Home Improvement: Lord help us. |
- Lord help us.
- Putting up fence due to neighbor
- Cleaning up 130-year-old reclaimed parquet flooring
- I think I hit some kind of pipe by nailing, but stop before I broke through drywall. Did I make a mistake?
- Roach problem in kitchen even after cleaning it thoroughly several times.
- Do I need to hire a pro to convert new gas range to propane or can I do it myself?
- My drain pipe in my shower is off center. How do I go about this?
- Vacation home reverse osmosis shutdown
- Possibly fixing a tar and gravel drive way
- PVC Tiles Over Garage Concrete Floor
- Converting derelict greenhouse into pandemic kindergarten
- Advice on paver walkway drainage?
- Slight banging during extended hot water use
- Looking for an alternative to a ceiling fan. My rooms ceilings are only 7 ft high and I hate having a box fan on my floor.
- Bathroom remodel...anyone have gaps between their vanity and wall?
- Home Improvement Veterans- any advice for a novice?
- I have the pleasure of searching for a stackable washer/dryer in a tight space
- Foil duct left inside walls
- GFCI Outlet Trouble and Questions
- What is this foil wrapped shaft and do I need to do any repairs before putting up new drywall?
- Adding LED light mirror and fan/vent to Bathroom, what to expect?
- what do I need/what's involved in installing 2 outlets?
- First time homeowner here - Is this water damage? If so, how serious is it?
- What should I do when I hire someone to work on the house?
| Posted: 08 Sep 2020 02:30 PM PDT EDIT: This story is disgusting. Carry on at your own risk. We just bought our home.. noticed quickly that the old owners had neglected a roach problem. We hired an exterminator, he came twice and we felt okay. Then noticed one of the bathrooms (powder room) smelled musty and weird. I had a very very strong and bad feeling it was a bunch of dead roaches in the wall, but I wanted to be hopeful. We decided to redo that bathroom and started demo yesterday. Found some nasty things taking the walls out and one of the outlets was covered in roach poop. Found a lot of old egg capsules. But nothing could have ever prepared us for what we found last. We take off the final wall, and I wish I was exaggerating...... pounds of roach poop and live roaches spilled out of the wall. We screamed/smashed/sprayed raid. We called our exterminator and he came over at 9p and hosed the whole room down with insecticide and growth inhibitors. We now know that we were smelling years of dead roaches and roach poop. Its by far the worst thing that has ever happened during a project. We both just wanna cry and die. Now we have to scrub roach poop marks off of the studs. Nothing could have ever prepared us for that amount of stuff, but just always expect some crazy shit when you rip apart a 71 year old house. [link] [comments] |
| Putting up fence due to neighbor Posted: 08 Sep 2020 06:03 AM PDT My backyard directly faces another guy's backyard. this guy is out on his porch for at least 10 hours a day, listening to music as he stares into my backyard. He's not creepy, but I feel that I never have any privacy. As a result, I don't feel comfortable chilling on my back patio because I feel watched. Also, he has 2 dogs that bark at me whenever I step foot outside and he does nothing to stop them. Would I be a jerk for putting up a privacy fence (6 or 8') between our two yards so I can finally feel alone, and for the dogs to (hopefully) not notice me when I go outside? I'm worried what his reaction would be since I would be significantly reducing his view, even though it's my backyard. Any advice is appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| Cleaning up 130-year-old reclaimed parquet flooring Posted: 08 Sep 2020 11:29 AM PDT 18 months ago, myself and my partner moved into our 1890's house, that had been largely stripped of its character. One of our aims for renovating the house was to try and reinstall some "original" features. One of which was the flooring. Originally, this house would have probably had some Minton tiles throughout the hallway, and we would have loved to have had such a feature in the house. Unfortunately, the tiles are long gone, and we really can't afford to spend ~£5,000 to install newer versions. We decided parquet would be a cheaper option, while still bringing some character back to the house. Around a year ago, I saw that an old church, not too far away, was being converted into a house. They had to remove all of the old flooring to make the new floor level and were selling the original parquet. The flooring was already up and ready to go when I found it, so have no idea how it looked on the floor. All I know there are 2 very different colours, and the bottoms were a mess. They had been taken from all areas of the church as well, so all have different levels of wear and tear. After a few days of scraping the bitumen/tar/concrete from the bottom of the blocks, they were then laid on the bare concrete after removing the tiles that were in the house when we moved in. Fast-forward a year, and the rest of the hallway/landing have finally been decorated so it was time to sand the floors. We had bought a floor sander after spending the cost of a second hand one to hire a sander while restoring another floor in the house, so it wasn't too much effort, but the results are amazing. To think how many people have walked across this floor over the last 130 years, and after a little elbow grease, it's turned out looking brand new. We still need to varnish the floor, but aren't sure whether to stain it first, we'll live with it for a few weeks before deciding, but if anyone else has done something similar, we'd love to hear how you finished yours! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 08 Sep 2020 07:47 PM PDT I started hammering a 1/2 inch nail into wall and heard a clang. It made it about 1/4th way in before I realized fuck, I need a stud finder. The drywall isn't broken. The nail didn't go through to the pipe. Could the pipe still be damaged? [link] [comments] |
| Roach problem in kitchen even after cleaning it thoroughly several times. Posted: 08 Sep 2020 03:45 PM PDT I have a sink and cupboard on opposite walls of kitchen. I have somehow cleaned the cupboards and taped possible entry points of roaches into them but the covered hole of the sink somehow lets them in. The roaches have pissed me off. I have to clean everything before I use repeatedly because of paranoia. Can any of you possibly suggest a home remedy or chemical or anything which can help me get rid of the roaches? Thanks in advance. [link] [comments] |
| Do I need to hire a pro to convert new gas range to propane or can I do it myself? Posted: 08 Sep 2020 11:48 AM PDT Bought a new gas range which comes with the propane conversion kit. All the googling shows how to do it but says hire a professional. Which is it? If I hire someone, what do I look for? I'm in a rural area which is 99% electric. [link] [comments] |
| My drain pipe in my shower is off center. How do I go about this? Posted: 08 Sep 2020 10:47 PM PDT I had a clog in my shower drain, so I ran a snake down the drain. It made a loud thump noise, and now the pipe is off center. My shower drain is literally a grill and then a hole in the ground connecting to the pipeline. And now the pipe itself is shifted. It drained the water out of my shower, but the pipe itself still is full of water and it's off center. It's a little hard to see, but we put drano in the drain. So where it's white & foamy is the actual drain pipe which obviously is off center from the actual drain hole itself. Image Any tips on how to fix this? [link] [comments] |
| Vacation home reverse osmosis shutdown Posted: 08 Sep 2020 10:39 PM PDT Hi all, I recently installed a 6-stage RO system under the kitchen sink in our vacation home. We're now heading back home and won't be returning anytime soon. In other words the RO will sit for over 6 months for sure. I've read that it is sufficient to shut the water inlet valve and let all the water out from the faucet. Of course, when retuning would imagine I have to replace all stage filters, membrane and any water polishing filters too and also perform a sanitisation before inserting any new filters. Is this the proper way to shut it down and prepare it for our next visit? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. [link] [comments] |
| Possibly fixing a tar and gravel drive way Posted: 08 Sep 2020 08:16 PM PDT My drive way is absolutely falling apart. I'm not sure how to even begin fixing it. Do I start from scratch and pummel the whole thing? Piece together what's left? Help please! driveway [link] [comments] |
| PVC Tiles Over Garage Concrete Floor Posted: 08 Sep 2020 10:16 PM PDT Trying to determine the best solution for laying down PVC garage tiles. There are solid and perforated options. Since I will be parking a vehicle in the garage, bringing in snow, water and salt, which is the better option? Some points to consider: -My garage does not have a drain, the drainage relies on the sloped grade leading onto the driveway. I have a few questions:
Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Converting derelict greenhouse into pandemic kindergarten Posted: 08 Sep 2020 07:53 PM PDT Hi all -- this is perhaps an unusual project and maybe that's a good thing. We are converting a 60s era greenhouse structure on our property (a suburb inside NYC) into something akin to a Kindergarten for five kids, including our own (it's not formally a school, but it's what they'll have, on top of "real school" zoom classes for five year olds). https://imgur.com/gallery/qNQOVsm We are looking to keep the kids outside for as long as possible through the NYC winter, out of epidemiological concerns. We're putting a poly roof over the thing, to keep the rain off. That's straightforward. My questions are around how to provide a little heat insulation to the cement ground, and how to heat the space, which will be fully open on one side and with several open areas on the other (where panes of glass are missing). It's important to try and keep it warm and dry but keep the front and rear open -- that's the point of the project. I am focused on two areas: Heating a space with open air moving through it Remember this is with 5 year olds in there as well. I am thinking electric heat (we have cheap energy) but don't know anything about how to think about it. It's about 16' x 25' (~5m x 8m) and the kids will be mostly in different areas (on fucking Zoom calls), rather than one central one. What would you recommend as to strategies and specific recommendations for heaters/heating? Ground level? Hanging from the beams? Remember roof will be plastic, should trap some heat but would be bad if it, like, melted. Insulating the concrete floor in some way My hypothesis is that it will be warmer with a little investment insulating against the damp cold concrete. I am thinking to do the following (Home Depot links are no endorsement of HD!): 6 mil plastic sheeting directly on concrete to trap moisture etc. A bunch of tiled sheets of 1" insulating sheathing on top of the plastic sheeting outdoor carpeting maybe like this on top of the sheathing, for the kids to sit on and run around on. My questions here: 1) is this worth it, will it make any difference to the warmth of the space, and 2) this will have a bunch of 5 year olds on top of it for long periods of time, is there anything to be concerned about wrt toxicity? 3) any other thoughts about what might help keep them warm? -- TL;DR: five kids in a greenhouse with a poly roof i am putting on, but with front and back mostly open. How to keep them warm? super grateful for any experience or advice with any piece of this. [link] [comments] |
| Advice on paver walkway drainage? Posted: 08 Sep 2020 10:02 PM PDT Hi, I am redoing my old walkway with new pavers and currently stuck on the issue of drainage. In the photo, arrows represent the direction of water flow. Since the patio is slightly lower than walkway A, dirt always collects in that particular area. Any suggestions as to how to fix this issue without raising the patio/adding more material to elevate the walkway? Maybe create a drain and run pvc pipe under ground towards the low area (left side of house). When I add the new pavers, which direction should I create the slope for walkway A and B (should A slant slight towards the left since I can't slant it towards the driveway? should B slant towards patio?) Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Slight banging during extended hot water use Posted: 08 Sep 2020 05:52 PM PDT Added a shower to an existing large half bath about 5 yrs ago, professionally done probably PVC pipes. I've recently noticed a slight banging at about 4-5 sec intervals after taking a shower and running hot water to the sink immediately afterwards. It's not very loud and sounds like it's coming from the wall over the newer run to the shower. Running cold water in the sink ends it pretty quick. Hot water only running in the sink may or may not be also cause the banging, but if so, very much less noticeable and frequent. The water heater is gas, very old and set probably way too hot, scalding level, but besides replacing a thermocoupler that caused the pilot light to go out, no work done on it and has worked great. Should I flee my house and burn it to the ground immediately? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 08 Sep 2020 09:22 PM PDT I am looking for any alternative I saw outdoor wall mounted fans but the ones I see are all modern and I live in a 1940s beach house. [link] [comments] |
| Bathroom remodel...anyone have gaps between their vanity and wall? Posted: 08 Sep 2020 09:15 PM PDT Hi all, I have an 86" space that I need to fill. I can either buy a freestanding 72" vanity and have a 6"-7" gap between both sides of the vanity, or I can go custom. Obviously the custom route is much more expensive. Thoughts? [link] [comments] |
| Home Improvement Veterans- any advice for a novice? Posted: 08 Sep 2020 06:48 PM PDT We just bought our first house. It is old, and we have a lot to do. We are super excited! My FIL and uncle came over to teach me a couple things and gift us a power tool set. I'm not sure what half these things do...before this, my only experience was painting or hammering nails to hang posters. Nevertheless, I'm determined to take on as much of the renovations as I'm physically capable of. Does anybody have any need-to-know words of wisdom to share? Stories of crazy projects gone wrong ir right that I can learn from? Any warning signs to look for that wouldn't be obvious to someone like me that has no idea what to look for? [link] [comments] |
| I have the pleasure of searching for a stackable washer/dryer in a tight space Posted: 08 Sep 2020 08:49 PM PDT Our old washer/dryer combo finally bit the dust so I need to find a stackable combination. The challenge for me is the height. When stacked I would need them to be around 72", I have a little bit of wiggle room but not a lot. Looking for 36" tall each and medium (~4cuft washer capacity.) Looking online but the average height seems to be at least 38". Wondering if anyone has done a similar research and found success. Any tips are greatly appreciated. thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 08 Sep 2020 08:48 PM PDT Previous homeowner must have vented the dryer up and out through the ceiling, and then decided to move the vent. He left the foil dryer duct and a 5" diameter hole in the drywall.
Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| GFCI Outlet Trouble and Questions Posted: 08 Sep 2020 06:25 PM PDT Just bought an apartment. The building was built in 1928, so the electrical work is a whole mix of different wiring. In the kitchen, all of the appliances and two GFCI outlets are on one circuit. I was using the microwave when I opened the refrigerator door, the compressor kicked on, and the circuit breaker blew. I reset the breaker and thought everything was fine, making a mental note not to open the fridge while the microwave was running. Just now I noticed that the GFCI outlets aren't working. When I press the reset button, the LED flashes red once, then goes out again. A couple of questions, thanks for your help: - Did tripping the circuit compromise the GFCI outlet? - The GFCI outlets are connected using the load connection on the first outlet. Does the second outlet need to be a GFCI device or can I use a standard outlet there? [link] [comments] |
| What is this foil wrapped shaft and do I need to do any repairs before putting up new drywall? Posted: 08 Sep 2020 08:35 PM PDT We recently removed some damaged drywall to put up new and found this foil wrapped shaft behind it. I am guessing it has to do with the HVAC, but really am unsure of the purpose since I don't know much at all about that area. Can anyone shine some light on: 1) What exactly is this thing? 2) Why is it wrapped in foil? There is no insulation between it and the foil. 3) Should I repair it somehow? Does it need a new wrap before drywall goes up and if so, what? 4) Is it ok it is so close to the drywall? Both this and the non-foil covered ac shaft are very close to where the drywall sits. Here are some photos. For some added information, we have central air. Thanks so much! Any insight is appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Adding LED light mirror and fan/vent to Bathroom, what to expect? Posted: 08 Sep 2020 06:17 PM PDT Currently in the middle of a bathroom remodel, our contractor is great but suggests we call over his electrician friend to add the fan/vent to the bathroom. Question I have is, I also plan on adding a mirror with LED light, Can the mirror tap into the main bathroom light fixture (which will be right above the mirror) so both the main light fixture and bathroom LED run off of one switch? I think from what I gather, the fan vent will need its own switch, but is it possible to have all 3 (light fixture, led mirror, fan vent) running off of one switch so I dont need to worry about someone never turning the fan on? [link] [comments] |
| what do I need/what's involved in installing 2 outlets? Posted: 08 Sep 2020 02:22 PM PDT So in the mud room I want to spruce up into a nice looking, someone told me that before I finish installing drywall I should add outelts if I need any. So, if I want to add 2 outlets (just the standard 2 plug kind with ground), what do I need to buy from Menards/Lowes in order for someone to come out to do it? Also, what is the process to actually hook them up? Even though I would have the outlets on a wall that currently has no drywall, the junction box with all the breakers is downstairs in the finished basement. Will they need to tear up the drywall in the finished basement to run the outlet power cord to the box? [link] [comments] |
| First time homeowner here - Is this water damage? If so, how serious is it? Posted: 08 Sep 2020 05:59 PM PDT Hello, To give some context, I moved into a newly constructed townhome in October last year. Since then there was a small area in my basement that kept having issues. Under some baseboard trim, dust and dirt would come out and I would have to constantly clean it up. Luckily, I had a 1year warranty on most issues I see with the house so I called up the builders (Lennar) and let them know of the issue. They sent a contractor who nailed down the trim and that was that. No more dust/dirt appearing from under the baseboard. Fast forward to last month, a wet spot appeared on the laminate flooring in front of that area during a heavy rain storm. I was alarmed but it went away the next day. I called the builder again and they sent a different contractor to come look at it. He did absolutely nothing except bring extra baseboard material. Never came back to fix anything. See pictures here. Today, I see these dark brown stains forming on the baseboard (a foot away from the previous wet spot). There is nothing near that wall except for a table. There is a bathroom and laundry room but that's about 15 feet away and doesn't share any walls. No windows either. It also smells pretty funky down there. I have a dehumidifier running but it still smells. Picture here. There was some prior discoloration along the baseboard but it didn't seem like anything serious until now. There is a drastic change in the color and texture of the stain. However, the front door is located right above the affected wall. I have been water my front lawn more recently so I believe there must be some kind of leak coming from my front lawn area. So I have good reason to believe its water damage but just wanted to make sure before I blow my lid off at the builder lol. Thanks in advance for the help [link] [comments] |
| What should I do when I hire someone to work on the house? Posted: 08 Sep 2020 07:59 PM PDT We just got someone to come out and look at the brick on our 120 year old home. It's real bad... the brick is crumbling and the mortar is crumbling. We're getting water damage in the house. Ugh. We were quoted for $10,000 to do about 1800 sqft of brick and mortar replacement. We're pretty sure this a great deal and we want them to do the job. However, this is A LOT of money that I've honestly never had to worry about before... How do we ensure what's agreed upon is done? Do I pay upfront? Should there be a contract? Do I make the contract or them? How do I even pay someone that amount (a check?)? [link] [comments] |
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