Home Improvement: My dog saved my foundation. |
- My dog saved my foundation.
- I used an iron to soften up dents in my hardwood floor
- Fixing a 30 year screw-up!
- Basement Renovation After Flood
- How to remove an obsolete chimney?
- Structural / foundation problems in 110 year old Victorian that had been flipped by a “Structural Engineer”
- Finding studs (cont)
- Pro tip, flush your hot water heater once a year at least!
- Where is my furnace?
- How should I approach this big air return register when getting a new floor in my kitchen
- Is this mildew?
- Do I need to get rid of this saddle valve?
- My detached garage is not insulated and is freezing, and I have to WFH in it. I think I should insulate it, but what's the best way?
- Lubricant: garage springs and rails.
- House Wastewater suddenly appearing at sump pit?
- Wall primer problem
- Thermal fuse - microwave
- Basement finish
- Is 2-Stage HVAC worth it in a temperate climate?
- Patching a hole in the Dry wall and keeping a smaller hole
- DIY Gutter Mesh installation advice
- Considering replacing the floor upstairs. Advice needed
- When do you call in a structural engineer?
- Re-carpeting my basement. I’d love any advice/tips
- My tap water smells like awfully strong bleach / ammonia.
| Posted: 30 Nov 2020 05:55 PM PST So I waited until I completely finished this to post, but my dog saved me a LOT of money down the road. She is a obsessed with hunting the chipmunks on our property and one day she tracked one right to the side of the house and dug a little hole. I saw a bunch of brick chunks and such and pulled them out and found the hole in the earth where the corner of my house should be. I checked the other side of the house and the same thing was there. Turns out, one of the previous homeowners allowed the gutters to drain straight down. They knew this was an issue and placed random rocks and bricks in the hole, covered with dirt, and added fiberboard insulation to the inside of the whole crawlspace to hide the giant, full brick holes in our block wall (something 2 home sale inspections missed as it was 2 owners before). He even used spray foam to seal the gaps in some bricks. (cause that DEFINITELY has the same compressive properties as cinderblock). Easy fix. I removed the suspect brick (down to the foundation) and just formed and poured it right up. I had a company quote 5k and wanted to dig up the entire side of the house. I fixed it all for under $100 bucks. 300 lbs of concrete, 10 lbs of feather coat, and 14 ft of rebar. Fixed two downspouts to pipe the water way from the foundation. TLDR: I have the best dog ever and she got some great snacks for saving us from a load of hurt. [link] [comments] |
| I used an iron to soften up dents in my hardwood floor Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:28 AM PST Hey all! I live in a house built that was built in 1918 with hardwood floors. Not sure if the wood in my dining room is original or not, but either way, it's old and has seen some rough days. I'm OK with some of the scratches and dings as I think it adds character. What bothered me the most, though, was recent damage caused by my well-meaning husband moving the fridge out of the kitchen on his own without protection. It created long, wide but someone shallow dents in the wood floor. We are currently in a bad financial spot, so refinishing the floors is not an option for a while. I read on this forum that an option to remove dents is to iron them out! I followed a youtube video and went to town. The dents aren't gone (I wasnt expecting that result) but it sure as hell softened up where they aren't nearly as noticable! I am now hoping to shine up the floor a bit. What are your thoughts on rejuvenate or bona floor restorer? I think it's a water-based polyurethane product. Here are before and after photos: excuse the lighting difference and the before photos were taken last night. It still gives you a general idea of the result! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2020 01:23 PM PST Hi, first time posting here. I tried DIY but apparently this is a better sub. I thought you might find this screw-up interesting! We bought a home built in 1990 back in 2011. It is a nice place in a great location but the prior owners were not very handy. There were lots of things to fix as well as renovate - which is all good as I am an engineer and handyman, where my idea of relaxing is to design and build something. Not to gripe, but more than half the doors wouldn't close and half of the windows were clouded up (I had to buy all new sashes because it was two months past the 20 year warranty!). So over the last nine years I have been going room by room doing renovations, things are looking nice. So here is the screw-up... second story hallway has steps up to a landing for the master bedroom. My wife always wanted an outlet there to plug in a lamp or some other decoration. I agree, it really should have an outlet there. It is hallway time! Rip out the old carpet, refinish the honey-oak steps and railing to an espresso and put in matching hardwood flooring. It's now cool up in the attic so time to drop a line down. I mark the ideal spot for the outlet. My studfinder gives strange readings. I know where the stud is so start with a hole where I want the old work box. I hit something. Move over, I hit something again. Huh. Well, I want this at the same height as the other outlets in the hall but ok I go higher. Hit something else. Go higher and find it clear. I cut a little triangle and look in to see Romex and a box below! Yes, in the exact spot where I am trying to install a box IS a box behind the drywall with loose live wires! Whoever originally drywalled went right over the box. If they intentionally went over to later cut a hole they forgot. Yes, the drywall has been bowed out all this time. The live wires fortunately never touched or grounded all this time - quite a fire hazard! Photos of my discovery, and the finished new outlet. I am glad I fixed a fire hazard, and did not have to run any new wires in the attic after all! TLDR: Live outlet box accidentally drywalled over, 30 years later discovered and fixed [link] [comments] |
| Basement Renovation After Flood Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:26 AM PST I was told by a friend this might be appreciated in this sub. I originally posted this on r/beginnerwoodworking, but expanded a few areas to cover the tile and flooring work we did. In October 2018, six months after my wife and I bought our first house, our sump pump failed in the middle of the night and flooded our basement. All told, there was probably only about 2" of standing water, but it resulted in us needing to rip out 2' of drywall and replace the carpet. Flooring: After the nightmare with carpet in the basement and the flood, I vowed never to have carpet below grade ever again. I pushed to install tile, but the boss was concerned that it would be too cold under foot. As a compromise, I agreed to install an electrically heated floor. We used the DITRA-HEAT system and it was amazing to work with. It was easy enough for us to install ourselves and even has a WiFi connected thermostat for remote control. I would highly recommend the system to anyone interested. Our total cost for ~250sq/ft of heated floor materials was roughly $3,200. As for flooring, we used 700sq/ft of this porcelain tile, a wet saw (borrowed), tile cutter, and approximately a million tile leveling clips and wedges. Working sporadically on nights and weekends, it took us about 5 months to complete the floor. Cost for tile materials was ~$4,000. Wainscoting: As a new homeowner, taking on hanging, mudding, and sanding drywall was intimidating, so we ended up hiring it out. Unfortunately, the contractor we hired left a pretty noticeable "hump" where the new drywall met the old (visible on second picture). I debated on what we could do to hide this outside of replacing it again, and started looking into wainscoting. From an overall woodworking skill standpoint, it seemed relatively straight forward, so we gave it a shot. I almost exclusively used Finish Carpentry TV on YouTube to plan and complete the project. Wainscoting Materials: Cap - 1" x 2" Primed Pine Top Rail - 1" x 6" Primed Pine Stiles - 1" x 4" Primed Pine Bottom Rail - 1" x 8" Primed Pine Base - 1" x 4" Primed Pine Cove Moulding 3/16" Euca(lyptus) Board Kreg Pocket Hole Jig Tools: Table saw, miter saw, dremel, hand sander, nail gun After casing the doors using 1" x 3" + 1" x 2" backband, I started by trying to find the smallest wall to get a common measurement that we would use as a reference all the way around the room. What I didn't appreciate is that it doesn't need to be the exact same stile spacing all the way around (e.g. 30" on each wall); 1" - 2" differences between walls can't really be seen, so some walls ended up being ~28" stile spacing, while others ended up closer to ~31". I used this wainscoting calculator to help find the correct stile spacing based on the length of the wall. Once we figured out the stile spacing, it was really just a matter of measuring and piecing the wainscoting units together using the pocket hole jig. The guy on Finish Carpentry TV builds his wainscoting as a single "unit" to help ensure the joints in the final product align well, even with bowing on walls, which ended up being key for us. The hardest part was the long walls that were over 8' which required us to join different wainscoting units together. I learned that I pretty much suck at 45 degree miters and had to get creative on filling some gaps. There are a couple spots that certainly aren't perfect, but I learned a lot in the process. Once the units were hung, we went back around the room hanging the 1" x 2" cap and 1" x 4" base + cove moulding, which went really quickly. We then spent an afternoon caulking and filling any imperfections with wood filler. I bought a $200 paint sprayer to save us the hassle of rolling everything, which was a worthwhile investment. After a coat of primer and two coats of basic white paint, the wainscoting looks pretty decent and we're happy with the results. I am planning to do something similar in our nursery this winter. The wainscoting materials set us back $3,000, but this included a few tools (e.g. table saw) and enough Euca board to cover the basement plus nursery. With that said, if there are any questions about the wainscoting, heated floor, or tile, I'm happy to help fill in any gaps! [link] [comments] |
| How to remove an obsolete chimney? Posted: 30 Nov 2020 09:22 AM PST I've got a small 1950's bungalow that used to have an oil furnace. The existing chimney passes through our only (small) bathroom. It only takes up about 2x2', but sadly that would make a big difference in the room! It would also free up some floor space in the basement where we plan on adding a 2nd bathroom. What would be the best way to remove it? It is completely free standing and not in contact with any structure of the house. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 29 Nov 2020 10:52 PM PST About 2 years ago, my wife and I had purchased a 110 year old Victorian home that had been flipped by a structural engineer. The remodel was beautiful but as a first time homebuyer who definitely did not know what to look for when buying a home, I had to entirely rely on the word of the home inspectors. With this being a very old home with a stone foundation, I brought in another structural engineer to inspect the recently "re-done" foundation to ensure it was done properly. I was told that the foundation was braced great and would only need routine maintenance every 5 years. I was told that stone foundations are known for getting damp and that we can expect to never use the basement as a living or to store anything like cardboard boxes. So long that the foundation was routinely maintained, we could expect this to last another 100+ years. Well long story short, I've been living in this house for only 2 years, purchased only 6 months after the foundation was "re-done", and I am some obvious problems throughout the home. My floors on the main level are sloping and the wood floors are splintering. New door frames are splitting apart and so are some baseboards. I've also noticed that my appliances are starting to roll backwards and the tile floor in front of my fireplace is half a centimeter above my hardwoods. I've also noticed that my ceiling on both the upstairs and main level that is closest to the fireplace is showing signs of water damage. When I checked the attic during a rainy day, the stone chimney was very wet. This makes me think that there is either a leak on the flashing for the chimney or the top of the chimney isn't properly covered allowing water to get in. I also noticed that the fireplace itself which has wooden boards screwed on the top of it was leaking water during a rainy day. Basically my question is, who do I call and where do I start. I know I'm at least going to need a foundation expert to tell me how to keep my house from sinking but to stop my chimney from pouring water in my house and to fix the already damaged ceilings (not to mention the possibility of mold in my walls now) who would be the best to contact? Also, am I over reacting to the problems of my foundation? Are these all just normal symptoms of an old house with a stone foundation? Images for reference: https://imgur.com/gallery/CrWr9dK Thank you all for your time. I know this is a really long post so if you made it all the way through, cheers to you. EDIT I appreciate everybody's help and input here. There are many great points that were made and I will be keeping everybody up to date through this process. I reached out to the structural engineer that reviewed while we were under contract. He is coming out sometime this week to take a second look at may have changed over the past 2 years and what could have caused the changes if any. This structural engineer is known throughout the community and is doing major foundation work on several homes on my street alone so he should know this area better than anybody in my opinion. I have also reached out to another foundation company who will be taking a look at this on Wednesday. I feel in this case a second opinion is definitely needed to ensure there isn't any bias with the first engineer's original assessment. More details to come [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2020 07:18 PM PST Trying to hang some shelving on a wall between two rooms that were added onto my house. I am still unable to find any studs, so after removing the base molding, I got an oscillating multitool and cut out a section of drywall, and the wood underneath, revealing this. It sort of looks like old T1-11. Behind the T1-11 is some green striped what I'm guessing is insulation and behind that is metal. I'm completely over the guesswork and snake oil methods of trying to find a stud and about to just take the whole wall down. Is there any easier way to do it before I do that? Maybe just remove the whole bottom part of the wall and (hopefully) revealing the studs in the process? Thanks again, I'm at my wits end. [link] [comments] |
| Pro tip, flush your hot water heater once a year at least! Posted: 30 Nov 2020 01:45 PM PST https://imgur.com/gallery/RdwoeqA Nasty mineral deposits were flying out of mine for like half an hour lol! No wonder our sink and shower aerators were clogging so fast. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2020 09:45 PM PST I recently bought my first home and just realized I have no idea where the furnace is. We have a large HVAC unit on the roof but I assumed this was just the air conditioner? It's not in the garage or any of the rooms or closets inside the home. Could it be under the house? Am I just an idiot and it's part of the HVAC unit on the roof? [link] [comments] |
| How should I approach this big air return register when getting a new floor in my kitchen Posted: 30 Nov 2020 09:43 PM PST Hello! I'm about to embark on a kitchen project in my San Francisco apartment to install some new floor and a backsplash. One aspect of the floor project that I'm not sure how to approach is what to do with the big air return register that is in the floor. Obviously it can't go somewhere else, but I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to make it look nicer. Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/SzG8z90 Questions:
Thank you for reading! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2020 07:23 PM PST Something gross looking has spread all over my bathroom window where the shower steam causes it to become dripping wet. I've sent pictures to my building superintendent, but she denies it's mold. Do you think it's either mold or mildew? Is this something that's safe for me to remove myself? I've just moved into the apartment, the whole place was supposed to have been renovated but these dark spots are making me worried. Is it just mineral buildup? The location is very suspicious, I can literally see water dripping off the dark spots when the shower is running. [link] [comments] |
| Do I need to get rid of this saddle valve? Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:22 PM PST This is my first house and I feel like every time I look at anything too closely I realize it's been done wrong/sloppy. When we had our fridge delivered, the technician didn't want to hook up the water line for liability purposes (I don't know if that's normal). We haven't been able to get the valve open so the fridge isn't making ice. I did some research just to try and see how to open it so water will flow, and ended up finding out saddle valves are a plumbing code violation in just about every state. So... should I try and have it removed? if so, is it DIYable or should a plumber come do it? The valve in question. It's located in the basement, basically right under the fridge. if it does need to be removed, how do I run a new one? I saw someone using something called a dual valve, with adapters for a faucet supply and fridge line. Do you just drill holes in the cabinet walls and run it through the back of them to the fridge? Here's the kitchen layout. If it matters. The fridge pictured is the previous owners' and the line runs up through the floor behind the fridge. If I were to run a line from under the faucet to the back of the fridge, the dishwasher would kind of be in the way. The dishwasher sucks ass and is super disgusting so I was thinking about replacing it anyway. Might as well do both at the same time I guess? I'm afraid I'm going to do something stupid and end up ruining part of the house, but I'm finding so many half assed things that I'm starting to think I couldn't mess it up any more short of flooding or fire. It's from the 80s so about 40 years of half assed repairs/patches, although it seems like the previous owners are responsible for a majority of them. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2020 11:47 AM PST I cut away some of the drywall, and it's just the exterior siding on the other side. Pic here: https://imgur.com/gallery/7tVT0s2 Can I just take down the drywall, put in rolled-up insulation, then drywall over? Do I need to take down the siding and Tyvek the exterior first? Is there a way I can protect the insulation from moisture without having to do that? Is blown-in insulation the better idea here? Obviously I'm open to suggestions, just wondering what the best way to go about it might be. My frozen hands will thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Lubricant: garage springs and rails. Posted: 30 Nov 2020 04:19 AM PST How often do you suppose to apply lubricant to your garage springs and rails to keep it working in tip top shape? Does this answer varies based on the type of climate that you live in? [link] [comments] |
| House Wastewater suddenly appearing at sump pit? Posted: 30 Nov 2020 05:17 AM PST About a month ago, a strong foul smell appeared in the basement. At first I thought it was related to stagnant water since it has not rained much. However, yesterday I was in the basement, shower was on, and I could hear the water trickle into the sump pit. Shut off the shower, and the water showing up in the pit stopped. Just liquid, no solids (I think). All waste water in the house is connected to one main vertical cast iron pipe. There is a PVC pipe that discharges unto the sump pit, which I know is connected to the basement floor drain for some reason (figured this out when washing the basement floor and the water went straight to the sump pit). The actual sump pump discharges to the yard. This is the first time I have experienced this. Any help would be appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2020 07:22 PM PST Hello im wondering if anyone knows what can be happening with this primer. I just moved it to this house and the previous owner had painted the walls about 2 months ago with glidden essentials flat paint from home depot. I hated the color so i decided to start by priming it with kilz 2 all purpose primer but I only got as far as cutting some parts of the wall because it started separating weirdly. Any ideas what could be causing this? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2020 09:30 PM PST Are all thermal fuse the same regardless if it's microwave or dryer? The fuse itself is showing a 90c, so as long as I find the same fuse in 90c, it should be ok? The thermal fuse in my microwave model mco165ub is blown. I am trying to replace it, butI can't find the proper fuse. Please help! https://imgur.com/gallery/XeHwgbW [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2020 09:27 PM PST Have been considering finishing my basement on my own aside from drywall and plumbing likely. Would definitely do the framing and finishes. Just not sure where to start or what would be a good resource from A to Z and that would provide help with questions as I go along. Are online subscriptions worth? Classes? Any help is appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| Is 2-Stage HVAC worth it in a temperate climate? Posted: 30 Nov 2020 07:06 PM PST Is 2-Stage HVAC (heating and air conditioning) worth it in a temperate climate compared to a single stage system? I'm in Northern California and we usually average temps around 60-70F/15-20C during the day and 50F/10C at night. In the winter we might might have overnight lows near freezing for 1-2 weeks. And in the summer we will have 3-4 weeks of daytime highs exceeding 90F/32C. Most of the time we just open and close windows to regulate temperatures. We have a house that gets tons of solar gain (lots of east/west facing windows) and reasonable insulation (late-1990s construction). Cooling during the hot summer days are usually at full blast. And heating in the evening is usually at full blast, until we reach equilibrium. I understand that the constant on/off with HVAC systems is hard on the system. Having a 2-stage system to help move air and regulate humidity in the summer would be nice. But we wouldn't need it in the winter. The marginal cost of a 2-stage system for is roughly 5-10%, which is insignificant relative to other factors in our high cost of living location. However, "they don't make 'em like they used to..." and the maintenance and repair cost of a 2-stage system might negate any small comfort benefit. Given how systems are built these days along with high cost of living area (read as: labor costs are higher than normal) repairs might be cost more than a new unit. What do the folks on this sub think? Go single stage or 2-stage for my new HVAC system? [link] [comments] |
| Patching a hole in the Dry wall and keeping a smaller hole Posted: 30 Nov 2020 07:05 PM PST Hi all! The hole behind my thermostat is (or was as you'll find out) the size of a 1 gang electrical box. With the purchase of a smart thermostat, the hole was too large vertically. I bought a self adhesive mesh patch, cut a smaller hole than what was on the wall, applied it, and covered it in spackling paste. I did my best to smooth it out. Unsurprisingly, it looks bad. To make matters worse, the areas where the original hole is covered by the mesh is very weak and a hairline crack has appeared in the paint. Any recommendations on how to properly fix the problem is appreciated. Should I start over, scrapping off the spackle and mesh patch? Can I cover it all up with mud and a wider, more subtle taper? How do I deal with the hole, as I still need it there, just smaller? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| DIY Gutter Mesh installation advice Posted: 30 Nov 2020 04:16 PM PST So I live in an area with 3 Big trees surrounding my house which are great in the spring but in the fall they cause me to clean out my gutters about every 2-3 weeks or any rain will just waterfall down past them. I'm thinking about using something like This to help keep the leaf's down but still allow me to have relative easy access to cleaning them down the road. I was wondering if anyone on here had any advice or ideas on the subject. Am I dumb for even trying? Is this the wrong way to go about this? I know bigger gutters would help the issue too but I don't want to replace all of my gutters as they were just installed earlier this year. [link] [comments] |
| Considering replacing the floor upstairs. Advice needed Posted: 30 Nov 2020 09:14 PM PST https://www.homedepot.com/p/312591261 The upstairs measures roughly 700sqft The calculator on the site shows a cost of approximately $1320 (770sqft) My previous decision was to install the peel & stick planks + smooth underpayment boards I bought last month ($1241 for that option) Should I return the peel & stick option for the more expensive one? I really want something waterproof + less needed material. Thoughts? [link] [comments] |
| When do you call in a structural engineer? Posted: 30 Nov 2020 07:26 AM PST I just bought a 110 year old house with some crumbling stone foundation joints that I plan on having repointed in the spring. There are signs of settling in the house but with how old it is, I feel like that's expected. The floors dip slightly in the middle of the house and towards the outside walls (when standing in the middle of the house and walking towards the outside, there is a decline). There are noticeable spots in house that are not level (stairs, etc.). There are no noticeable cracks in the walls. I am a worrier and I just don't want the house to fall in and I also want to sell it 15-30 years down the road. So is it a good idea to hire a structural engineer now just for peace of mind? My main fear is the house sinking. I just want to be assured it is not moving. So would it be a good idea to hire a structural engineer or would that be a waste of money right now? Should I wait for big cracks or dips in the floor before worrying about anything? [link] [comments] |
| Re-carpeting my basement. I’d love any advice/tips Posted: 30 Nov 2020 11:18 AM PST I ripped up the cheap thin crap that was in when we moved into the house. Looks like it was just glued to the tile. Aside from removing the old glue from the tile, is there anything else I need to do before laying new carpet? [link] [comments] |
| My tap water smells like awfully strong bleach / ammonia. Posted: 30 Nov 2020 06:03 PM PST What could be causing this? It makes me very weary of drinking my tap water. Running a shower or bath makes the whole bathroom smell like bleach and it is kind of nauseating. Could there be something in my pipes? I do live near a sewage treatment plant. Something from there entering the water system in my city? [link] [comments] |
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