Home Improvement: Seems like everyone complains about previous owners. Aren't we all at some point going to be a previous owner? What have you screwed up and the next owner will complain about? |
- Seems like everyone complains about previous owners. Aren't we all at some point going to be a previous owner? What have you screwed up and the next owner will complain about?
- Where can I buy one of these?
- Seeking help choosing floor color
- Wall repair
- Dealing with minor household flooding
- How big of an island can I fit?
- Am I crazy to think of putting holes IN my walls to deal with whatever's inside?
- Any tips on cleaning badly stained white tile or making it look not so awful? In an apartment, so unable to replace it.
- Old weathered fence, what stain to use?
- Hiring people, sub-par results
- When do you need a permit for landscaping?
- How to eliminate mold and spores from infested bedroom?
- Looking for help with my pilot light
- Missing Wall?
- Move water lines for basement refinish?
- How to handle a careless tile job?
- Septic problems... No vent stack?
- Shower's and RedGard
- Chimney Liners
- Ceiling leak below flat roof.
- Insurance requiring work orders
- Replacing entire kitchen floor - with tiles under cabinets
- Looking for flooring information
| Posted: 30 Oct 2020 10:20 AM PDT Me? I don't think I screwed up anything. LOL Okay maybe some plumbing and electrical. No big deal right? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Oct 2020 07:19 PM PDT |
| Seeking help choosing floor color Posted: 30 Oct 2020 07:55 PM PDT We're closing in this beauty in a few weeks and can't decide what flooring would look best. I don't love carpet for this area since it's our living room, dining room, and main entrance in a rainy climate. I'm leaning towards a light-neutral wood laminate since the ceiling already stands out. The walls are being painted a brighter white and the beams are getting a fresh coat of black to gloss them up a bit. Our existing furniture is all black, white, and grey. I'm open to all! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Oct 2020 08:27 PM PDT Due to a plumbing leak we had to cut a 3' x 3' square out of wallpapered bathroom wall. The cut out portion fits perfectly where it was cut out with no damage to the wallpaper. How can we glue the square back in without having to re-wallpaper the whole bathroom wall? [link] [comments] |
| Dealing with minor household flooding Posted: 30 Oct 2020 08:03 PM PDT Hello, I am relatively new to Reddit so forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong place, but I thought this might be a good spot to get some ideas on mitigating minor household flood damage. We moved into our home 2 months ago and spent a good amount of money putting in new flooring and doing other upgrades. We're low on funds now and definitely can't afford to replace the flooring. Tonight, we had an issue where our laundry sink got clogged and overflowed into the laundry/furnace room. We are on a slab foundation, so everything is all on the same level, and water ended up seeping through the wall onto the floors in the adjoining rooms. I'll share what we did to address the flood, and I'd like to get some ideas as to what else we can do in order to avoid long-term damage.
Are we going to have to rip out the carpet, or will the dehumidifier be able to take care of it? I am looking into getting a moisture meter at Lowe's to check for hidden moisture in the baseboards, carpeting, and padding. Is this a good idea? And how should I act upon the information it gives me? Finally, in one of the rooms there is vinyl flooring and wooden molding at the base of the wall. Water came out on top of the floor but I'm anxious there is water hiding in the wall it seeped out of, or perhaps a small amount could have gotten underneath the flooring itself. Is this something I should be concerned about? Do we need to rip out the molding and flooring we put in 2 months ago in order to check for additional water? [link] [comments] |
| How big of an island can I fit? Posted: 30 Oct 2020 07:56 PM PDT My new kitchen will be 14.5 ft wide with flexible length as it will seamlessly open to my living area. The plan is to have full size cabinets on one side (25.5" with counter overhang), a 42" pathway on the cook side of the island and a 48" pathway on the island seating side which will be the most trafficked walkway. Along the walkway wall I was planning to do 12" cabinets on top with shallower 16" cabinets below (17.5" overhang) to allow for a larger island. 174 - 25.5 - 42 - 48 - 17.5 = 44 inch wide island. Thoughts? Would you structure any differently? [link] [comments] |
| Am I crazy to think of putting holes IN my walls to deal with whatever's inside? Posted: 30 Oct 2020 04:47 PM PDT All of the advice I see about dealing with rodents in the walls is to "plug all the holes." But I don't have any holes, as far as I can tell, and in the meantime the little bastards are driving me crazy. I don't know if I have mice, rats, flying squirrels, or something else, but they're scrabbling around all day and night. I can't figure out where they're getting IN, but it seems to me that one solution might be to offer them an easier way OUT. If I put holes in strategic places--holes I can later cover with something like a square plastic cover--won't I increase the chances that I can catch them? (Specifically, I'd assume that my cats would catch them the moment they appeared in the house itself.) Or is there a variable I'm not considering? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Oct 2020 07:40 PM PDT Hello, I'm currently trying to convince my landlord to replace my tile, but if that doesn't work, I'd like to know if there is any way to clean a large amount of white tile or make it at least look better. It's old laminate squares of tile. Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Old weathered fence, what stain to use? Posted: 30 Oct 2020 06:57 PM PDT We have bleached and power washed our old fence, portions are newer but one section is probably at least 20-30 years old. It's still standing fine but just super weathered, some of the wood is heavily grooved. I am trying to figure out what stain to use now that it's cleaned, from what I have read probably a solid or semi-solid would be best since the fence is old. Does anyone have a brand they have had success with for older weathered wood? Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Hiring people, sub-par results Posted: 30 Oct 2020 01:25 PM PDT So this is more a general question/rant, but pretty much every time I hire someone - a contractor, painter, plumber, etc... I am always unhappy with the quality of the work. Things not lined up 100%, mis-matched paint (or rolling vs brush so the finish is off), crooked window fittings... you name it. I always end up feeling like I could've done a better job and they are just trying to bang stuff out as quick as they can to move on to the next job. I'm a pretty anal retentive person FWIW. So... what are my options? Spend more money? Tried that, I just feel like after a certain threshold I haven't seen better results. Lower my standards? Then I'll go nuts. [link] [comments] |
| When do you need a permit for landscaping? Posted: 30 Oct 2020 07:29 PM PDT I have no idea how to phrase my question, but I am trying to do everything by the books before I get into any sort of trouble. City offices are difficult to get a hold of right now, so I was hoping to hear about some experiences from you guys. For reference, I am in Southern California. We are moving forward with a house on a half-acre of land that has just fallen into disarray. The current owner has not maintained the lot and because of this, it has gone pretty wild with some dead/dying large trees right in the center and overgrown brush. I have already checked with my zoning office (who shockingly got back to me quickly) and we were given the thumbs up that the house was zoned for animals (2 horses or equivelent) and the community has a lot of agricultural ammenities. My question is, do I need to be in a discussion with the permitting office to clear the land and establish pipe corrals? It is extremely common for the area and I can follow the zoning laws that specify how animals may be kept, but nothing actually outlines where I can get started. There doesn't need to be any leveling or large-scale changes outside of a new fence and the removal of the large center tree. Has anyone had any experience with something similar or something that could get my insight on when the city needs to be involved? [link] [comments] |
| How to eliminate mold and spores from infested bedroom? Posted: 30 Oct 2020 08:34 AM PDT My window A.C. unit got mold from being in a shed last winter. This summer after installing it in my bedroom window, it ended up spreading the mold and mold spores through my entire room over the past few months. Some purses with leather I had to throw out, a lot of books have white mold but I want to save them if possible. Two entire dressers are covered in mold on the back and sides along with my whole bookshelf. Alot of wooden baskets have mold in the crevices so there's probably no way to save them. I think all the wooden furniture basically needs to be thrown out because the mold has eaten into the wood. Once I get rid of the furniture, what's the best way to eliminate the mold spores that are probably in the air, in my carpet and along the walls? Before I get new furniture I want to get rid of the mold.... I already have bought a dehumidifier and I'm trying to keep my room at 30 percent humidity (it was like 70-80 percent before) I saw some good reviews for concrobium spray? Has anyone successfully gotten rid of mold and spores in their bedroom? [link] [comments] |
| Looking for help with my pilot light Posted: 30 Oct 2020 04:30 PM PDT EDIT: I got it lit! I am going to keep this thread up rather than deleting it, in case anyone stumbles across it who is facing the same problem. For me - I needed to turn my thermostat to 'heat'. It was set to 'off' when I tried to light it previously. At my previous apt i never had to do this, but this is a new digital thermostat and apparently i required that. I remember now, that the guy from the gas company actually told me this when he came out. I hope this helps someone one day. Hey folks, I am hoping someone here might be able to offer some advice. It's getting really cold here, and I'm trying to get my wall furnace lit. I keep trying, and I'm able to get the pilot lit, but it just goes out when I take my finger off the knob. I think I must be doing something wrong. Here's a picture of what it looks like beneath. Here's what I'm doing - on that blue knob, it's currently set to 'off'. I press in, and turn it counter clockwise, until the 'pilot' is set. While pressed in, I lit the pilot. Sometimes it takes a few tries, but it finally lights up. I hold the knob in for a good minute, but when I let go of the knob, the light just goes out. The longest I've held it in is 2 minutes. I have to let go of the knob because otherwise I can't turn the knob to the 'on' position. Am I doing something wrong here? FOr some context: I only moved here a few months ago. When I moved in, the gas was off. Someone had to come from the gas company to turn the gas on. He then checked the appliances. At that time, he tested the furnace and was able to get it lit. That's why i have some hope this is just something i'm doing wrong. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Oct 2020 07:11 PM PDT We are scheduled to go look at a home but when doing the virtual walk through a second time around we noticed parts of the wall missing in some of the rooms. Anyone might know why? [link] [comments] |
| Move water lines for basement refinish? Posted: 30 Oct 2020 06:54 PM PDT I am refinishing my basement by putting 2" xps foam boards on the walls with framing in front with drywall and batch insulation filled in the framing. Right now the cold water line runs most of the perimeter of the room and is located along the top of the wall against the joists. If I leave the lines as is they will sit on top of the xps foam inside the top of the wall. Should I leave the line where it is or should I move the cold water line so they are not inside the wall? It's half inch copper. Would take around 35' of copper line. I am sort of new with plumbing but I have soldered a few times to install a valve for a new fridge and capped off lines I removed from an old shower. Just trying to figure out what the best approach would be. Thanks [link] [comments] |
| How to handle a careless tile job? Posted: 30 Oct 2020 06:53 PM PDT So I recently hired a recommended contractor to do some work around the house, including refinishing a bathroom. Along the way they seem to have cut a lot of corners, including dust mitigation, PPE, potentially skipped permits, adequately coated water barrier, leveling out floor prior to tile, 100% silicone along changes in plane, etc. I have brought up these concerns to the contractor; but his game seems to be "listen, acknowledge, and then do nothing." I'm trying really hard to let him "be the professional" and trust his judgement given he is licensed and was recommended. I'd rather not get to the point where I feel like I have to withhold payment or take him to court. Looking for tips and advice. At the very least I want him to pull all of the grout out on the changes of plane and put 100% silicone in. I can already see hairline cracks along wherever there is plane change or change of material, as well as in other areas; but I'm having a hard time believing he will ever address this. So far all he has done is place silicone directly over some of the changes in plane and it was done sloppily at best. [link] [comments] |
| Septic problems... No vent stack? Posted: 30 Oct 2020 05:17 PM PDT Hey folks, I had a problem develop today that's making me crazy. Woke up this morning, went to the kitchen and started running some water to fill the coffee maker up, and I heard the toilet gurgling. Uh oh. Shut off the water, go down to the basement and discover water is dripping from a few fittings in the main septic line. So I call the septic company to have the tank pumped and head outside to dig up the cover. Pump man arrives, lifts the lid, and immediately tells me the tank isn't what's causing my problem, and says he thinks the main line from the house to the tank has likely collapsed, causing my backup. All day I've ran with this theory and arranged to have a plumber out Monday, and upon further research have found a clogged sewage vent can cause similar problems I'm having. Okay, I'll check that out. But it doesn't appear there's a vent anywhere in the house! On the roof this is one piece of PVC poking out, but I'm pretty certain that is the vent fan from the bathroom, as I can't find anything in the basement that looks like it could be a vent. We moved into the house in August and haven't noticed any signs of slow drainage or flushing issues until today. The house was built in 1980 so it's all plastic sewage line. We had a septic inspection done before moving in, but looking back at it he just did a dye test. This is our first home so we're not the most knowledgeable but I consider myself to be relatively handy. Which seems to be the most likely cause? I know I'll get answers Monday but I'm hyper focused on this. EDIT: Thank you all for your help. The PVC from the roof is in fact a vent pipe, I just can't find where it connects to the main pipe, but it being there is reassuring. I crawled up into the attic to see if the bathroom exhaust was tied into it. Unfortunately the exhaust just vents into the attic, which is a problem for another day. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Oct 2020 08:49 PM PDT An unexpected shower repair came up and it was necessary to have the shower stripped down to the studs, make the plumbing repair and now rebuild. Getting a bit of conflicting information..now after the fact. East wall faces a laundry room South wall is a block exterior wall with 3/4" insulation board and 1-by's on top of that. Using densshield 1/2" 4x8 sheets as the tile backer. Regard was applied to the entire 1/2 wall -- studs and back of the purpleboard. Purpleboard is outside of the shower on the opposite side of the wall. Regard was also applied to the south wall insulation board face and 1-by's about 6' up the wall from the shower pan There is no plastic/vapor barrier between the 3/4" insulation board and the block wall. It is essentially Block, insulation board, 1-by's. I cannot seem to find a straight answer if it is ok to apply redgard to the insulation board and 1-by's, then cover with denshield. The 1/2 wall I don't think is going to be an issue but the studs in that are covered with RG as well. The question is: -- Is it ok for the face of the insulation board and 1-by's to have a coat of redgard applied as well as the interior of the 1/2 wall coated with redgard? Again, DensShield will be used for the tile backer. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Oct 2020 05:00 PM PDT Do steel chimney liners (installed maybe 1984) have aspestos between the two walls? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Oct 2020 06:28 PM PDT Last year at this time I started having one big and a few small spots randomly appear across my 15 x 15 back porch ceiling. It was under a flat section of roof that we were told had to be repaired due to being under a tree for so long may have caused damage and a leak. Roof was repaired and the roofer deemed that the piping that allows for gas to escape through the roof had a grommet that was old and had failed and had it replaced while doing the roof. We just had our first snow storm of the year and we have water coming through the ceiling in the exact same spot. At this point I'm to going assume it's probably not the roof since the leak is in the same spot, but I'm stumped as to what it could be. Do I bother calling the roofer back if it's coming in elsewhere? Would a standard general contractor have an idea how to trace a leak or is there a specialist for this? Does anyone have any advice? [link] [comments] |
| Insurance requiring work orders Posted: 30 Oct 2020 08:33 PM PDT I'm a first time home buyer, and I'm running into a problem with homeowners insurance — trying to figure out if it's normal or not. We're buying a house built in 1947, so obviously the inspection turned up some things that need to be repaired: some ungrounded outlets, a leaky bulkhead, and a small crack in the chimney are probably the biggest concerns. We negotiated with the sellers and got some money to fix those things, and we plan to fix them fairly soon after moving in (if we can get a hold of people to fix them, as I know it's busy for tradesmen right now). We have to set up insurance to be approved for our mortgage. We contacted Amica because they had really good reviews, and they told us they'd need a home inspection before they could finalize our policy. Given Covid, they suggested we could send them our home inspection we had already had done, and we sent it. Now they're saying there are "a lot of repairs needed" and they want us to get "work orders" for several of them. I don't really know what that means but assume it means they want us to somehow prove we're going to fix them? At any rate... is this normal? Should we just go with a different insurer? My understanding is that inspections always turn up issues (and again, it's not a brand new house), so I was a little surprised by how abrupt they were about the repairs. [link] [comments] |
| Replacing entire kitchen floor - with tiles under cabinets Posted: 30 Oct 2020 08:21 PM PDT Bought a home, kitchen reno was last done in 2015. Cabinets are in great shape, but the ceramic tile floor is utter crap because a monkey installed it. There are more than a dozen cracked tiles, the floor was never installed properly, the grout is crumbling into bits in many sections, and the tiles aren't level in many places. The tiling goes under the cabinets. We don't want to pull the cabinets out but the floor is awful and needs to be replaced before somebody cuts their foot on a sharp tile edge. What's the best way to proceed? Our kids drop stuff on the floor constantly so we are leaning towards LVP so it can survive a hit. There's about 200 sq feet of flooring. [link] [comments] |
| Looking for flooring information Posted: 30 Oct 2020 04:33 PM PDT Hi, I am planning to replace carpet with wooden flooring. I do not have much idea before I start it. I have like the pergo laminate wood flooring. What should be the dos and don'ts which I should take care. I am still not sure if I can do it myself or should hire someone. Also should I keep stair with carpet only or change to wooden flooring as well? [link] [comments] |
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