plumber snake it from ours. My home warranty company sent a plumber but they were "not allowed" to remove a toilet to snake the line, and were unable to find a cleanout (to be fair, I also can't find it.. that's a separate problem). They said if I pull the toilet myself they can come and snake it but it'll be a few days. Any suggestions as to what's going on or how to prevent it happening again in the future? Also if anyone has suggestions to get things working a little more smoothly in the meantime that'd be great. If you flush the toilet once or twice it's OK, but if you do it multiple times in succession, it begins to back up before eventually clearing out. Any way to tell if it's the "main" line or a branch of it? I'm scared to run the upstairs shower for too long for fear of it causing a massive amount of overflow downstairs (thinking of all the water that will be "in the walls" and flowing downhill even after I turn it off). Update: City came and cleaned out their part, but it didn't help, so the clog is definitely on our side of it. [link] [comments] |
| Advice on grill that seems to have gas line built in under concrete Posted: 31 Aug 2020 04:29 PM PDT I moved into my house about a year ago. It came with this grill that I do not want. I want to get rid of it. But I don't know how. The metal gas line seems to be underneath the concrete patio. What can I do to get rid of this? I feel clueless. Any advice will be so very appreciated! It's an eyesore. Also, please talk to me like I know nothing. As if you're explaining this to a five year old. Here are images of the culprit: https://imgur.com/a/qXkKxLD [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 31 Aug 2020 06:33 PM PDT We had an AC unit in our attic that had a drainage block over a period of several weeks. This caused quite a bit of water to drip down but it was never anything particularly gushing. Now the contractor has to replace all the drywall where the water leaked over. I'm definitely not saying I disagree with the decision, I'm just trying to understand why something like this would be necessary to replace everything touched. There was obviously warping around the paint, but shouldn't plywood / drywall be able to handle water? Just trying to understand! [link] [comments] |
| Options to reduce street noise coming in through window? Posted: 31 Aug 2020 06:12 PM PDT We live in a house that is around 20 feet off a busy street with lots of large vehicles. We have a large, single pane, original bay window from the 60s that doesn't do much to block the noise. Are windows made today much better at blocking noise? Are there other options out there? We are open to replacing it but wanted to know if it would make large difference. [link] [comments] |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Hivemind Improving Homes. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
No comments:
Post a Comment