Home Improvement: After 21 years and 10 months, we finally figured out what that switch is for! |
- After 21 years and 10 months, we finally figured out what that switch is for!
- Ordered Andersen 400 windows through HD - All came absolutely sloppy and with horrible quality control. Is this normal?
- Mail deliverers I'm looking to replace the mailbox I currently have, however I wonder what is your favourite style of mailbox?
- We remodeled our pink partially carpeted upstairs kitchen
- New homeowner, ELI5 please. This shower was just tiled by a contractor three months ago right before I bought the house. Why are these cracks happening and what do I do?
- Bamboo fencing from Home Depot as balcony privacy screens? Any advice or experiences with it?
- What's the deal with vermiculite?
- Tiny paint bubble ruined my entire bathroom wall
- Vent/Maybe advice: Contractors claiming they can't finish my attic
- What is okay to buy at Big Box stores like Home Depot – and what isn't?
- Filter Change on AC.
- Where to find a narrow exterior door with window?
- How to remove scratches from inside a porcelain toilet? We’ve tried a porcelain crack repair kit, sanding it down, and currently soaking with Bar Keepers Friend. Any advice is helpful. Thank you!
- Another waterproofing question
- Trying to replace this top piece on our fireplace but don’t know what the name is.
- Help me pick a water heater blanket?
- My bed legs ruined my cherry veenered flooring. Any way to fix this?
- Can I remove this stud?
- 1/4" x 1/4" Trowel for 12x24 Floor Tiles?
- Would remodeling this shower really be that difficult? Considering DIY after getting high estimates from contractors
- Need Advice re: Concrete Grinding
- Cracks in shower
- Best way to flush / close off old fluorescent lighting eyesore
- Staple in electrical wire (damage evident)
| After 21 years and 10 months, we finally figured out what that switch is for! Posted: 13 Sep 2020 07:16 PM PDT We have three switches at the bottom of the basement steps. The one on the right controls the light over the stairs. The one on the left controls the ceiling lights in the main room. But the middle switch had always been a mystery. Until tonight. My son plugged the vacuum into an outlet I thought was dead. You guessed it - my wife happened to flip the switch and the thing came on. Almost 22 years to solve that mystery. In hindsight I can't believe it never occurred to me but what are you gonna do. I'm just glad it's figured out. May this give hope to everyone else with those unknown home features. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Sep 2020 09:32 AM PDT After reading a lot about windows we decided to go with Andersen 400 casement windows (their premium line, supposedly). We liked the look of them in the showroom and decided to order them black inside and outside. After waiting for them for about two months (delayed construction due to this) they came today and we were horrified with what we saw. Is this normal? There are scratches, terrible paint job, unfinished edges, nail holes everywhere, etc. These aren't replacement windows but "new construction" in frames (going into old construction but with the whole new frame). Attached is the album. This is ONLY 5 windows with all these pictured issues. https://imgur.com/a/rAAfApv Edit 1: I'm also shocked at their lying in advertising. I saw a comparison of their "finishing" on advertising and honestly the windows we got look even worse than what they claim the competition looks like. This is what they claim: https://i.imgur.com/Ad0A0x6.png This is what we got: https://i.imgur.com/RoQYo9h.jpg TLDR: 0/5 would not recommend Andersen 400 windows. Beware of their advertising/quality issues. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Sep 2020 09:08 AM PDT http://imgur.com/gallery/ZH1eZkc my current mailbox is a pain to get mail out of and honestly I'd like to get something with more ease of access for all parties involved. Pictures aren't required but they would help! [link] [comments] |
| We remodeled our pink partially carpeted upstairs kitchen Posted: 13 Sep 2020 12:40 PM PDT https://imgur.com/gallery/UpEMHPB Album here. The after is the not pink kitchen version. Included are pictures of painting the cabinets. Background: This is our new to us 1890 home. Feel free to check out or instagram with more documentation of our renovations. The upstairs was a studio apartment setup that was last remodeled in the 70s. There is a main level kitchen as well that we use as our place to cook. The home was not updated at all, so we had to redo electrical from knob and tube and replumb the whole house to the street due to leaks and rust. We also tore out all the carpet upstairs and refinished (for their first time) the original wood floors. Those are all big projects that I won't detail here but wanted to be transparent on. The vision: A kitchen we can use as a coffee bar and bar bar. I wanted it to feel more open, have more character and feel tied in with the house as opposed to this weird hobbled together kitchen feel it had. Kitchen remodel itself: We sanded and repainted the cabinets. It took 4 coats of paint but that's mostly because contractors kept knocking into them. I think 2 would've been fine otherwise. The biggest pain is waiting for them to cure, which is about 30 days. Would definitely recommend waiting for that cure to finish before putting the doors on as the stickiness can cause chipping/peeling. We then got antique hardware to attach to bring some character more in line with the age of the home. New American walnut butcher block was used to replace the old Formica countertops. We bought a slab and cut it down to size. I chose an undermount sink because I like to make things harder for aesthetics. This was accomplished. I convinced my husband to nix the upper cabinets and go for the open look. We got shelf brackets from world market on sale in brass then at our rebuilding center found discounted wood for the shelves making this adventure so much cheaper. A simple sanding of the wood and 2 applications of tung oil that took about 5 days to dry in total and we were ready to hang them. Where possible we mounted the brackets into studs (it's an old house so studs are wherever they felt like putting them). They feel extremely sturdy, even after having plates, glasses, liquor bottle etc on them. New faucet, new lighting fixture, all helped class this up. Add in the accessories and honestly it's exactly what I envisioned. Plus our cheapest of all the renovation projects by far. Costs: cabinet paint $40. The floor being redone for all of upstairs was $5400, the kitchen area is 1/3 of that or $1800. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Sep 2020 03:00 AM PDT Edit: Man, you guys are awesome. I love this sub. Looks like my course of action is to scrape out the grout where it's cracking, fill the tub with water, and use a bath/kitchen caulk to fill the cracks (using painter's tape to keep the lines neat). And that it's important that I get this done soon to prevent water damage. Got it. Thank you so much! [link] [comments] |
| Bamboo fencing from Home Depot as balcony privacy screens? Any advice or experiences with it? Posted: 13 Sep 2020 08:50 PM PDT Thinking about getting nice looking bamboo fencing and attaching it to my balcony railing as a privacy screen, I just know I'll have to cut it. Does HD do that for free in store? [link] [comments] |
| What's the deal with vermiculite? Posted: 13 Sep 2020 07:00 PM PDT I found vermiculite insulation in my attic. I'm gonna have it professionally removed for resale purposes. I've talked to 5 asbestos professionals/contractors, and here are their responses: Professional 1: "Oh SHIT BRO! You have asbestos all over your attic! I'll remove it for $10k!" Professional 2: "Ah yup, that's vermiculite. But we don't know if there's asbestos in it, so let's do a test first." Professional 3: "I'll do it for $10k. Let's send a sample to the Zonolite trust; if it comes back positive you'll get a $4k discount, if it comes back negative then there's no need to remove it." Professional 4: "Let's remove this right now, because tests are worthless and you should assume it has asbestos. We'll do it for $10k." Professional 5: "I've literally never seen vermiculite test positive for asbestos, but we can test it if you want... It's mainly an issue when demolishing buildings." Why are quotes and opinions all over the place? Has anyone ever dealt with this? [link] [comments] |
| Tiny paint bubble ruined my entire bathroom wall Posted: 13 Sep 2020 09:25 AM PDT I had a small paint bubble on my bathroom wall so I thought to pop it then just remove the loose paint of the bubble so I can repaint it. Now my entire wall is ruined because that tiny bubble just kept peeling and peeling and peeling away. Now I'm going to basically have to repaint the entire wall. It's like the paint wasn't sticking to the wall in some areas. I was trying to sand down the edge of the paint but it just keeps peeling away. I don't know what to do to stop it from peeling and I am beyond frustrated. If I keep goi g it's going to hit the corner and peel away another wall and I will have to redo my entire bathroom over one little bubble. What do I do?? Here's what I am now dealing with: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15PPJhJbjJmn3WQqHp1ZuNNOk3jpvReBd/view?usp=drivesdk [link] [comments] |
| Vent/Maybe advice: Contractors claiming they can't finish my attic Posted: 13 Sep 2020 08:05 AM PDT ETA: terrifying pictures of my attic looking terrifying both pre- and post-demo Are vent posts allowed? I need to vent. (didn't see anything about it on the guidelines) Bought our wonderful house around this time last year, it's three stories but the third story was in a bit of disrepair - I assume because there isn't ductwork up to the third floor, so heating/cooling is a hassle, so it was just being used as storage space. One room is essentially finished, the other looked like it hadn't been touched in decades and had wallpaper peeling off all over the walls and ceilings. Same with the stairwell. The third floor space is a BIG reason why we bought this house. We had always planned to finish it eventually and decided that, while we could probably manage it ourselves, it would probably be less stress to just hire it out between my partner working 12 hour shifts and the busy season of my job ramping up. We were originally going to hire a friend who does this kind of work, but after she was super unprofessional doing work for another friend of mine, we decided to look into other contractors. Found one, signed a contract, everything seemed good. As there were some large-ish holes in the plaster where it was crumbling away, the contractors planned to take down the crumbliest bits and replace it with drywall, even everything out, then paint. All good, I'd anticipated that might be the case based on the conversation I had with another contractor. A few days in, my partner started getting uneasy that no construction had been done, only demo (the drywall is still sitting on our front porch). The contractors seemed to have left earlier than I expected them to yesterday, so I texted the head guy who I'd been in the most contact with to see what's up, because I was really hoping this project would be done by the end of this week. He said that HD had delivered the wrong thickness of drywall (don't know why he didn't tell me earlier, but I do believe this as it's 1/2" and the walls look like they need 1/4") and that the other guy yesterday came to work high on drugs (not "just weed") and he actually sent him home on the bus and fired him. He still felt they could finish before this coming weekend. All unfortunate, but certainly believable and not entirely his fault. The other guy came by this morning to pick up his tools and to talk to me. Told me he was "ending his partnership" with the head contractor (I WONDER WHY) and that actually the ceiling would need to be entirely gutted. This is the first thing that seemed seriously off to me. There are two large rooms on the third floor, and the ceiling in the other room seems completely fine. It's made with the same plaster. This is an old house, there are plenty of "hazards," for me it's more about it being functional. I'm just so overwhelmed now, not knowing if I'm gonna have to deal with getting this drywall returned (idk how I even would, as the contractors were the ones who bought it), if we're gonna have to finish the whole project ourselves, unsure as to if the deposit I paid them is more than the value of the demo and supplies that have already been done.... sigh. This was supposed to be less stress. I just want my third floor office space! (may post pics later if people want to see, but right now I just want to lay in bed and regret my life decisions) [link] [comments] |
| What is okay to buy at Big Box stores like Home Depot – and what isn't? Posted: 13 Sep 2020 10:22 PM PDT Homeowner embarking on a renovation here. In this sub, I often see guidance that I shouldn't buy plumbing fixtures at Big Box stores like Home Depot because they are of worse quality than the kind you get at plumbing supply stores. Does this rule apply to any other categories? Here are a few specific ones I'm wondering about:
[link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Sep 2020 07:57 PM PDT Just replaced the air filters on our AC, they were a little dirty and probably overdue. House was not cooling but we could feel cool (ish) air coming from the vents but not a lot before the change. How long before we should expect to see/feel some difference in airflow? Air is still blowing and we think feels a little cooler than before. [link] [comments] |
| Where to find a narrow exterior door with window? Posted: 13 Sep 2020 07:53 PM PDT The back door on our 100-year-old home is falling apart. Since this is our primary point of entry, I want to get a new one that has at least a small window in it for safety purposes. The problem is the door is very small (28x78) and we can't seem to find anything to fit in there. Making the entryway larger is not an option due to the brick and the way the inside of the door is laid out. Not looking to drop more than $300 on it....any ideas? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Sep 2020 07:19 AM PDT |
| Another waterproofing question Posted: 13 Sep 2020 09:32 PM PDT Will possibly be submitting an offer shortly on a home that has membrane all over the basement. When we discussed with the sellers realtor they mentioned " The contractor dug around perimeter and installed a weeping system that leads to a sump pump. A membrane is then installed on the wall that goes from grade level past the floor and into the weeping system. Any moisture that penetrates the basement walls, hits the membrane that has been installed and goes into the weeping system. The entire basement has been done." From my basic basic basic understanding, you typically want the waterproofing to always be done externally right? Where they dig, seal then wrap? Not sure if this is better or worse? Should I be looking to get a different type of waterproofing completed? Just looking for some insight as I will be a potential first time home owner with little to no experience with this. Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Trying to replace this top piece on our fireplace but don’t know what the name is. Posted: 13 Sep 2020 09:06 AM PDT The house we bought came with a fireplace that's missing a piece, and we're not sure what this is called in order to search for a replacement. There's two knob looking screws that held it in place originally. Pictures of the top part of the fireplace. https://imgur.com/gallery/V9F0yvS Does anyone know where we can obtain a replacement? Could be a proprietary thing to the fireplace manufacture. Would appreciate any guidance, thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Help me pick a water heater blanket? Posted: 13 Sep 2020 10:15 AM PDT I have an electric water heater (50 gallon) that I want to insulate with a blanket. Can you help me find a blanket that meets my requirements?
Any ideas? (Could I use those denim ones like this? Does anyone know of any fiberglass ones that are covered all the way around with no fiberglass sticking out?) [link] [comments] |
| My bed legs ruined my cherry veenered flooring. Any way to fix this? Posted: 13 Sep 2020 08:00 PM PDT Like title says, bed legs moving back and forth have worn away the finish of these floor planks. We are selling the house and don't want to refloor the whole room. Any advice on refinishing these rough patches? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Sep 2020 07:54 PM PDT I'm looking to widen the opening for this closet so that I can fit my washer and dryer together. It looks like I can probably at least remove the first stud, but would like some confirmation by those more experienced than I. There are no cripple studs and the header is just held up with some nails. I'm thinking I can remove the stud it's nailed to and either replace the header or just put a piece in to fill the gap to the next stud since the header isn't holding any weight. I'm also curious on thoughts as to whether I can remove one of the next studs where the two are doubled up to afford myself that extra 2 inches. [link] [comments] |
| 1/4" x 1/4" Trowel for 12x24 Floor Tiles? Posted: 13 Sep 2020 07:51 PM PDT Hello all, Am I correct in thinking that a 1/2" x 1/2" trowel will leave a 1/4" layer of mortar? If I'm install floor tiles that are 12x24, would it be OK for me to use a smaller trowel to get a thinner layer of mortar? I know it definitely wouldn't if it were wall tiles but maybe on the floor? The reason I ask this is because the height of the tiles after compared to the adjacent flooring would be perfect if the tile mortar was only 1/8" instead of 1/4". Thank you. Also in case my post was confusing, I am doing 1/4" trowel of mortar on subfloor, then hardie backer. Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Sep 2020 06:08 AM PDT I've gotten several estimates to replace this shower.. And all are in the $8,000 to $10,000 range. First off, some contractors offer deals to remodel an entire bathroom for $7,000, which includes the tub. Why in the world would remodeling a small shower like this cost more than an entire bathroom with the tub? So I'm considering DIY. As you can see, I have a fiberglass insert, which is a 36x32 opening (note the thickness of this insert). The entire opening wall to wall is 41 inches. How do you deal with obtaining a shower pan that is a perfect fit? Or would you get a smaller shower pan, and then use 2x4's to build out the wall so it fits? But then that means you have to move the plumbing and the drain to accommodate you building out that wall? I'm trying to avoid a situation of installing a shower pan, and then it ends up being slightly too small for the opening, which means the cement board ends up behind the shower pan looking ridiculous. Also the drain location is set up for the current 36 inch fiberglass surround. Would that need to be moved? Next: how do you get a shower door that fits exactly and doesn't leak? Do you buy the one at Lowe's? [link] [comments] |
| Need Advice re: Concrete Grinding Posted: 13 Sep 2020 05:21 PM PDT All, I tried leveling out a low spot in our concrete slab flooring using self-leveling concrete. Instead of leveling out the patch, I inadvertently created a much bigger problem... How the hell should I proceed... The plan is to eventually install vinyl plank flooring (lifeproof from home depot). I've been researching the following options:
Any advice? I feel like pulling my hair out... EDIT: Hammer, pry bar, and 30 minutes of brute force and I believe I can say crisis averted [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Sep 2020 07:33 PM PDT http://imgur.com/gallery/a8wwTSc We just bought a house and have noticed these cracks pop up in the shower. When we first walked through the home I thought it was a tile shower but after we moved in I realized that it's more like all one piece, what I thought were grout lines weren't. So I guess it's some sort of insert? We did pay for a warranty when we bought the home but I'm not sure it would cover this. Should I fill these in with some silicone caulk for now? [link] [comments] |
| Best way to flush / close off old fluorescent lighting eyesore Posted: 13 Sep 2020 05:06 PM PDT https://ibb.co/vJmStPT https://ibb.co/gy3Ry4G https://ibb.co/WcX7CC4 Want to eliminate this concave eyesore and make it flush with drywall - and fill with flush mount lights . Better to pull off the entire bottom drywall piece and replace with complete sheet ? or could I get by with cutting a piece to sandwich in, tape and mud - the lights I'll use weigh next to nothing but Im assuming the easy way isn't probably the best way. Also thought about just getting a 1/4 piece of drywall and tacking it over the bottom . ideas? thanks ! [link] [comments] |
| Staple in electrical wire (damage evident) Posted: 13 Sep 2020 07:17 PM PDT While I was removing some insulation in an interior wall, I came across a staple sticking into an electrical wire that runs between a switch and light. At the time, there was no evidence of an issue and I was hoping the staple wasn't in too deep. Well, I must have jostled the staple just right because when I went back to check it out today, the staple was black and there are burns on the romex sheathing. Since the staple runs parallel with the wire, I'm assuming it hit the same inner wire in two places and has been acting as a resistor. Damn thing has been there for decades. The old owners lucked out. In any case, what can I do? The wire is damaged, clearly. The wire runs to a ceiling light in an adjoining room and there's no way for me to run a new wire without opening up the ceiling. I plan to work on this room next year, but I have higher priority jobs to get through first. So... electrical tape? Some kind of 'patch' with splice kit or wire nuts? Open to ideas that won't burn down my house. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
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