Home Improvement: [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread |
- [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread
- What are small items to add around the house to improve quality of life
- We made a fridge opening
- New front door is thiiiiiis close, but I'm tired and out of ideas.
- Has anyone replaced the drainage pipe for a neighborhood before? Any idea who I call?
- My garage door when closing goes down to like a few inches off the ground and then automatically comes back up. So I can’t close my garage at all. Any ideas??
- Squeaky stairs
- Cable installer drilled a bunch of holes...
- Automatic/electric door closer
- Neighbours downspout directed onto my foundation. Will this be a problem?
- Painting walls new color...do I need a white base coat?
- Porch Swing?
- First time home buyer, is this an acceptable niche/tile job, or should I ask them to redo it?
- Laundry Chute Pros & Cons?
- YSK: You can add sewer line backup and replacement coverage to your homeowners insurance policy
- Name of hardware that holds sliding glass door closed?
- How risky are ungrounded GFCI outlets, really?
- What is this under the backerboard?
- Re spray foam insulation on rim joist, how hard?
- Hanging fruit basket
- Tips for getting a super crisp line between wall and ceiling?
- New house
- Removal of light fixture
- Kerdi drain with deck mud pan - on top of PVC liner?
- Cost for grass seeding
| [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread Posted: 16 Sep 2020 05:56 PM 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] |
| What are small items to add around the house to improve quality of life Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:46 AM PDT Examples I have done, Small suction cup baskets in the shower for betting organizing of soaps. Hooks on the wall when you walk in the front door to hang keys, dog leash, etc. Touch LED lights underneath my kitchen cabinets to brighten my counter tops at night A homebuilt behind the couch table with a phone charger in it Would love to hear suggestions and personal examples [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2020 05:07 AM PDT Hi all, Thought we'd share our latest works. For the record, we're based on the east coast of Australia. Our 1980 built home had an old set of cupboards including a pantry in the kitchen. The shelves and lining was 80s era particle board that had been painted a thousand times and was deteriorating. The walls especially were getting rough because they were 3mm thick particle board, and I know why you don't see that stuff in modern builds. It's just horrible. We also prefer the look of a fridge in the cavity, rather than out on the floor. We'll use the old fridge spot for a more functional and modern pantry when we renovate the rest of the kitchen. To start with we ripped out the old stuff. Cheap particle board flying everywhere. Also had some wiring to make safe, etc. The fridge opening needed to be about 200mm wider than the old pantry. So we had to remove two studs that made up the left side of the pantry and the back corner of a hallway cupboard. To make sure there were no issues from removing the studs, we threw in a 190mm header above the opening. The old studs were cut off, and the remaining upper portions sit snugly on top of the header. We notched the header into the existing studs at each end. The left side also sots on the new stud that makes up the edge of the new opening. The original pantry had no header, but despite it not being a load bearing wall, we have raked ceilings. So there's a fair bit of wall above the opening, and we wanted to account for that. We framed up the new back and side walls of the fridge opening with blue pine. And then it was time for gyprock (drywall). It was at this point I remembered how much easier it is to nail into treated pine than into 40 year old hard wood. Then we got to everyone's favourite part... mud. Tape, 2 thin coats of multi purpose compound, and a top coat. I always take my time applying the mud to save on sanding, but sanding still sucks. Always. Paint was a coat of primer on the raw gyprock, and two coats of colour. Not 100% sold on the colour we chose, but will leave it for a bit and see how I feel once we've done a bit more. The floor will be fixed up when we do the rest of our kitchen soon. We also have a bit of work to finalise the hallway cupboards that we stripped to make room for the fridge opening. We got the plumbing installed in the cupboard behind the fridge to make access easy for changing filters etc. It's worked out nicely that we have lots of access in behind and under the fridge. That made the job for the electrician and plumber a lot quicker. All up the whole job cost us 8 sheets of gyprock, 12 2.4m lengths of 70x45 blue pine, gyprock finishing supplies and some nails/screws. So roughly $300 all up (including finishing the hallway cupboards). We're happy with how it turned out, especially the finish on the gyprock. If I wasn't so slow at doing it, it could be a new career option (if I didn't hate sanding so much). Now onto the rest of the kitchen!!! Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| New front door is thiiiiiis close, but I'm tired and out of ideas. Posted: 16 Sep 2020 08:02 PM PDT New pre-hung front door. Old one out was a piece of cake, my 12 year old and I enjoyed the demolition, and he learned to run a reciprocating saw today. Install had it's hiccups, but I thought I had it all good. The new frame is level and square. The door hangs level. But this thing drops about 1/4" from hinge side to knob side, and thus the latch won't catch. Besides, it looks bad. Everything, again, is level. All four sides of the frame. All square. I even checked, and the door is also square. If I put a shim in the bottom hinge, the whole things pushes over and will not close. I ended up removing almost every shim, re-leveled everything, wife helped, and it's still 1/4" low. It's 11:00 pm, hour 15 of this project. I'm out of ideas, tired, and extremely frustrated. Any clue why my door won't close? I'm about to get the chisel and move the latch, but it will still be crooked at the top. [link] [comments] |
| Has anyone replaced the drainage pipe for a neighborhood before? Any idea who I call? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 06:29 AM PDT After many calls back and forth with the City, I've learned it's personal property - installed by the developer in 1971, on our lot (albeit it hidden behind rows of trees behind our fence). City doesn't maintain it, and it's our job to replace it now that it's failing every time it rains, flooding our yard, cralwspace and A/C unit. It is currently 48" and needs to be upgraded to at least 96" to handle a 50-year storm (intake is about 200 acres). Any idea who we call? Google turns up mostly interior plumbing or small landscaping companies for french drains etc. this needs to be a concrete pipe that feeds to the city drainage system. under the road, the whole shabang. the city did not recommend anyone. pro tip: walk the entire property before you buy and have a survey done, even if there's already a fence. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:47 AM PDT It goes all the way down to just a few inches off the ground and then it comes all the way back up and starts flashings and making a clicking noise [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2020 07:23 PM PDT Hey! So I just moved into a house built in 1985, it's actually in amazing shape. One thing that bugs me is how squeaky the stairs are. There's a set of stairs going down to the basement and one going up to the bedrooms on the second floor. Does anyone have any recommendations on how they've managed to make the stairs sturdier? Would it be a pain to just redo them? Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Cable installer drilled a bunch of holes... Posted: 16 Sep 2020 06:27 PM PDT I had a cable installer come today to install fiber. He drilled too many holes, and they're in the ceiling of the basement. He drilled through a 2 by 4, and I want to patch up the holes. I read that silicone caulk is bad to use on wood. What should I use to patch these? They're maybe about the size of a hole punch. [link] [comments] |
| Automatic/electric door closer Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:10 PM PDT Hi, I'm looking for a solution to be able to close my bedroom door from my desk. I found one DIY that uses a weight and a pulley to automatically close the door after you, but that's not what I'm looking for. I want the door to function normally (ie remain open if not closed) but when I decide to I can use an electronic/wireless/remote to have it swing shut. Any ideas? [link] [comments] |
| Neighbours downspout directed onto my foundation. Will this be a problem? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 09:53 AM PDT I'm looking to purchase the home on the left. However, it looks like the neighbours downspout is broken and diverting the water towards my foundation, rather than away from the house. Could this be a problem in the future? [link] [comments] |
| Painting walls new color...do I need a white base coat? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:51 AM PDT I was surprised that the color I was expecting was showing different on my wall, perhaps due to the existing color? I made sure to put multiple coats . Then I painted the new colors on a white piece of paper and the difference is huge. Just for reference I'm painting a grayish blue green and my existing wall is light green. So I'm assuming I need to put a coat of white primer before painting? I always thought this was only necessary if making a drastic color change. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:30 AM PDT Hello all! My wife and I are new homeowners and just moved in on Monday! She wants a porch swing, one of the type that attaches via chains to a beam and swings. I don't know the first thing about what I'm looking at, so I'm wondering if it can be done from somewhere on the part of the roof that overhangs the back deck. The pictures are below. Thank you so much for any insight you can provide! [link] [comments] |
| First time home buyer, is this an acceptable niche/tile job, or should I ask them to redo it? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 06:01 PM PDT I have the option for them to redo the entire shower as they put the tiles in incorrectly, I "upgraded" to staggered from the standard stacked, but they screwed up. The home builder will refund me if I keep the stacked look, which I don't really mind, but what I do mind is my niche, which is an upgrade too, looks terrible. I had a rep come and inspect it, he seemed to think it was acceptable. Am I crazy? I'm comparing it to those in Pinterest and mine just looks sloppy. Can someone tell me if I am just being picky, or if you agree that it's a sloppy job? Your opinions will help me decide if I want them to redo the shower, as I think it's the only way I can get them to fix the niche properly. Edit: I should mention that one corian shelf has text on the underside, which I am short and can see it when I am in the shower. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2020 01:00 PM PDT I'm about to start building a house but I'm still looking for pros & cons of laundry chute. Tried googling but nothing. And the location it currently is, it's bad it's in my resin statue & movie collection near tv in 2nd floor in the 1st floor it's in the half bathroom for guests since the floor below it is were the laundry room is in the plans, So I'm looking for help and opinions why it's better or instead have the laundry 🧺 baskets in each room . Thank you all [link] [comments] |
| YSK: You can add sewer line backup and replacement coverage to your homeowners insurance policy Posted: 16 Sep 2020 06:09 PM PDT I learned this recently and am happy to have the peace of mind. The cost is pretty minimal and can be a huge relief especially if your sewer is clay or or older. Backup coverage and line replacement are separate options. [link] [comments] |
| Name of hardware that holds sliding glass door closed? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 03:54 AM PDT Hi! I recently bought my first house, which has some sliding glass doors in a sunroom. However, a few of them are missing some sort of hardware that screws on to hold the stationary part of the door all the way closed. The ones that aren't missing look like this: https://imgur.com/a/7xVVvkS. I've been trying to figure out what this piece is called so I can buy replacements. Does anyone know what they are? Thanks a bunch! [link] [comments] |
| How risky are ungrounded GFCI outlets, really? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 02:06 PM PDT Bidding on a house, a few outlet grounded but the majority are not. I know that ideally we would ground properly, and may have a quote done, but I have read here and elsewhere that installing GFCIs would help protect us, but not "sensitive electronics". I am not looking for people to explain why I should ground, etc., I just want to know how risky is this? Homes like this one have been ungrounded for 70 years and I assume no major issues (and my inspector agreed MANY older homes he sees are ungrounded and people don't even take the extra step of installing GFCIs). Is it true that larger appliances and tools would probably be safe, more of a risk for computers, phones, etc.? Any help is appreciated, thanks. [link] [comments] |
| What is this under the backerboard? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 08:01 PM PDT I am currently working on demoing our kitchen and am not sure how to proceed. I recently did our bathroom and for the floor I left the old backerboard, chiseled remaining thinset, applied a self-leveling compound. For the kitchen (https://imgur.com/4vghr1W) there was a lot of thinset that didn't come off with the tiles so I was thinking of just replacing the backerboard. However, there is this material (https://imgur.com/4T6b4AQ) between the backerboard and the subfloor that I'm concerned about. Does anyone know what this is? It seems like it's some kind of fiber. Could it be a mat, thinset, or adhesive? My main concern is that it contains asbestos. Some more info: The house was built in the 1930s. The kitchen seems to have been remodeled somewhat recently (the tile I ripped out can be found at Home Depot). I'm not sure if the material is some kind of mat to reduce creaking or if it's really old and the previous owner left it there and just covered it with backerboard. Any insights or suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Re spray foam insulation on rim joist, how hard? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:24 AM PDT Hi all. I've tried to get a contractor to come use a professional spray foam gun and insulate/air seal my rim joist. Nobody has time, don't want the job, won't return my call, etc. How hard is it to do myself with rattle cans, be effective, and not make a huge mess? Any idea how many cans I'll need to do 100 linear feet? Would it be more cost effective to buy a case of disposable cans, or an entry level reusable sprayer? I am pretty experienced but haven't spray foamed before, ever. EDIT Ok, thanks everyone. Looks like the XPS board is the way to go, the rattle cans make a huge mess, as do the expensive kits. I'm open to suggestions on how to fire block. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2020 07:35 PM PDT I'm so sorry in advance for all the rudimentary questions. Wife and I are new homeowners and I didn't have a handy upbringing. Wife wants to have a hanging fruit basket from the ceiling in the attached pic. I was going to get a 1-1/4" steel cup hook and just screw it into the ceiling. Would that be sufficient to hang a basket full of fruit, probably up to 8 lbs? Will the whole house collapse, or will the fruit basket come crashing down on an in-law? Wouldn't be the end of the world. Thank you so much in advance for your insights! [link] [comments] |
| Tips for getting a super crisp line between wall and ceiling? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:09 AM PDT Does anyone have any tips or tricks? Right now I'm taping the edge before I paint the ceiling but I'm nervous about when I start painting the new color. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2020 07:14 PM PDT Hi everyone, I just bought my first house! Its on a corner lot so this wall is very exposed and a bit of an eye sore. Any ideas on how I can improve the looks of it? The fireplace was decommissioned. Ill worry about the grass in the spring. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:42 PM PDT Hi, I am going to paint the ceiling in a room and I have an oyster light fitting on the ceiling that I am planning to replace with a light that will likely have a smaller base. I was wondering if it's possible I would be able to remove the light safely myself with the house power turned off, tape the wires with electrical tape then push them back into the ceiling and turn the house power on so I can paint the room over 1 week, then once done I plan on getting an electrician to install the new lights. Would this be safe? Is there anything that could go wrong considering I am turning off the power at the main switch for the house and using electrical tape? [link] [comments] |
| Kerdi drain with deck mud pan - on top of PVC liner? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:37 PM PDT Hi all. Back with some more questions on my bathroom remodel since I continue to see conflicting info. I have: - several sheets of Kerdi board - a Kerdi drain flange - six bags of deck mud - a PVC liner It would seem that the PVC liner should sit on top of the Kerdi drain flange so that all water is directed down the drain. If the Kerdi drain sits on top of the PVC, water could flow onto the pre-slope and down around the drain pipe. (Right?) Here's what I'm thinking.
I'd very much prefer to work with what I have. The shower is an unusual size with a couple of weird angles, so the Kerdi pan isn't as good an option as the flexibility of a dry pack pan, and I'd prefer not to pay for Kerdi membrane on top of everything else I've already bought. How would you recommend constructing this with the parts I have on hand and ready to go? Are my steps right? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:35 PM PDT We are looking to get a 10x30 patch of mulch removed and replaced with grass. A landscaper quoted $400. Does that seem about right? It would involve removing previous mulch and landscape fabric, back filling some dirt, prepping the dirt, seeding, and covering it. They would also remove a small tree (10' high) that we don't want. Just looking for advice if I should shop seeing more or not. This is a company I have previously used so I trust their work. [link] [comments] |
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