- Bought a house. I finally have a workshop that doesn't also function as a tiny garage, but now I have a nemesis: Dust. How do you store your tools on shelves without getting them covered in sawdust all the time?
- Tree removal at neighbors request
- Smoke alarm randomly beeps once every 2-3 hours
- Wiring through diagonal bracing studs
- Lesson that saved me $2000 in plumbing.
- TIFU by angle grinding granite in my home...help?
- We are having a house built in the time of Covid. Lumber prices are soaring, and the builder wants to share the costs. Can someone tell me if the price he's quoting is reasonable?
- Before & After DIY garden project.
- Advice Needed: Residential Softening and whole-home Filtration for my Well Water
- Inner door: Repair the frame, replace the the frame, or replace the whole thing?
- Wiring 3-way switch with dimmer
- Home repairs piling on. Has anybody gone bankrupt due to necessary repairs?
- [Update] Help with TV MOUNT!
- Are these cracks anything to worry about?
- Replacing underlayment: Any tips for positioning utility holes in plywood sheets?
- My gas fireplace is acting very strangely anyone know what's going on?
- Finding ceiling joists with resilient channel in them
- Carpet Pad Question
- What do I do to fix the gap on my French doors?
- One handled Delta faucet doesn't shut off at vertical
- Ductwork came loose and I can't get it back in!
- Alcove Tub Installation Help
- Alcove Tub Installation Help
- Electric, tankless water heater for master bath?
- Is that a gas valve?
| Posted: 03 Dec 2020 06:04 AM PST I have a shop-vac that I hook up to my saws whenever it's not possible to do the cutting outdoors, but it still seems like sawdust is getting everywhere. My tools are all on open shelves at the moment. I'd like to protect them, especially the dust-sensitive stuff like paint brushes, stain rags, and power tools/batteries/chargers. I'm thinking clear plastic bins might be the way to go. Any suggestions? [link] [comments] |
| Tree removal at neighbors request Posted: 03 Dec 2020 07:07 AM PST UPDATE: just spoke to him. He wants me to pay for full removal or court bc it's on my property. My neighbor from the house behind mine came by yesterday randomly and gave me a letter asking me to cut down the trees in my backyard. He has a pool in his and is saying the roots are ruining the cement around his pool. I'd rather not remove them bc I like the shade and look but it's not a huge deal if I do. Issue is, it will cost about 2k to get them all cut down so I'm questioning me having to foot the bill for something that doesn't cause an issue for me while he pays nothing. But I also don't want to be a twat neighbor and want to get alone when we need to replace the fence in the future. Might be wrong sub but trying here first. EDIT: this is central california EDIT: update I texted him (to make sure he was notified in writing ) that if he wants to take them down he can with an insured company but didn't say I would pay. I also mentioned getting an arborist out to see what they say. Going to see what he says. I'm still reading all the responses. I appreciate all the feedback ! [link] [comments] |
| Smoke alarm randomly beeps once every 2-3 hours Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:14 AM PST Last night my smoke alarm decided to beep 4 times from 1am-5am. Each time it beeped only 1-2 times. These were NOT chirps (low volume very brief sound), but full-volume sustained beeps (same as I hear when I burn something in the kitchen). It's a hardwired First Alert alarm. House is new construction from 2018, so alarms shouldn't be past their 10 year lifespan. Even though it's not the low battery chirp, I still replaced the battery, but the beep happened again 2 hours later (one large beep, then stopped). Any ideas what's going on? Edit: The most likely options I've narrowed it down to are:
[link] [comments] |
| Wiring through diagonal bracing studs Posted: 03 Dec 2020 04:27 AM PST I'm adding a couple new outlets to my garage before drywalling. On the wall there are diagonal bracing studs. Just wondering if I need to do anything special in terms of running romex or if I just drill a hole into them like any other vertical stud. [link] [comments] |
| Lesson that saved me $2000 in plumbing. Posted: 03 Dec 2020 09:10 AM PST So a little background. 2 years ago, I purchased my house that sits on 5 acres that is connected to city sewage. Within 6 months of moving in, I was starting to have water back up and flood part of my yard, where the cleanout was. I called a plumber to snake it. Charged me $150 and couldn't get through after an hour of snaking. He put a camera down and said it was overgrown with tons of tree roots. He said I needed to use a Hydrojet to clear it and my drain was probably over 200 feet to the city main. Quoted me $2000 plus $350 an hour. I got another quote which was a little cheaper. 1 week before the second plumber came out, I poured Copper Sulfate Root Killer in my toilet and flushed it before going to bed. This allows it to sit in the blocked area overnight. This stuff isn't like Draino or any drain cleaners since it's just copper and won't corrode your pipes. 1 week later, the second company came out. They said before they call the hydrojet truck out, they need to try to snake it again. They would credit me the cost of the snaking if the hydrojet was required. They put the snake down and within 2 minutes, were able to completely clear the line. Saved me $2000 + $350/hr. Now, I use it twice a year, once in the early Spring and then Early Fall. The copper kills the root and causes it to "scar up" where it enters the pipe and effectively seals it- unless it's a huge crack. I'll probably have to replace my sewer line one day but this will kick the can down to road for a few years when I re-establish my savings for such a large expense. If you live in an old house or have mature trees on your property, I strongly recommend doing this at least once or twice a year. It's only $13 a bottle. TLDR; Roots clogged up sewer line. Plumber couldn't snake it and said it needed to be hydrojetted and it would cost >$2000. I used copper sulfate root kill which saved the day. [link] [comments] |
| TIFU by angle grinding granite in my home...help? Posted: 03 Dec 2020 02:07 PM PST So I employed a handyman who convinced me he could angle grind our granite countertops to make our gas range fit. He did this without proper ventilation and there is granite dust everywhere, which I am aware contains crystalline silica. Obviously when I saw this I threw him out, but it was too late. There was dust everywhere. Upstairs, downstairs, everywhere. What do I do? Will my whole family get silicosis and die? I have already rented an air scrubber and have had a pro cleaning service come and get all traces of dust off everything. Is this enough? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 03 Dec 2020 11:12 AM PST The builder says he had to pay $12,000 more than he normally would on lumber due to the pandemic. This is for a 2-storey, detached house in Canada. In normal times the cost of lumber would be his problem, but we understand these are not normal times, and he's been good to us in other ways. I just wondered if someone can tell me if that amounts sounds reasonable. I tried to roughly estimate what the cost overage might be based on market prices, and came up with a figure about half that big. [link] [comments] |
| Before & After DIY garden project. Posted: 03 Dec 2020 08:29 AM PST Before & After DIY garden project This project, like many others, was carried out over lock-down. Initially, I planned on removing the weeds from the gravel path, laying down new weed matting, and tidying up the boarders. However, after starting to remove the pebbles to lay new matting my hatred towards the pebbles grew exponentially and I decided to completely remove them sooner rather than later. As such, all of this work was carried out by myself and my partner, with some help laying the cobbles from my father, once restrictions were lifted here. Most of the work was manual labour, and while working from home we had plenty of time to do this ourselves. Pebbles and rocks were listed for free locally and the rest of the waste fit in a 5 yard skip. Everything was moved / dug up with nothing more than shovels and basic garden tools that were left in the shed when I moved in. Borders were made from decking boards, as they were the cheapest option, decking screws and treated 2x4s cut into pegs at a total cost of < £300 all in for around 50m worth of borders. The storage benches were, again, made from decking boards etc, for just under £100 each. They measure 8' x 4' and are used to store lawn movers, hose, other garden tools and eventually cushions once I get round to making some. The cobbles were the biggest expense. As we couldn't go away on holiday this year, we used the money to sort out the garden and initially spent ~£2600 on the cobbles, but then bought another pallet to continue the path around the back of the house for another £400. The cobbles are Bradstone Carpet stones, and come in 4'x1' sheets to make them quicker to lay. The front path took just 1 day. 1 day for the seating area, and another for the side path. Plus a few hours extra for edges and cuts, then a day filling gaps with dry cement. Lots of soil was removed from the garden edges and by the side of the house. This was then riddled by hand and used to extend the lawn where needed. Grass was planted from seeds, as once again, this was cheaper than buying turf. All in I used around 8 boxes (£40) for about 40m2. We planted wildflowers around the borders - partly because, if you haven't guessed by now, we're extremely cheap - partly to attract bees and other wildlife as well as being low maintenance. We also made a gate out of the pallets that the cobbles were delivered on. Overall, we spent around £4,000 on this project; 10 times more than initially planned, but the results are 100s times better than we hand planned. We spent 3 months on the project, though we're we're also renovating rooms inside the house at the same time when the weather was poor - living in England this was half the time, so around 6 weeks spent in the garden. Feel free to ask questions, but remember this was a fully DIY job, and the first time I've ever done anything like it. [link] [comments] |
| Advice Needed: Residential Softening and whole-home Filtration for my Well Water Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:45 PM PST Hi, I need some direction and advice:
What has been recommended to me:
My questions:
THANK YOU for your input and advice! I want to get this right for now and long term. Jeff B [link] [comments] |
| Inner door: Repair the frame, replace the the frame, or replace the whole thing? Posted: 03 Dec 2020 02:43 PM PST The door frames for the bedroom and bathroom doors are a disaster. 30+ years old, filthy, peeling paint, broken wood, and - in the bathroom - "banked" with either drywall or something similar. The doors are dirty but physically sound. (BTW I live in Turkey. Labour is cheap and good here but DIY tools are expensive.) I'd like to get the frames repaired and put the old doors back in. There are two reasons for this. One is environmental and waste. The second reason is that the current doors seem thicker than the ones I see for sale. Those ones are made of a 2mm (maybe 1-3mm, I couldn't measure it) piece of wood on each side with literal cardboard in a honeycomb pattern between. I'm concerned that those doors will let every bit of sound through, even though they look pretty enough and they're cheap. So, I have a few questions -
The picture is the lower hinge of the original door but the whole frame is like that, with some pieces of wood coming loose. [link] [comments] |
| Wiring 3-way switch with dimmer Posted: 03 Dec 2020 04:51 PM PST I know for wiring a 3-way switch with dimmer, only one of the switches should be a dimmer. Does it matter if the dimmer switch is on the line side or the light/load side? Can it be wired on the light side? A bit of context. I'm exploring my options on how I wire a smart 3-way switch (non-dimmer) with a (non-smart 3-way) dimmer switch. I understand the smart switch has to be on the line side because it needs constant power, and I can't have the dimmer reduce power to it. So it seems that my only option is to have the dimmer on the light/load side. I just want to make sure that will work. Thanks in advance for your help! [link] [comments] |
| Home repairs piling on. Has anybody gone bankrupt due to necessary repairs? Posted: 03 Dec 2020 10:10 AM PST We're cash-strapped as it is and now our basement is flooding. We're looking at the cheapest solutions, but the main one being offered is perimeter drain tile along with some sump pump and exterior drainage solutions. It's a lot and not something we're prepared for. The well seems to have major water infiltration when it rains I'm also a little worried about the septic system because as far as I know it's never been replaced since it was put in with the house in the 60s. We moved in optimistic about the house, but we're losing it. My fear is I'll end up putting repairs onto credit cards and when I can no longer pay them I'll have to file for bankruptcy. Has this happened for anybody else? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 03 Dec 2020 03:18 PM PST Soooo since some people were interested in how things are coming, I took pictures of a cardboard cutout of my TV. I cut it slightly bigger than my TV (38+ vs 37.7") and it fits!! Although I'm worried how the real thing will be. I think it should be ok with tilt and good mounting Cardboard TV : https://imgur.com/gallery/ekHGugS Original post : https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeImprovement/comments/k5ojye/help_with_tv_mount/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf [link] [comments] |
| Are these cracks anything to worry about? Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:56 AM PST Just bought this home in September. Looks like they painted prior to us moving in and we can tell they put thicker coats in some areas. House passed inspection beautifully. No significant foundation issues called our, framing was said to be in great shape in attic. Was actually a civil engineer who did the inspection who also happens to be a licensed home inspector. We can see some other small hairline cracks above a couple windows and a sliding door that mostly haven't reopened yet since being painted. However, noticed with the onset of winter some cracking getting more noticeable. No doors or windows stick except our front door and bedroom door near this bathroom that drags when opened half way. I took a big level to the door frames and didn't see anything significantly unlevel. We have a carpenter coming out in a few weeks to fix the doors. Anything here I should be alarmed above? House is 16 years old, it does sit on a hillside, but the lot itself is fairly level with some slide grade downhill from front to back which the foundation was formed in a sort of smalls stepped pour. The actual hill is 30-40feet at the back of the house with huge retaining walls built. Drainage for downspouts is all still functional. I guess it's possible these are the original settling cracks from when the house was built 16 years ago that have just been caked over again and again? Of note I have been down in the crawl space after a period of a few days of heavy rain didn't see any standing water and barrier covers whole floor. I know some moisture comes through the areas where the rebar buckle things stick out but it's mostly just damp leakage on top of the footer not puddling in those few areas. Inspector said it's nothing to worry about. [link] [comments] |
| Replacing underlayment: Any tips for positioning utility holes in plywood sheets? Posted: 03 Dec 2020 02:38 PM PST Our bathroom was mostly underlayed with particle board which got wet and gross and had to be removed. Now we're putting down plywood instead. The perforations for the various pipes are already present in the subfloor. We have the hole saws to cut matching holes into our plywood but the tolerances are quite tight. What I'm wondering is if there's any special technique to make positioning those hole cuts more foolproof. Currently we're just planning to measure from perpendicular walls (allowing for our 1/8 inch wall gap around the underlayment) to the center of the existing holes and use that to position the center of the hole saw cuts. I'm sure that will work fine if we're careful but it seems a bit error prone so I figured I'd check if there are any other approaches floating around. (Cutting up through the existing holes into the plywood after it's secure isn't possible.) [link] [comments] |
| My gas fireplace is acting very strangely anyone know what's going on? Posted: 03 Dec 2020 06:16 AM PST So I turn it on as instructions say. Hold down the regulator for 30 sec, press the ignition a couple of times until the pilot comes on, then wait another 30 sec. My problem is that the heater doesn't turn on after 30 sec. The pilot flame stays small, a gust of blue flames comes out as if some gas just farted out but after that the pilot flame just sits idle. Why is this happening? [link] [comments] |
| Finding ceiling joists with resilient channel in them Posted: 03 Dec 2020 02:12 PM PST I'm hanging racks from the ceiling in my new place and discovered the garage ceiling which is drywall is mounted to "resilient channel" making traditional studfinding (magnets, stud finder) impossible. I discovered this by cutting a small hole in the ceiling and poking my phone up there when I kept hitting metal. In addition to the channel, there are various metal plates that I have to guess have a purpose (no utilities around it) but from underneath the finished ceiling I can't tell what the purpose is. What's more, the second story is partially above the garage, and I assume because of different rooflines the direction of the joists changes. I have a second rack to mount. I've tried several studfinders from cheap to expensive, magnets, and poking wire and twisting to find a stud (because of the gap between the channel and the stud I ended up UNDER the stud most often). I had OK luck measuring out 16" from a known stud, but in corners and where the 2nd floor ends or the roofline changes etc the joists are in non-standard or at least non-predictable locations. What would you do? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 03 Dec 2020 02:11 PM PST We're getting carpet installed and we originally went with a Smart Cushion pad based on the recommendation of the installers. When they came to install they said the shipment of our pad was late so they upgraded (at no charge) to what appears to be a Scotchgard Premium. Does anyone know how these compare? Are they at least comparable or is the Scotchgard actually an upgrade? It does look like the Scotchgard at least has a moisture barrier which seems like a plus. [link] [comments] |
| What do I do to fix the gap on my French doors? Posted: 03 Dec 2020 02:06 PM PST pic of the gap on my French doors Weather stripping? Is there a certain kind (I've never dealt with weather stripping before)? Is there something better I should use? TYIA! [link] [comments] |
| One handled Delta faucet doesn't shut off at vertical Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:20 AM PST Installed new Delta faucet in kitchen about a year ago. Now the faucet doesn't shut off when the handle is vertical, it keeps running a trickle. It shuts off when the handle is a couple of degrees off vertical. Any ideas for a fix? I think the faucet has a lifetime warranty so they will send me whatever parts I need, but if it's a simple adjustment that would of course be easier. [link] [comments] |
| Ductwork came loose and I can't get it back in! Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:47 PM PST I was in my crawl space and noticed that some of the ductwork was completely off and not even connected to the vent. Helps explain why the room was colder too. Here is an album that shows the ductwork: https://imgur.com/a/z3eq069. Here is where the vent is: https://imgur.com/a/h4pAZCB I have no idea how to get this connected again. It looks like there are little flanges that help connect it, but I could get the duct into it at all. It seems as though I might need take the elbow part off and try and get that connected first. Then connect it back to the "trunk." Looks like there are some screws that I could take out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have no idea how to fix this. Thought it would be as simple as just shoving it back into place (and maybe it is), but I can't get it back. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:35 PM PST |
| Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:35 PM PST |
| Electric, tankless water heater for master bath? Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:35 PM PST West Tennessee. My 14 year old home is a little over 4000 sq ft, master suite downstairs, 3 bedrooms/2 baths upstairs. We have a gas tank-less water heater, Navien NPE-240A, in the attic. It is almost directly above our master bedroom (probably 10 feet away from our master shower, in attic space directly above us). The upstairs bathrooms are on the other side of the house from the master suite. If I had to guess, I'd say the hot water travels anywhere from 25-35 feet of pipe to get to the farthest bathroom upstairs. The kitchen sink has its own small water heater underneath it. When the master shower is running by itself, its runs great. Great pressure, great heat, great shower. However, if we are in our shower, and one of the kids jumps in there shower upstairs, our pressure drops, and the water drops in temperature significantly. It isn't pleasant at all. I'm no expert, but if I had to guess, I figure the pressure is greater from the water heater to the bathrooms that are farther away, and it carries the bulk of the hot water and pressure with it when both master and kid shower is running. So my idea was to install a second tank-less gas heater just for our master bath. It has the shower, 2 sinks, and a large tub in it (tub rarely used). The gas was already ran, and the new one could be put next to the old one perhaps. When I started looking at models and prices online, I noticed that electric hot water heaters are exponentially cheaper, and I think more efficient. They also have ones designed for single bathrooms. I can get a 18kw, 3.7 gpm electric water heater for less than $300 (and have it installed by a professional obviously) and have it service just out master, and that would probably be slightly overkill. Is this feasible? I'm assuming it would solve the problem, but does it make sense? Could there be another reason this is happening? I should probably mention something else about our master shower: it has a single handle turn valve, but it really only seems to give us a very small variance of pressure and temperature between the hot and cold setting. Luckily it seems to put out hot water and pressure just at the sweet spot... but having it all the way cold, or all the way hot doesn't change the temperature much at all. I am planning on replacing it with a dual function (the one where you set the temp and leave it, and just adjust the pressure) and replace the rough in. I'm assuming the rough in and valve were either installed incorrectly or have a problem. I thought I should mention it in case it could be part of the issue. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:34 PM PST Just bought a house and I'm interested in getting a gas dryer. The previous owner had an electric one, but I spotted a valve in the laundry room with a yellow marking on it. Is that gas? Any way to check safely? [link] [comments] |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Hivemind Improving Homes. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
No comments:
Post a Comment