Home Improvement: [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread |
- [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread
- To all the good and honest contractors out there, THANK YOU!
- Every Feel Like The Repairs Just Don’t Stop?
- Single mom going it alone, needing encouragement
- How bad is this mold? Bottom quarter inch of drywall is crumbling. The exposed floor is bare concrete. This is after spraying with bleach and scrubbing multiple times.
- How many roof inspections does a person have to have before they know their roof has actually been inspected? Apparently 8 people is not the right answer.
- Paint these cabinets or?
- Never bought paint before. Went to sherwin williams today with a few paper samples and realized I'm in over my head.
- Lintel Schmintel
- Solar contractor “failed inspection” not sure what happens next?
- Moist closet?
- how to fix messed mounting screws for a heavy door.
- Shower pan leaking
- Oil stains on granite countertop
- Drywall dust in hardwood floors
- DIY Channel Drain + Sump Pit for driveway drainage. [OH]
- Adding can-less recessed light to 3 vaulted / slopped ceilings.
- Not sure what to do in my backyard, first time home owner.
- New Mr. cool mini split not cooling
- Non glued in toilet flange?
- can i use a 2500 watt vs 2400 watt in oven element?
- Switch replacement for garbage disposal
- Chunk of decorative plaster fell from my ceiling. What’s the best way to reattach it?
- Is this an appropriate repair for PVC pipe that was screwed into?
- Fireplace Blowers
| [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:31 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] |
| To all the good and honest contractors out there, THANK YOU! Posted: 25 Sep 2020 01:39 PM PDT Finally after many renovations and slooooow unpacking, our house looks like a home now. It was so exhausting to deal with bad contractors, but the good ones made it so worth it, and I even felt ashamed for not working as hard as they did (you know, working on a computer at home, and taking naps in the middle of the day). So to the contractors who have integrity, experience and lack of bullshit, thank you. Thank you for showing up early, and working so hard on physically demanding tasks. Thank you for not getting mad at inexperienced homeowners like me for changing their minds all the time, and taking time to explain to us the process and choices. Thank you for working on our house as if it were yours. Thank you for finishing the job on-time (or communicating to us that you need more time to fix an issue with our house properly before finishing the job, intead of cutting corners). Thank you for telling us we had a gas leak outside and teaching us what to do. I'm just happy every time I go on the 2nd floor of my house and step on the new site-finished hardwood floor, or look in the laundry closet and see the tile floor that was sloped correctly towards the drain and finished beautifully. These 2 contractors will have us as customers for life, and we will refer them to everyone we know (and don't know on Next Door). Also, I found a plumbing company that refused to do the unnecessary work and showed us DIY tips to save money. I will never call another plumbing company! Reddit contractors, I hope you are one of the good ones. The good ones are life savers, and we appreciate your work! To the bad contractors who did a bad job and asked for tips, 🖕. [link] [comments] |
| Every Feel Like The Repairs Just Don’t Stop? Posted: 25 Sep 2020 04:27 AM PDT Last few years have saw some large repairs / replacements. Just venting I guess. I know it's part of the gig owning a house but new roof, new furnace, and now looking at $1500 to replace a chimney cap unless I get more quotes but geesh - no one seems to even call back and got a stupid broken wrist for a few more weeks/rehab after in a cast so can't even do it myself and need it done before winter. Edit #1. Adding link for pics on my chimney with how many people have added commentary / recommendations https://imgur.com/gallery/y2QoOQG Edit #2. Second quote just came in for $1125 pretty much doing the extra same job as the other guy. So just saved $400 pretty quick lol. Will also add I am in Ontario Canada so wages here are higher and everything is expensive in Canada ( even worse after COVID). Plus our dollar compared to USA isn't great so 900 US is around $1125 CDN Includes: 2 standard brick replacements (water damage from the bad side) Removal and disposal of entire chimney cap (not repair job - both folks say I need replacements with the damage) Remove both non functional Chimney flue's Reset everything with slightly edges. [link] [comments] |
| Single mom going it alone, needing encouragement Posted: 25 Sep 2020 10:27 AM PDT I hope I'm not breaking rules with this kind of post. I'm a single mom who has recently left a decades-long relationship. Well, I should have left, but the reality was that I was discarded after more than half a lifetime of abuse. I went back to school. I finally started my own career. I'm raising young men alone. I'm living on a starting teacher salary (and a little child support). My ex just agreed to sell me our house. I know how to paint and that I need to change the HVAC filter once in a while, but I'm that stereotypical ex-housewife who relied on her husband to maintain the house because he was a tradesman and he was good at it. I feel overwhelmed at the idea of everything from cleaning the gutters (it's a high roof) to making sure I maintain everything on schedule. There are also things that need to be fixed like the downspouts and the bathtub faucet that is stuck. I really want to be like Rosie the Riveter and take care of things myself, and it's all so overwhelming as a woman who isn't very strong, physically and doesn't have much home know-how. Plus raising kids and working during a pandemic and I have a bad back and a bad knee. I can't afford to hire gardeners and stuff, and it's so important to me that I be financially responsible because of my age and needing to prepare for my retirement all alone. I'm looking for encouragement and maybe some direction so I won't feel so overwhelmed. How do I stay organized and on top of all of this? What is my path to becoming Rosie? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 25 Sep 2020 08:47 PM PDT |
| Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:44 AM PDT I have had 8 people on my roof and not 1 mentioned the rotted fascia that meets the roof line. This includes the State Farm adjuster that came by to decide if we would be getting a new roof. No one mentioned this hole in the fascia large enough to fit a squirrel, ground hog and 5 or six cats through. It's probably my fault for not saying if you see anything else that needs fixing while your up there, let me know. But I am seriously tired of having to micro manage everything. And now I have to micromanage. I am considering getting a drone to do a yearly roof inspection on the peaks I am a little too skittish to inspect myself. I have issued two week eviction orders for ALL the creatures that have started renovations in my attic for the winter. Though with COVID and the CDC banning evictions of non paying renters I am not sure I have a leg to stand on if they don't leave willingly. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 25 Sep 2020 08:37 PM PDT Best option for this? Paint? Need to paint the whole kitchen and redo the counter top, just not sure what to do with the cabinets. Any thoughts or suggestions Pic Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:00 PM PDT What's a good place to get paint? Which type of paint is bad, good, great? How many coats do I do? Sheen and finish? What's the difference? Do I need a primer? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:43 PM PDT About to cut exterior brick to open dining room window into a sliding glass door. Any recommendations on instructions? Also how do I get a steel lintel? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Solar contractor “failed inspection” not sure what happens next? Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:42 PM PDT I had solar installed by a fairly large company for our state. Not Tesla. And they are the installer for one of the biggest names in solar panels. They pulled all the permits. Came out and said I did not need a panel upgrade. Completed the install without a hitch. Got approval from the electric company to switch on. So they turned them on then said they would have the city inspections done soon. City inspector came out and thought he was there for a roofing inspection. Solar company sent a guy out to be present for the inspection and let the inspector know it was for a full solar installation. The guy went to his truck and came back and said he's failing them for not pulling the correct permits. I verified myself using our cities permit system that the permits were pulled and good to go just pending final. He left. Solar installer basically said he must be a new guy and that they would reschedule. I guess I'm just curious what I should expect next if anything? One of my worries is that he mentioned that the "panel upgrade" would need to be inspected. But it's the panel that was in our house when we bought it. We had planned to purchase a panel upgrade from the solar company but they said it wasn't needed since it was already 200A service. I have no idea who installed the panel originally since this house has been sold a few times before we bought it. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 25 Sep 2020 04:40 PM PDT I moved into a home built in 2002. We renovated the kitchen and bathrooms and seems well built. However, the front closet always smells musty. I bought one of these Damp Rid closet hangers and it has collected quite a bit of water! (The product has a big bag of chemicals, and as they suck moisture out of the air, this other bag below it fills with water until all the chemicals have gone). I am surprised! If it keeps coming, does this mean there is some sort of leak in my closet? Could it all just be residual from my coats and shoes? The closet does have a wall to the outside world. [link] [comments] |
| how to fix messed mounting screws for a heavy door. Posted: 25 Sep 2020 05:39 PM PDT My dad found that the front door was loose and replaced the screws with long hex screws, but the door is coming loose again and the hinges not staying solid to the frame. he wants to pull out the screws drill holes the size of dowels and then stick towels in the hole with glue and then Mount the 2-inch thick solid wood door on the By screwing wood screws into the dowels.. does it sound like a good method?. What method do you think would work best? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 25 Sep 2020 05:34 PM PDT Just bought a house and in the first night, the master bathroom shower leaks into the kitchen below. Plumber sent by my home warranty came this morning, cut a hole in my kitchen ceiling, and said the issue was with the shower pan and not the drain, as the leak is coming from around the drain. There is also poor quality caulking all along where the back shower wall meets the floor. Plumber is guessing this is where the water is leaking through. I won't get a report from the plumbing company or home warranty until Monday, but am trying to figure out what my options are. I'm worried the home warranty will try to provide the cheapest stopgap solution, like just sealing around the drain (blue part in third pic of imgur album). The plumber and a restoration technician both said caulking is not the proper way to seal cracked/leaking grout, but a friend said to just use Flex Seal and save myself some money. My wife and I are also considering just redoing the whole shower (as it looks to be in pretty bad overall condition) as well, but that's gonna $6000+ according to the restoration tech. Any guidance appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Oil stains on granite countertop Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:20 PM PDT Need advice on how to remove oil stains on countertop. Recently reached out to a granite repair company and they said it's better to replace the countertops instead of working on the stains 😕. It's not even 2 years since we got the house. The biggest mistake I did is assuming the builder sealed the granite. [link] [comments] |
| Drywall dust in hardwood floors Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:06 PM PDT Suggestions please! Contractors installed, patched, and sanded a bunch of drywall without covering the floors. Now our hardwood floors have white drywall dust in every little crack and crevice. I have vacuumed, swiffered, and used Murphy's oil soap trying to restore the floors but there is still white dust in every little crack. I don't know what else to do besides getting a toothpick and cleaning out every tiny crack filled with dust. Any suggestions or better ideas? [link] [comments] |
| DIY Channel Drain + Sump Pit for driveway drainage. [OH] Posted: 25 Sep 2020 10:21 AM PDT Ever since I moved into my first house this has been a project that I had been meaning to get done. I wanted until a week before a scheduled appraisal to start! Thankfully, I managed to knock it out 100% DIY with only one person in just about 4 days. The way my driveway is set up water would pool right at the front of my garage. Water would also enter the front of the garage and had caused damage to the slab over the years. Please view the IMGUR link for pictures and project narrative. Total Cost:
Total Cost - $502 + a week of body pains [link] [comments] |
| Adding can-less recessed light to 3 vaulted / slopped ceilings. Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:15 PM PDT After living in this house for 14 years (seriously awkward!), I finally found the entry to the attic, which was hidden under the hallway light, so i've been wanting to add the can-less recessed lights to the rooms. However i have 3 sloped / vaulted ceilings that i'd like to add the can-less recessed lights to. I see in some old threads that people were able to add them to. I'm ok with sheetrocks, but these are popcorn ceilings which i dared not patch (touchj) yet. The first 3 pictures are of the same ceiling. Eventhough it isn't extremely sloped, it is not evenly sloped. It's in the bedroom if that matters. I'm thinking 2 x 2 rows of 6 inches on the larger side, and 1 x 2 row of 4 inch one on narrower side? I may have access to this ceiling from the attic. The last picture (5th) is the kitchen area. It's brighter due to the chandelier. It is much more sloped than #1. I can grab the power from the chandelier so it'll be a lot easy to add the canless light in. I'm thinking of 2 rows x 3 6 inch lights? the 4th picture is of the same side / slope as the previous picture. I'm thinking maybe 3 rows of 3 6 inch lights. There is a switch in the room, but it's currently going to the top half of a plug. It's gonna be PITA to get the power to the ceiling and given it's the popcorn ceiling, I may not attempt to do it until another 5 years If you "recently" added those ultra thin can-less LED recessed lights to a sloped ceiling, can you chime in your thoughts, comments, wisdoms? Anything in hind-sight you wish you'd do differently? Do i need to push the lights closer to the wall since its sloped? I don't like the adjustable / gimball ones and I'd like to avoid those sloped can if I can. I would love to be able to knock this out! Many thanks in advance! [link] [comments] |
| Not sure what to do in my backyard, first time home owner. Posted: 25 Sep 2020 05:03 PM PDT I just bought my first house, the previous owner started a project creating a flat surface in the backyard. I am not sure where to take it.. or what to do with it... I figured I should lay brick for that ledge, should I bring the ledge all the way to the patio? Can anyone give me some advice? [link] [comments] |
| New Mr. cool mini split not cooling Posted: 25 Sep 2020 03:37 PM PDT I just installed a multi zone 36,000 BTU mini split and it won't blow cold air. The unit powers on, blows air, copper lines get very cold but the air coming out is never cold. I checked for leaks and didn't find any. Does anyone have any idea what this could be? Thank you 🙏 [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 25 Sep 2020 06:20 PM PDT Redoing our rental house bathrooms and came across a twist n set flange. No glue. I absolutely like the idea of that because who knows when we have to redo the bathroom. Having a flange that pulls out vs cutting carefully makes sense. We have a 3 inch abs waste pipe. The reduction of the initial ID concerns me. We did redo the 90 degree elbow with long sweep pipe though. Maybe that helps the poop shoot? The instructions say cast iron. But is this ok to slip into an abs pipe? [link] [comments] |
| can i use a 2500 watt vs 2400 watt in oven element? Posted: 25 Sep 2020 06:19 PM PDT 240volt 2400 watt in the manual. Heating element snapped (sparked and broke on a corner, fairly old). All the local stores only have 240volt 2500 watt in that size. Will that be ok? [link] [comments] |
| Switch replacement for garbage disposal Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:56 PM PDT I have a switch for my garabage disposal that has gone bad. So I am trying to replace it. The old switch and the electrical can be seen here https://imgur.com/a/se6MkV3 Several things Everything is fed off a 20 AMP breaker The main line Feeds into the right side of the junction box which then has 3 other wires coming out 2 grey pvc out the bottom and 1 braided out the top that goes to into the switchbox. The one grey goes to the plug outlet which powers the garbage disposal. The other grey goes to the dishwasher The switch box has 2 braided wires coming out of it. Ones goes to the junction. The other (i believe powers a GFCI outlet on the wall above the dishwasher but it is not controlled by switch. I have 4 wires in the switchbox two white and two black along with the ground wires twisted together. I also have some weird debris in the bottom of the switch box see photos. Is the new switch I bought the correct one and how do I wire this up ? Whats throwing me off is the old switch had 4 connections on the front. Thanks in advance. [link] [comments] |
| Chunk of decorative plaster fell from my ceiling. What’s the best way to reattach it? Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:54 PM PDT https://i.imgur.com/WHOGkIG.jpg I was thinking contact cement but figured I should ask first. [link] [comments] |
| Is this an appropriate repair for PVC pipe that was screwed into? Posted: 25 Sep 2020 05:36 PM PDT We're redoing the first of two showers that were designed and built by a drunken Helen Keller. When we removed the backer board, we discovered that instead of screwing it into the stud three inches to the left, they'd screwed it into the drain pipe for the bathroom above it. As you can guess, it was leaking into the wall. My dad's solution was to take small pieces off of a different bit of PVC pipe and stick them into the screw holes. At some point he used a purple primer and what's labeled as PVC all purpose cement. For what it's worth, I've been running the water above for about half an hour and don't see any further leaking... but I don't want to put the new backer board in, only to have it start leaking in the wall again after, y'know? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 25 Sep 2020 05:34 PM PDT First time homeowner here. We moved in in the spring and haven't actually used it yet, but the fireplace has this device that blows air away from the fire. Someone explained that the idea was to stop all the warm air from escaping out the chimney in the winter. I've never really seen something like this before so figured I'd ask this community. How common are blowers like this? Are they really necessary? Are there alternatives that aren't bulky and loud? If we ever decide to re-do the fireplace, are there other ways to install something like this? Thanks y'all! [link] [comments] |
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