Home Improvement: [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread |
- [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread
- I built recessed wall storage for my small bathroom
- My $17, 36” curved shower rod from amazon is probably the best purchase I’ve ever made
- Why does every recent house flip use this hideous gray laminate flooring?
- UPDATE: When remodeling, no matter the age of the house, there’re always surprises to find.
- Some things I wish I knew before buying out house.
- I built a house and made myself a handy map of 360 panos (before drywall) for future reference. Thought I'd share as it has proven itself valuable many times in less than a year.
- Poll: "They're just gonna rip it out anyway. Don't replace it." or...?
- Installing a back splash, where to stop
- Is using a barn door inside the room tacky even if it is the most functional door for the space?
- Basement 8 or 9ft ceiling
- Wood vs vinyl
- Piece of vinyl siding fell of my house, what do I do?
- Help! Roommate painted popcorn ceiling!!
- Raised panel wainscoting project
- Condenser return line dripping
- Hanging Guitar's on Walls
- Ceramic Grout Mold Permanent Prevention
- Should I be concerned about these cracks/missing stucco on the exterior of my home?
- Electrical question about cable wires
- Is it possible to convert this barn into a house? Ballpark cost?
- Whirlpool dishwasher
- How to cool a sun room in Florida
- What is this utility box for?
- Epoxy Countertops - Under $600 faux marble
- How to Soundproof a bedroom (apt) for bass
| [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread Posted: 10 Aug 2020 07:27 AM PDT Welcome to the (roughly weekly) Open Discussion thread.
We do this for a few reasons. We know some folks are hesitant to create a new post for a small question they may have. Well, this is the place to ask, and discuss. At the same time, with a growing community we find ourselves having to limit the posts that may be off-topic to the primary purpose of the sub (home improvement questions and project-sharing posts). These topics include home warranty companies, general painting advice, room layouts, or rants about companies, contractors, and previous owners. While these may be of interest, we are trying hard to provide a venue that will both allow, and constrain, the conversation. Thus, this thread. Thank you for participating.
Just a reminder to stay away from any personal or disrespectful commentary. From the sidebar:
If you haven't already, please review the sub guidelines.
Have fun and stay safe folks! [link] [comments] |
| I built recessed wall storage for my small bathroom Posted: 10 Aug 2020 04:50 PM PDT My "master bathroom" is really tiny. Thank you 70's home. Here is the album: [link] [comments] |
| My $17, 36” curved shower rod from amazon is probably the best purchase I’ve ever made Posted: 10 Aug 2020 08:15 PM PDT My first home has a master bedroom with a shower the size of one in an RV. Maybe slightly bigger. I've been using a skinny, tension curtain rod that the previous owners left behind with a too long shower curtain. Wow. Why did I wait 2 months before purchasing? I didn't get tangled or slapped in the face with a wet, plastic sheet for the first time in months. [link] [comments] |
| Why does every recent house flip use this hideous gray laminate flooring? Posted: 10 Aug 2020 01:42 PM PDT I think it's ugly now, but in 3-5 years, I'm convinced it will be downright hideous! [link] [comments] |
| UPDATE: When remodeling, no matter the age of the house, there’re always surprises to find. Posted: 10 Aug 2020 06:29 AM PDT Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeImprovement/comments/i68ic1/when_remodeling_no_matter_the_age_of_the_house/ I was originally just going to fix the wiring and call it a day since the giant hole IS covered by the microwave and upper cabinet, but I figured this is MY house and why would I choose to just leave something like that? So, here's a short album with a writeup of the repair. [link] [comments] |
| Some things I wish I knew before buying out house. Posted: 10 Aug 2020 09:00 PM PDT So if this is not the right place. Please feel free to let me know. But I know when we were house shopping I tried to look at everything possible online for ideas of what to look at. Now that we've been here a little bit here's the things I wish I had done differently during the purchase. North Texas area if it matters.
There's a lot more. And all in all I think we still would buy this house all over again. But had I don't these things I may have been better positioned to negotiated and also would have had more defined expectations going in. So if your lurking here getting ready to buy. Hopefully this helps! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 Aug 2020 10:43 AM PDT I just wanted to share something I created that I think can help those in the process of or planning on building a new home. I wanted a nice way to document what was inside the walls so that in the future I could look it up and plan projects or share with contractors. I did the whole video/photo thing, but I wanted something better. I spent an afternoon at the house before drywall went up and took photospheres (360 degree panoramas that allow you to go up and down too. I used the Google Camera app on an Android phone, not sure if iOS has something similar). I then uploaded each photosphere to Google Photos which allows for them to be dragged around to see all around. I then took a floorplan I got from the builder (although a handmade one would work well too) and added links to each photosphere on the floorplan using Adobe Acrobat. This created a PDF with clickable regions that correspond to the location of each photo: https://i.imgur.com/QgGWJQW.jpg When you click one of the circles, it opens Google Photos to the specific photosphere you're after: https://i.imgur.com/uCkLlFN.jpg I wanted to do this instead of just dumping all photos/videos/panos in a folder or album. Sure, they're accessible, but they all look the same when walls are not yet up and it's very hard to know at a glance which one you want to reference. Having the map really helps find what you're after quickly. I've used this many times already, to wire new fixtures, determine paths for conduit, etc. I hope someone gets some use out of this! Also, if you do this, take as many as you can and try to get in front of every corner, nook, and cranny. Just having a bit better angle on something or additional perspective has helped me out a lot! Also, use a tripod! [link] [comments] |
| Poll: "They're just gonna rip it out anyway. Don't replace it." or...? Posted: 10 Aug 2020 10:08 PM PDT Hi Redders! I am remodeling my house to sell, and the carpet is really gross. Torn, dirty stained, worn etc. I have had every answer under the sun, but I really want to know what *most* people would do, which is the purpose of my poll here. If you were a buyer of a $400-$500k house, and it checked all of the rest of the boxes (custom, big, great layout, private big back yard with pool and spa, smart home features, sprinklers, cameras....) but the floor was gross, what would you do: 1 - walk out ("eeuwww it needs new flooring. let's keep looking." 2 - look past the obvious need for a replacement and offer the seller a flooring allowance, because "I can buy what I really want", 3 -Unable to visualize, so I need to see brand new flooring "Call me and I will come back and look at it once she has replaced the carpet." 4 - demand the carpet in the bedrooms be replaced with hardwood, because "allergies..."? My agent has said "just buy a nice neutral bright and soft inexpense (not cheap crap though) carpet. They are just going to rip it out anyway and buy what they want. And don't bother with hardwood or LVT. Chances are, they will hate what you pick out, so carpet is better." IS he right? What say you all? Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Installing a back splash, where to stop Posted: 10 Aug 2020 10:23 PM PDT Hey y'all! I'm going to be installing a backsplash in my kitchen and I'm not sure where to stop. I've read so many things online and I'm torn. Do I stop where the cabinets end (green line) or do I go all the way up the back (red line)? Also how far to bring it out? Purple line and keep it flush with the cabinets or blue line and line it up with the little 4in backsplash [link] [comments] |
| Is using a barn door inside the room tacky even if it is the most functional door for the space? Posted: 10 Aug 2020 10:13 PM PDT I created a space for an office in my home since I will be doing all of my schooling online for the upcoming fall semester. The space is too small to accommodate a door that opens into the room and it would also intervene with the light switch (if I opened the door the light switch would end up behind the door). I was considering a sliding barn barn door, but the wall on the outside, which faces the staircase landing, has the door to the laundry as well as light switches on the only side the door could slide to. On the inside of the room, however, the wall can accommodate the barn door because there are no obstructions, light switches, light plugs or anything. It would just slide behind my desk or sofa. Is it acceptable (from a design and aesthetics point of view) to put the sliding barn door inside the room? It would be very visible because the entrance to the room is in the staircase landing. so close friends and family who visit would always be able to see the back of the barn door from the landing space. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 Aug 2020 08:52 PM PDT Probably not the right subreddit but I will try anyways. We are buying a preconstruction cookie cutter house and we have the option to upgrade the 8ft standard basement ceiling to 9ft ceiling for 4500 CAD. Just wondering if it is worth it if the size of the basement is only 500 sqft? Thanks. I am only 5'6'' in height and my wife is 5'2". [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 Aug 2020 05:58 PM PDT What are everyone's thoughts on hardwood floors vs vinyl plank flooring(Pergo or Coretec)? My wife and i just bought a house and would like to install new flooring by having a contractor take up carpet and tile and put down hardwood flooring. We have two small children, one of which uses a walker. We would like to place the flooring in our kitchen and entryway. We understand both options are costly and just wonder whats the general sentiment about the two options. Durability, maintenance, longevity and appearance. What do you all think? [link] [comments] |
| Piece of vinyl siding fell of my house, what do I do? Posted: 10 Aug 2020 10:57 PM PDT I have vinyl siding on my house. Recently we had some really strong winds which caused a piece of siding to blow off into the yard. Can I just go and pop this back on? How do I fix this? Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Help! Roommate painted popcorn ceiling!! Posted: 10 Aug 2020 10:56 PM PDT I rent a townhome built in the mid 70s, so I have popcorn ceilings in every room. My roommate decided he wanted to freshen up the popcorn ceiling in his room and painted it with latex white paint a few days ago. The musty smell that has been coming from his room is so bad. It is not the smell of paint. I'm slightly freaking out about this. Did the paint cause mold to grow on the popcorn ceiling? Could he have disturbed jt and released abestos? This sounds like an expensive fix :( [link] [comments] |
| Raised panel wainscoting project Posted: 10 Aug 2020 09:36 AM PDT Refinished my dining room over the past few weeks. Really happy with how it came out so I thought I would share with you guys. https://imgur.com/gallery/xnVsdmr I posted pictures of the entire project start to finish. To give a brief overview ill explain here in more detail and to get an idea of cost we did this here in CT. First the room was just dated, two different types of wall paper with dental crown molding and chair rails. We did love the original window trims and base boards. Which actually inspired the idea for the whole project. Originally we wanted to just do shadow boxes with a similar design but I realized the pictures I really like the most were actually raised panels and not shadow boxes. So called my goto carpenter and started talking about how much work it would be and an hour later we drew out how many panels and how much material we would need. The total cost of building materials was just under $1500.00. That discussion happened on a Friday, that weekend I pulled off all the old wallpaper and he started working Monday. He removed all the old moulding and set up his saws in my backyard. There he pocket jointed and glued all the 1x4 boards together in sections then brought them in and nailed them in place. Because we wanted to keep the old window trim he installed new window sills that were a 1/2" deeper to compensate for the raised panels. He then put the panel moulding on and last put up the crown moulding, picture rail, and base boards. He did all this work in about 36 hours with a helper for 1500.00 bringing my total cost to 3k so far. To note I hired him to do a big roof job and this price is majorly discounted due to that. From here I did the rest myself in the next two weeks on weekends and after work. The first thing I had to do was fill what felt like 1000 holes everywhere with wood filler, I used Elmer's wood filler for this. At the same time I patched any previous holes from where we had to move one outlet and other wall anchors that were there before. My walls are plaster but luckily they are already very flat so this wasn't so bad. The sanding was a nightmare it took me probably 8 hours to get in all the crevices where I had to fill holes but once that was done I started to prime the room. For this I made the decision to spray the whole room. I figured I would never be able to get as good of a finish using a brush and rollers. The only problem was that I don't own and expensive airless sprayer. So I used my HVPL sprayer and just diluted with water. I sprayed on a thick coat of BM advance primer about a gallon and a half this cost me 65/gallon. After this I went back and sanded every imperfection/drip I could find with 120 grit then 220 grit. Next was caulking everything i used SW printable caulk i think it was 5.00 a tube and i used 4 tubes. Finally I sprayed on the first coat of BM Dove White in semi gloss. Sanded the entire room with 320 to scuff the paint a bit and then sprayed the second coat. About 2 gallons in total $70.00/gallon. And now 3 weeks later I have a dining room im pretty proud of. Total cost was about 3500.00 for all materials paint and labor. [link] [comments] |
| Condenser return line dripping Posted: 10 Aug 2020 07:52 PM PDT Condensation drain line https://imgur.com/gallery/9ZzotYF[ https://imgur.com/gallery/9ZzotYF](http:// https://imgur.com/gallery/9ZzotYF) I am trying to resolve this problem with my AC. The return line was stated as clogged on a recent inspection. I figure this is a lower drain pan return that built up with rust and clogged. Theres another return line (white pipe in picture which runs outside) I think i could run another setup pretty easily. I consulted a friend who suggested I install a drain overflow shutoff switch as well. I have a few questio so forgive my ignorance. So here are my questions: 1) will I need to take any other electrical precautions besides flipping all the circuits? Just want to make sure I dont zap myself if I tie in the shutoff switch into the main panel 2) is this something I need to try to find out about local codes or rules on servicing this in this way? TLDR; condenser return line dripping constantly. Can I safely install a shut off valve on this return line by tripping the breaker? Should I see if theres some sort of code or rule I should look up for this? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 Aug 2020 06:13 PM PDT Hi All, We recently moved into a new apartment and I am looking to hang my guitars on the wall. In my previous apartment, I had four guitars hanging on the walls using guitar hanging hooks mounted on the wall with drywall anchors. This was never an issue and I did it twice in two different rooms. Now, in the new apartment, I can't for the life of me get the same drywall anchors to work. I mapped the wall using a stud finder with metal/wire detecting capability and know the studs are spaced 16". I am going between studs because it looks like there are wires along some of the studs I want to avoid. What keeps happening is that I am using a screw as a pilot hole, then tapping in the wall anchor with a hammer into the pilot hole until I get to its thread. When I try to screw in the anchor at the thread (which is about halfway down the anchor), it just spins and rips a big hole in the wall. It looks like there is something behind the drywall, and I know it's not a stud. The building is ~100 years old, and I am suspecting that it could possibly be plaster walls that were drywalled over? I managed to get one anchor in, but am now just putting huge holes in the wall for no reason on subsequent tries that fail. How can I go about mounting these guitars with a possible drywall on plaster wall situation? Thanks in advance! [link] [comments] |
| Ceramic Grout Mold Permanent Prevention Posted: 10 Aug 2020 07:43 PM PDT I am wondering if there is a coating, seal, paint or whatever product that I can apply to the grout between shower tiles to stop mold forming again? The grout between the ceramic shower tiles of my shower pit has black mold formed. I am using a squeegee to clean the tiles after each shower, but it only slows down the mold formation, and it is annoying to do every time. I shower less now, because I am too lazy to squeege. Is there a product (preferably not too expensive) that I can apply to the junction to prevent mold formation for good? I found some videos on Youtube, but they just tell me to squeege, circulate air, or apply vinegar every week. Is there a silver bullet solution to get rid of the mold good once for all? Best [link] [comments] |
| Should I be concerned about these cracks/missing stucco on the exterior of my home? Posted: 10 Aug 2020 06:08 PM PDT |
| Electrical question about cable wires Posted: 10 Aug 2020 09:53 PM PDT Hello! How hard would it be to rewire cable lines? We are throwing around the idea of possibly moving all the cable wires that surround the outside of our home to the inner walls of our home. We actually want to run them through the attic and down the walls to new outlet locations if thats possible. The wires are currently tacked to the side of our house and aren't securely mounted. Any suggestions on if it's a DIY or what professional I could contact. Thanks in advance!! [link] [comments] |
| Is it possible to convert this barn into a house? Ballpark cost? Posted: 10 Aug 2020 02:50 PM PDT Can anyone with more experience tell me if it's possible to convert this barn into a house? It looks like there is already a concrete slab. I would guess the costs would be bringing it up to code with windows, plumbing, electric, insulation etc. Any idea of a ballpark cost? 100k? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 Aug 2020 09:16 PM PDT I've had a recent problem with my whirlpool dishwasher, the lights are flicking on and off (very dim though) while door is open or closed. However while Door is closed, a slight clicking sound joins the flashing. I have removed power multiple times for at least a minute, I have held buttons and conducted restart procedures. Does anyone know what might be the problem, or what I can do? [link] [comments] |
| How to cool a sun room in Florida Posted: 10 Aug 2020 06:31 PM PDT Hey not sure this is the best spot to post this, but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for cheaply cooling an approximately 400 Sq ft room with 16 ft of south facing sliding glass doors and 2 skylights. The room used to be a patio at one time so all doors to it from the main house are outside-style and block air flow. We can't leave them open because dog hair would cover our main living areas. It has 2 small vents from the central AC but they don't do much. The room is consistently 6 - 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house with an average middle of the day temperature around 87 degrees with 65% humidity. It already has 2 overhead fans, a standing oscillating fan, and a couple desk fans. They help to make it bearable but don't do much for the raw temperature or humidity which are a bit much for the dog, or me spending all day working in it. Ultimately I'd like to get a ductless AC installed but don't have thousands to throw at this right now. There are no windows, just the sliding doors and skylights so a window AC is out. I thought about a swamp cooler but read that probably won't work in a humid climate / room. Any other thoughts? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 Aug 2020 08:39 PM PDT I have no idea what this is for. I can locate the cable coax connection, I can locate the electrical panel, I can locate the telephone box. I have no idea what this is. It could be a really old coax box or an alarm system, but definitely would like someone's input on what this is. Oh, the brand name on it is ARRIS. [link] [comments] |
| Epoxy Countertops - Under $600 faux marble Posted: 10 Aug 2020 08:39 PM PDT My husband and I are Reno-ing our house and after getting quoted almost $1500 for laminate, we decided to just take a risk and do epoxy. Turned out MUCH better than we expected or even hoped photos here . We ended up putting too much heat on 3 spots, so it is dimpled but some sanding and a bit more epoxy will fix that no problem. Needless to say, this will probably be our first choice in countertops for a while! Edit: epoxy kit was purchased from concretecountertopsolutions.com. Base colour is "black onyx" and silvery veins are "silver.." something or other.. I'll check if anyone really needs to know. If you are considering epoxy, feel free to ask any questions- I'm more than happy to help! [link] [comments] |
| How to Soundproof a bedroom (apt) for bass Posted: 10 Aug 2020 03:19 PM PDT I've seen some other threads about soundproofing, but I specifically want/need my bedroom soundproofed so I can play trombone without massively disturbing my neighbors. I'm a music student with an emphasis in trombone. Every time I want to practice, so every day, I have to drive to the college to use one of their practice rooms for an hour or 2. When school starts it won't be as much of a problem cause I'll be there monday-friday, but weekends are still a problem. Just looking for the cheapest way to soundproof, but get maximum benefit for the price. [link] [comments] |
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