Home Improvement: Tips on homebuying... |
- Tips on homebuying...
- How to heat outdoor cat house?
- Is This Quote Right? - Flower Bed
- Best way to remove a washing machine and dryer from a ridiculously tight space?
- Seller withheld information on Disclosure
- We had some stubborn hair dye stains around the rim of our shower drain. A little clog remover later to deal with a slow drain and they are gone. Hope that helps anyone with similar stains on what I think is a plastic type shower/tub shell.
- New vertical crack in basement drywall of townhome...now I am seeing cracks everywhere. Am I screwed?
- How does this sub feel about tile and cabinet paint?
- What question do you wish you asked your contractor?
- Recourse for severe delays on essential repair work
- Advice please?
- How do you deal with tree roots that are pushing up your sidewalk/walkway?
- Got these small squares on each door and doorframe in my house.
- Trying to fit a casement AC unit in an unusual window, seeking advice
- Best way to trap heat from a clothes dryer's exhaust hose?
- Why is there cedar branches in our walls?
- What is this weird line above my shower/tub?
- Lowe’s recalls saws. Check the list.
- Brand new gas range not lighting properly
- First time home owner. First major problem.
- Mouse conundrum
- Scratched chrome bath fixtures
- Could use some advice with a kitchen hood vent
- Fan installation
| Posted: 24 Sep 2020 02:51 PM PDT I don't know if this is the best place to post this, but I've gotten some great tips reading this thread lately. We're about to buy a home for the first time and I've learned about looking at the property's drainage, to know where the septic hookup is if it's not on city sewer, (and a ton about laminate flooring lol) just from reading the posts here. What other tips would you give a young family about to buy their first home? Ideally, we would buy a ranch style home with a big yard for the kids, in the suburbs of Atlanta. Any tips on red flags to look out for, or things to consider that most people don't realize until after they have moved in would be appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| How to heat outdoor cat house? Posted: 24 Sep 2020 05:13 PM PDT There is a lot of strays in my area, and there is one cat we call Bruce and he is very old, but very friendly. We feel bad for him as I don't think he can survive out in the elements, so we feed him and made him a house Its getting to be winter soon, and I'm wondering how I could keep him warm out there. Any suggestions on how to add some heat into there? I would also be open to building a new house [link] [comments] |
| Is This Quote Right? - Flower Bed Posted: 24 Sep 2020 07:58 AM PDT I got a quote from a contractor to redo my flower beds for $1800, does that sound right? The flower beds are below: https://ibb.co/56JTrx5 https://ibb.co/thdvns5 The work they are doing includes:
Gimme your thoughts :) [link] [comments] |
| Best way to remove a washing machine and dryer from a ridiculously tight space? Posted: 24 Sep 2020 01:04 PM PDT The only reason I don't yeet this thing off the deck is because I like having clean clothes. Every time our paths cross, chaos ensues. Well friends, paths have crossed, and I need help. I have a stacked washer dryer that barely fits in the closet. The closet is adjacent to the bathroom and I need to fix the fire risk nightmare hose setup in the wall. To do that I need to get the washer dryer off of it's ridiculous 10 inch perch and out of its tiny little cove. How best to do this? Do I need to undo the stacking kit? Is there a jack with an adjustable base that I can get under there and pull it out in one go? Do I wiggle my tiny hands down the sides and shuffle the dryer off first? Would prefer to do this without damaging the spiders webs and magic that hold it all together back there. Thanks for the vent (har) Edit: nemesis [link] [comments] |
| Seller withheld information on Disclosure Posted: 24 Sep 2020 08:02 PM PDT Hello. First time home owner here (for almost ten months),and it has been a constant struggle. I consider myself very handy, but I did not know what I was getting into with this ~100yr old house that had many surprises I wasn't made aware of by the previous owner. Looking for advice on if I have any recourse at this point, or if I just have to accept it for what it is. The below issues were all not listed on the sellers disclosure at the time of sale: 1) Roof leak in upstairs bedroom where after the first leak event we noticed that they had hastily tried to replaster the area of damaged ceiling and painted with a slightly different ceiling paint to try and hide the leak. Several other leaks around the house were also hidden by repainting but we have started to notice bubbling paint all over. 2) Underground storm lines (connected to gutters to direct water to street) were cracked and patched with duct tape (I suspect damage from a shovel causes the cracks). I only realized this after I saw tons of ponding water along the house and began digging. I repaired this already but took pictures. 3) Disclosure listed "minimal amount of moisture in basement during significant rain events". After questioning the seller prior to the sale they assured me that it was a small trickle of water that went directly to the drain. Upon moving in, after the first hard rain, ~50% of the basement was soaked with water coming in from 3 different walls. This occurs anytime it rains more than 0.5" (not just significant rain events). Again, I am not sure what I should do (if anything), and I may just have been duped by the previous owner, but I'm just trying to see if anyone else has had similar experiences with a seller not being honest on a disclosure such as I have encountered with our first house. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 24 Sep 2020 07:47 PM PDT |
| Posted: 24 Sep 2020 02:26 PM PDT Update: Reference pictures in comments below. First time home owner here. I bought this townhome Jan. 7th. Last week I noticed a huge vertical crack along the basement stairway wall (this is the wall that connects the other unit.) It looks like the crack could have been there prior and patched by the previous owner. I tried not to worry but now I am noticing cracks along many seams of my home. Base boards are popping off. Doors don't seem to open and close as easy. A worrisome amount of corners have cracks running up them. There has been some minor dampness along a exterior wall in the basement during a couple huge rainstorms, but noting a dehumidifier hasn't fixed. Who should I have come assess it? My HOA covers the exterior maintenance studs out; could this possibly fall on them? My inspector never went in the attic and the entire basement is finished. TLDR: Am I screwed? Cracks galore. HOA covers exterior maintenance. Who should I have check this out? [link] [comments] |
| How does this sub feel about tile and cabinet paint? Posted: 24 Sep 2020 12:39 PM PDT As the title says, pros and cons from your personal experience? Our budget is tight and we do plan on making some more permanent fixes down the line, but want something to update our house now! [link] [comments] |
| What question do you wish you asked your contractor? Posted: 24 Sep 2020 07:02 PM PDT I have several meetings set up with local contractors next week to discuss our home remodeling projects. Specifically kitchen and bathroom remodeling. Are there any questions you regret not asking, or is there something you wish you knew before hiring a contracting company? Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| Recourse for severe delays on essential repair work Posted: 24 Sep 2020 04:02 PM PDT Hello friends, hoping for some advice here. I posted a few months ago asking for advice on successfully communicating with contractors after my house was rendered uninhabitable by a tornado. Unfortunately, the situation has gotten worse with the company I went with and I'm trying to figure out any recourse I have here other than just "hope that eventually my house has windows again." I have a detailed timeline based only on written out communications since I can prove the content of those. The important pieces are that:
This has caused immense personal stress on several levels (I eloped last weekend and am trying to enjoy my meager honeymoon while handling this remotely... we picked this date because it was SO FAR PAST when they said they'd be done), and obviously I haven't been able to have any of the interior work done. I can't even schedule those contractors because I don't trust the Oct. 6th date. I've asked for a PO or invoice or anything to confirm that date, but they haven't sent it because they're looking for it as they "usually don't get contracts for that sort of thing." I've also continually asked just for a weekly update even if it's "no update," but they often fail to provide that, as well. At this point, I want to fire them, but I'm super concerned that I'll just keep running into the same issue. Plus, with COVID I know that there are significant delays in building materials (which is why I only started being a real asshole with them over the last month... I GET that it's crazy times and supply chains suck... but twelve weeks?! And also because they admitted to forgetting to place the order...). So after a 12 week waiting period with them I'm hesitant to start over with another company. Is there any recourse here beyond the eventual online reviews (with provable timelines) I'm going to leave? Can I take them to small claims court for personal damages? I paid a deposit up front but they've done other work that covers more than that amount. Is is appropriate to ask them to lower their fee considering the many issues with the project? It just feels like I have zero ability to do anything here but continue to take their bullshit. So I'm hoping someone professional can either confirm that that's unfortunately true or give me some way of fighting back. I'm in Tennessee if that helps. Thank you. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 24 Sep 2020 05:25 PM PDT I'm in the beginning of a pretty big remodel and I went to a second hand store for things like doors, windows and cabinets. I'm not sure if this is a nationwide thing but the proceeds go towards habitat for humanity, people donate really good stuff. I happened to show up as they were bringing in items from a 4 million dollar home that's being completely demolished. I got a few great finds like a gorgeous Dutch door with the framing for $125... Very exciting. That was yesterday, I went again this morning because I need a window, another door and a few other items. I found an absolutely beautiful kitchen island for under $300. I think I got ahead of myself but let me explain a little. One of the renovations for my house is ripping down a wall that separates the kitchen from the dining room/living room and the current kitchen island is small and honestly a POS. So I watched them bring out this gorgeous kitchen island that's exactly what I wanted but even more then I ever could have wanted and it was under $300. I reluctantly bought it and was about to change my mind but then as I was filling out the sold form I noticed someone else already measuring it. I started talking to them and it turns out they're a builder hand they were upset that it was already gone. They told me this goes for about 5k and even told me where to get matching cabinets for it so I stuck with it. I rented a U Haul and the place I bought it from said they'd load it up no problem... They used a fork lift!!!! I got an amazing deal but now have a U Haul in my driveway with this beautiful island that cannot be lifted without 4 strong men and I have no idea what to do. I think it was still a good choice, this will last the rest of my life and it's so beautiful but ffs how do I get it in my house or even just out of the UHaul so I can return it? I tried my local Facebook group offering 50 dollars a person just to get it out of the truck and nothing. I honestly feel like even if it costs me a few hundred to move this I got a steal but I'm worried that I won't be able to find anyone. I guess I got in over my head, any suggestions PLEASE! I'm dying here. [link] [comments] |
| How do you deal with tree roots that are pushing up your sidewalk/walkway? Posted: 24 Sep 2020 11:36 AM PDT My parents have the stone walkway in their yard and I want to completely redo it. Simplify it. Smooth it out. It looked nice when we first did it. But that was like 20 years ago. The area was slightly raised up. Sand and pebbles between the stepping stones. The plastic border around it. I want to get rid of all of that. Put the stones flat on the ground with grass or moss between them. But the cherry blossom tree has this big hump of a root it's pushing the stones up. Can I cut the root without hurting the tree? Or should I pile on some dirt and raise up the walkway? Or just walk around the root? [link] [comments] |
| Got these small squares on each door and doorframe in my house. Posted: 24 Sep 2020 07:22 AM PDT Anyone know what they were for before we moved in?. Wires seem to go to the frames, and there's similar squares opposite on the doors themselves. Even the bathroom and bedrooms. doorframes [link] [comments] |
| Trying to fit a casement AC unit in an unusual window, seeking advice Posted: 24 Sep 2020 04:33 PM PDT Hi all, I have this casement AC unit since the one window we have that isn't a sliding glass door is a unique size, with awful louvered windows. There's still going to be a small gap around it, there's a lot of metal on the frame and the outside is all concrete, so it's quite a challenging DIY situation for installation. I can't for the life of me figure out even from the instructions with a casement window if anything is holding it in place other than the external installation support that hangs out over the window. On top of that, what would be the best way to keep this thing in place give the materials that I'm working with in the frame? I'd really appreciate it if someone has the time to take a look and give me some suggestions. Here's the unit on home depot, following that link is the installation guide, and below is my imgur link to two photos- one with the unit in without the additional plastic frame that comes with the unit, just to show the gap, and one to show the window I'm working with and the balcony outside before I started doing anything. Thanks in advance! https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frigidaire-10-000-BTU-Window-Air-Conditioner-in-White-with-Electronic-Control-Slider-Casement-FFRS1022RE/312589883 https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/b6/b611ce87-2d5f-4d9d-b6f8-9e1c7ffc5417.pdf https://imgur.com/a/4o72g7y [link] [comments] |
| Best way to trap heat from a clothes dryer's exhaust hose? Posted: 24 Sep 2020 07:18 PM PDT So I purchased a smaller clothes dryer (it's listed as a compact or portable dryer) for mine and my wife's apartment. The machine is in our bedroom (as it's only a 1 bedroom apartment) and it heats up the room quite a bit. This would be as bad of an issue, but our 6 month old daughter also has her crib beside us (we don't have the machine on when she's in the room, or 3 hours before bedtime). The hose runs from the dryer to the window, but the hose itself is a fairly thin plastic (it was the one that came with the machine we bought off of Amazon the other day). The hose is only about 6 feet long, and it more than meets our need for the exhaust. That being said, was there a way we can try to trap the excess heat that easily escapes from the dryer's exhaust hose? I was considering thermal/insulation tape, but I wasn't sure if that would be better or worse than just getting a new (and different type of) hose altogether? Thanks in advance and sorry for the knowledge-lacking question here. This is our first "dryer" we've owned, and our apartment doesn't actually come with one. Although, it is allowed in our lease. [link] [comments] |
| Why is there cedar branches in our walls? Posted: 24 Sep 2020 03:54 PM PDT Hello! Our house was built in the 1950's. We gutted and re-did all of the livable spaces last year and now we have our eyes on turning the attic into some bonus space (kids play room now, cozy movie theater in a few years maybe?). When we did the tear down last year, we found cedar branches in behind a lot of the original walls. Not enough that they filled the space, just the odd branch here and there. Maybe 25 in total? Only in the original sections. Our attic has this weird closet thing we are in the middle of tearing out and we found more of these branches which reminded me to ask on here : Why would someone hide cedar branches in the walls?? Pest deterrent?? Evil spirits? Witches? They thought it would smell nice? There are no droppings or signs of animals around them so I don't think they are nests. [link] [comments] |
| What is this weird line above my shower/tub? Posted: 24 Sep 2020 10:27 AM PDT A few years ago we put a bathtub surround in, I can't remember honestly if they put it right over the tile that was already there or if they took it out and put that green drywall and then put it on. Anyways, in the picture you can see there is a line about a foot above the tub surround where the paint is coming up, like there is moisture behind it or something. Picture Any idea what is wrong and what I should do to fix that? [link] [comments] |
| Lowe’s recalls saws. Check the list. Posted: 24 Sep 2020 04:17 PM PDT The recalled saws can keep running even after they're turned off or the triggers are released. [link] [comments] |
| Brand new gas range not lighting properly Posted: 24 Sep 2020 07:32 PM PDT Hey everyone! We recently moved into our new home where we just completed a total top to bottom renovation (basically turned a previously existing warehouse into a family home). Obviously this included putting in a brand new kitchen. Since moving in I noticed that our new gas range stove is having issues with a couple of its burners. 3/5 of the burners work totally fine, but one of the burners consistently won't light, and a second one just recently started having lighting issues as well. When I go to light the problematic burners it clicks, sparks, and generally about half of the burner will light before it seems like it blows itself out. You can hear the gas going and it actually kind of sounds like it's blowing, but there is either a really big flame for a second or no flame at all. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but I'm hoping maybe someone here will understand what I'm saying and maybe have an idea what the issue is. I tried adjusting the flow of the burner (taking the knob off and putting the appropriate size screwdriver in there to adjust the flow of the flame/gas) which seemed to fix the issue briefly, but it has since come back. It doesn't seem to be an issue with the igniter since it often gets some flame going for just a second before going out. I'm wondering if there might be something else I can try, or if I need to call the contractor and have him send someone out to take a look. Thanks so much everybody! [link] [comments] |
| First time home owner. First major problem. Posted: 24 Sep 2020 07:28 PM PDT Hello all! I am reaching out because I really don't know where to turn. My house is a small one story 975 sq foot ranch and the floor under my bathroom seems to be sagging. From what I've gleaned by googling it seems it might be a rotten joist. I'm not trying to encapsulaye the whole crawlspaces er anything. I just want it supported. I'm a little paranoid I'm going to fall through the floor. My question though is... I live paycheck to paycheck and my credits in the 580s. Who do I turn to first? Do you think this is covered by insurance? Or could may bank help me ? What should my first step be? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 24 Sep 2020 07:00 AM PDT Looking for some guidance... We live in an old apartment building built in the 1950s. We've lived here for 3+ years and never had a mice problem (though we have had some roaches that went away with monthly pest control treatments). The day (literally within an hour) of our new neighbor getting some kind of pest control service, we saw one mouse. We immediately began scrubbing every surface, sealing holes with steel wool and expanding foam, etc. We think that stopped new mice from entering, as far as we can tell. However, there is one mouse (as far as we can tell it's just one) which continues to elude us. We think it is just one because there are almost no droppings (I found one-two small pieces total in the kitchen), no scratching, etc. We have scrubbed every surface with bleach and peppermint oil, as well as set 8 traps (it's a 600 sq ft apartment) but this freaking mouse will not be caught. I've ordered some glue traps and I may try poison. We figured out where it's hiding (we saw it enter the exhaust vent in our old oven) and since then I've heard it knocking into stuff on the counter next to our oven (no food there, just a cup stand) so he may be starving and desperate as there is no food accessible to him other than the peanut butter in the traps. (All our food is sealed in suspended cabinets, those on the floor only have pots and cleaning supplies) Any advice on how to catch this freaking mouse? Or maybe we have an infestation and I just missed the signs? [link] [comments] |
| Scratched chrome bath fixtures Posted: 24 Sep 2020 06:56 PM PDT So mr clean magic eraser was used to clean all the chrome fixtures in our bathroom and now they are all covered in fine scratches. Is there anyway to get these off or hide them a little. I tried chrome polish but it didn't do anything. I'm thinking I just gotta get used to it. Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Could use some advice with a kitchen hood vent Posted: 24 Sep 2020 06:55 PM PDT So I just remodeled the kitchen in my new house. The old hood vented outside and so does the new one, but in different places. So there's going to be a hole through the exterior wall (under a covered porch) I have no clue what to do with. Best I got is to fill it with foam and hang something over the missing piece of siding.. any suggestions or pointers? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 24 Sep 2020 05:39 PM PDT I'm trying to install a new fan but the colors of the wires from my ceiling don't match the colors of the wires described in the manual. I have a black, red, and white wire coming from my ceiling. How do I know which one is the ground, hot, and neutral wire? [link] [comments] |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Hivemind Improving Homes. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
No comments:
Post a Comment