Home Improvement: How to tackle multiple out of plumb doors in a house that has settled over 90 years |
- How to tackle multiple out of plumb doors in a house that has settled over 90 years
- Are there ways to make this basement more inviting without finishing it?
- Mysterious smell in bedroom
- Any tips on making my house look more appealing?
- Buying my first home and an exterior staircase isn’t built to code. How do I handle?
- How to make this flush? Or seal it so no hole?
- [question] best product and process to fix cracked cement over my foundation of my townhouse (PIC)
- Any creative hacks / solutions for clearing leaves off of loose stones?
- Slow Drain, Drain Specialist Recommends Excavation - Advice on Proceeding
- When you hire a contractor, do you ever ask them to leave behind supplies?
- Jet Tub Leaking
- Bathroom ceiling peeling - fan recommendation?
- Brand new fan very wobbly and handyman says it's fine
- Difference in saw blades?
- How to solidify 120 year old, spongy "heart pine floors w/o subfloors?
- How to change lightbulb
- Which filler product?
- Need help with my ceiling vent
- Remove excess grout on tiles?
- Can I use Vinyl flooring as my shower surround?
- Wall material identification
- What is considered "a lot" when it comes to vinyl plank variety/amount of unique planks?
- Kitchen sink advice (NC)
| How to tackle multiple out of plumb doors in a house that has settled over 90 years Posted: 04 Nov 2020 04:03 PM PST I'm looking for some general advice on fixing multiple doors that are out of plumb with the door frames in our 1930's house that has settled 1-2 degrees. This has manifested as doors that stick and and rub on the door frame, and a smaller number of doors that have difficulty latching. My initial plan from Internet research was to focus on trying to shim or trim the hinge mortises and rehang the doors. A contractor we trust however recommended just sanding the doors that run on the frame to fit with a belt sander. What does r/HomeImprovement think? [link] [comments] |
| Are there ways to make this basement more inviting without finishing it? Posted: 04 Nov 2020 04:15 PM PST Curious what could be done to make it a bit more inviting whether as just a place to hang out for a bit or have a pool table and dart board or something. Main issue is ceilings are only slightly higher than 6' but otherwise it's warm and dry. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2020 04:51 PM PST I recently gave my son's room a facelift which included painting the walls, removing the carpet, and adding a ceiling fan. Since I've done this there is a mysterious smell in his room and coincidentally, or not, my son has been having allergy-like symptoms. I cleaned the walls and primed before painting so I feel confident it has nothing to do with that. The carpets were removed and we are currently just leaving the flooring that was in place. His closet is, from my guess, the original wood flooring (100 years old) which has been painted at some point. The bedroom itself is older (80's?) laminate or vinyl flooring. The ceiling, which I had to cut to install the fan, is lath and plaster. Inside the ceiling is cellulose insulation and I did spray foam around the fan inside the ceiling to prevent air flow. We cleaned the floors after removing the carpet and just recently cleaned again with a bleach solution. The smell is hard to describe, but I would say "musty" like although not like a mold or mildew. Any ideas how I can identify this issue or who I can contact to help get to the bottom of it? [link] [comments] |
| Any tips on making my house look more appealing? Posted: 04 Nov 2020 01:08 PM PST Hey all. Appreciate any tips you might have. We bought an old bilevel home back last year and over the last year we've actually cleaned it up a whole lot. The inside was much worst, so we spent most of the year working on that. As for the outside (I don't have a before photo uploaded, will upload one later if anyone's interested) we pressure washed the entire place, replaced the broken white shutters with fresh black ones, and totally redid the landscaping. Any suggestions on how to make it look better? I know most people would call this house fugly haha, but we love our green little shoebox and have totally embraced the mid century modern style indoors, plus loving being in the woods and the land is superb for the area. Rural and private! Thanks for the tips all. Here's the pic: please ignore the tall grass and ladder, it was the only photo I had on hand! https://imgur.com/gallery/zCqxwZX Edit: Just wanted to add, we are getting the old stained roof replaced in 2 years, and will probably go with something brownish-grey rather than the brown they have, to better match the shutters and go with the green siding. The Siding is old aluminum wide siding but we like it, and don't plan on replacing anytime soon; and when we do, will still go with green. [link] [comments] |
| Buying my first home and an exterior staircase isn’t built to code. How do I handle? Posted: 04 Nov 2020 04:42 PM PST Buying my first home. The inspector called out that a set of stairs on the exterior weren't built to code (it's sitting on soil, not properly fixed to the exterior of the home). Real estate agent said the inspector has no ground to comment on something not built to code because they're not code inspectors and if it really wasn't built to code, the sellers would get knocked for it down the line. Well, I'm down the line, and set to close on the home in a week. I now have the permit history and don't see anything ever pulled for stairs, and by the looks of it, I think the inspector was right. How do I handle this? The agent seems to not care but I want to avoid an expensive repair for something that should've been taken care of before the transfer of ownership. [link] [comments] |
| How to make this flush? Or seal it so no hole? Posted: 04 Nov 2020 03:03 PM PST Check out pics here: https://imgur.com/gallery/UfPcCNA [link] [comments] |
| [question] best product and process to fix cracked cement over my foundation of my townhouse (PIC) Posted: 04 Nov 2020 02:40 PM PST I'm not sure exactly what this part is called but it is the lower foundation area of my townhouse. The cement over the foundation. We noticed recently that the rain is resting by the side of our house and before I add fill dirt to grade away from my house, I want to fix this area as well as small cracks around the foundation cement. It appears there are no foundation issues, just things like shown in the picture. Can someone recommend the best product and process to fix this? [link] [comments] |
| Any creative hacks / solutions for clearing leaves off of loose stones? Posted: 04 Nov 2020 02:43 PM PST TL;DR: Suggestions on removing / clearing leaves on a loose stone surface? The house I live in has loose (snowball/several golfball-sized) stones instead of grass/sod out front, I think to simplify groundskeeping. The other edge of that sword is that when leaves fall in autumn, it's a major pain in the ass. I don't have a leaf blower, but I worry it would blow the rocks into parked cars anyway. I don't want to resort to having to pick them up by hand. Raking mostly just moves the smaller stones, doesn't really affect the leaves at all. My vacuum doesn't have a blow function, unfortunately, and I think trying to vacuum them up is an express ticket to new vacuum town.. I want to clear the leaves so they don't decompose and cover/stain the stones (which do look nice most of the year). I need to create a gust but not enough to blow the rocks. I'm getting crazy brainstorming slamming the ground with a yoga mat, or improvising a bellows with a garbage bag of air squeezed through a paper tower tube. Any more professional / sane ideas? [link] [comments] |
| Slow Drain, Drain Specialist Recommends Excavation - Advice on Proceeding Posted: 04 Nov 2020 02:49 PM PST My kitchen sink is slowly draining, and the rate has slowly gotten worse. I've had issues with this in the past and this is an old house (1925). I snaked the drain from the kitchen (it's PVC), and went to my basement where the line runs to and it's clear from the access port up to the sink. Just after running water through, you can see standing water below the access port, so the blockage is below there. I tried snaking down with my cheap flat metal wind-up snake to no avail. We poured draino straight into the access port, no bueno. (Edit to add more info) I have two stacks, the original one, and a new one added when they built an addition. The bathroom in the addition does not have any problems and is draining fine. I can't tell if my 2nd floor bathroom (original house) is affected or not. The problem seems isolated between where the kitchen drain meets up with the sewer, and the stack that my addition bathroom empties to. I theorize that this stack is the last point at which my house empties into the sewer before heading out to the city sewer line. So, I had TLC come out to take a look. They concur the problem is below the access port (this port is just above the floor). They attempted to snake it with their much larger snake, no luck. The snake did not pull anything out. They went and scoped from the street vent and said their scope reached the house but hit something preventing them from going further. They aren't sure what. Their conclusion is that I need to have the floor around the pipe excavated so they can get to the sewer line below the floor of my basement and assess. The quoted price is roughly $6,300, with the cost of the work they did already taken off the eventual total bill, which was $440. This price is good for up to 10 feet of pipe that they have to excavate, and includes the cost of replacing the concrete. If the problem is such that they must go beyond 10 feet, I basically double the cost for each additional 10 feet. I talked to my neighbor, and he suggested I rent a scope, likely smaller than the one TLC used, to see if I can spot the blockage myself, and maybe push it. He also suggested I call one more company and swallow the cost of having them look at it and get a cost estimate from them. In suggesting this, he also said not to tell them I already had another company out, as to not encourage them to gouge me knowing my predicament (i.e. since TLC wants to excavate to resolve, they would be more inclined to lean that way as well). I guess I'm just looking for advice on what to do next. The water will backup and spill out of the line and down to my basement due to how the sink pipe connects (it slides into a larger-diameter pvc pipe, no sealant). So, I do get a lil bit of water in my basement when it backs up (or, say, my dishwasher runs). I don't have a finished floor, it's just concrete, so nothing really getting damaged down there. Should I bite the bullet with TLC? Should I have another company come out, maybe come to the same conclusion, and I'm out 440$? Should I Scope it myself knowing I probably won't do shit? Why did I just pay someone if I would be able to scope it and use the scope to help clear it? [link] [comments] |
| When you hire a contractor, do you ever ask them to leave behind supplies? Posted: 04 Nov 2020 06:17 AM PST I ordered a fence, and although I was quoted for 66', I think the fence is only 60'. There is a good amount of extra materials from the material delivery on my driveway. a 12' 6x6, some 8' 6x6's, and a bunch of 6' boards. Would it be out of bounds to ask them to leave some behind? I could use them for other projects like garden boxes and such. Or do most contractors over-order as a precaution, and just expect to take stuff home or back to the shop. What are the odds they lower the price on my estimate due to leftover materials? New homeowner, so trying to work out the nuances of this stuff. Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2020 04:19 PM PST We bought our house 1.5 years ago and it came with a jetted tub. It worked fine and I cleaned it monthly. We don't use the jets really unless to clean it. The last time I cleaned it, which was about 3 months ago it began to leak underneath and it seems to be coming from the area that the motor is at. I'm not 100% positive but thats my guess. Any tips or thoughts? I've been wanting to get caps for the holes of the jets I just don't know what size or where to go. Any suggestions? [link] [comments] |
| Bathroom ceiling peeling - fan recommendation? Posted: 04 Nov 2020 05:22 PM PST First time homeowner, first time poster. My SO could set a world record for hottest/longest showers and it's gotten to the point where our ceiling paint is starting to peel. We're getting a new roof in a couple weeks. My dad told me to ask them put in a vent (?) through the roof, and to start looking at a bathroom fan to have installed. I'm glad he gave me the heads up but he's a man of few words so I'm a little lost. I think I need an extractor fan? The reviews and types vary wildly. This fan will be hooked up to turn on whenever the light turns on, I would like it to be as quiet as possible as our kid's room is nearby. Any help or advice appreciated. Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Brand new fan very wobbly and handyman says it's fine Posted: 04 Nov 2020 10:30 AM PST I call bullshit on this. Brand new fans in a brand new house and the fans have some crazy wobble. Video + ceiling bracket: https://imgur.com/a/xd3X0yS I jiggled the ceiling bracket where he hasn't worked yet and it doesn't budge. The fan itself doesn't budge either. Somehow he's saying when you screw them together they wobble. One of the fans will even squeak at low speeds! Am I overreacting? Can I actually do anything about the wobble? Update: While he was fixing something unrelated I took a better look at the bracket in the ceiling. It was my fault it wasn't stable 😞. I put the bracket in myself but used the wrong screw holes (in an existing light bracket with thin metal). The two other brackets I checked were done the same way but I got lucky with those and they're way more stable. Still, I'm a little disappointed he was like, "Uh, yeah, that's normal." [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2020 04:24 PM PST Really novice question here, is there a difference between circular saw and miter saw blades? The blade I bought has pictures of two handheld circular saws on it and says circular saw. I have s sliding mitre saw that takes 7.25 in blades as well. I'd assume they're the same, but just wanted go double check. [link] [comments] |
| How to solidify 120 year old, spongy "heart pine floors w/o subfloors? Posted: 04 Nov 2020 05:12 PM PST I'm working with 1 foot joists. What is the most effective, safest way to secure these loose "weak" floors? In a 14x14 room there are approximately 5 areas that need support between joists. Thankfully I have an unfinished basement so access is easy. Don't want to damage these 400 year old wood panels. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2020 04:42 PM PST This seems like a crazy thing to ask. But does anyone know how to access the bulbs in this bathroom light fixture?
I've tried prying on everything I can and can't figure this out! Any ideas? https://imgur.com/a/itNnU03/ [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2020 05:25 PM PST I'm working on painting some old metal casement windows. After cleaning things up it looks like much of the old glazing putty is still pretty well-anchored - but it's cracked and chunked out. Looking for a filler product that would be appropriate. Since I had the tub out already I tried using Dap33 glazing putty, but it doesn't like to play nice when used as a "filler", it also takes too long to dry before it can be painted. Also tied some test areas with vinyl spackling and caulking that I had on hand and I'm not so happy with how those apply either, so looking to other filler products - but which? I was looking at DAP product info and came across three that could possibly work for this application: Painter's Putty 53, Alex Flex Spackling and Platinum Patch. Been many years since I've touched Painters Putty and don't recall how it behaves when used. Never used the other two products. Any recommendations for one of these? Try them all? lol Examples of what I'm looking to fill: https://imgur.com/wzCnlje https://imgur.com/GDDqbZc https://imgur.com/T7jcXeV [link] [comments] |
| Need help with my ceiling vent Posted: 04 Nov 2020 04:12 PM PST So I just did some research on why my room is hot 24/7. Turns out one of the two vent is closed. Problem is, the sliding switch that is supposed to adjust the vent simply won't budge no matter how hard I try. I've got no clue as to how to fix this, any pointers? I'd really appreciate it. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2020 03:53 PM PST This is my first time tiling and I used unsanded grout and my grout lines are 1/8". After grouting, I wiped diagonally with a damp sponge (completely rung out) but it is causing my grout lines to become uneven and there's a lot of excess grout on the tiles. How do I fix/remove the excess? It isn't fully dry yet [link] [comments] |
| Can I use Vinyl flooring as my shower surround? Posted: 04 Nov 2020 04:19 PM PST 2 questions Will SVC flooring be ok to put up around my shower? I don't want to deal with grout. I am remodeling our bathroom and am to the point of putting up our Kerdi membrane layer. I was just wondering how to adhere the vinyl floor to the membrane? It won't work with caulk and I'll have to order kerdi fix if I want to use that. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2020 02:44 PM PST I wanted to know if anyone can identify what this material is that's used for my walls. House was built late 50's-early 60's in Western Pennsylvania. I'm getting ready to install a woodstove and need to figure out if/how far I need to clear this away from where the wall penetration into the chimney will be located. The Gray color on top is paint followed by ~1/16" thick tan material and then ~5/8" thick concrete type material. Pictures located here http://imgur.com/a/J1Fs6KN [link] [comments] |
| What is considered "a lot" when it comes to vinyl plank variety/amount of unique planks? Posted: 04 Nov 2020 10:05 PM PST I hope this question makes sense. Husband and I are looking into LVP for the home we are buying and as much as I can appreciate the benefits, I REALLY dislike the redundancy of it. I was looking on Home Depot's website, at the higher end interlocking planks, and according to the details the variety of planks tends to be between 7-9 different planks. Is this considered a lot? Because it does not SEEM like a lot. And from looking at pictures, I feel like I can see the repetition pretty easily. I was also considering some other brands like Karndean and Flooret which can't be found in any big box hardware stores (I think?). From the pictures they appear to significantly less ~obviously~ redundant but their websites do not specifically detail how many different planks there are. Does anyone have any information about these brands or similar ones? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2020 11:51 AM PST Just bought a house in North Carolina, outside Raleigh. It has a 60/40 sink config and I just hate it. We do so much cooking and baking that one big single bowl sink would be a lot easier to work with. Can you all help me understand the options for converting this to a single bowl and who I would contact for that? I've asked 2 granite companies so far and have been told changing the sink is impossible (literally their words). It's an undermount sink and the grout is filled with mold, by the way. Picture: [link] [comments] |
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