Home Improvement: Buy A Label Maker |
- Buy A Label Maker
- Use OneNote to track everything.
- Fixed my first leaking faucet today
- Makeover of the brick walls in my laundry/mud room. Limewash treatment for looks, breathability, and mold resistance. Materials cost: $2.12
- Gaps around all windows in the house. . .
- Contractor messed up pattern with tile backsplash towards the top. Wondering what to do.
- Why does the wall facing the street with a window on it feel slightly moist? And the box of wrapping paper I had under my bed next to it?
- Anyone take on a whole home reno (over multiple years) with just average skill sets around home repairs.
- What are these mysterious plugs that I dug up in my backyard?
- Resetting Garage Door Code?
- Best way to replace sprayer faucet head with regular head (to attach water filter)?
- Smart outlet in the bathroom saved my toes
- Does anybody here have hardwood floors in bathroom? Any advice to share?
- Been dealing with a squealing drippy kitchen faucet for a long time. Tomorrow, I shall have my revenge.
- Glidden Ultra Eggshell paint, is it good enough for a rental?
- Pocket Door Hardware - Manufacturer?
- Floor Scrubber vs Steam Cleaner for Tile/Grout
- Another different layer of flooring under the LVP/Laminate Flooring?
- Small mold problem
- Low cost ways to improve exterior
- What kind of rat poison will cause carcasses to dehydrate quickly?
- Clean out drain overflow
- Rockwool - Safe n Sound ?
- What change did you make your house to make it more convenient and better suited to your needs?
| Posted: 06 Dec 2020 12:49 PM PST Seriously. Go to Amazon (edit: or your local retailer of choice!) now and buy one for $35. If you're like me, you know a lot about your house but may not touch particular components for months or years. Also, if you go to sell your house, the next owner will appreciate when less obvious things are pointed out... Label switches for their functions (boiler master switch, outside yard lights), keep track of maintenance on HVAC components (last time hot water heater anode was checked or the unit was flushed), label your dryer vent with the date it was last cleaned, and a whole host of other things. Go a step further and create Google Calendar reminders for each maintenance item on the interval recommended so you can't forget! Warning - your significant other will get annoyed at how much you're labeling! [link] [comments] |
| Use OneNote to track everything. Posted: 06 Dec 2020 05:43 PM PST A previous post that was brilliant (labeling everything with a label maker) made the think my tip might be helpful. I use OneNote on my phone to keep track of everything I can in the house. Each room has it's own tab and sometimes sub pages Appliances- Downloaded the pdf of the owners manual and take a picture of the tag including model and serial number. Instructions on winterizing the sprinkler system. What size pipes and heads we use. What bulbs are in what lights. What size filter we need. Car models, VIN, tire size, oil type etc. When I buy or replace something, I make a note. Large repairs - roof was patched and this was the company, shingle color and paint color. Even the paint colors we used in the rooms with a photo of the tag so I know where I got it and they can scan that photo to mix more. I find it so handy when I'm at the store and I need to know what size/color/brand I need. It's backed up online so I will always have a copy and can access it on my laptop if I wanted to. [link] [comments] |
| Fixed my first leaking faucet today Posted: 06 Dec 2020 12:59 PM PST My wife and I bought a home in may after having a child and not nearly enough room in our one bedroom. My sister moved in in July and sometime in August noticed a leaky faucet. We always did things ourselves growing up because we couldn't afford the help, but my dad moved out when I was young enough to only be an observer. I've made myself handy over the years but moved out as a teenager and never owned my own home until now. It may not be a professional fix, but a hack saw, some sandpaper and a sharkbite later I appear to have no more leaks. Just a reminder to other new fixers out there, the project is always more intimidating before you start. Your wondering what can go wrong and what you'll do if it does. Do your research, ask a friend if you can, but don't be afraid to start. The feeling of accomplishment is well worth it. Happy fixing, thanks for letting me share ;-) [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2020 05:52 AM PST So I read some stuff online about whitewash and how to diy it with type S lime, water and salt (extra mold resistance). The brick walls are probably 50-60 years old and just didn't look that great, so I wanted a new look. I found a bag of lime at the second chance building materials store, which was in a ripped bag. So they threw it in a plastic tote and charged me $2 plus tax. This is my total cost for materials. Prep of the walls is getting off some crayon marks with steel wool, wiping off some texture overspray, and steel brush on some paint splatters. Shop vac with brush for dust and cobwebs. Dampen brick with a water spray bottle. Mixing about 1 part lime to 2 parts water and a few tablespoons of salt per batch. Mix well until it looks like skim milk (pretty watery). Brush on with quick strokes using cheap stiff brush. Wipe spills with vinegary rag. It looks barely different when you put it on and whitens as it dries. Then hit it again with shop vac to remove any flakiness and that's it. The brick can breathe and will resist mold. Here is the before and after pics of one of the walls. If you don't like the look then just remember I got a plastic tote out of the deal which was worth the $2, so I'm proclaiming victory. [link] [comments] |
| Gaps around all windows in the house. . . Posted: 06 Dec 2020 09:07 AM PST This might be a common topic here. Apologies and thanks in advance. I saw a post addressing this a while back but can't seem to find it in the search anymore. Anyway, I have these gaps at the bottom and around the lower sides of all the windows in my house. It's a hundred year old row house in DC (hot summers, cold winters - so, considerable expansion and contraction in the house) that I bought entirely flipped/refurbished in 2016. The gaps have been growing progressively over the last few years and are as wide as 5mm in spots. There's a considerable cold draft coming through now. Guessing I'll have to scrape and clean the affected areas, caulk, and repaint. Can anybody make any recommendations on the process, including specific brands/products - particularly regarding the best kind of sealant or caulking to use? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Contractor messed up pattern with tile backsplash towards the top. Wondering what to do. Posted: 06 Dec 2020 06:04 PM PST So I had an entire kitchen remodel done recently by a local company. We got an Airbnb while they were installing everything, and we just came home to take a look. For some reason, the pattern in the herringbone backsplash got messed up at the top of this section. https://imgur.com/x5yw3ca I don't know how this even happened, considering the tile came in pre-connected square sheets. I'm wondering what I can even ask for at this point. Is it unreasonable to ask for this to be fixed? Do they have to rip out all of it and re-do? I'm worried this is going to be a big issue to fix. Would love to hear what you guys would do/say in this situation. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2020 09:11 AM PST The other wall feels fine. My bed is also against that wall and doesn't help the moisture. But there's no water or condensation. (But there was some cracks in the stucco on the ceiling corner) The window sill on that wall also gets super watery. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2020 09:54 AM PST Looking at doing the following over probably 5-10 years so we can swing it. We have decided to stay in our house that needs work long term based on location and being in much better financial shape to just stay put since I got such a good deal on the house 6 years ago. Plus this will a lot more income to spend on upgrades. Looking to do: Basement remodel including insulating the block walls (Ontario Canada) Drop ceiling in half of basement for access. Bathroom remodel in basement (could tie in together but not deal breaker) I did redo our upstairs bathroom and learned a lot of mistakes so should be in a better spot now. Some electrical fixes / new lines being run (good chance I hire this out as once I get near the panel I'm not comfortable) when opening up the basement ceiling to make it much easier. I may pull the trigger on a 200 amp box too here (I know this will be pricey) Converting a cold room into a closet (should be easy enough to close up the hole with a cinder block/ seal) but I worry about no air flow in there - more research needed. Facelift to kitchen including new floors, painting cabinets (oak), and backsplash. Good chance this includes light fixtures needing work too for replacement Bedroom facelifts ( these should be easy as it's mainly paint with some minor carpentry work) Painting wood siding / soffit next year to get another 5 years out of it to then do vinyl siding / soffit in. This will also include adding 3-4 more vents in my wood soffit. Attic looks good. No mold from what I can see but it's hard to see everywhere. Also need to find out how to move around up there to install rafter vents to help out more. Even just a few should help a ton So with minimal experience but ideally not wanting to spend tens of thousands on labour - has anyone else taken on something this big / long term with that experience? Anxiety overload thinking about it and I'm 2 years out :( [link] [comments] |
| What are these mysterious plugs that I dug up in my backyard? Posted: 06 Dec 2020 04:10 PM PST I'm re-doing my backyard and I was digging up the earth so I could level it out and I found a ton of these in the ground. I dug a few up then stopped when I realized that it was just still going.. at one point they're clearly suspended in the ground. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2020 10:33 PM PST |
| Best way to replace sprayer faucet head with regular head (to attach water filter)? Posted: 06 Dec 2020 10:24 PM PST Hi all, I have a pull out sprayer kitchen faucet. I would like to remove the head, so I can attach a water filter. It looks like the hose is 1/2" female. Can someone help me out on the exact piece I need to buy? I have a thread 1/2" adapter but it doesn't screw in all the way, so I'm assuming it's the wrong thread. Ideally, the piece will look nice, but if it's just a regular adapter, that's fine because a Pur water filter will go over it. [link] [comments] |
| Smart outlet in the bathroom saved my toes Posted: 06 Dec 2020 10:29 AM PST Rather than stumbling around in the dark in the middle of the night or having a nightlight in the bathroom that makes my sleep less than ideal, I plugged in a dinky string of dollar store lights into a smart outlet. Use my phone to switch it on when I get out of bed to show me the way to the bathroom, and then switch it off when I get back into bed after. I am ridiculously pleased. [link] [comments] |
| Does anybody here have hardwood floors in bathroom? Any advice to share? Posted: 06 Dec 2020 11:49 AM PST Hello! We bought our home a couple of years back. It was built in 1918 and is filled with original hardwood floors.... including the bathroom. I absolutely loved it when we first moved in, but I never see bathrooms with hardwood and I am aware that water/moisture plus hardwood are not a great match. My great debate is if I should cover the hardwood with something like vinyl sheet flooring to protect it? Then again, this house is 102 years old and the floors seem to be doing just fine, so perhaps I'm over thinking it. If I don't opt for different flooring, is there something I could do to make sure the floors remain in good condition? So far, I just make sure to immediately wipe up any water drips once done showering and I'll hang the rugs if they are damp. Thank you for any input! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2020 09:20 PM PST Gonna cut it off, shark the fittings with new shut offs, replace the tee to the dishwasher, leaky 1/2" tee in the basement will be replaced, escutcheon plates, new faucet. Happy wife. [link] [comments] |
| Glidden Ultra Eggshell paint, is it good enough for a rental? Posted: 06 Dec 2020 06:28 PM PST I don't want to spend too much on paint but I keep seeing bad reviews about the Glidden Ultra paint. Do you think it will hold up well enough for a rental or should I just bite the bullet and get a slightly better quality paint? [link] [comments] |
| Pocket Door Hardware - Manufacturer? Posted: 06 Dec 2020 04:19 PM PST Posted previously about my suspected boarded-up pocket door. Long story short, we have electricians replacing the knob-and-tube in our 1925 house. When peeking through the holes for fishing the wires, I found the door and hardware! Eventually we'll pry it loose and take a look, but in the meantime does anyone recognize the hardware? The date definitely says 1889 but I can make out the manufacturer. Wanger? Winger? Bueller? [link] [comments] |
| Floor Scrubber vs Steam Cleaner for Tile/Grout Posted: 06 Dec 2020 07:10 PM PST Hey folks, Question for anyone who has experience with this: I have tile and grout that is a bit dirty, too stuck on for a simple mop. I want to give everything a refresh. I can rent from the local big box store a Floor Scrubber (which uses a rotating cylindrical brush) or Tile/Grout Steamer. Not sure which of these is better and what kind of results to expect. I would figure the brush would offer better results because it's actually mechanical. Thoughts? Thanks for the help. [link] [comments] |
| Another different layer of flooring under the LVP/Laminate Flooring? Posted: 06 Dec 2020 10:52 PM PST |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2020 10:27 PM PST Hello there, hope this is okay to post here. I'm quite new to all of this, but recently I've uncovered a bit of annoying mold that's very difficult to remove, and I'm wondering if I can get any professional/experienced advice on this. Here is the offending mold in question: https://imgur.com/a/0YsmgyR Is this something that I'm going to have to cut out the drywall for? Is it something I should do professionally, or something that can be done relatively easily on my own? If professionally, about how much would something this small cost? For sizing, the height of the baseboard is only about 2 inches high. Thanks for the advice. [link] [comments] |
| Low cost ways to improve exterior Posted: 06 Dec 2020 08:13 PM PST Hey guys, What are some low cost ways to improve the exterior of the home? I wanna be able to make the house look more modern without spending more than 2k. I can also do some/most of the work myself. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| What kind of rat poison will cause carcasses to dehydrate quickly? Posted: 06 Dec 2020 10:25 PM PST I bought some bromethalin pellets, but am wondering if this will cause rats to die and rot (stink!) rather than dehydrate and turn to mummies. Any clues? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2020 10:21 PM PST This little puppy decided to spew hot sewage all over my lawn. Not sure when it happened, but based on your experience. Is this the city's problem or mine? If I am responsible, how do I fix this without spending a boatload with a plumber? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2020 11:54 AM PST Hi all, Planning to put insulation/sound proofing in my basement ceiling. Would the Rockwool Safe and Sound be good for both insulation and sound proofing? Especially of people are upstairs and I am downstairs in the basement. Would I hear footsteps or anything? Also how easy to handle? I'm pretty much a noob at this stuff but thought I'd take a shoot instead of paying someone. Once I set into my basement ceiling I'd put dry wall or something over it? [link] [comments] |
| What change did you make your house to make it more convenient and better suited to your needs? Posted: 06 Dec 2020 10:00 PM PST Just bought a house and looking for ways to take it up a notch in terms of functionality (not aesthetics). [link] [comments] |
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