Home Improvement: [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread |
- [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread
- My Kitchen Remodel
- Anyone else ripping out their phone lines?
- Help! Urine - pee smell coming from only one HVAC vent!
- Using a 10x10 metal shed kit to build a 5x20 lean too
- Just noticed a large vertical cavity/void running parallel to the chimney, seal up insultate?
- Master bedroom addition question
- Cheapest improvements to make on house to increase market value?
- Worth remodeling a very small kitchen in a small apartment?
- Anyone else experienced with rainwater tanks?
- Minnesota detached garage insulation
- Completely sealing a house
- Replacement bathroom bulb?
- Tips to keep houses pipes from bursting this winter?
- Securing dishwasher to underside of stone counter?
- What type of silicone to secure glass shower panel into u-channel
- Uneven basement slab flooring
- Repainting cabinets?!
- Painting tips
- 120-year-old farmhouse . . . and you can probably guess where this is going, lol
- I bought a house with pellet stove. What are some decorative containers to store the pellets in my small living room?
- Outside water line
- Replace telephone with ethernet
- Any way to measure water used by shower over time?
- Can’t run a hot bath
| [OPEN DISCUSSION] Weekly thread Posted: 25 Oct 2020 08:04 AM 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] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 25 Oct 2020 01:12 PM PDT In the summer of 2019, my wife and I bought a 1970 split-level home with a mostly original kitchen. This album shows many of the steps we took to complete this makeover. Overview: Remodel of a 1970 split-level home in Lakewood, CO. Cabinetry is Diamond, countertops are LG Hi-Macs, purchased through Lowes. The quality, age, and layout of the kitchen were total garbage. In addition, we wanted to change the location of the door, window, stove, and sink. We went to great lengths to make the exterior of the house look original following the updates. The new stove and microwave are both GE. We kept the fridge and dishwasher that came with the house. The biggest hiccup was the discovery of asbestos. Budget/expenses: (Does table formatting work up here? If not, use your imagination.)
See the Imgur album for step-by-step details. Let me know if you have any questions. [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Anyone else ripping out their phone lines? Posted: 25 Oct 2020 10:36 AM PDT Recently bought a reasonably new house (20 years old) that has a landline phone jack in basically every room. On top of that, it has coaxial inputs on wallplates peppered throughout, presumably for cable tv or internet connections. I have fibre internet and can wire the whole house with Ethernet jacks instead. Is there any reason why I might leave those old lines behind? [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Help! Urine - pee smell coming from only one HVAC vent! Posted: 25 Oct 2020 06:00 PM PDT We have one vent in our dayroom that blows air that smells like human urine. The smell started about one week ago (early October) and we live in the eastern US. Our house is a 2300 sq-ft 2-story and we've lived here for 4 years. We have no pets, but have a son (6 yo) and daughter (3 yo). About 1 week ago we noticed the dayroom where the family spends most of our time started smelling like pee. Our daughter who is recently potty trained has a small floor potty in the adjoining living room, so we just thought maybe some pee had spilled or she had an accident we didn't notice. After clearing out all the playthings from the day room where the smell is worst, we isolated the smell to coming out of ONE of the vents (out of 2) in the day room. None of the other vents in the house smell like pee. Of course, we suspect our son peed in there, but we have no way to prove it. We aren't interested in punishing him, we just want the smell gone! We are planning on doing whatever is the correct treatment for pee down an HVAC vent (grab a bucket and a mop for this vent that's pissy) but we are wondering if there could be any other causes. I've seen that it could be a sign of a rodent infestation, but we have no other signs of that around the house other than a few droppings I've seen in our attached garage. UPDATE: My wife got a confession. He peed in the vent. HOW DO I CLEAN THE VENT? [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Using a 10x10 metal shed kit to build a 5x20 lean too Posted: 25 Oct 2020 04:35 AM PDT I have a 8' gap between my house and the boundary fence and wanted to put a cheap shed there, after pricing ply, block, and the various roofing options the Amazon shed in a box at £300 was too cheap to ignore. Reading the reviews the main complaints were Only 5'6" at the eaves Leaks Not secure So I bought one, assembled the base rail and used this to measure up for a poured concrete dwarf wall (£100) I then assembled the shed using large head pop rivets and silicone on every joint (£45 for sealant and 500 pops) in place of the tiny self tappers supplied What was the ridge piece became the steel section I fixed to the wall of the house The doors on these sheds are terrible, I could have made it work but instead decided to make my dwarf wall lower at the doorway so I could have a taller door, I welded up an angle iron door frame and made t&g ledge and brace doors for both ends of the shed (£75) I had sheets left over so riveted them back to back on the 20' side on the inside to stiffen things up. For under £600 I've got a semi secure lean too with good head room and once I repaint the house wall and put a flashing strip up it'll be watertight. Anyone putting these sheds up I'd recommend using better fasteners and at least silicone sealant on every joint but preferably something better like sikaflex it'll really stiffen things up. And sealant under the heads of all the fasteners! That's important. Build video in comments if you are interested Took a couple of weeks, I poured my wall and left it for a week before banging fasteners into it and spent the next week dodging rain and wind and working so realistically it only took 2 full days. [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Just noticed a large vertical cavity/void running parallel to the chimney, seal up insultate? Posted: 25 Oct 2020 06:53 AM PDT So as the title states I was in my attic sealing things up a little bit better and I noticed that there is a large cavity or void running vertical parallel to the chimney running I blieve the length of the house - see picture here, Do I seal this up, leave it open? INsulate it? I have no idea [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Master bedroom addition question Posted: 25 Oct 2020 05:08 AM PDT We have a typical 70's brick ranch with a basement. Lot slopes from front to back, so it's got a walkout basement to the back. We're looking to relocate the master bedroom with an addition off the back. Would it be feasible to "float" the addition off the main level and have a screened room below it, rather than having a fully enclosed expansion of the basement as well? http://imgur.com/gallery/2tR8DL6 The new room would generally be in place of the deck. [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cheapest improvements to make on house to increase market value? Posted: 25 Oct 2020 08:40 PM PDT Hello! I own a 3 bedroom/1 bath house and am looking to sell in about a year. I'm looking for cheap/minor improvements to make to increase the market value! The kitchen and bathroom has recently been renovated with new appliances, so not much room for growth there. There is a front porch and back deck with a small fenced in yard as well, with a One car non-attached garage. Just wondering if anyone had suggestions on home projects that might catch the eye of future buyers? [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Worth remodeling a very small kitchen in a small apartment? Posted: 25 Oct 2020 06:36 PM PDT https://imgur.com/gallery/JSBOuDK?s=sms How would you remodel this? Thanks! [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Anyone else experienced with rainwater tanks? Posted: 25 Oct 2020 08:02 PM PDT I just bought a place with a gigantic rainwater tank as it's off grid but there's no water in the tank so I have to get it serviced any advice or suggestions about what I'm looking for or the best approach? [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota detached garage insulation Posted: 25 Oct 2020 08:27 AM PDT Hello home improvement folks! So I am in the process of insulating my 2+ stall detached garage. I'm in northern MN so it gets very cold here. I plan to eventually use this space for woodworking projects, vehicle detailing, and other various projects year round. I'm currently putting up R15 batts in the 2x4 walls. I'm not stapling it yet as this spring I'm going to add more outlets and then drywall or osb. My question is what to do for the ceiling. So many varying opinions online. I plan on calling the city this week to have someone come out and give me the right way but figured I'd ask here first so I can go buy materials and plan accordingly on my days off. Do I go with foam board and batts? Just a high R value batt? Do I need venting since it will be heated (only when in use) and insulated? I am assuming I will need a vapor barrier over the insulation, is 6 mil plastic the desired barrier and does it overlap on wall to ceiling? I will post some pics of my current setup. Any and all advice is appreciated, thank you! [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:49 AM PDT Back in April, my friends moved into a brand new modular home out on the countryside. The house looks nice and seems to be well built. However, after just a few weeks they were already noticing stink bugs finding their way in. Then ants, spiders, house centipedes, and other critters starting coming. They've sealed some obvious gaps, added some traps, and the problem seems to be under control, with only the occasional few bugs making it in. Thinking back, in 10 years I've rented over 15 houses across 5 states and in every single one we've had bugs finding their way in. The place I currently rent was recently completely renovated, and I still see an average of 2 wolf spiders per day. All of this has made me wonder - "why are most houses not completely sealed?" Now, my wife and I are finally ready to stop traveling for work and get a permanent house. Contrary to what you might believe from the first half of this post, I don't really mind bugs all that much. They are annoying, but I usually just catch and release. My wife however, hates them and is deathly afraid of spiders and house centipedes. Sometimes, I'll get woken up at 5:15am (I typically sleep until 7:30) to get a spider out of the shower. A few years ago, we came back from a week long vacation and found nearly 100 stink bugs in our spare bed room! I would just prefer if the house we buy was sealed, and I didn't have to worry about a bug problem like we have at every house we've rented. So /r/homeimprovement, when we buy a house what can I do to make sure the entire thing is sealed up tight? What can I expect as far as expenses? Is there any reason NOT to do this? Is there any work I can't do myself? [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:54 AM PDT https://imgur.com/gallery/HZJPBIT What in the world is this type of light bulb and how do I replace it? Never seen this before [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tips to keep houses pipes from bursting this winter? Posted: 25 Oct 2020 06:51 PM PDT What can I do to prevent pipes from bursting, and do i need to do anything for my outdoor air conditioner that's on the ground [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Securing dishwasher to underside of stone counter? Posted: 25 Oct 2020 03:04 PM PDT Bought a dishwasher. Removed a cabinet to make room for it. I can't figure out how to mount it to the underside of the counter to prevent the machine from tilting out when the door is open. Anyone have suggestions? [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What type of silicone to secure glass shower panel into u-channel Posted: 25 Oct 2020 06:14 PM PDT I have a DreamLine Unidoor-X Frameless Hinged Shower Door and I am having trouble securing the 6" hinge panel glass into the u-channel. The first time installing, I ran a thick bead of GE Max 5000 Siliconized Acrylic Kitchen and Bath Caulk (product is now discontinued) into the u-channel for the panel, tightened the two allen set screws on the top hinge panel glass bracket, and waited 3 days (instructions say to wait at least 24 hours) before installing the glass panel door to the hinges. I then installed the door onto the hinges and within a few hours, the 6" panel pulled out from the u-channel from the weight of the door. Thinking the caulk did not cure enough, I cleaned out the u-channel as best as possible of the old caulk as well as the glass panel. On Monday at 5pm, I reapplied the caulk, and tightened the screws on the hinge panel glass bracket. Come Saturday at 11am, I installed the door again on the hinges, and everything seemed to be holding. Come Sunday morning, the 6" panel has pulled out from the u-channel yet again! What type of silicone should I be using to secure the glass into the u-channel; a link to a Home Depot product would be great. Here is the instruction manual, page 10 talks about the installation of the 6" hinge panel glass. The glass is 3/8" thick. I have emailed support for their recommendation as well. [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 25 Oct 2020 08:13 PM PDT Hi everyone, this is my first post to Reddit so I apologize if there is a specific SubReddit that is more appropriate but here we go. I'm dealing with a poorly poured below ground basement in a temperate zone. I am trying to find the best solution to laying a finished floor. It is very unlevel in zones with roughly an 1.5" differences with as much as 2" rise along 1 perimeter wall. I have tried looking for some DYI info on YouTube and googling but am yet to come across anything that has answered my question as to the best flooring route. The leading ideas I have come up with are as follows: 1.) Putting down a layer of leveled sand, plastic moisture barrier, topping with a layer of foam insulation and then plywood subfloor. 2.) Pouring a thin layer of concrete and then screeding level to the highpoints. 3.) Laying a traditional floor joist pattern with 2x4's laying vertically and horizontally with shims in the valleys. I have never laid a floor or worked with concrete and I am concerned about moisture retention under the subfloor. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated. Obviously I am hoping to avoid having to hire a contractor but trying to get an idea of the scope of work this badly poured slab actually requires. Thanks. [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 25 Oct 2020 04:18 AM PDT Need help! My cabinets were painted over before we bought the house. We are looking to strip off the old paint and repaint it so you can't see the grain. Any tips on how to accomplish this I would greatly appreciate!! [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:44 PM PDT Purchasing a new home and I want to repaint most of the rooms. Should we paint everything before moving in? Are paint sprayers worth it? Please any additional tips for a new home buyer and novice painter!! [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 120-year-old farmhouse . . . and you can probably guess where this is going, lol Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:13 AM PDT EDIT: I've gotten the information I needed, thanks! So, obviously it has lots of problems, but that's why it's cheap and I can afford it. I am a woman who is not afraid of living grubby, I'm basically handy with wood and plumbing, so stuff like stripping, sanding, scrubbing, hammering, etc., is all within my area of skill, but some things will obviously be beyond me. The house is solid (man they knew how to build them back then!) but has numerous issues I was hoping to get advice about. I lost my home a year ago because of insurance issues (don't get me started) and something like this would be about my only chance to have a home of my own, which is pretty much my only dream in life. So, I look at it as a project that would last me the rest of my life, and keep me happy in the process. I LOVE ripping up linoleum and sanding the wood underneath. But some things I know i couldn't do alone. The roof is metal but rusted out--it's definitely top priority so nothing gets worse--amazingly, the guy who climbed up into the attic found no rot or structural damage to the beams, so I don't think anything other than putting a new roof on will be required. It's a two-story 1900 foot house, with identical layout top and bottom, so about 1000 square feet? Standard L-shape and standard pitch--not sure of the exact angle but looks like the pre-made joists I see at most home sites. Not steep, not shallow. So, my dream would be to put on another metal roof, but i don't think i can afford that right now. So, are there any temporary fixes that I could throw on to prevent any more weather from getting in for a few years? If I did that, i could save for the dream roof in a few years. If there's nothing like that, what would the absolute cheapest way to do a roof? Thanks! Also, the electric. I am fairly sure the wiring is way old and probably no good, though the breaker box is about 20 years and the power is still on to it--I couldn't figure out how to turn on the box though. Didn't want to mess with it too much--I'll obviously get a pro out there before I try anything else. But I am trying to imagine "worst case scenario." If all the wiring inside is shot, it would be a major thing to redo as it's lath and plaster. So, is there anything like a power bar that could provide a few sources to run just a few things like refrigerator and heater? Obviously I'd want to be safe, but open wires around wouldn't bother me as long as it worked. There's lots of other little problems, but most of them are things I can handle myself--these two are the big items. Any ideas? Thanks! [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:15 AM PDT There is a large ugly wooden box in my living room for this I would like one with a lid so my pets don't get into it [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 25 Oct 2020 05:48 AM PDT Hey guys, yesterday I saw a post about someone prepping their sprinkler lines for winter and it got me thinking. I have a water line that goes to an outdoor garage. There is a shut off valve inside the house to it. The water line isn't dug deep enough to be left on for our northeast winters without freezing. I was planning on shutting the valve off today. Is there something I need to do to drain the line though? Much appreciated! [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Replace telephone with ethernet Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:15 PM PDT I just bought a house that has ethernet almost everywhere I want it. There's already a router or switch ( haven't checked yet ) in the basement. The room I want to put my computer in is on the second floor and one of the rooms that doesn't have ethernet yet but it does have telephone and coax that I'll never use and both go to the same place on the basement. Can I somehow fish ethernet following the same path as the telephone and coax from the second floor to the basement without opening walls and/or floors? Thanks. [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Any way to measure water used by shower over time? Posted: 25 Oct 2020 09:27 AM PDT The use case is that I have filters on the shower heads in the house. The water is really bad and this is the current solution. The problem is a couple of the showers are not used normally, just for company and special events. Maybe a couple times a year. On the shower I use I replace the filter every month or two. It would be a total waste to replace the others this often. What I am thinking is to monitor my shower and see how much water is used between changes, and then put the meter on the other showers and replace at about the same usage. Pointers to meters? Or other suggestions? [link] [comments] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:09 PM PDT So we haven't combo boiler heat and hot water. It's a LAARS mascot lx. It was here when we bought the house hot water works fine everywhere but the tub. I assume the flow rate of the tub spout is too much to keep up. Any ideas? [link] [comments] |
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