Home Improvement: I hate my home warranty |
- I hate my home warranty
- "Detailed plaster crown molding repairs". Post was deleted from DIY since I did not provided enough details to replicate my work. Hope it helps someone in the same situation!
- PSA: Check your weather head!
- Contractor quotes impossible to get? Is it me?
- Useful tools for builders with Parkinson's?
- Should I construct a rather massive deer fence?
- Is this normal? Quartz countertop install
- First time homeowner. Are there any tips, tricks, or other less commonly known steps I should be taking to take care of my house on an annual basis?
- Full bathroom remodel
- New kitchen counters
- Your best caulk for redoing shower stall
- Electrical Blow Outs
- Attic blown-in insulations blown away by wind from dormer vents
- Sound proofing between floors?
- Need advice on how to proceed further with my GC..
- What is this residue inside my dishwasher and how do I get rid of it?
- How to fix a door that's drafty?
- Water heater issue, fix it myself?
- Water Softeners
- My bathroom remodel.
- Scratched concrete walkway and driveway
- Drywall Repair Question
- HVAC Repair or Replace?
- R-Type of insulation?
| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 06:56 PM PST Another rant about home warranties sucking incoming... When we bought our house, the realtor included a 1 year home warranty policy with the offer. "Cool!" I thought. Turns out this has just been inconvenient as hell for us. First problem: toilet backing up. Well the warranty says it covers a clogged toilet or main sewer line clog. The plumber comes out at 4:30PM after our 12-4 window (1.5 star average review on Google), and proceeds to tell me that the home warranty will not permit them to remove the toilet to snake the drain. Since I do not have a cleanout readily visible (and the warranty company will not permit them to look for one), there's nothing they can do unless the toilet is removed. Fast forward two days after I have pulled the toilet myself.. they show back up, snake the drain (getting sewer "crap" all on our bathroom floor and not really cleaning it up). Two weeks later, toilet backing up again. I hire my own guy and pay him $400 to snake and camera the line.. no problems for the last 3 months so I guess he did a better job. Now with winter approaching, we've noticed the heat short-cycling. Checked all the obvious culprits and wasn't able to pinpoint a problem so pay the $75 and have the warranty company send a guy. This time he seemed pretty knowledgeable, figured out it was the primary limit switch being defective in the furnace. Says he'll have to order the part and the home warranty company will call to schedule a follow-up... Two days later, I get a call that the warranty company will not allow him to replace the limit switch without "bringing it up to code" by installing a condensation pan, float switch, etc. which unfortunately are not covered (shocker) and I would have to pony up $600 to fix. Instead I bought the $15 part and replaced it myself. The silver lining? Turns out American Home Shield has a "cash in lieu" policy wherein they can offer you a check instead of paying a contractor to fix a problem. I got a $395 check for the furnace limit switch that cost me $15. They say they won't respond to a service call for the furnace again unless I send them proof I had a professional fix it, but joke's on them: I don't think it's worth my time to call them for anything ever again. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 12:31 PM PST This project was messy, but I could not bring myself to throw away that crown molding. One day I will post a picture of an entired finished bathroom remodel. In the meanwile, I'll do as much as I can when the kids sleep! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 07:15 AM PST Edit: By weather head I mean have the electric company check the connections to your weather head from their side. I have lived my current home for over 5 years now. It was built in 1943 and has a mix of wiring. Occasionally the power flickers but it was mostly during storms so we assumed it affected everyone. The past week I have been WFH and the power would cut out about once per day, interrupting my internet connection. So I decided to call the power company. A guy came out and replaced our connection at the weather head. He said that those connections wear out on the inside and you cannot see it, and that ours was an older style connection. Since he did that there has been no flickering power, our stove boils water faster, the gas furnace lights on the first try, the dryer dries on the first cycle, and the lights on dimmer switches do not dim when something big powers up. I am not sure whether my bill will go up due to more power getting through or down since things are operating more efficiently, but either way we have been living with this for over 5 years and I wish we had checked it sooner. TL;DR Call the power company and have them check your weather head if you have weird power issues in an old home, things will work better after! [link] [comments] |
| Contractor quotes impossible to get? Is it me? Posted: 23 Dec 2020 06:12 PM PST Trying to get quotes for replacing our deck. Out of 6 contractors so far, 2 had no insurance 2 were no show, 1 gave me price but seems unable or unwilling to provide quote in writing - after telling me 3 times he would, and another give me a high quote and ignores requests to provide material and labor breakdown. Should I specify up front, when calling for a quote, what I expect... such as "I'm looking for a quote with materials and labor separated, and a specified scheduled install date (with 30 or 60 day 'grace period'), and proof of insurance"? I never ask for all that on the first call, because I assume this would be normal. But I'm finding out not. Suggestions? [link] [comments] |
| Useful tools for builders with Parkinson's? Posted: 23 Dec 2020 07:45 AM PST This sub had so many great suggestions for the user asking about arthritis the other day, I hope you might have a few for Parkinson's as well. Shopping for my dad. He usually takes a Parkie-specific boxing class to help with keep his motor skills sharp, but they've shifted to online-only classes this year for obvious reasons and his mobility has really taken a beating. However, he's still out there every week building with Habitat and has a full woodshop at home. Any suggestions for either adaptive tools, belts, anything else that you've found helpful with Parkinson's or a similar diagnosis? Editing to add: I've tried suggesting CBD or similar in the past and he's unfortunately not down. [link] [comments] |
| Should I construct a rather massive deer fence? Posted: 23 Dec 2020 06:16 PM PST I purchased a new home in the woods, and while I expected plenty of deer, the amount of poop in my yard and frequency of ticks found has me strongly considering putting up a fence. The yard is approx. 3 acres. Southeast PA. Anyone who's done a deer fence: does it work? I do have means to fund it but would love any firsthand experience. [link] [comments] |
| Is this normal? Quartz countertop install Posted: 23 Dec 2020 04:05 PM PST Our new quartz countertop was installed yesterday. Yea! After they left, we noticed that, if you put a straight edge on top of the seams, both ends do not touch at the same time. If one end is touching the countertop, there is what we think is a significant amount of daylight clearly visible on the other end. The cabinet installers even noticed it and said we needed to get it fixed. But when the countertop supervisor came, he said he was an expert (said quite condescendingly, I might add), and it was fine. No shimming was done, at least that we can see. The seam itself appears to be fine, but the two pieces of quartz are not flat. Is this normal? This is my first post to Reddit; if I can figure out how to do it, I will post a picture and video. We don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but we also don't want to be taken advantage of, either. The supervisor said they would come back and add some shims, but he was very reluctant to do so. FYI - we have not paid this subcontractor yet. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 06:10 AM PST Hi Everyone, Looking for any advice on preventative maintenance or otherwise that a first time home owner might not immediately think of. I've heard things like having your furnace cleaned once a year, powerwashing siding, cleaning the chimney but want to make sure I'm taking the necessary steps to care for my home. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 02:05 PM PST Put info in imgur instead of on here so reposting with all the information. Overview: Out old bathroom hasn't been done in like 15 years and it felt disgusting to point it couldnt be cleaned as well so we did a full bathroom remodel tore out the entire bathroom and put new everything in except for the toilet as that was recently bought so we saw no need to get a new one. We went with a black and white theme in attempt to make the bathroom look bigger Time: My dad and I did a full bathroom remodel it took us about 5 weekends with 1 or 2 weeknights thrown in when we felt like it. Some of the materials idk where they came from as my dad ordered them, I might be missing some but I got most them. We got most materials from lowes and picked out what we liked best from their selection that fit best of the image we had in our head. Materials from lowes: Absolute granite flooring (12x12) Large format white ceramic tiles (24x8) Wavy ceramic tiles (16x8) Vanity (30") Shower door Mortar Black grout Things like drywall and concrete board Crown molding Black subway tile for Niches Plumbing stuff Faucet Drywall mud 1/16th (wall) and 3/16 spacers (floor) Other matierls: Shower pan (amazon) about 56x36 i think Mirror 3 bulb light Schluder strip (Schluder.com) Niches Shower head (amazon) Cost: Rough estimate is about $3000 we also had to buy new tools as well as they either broke, didnt have them or lost them in the garage. Like a new tile saw or tile drill bits. Some Mistakes and obstacles: Our first huge challenge was that our walls were very off level, we were scared cause a lot of lipage, like the wall built in an angle. We had to add an extra layer of drywall and some tile board on half of the wall because otherwise we would of had to use an ungodly amount of mud which we used anyways. We had to use about 2 buckets of mud throughout the entire the bathroom walls to get it as level as we could. Another problem we got a slightly bigger shower pan than our old one so we had to move the shower drain, the problem lies in that our floor joist fell right up against the trap so we couldn't move the trap over or cut out that piece of wood, we ended up having to heat up the PVC pipe with a heat gun and bend it to where we needed l. Luckily it made it because we bent it about as much as it could go. If my dad has any pictures I'll add them to the album. Our floor also was not level, it was like a teepee where we had a high point in the middle. We added a self leveler to make the floor even, but this in turn added a problem where the toilet couldn't reach so we had to add 2. We didn't use a wax ring we used a foam like ring cant remember what they are called, but had to use 2 of them to get it to reach. We also messed up in the measuring of where to start our tile so we had a gap that was a little to big to grout. We came up with the solution to add a crown molding around the top to cover the gap instead of having a fat black grout line. We used wood molding as the tile version was like 8$ a foot and cost us hundreds instead we used wood one we liked and cost us about 15$ Our dog kept wanting to play and lost about 3 balls down the open vent and would cry and lay there for about an hour after he dropped it down there. If you have any other questions let me know. Edit: forgot to add that we also added an extra light above the shower, instead of running new wire and switch we just connected it to the exhaust fan Edit 2: some extra bonus pics i found http://imgur.com/gallery/EHnALtk [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 11:33 AM PST This was my first project working with tile, and I'm really pleased how it turned out. Total cost was about $16/sq ft - I was replacing some 80s dusky rose laminate, using large format 2'x4' tiles. All told it took about 30 hours, but a lot of that was the learning curve. The kitchen feels a lot brighter now! I also feel like a schill for the porcelain tile industry whenever I tell people about it =P I'm a huge fan, I'd really encourage anyone looking at countertops to consider it (gone are the days when tile meant large grout lines and uneven surfaces). Edit: Some more details on the project: I used 3/4" particle board as a base, with additional 1/2" spacers to give the countertop more depth. The edges are Schluter Rondec-CT, which I picked because I'm absolutely not a professional and am all about anything that will finish edges/corners for me (that's always the hardest part for any project). Plus, it gives a little more wiggle room than putting chair rail/bullnose tile directly on the edge of the particle board. The seams are filled with Mapei unsanded sealant for waterproofing rather than grout - the tiles themselves are non-porous with a rectified edge, so I could get them pretty close together (I used 1/16" spacers). I wound up using a double-sided roll adhesive to attach the tiles - I was pretty suspicious of it at first, but I wasn't sure how thinset mortar would play with the particle board, and kitchen counters don't get nearly the lateral forces that tile floors do, so I figured it was worth a try. It worked beautifully, but only because I didn't need a waterproof underlayment (using sealant everywhere instead of grout, fairly few seams, and this isn't a bathroom where the tiles get regularly soaked). I used a snap cutter for the larger cuts (there's nothing that compares in terms of a really clean edge, although the one I was using did seem to have about a 30% failure rate - I'm not sure if that was me, the specific model, or just snap cutters in general. I measured everything and started with cutting the largest pieces first so that I could try again for a smaller piece if the initial cut didn't chipped or swerved), and an angle grinder with a diamond blade for the sink and electrical outlet cutouts. I wound up putting painters tape over the tile before cutting it (I started doing it so I could draw exact outlines on the tape), which seemed to help keep the angle grinder from chewing up the edge of the tile. The tile itself is Onyx Orange (as someone noticed in the comments) - it goes by the brand Ivy Hill at Home Depot (where I got it), and different brands at other places. I'd recommend getting tile from a store with a nearby physical location - this specific tile brand didn't have any shipping issues, but some of the other samples I tried out were badly damaged in transit and it was helpful to be able to return them without having to pay for a second round of shipping. Shout out to diydiva (not sure if I'm allowed to link to that site) for some amazing step by step instructions - I wound up branching off a bit with some details, but I doubt I would have attempted this without that walkthrough. [link] [comments] |
| Your best caulk for redoing shower stall Posted: 23 Dec 2020 07:43 PM PST Our shower is three large pieces of panel, no tiles. Some of the caulk is starting to peel back break and so it's time to redo. Of course we want something that's waterproof and mold proof and will last long. Silicone, or latex caulk, or latex combined with silicone caulk? Any favorite/ preferred brands? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 06:44 PM PST Not sure if it's coincidence or not, but this week hasn't been my week to say the least. A couple months ago our landlord replaced the heating elements in the water heater. Lately the hot water has just kind of been warm and is only really hot sometimes for short amounts of time. This week the water heater has been tripping the breaker, I'm wondering if this can cause power surges. If so would this effect other things as well? My baking element in my stove blew out this week as well. On both occasions the lights in the house dimmed/flickered and there was a loud buzzing/zapping noise. Are these separate occasions or related meltdowns? Never had issues with anything before [link] [comments] |
| Attic blown-in insulations blown away by wind from dormer vents Posted: 23 Dec 2020 07:21 PM PST I found a couple of cold spots on my house's 2nd floor ceiling and it turned out the blown-in insulations in the attic were blown away, leaving "craters". Those craters were spotted directly under half-round dormer vents installed on the roof. Is this a common issue? Anything I can do to address this issue? I was also thinking about putting air filters somehow in front of those vents in order to minimize dust coming into attic, as I notice part of the originally-white insulations tuned gray and very dusty. [link] [comments] |
| Sound proofing between floors? Posted: 23 Dec 2020 02:39 PM PST We're in the process of remodeling the upstairs of whats actually going to be our new primary home. I'd like to put in sound canceling stuff in between the floors (between upstairs and main level). Does anyone have recommendations or experience doing that? I've heard about Rockwool but not sure what else is out there. The existing floor is made with 2x10 joists, so there's like 9" or so to work with. Thank you. [link] [comments] |
| Need advice on how to proceed further with my GC.. Posted: 23 Dec 2020 01:29 PM PST I should first start by stating that on the invoice it states (50 down upfront/50 down upon completion). When we started the project - I asked him how people go about paying him(when/why/etc). He then mentioned to me that people will usually give him pulls throughout the project until the end - in which all but like 10% should be paid once we get to the 'punch list' stage. I felt like we were near the 'punch list' stage until I went over there a few days ago and noticed a bunch of things. As it stands - I owe him about 25% of the remainder. Some of the things though are significant enough to me that Id rather hold on on paying him until they are addressed. He views it as me being unreasonable/nit picky/etc. I'm not in construction but I am a consultant in which I deliver finished projects (Network Security Engineer) - I would not deliver a project that I would not stand behind. Example #1 - I was moving my stove into place and it does not look right when pushed into the slot. He told me this is normal and I should buy something to cover the gap. https://ibb.co/wdxbVsY Example #2 - After cleaning the counters myself- I noticed a few small chips and what I believe to be 'blade' marks on some of the edges of the counters. My biggest issue with this is when his 'sub' first installed the counter tops - his first 'go' at it, he clearly used a different piece of Quartz for part of the counter (not what we paid for). It made me question whether or not he kept our remnants and tried to get away with it? So immediately that raised a red flag for me. Example #3 - The more I am cleaning my cabinets - the more i am finding little nicks and scratches that have not been addressed. Not to mention some of the doors are off/not aligned. Example #4 - He installed my kitchen backsplash without grout joints and its clearly not 'professional' work. He blamed it on us because in the example we showed him, there were no grout joints. (It was the example at Floor and Decor). We sent him a picture of it because its the tile we chose to go with. I asked him to redo it before he grouted it to which he agreed - but then he grouted it anyways "to finish the product and have me see it - because grout can fix alot of things" https://ibb.co/yncYLn6 https://ibb.co/WF6Zr6y https://ibb.co/vH07JBp And this is just in my kitchen! Our guest bathroom which was a simple refresh (new tub/shower insert, new vanity, new lighting and a paint job) looks awful. He more or less told me that he wants to be done with the job so that the state its in is acceptable to him. Will he have this mindset for any other issues I find/see with the rest of the project? If he is already checked out - how do I get the level of work I expect? Oh - did I mention that I still don't have glass for my master shower? The first guy he hired to tile my shower did it wrong; so he tore it down and it took about two weeks for him to make any progress on it - which delayed him having his glass guys out. After todays conversation - I'm at a loss on what I should do. My intention is not to keep money from him. I just want my home to look professionally done. Should I be having to go behind him on every single thing he has done in my house to make sure it is not quirky? Is that typical? Also - are you in a 'punch list' stage if the master shower isn't technically done? He told me today he feels that I don't have funds to pay him and I am stringing him along - and that I'll keep finding things to have him fix. That's just not true. I just want a finished home that I could be proud of. Is it unethical to bring out another GC to have them give a peer review? At this point I'm just stressed/fed up with the entire process - I wish I spent more time vetting out my GC before going with him. Sorry for the long rant. Thanks for any advice. Happy Holidays! [link] [comments] |
| What is this residue inside my dishwasher and how do I get rid of it? Posted: 23 Dec 2020 07:41 PM PST I inherited a perfect dishwasher from a family two counties over. It's only a few years old and works perfectly. It came to me like this: https://imgur.com/a/lUDHOHH Any idea what the white residue is and how I can most efficiently remove it? I don't have data on the water quality of the previous owner. [link] [comments] |
| How to fix a door that's drafty? Posted: 23 Dec 2020 07:00 PM PST Hi. I live in a condo and my balcony door seems to be having some issues. Here's a pic of the top of the door here's a pic of the bottom. It's hard to see but there's a bit of a gap at the top and when the wind blows, i can hear it by the door and also feel a bit of wind. I'm sure this is going to impact the heating and cooling in the immediate area. Basically the balcony is a set of three floor to ceiling windows which i'm sure doesn't help with the heating and cooling either. But, i'm wondering if there's anything i can do to fix the door so it closes properly and seals. It's a metal door frame with a glass panel surrounded by other metal window frames and glass panels. Any advice is greatly appreciated. thank you. [link] [comments] |
| Water heater issue, fix it myself? Posted: 23 Dec 2020 06:47 PM PST Long post warning: New homeowner here, before settlement, the previous owner said the hot water wasn't working and they got a plumber to try to fix it. Apparently, they weren't able to fix it and ordered a new water heater instead. When the new water heater came, it turns out it was the wrong size, and then ultimately everything went back to trying to fix it... The owner the. says "They opened the blower vent, it's turned on up and running currently and hot water is there, so the vent pipe is clogged or blower needs to replaced." They were going to get yet another plumber out but at this point offered me $500 and I could get it done, so I took the money, mind you the heater is under 3 years old and I'd rather know and see exactly what's being fixed. So hot water is working, but the Icon system has a flashing LED, 7 flashes, which clearly states on the diagnostic diagram next to it that the flammable vapor sensor has a fault. I am now thinking to myself, why hasn't any of the multiple plumbers they had out mentioned this and how did the hot water suddenly start working again? The sensor is a $30 part to replace but I'm wondering should I just have a plumber come out to check it all out for good measure or just replace the sensor myself? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 06:24 PM PST Hi all, first time homeowner here. Please excuse any ignorance, I have no real role model here and it's kind of like the blind leading the blind in this house. My wife and I closed on a home in September and our inspection company had a complimentary water test that doubled as a sales pitch for a water softener. City water is really horrible, but he quoted $6k for a water softener to be installed and some goodies thrown in like eco-friendly soap for a year. When asked the difference between this one and the ones sold at Lowe's for $500~, he only laughed and said that they couldn't compare. Would it be worth it to just pay the $6k or have you had good experiences with the ones sold at Lowe's/Home Depot? Is there a brand you prefer? How much should I expect to pay? Thanks in advance! Hope you all have a safe holiday! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 22 Dec 2020 10:44 PM PST First time posting here. My wife and I have lived here for 6 years and finally decided it's time to remodel our bathroom. As you can see, we dealt with the old bathroom for years. I couldn't even walk through the old bathroom door frame shoulder to shoulder, I had to turn side to side. We like the classic style of the subway tile and wanted it to really pop when the bathroom was done. It was a lot of planning to have it done. Our contractor told us it was a 3 week job and it turned in 2 months... But overall, we are happy about the end result! We flipped the wall the shower and the toilet are on, it gave us a very large shower, which we desperately wanted. Most of the materials we sourced from the usual suspects: Vanity, faucets, toilet, shower fixture, light fixture all from Lowes. Subway tile from Home Depot. Bathroom and shower floor from Floor and Decor. The medicine cabinet with a picture frame came from Fox Hollow and the shower door was from a local shop near me. We also had to have the window chopped down from the long one to a very small custom sized one ( 23 x 23 ) I hope you all enjoy and that it inspires you for your own bathroom! Edit: Budget. Around $16,000. $8,500 labor. $1750 for shower door $1300 vanity $400 shower fixture $250 custom window $400 medicine cabinet Sink fixtures were around 200 a piece Light fixture around 150 Mirrors were about 75 a piece We ordered the towel hooks from Germany, paid around 80 for 5 of them. Not photographed, barn door for the archway was 800, self installed. Tiles ended up being around 800 or so overall. [link] [comments] |
| Scratched concrete walkway and driveway Posted: 23 Dec 2020 09:56 PM PST Hey all, We had snow last week and it turned to some intense ice that I could not get off my walkway and driveway. I had the brilliant idea of using my metal shovel to scrap the ice off so my snow shovel could remove it. It worked pretty well... fast forward to now, the snow is melted and my concrete is covered in white surface level scratches. The scratches are only quarter to half and inch wide but multiple feet long from the tip of the shovel scrapping. My wife is pissed and I feel like an idiot. The concrete had no blemishes before other then being slightly dirty and it is 35 years old. How badly did I screw up? Will these blend and go away on their own? Or did I break the seal on top of the concrete and it will spall away to nothingness in the next few years? Any advice? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 03:53 PM PST The wife and I removed some large floor to ceiling mirrors in 2 areas of our house. Removing the mirrors left some pretty serious drywall damage that we're trying to decide how to repair. Here's some pictures of the damage: Room 1 - 10 feet tall by 11 feet wide Full Wall - https://i.imgur.com/RMtOFbt.jpg Close up (paper damage) - https://i.imgur.com/hnvTK6z.jpg There's also small dents and nail holes around the edges of this wall from the trim they used to hold the mirror in place. Room 2 - 10 feet tall by 14 feet wide Full Wall - https://i.imgur.com/oNU2Fls.jpg Close Up 1 (hole) - https://i.imgur.com/dff0ciP.jpg Close Up 2 (split drywall) - https://i.imgur.com/m65hS8K.jpg Close Up 3 (more damage) - https://i.imgur.com/ub9o1rk.jpg We've had 3 quotes to repair and paint the walls, all around $1,000-$1,250. The first 2 contractors (paint/drywall pros) both said they would skim coat to repair then paint. The third quote was from a handyman who doesn't drywall and paint every day, but recommended laying new 1/4" drywall over room 2 (and skim coating room 1). I'm trying to decide if this is something I want to tackle myself, or if I should use a pro. Here's my main questions, any advice would be appreciated!
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| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 05:54 PM PST HVAC 12 years old. Had it serviced and tech says heat exchanger is compromised and needs replacement (cost $2108) (first unit)and blower motor leaking oil and needs relaced (cost $929) (second unit). Should I repair ($3000) or replace (approx $6-7k). thanks location:IL [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 23 Dec 2020 09:28 PM PST Hey there Forum, My mom's attic had a leak and two rows of insulation got fairly wet. It's not a huge deal but there was some mold on it and I want to replace. This insulation was put in around 1980's or a bit later I believe. I'm assuming it's fiberglass but there is only foil on the back and no R rating. Any idea what rating this would be by the pic? Thanks! R-rating? [link] [comments] |
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