Home Improvement: Is a subway tile backsplash a good first “big boy” home improvement project for a novice DIY-er? |
- Is a subway tile backsplash a good first “big boy” home improvement project for a novice DIY-er?
- Home inspection completed. Not sure what to fix/ how much it will cost
- Jigsaw vs Circular?
- Could I put a dishwasher here?
- Help me decide what kind of backsplash to do for my first real home improvement project!
- Basic tools to start a new homeowner off?
- flooding in basement, water moving in weird directions, not sure of source
- Can I pour self leveling concrete onto this subfloor without patching?
- Traced and labelled all my breakers, and installed a bunch of AFCIs
- Closing an exterior opening (sliding glass door) permanently
- What kind of bulb does this fixture take?
- Some light sockets just quit working.
- Chimney Top Removal During Winter Months
- Fence building tips
- Help with common wiring for smart thermostat.
- Top loading lid lock Washer question
- Advice on broken garage door reinforcement bracket
- How to fill large gaps next to door frame?
- Do I really need to have a chimney sweep every year for a gas fireplace?
- What can I do to make the kitchen more attractive?
- Cleaning old tile
- I need a sanity check. Wall-mounting a TV and the stud seems to be very slanted? (pic)
- Upgrading old thermostat - easiest approach?
- How can I restore my washroom's light fixture?
- Portable flooring
| Is a subway tile backsplash a good first “big boy” home improvement project for a novice DIY-er? Posted: 11 Nov 2020 04:34 PM PST Hello good people of r/HomeImprovement ! I bought my first home 3 years ago and I've managed to do some "small" / "simple" home improvement projects around the house. For example, I re-grouted the shower tile walls (old grout was crumbling), I installed window shades, put in new door hardware, and replaced all the light switches in the house (40 years of grossness in all the crevices). Give that I'm such a novice, would you all say that installing a subway tile backsplash in my kitchen would be a proper entree into "big boy" DIY world? I've watched at least 3 hours of YouTube videos on installing a backsplash and feel somewhat confident I can do it. But then I picture myself doing it — the thin-set is out and ready, tile cutter is out, laser level, etc and suddenly I see myself feeling overwhelmed and my backsplash ending up looking like garbage Anyone here done a tile backsplash as their first DIY project? How did it go? What did you learn? Thanks!! [link] [comments] |
| Home inspection completed. Not sure what to fix/ how much it will cost Posted: 11 Nov 2020 04:43 PM PST Hello All, I am a first time home buyer and recently got a property inspection done for a multifamily (full inspection report here: https://docdro.id/zU4T9Zs). Some of the main issues that I think need immediate fixing are:
Pictures are here: https://imgur.com/a/kyt6JzD I am trying to get a contractor in to get an estimate for fixing these issues. I wanted to see if the folks here think this is reasonable for a 120 year old house or I should walk away? Also, how much should I expect for the estimate? 10-15k or more? Any opinions will be much appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Nov 2020 05:16 PM PST It took me a week but I finished my very first room renovation (repaint and replace carpets with engineered hardwood). My dad visited one day and helped me out with a circular saw, but as I watched YouTube, I thought a jigsaw might have been a better choice. So, as a very novice DIYer, which one makes the most sense? I still have 2 rooms left to renovate. [link] [comments] |
| Could I put a dishwasher here? Posted: 11 Nov 2020 04:26 PM PST Bought an older house without dishwasher. Would it be feasible to take out the cabinet next to the fridge and put one in there? Anything I should be forewarned of? I am living in the home now but it will be a rental in 3ish years. https://ibb.co/TkN12jC [link] [comments] |
| Help me decide what kind of backsplash to do for my first real home improvement project! Posted: 11 Nov 2020 06:17 PM PST Hello! My husband and I just moved in to a new home and the first thing we did is install a gas range. It was just delivered today yay! We are going to put in a range hood, tearing out about half the cabinet above the range, or just the whole thing if matching proves to be too difficult, and ducting it through the attic and outside. (side note: any pros/cons on under-cabinet hoods vs the big ones that come down straight from the ceiling?) What kind of backsplash do you think would look good here? I like the look of tile but I feel like something with grout that close to the range would suck to clean. Just paint seems too plain. I'm not opposed to a splash of color or something. The walls are all a light neutral beige, but we plan to paint in the next couple years as I really don't like beige. [link] [comments] |
| Basic tools to start a new homeowner off? Posted: 11 Nov 2020 06:55 PM PST If things go according to plan, I should be a first time homeowner within about a week! I'm thinking ahead about what needs/we want to be done and I'm pondering what tools I might need to get to start. Not sure I'd say I'm "handy" but I'm generally familiar with home improvement thanks to my dad so I'm not really asking what the "basic" tools are per se.. I'm more wondering what would be best to get first. Of course I'd like to avoid ending up like my dad with a TON of tools that don't always get used but that's tomorrow's problem. For example I should probably get my hands on a hammer, tape measure, drill and drill bits, wrench set... How did you all start acquiring? If there's a good "set" of tools out there to start with that might be convenient. As in a kit that gives you all the basics. Buy it for life quality would be nice. Thanks in advance! [link] [comments] |
| flooding in basement, water moving in weird directions, not sure of source Posted: 11 Nov 2020 06:05 PM PST So it's been raining all day here in MD and my sump pumps have been going off every five or so minutes without issue. We're new to the house, so I went down in the middle of the day to take a look at everything, because we're still a little unsure about the door down there. Everything was fine mid-day, but this evening there's water winding around the floor. You can see daylight underneath the door, but we've never had a problem with water coming in before. What we do know is our neighbor told us the guy here before us was seen bucketing water out of the basement. Not really sure if that's true, because there are two sump pumps and they would work pretty well at draining everything out? We also see paint missing in chunks on the floor where the water spread out to, so we know this has happened before. The thing is, we're not sure where exactly it's coming from. It didn't spread out like you would expect, it moved in different directions, one of them being to/from the door, but also all around the hot water heater and AC and then in two different directions towards different walls. While we cleaned it up, we noticed water coming up from under the AC over and over. There used to be a furnace there and there appears to be brick underneath the concrete that's underneath the AC. I have no idea why or what its purpose would be or if there's a drain there and if so, how far down it goes. But I would expect the sump pump to overflow as well if there was a problem with water beneath the ground/house and it was struggling to pump it all out. So it could be that the water hit the door in a way that it infiltrated the basement, but we're also curious and concerned about whatever is beneath the AC. It's just brick and when we towel the water it seems to slowly come back up. We're going to call somebody tomorrow, not really sure who, so I'm expecting some answers eventually, but if anybody can clue me in I'm sure I would sleep a little better tonight knowing more about what the hell is going on down there. Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Can I pour self leveling concrete onto this subfloor without patching? Posted: 11 Nov 2020 03:57 PM PST Basically the title. I recently ripped up 70 year old tile in a bathroom and some of the subfloor came along with it. https://imgur.com/gallery/lb620N1 How should I repair this before moving forward with new tile? Self leveling concrete was my plan, but didn't know if I should patch the holes first? Any thoughts greatly appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| Traced and labelled all my breakers, and installed a bunch of AFCIs Posted: 11 Nov 2020 10:05 AM PST Thought I'd share my panel overhaul. Main panel had some water damage and needed all the breakers replaced. In the process I traced out all the circuits and made custom labels [link] [comments] |
| Closing an exterior opening (sliding glass door) permanently Posted: 11 Nov 2020 06:15 PM PST Hello! I'm looking for some advice, I've got two sliding glass doors that are original to the house (1980's) that just leak air horribly and we never use due to the odd placement. One is a half sliding glass door (1 door only) in master bedroom, and a 2-door sliding glass door in the dining area. I would like to have them just closed up properly, as if there was never a door there. Has anyone had such a thing done (is there a term for it?) and any ideas how much this kind of work would run? I'm not at the point where I want to get estimates, but I'd like to have a ballpark idea so I can try to budget for it. Definitely above my head to try to DIY this, FWIW. Edit: FWIW, the windows in master bedroom are of the swing open variety, that is safe for fire escape -- code in my area requires there to be a means of escape in the event of fire. [link] [comments] |
| What kind of bulb does this fixture take? Posted: 11 Nov 2020 04:06 PM PST We recently moved into a new home and my daughter's bedroom has a janky chandelier which she, of course, loves. I for the life of me can't figure out what kind of bulbs they take. If you press a normal candelabra bulb into them, the light will turn on, but it will not screw in normally. I've included the best picture of the fixture I could take. [link] [comments] |
| Some light sockets just quit working. Posted: 11 Nov 2020 10:41 PM PST A friend of mine lives in a 1940's house. A few years ago a light in a closet with a pull switch quit working. Recently, two sconce lights (each has its own built in twist switch) in a bathroom on another floor flickered out simultaneously. He's going to renovate in a few years so he's not too worried, but I'm wondering if this might need to be addressed sooner from a fire safety standpoint. Any advice here? [link] [comments] |
| Chimney Top Removal During Winter Months Posted: 11 Nov 2020 03:53 PM PST Howdy, I'm looking for a more consistent or easier method to help my parents with removing their chimney top to clean it a few times during the times. They're getting older and it requires about 4 or 5 times a winter to literally either scrub it clean it bang it against the roof (their methods not mine). I'm getting nervous about them consistently going out on their roof during the colder months when there is a large amount of ice and they literally have to climb up a ladder, to climb over part of a very steep roof, to reach it and clean it out. Is there anything I can do to either make this process easier or eliminate it entirely? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Nov 2020 04:24 PM PST Starting to rebuild our fence since hurricane sally knocked it down. This will be my first fence, any tips and tricks? Thank you [link] [comments] |
| Help with common wiring for smart thermostat. Posted: 11 Nov 2020 01:35 PM PST I have this extra 5th wire at the bottom(yellow pointing down) that I need to connect to common. I think that's the blue and purple wire nut as that goes up to a 24v relay, but I'm not certain. Any help would be appreciated! Edit- connected to that bundle after some more research and am getting 24v to the thermostat through that previously dead wire. Should be all set!!! [link] [comments] |
| Top loading lid lock Washer question Posted: 11 Nov 2020 06:30 PM PST I have a GE top loading washer that locks immediately after you select the cycle, close the lid and press start. So i've just been putting all the clothes and detergent in at once and pressing start. I want to leave the lid open though, fill the washer with water first , then drop in detergent and then put in the clothes in and close the lid. Can I do this with the lid locking mechanism? What will happen if I leave the lid open and press start? Will the locking mechanism malfunction? Will I be able to close it when I am ready? [link] [comments] |
| Advice on broken garage door reinforcement bracket Posted: 11 Nov 2020 03:26 PM PST I opened my garage door today and heard metal snapping followed by the door making clunking sounds as it tried to open all the way. After some inspection, I saw that the top reinforcement bracket had broken. Any idea where I can get this replacement part and would it be safe for me to attempt this repair on my own? Images of broken part: https://imgur.com/a/165NlMV [link] [comments] |
| How to fill large gaps next to door frame? Posted: 11 Nov 2020 04:06 PM PST Hi folks, https://imgur.com/gallery/iieo9SN I'm try to fill the large gaps between my basement door frame and the stone foundation. My main goal it to create a barrier that prevent mice from entering and heat from leaving. Any thoughts on how I should fill the gaps? [link] [comments] |
| Do I really need to have a chimney sweep every year for a gas fireplace? Posted: 11 Nov 2020 09:51 PM PST I got mine cleaned a year or two ago and online recommendations suggest getting it cleaned annually but the costs seems excessive especially if I'm not burning wood. Is it really needed? [link] [comments] |
| What can I do to make the kitchen more attractive? Posted: 11 Nov 2020 07:23 PM PST kitchen another side What would be some least costly improvements that can make the kitchen stand out? Initially wanted to tear the entire kitchen down and open it up to the living and dining but that would be extremely expensive. Least costly would be to paint the cabinets white. Paint the walls white and maybe a light blue? Then add a backsplash also add a peel and stick flooring. Any thoughts? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Nov 2020 04:36 PM PST The good news- my 1924 bathroom has the original hex penny tile and it's in fairly good shape The bad news- in the 1990's somebody glued vinyl flooring over top. There are two types of glue, one leaves a lot of residue, one scraps off slowly but clean. I tried Crud Cutter and it got a lot of the residue off but I can't seem to get the last film off. Any ideas? Everything online seems to be about getting a little adhesive off a new install, not anything this involved. [link] [comments] |
| I need a sanity check. Wall-mounting a TV and the stud seems to be very slanted? (pic) Posted: 11 Nov 2020 05:38 PM PST As the title says, I'm wall mounting a TV and I think I've found the stud, but it seems to be fairly slanted. I poked holes in the wall with a small screw driver to find the edges of the stud and the upper and lower edges seem to be pretty un-aligned (note the level bubble at the top). This seems to be a well built house so I'm not sure my findings make sense, and I wanted to get a sanity check before I go drilling these fairly large holes. Is this common, or does this warrant further investigation? Should I poke lots more holes? [link] [comments] |
| Upgrading old thermostat - easiest approach? Posted: 11 Nov 2020 04:14 PM PST Okay so I'm not particularly keen with playing with electrics. I mean, I can change a plug, light fitting and that sort of area. But I don't want to start playing with electrics coming from the boiler... because if I fuck that up then I'm in trouble! I was told that I can upgrade the old stat (thermostat) to a digital (or even a smart) very easily by just taking the old one off the wall and connecting the new one... But once I looked at a specific thermostat it was more of running wires from the combi boiler then here and there. So right now we currently have a combi boiler and to turn the heating on or adjust the temperature you turn a dial upstairs and it comes on. The issue we have is no one even tho they are awake late at night (cough teenagers) turns it off and we end up having the heating on for 8+ hours all because the kids couldn't be bothered to turn it off. At a previous apartment I stayed at, we had a digital thermostat which was fully programmable and even had like bursts on. So I could just press this one button and it would turn the heating on (or off) for 1 hour. [link] [comments] |
| How can I restore my washroom's light fixture? Posted: 11 Nov 2020 06:57 PM PST It looks like it was scraped and is rusted in those areas. Here's a couple images of it. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 11 Nov 2020 01:34 PM PST Hey I bought some vinyl peel and stick tile flooring from Lowe's I want to make a portable floor for photo shoots but I'm not sure what to attach it to? Any ideas? It doesn't need to be flexible. [link] [comments] |
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